June 20th Huan’s fourth no driving day, much mumbling from me, not so much from her. As far as I am concerned she and Yú have paid and should therefore be having lessons daily! Never mind, it gave us chance for a walk, from the 1st to the 2nd roads off the main road. Here we are just about to turn off the landfill road to take the shortcut, we are wet!
Just around the corner we reached the hardest part of today’s walk, at least after this there were no big hills and also plenty of trees.
Next up is me trying vainly to hide behind the trees to stop Huan taking so many photos of me, and then the back way into the ‘Tea Story Farm’ from last week.
Unlike last week, the chickens didn’t run away today. They all came running to see if I was going to feed them and then in the second photo the water birds turned up too. I found myself wishing that I was there to feed them.
Sometimes we still manage ‘firsts’, this is the first time either of us have seen this particular fruit. A lady in the restaurant told it was an ‘iron watermelon’ and poisonous. That search went nowhere on Google, eventually we found out that it is in fact inedible but is used to brew up certain medicines and the outside is used functionally and ornamentally. It is the fruit of the Calabash tree, - https://www.picturethisai.com/wiki/Crescentia_cujete.html
Huan picked up an upside down dragon fly which she then palmed off on me. When I let it off my hand it went straight down to the floor again, I think maybe it had passed on…
Birds were aplenty today, all in cages though. One cage was full of Japanese quail, very quiet birds it seems. Another cage was brought out by the owner to give its occupants some sun. We have never seen birds putting on a display like this before. In retrospect, we should have taken a video, we’ll try and remember for the next time we pass by that way.
Arriving home after just over nine kilometres I found that I had a red sock. Huan surmised, and I agreed with her, that somewhere on our way though the woods I was savaged by a leech. Huan says they like my feet because they smell more than hers! The cheek of the woman!
Being a Tuesday it was of course my turn to slave in the kitchen again, not that what I cooked was difficult. Huan always has some rice ready in the freezer, I had prepared the chicken last night so today was only broccoli, then combining all and sticking it in the oven. The only change to the ingredients was that we used yoghurt instead of sour cream. It was yummy!
June 21st For the longest day of the year, in the north anyway, we had our longest walk for quite some time. Huan had a bus and walk plan for this morning which I agreed with and then, being the bad boy I am, appropriated it for my own use when we got off the bus. I knew that Huan wouldn’t mind once we got off the road. First, once we left the bus, we headed back towards the town and then did a sharp turn to the left.
Next we skirted past a Li village and headed towards an old army camp.
Despite the army camp no longer being in use, we still gave it a wide berth, (my insistence) and took the track I remembered up into the woods.
Within minutes the leader had remembered going this way in the past and was beginning to enjoy the walk, as I was I. What’s not to enjoy when the route looks like this?
Before long we were through the forest and over the mountain to the road that leads from turn off four up to the fish farm reservoir, trusty old pointy mountain was once again in view.
Heading upwards we spotted this little chap. He looks docile enough doesn’t he? However, if I made a move towards the scooter he started growling, definitely on guard duty!
When the fish farm reservoir came into view I decided that instead of stopping there, we should persevere, onwards and upwards!
Looking downhill, and with maximum zoom, we could see Wuzhishan. You can see from this photo just what we mean when we say we are surrounded by mountains.
Not long after taking that photo, we reached seven kilometres since we got off the bus. We decided to turn round and head back for another bus, leaving the rest of this road for a soon to be done car exploration. This was the view back towards civilisation when we turned.
On the way down I gave my soaking wet shirt to Huan, she put it over her head and used it as a water cooling air conditioner. I revelled in fresh air and sun on my naked body!
Going down is a lot easier than going up; being shirtless also seems to help. Wildlife was very thin on the ground today, we had missed some small lizards, and even a live snake. I couldn’t get the camera to its shooting position fast enough and all I got on the way up was the road edge and crash barrier. With another burst of maximum zoom I did find a butterfly though.
Huan then managed to find a lizard on a fencepost for me.
Then it was my turn to find a cow that would let me close. We had seen a lot of cows this morning but all were far too nervous. Only this one deigned to be touched.
