BACK IN cAPE tOWN AND FINALLY ABLE TO ACCESS MY BLOG!

Blocked website
For some reason known only to Big Brother, the last month and a half in China, all blogs and nings and many other websites were blocked. It probably had something to do with the Tianemen Square Anniversary. Well, finally, I am able to update my blog! So many things have happened which I could have blogged about, but as I'm getting old, my memory is fading. Maybe an onset of early Alzheimers.
To cut a long story short, Tony finished his exams and Grade 12, and lolled around for a month and a half watching TV and playing on his computer and doing no packing. We all nearly died of shock at the school's award ceremony, when he was awarded a certificate for the most improved student. He has worked really hard at school though, and I am proud of him. Monday, he received a large trophy for sportsman of the year. While I was terribly proud, I did wonder where the hell we would pack it into our luggage.
I completed the thirty hubs in thirty days challenge and have been working quite hard on my latest book. My goal is to complete heaps of writing this holiday. That way, I won't spend any money!
The rest of the month of May flew past so quickly, with my birthday, Kerri's birthday and the farewell parties and end of year functions that start to fill up your social calendar. It's strange how you start to feel yourself subconciously withdraw from people, as you know that you'll be leaving soon. I think, it helps to cure the pain of leaving close and dear friends behind. But, when you close doors behind you, other doors always open in front of you, and that is something that bears remembering. It's probably hardest leaving Kerri behind, but so many people and her friends told me that they'll take care of her and I mustn't worry. I know that she'll probably be the one taking care of her friends rather than them taking care of her, but she's with a great community of people, so I must stop worrying. I'm too young to go completely grey. Even if I do have the early signs of dementia.
Swine Flu
The Swine Flu Pandemic is causing strange behaviour. Not only are Hong Kong primary schools closed because of Swine Flu, but Nanjing Airport is taking temperatures of all passengers on the plane before they are allowed to get off. If they detect someone with a sniff, cough, sneeze, runny tummy or temperature, they put them into quarantine. Last Thursday, one of our teacher's husbands was on a flight into Nanjing. Someone on board had a fever and was put into quarantine. We had a big farewell party at their house on Friday, went with them to the staff party on Saturday night, and then on Sunday they had China Health Services knocking on the door. The guy with the fever had swine flu, so everybody who had been on that plane was put into quarantine, including all the people they'd been in contact with. My friend and her husband stretched the truth. Okay, they lied, and said they hadn't been in contact with anybody since he'd returned. Forget about a wild party at their house with easily fifty odd peopl on the Friday following the flight! There gate was chained up, and a security guard was put at their gate preventing them from leaving and others from visiting. What a way to end their time in China! At least, the Chinese Government delivered restaurant of their choice food to them every day! Imagine the expense of doing that to everybody who had been on that flight?
Leaving Nanjing
Our trip home on Wednesday was an adventure, or rather, a series of adventures. But then again, this is us we are talking about, would you seriously expect anything different? The school has a tradition of students and teachers going into the gym to do a yearbook signing and saying their farewells to each other. I headed to the gym with good intentions. Andy, one of Tony's friends asked me to sign his yearbook, in the corridor outside the gym. I could feel my eyes well up with tears and knew instinctively that if I set foot in that gym, I would break down in front of everybody. Leaving, is so hard to do. Great friendships you've made over three years, people you've traveled with and got to know so well. It's very hard and not something I'm good at dealing with. So, I just turned around, headed to my classroom, hid out there and drank a sprite, waiting for the final bell to go, ending my time in China, and escaped through the back door, too cowardly to leave through the front and have to say goodbye to everybody. I am yellow from head to toe. My blood is yellow. I am a coward.
