The New Beachhutman Blog

Beijing was anaesthetically cold today.

I had woken at a reasonable hour, by which I mean I had somehow, a week after the event, overcome the jet lag and sleep dysfunction, and slept through the night. Sitting reading the UK morning papers on my new big screen while I had the one English-type breakfast of the week, (and not every week)  I had looked out on a bright and sunny Chaoyang from my 17^th (actually 14^th) floor abode. It was bright, it was sunny, it looked clear and fresh under a blue sky.

So after breakfast and coffee, and checking all was in order with the preparations for next weekend’s curry bonanza, I sallied forth to buy me a set of shelves to put my pans and dishes on, as I am tired of hunting for the damn  things in the under hob and under sink cupboards.

It was indeed bright and sunny, but my god was it biting cold. I had gone less than a half kilometre when I became aware that this was a potentially foolish outing for an unfit old-ish (note the “ish” please) Laowai.  My ears were numb, my face was numb, my legs were getting number by the step. Later I learned that today was -2 to -10 degrees C in Beijing.

Anyway, I beat it into the “Sunnyday Market”, one of those multi floor malls with countless small booths selling clothes and shoes that Beijing does so well, and looked out a set of shelves from a place I had earlier noticed. A slight haggle, an exchange of cash for product, and they were mine.  

(I also tried to find a woolly bobble hat, as my excellent hat from the Knitting witch queen of North Britain is in my small car in Spain, but on the same principle that you can’t buy swimming trunks in summer, I couldn’t find one)

My ears numbed even further as I was carrying the shelves home.

Carrying them home, I did the arithmetic to distract me from my ears. A set of five shelves, in steel (OK, Chinese, very thin steel) assembled, with angle connectors, and finished in an almost tasteful red, had set me back at today’s exchange rate  - under 4 Euros (previously 3 Euro). Assuming the shop made a profit, the wholesaler made a profit, adding the cost of distribution, and labour, how much were they leaving the factory for?  These sort of numbers make me worry. China cannot survive on those numbers.

Which is a conversation I was having recently with some Chinese friends, in fact a number of such conversations. China is at the bottom of the international value chain. Europe isn't buying. Nor is Ameriaca. It has an impact here. See the empty shops in downtown Beijing, in my little neighbourhood,  see the deserted new luxury  malls, walk down any road and see the small shops, visit any department store and see the total lack of customers, do the arithmetic.

Where is the money coming from? And what does happen when it dries up?

It was one of those “good to be back” days today.

I’m not sure when the idea had occurred to me. I think it may have been before I left for the USA, but at some time I decided to do a weekend curry lunch for the team at work. I do these events about three times a year, it’s a way of saying thanks for the support and hard work, and I feel it’s good to have the gang around to the pad, which after all is a company apartment, and they all deserve at least that, as their work pays for it too.  So when  I came back, I found the date was more or less taken as set, and it will be the Saturday after Christmas, which is a tight schedule.

Indian is maybe a bit more difficult than some other cuisines here in China, because there is a pretty long standing tension between Sino and Hindi, and there are actually very few Indians working here. But the internet came to the rescue, and I located the one Indian food store in Beijing, which just happens to be in the Sanlitun expat and bar area, and incidentally just up the road from the office.

So in the bright sun of a winter day in Beijing I therefore hied me to the said Indian Grocery, which amusingly ( to keep an eye on them?) is beside Sanlitun police station behind the amazing new "Sanlitun Village" development .

There I found Garam masala, and Ghee, and popadums, and pickles, and lentils and all those essentials for a good curry bash. While there there was an Indian co-shopper, and we exchanged words, him asking why I was so keen (I was filling the basket) in Indian food, and when I told him I used to live near Bradford in England, he immediately understood, having visited many times. Such is the small world we inhabit.

Emerging after the shopping, with my stuff in a rucksack, it was too soon to get a cab, so I strolled up Gongti to the third ring road, and then down to Tuan Jie Hu park, one of my favourite small city parks here, where I watched the inline skaters and the old men who were wrapped up well and walking in a very Last of the Summer Wine way beside the pools and rivers.

(not today!)

After an hour or so I needed a cab, and made my way home. Tomorrow, if my legs let me and the weather is fine, I think I shall have another weekend walk. Walking in the winter in Beijing, assuming the say is bright, is a pleasant experience, and also gives me the chance to work on my Chinese character recognition, as I can gently study street signs, maps and so on.