Now here is something we have never seen before in
With our walks to and from bus stops at the beginning and end, and the distance walked in the countryside, today’s was a long one! (PS Although the bus route is included in the map, it is not included in the distance walked, that is all done by our little feet.)
I did my usual after such a long hot walk, drank some water and went for a nap. Huan had a very light lunch and then followed me. No more walking was needed today!
June 22nd “So when are you having another driving lesson?” I asked. “Not before the 3rd July” came the response. It’s farcical, pay all the money up front, have two lessons, and then be forced to have a three week break before you can carry on. Of course Huan and Yú are not going to bother complaining about it.
It gives us more time for walking I suppose; I suggested we give the countryside a miss today. Huan agreed and then on the way along the main street she asked if we were going to turn off towards the villages after Rendishan. No chance of that, I told her we were just going to do one of her favourite walks, a lizard hunt along the river. She was happy with that.
In short shrift I found two lizards, The first was not easy to see or photograph, the second was easier to see and much more photogenic.
Over the last few weeks you may remember seeing photos of the improvements being carried out along the riverside. Of course working ‘in’ a river can often be problematic, even more so in a tropical island during the rainy season. “Where’s the temporary road gone boss?”
Two more lizards were found, the first by Her Nibs and the second by yours truly. Both of them deserve two pictures each, one for length and one for body.
Next we found a youngster in trouble. It took us a minute or two to realise that this little bird couldn’t fly, and another minute or two to realise that its ‘parents’ were making a right racket up in the nearby trees. Huan wanted me to try and catch it; I talked her out of that.
A passing young man then chased and caught the little bird, he said he would take it home and feed it. Whether or not he would then release it or not, I haven’t got a clue. Huan had probably not thought through what we would do with a frightened chick, maybe she thought I could scale the heights of the tree and give it back to its parents! Hopefully all’s well that ends well.
Back home and after lunch we both ‘flaked out’ as the old army saying goes. Despite avoiding the hills and mountains of the countryside we had still managed eight kilometres this morning. Once awake it was duty chef Bob again and another ‘chilli a la Bob’ with noodles this time. They say practice makes perfect, well it wasn’t, but it was “tasty, tasty, very very tasty, so very tasty!” If you remember the advert I’m referring to then you’re old, like me!
After dinner, surprisingly, we added another seven kilometres to today’s total. It was not planned that way, it just happened. Along the way we met this little kitten, sadly without its sibling. It seems that the sibling had been run over since we last passed by. This one was friendly enough.
We thought you might like today’s car scribbles, these from a Great Wall Tank. You did read that right, the SUV is named Tank. Anyway here’s the rear left (driver’s side) window, 祝你今天愉快, Zhù nǐ jīntiān yúkuài - Have a nice day!
On the tailgate window, an advert?
And finally the rear right side window, showing the specifications for off-roading.
Would I buy one? Actually I probably would but in yellow! Of course I would have to consult the Minister of Finance a.k.a. the new Minister of Transport who would probably veto it!
June 23rd The Minister of Housing ordered me to take her to Ledong this morning,
it seems that our tenants have now left. Their daughter came down from
The storm began to rise as soon as we reached the floor where our apartment is.
Entering the dining area and then the living area the storm intensity increased.
I think the storm intensity plateaued before I started looking further around. This was the balcony, kitchen and bathroom. In fact the kitchen was even worse that you see here but I didn’t check the cupboards until I went back for my phone before we left for home.
The bedroom was probably the worst shock, we ended up binning everything except the bed frame, the curtains and the wardrobe.
Finally we have the walls and the floor and a couple of guests.
We were both quite shocked by the state of everything, our old couple while untidy, had always seemed clean enough. We used to visit without warning and never saw anything like today. In fact we were there just three weeks ago and noticed nothing untoward. Today, it was almost as though we were doing a house clearance for someone who had passed away. Even the light switch screamed “touch me at your peril!”
Huan had planned that we would do a little cleaning today and start trying to rent to new tenants as of tomorrow. I told her that it would take a week or more for me to sort it all out!