The driver had arrived at 7am to pick up our bags, but saw that we had too many, so he booked a small van to take the baggage and he would just take us. Mike, our driver, we'll miss him greatly. I'd struggled to sleep, knowing that we hadn't quite finished packing and sorting stuff. Talk about leaving it to the last minute! So, I was up at 4am, packing, sorting, but we still managed to leave Siobhan's guitar behind! Probably just as well, as we would never have been able to carry it with all our luggage! We had two large suitcases, two large backpacker's backpacks, one large gym bag, two small gym bags, three small wheelie bags that can only just fit on as handluggage, a huge metro bag with teddies and two Wii fits, two laptops, another laptop bag with Siobhan's Wii in it, and my big sling shoulder bag. As you can tell, we had a lot of luggage. The smaller wheelie bags were each heavier than our hold luggage. We were seriously overweight, and not from eating too much KFC either!
Nanjing was not a problem, until the vigilant check-in lady happened to cast her eyes towards our laden trolley loaded with hand luggage. She immediately called security and ran after us, shouting, "You can't take all that hand luggage on the plane!" She probably had a point, as we had only checked in the two large bags, one of the backpacks and the large gym bag into the hold. I quickly explained that we were still sorting out the hand luggage. So, we sat down, discarded Siobhan's rollerblades which she'd forgotten to put in the shipment, the kids' Vietnamese straw hats and my Timberland boots. When the security and check-in lady weren't looking, we jumped up and quickly went through immigration. The flight was delayed about 3 and a half hours, which didn't really impact on our traveling as we had originally had a 7 hour stopover in Hong Kong. Imagine my dismay, when we spotted the vigilant check-in lady and her security man at the boarding pass gate! But, ever quick-thinking, I quickly dispersed our hand luggage amongst other friends also flying to Hong Kong. What would we do when we left Hong Kong?
For the first time ever, I was strong-willed and didn't go shopping at Hong Kong Airport. The thought of having to carry our purchases on top of everything else was enough to put me off. Instead, we left Tony at the gate with all our luggage, and Siobhan and I headed to the sports bar to meet up with some friends who were on our flight and waiting in the airport for their connecting flight to Amsterdam. A couple of apple ciders later and we had time to eat dinner at Burger King, before heading to the gate where Tony had fallen asleep while supposedly guarding the luggage. Luckily, nobody removed any of our belongings! We managed to somehow or other carry our 'hand luggage' onto the plane and make out as if it weighed nothing. The flight was a little bumpy, but uneventful. I had a Chinese man sitting opposite me who spent the whole flight hoiking loudly and spitting into his air sickness bag. As we headed to South African immigration, he hoiked loudly and spat on the floor, leaving a delightful blob of mucousy mess. Ah, what we'll miss about China!
Bribery and Corruption!
Then we arrived in Johannesburg. Collected our luggage, had three large trolleys piled high! We decided to check in straight away for our flight to Cape Town, to get it all out of the way, and then have a leisurely breakfast. SAA are much stricter on luggage and hand luggage than the other airlines we'd used on our trip. Luckily, we'd only approached with two trolleys and Tony had stayed back with the hand luggage trolley. The guy on the weighbridge weighed the two trolleys and we were 70kg over the limit of 60kg! Three of us were allowed to take 7kg of hand luggage on board each. Although I begged, the man would not grant me any slack, and then the porter chipped in and said they should help us. I quickly realised that they were playing a good cop/bad cop routine. I've watched enough American TV to recognise the signs. Anyway, he finally put us down for being 26kg overweight, so we had to pay about $70 (R700). They then signalled for another guy to go and do our check-in, which he did without blinking an eye at the obvious discrepancy between what we were checking in and the weight of our luggage written down on the paper. Definitely a whole team of them at work running this operation. Of course, nobody helps without demanding anything in return, so we had to pay $90 (R900) as a thank you gift. Thank God for bribery and corruption! We would have had to pay more money otherwise, and they completely turned a blind eye to our third overladen trolley.
Lost luggage
However, the story doesn't end there. Three of our bags failed to arrive in Cape Town! All Tony's clothes and underpants, his trophy he won for being sportsman of the year and other documents we need! Hopefully, they'll be found and they won't have items missing. Of course, our bags weren't locked! We are too trusting! I'm not sure if it was the scammers who removed our bags, or if there is another operation working there. Hold thumbs they locate them today!
But, yippee we are HOME!
love
Cindy
(Already missing everybody from Nanjing!)