It was good to be home in Spain for a while, and it is good to be back here too.

Although I've been below par of late, and although feeling more than a bit post-flight, I really needed a haircut.

Now Haircuts are one of those things that Are A Bit Of A Problem for the Beachhutman in China. The favoured clip and snip here is the hedgehog cut, which can be styled as short and spiky, or short and flatish, and not a lot else. It would not look good with silver threads amongst the - well, with silver threads.

Then there is the fear of communication.  Suppose my gesture for "Just clear of the collar and ears please, and a bit off the sides" is interpreted as "You know, like an American Army Recruit !". The risk is pretty fearful.

So in the past I have been able to time my arrivals to China and my term of stay so as to go to a hairdresser I trust in UK. But with my schedule last trip it was apparent this couldn't hold. Not to mention that I don't have a base in UK now anyway.So my friend Magic Parsons had taken me to his guy. Maxim does Magic's hair for his everyday and his stage performances, (but see link!), and as a bonus Maxim has a decent amount of English. The man is a hair artiste, dancing around with the scissors, a snip here, a snap there , here a snip, there a snap...... and ending with a vigourous scalp massage with scented oils and a professional brushing to face the world. All this for what was, when I left, a mere 5 Euro, and now a mere 5 pounds (thanks to Balls-up Brown and Badger Darling)

Emerging from the  GT salon, I was faced at 5.30 with one of the eternal dilemmas of Beijing. Jiangoumen outer street is one of those 8 lane highways that pass as city streets here, and getting a cab on the north side when you want to go east means an additional 15 minutes while the driver tries to do a loop in rush hour. But the alternative is the subway, which at that time of day is a crush of epic proportions. But I had to get home for an email and a skype message I was told to expect, so I went for the subway, and as it was only a few stops, and one of the new trains, it was really quite OK.

The walk from my local subway station to the apartments has been considerably "improved" of late, with an entire street of food stalls and restaurants selling snacks, nuts, fruit, and chicken and noodle places, Chinese style fast food, all along the street leading down to the station, for the breakfasting or snacking commuters. A gold mine I reckon, as Sihui Dong is a major commuter stop. At night it is bright and full of smells, vendors calling out their wares, and the girl in the fried chicken shop wearing a hi tech headset with microphone, reciting the script about the pleasures of fried chicken to go - at an excellent price. Further on by the footpath under the tracks, the charcoal grills with meat on a stick, the boiled dumplings, the roasted hot sweet potatoes, the - what  ARE those things?

But I hurried on home to my hot lemon and honey, and after some work, an early bed.

Senior readers will rememeber the instruction from our teachers that when you are not going to finish the whole exam answer in the time, write notes, so at least the examiner has some evidence you know something?

Well, I'm here again pals, and have a fine jet-lag-cold coming on strong, with woozy head,` sore throat, temperature, and aching limbs, but know I have been neglecting you, so here are some notes on the return of Beachhutman to Beijing. Posting on the Windmill Street blog will resume when I next have time at home in Spain. 

Lufthansa were both wonderful and a disaster. The carefully timed LH journey via Amsterdam and Munich had to be abandoned due to an outbreak of weather in Munich, so instead of a gentle perambulation through 3 airports' bookshops and cafes, I had to do a runner for the gates in two major (and dreadfully L-O-N-G) airports, and was borne, sweaty and out of breath, away on a far earlierflight to PEK, mucking up my body clock good. Or bad. 

So most of Saturday was spent asleep.

Sunday was bright, sunshine and ice, so I went for a small outing to town, using the amazing new line 10 subway, which is a Olympic legacy.

English language subway announcements have improved immensely, although both line 1 and line 10 now use a US accent instead of the Chinese accent. I wonder if the London Tube will manage two languages in 2012?

The latest Guns and Roses album, about which all the western media screamed "IT'S BANNED IN CHINA", is openly on sale in every CD shop I went to. As usual, they just can't resist giving China a bad press.

It was really great to get back to the office. Really great. What a super team. And we went out for lunch, for which I was happy to pay. (Note to self: you forgot to tell them you're paying only AFTER they have ordered)

My local supermarket has an entire bin of red Santa hats. And  is playing Christmas songs. Jingle bells, Silent night, Rudolph, etc. But I forgive them, because they have also started to stock Australian steaks at really keen prices.

