Laptop broke
Trip Start
Mar 17, 2008
1
15
18
Trip End
Apr 03, 2008
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Guangzhou,
China
Sunday, March 30, 2008
It is a sad day - my laptop broke down today. That means no more internet access, no more checking emails and, the most important, no more travelpod. So I do apologise - this is written days after it all actually happened!!!
This morning Pa, Mel and I caught the ferry again. We saw the most amazing sight
- a man was riding his bike - not unusual I know - but he had a load of new polystyrene foam hamburger clams - the sort you get from a fish and chip shop with your burger in and has a base and lid. He must have had 15 packets of these clams - I would estimate (from my 'working in the school canteen' knowledge!!!!!) that he had 100 clams per packet and he must have had 15 packets on his bike. You would hope that you do not come across a big gush of wind or he'd be off doing a Mary Poppins!!!! The load was so high that, when he got to the ferry terminal, he had to unload the top half of the clams and place them on the ferry before his bike and the remaining clams would fit under the roof. It was amazing to see.
After we got off the ferry, Mel ran to the exercise equipment again - she does love to use it. It was amazing the amount of people using it. The old lady we saw the other day was back again - it is obviously a daily routine for her. I guess with such small houses, you would want to be able to get out and have something to do, not just sit on a park bench! Pa went off to have his hair cut. He has not had his hair cut in Australia since GST was brought in. And he likes his 20 Yuan cuts ($3.00).
A dog in the market place
Mel and I followed after playing on the equipment but Pa had either gone to another hairdressers to Nana or he had already finished. Mel and I combed through the DVD shops again and found Pa!!!! A DVD costs 5 Yuan here - or $1.00. I added a few more DVDs to my collection of ones I have bought whilst in China - only 50 all told!
Mel and I wanted to look at some clothes shops but I could tell that Pa was itching at the feet to go. We sent him on his way after convincing him that we could catch the ferry and walk back to the hotel by ourselves - I guess he was worried about Nanas reaction if she found out that he had deserted us and we were lost in amongst the twelve million inhabitants in this city.
We went into a clothing store to look for a top for Mel. It seems that each table of clothes has a girl attached to it. We would pick up a top from a neatly folded pile, look at it then return it to the pile. It was instantly re-folded correctly and carefully placed back on the table. We assume that the girls each work on a commission - they were trying to each show us tops at the same time. It is most confusing. As is the system when you decide to purchase something. The sales girl writes details of your purchase on a piece of paper. You then take this piece of paper to the cash register located at the back of the store and pay. They give you a duplicated receipt and an empty plastic bag. You then take the receipt and the bag to the girl whose table you purchased the tip from (which of the girls was that????). They take a copy of the receipt then place your item in the bag.
Mel and I made it safely back over the river and to the hotel. Pa had been going to go out elsewhere but went back to the hotel first (taking our DVDs - I hope he doesn't show Nana how many I bought!!!) and never made it out again!
