Wild Great Wall 野长城

Retrieved some photos from archive showing the Giams conquering a section of the Great Wall in the wild. Photos showing Grace, Kristine, Dawei, Jane and Haitao, when we were younger, in 2005... We were treated to a trout banquet by Haitao and Jane at the foot of the Great Wall mountain before the climb. Then it was 3 hrs up and 3 hrs down, many sections on all fours.

From some other blogs, camping overnight on top of wild Great wall is in vague now. Must try that one day. Too bad there is no fish to catch there. Grace counter-proposed staying at a farmer's home instead, but from what I have heard, those farmers' homes for rent to urban weekenders now come equiped with karaoke, and spa baths.........

Great Wall

We climbed the Great Wall today!
Grace hired a car for the day. Came with a lady driver. Kristine climbed a section of the Great Wall named 'Wild Great Wall'(wild as in 'original', 'left to survive the elements for hundreds of years') with grace and I in 2005, but she didnt get to the top that trip as it was too steep and dangerous. This time, both Kristine and Kimberley spent almost 2 hrs soaking the sun, running on snow on the Great Wall, peppering Grace and I with snowballs. There was a row of modern toilets up at the Wall, but there were all locked! Kristine and I had to improvise and chose a hideout away from view. We melted some snow on the slope but it was environmentally friendly. I told Grace later while this section of the Wall was not 'wild', the toilets were! On way back we visited an ancient temple nearby, dating back to 300AD. The highlight there was a ride on 'Alphine coaster'. Each car can seat an adult and a child, is pulled up the hill by cable individually. At the top, 6-7 cars were linked in a row and guided down the hill by a trained driver. It was wild. I forgot to put on my gloves on the way down. My hands took a long time to warm up again.

For a whole day's work, the lady driver received Y450, before tolls (Y50). Petrol should have cost around Y100-150, throw in another Y50 for tyres and maintenance. She pockets Y200. She is one of those Chinese parents who worked so hard to provide for her son, but somehow could not induce her son to aspire towards respectable goals in life. 20 yrs old, could not qualify for local Uni, does not wish to find a job. Just drifts. A worry for any parent.

Police registration

Registering our residential address at a local police station is a step to be taken by every resident alien. When we first arrived, the rule was to register within 7 days of arrival. This is now changed to 'within 24hrs' of arrival. We didnt know of the change until yesterday.

Having registered with our friendly police when we first moved to this current address, we had no idea we were breaking the laws by not registering again after this trip back to Melbourne. Went to our friendly local police station yesterday, this time they have a brand new 5-storey building with more spacious waiting room. The lady officer insisted we were law breakers for not registering within 24 hrs of returning to China. Grace tried to explain our resident visas are still valid, our address and lease are still unchanged. Grace asked the lady for a reason to re-register each time she left the country. The lady officer gave her an honest answer:"I dont know, but I have a monthly quota to meet on issuing penalty notices for those who dont register on time". She added, (my paraphrasing) most times, she and her colleagues just couldnt be bothered with issuing penalty notices because there is a lot of paperwork, but the monthly quota compelled her to spend the time and go through the process. Just a written warning. No fine (max Y500).

Some signages I saw to kill some time while waiting:
1. 4th and 5th floors: dormitory for police officers
3rd floor: meeting rooms and admin offices
2nd floor: offices for Station Chief, Asst Chief, Commissar.
1st floor: Household and residency registration, Dispute Reconciliation Room
Basement: Interrogation Room (Love to see this one, but I was afraid to end up being 'interrogated')

2. "5 Major Rules for Police ":
a - Uphold Firearm Mgt Guidelines (almost all police do not carry firearms)
b - No Firearm and Alcoholic consumption
c - No Driving and Alcohlic consumption
d - No alcohol on duty
e - No involvement in any gambling activity

There was also a separate sign that says 'No Smoking', but I saw 2 active smokers, 1 in uniform....... Maybe it was meant for visitors. I dare not ask.

Met an American who went to the same primary school as Kristine when he was in Beijing some years ago. He came to register 'within 24 hrs' of returnig to Beijing. He said he never used to do that. I asked him why the urgency. He said he now works as a journalist for AP and cannot afford any problem with his visa. Spoke fluent Chinese, and sent his two daughters to local schools.

Another highlight of the afternoon is a visit to a wet market nearby, mainly to get some kids clothes repaired by a tailor. We saw a big rat sniffing around a tofu stall, unattended. Kristine's immediate reaction: "Ratatouille!"