My Chinese has worked for three cabs!

And, it's good to be back in Beachhutman Towers East. Really good.

The more eagle eyed will notice that the nice people at amungus (and notice irony too) that they have unexpectedly and without notice reset the little map on the side bar. Just before they performed this service the reader count (new readers since I added the map) reached 360.

1. Abilene, USA (A paradox) 2. Abingdon, England - 3. Airdrie, Scotland - 4. Alameda, USA - 5. Aldea Del Fresno, Madrid, Spain - 6. Alfortville, France- 7. Alicante , Spain - 8. Allen, Texas, US - 9. Amman, Jordan - 10. Anahiem, USA - 11. Andover, Hampshire, England - 12. Antrim, Ireland - 13. Aravaca, Madrid, Spain - 14. Ardrossan, Scotland - 15. Arvada, Colorado, US- 16. Arvika, Varmlands Lan, Sweden - 17. Ashington, England 18. Athens, Greece - 19. Auckland, New Zealand - 20. Austin, Texas, US - 21. Aylesbury, UK. (Duck or grouse?) 22. Ayr, Scotland 23. Bad Ems, Germany 24. Baltimore, USA - 25. Banbury, Oxford, England - 26. Banchory, Scotland 27. Bangkok, Thailand - 28. Barcelona, Spain- 29. Basingstoke, Hants, England- 30. Baton Rouge, Lousianna, US - 31. Beijing, China- 32. benguet, Phillapines - 33. Benical, Spain - 34. Berea, Kentucky, US - 35. Bergen, Norway- 36. Berlin, Germany 37. Bern Switzerland - 38. Besancon, France- 39. Bethpage, NY, USA - 40. Blue bell, Penn, US - 41. Boca Raton, USA - 42. Bogota, Columbia- 43. Bombay, India 44. Boondall, Queensland, AUS- 45. Boston, Ma, US- 46. Bremen, Germany (DMTS?)- 47. Brentwood, England - 48. Brisbane, Queensland, US- 49. Bristol, England- 50. Brookseite, Germany - 51. Bruannes, France - 52. Brynmawr, Wales - 53. Bucharest, Roumania - 54. Buenos Aires, Argentina 55. Burguillos De Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain - 56. Burnaby, BC, Canada - 57. Cairo, Egypt 58. Calgary, Alberta, Canada- 59. Canberra,. Australia- 60. Canowindra, New South Wales, Aus - 61. Canton, USA - 62. Cardiff, Wales, UK - 63. Carmichael, California, US - 64. Cary, North Carolina, US - 65. Castleford, England - 66. Central District, Hong Kong - 67. Ceres, California, US - 68. Chandler, Az - USA - 69. Chaoyang, China (Oh that's me!) 70. Chemainus, BC, Canada - 71. Cheshunt, England 72. Cheshunt, England - 73. Chesterfield,. England - 74. Chicago, Illiois, USA- 75. Clifton, New Jersey, US - 76. Coacalco, Mexico- - 77. Coalville, Leicestershire, England- 78. Cobena Spain - 79. Colmenar Veijo,. Spain - 80. Columbus, Ohio, US- 81. Copenhagen, Denmark - 82. Cordoba, Spain - 83. Coventry, England - 84. Cudahy, Wisconsin, US- 85. Culman, Alabama, US- 86. Daimiel, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain - 87. Decorah, USA - 88. Denholm, Scottish Borders- 89. Denver, Colorado, US - 90. Derby, England - 91. Derry, Ulster - 92. Dollar, Clackmannanshire 93. Doncaster, England - 94. Douglas, Scotland - 95. Downers Grove, Illinois USA- 96. Draveil, Ile-de-France, France - 97. Duncan, Canada - 98. Dunedin, NZ (Give my love to Broad Bay) 99. Durham, England - 100. Durham, USA - 101. Edinburgh, Scotland, UK - 102. El Paso, Texas, US- 103. Elk Grove, US - 104. Englewood, USA - 105. Enumclaw, Washington, US (not DC)- 106. Eslv, Skane Lan, Sweden - 107. Evico, Sweden - 108. Fallingbostal, Germany- 109. Fgura, Malta (How is Lija these days?)