Three hubs down, 27 more to go!

At 6.20am this morning I published my first hub in the quest to complete 30 hubs in 30 days. I want to get a couple under my belt today as soon report writing for the final semester will take up a lot of my time.
How on earth are we ever going to be able to read each other's hubs? I can't see us getting the same amount of Hubpages traffic we always used to get!
Oh well, for me it's not about the money anyway.
Time for a milo and Amazing Race!
love
Cindy

Hub Challenge at Hubpages

The past two weeks have flown and I have been beyond stressed. Packing up a life and sorting bits and bobs to go off in three different directions, once they all get to Cape town first, has been a nightmare. Too much to do, no time, not much assistance from kids, a veritable nightmare. But, as I sit in my close on empty house surrounded by debris and stuff to perhaps sell or dispose of in some way, I feel a huge sense of relief and a sense of loss. What happens if Somali pirates hijack the ship carrying my life? What happens if it gets damaged in a hurricane and sinks? My poor terracotta warriors will then lie on the bottom of the ocean floor.

Anyway, the good news, no, make that the great news is that Hubpages is having a 30 day challenge so I'm going to try and write 30 articles in 30 days. I want my articles to still be quality ones, so I'll not be forsaking quality for just any shyte. So, please we need your support! I don't actually win anything if I do it, and won't make any money as I don't have Goggle Adsense anyway. they wouldn't let me sign up as they didn't recognise my Chineses address. thought I was taking the piss by giving an address in China. Others are doing it for the money. i just want to see if I can. maybe, somebody will click on the amazon link to my book and buy some copies. That's all I can hope for lol.

So, wish me luck! Am off to see if Nele is at home. Think I need a wine or two for my weary soul.
Am out tonight for Mother's Day. Tony took me out to the Nepalese restaurant last night with money he earned selling some of his art. Tonight Kerri is taking me to Secco, the german Restaurant which has an all you can eat BBQ on a Sunday night. She's renting me out to friends who are missing their moms on Mother's Day! So, should be quite a crowd!

Have a great Mothers day! Hot as Hades here today!
love
Cindy

Packing and picnics

Last weekend went to see the Shaolin Monks. The full details of which can be read about in my hub about the trip in http://hubpages.com/hub/Shaolin--birth-of-Kung-Fu. I should have been packing, but now suddenly I want to see some of China before I go! June 24th when I leave, is edging ever closer.

This week has flown past so quickly, it is frightening. Everyday I've been staring at my empty boxes thinking that I really have to start packing. Then the shipping company contacted me with the timeline for my move. The collect my passport and expert card on Monday 5th May, and then my actual shipment gets collected on Sunday 10th May. Luckily, it's a Sunday so I don't have to take time off school to organise the pick up of my stuff. This motivated me to think more seriously about my packing. It didn't quite motivate me enough to be galvanised into action to actually do any packing though!

Thursday was Tony's graduation assembly at school. My baby boy has grown up, and when I look at my tall strapping boy with the tufts of pubic hair growing on his chin and cheeks, then I feel that I have done something right. I feel that he'll be able to go out and conquer. He starts his final IB exams on Monday, so please hold thumbs that all goes well. He has been actively studying for the last couple of weeks, so I hope something has penetrated into his brain.

Yesterday, I was supposed to meet Kerri for a picnic in Pearl Park. The day turned into a very bad China day which was good for me, as I came home so angry and upset, that I was motivated to pack like mad, discarding things for my garage sale I've decided to have next Saturday. So, when that is over and my shipment has gone, I'll be living like a squatter in this big empty house. Hopefully, that'll make the time go faster.

So what happened at the picnic you might ask? We were supposed to meet at 11am at the Park. I bought a huge bag of rolls and lots of meat and homemade sausages, which Siobhan and I lugged around. I was really excited, I was going to meet al whole bunch of Kerri's friends and her boyfriend who I've never seen yet. When we arrived I phoned Kerri but she was still somewhere on her way stuck in the traffic. She assured me that she'd contact a friend who was already at the park to collect me from the gate. An SMS promptly arrived with the friend's number I had to call. I duly phoned he friend who told me, "Walk until you hear loud foreigner voices. I am with the foreigners," as if this was some kind of achievement. Siobhan and I bought tickets to the park which were quite costly, and the bimbo phoned again saying that she couldn't see us yet. I patiently explained that we were just buying our tickets. She then said, "I know, but I can't see you yet." I again explained that we were still buying our tickets. She then responded with her stock line, "Walk until you hear loud foreigner voices. I am with the foreigners."