On way home, Kristine and Kimberley stopped by the playground to have some snow fights with Scarlet and Jenny. They were all targetting Grace! Dinner was homecooked. Spaghetti Carbonara with added onion, garlic and sliced mushrooms. Kimberley couldnt wait for eveyone to sit down before she started her dinner. "This is so yummy", she said. The day ended on a high note.

Snow

It snowed overnight. Sufficiently cold not to melt before reaching the ground, and thick enough to form a white blanket.
(21.02.2009: Now we know. The snow was artificially seeded to end the worst drought in 38 yrs. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE51I10X20090219. )

Went for my physical after sending Kristine to school bus. Conversion of my tourist visa to PR visa requires physical good health. The clinic ia situated in northwest Beijing outside of 5th Ring Road. Took more than 90mins getting there first by subway and then taxi. Ought to be faster than other forms of road transport in a snowy morning when traffic crawled at slow pace. Saw 3 accidents within a 6km journey. The place is not easy to find even for my taxi driver. Easiest to get there is by subway to XiErQi (西二旗）on subway line#13, take Exit A, down the exit stairs to the left. Bus 963 stops just underneath the station. Y2 on Bus 963 takes you to the front gate of the Clinic in a big brown building. Another way is to look for China Weather Bureau Satellite Station (中国气象卫星站), take next right and next left to the Clinic.

Costs: Y645 for blood test, ECG, chest Xray, blood pressure, eyesight, plus Y30 to courier results to me. Upon arrival, fill in a form available at counter. Register the form with passport at Counter 1 or 2. Pay Y645, and the take forms and barcoded stickers to 6 different room, all adjacent to each other for the tests. The blood test, ECG, and chest Xray are somewhat serious stuff but the eyesight, mouth inpsection, body inspection, and blood pressure check were ornamental. The lady doctor/nurse who inspected my mouth was reading newspapers on the job. Sit down, open your mouth, say 'AH!' and back to newspaper! I think I failed my eye test. I correctly identified a fine print but not the one adjacent to it on the same row. I told the lady I couldnt see it clearly with my right eye. She asked me 'Why?'.

No food before the tests, so be prepared with food and drink in your backpack.

Day 1 of Term 2

Kristine started her day at 630am without any hassle, having being psyched up the day before on the challenge to wake up early, changing her pace from holidays to schooldays. She left for school in her school bus happily. She came back even happier, having received her grades from Term 1:
Chinese: 98/100, A
Math: 98/100, A
Computer: A+
Fine Art: A
Music: A
PE: B.
She told us she came in last in rope skipping, somewhat indignantly. Our new challenge is to teach her how nobody can be good in everything. She told us she and others who take school buses home must stay back to tidy and clean the classrooms (those who are picked up by guardians go home immediately after school ends). Grace asks why the teacher doesnt rotate the duty roster to every student. Kristine's reply: I like tidying up anyway.

Kimberley was a trouble for Day 1. She wanted her holiday arrangements to continue: couldnt wake up in time, wanted to stay home and watch Nickelodeon. She refused to go inside her class. Eventually Ms Duan snatched her away, struggling and crying. I later went back to ask the nanny how Kimberley was. She cried for 5 mins and then settle down. I am afraid a pattern is forming for Kimberley: kinder is stressful, computer and TV are fun........

After 6 weeks of activities away from the kitchen, dinner was on me yesterday. Marinated tenderized beef cutlets panfried in breadcrumb, saute mushrooms doubled up as soup with white rice. Simple. No MSG. Just salt, pepper, soysauce, cooking oil and tomato sauce. No leftovers.

Heading North

Kristine and Kimberley had a chance to sleept over at Kylie's before we head north to Beijing. Apparently, 3 of them plus a small dog (Holly) in a QS bed, and another big dog (charlie) on the carpet. No photo to mark the special event, unfortunately.

The morning of departure started at 230am for me but 6am for the girls. We reached Melb airport at 710am, so we were put on the 8am flight to Sydney instead of 9am, which would have been very tight to catch the connecting flight to Beijing at a different terminal scheduled for departure at 1145am. Good chance the baggage may not catch up if we had taken the 9am flight.

This is the first time we took Qantas to Beijing. Our pilot between Melb and Syd was a lady. We encountered bad weather approaching Syd. The plane was shaken a bit and the engines revved up noticeably for landing but she landed safely. The transit is via Sydney with a plane change, instead of via Shanghai on Airchina without plane change. Comparing the two airlines, Airchina is more convenient with no plane change, and an hour less in total travel time door to door (18 vs 19), part of Star Alliance which we used more, 30kg baggage allowance. Qantas flight is of better quality. The aisles are wider and I suspect the seats are wider and longer too. The crew are older in age but professional attentive and prompt.