- 110. Firenze, Italy - 111. Fleet, Hants, England - 112. Fornebu, Norway - 113. Fort Sill, Oklahoma, US - 114. Frome, Somerset, England- 115. Fuengirola, Spain 116. Galashiels Scotland 117. Ganda, Spain- 118. Gdansk, Poland- 119. Geneva, Switzerland - 120. Genova, Italia - 121. Georgetown, USA - 122. Gig Harbour, Washington, US- 123. Gillingham, Dorset, England- 124. Glasgow, Scotland - 125. Gloucester, UK- 126. Goodmayes, Essex, England - 127. Goole, England - (Escapism, and who can blame you?) 128. Gravesend, Kent, England - 129. Grays, Essex, England 130. Gwangyang, Cholla-namdo, Korea 131. Hadsund, denmark - 132. Haifa, Israel - 133. Halifax, England - 134. Hangzhou, China - 135. Hanover, Germany - 136. Harpenden, England 137. Hartford, US - 138. Hatfield, England - 139. Heanor, Derbyshire, England - 140. Hershey, Pennsylvania, US - 141. Hildesheim, Niedersachsen, Germany - 142. Hitchin, Herts, England - 143. Hollywood, California, US - 144. Hornchurch, Essex, England - 145. Horsham, Penn, US - 146. Horsham, West Suffolk, England - (Twins!) 147. Houston, Texas, US - 148. Huddersfield, England -- 149. Hull, England 150. Indianapolis, USA - 151. Indio, Ca, US- 152. Ipswich, Suffolk, England- (Melody?) 153. Issaquah, USA - 154. Jan (Jaen?) Andalusia, Spain - 155. Jnkping, Jonkopings Lan, Sweden - 156. Jo'burg, South Africa 157. Jupiter, Fla, US - 158. Kampong Batong, Brunei 159. Karlsruhe, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany - 160. Kasukabe, Saitama,` Japan- 161. Katrineholm, Sodermanlands Lan, Sweden 162. Keighley, Yorkshire - 163. Kingston Nova Scotia, Canada- 164. Kirchlinteln, Niedersachsen, Germany - 165. Kirklinteln, Germany - 166. Kirknewton, Scotland - 167. Kissimmee, USA - 168. Korea, republic of - 169. Krk Croatia- 170. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia- 171. Kwai Chun, Hong Kong - 172. La Garriga, Spain - 173. La Quinta, Ca, US- 174. Lafayette, Indiana, US - 175. Langenhagen, Netherlands - 176. Las Palmas, Canarias - 177. Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA - 178. Lawton, Oklahoma, US - 179. Leeds, England- (Nigel?) 180. Legans, Spain - 181. Letchworth, England - 182. Lincoln, England - (Cabbott?) 183. Lisbon Portugal - 184. Liverpool, UK 185. Llanelli, Wales - 186. Lombard, USA - 187. London, England- 188. Long Beach, Ca, 189. Loughton , Essex, England - 190. Lule, Sweden - 191. Lur, Sweden - - 192. Macclesfield, England - 193. Madison, New Jersey, US - 194. Madison, Wis, USA - 195. Madrid, Spain - 196. Maisons-Alfort France - 197. Makati Philipines - 198. Malm , Sweden - 199. Manchester New Hampshire, US - 200. Mandurah, W. Australia - 201. Manilla, Phillipines - 202. Manises, Valenciana, Spain- 203. Mansfield, Notts, England- 204. Marbella, Spain - (How are the cats?) 205. Marekati, Philppines 206. Maribor, Brezovica Slovenia - 207. Marinha Grande, Portugal - 208. Markleeville, US - 209. Matsungama, Japan - 210. Mauritius- 211. Medina de Campo, Spain- 212. Melbourne, Australia - 213. Mesa, Az, USA 214. Metaerie, Louisiana, US - 215. Middlesborough, England (Hello to Teeside University) 216. Midrand South Africa- 217. Millington Tennessee USA - 218. Minden, Germany 219. Minneapolis, US - 220. Mislata, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain - 221. Mitcham, Surrey, England - 222. Mittweida,, Germany - 223. Modesto, California, US - 224. Moncton, Canada - 225. Montreal, Canada - 226. Morecombe (Bay?) England 227. Morphet Vale, Australia 228. Moscow, Russian Fed - 229. Moulineaux, Haute-Normandie, France- 230. Mount Laurel, NJ, US- 231. Mountain View, California, USA - 232. Murcia, Spain (Pat?) 233. Muscat, Oman - Hi Marian! 