Beijing taxi, dopey driver

One taxi after the next asked us to get out at Lao Xia’s house and refused to take us up to Fragrant Park Hill. By 10.30, we were still standing by the side of the road, with cars pulling over, thinking we might be prostitutes?!

Finally, Lao Xia managed to find a novice, willing to take us to the hotel, but unsure of the route to take. What ensued was a nerve-wracking journey, cold sweat forming at every junction, as we risked being taken out of our way with a driver totally unable to communicate with us (the Chinese being the only people in the world who don’t seem to twig on to sign language, mimics, drawings, etc). With a few wrong turns and some unbelievable homing skills, we made it back.

Dirt market
A great skill: singing with mouth full

From the room, I called Lao Xia to let him know we had arrived. He informed me that his wife and others had said it was totally normal for drivers not to want to go up to Fragrant Hill at night, and that it was in fact company policy to refuse, because of the number of hijackings that occur in the area… ohhhhhh, well that’s alright then!

Other driver stories include the taxi driver that took Asheline to the airport at 5.00 am and came to pick me up at 10.00 am. Between Lao Xia’s home and the airport, he fell asleep five times. Good job I don’t have a quiet voice!

Tienanmen Square, impossible to pass without thinking of the students that got killed.

The best driver however, might have been the one that picked Asheline and I up from the Forbidden City and took us back to Lao Xia’s house. He sang all the way back, with volume on full, and then heartily laughed at us as we tried to get him into the correct section of the compound.

Friday night Chinese John Travolta

Friday saw Asheline, Lao Xia and I visit the Summer Palace before going back for a great lunch of dumplings and other marvels prepared by Chenglan. The afternoon was dedicated to the Forbidden City and its many scaffoldings, and trying to find a taxi back to have dinner in the shopping mall behind Lao Xia’s home. A Korean BBQ fuelled us round the supermarket where we purchased a number of dried squid legs, bean curd strips and chopsticks.

By then it was 21.00 and we felt the disco urge (rather Lao Xia’s eyes were gleaming as he schemed his first trip ever to a disco – this is baby book material at the tender age of 64!), so we headed to the basement. Here we found hoards of youngsters in their party gear, filing into a dark hole with booming music that pounded our eardrums even from the dressing room where we dutifully left our purchases. An experience never to be forgotten. 1) quite a few people appear to have quite a lot of money as many were drinking bottles of spirits. 2) there were many more men than women. 3) the women at the bar were wearing Britney-style school girl mini dresses. 4) the dance floor was packed by 22.00 with most people facing the dj. 5) some audacious fellow tried to feel my backside but was not quick enough. 6) Asheline was a hit and got her fare share of stares.

In order:
Over the bridge and under Chairman Mao, to the Forbidden City.
Bridges at the Summer Palace.
We ate duck number 48'684'897 - delicious.
The Forbidden City; a strange place.

ZE MOTLEY CREW FREUM TOTLEY

September saw an intrepid tourist group appear from Yorkshire with the aim of visiting all of central Italy in a week. Guide books had not accounted for the pace of the intrepid pack. They covered Rome, Florence, Gubbio and Cortona to mention but a few, and they survived the deadly pong emanating from the adjacent pigsty. As such, a medal goes out to the Totley Crew for their stamina and good humour, their ability to down G&T with wine as opposed to peanuts; and also to combat deadly red ants.


Plonking around the pink city of Gubbio.


Pushing it to the extreme, in Rome, on the tourist bus for the day.


Taking a moment to admire local art - http://www.gabolandia.com/


After a hard day's worth.

BURSTING INTO FLOODS OF TEARS...

This flat is a jewel. It sits high above the Cortona skyline, with sweeping views of the Val di Chiana on one side and a unique outlook onto everybody's weddings on the other. It is cosy, friendly, just large enough to accommodate us and it shines with light on three sides. It draws you like a diamond, but its about to be abandoned... As the heaven's open, for the third winter running, we dive for the buckets and move the umbrella round the bed. Piazza Baldelli, Palazzo Baldelli, where noble families lived, where the first stones were set by the Greeks, where the Romans and Etruscans played, is disintegrating. Mold is taking over. The water is rising and we will have to get out before we sink.


Our bedroom / swimming pool.

UNA DOMENICA SPECIALE

é una domenica con teeeee.

Masica and Danilo tied the knot this Sunday at 11.00 am. The groom arrived later than the bride, but she lived next to the church so waited at home. The priest was annoyed and nearly called the Carabinieri when the friends of the groom lit fireworks outside the church. He then went on to preach about families and I had to hold on to Cristian to stop him from trying to beat him up. The choir was rehearsing for San Remo and shook the foundations more than the fireworks did.

When we finally got out and sprinkled vast amounts of rice everywhere, we made our way to the 4 Pietre in Castiglion Fibocchi, where we had a true Italian Wedding lunch. Antipastis kept coming; then there were three different types of pasta; two steaks, one with mushrooms, the other with pepper; mixed grill; fruit and the wedding cake. Needless to say that by then we all needed vast quantities of coffee and digestivo!


Say "cheese"!


Hugging the groom brings good luck!


Che spacco!!


The groom looked like he had seen aliens for the most part of the day...