Unfortunately, there were three paths leading away from the gate. We didn't know which one would lead us to the 'loud foreigner voices.' I tried to call, but she obviously couldn't hear above the racket of the 'loud foreigner' voices. So, Siobhan and I decided to take the path the majority of the 1st of May public holiday crowds were taking. As we were walking along the path, slowly wilting in the strong sunlight, a woman danced in front of us with her camera poised ready for action. She walked backwards as her obscenely gross hoiky husband walked next to me put his arm around me and squeezed my breast, while she clicked away like a mad woman on her cheap Chinese-made digital camera. I couldn't fend him off as my hands were full with the humungous bag of rolls and other stuff I was carrying. Another woman sidled up to Siobhan who was walking next to me and tried to put her arm around Siobhan for the photo. Siobhan cursed and managed to brush the woman away.

We walked and walked and saw crowds of people, people having picnics, but no sign of the 'loud foreigner voices' anywhere in the park. Having finished our bottles of water we bought at the gate, and feel tired and dehydrated, we sat down on a bench and decided to wait for Kerri to arrive and find us as we were obviously lost. Siobhan mentioned a bad smell that was getting worse and we looked next to the bench to discover flies buzzing around a fresh human baby turd, no doubt left there by one of the slpit-pants brigade. We hastily moved away to another bench. A golf cart loaded with locals drove by and they all pointed at us and jeered and laughed. People walked past and pointed to my huge bag of rolls and laughed and pretended to throw up and get sick. Charming. The bimbo sent a text message this time. "Where are you?" I replied that we were sitting on a bench waiting for Kerri. She sent another text, "Come for a beer with us first and then you wait." Now, I could feel the veins in my neck starting to pulse with blood as I became more angry. An hour and a half had now gone past since we had arrived. Firstly, I don't drink beer. Secondly, how the hell do I join yu for a beer if I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE YOU ARE! Which is what I said in my text. No response. I called Kerri, she said she couldn't talk as her phone was going flat because she had forgotten to charge it, and she was still stuck in traffic.

Siobhan and I wandered around for a while longer and then decided to go home. We were tired of people laughing at us and mocking us. It was thoroughly unpleasant. As we were walking out the gate, the bimbo calls after not answering her phone the last couple of times I tried to call her. "I can't see you, didn't you see the big white bridge?" For God's sake, what big white bridge? this was the first time she ever mentioned a bridge and no, not once on our wanderings did we ever see a white bridge. maybe we weren't even in the right park, although the ticket said Pearl Park.

We called our driver to fetch us, and as he arrived, Kerri phoned me from a friend's phone. "Where are you? I got here 15 minutes ago." Gee, only an hour and three quarters late.
"Sorry," I reply with anger dripping off my tongue, "We're leaving."
"Oh but you can't everybody is here and wants to meet you!"
I can feel myself start to choke back tears of anger and frustration. "I'm tired and just want to go home now. We walked for miles and never found your frigging friend's wonderful directions of 'loud foreigner noises.' I'm going home, the driver is here."
"You can't go, just find a Chinese person to talk in the phone and we'll find out where you are. Maybe there's another gate to the park and you're at a different gate."
I look around in desperation and see only hoiky spitty types. finally, I spot a woman that looks decent with her two kids next to her. I approach her carrying my huge bag of rolls and meat. "Hello, excuse me, " I say politely as I try and pass her my phone.
If looks could kill I would have been dead on the spot. She pulls a face that would turn any good wine into vinegar straight away, said, "Ha!" and backs away and refuses to take the phone.
By now I can feel the sobs are nearly escaping and I momentarily lose control. "I'm going home now, this wasted exercise has cost me RMB260 ($40) I can not afford at this time with all my expenses. I am very upset. Bye!" and I end the conversation as I start to sob.
All in all, a great China experience. I have not heard from Kerri, so I guess she's mad at me for not attending her picnic, meeting her boyfriend and making a fool of her in front of her friends by getting lost.

