bye bye

Well I'm off now so this is the last post from China - see you in the UK!

Saturday

Hmm, for some reason my photo won't upload to the blog .... anyway, a student took me out round the Lake today. We walked for a bit and then hired some bikes which was great - apart from the fact you had to dodge the masses as you cycled along the causeways. We stopped off along the way to look at tombs, temples and places of study. All very nice - saw a guy doing some tai chi on the top of a rock and wished I had kept mine up - or at least found a decent teacher.
Shadi then insisted on taking us to the Shangri-La for the buffet lunch they do -apparently it's famous - I can agree with that ... for the prices probably. I was outraged at Y560 and that must have been a fortune for her. It was full of older fat foreigners and not my kind of place at all - I would have been happier with a sandwich by the lakeside. Anyway, some things I guess we have to endure.
Afterwards I sat by the Lakeside and watched the sun go down while reading an e-book.
Later, dinner was a hugely challenging experience with noone in the 'western' restaurant I was directed to by the hotel staff speaking any English at all and I am afraid that my Chinese has not really improved. I found myself trying to mime 'french fries'. Needless to say, I didn't get very far and I caused the usual mix of terror and mirth.

Friday

I spent the day eating and being driven around in big black cars .... the lunch I had was at least 10 courses and this was just two hours or so after a huge breakfast (bacon at laaaast!). Had a good meeting at Zhejiang University though. They have an immense modern campus - makes you realise how old and small York is! They are keen on a course in Feb next year - I hope IO will help as much as they said they would!
Spent the afternoon doing budget projections in my room. hmmm.
Ended up in another Japanese noodle place where I terrified the waitresses once again. At least this one was nice and especially with a couple of Asahi :) On my way there a young lady asked me for a massageee ... I made my excuses and left. Now for a DVD I think.

hotel transfer

The driver had no idea where it was but we made ... this is a slightly nice place and i don't get stared at so much! I'm on the 14th floor so maybe you can imagine how much I enjoy looking down ...
After a pretty awful dinner in a Japanese noodle place (I should get a medal from the University or something as it only cost about £2.00) I went for a walk along the Lakeside. Not exactly quiet though, with a kind of Chinese techno blasting out and ranks of massed line dancers doing the moves. I think I might start something similar in museum gardens!

Breakfast

Well I just used 100% of my Chinese vocabulary at breakfast! I had a noodles, a meat packet and corn and some green things of unknown origin - all very nice. It's a good job you don't need to eat so what we might call politely here, so I was able to slurp up the slippery green things without causing offence!
I'm changing hotels today so that will be my next challenge and then on with some work .... I have no meetings today but that is no bad thing after yesterday's 12-hour shift! Some students offered to show me round at the weekend so that will be nice.

This is the ZUT campus - huge!

and here I am having yet another huge meal with ZUT staff. After this we had a meeting to talk about contract nitty gritty - they finally dropped Northern Ireland! But at what cost .... Then I gave a presentation to their studnets - and most of them seemed really bright and keen which was good to see. I was whisked for dinner after that - but it was at a steak house! There were no fries though but that's no problem as I can have them for breakfast! ha ha!

we stopped for a couple of pics of the west lake as we drove to the University

Dinner

What we could choose from ...








Eating it with Grace, Roger and May

My rooms and its views across Hangzhou!

Dinner

Just back from dinner with the director, Roger, who seems a nice guy. Went well but I need some sleep!

Arrival

I finally got here ... after a three hour delay in Hong Kong I was put on a China Eastern flight and then they told me they couldn't find my bag so for a couple of hours I was facing the prospect of dinner and presentations in jeans and a T-shirt ..... they found it though before I got round to shouting at anyone. Not really what you want at what was about 3 in the morning!

Met at the airport by Mei and then checked in and straight off for coffee with her and Grace and now I have less that an hour before dinner with the director! Full itinerary for tomorrow too. They seem really nice though .... but I am just exhausted. I have been up for over thirty hours!

Hangzhou seems busy, green, high rise, modern. Perhaps not the image that is portrayed in the UK.

Departure

Well I managed to get up and 4.30 for my 6.00 train to London. I can honestly say that I can see nothing good about getting up at this time. Except maybe to remind you how delicious sleep is. Even the cats were still asleep!

multiple stabbings

well I have had my jabs .... after being admonished by the nurse for leaving it so late. Polio, diptheria, hepatitus, tetanus, typhoid .... nice.

Busy packing now and having all the usual agonies about what to take!

visa

it arrived the other day so there's nothing stopping me now!