Back in Wuzhishan, after dinner, I went out for a solo walk to clear my brain and get some fresh air. I don’t relish climbing ladders, sanding and painting again but I suppose if I have to I will grit my teeth and get on with it. Mind you, I did threaten Huan, I said that if she was intent on killing me with work I may as well start smoking again!
June 24th Today’s sentiments, enjoy the weekend while you can! It was market day and it looked like rain so we left the camera at home. There wasn’t much to photograph, although we did find a new friend. The brown dog is an old friend, 豆丁, Dòu dīng (translates as ‘beans’ but his name is more like little bean). He is now sharing his home withour new friend, 豆花, Dòuhuā (translates as bean curd but her name is more like soft bean). We think Dòu dīng can be a bit of a snob at times, he certainly didn’t want to budge off his mat today.
No camera and Huan managed to find a lizard, where we have never seen one before.
June 25th Oh she of little patience, correction, she of no patience, decided we should go ostrich hunting today. The one that used to live in the bap market has moved to the countryside and Huan found out where. At least we could take a bus part of the way and then the walk was pleasant enough, as long as you didn’t want to walk on the pavement (sidewalk).
Follow the highway access road at Nancheng and then look for the village on the RHS.
Finding the farm gave off reasonably good vibes, except that the main gate was open.
The vibes changed when we found the ostrich, it was in a cage and it looked very much like it didn’t get out enough. It had also grown a lot since we last saw it and a <2m x <10m cage wasn’t really suitable for it. Stressed animals pace back and forth a lot, the ostrich was running from one end of its cage to the other. It stopped long enough for Huan to feed it.
Nearly all my photos were terrible and out of focus, Huan did better than me with just her phone. The squares in the fence wouldn’t allow my lens through but it did allow hers.
The rest of the farm left me with bad feelings too. There were a lot
of dogs, most looked to be undernourished and needing water. Nearly all of them
were afraid of me, the few that weren’t seemed to want to go home with me. Had
we been in the
How about a des res in the countryside to cheer you up? I certainly liked it!
Huan was more interested in the landscape cleaners and their mode of transport.
An unusual find, for us anyway, was this one found by Eagle Eyes herself. She calls these my friends and this one did end up on my hand as well. However, this was the best photograph. Why is this one unusual? All the previous ‘friends’ have been green, this one is brown.
Huan also found another lizard before we reached the bus stop, I have her permission not to share this one though. She said it wasn’t beautiful enough. When the bus came, it was not the usual ‘big bus’ but a much smaller version. It was still an electric bus, probably smaller because it was lunchtime and also because most snowbirds have now migrated northwards. This bus had only nine seats, I’m not sure of the standing spaces.
No naps for either of us today, we were too late!
June 26th Today was a work day, even though I have been retired for eight years! The Minister of Labour had us going to Ledong to sort out the apartment for the next tenants. I spent the morning scrubbing the bedroom floor before we headed out for lunch. On the way back we found a little puddy tat, another one that seemed rather taken with my feet. Huan says that it must be the smell! I think she is mistaken of course.
After lunch the new mattress was delivered, the curtains were put back up, (Huan had washed them), and the bedroom was finished.
My next job was the bathroom which I ended up doing almost twice. After I had finished the job, and Huan had inspected the results, she decided to take the cover off the window. That made a mess of my work and I had to do over half of it again! I was not a happy boy I can tell you and after I had finished the second time I sneaked off to the balcony for half a quick fag!
One of the only pleasures of working away from home is eating out which we do for every meal. Today was a buffet style with a long walk after looking for a lottery shop for Huan. Weekdays it is her turn, weekends it is mine. On our way around Huan spotted not a chicken in a basket but a pigeon in a bag.
Back at the apartment Huan found two creatures crawling on the floor, one was a house lizard that really didn’t want to run away at all. In fact Huan spotted it again later in the evening on a different wall. The other creature was caught almost in a praying position; yes it was me, down on my hands and knees again!
That was my last job for the day, the dining area, also the place where I would be on my laptop later on.