But, what the picnic did do, was motivate me to come home and pack like a woman possessed. Oh my God, I've accomplished so much and have become quite vicious in what I'm discarding. I'm determined to no longer be sentimental and hand onto stuff I don't need. Oh well, had better get more packing done and cook dinner while I still have the things to cook with!
Have a great next week!
love
Cindy

How can you trust a doctor called Ho Ho Henry?

Both Tony and I have decided that traveling business class is the way to go. We had a great flight into Hong Kong, put in the Honk Kong simcard and turned on the phone, switched on the laptop and checked for any messages where we were supposed to go. The Medivac people hadn't sent an email and didn't call. The school email appeared not to be working, so we were unable to find out which hotel we were supposed to be staying at. But did we panic? No, not us, we just settled ourselves down in the arrivals hall and waited for an hour and a half for someone to contact us and give us the next set of instructions. It made me feel James Bondish, waiting for my orders from M somewhere in the control office.
Anyway, we contacted about 3 students and a teacher who were all chatting on Facebook or MSN when they were supposed to be focusing during lesson time back in Nanjing, and had them run down to the operations manager to find out what hotel we were supposed to be going to. While waiting for the hotel info, Medivac called and told us which hospital we had to go to.
But, the fun and games didn't end there. The hotel said it wasn't their booking number and couldn't check us in. Looking at the time, I saw that it was getting closer to the doctor's appointment time, so we left our bags at the hotel reception, promised to get it sorted when we got back, and caught a taxi to the hospital. The Matilda Hospital was on the top of the Peak and cost almost HK$100 to get there. Winding roads, some spectacular views, definitely the hang-out for the rich. I guessed correctly, that this was not going to be a chea hospital.
Anyway, Doctor introduced himself and gave his card. Dr Ho Ho Henry. I bit my lips to stifle a giggle. Ho Ho Henry, sounds like something out of a Santa Claus movie. I kid you not, I have this man's business card. Ho Ho Henry.
Ho Ho Henry was not too bad but a little indecisive. He took one look at the x-rays and said AC Joint separation, which of course we knew already. Then Tony had to go for more x-rays with him holding a weight in each hand. Old Ho Ho measured the gaps and proclaimed that this is a fifty fifty call - can be treated conservatively with a special sling for 6 weeks and then physio, or have a plate put in. He then put the onus on me to make the call. Ho Ho, you gotta be kidding, right? I'm just a mother, why must I make the call? When we tried to pin him down and tell us what he would do in a similar situation if it was his kid, he managed to slip out like a wisely old eel without committng himself to going either way.
In the end, it was the time involved and money that made me make my decision. for the plate, we'd have to wait 2 days for it to be flown in from the States, a day for the op and 3 days recovery before he'd be allowed to fly back. He finished school on Friday, has a week of study leave and then starts his majrly important final high school exams. Time was not good. Also, Hong Kong is not cheap and an extra 6 days would have killed me financially as I hadn't budgeted for any of this. Boys and their contact sports.
We couldn't get a flight back yesterday, and if I was better prepared, would have taken a ferry across to Macau for the day. Sadly, Tony vomited all night and all day, obviously battling a bit with the morphine tablets old Ho Ho Henry gave him. So, I have taken another executive decision and banned the painkillers. You play contact sport, now you tough it out.
But regardless, Hong Kong is still a great city. I love it's vibrancy and business and smells and shopfronts and great restaurants. We did manage a few sorties out to explore the streets at night and visited Times Square Mall yesterday. Some of the names of restaurants are quite random, like Wing Kee Noodle. Love that one.
Now, we sit having cappucino and sandwiches in the Dragonair Business Lounge. Did I mention I like business class travel?

When being in China is a problem...

Sometimes, things happen when it's a bit of a problem that you're in China. Like when someone sends you a link to a youtube video and it's the week China has banned all access to youtube. But, sometimes things happen which makes you realise how difficult living here can be.