When we board the Syd-Pek flight, the Chief Pursar announced that the plane was being refueled. She repeated her request that all passengers sould take our seats but not to fasten the seat belts yet because the plane was being refuled. Very clear and meticulous about what she wanted from the passengers. When the crew went through the safety demonstration, passngers were advised to count the number of rows from out seats to the nearest exits. Simple measures that I am sure will count a lot in emergency situation in the dark and the floor lights failed. They were even very clear in when the mobiles should be switched off and when they can be turned on. On one AirChina flight (Oct 08 Beijing-Melb), after the PA asked passengers to switch their mobiles off, a flight attendant taking her jump seat in front of me took out her mobile (I thought she was switching it off) and started pressing the buttons away, either to send a text msg or to retrieve one.........

The 4 crew in the economy section of the A330 all had different accents: Hong Kong, Japanese, American, and French. The PA annoucements repeated in Chinese after English carried Hong Kong accent. I could understand that more easily than the English PA on AirChina. The French and I chatted a bit. He was interested in why we relocated to Beijing as he was planning to live in Shanghai in 18 months upon retirement. I asked him why he wanted to move away from Australia. Very amusingly, he said there is no place for a french in an anglo world, how it was difficult to goto a pub without witnessing some kind of a brawl. While not a partner to the pub scene, I can fully understand his feeling.

Food served on board was good too. Providing each passenger with a menu helped in undertanding whats coming up throughout the flight. I recalled a flight when a western passenger on AirChina being offered "western or chinese breakfast". He opted for Chinese, only to discover upon uncovering the lid that it is plain rice porridge!!!!! In between meals, there was a free flow of apples, pretzels, drinks (even Lite beer!) and Nissin cup noodles. Thinking back on an AirChina flight (Mel-PEK Oct 06), I couldnt get milk for Kimberley, 2 yrs old then. I was told: "We were stocked with 2 litres of milk out of Beijing (to Melb). We have to save that for First Class and an infant smaller than your daughter"...... WHAT THE F%*& ???!!????

So these are my choices:
Comfort: Qantas
Crew: Qantas
Door to Door: AirChina
Transit: Sydney is less stressful then Shanghai
Baggage allowance: AirChina
Inflight announcements: Qantas
Food: Qantas by a wiiiiiiiiiiide margin
Mileage Credit: AirChina/Star Alliance
Tel Customer Service: Qantas

Doncaster Gardens

Kristine visited her old school and managed to meet most of her friends. Ms Walker, her Prep teacher even obliged us with a photo. Emily is on schedule to visit Kristine in Beijing in Sept. On that basis, I asked several of Kristine's ex-classmates if they too would visit Kristine in Beijing. Chloe said she "had $250, maybe her parents could give her more (to pay for tickets), maybe not". Tifanny said her parents are working several jobs, and they wont be able to send her to Beijing. Interesting replies, at that age.

Beach n Bushfire

It was a super hot day. It has been hot farther north, where we went camping, but the northely brought hot and dry conditions to Melbourne on Saturday, Feb 7, 2009. We started our day with a Yumcha with 4 families before we set off to Venus Bay for pipis. It was very hot to begin with, around 44degC, and it got hotter as the day went by. Around 3pm, the temperature indicator in my car showed 48. When we got to Venus Bay, the cool change had just arrived, greeting us with blasts of sand from the beach. It was difficult to make headway against the southerly, but it got cooler. We had no idea what went on the woody sides of Melbourne. We just went on our business of digging for pipis on the beach, among the waves. Kristine, Kimberley, Emily, Michelle had a great time, under the supervision of Deborah. Gloria, Ken and their two sons, with me, focused on collecting pipis. We stayed til 830pm, as it started to get dark. Dinner was at KFC nearby. Nearer Melbourne, M420, the freeway that links Melb to Venus Bay, was blocked by Police. We had to take a detour, not knowing what happened until the next day. The last time bushfires caused so much destruction and took so many lives was in 1983. This time is regarded as much worse. in 1983, the day after the Bushfire was met with heavy downpour and flooding. This time it continues to be super dry.
With the kids having so much fun outdoor the last few days, it is difficult to think of the fire disaster so close to home.
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Camping