234. Navoi, Uzbekestan - 235. New Delhi, India- 236. New York, USA - 237. Newbury, Berkshire, England - 238. Newport, IoW, UK- 239. Newport, Wales - 240. North Point Estate, Hong Kong - 241. North Vernon, USA - 242. Northwich, Cheshire, England- ( I thought so!) 243. Oberstetten , Germany - 244. Oceanside, Ca, USA - 245. Oklahoma City, US- (Oh so pretty?) 246. Okotoks, Alberta, Canada- 247. Oldham, England- 248. Orange, CA, US - 249. Oshawa, Canada - 250. Oslo, Norway - 251. Oxford, England- 252. Paignton, Devon, England - 253. Paola, Malta - 254. Parkes, NSW, Australia- 255. Pathum Thani, Thailand 256. Pelotas, Brazil,- 257. Perth, Australia - 258. Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland- 259. Philadelphia, Pen, US 260. Piano, Texas, USA - 261. Placentia, California, US - 262. Poitiers, France - 263. Portsmouth, USA - 264. Prague, Czech Republic - 265. Quincy, Illinois, US- 266. Rapallo, Italia - 267. Redmond, USA - 268. Reedley, US - 269. Reigate, Surrey, UK- 270. Remscheid, Germany 271. Renton, USA - 272. Rhyll, Wales - 273. Richboro, Pen, US - 274. Riverside, Rhode Island, US- 275. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia- 276. Rochester, New York USA - 277. Rotenberg, Germany- 278. Rotherham, England - 279. Rugby, England- 280. Ruovesi, Finland-- 281. Sabadell, Cataluna, Spain - 282. Salisbury, UK- 283. San Bartoloman de Tirajana, Canaries, Spain - 284. San Diego, California, US - 285. San Francisco, USA - 286. San Jose, Ca, US- 287. San Luis Obispo, California, USA - 288. Santiago, Chile 289. Saudi Arabia (proxy)- 290. Scunthorpe, England - 291. Segura, Spain - 292. Selby, Yorkshire 293. Sestri Levante, Liguria, Italy - 294. Shanghai, China - 295. Sheffield England- 296. Shenzen, PR China- 297. Shreveport, Louisianna, US - 298. Singapore, Singapore- 299. Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England - 300. Slough, England - 301. Spokane, US - 302. St Albans, England - (Anastasia Greek Taverna, quite good place!) 303. St Helens, England - 304. Staines, England - 305. Staunton, Gloucestershire, England - 306. Stettler, Canada - 307. Stockport, England - 308. Sunbury, England - 309. Sundsvall, Sweden - 310. Sunnyvale, California, US- 311. Surbiton, Surrey, England - 312. Switzerland- 313. Sydney NSW, Australia - 314. Syke, Germany - 315. Tacoma, Washington, US- 316. Taipei, Taiwan- 317. Talisay, Cebu, Phillipines 318. Tarbes, France- 319. Tashkent, Tashkent - 320. Tempe, Arizona, USA - 321. Tewkesbury, Mass, US- 322. Tianjin, China - 323. Tilberg, NL - 324. Torrance, CA, USA - 325. Torremolinos, Spain - 326. Trowbridge, England - 327. Union, USA - 328. United Arab Emirates- 329. Urbana, Illinois, USA - 330. Valdilida, Spain - 331. Vancouver, Canada- 332. Velez Malaga, Spain - 333. Victoria BC, Canada- 334. Vienna, Austria (Not Heather)- 335. Vienna, Va, USA - 336. Villaseca De La Sagra, Castilla-La Mancha 337. Vilnius, Lithuania _ 338. Vilvoorde, Brabant, Belgium- 339. Visselhvede, Niedersachsen, Germany - 340. Wakefield, England- 341. Walsrode, Germany - 342. Washington DC, US- 343. Watford, UK - 344. Wellington, New Zealand 345. Whitefield, England - 346. Whitestone, New York, USA - 347. Whitley Bay, England - 348. Whittier, USA - 349. Wigan, England - 350. Winter park, Florida, US- 351. Wolverhampton, England (What ho Chaotic)- 352. Woodford, England - 353. Worcester, England - 354. Wrexham, Wales - 355. Wunstorf, Niedersachse, Germany - 356. Xewkija, Malta - 357. Yeovil, Somerset, England-- 358. York, England- 359. Zaandam, Netherlands 360. Zoetermeer, Netherlands -