Take for example, yesterday's rugby match. Tony has been nagging me for weeks now to go and watch a rugby practice. the last time I saw him play, he tore the achilles tendon and lateral ligaments in his left ankle. He screamed with pain and swore like a trooper and very bizarrely started to quote from Jane Eyre and accused poor Rochester of all kinds of awful deeds, including his ankle. While I was sympathetic and concerned, I was also very embarrassed. Yesterday I decided was the day for me to watch him practice. I was impressed with his ferocious tackling, his commitment to the game, and I saw for myself that he had very real talent. Unfortunately, he has no regard for his body and seems to have a death wish and throws his body at the opposition.

He launched shoulder first into a Chinese national player who has legs the size of my waist and easily weighs about 120kg. They connected, shoulder to shoulder, then fell to the ground with the huge monster of a man, the Great Wall himself, landing on Tony's shoulder. Tony heard two clicks and then felt intense pain and couldn't move his arm. To his credit, he smiled and nodded when the Chinese national player, 30kg heavier than him muttered, "Er, my mistake." No tears or screams this time. No cursing of Rochester, all he said was, "Think somethings gone. Won't be able to finish the game." I managed to help him get the shirt off and saw this funny bump on his collar bone. Chinese players came to look and pushed down on the bump and all said, "Hospital," but when I asked them how to say hospital in Chinese they looked at me blankly. That's when I really felt helpless and cursed the fact I'd dropped out of Chinese classes.

I managed to get hold of our doctor at the SOS Clinic and he agreed to meet us even though it was after hours. While we were waiting for him to arrive, the Chinese women walking past were very excited to see Tony's bare upper body and hairy chest and they were all taking photos of him sitting there. So, the up shot of it all, and after 4 hours of waiting at hospital etc, is that Tony has a Acromioclavicular Joint Separation and probably has to have surgery, so we're being medivacced to Hong Kong in the morning. Apparently, in China although they have all the equipment and technology, surgeons don't do that kind of stuff. It really reminds you what a chance yu take when you live in countries like this and have the added language barrier. As I write this we are still waiting for Medivac in the US to get back to us with confirmations of our flights. Of course, a trip to Hong Kong, while great for shopping, wasn't in my budget at all and I'm trying not to spend money at all to save for Tony's hotel school fees in June. It's one of those things I guess. Luckily, I was there to sort it out at the time as I don't know what would have happened. No first aid kit or ice packs at the rugby field. Tony of course, is quite excited as he looked up the injury on the internet and it's a common injury for professional rugby players, so now he thinks he's the real deal.

He had his art exhibition on Friday night and that went off well. Not sure what we'll do with the enormous art pieces he created, but we might hang on to the pewter sculpture he did of his fingers giving 'the finger.' Luckily quite a few people have offered to take Siobhan for a few days. So now I sit, not sure if I must pack for a day or three or what. I'm supposed to be going to see the Shaolin monks this coming weekend. Hopefully, this will all be sorted and over by then.

And, I really need to get focused on packing up this house....seem to be leaving it until the last minute......

My sausage machine has packed up!

And, am I devastated, no, just a little annoyed. Actually, more than annoyed. Made in China should come with hazard warnings for the mental anguish it causes. My one month old dvd player packed up last week. This is now the third dvd player in as many years. In a way, I'm relieved my sausage machine has broken down because I am a little sick of spending weekends making sausages. But I am still annoyed. Ah, conflicting emotions.

Well, my one week's holiday has come and gone. I didn't achieve a quarter of what I wanted to achieve, But, have packed 6 boxes, read 2 books and written about 4 articles, oh, and climbed down Purple Mountain, and made 10kg of sausages, the last 5kg with the old hand machine that takes forever and kills my back.

Happy Easter. My first Easter holiday in 4 years. First time school holidays coincided with Easter. But of course, no Easter eggs here. Just very expensive imported German ones at the Metro. I made my own hot cross buns which were delicious and toasted some in the oven this morning.

Ah, Happy Days, Siobhan is stomping around because the ayi has emptied out her school bag and she can't find anything. Shouting at me won't get her anywhere as I have no clue where her school stuff is. And, if I tell her that she shouldn't have left it lying around and also shouldn't have waited until 10.32pm to get ready for school the next day, it'll go down like a lead balloon.

Here's the rss feed from my hubpages account. Read some of my articles if you have a spare minute! http://hubpages.com/author/cindyvine/latest/?rss