I took Kristine and Kimberley camping in the state forest by the Murray River near Yarrawonga from Feb 4 to Feb 6. The forest was hot and dry. I was more concerned with big Gum tree branches falling than bushfire, but I should, in hindsight. This is the first time the two girls were under my sole care in the forest. We survived the heat. While the girls allowed me just a few hours of fishing (early morning just before they woke up) during the 2 nights/1 day there, we managed to land 5 good size yellowbellies to bring home.
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Kristine Took Control of Pajero

(Unable to attach video in Melb. Will try from Beijing) Kristine took control of Pajero steering while Kimberley sat on armrest between front seats as we drove back into the forest after lunch at Uncle Jack's home in Yarrawonga, the nearest tourist town to our camp site. The stretch is rather flat to allow Kristine and Kimberley some driving fun. Value of the 4WD has been fully extracted from this trip! KRISTINE cout a murrycod.**

Caught and Released a Murray Cod

Caught the cod at the beach where Kristine and Kimberley spent most of daytime cooling down. 2 years ago, this cod would have been big enough to keep, but the Fisheries have increased the legal size from 50cm to 55cm in 2008, to 60cm in 2009. Attached a photo and a video.

KRISTINE cout a murrycod.**

Kimberley Turning Bi-Lingual

This morning, I asked Kimberley what she should be doing soon after waking up. She replied, 'Go wee-wee (toilet)', 'Drink water'. I then added, "After that, you go upstairs to brush your teeth, then come down to have your toasted bread with orange jam, and drink your milk'.

She replied:"I have 这么多事情”。

Slow with fish, fast with speed

Today is the third day of 40+DegC day in Melbourne, but the bay felt cooler. Thrice I drenched myself with buckets of seawater. Fishing was slow most of the day. Watching heavy smoke billowing from two major bushfires around Melbourne was the highlight. The smokes were thick and high so they were easily spotted in the clear sky from my boat. With such high temperature and low humidity, bush fire is a real danger. Two homes have been burnt today. The worst bush fire was in 1982, when Ash Wednesday destroyed more than 700 homes in Victoria, and Adelaide.

Fishing was slow, much slower than wednesday when I went out with Bill. This was a day when stong rays kept breaking my lines. Up til 2pm, I had just a whiting to consol myself. Even though I caught 6 more king george whitings at a different spot, it was a frustrating day. On way back to marina, stopped by a deep spot. Two gummy sharks surprised me, taking small baits on light tackle meant for smaller trevally and jacks. Both took a while to bring to surface and I was lucky to land both of them without line breaking. Both were legal size. My first.

Was happy to head home, thirsty and hungry. Somehow I let my guard down on the freeway, and followed a few cars exceeding the speed limit. A police on motorbike sneaked up behind me and took a photo. Then he sped on to another car over the limit, and another, and another. Gone are the days when they pulled you over and issue a summon on the spot. Now it is less emotional, and much more efficient. He zigzagged the lanes behind vehicles over the speed limit, at least 10 vehicles my eyes could see. Thats $1420 for 1 min's work. Super efficient.

1st photo is a 'Banjo shark'. It came back and rehooked itself after I released it. Must be hungry. The other photo shows two gummy sharks, highly priced fish.

Melb Museum

A family favourite. Kristine will always revisit Phar Lap, and Human Body. Kimberley will always revisit the children playground. The modern building is next to the old National Parliament House, before it was shifted to canberra. Thats where I was conferred my citizenship.

The sahdes around my eyes are the price I pay to bring fresh fish to my family and friends!

CNY

Chinese New year/Spring Festival falls on the same day as Australia Day this year, Everyone gets a chance to celebrate CNY on a public holiday.

We went to Grandma's temple for lunch, then to ScienceWorks with kristine's ex-schoolmates for tha afternoon. Highlight of the day was BBQ in the evening by the pool. Dorothy.YowNeng and Faith came by later to share some open fire as it was a cool evening. YuanYuan and Mike provided soem really nice bbq lamb (yang rou chuan). We all ate too much.

Hottest Week in 100 Yrs

We are into our second day of 40+degC. Tomorrow is another one above 40DegC. Melbourne seldom has two days of 40+ in a row, even less for three days in a row. Usually, a cool change will end the heat, but this round, the 'cool' change are still 35degC, 31, 34, and 29, 29.

Public transport services are melting down, with domestic air conditioners demanding huge load of eletricity needed to run trains. Our internet connection has been down since yesterday. I even have to attend to a 'help' call to Cai Yan's home as her safety fuses have malfunctioned.

