I went to Lijiang (altitude:2,500m) to see a friend recently - it was wonderful. All the good bits about China and very few of the bad - it is a beautiful (world heritage UNESCO listed) place with mostly blue sky, clean air and just a little bit of oxygen in the air (I got puffed just climbing the stairs!). I think I will have to put off Everest for a while...
And wonder of wonders, I came home to find that this year the heating won't be turned on in my flat! The tenants in my compound owe 200,000 RMB in heating bills from last year so they aren't turning it on. I have bought a heater and a 2X3m bit of cheap carpet, so now the temp in my lounge room gets to about 17 degrees. I am really getting tough! I smile. I'm also getting good at layering on the clothes. I have a reverse-cycle air con in my bedroom, but as it is usually zero or lower in the evenings it takes ages to start warming the room. Thank god I bought quilted pjs!People wear them shopping and everything! (I'm not game yet, but I may end up wearing them all the time).
I went to Luoyang to see the first Buddhist temple built in China at the end of December. As it is almost impossible to get return train tickets in China, I got off the train on Saturday morning and went straight to the ticket office to see about getting a train home. With Chun Jie (Spring Festival) coming up everyone is getting ready to travel back to their home village and the trains are filled to capacity. (You also can’t get a ticket more than a week in advance either.)
Back to topArchives Index
