A Whole New World...*Day 3*

Day 3 Tuesday 19th May

After a bit of a catch-up regarding the sleep issue, it was time to get out and take a look at my new home for the next month. I certainly didn't come to China to sit around! Mind you, one does not need to venture too far in China to encounter the weird and wonderful.

Even catching the lift in our building is fraught with adventure. It is quite common to see residents ride their bikes into the lobby and into the lift. Julienne, my little companion and guide was telling me that one of the lifts went plummeting but I'm happy to report that this story may have been lost in translation...although there are weight and pax limits posted, with constant refitting of the many apartments, builders are known to pack the lift up with bricks etc beyond capacity and haul them even up to the 19th floor. I must admit there are some strange and alarming noises at times whilst travelling up and down and I have considered maybe 17 floors of stairwell isn't really that bad! Haha.

Fireworks. Yep, any time of the day or night. Little Li got her first tooth ...fireworks. Mr Chong got that promotion ...fireworks. As I sit here writing this at 0751 in the morning, fireworks!

Anyhow, first venture out of the complex entailed a walk down the street to Walmart. Why not?

Even wandering across the street is an extreme sport. It is up to the pedestrian  to make sure they don't get in the way of any cars, trucks or bikes...and traffic lights/signs are optional. All I can say is there is safety in numbers!

So...off to Walmart

A very quiet intersection: (they do exist)

The front facade of Walmart:

 Before we entered the, we had to check out the theme park they have in the car park. Not sure when it is open, but I'm sure that it would be great to see all those cute little Chinese faces enjoying the fun!

Once we entered the Walmart building, we encountered something that seems to be all too common in China - indoor sports. I'm not sure if it is because of the high levels of pollution outdoors, but many buildings will have a floor just for games such as badminton and table tennis.

We wandered around Walmart for a little while and I was surprised at the range of products, although most were Chinese brands. They did have a live seafood section (of course!).

 

The only other foreigner I have seen (aside from Brian) since I have arrived in Jiaxing was wandering through Walmart. We didn't stop to chat but he went out of his way to make his presence known.

 

After we had had a good look around and I had established that Walmart Bingo for the USA probably doesn't translate so much to Chinese Walmart - you could probably do that just on the street.

 

Whilst there, I did to get a SIM card YAY so I could now use all my apps on the go. Google translate, TripIt, Rome to Rio, Booking.com are all great apps that I use whilst travelling.

On the way back to the apartment, we went past a massage parlour and I asked Julienne to translate an enquiry inside. For around $20 I could get a much-needed 90mins foot massage, which included my own private room, a back massage and magically replenishing tea and fruit (wee were also told we could have dumplings too if we wanted). 

 

My feet (and back) felt divine when I floated out there and I'm hoping my travel budget will let me visit there each week whist I am here.

 

Very disappointingly, the Monday English class was cancelled, due to the children preparing for a concert on the Upcoming Children's Day.

 

I was still tired after all the travelling and pavement pounding I had been engaging in, so an early night was quite the treat. After another delicious home-cooked meal, I was soon passed out.