Kimberley and Kristine made the most use of the pool, soaking no less than 3 hours each day under a hand-tied canopy as shade. The heat, or the pool, makes Kimberley sleepy by dinner time. She has been falling asleep by 7pm the last two hot evenings.

More New Year Smiles

from Kristine, Kimberley, Kylie and Holly (known to Kimberley as 'Wawa')

Year of the Ox

From the Home of the Fish, we wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year of the Ox!

Fish = Golden Perch, aka Murray Perch, aka Yellowbelly. This one measured 46cm, 1.8kg.

Out with Grace

Grace graced our boat and attracted some good fish on Jan 18. Photos show our catch, and Grace at back of boat with a flock of flamingoes in the background.

My Friend Bob

Bob, the one in burgundy shirt next to me, is a friend of mine who shares similar interests in Western Port Bay: a nice day out amongst the seabreezes, seagulls, and hopefully some nice fish taking our baits. I have known Bob for almost 5 yrs now, since our boat was brand new, when we werent sure how to use it. We met one fateful afternoon at the marina while I cleaned my boat and he was tidying his saliboat next to mine. I got to know him easily through a book he wrote on how boaters and non-boaters alike can enjoy Westernport Bay. I bought the book and he autographed it for me. On the contrary, he didnt get to know me that easily. He confessed during a dinner at his home a fortnight ago that he was worried he was dealing with a 'drug dealer' when he first met me. He described me as a person who 'obviously has some spare money (to own a toy boat yet was not sure how to use)', 'could go out fishing any day in the week', thus his suspicion. Now the boat is no longer expensive after 5 yrs of depreciation, I can now steer the boat as easily as driving my car even alone at night, and he is no longer worried about who I am....
Until recently Bob has been a key writer for a boat magazine. He is now writing another boating book which when completed will be available for download online for a small fee.
His wife Joan, cooked us a fantastic dinner after Bob bbq several King George Whitings as entre, caught that afternoon. Mango Chicken on rice as main course, vanilla ice cream with fresh bluberries for dessert. Plus a white and a red to wash everything down. I was totally spoiled that evening.
Also attached are two photos of whitings Bob and I caught before my move to Beijing.

Kimberley's Immunisation 2

Her temp went as high as 40 overnight and again this afternoon at the local clinic. No lunch, no dinner. Just 'fairy bread' and water. The doctor she saw today looked young, a graduate of Melbourne Uni, but he was patient, knowledgeable, and thorough. Kimmie's usual doctor has moved on while we were away. The replacement is notorious as a revolving-door doctor, churning through a patient every 5 mins or so. So it was time to establish a fresh local medical contact.

Kimberley's Immunisation

Just 6 months overdue, Kimberley had her 4 yr old immunisation done today by local council nurses. She did not cry. She loved the Strawberry syrup (Polio), and Kristine, who coaxed Kimberley not to cry, was given apple flavoured syrup by the nurses for a job well done!

A long Break from Beijing - Fishing Part 1

We are taking a break from Beijing. Being the first to arrive on Jan 1, alone, I went on a fishing spree, spening 5 nights at our Melbourne home out of the 10, mostly just to deposit the catches, replensih supplies and clothings, before Grace returned with Kristine and Kimberley on Jan 11.
The 3-day trip to the MurrayRiver supplied just two Golden Perch and a Redfin, but the 3 overnight trips out to Westernport Bay supplied a good variety of fresh marine fish. King George Whitings remain the key target but snappers, trevally, Australian Salmons (a marine fish unrelated to the Atlantic Salmons), rock flatheads were also landed. Plus 3 kgs of fresh, live, pippis from Ken, variety of seafood served for dinners has been rich.
More to come in the next few weeks but strong wind has been making the sea choppy the last few weeks.

Kristine's new uniform

After term 1 in her new Beijing school without school uniform, Kristine has been supplied new uniforms for Term 2 when she returns to Beijing. Compared to her local classmates, her uniforms look very western.

Kimberley's Kinder Habit

Folding and stacking winter coats each morning at Kimberley's kinder is a routine that she loves. All her kindermates will fold and stack their coats outside of the classroom as shown in photo. Upon reaching home after kinder, Kimberley will fold and stack her winter coat on a sofa in living room. She has some trouble putting the zips together, and that can be rather frustrating for her, and therefore to all of us, but that is a daily routine she follows religiously. She also folds and stack Kristine's coat, a deed Kristine does not appreciate because that means Kiristine has unzipping and unbuttoning to do each morning before she can put her winter coat on, usually with just seconds to spare before leaving home to meet her school bus.