Manly and Watson's Bay

Another great weekend!! On Saturday Sha and I had a trip to Manly. In the morning it was raining a little, but it cleared up by the time we took the ferry and then the views from Manly were spectacular. We had fish 'n' chips on the beach (with the sea gulls) and then walked around to Shelly Beach and up onto the cliff edges. In the evening we met up with David, Jo, Mike, Vikram, Anna, Jonathan and Kate for a BBQ at my house. That was fun! Everything had been done. In fact, by the time Sha and I turned up, the food had been cooked and so we just sat down and ate it. We then played Mah Jong. Not surprisingly Sha and Jonathan could beat us all rather easily.

Yesterday was David's last day in Sydney (he flew off to his new job in Germany today) and so David, Jo, Vikram, Sha and I had another day on the harbour. The weather was perfect. We went to Watson's Bay, had fish and chips (again) and then walked up the cliffs! Beautiful. Very beautiful. (Except for the nudist beach that Sha and Jo seemed to find very interesting) Vikram found a crazy way down the cliffs to the rock pools at the base and so we all clambered down and, err ... I got rather wet .... Finally, Sha and I had lots of dumplings together in Ashfield. Then I went home.

(The photos on this page were taken by Sha or using her camera - my camera still needs recharging from China!)

Day 8: The ancient observatory

It's my last day in China today :( My flight leaves around 4pm and I get back to Sydney early in the morning on Sunday. I'm meeting up with Sha and Xiaopeng for breakfast soon, but thought that I'd forget my packing and write about the ancient observatory instead.

The observatory is beautiful. Apparently nobody else is interested because it was almost completely empty (the first place in China that has been quiet). The observatory started during the Ming dynasty in 1442. There were lots of sundials, spheres and dragons. There were lots of interesting displays about various Chinese astronomers who translated astronomical texts from Europe. We read a plaque about Zu Chongzhi who, sometime around the year 429 calculated that PI was between 3.1415926 and 3.1415927 (although it didn't say how he did that). We then met a man who works at the observatory and talked a lot about astronomy and the observatory. Next time I come I'm going to be introduced to some of their historians of astronomy to ask about Chinese records of supernova remnants!

Then Sha and I went out for a romantic meal where we sat on swings in the restaurant before going for another long walk around the area! Finally we found a tea shop where I bought some tea and we took part in a tea ceremony where we were given the best Oolong and Jasmine teas!

(P.S. The turtle is Da de de - Sha's pet!)

Day 7: Walking through the summer palace

An interlude

I'm again too tired to write in detail tonight. We went today for a huge walk through the Summer Palace. Absolutely beautiful. I then had a dinner of noodles at Sha's house and showed the family photos of Canada, England, Wales and Australia. They want to invite grandma to Beijing to share some food with them! They also really like Alexander and think that he looks like his mother!

Anyway, I thought that tonight I'd put up some photos that Sha has taken ... they seem to make me out as a completely crazy person. She's now calling me "crazy jiao zi" (jiao zi sounds similar to George in Chinese and means "dumpling").

Maybe I should also worry mum a little and mention being in a car in China. It's rather exciting. They don't seem to have seat belts nor road rules. I recall today a car going backwards through a red light at a busy intersection. We also missed crashing into another car by about 1cm with a good screech of the brakes. It's common to have three cars trying to share the same lane on the road. Also waiting for a break in the traffic is certainly not done. You just pull out assuming that someone will give way and let you in. Then you have to dodge the horse-drawn cart, or the bicycle carrying three people, or the motorbike stacked with the contents of someone's entire house! Amazingly it all seems to work.

Sha and I have just been sitting outside on the street drinking beer and eating various random kebabs that we pulled from a pot of hot chillies. Now it's time for me to fall asleep!! More tomorrow.

Day 6: A relaxing day

Today was relaxing. Sha and I were both tired from our hike down the mountain and so decided to do some shopping instead. For lunch we went to Pizza Hut. This didn't sound particularly exciting, but I was assured that I'd find it interested! I did! I've never been to a Pizza Hut before with such a variety of food on offer. This was pizza Chinese style! "Curry Beef Rice", "Baked Chicken with Laksa Sauce". We had a huge pizza with various kebabs and spicy side dishes. For dessert we had a superb green tea icecream cake. During lunch I was trying to read all the signs in Chinese nearby. It's very exciting to be able to recognise a character!

After lunch we went shopping. First we went into a bookshop where I bought a book called "Sights with Stories in Old Beijing". Then I went and bought a ping-pong bat. I bought it for Jonathan, but there's a good chance that I might keep it for myself (sorry Jono!). Sha had, very cruelly, left me to buy the bat alone. That is not as easy as it sounds. First you take the bat to one counter. You leave it there and are given a bunch of pieces of paper. You take these pieces of paper to another desk where you pay for the bat. The lady at that counter then gives you heaps more little pieces of paper which you take back to the first desk. Finally, after handing over a random selection of bits of paper, you get the bat.

We then had a very interesting walk around the supermarket and bought lots of bottles of water and strange fruits that neither of us had eaten before (in particular a strange type of pear and a mix between a mango and an apple). I also bought a pair of sandals which should massage my feet as I walk. I'm sure that they were originally designed as a torture device.

We then walked (again down the highway) to a restaurant near the Olympic Park where we met up with Xiaopeng and Han for dinner. Very posh!! We had an enormous amount of food (including a Beijing Duck) and discussed science and various projects that we could work on in the future. Finally, Sha and I walked around the Olympic Park again to try and walk-off some of the food that we had eaten.

Day 5: climbing a mountain

Another great, but crazy day that started off with us eating bao zi for breakfast and ended with us banging on the shutters of a car mechanic's shop trying to get him to open up and fix the car.

We went to the Fragrant Hills. Wow!! This is, by far, my favourite place in Beijing (and it would be even more spectacular in spring or autumn). The Fragrant Hills are about a one hour drive from Beijing. The highest peak is 557m above ground and has the nickname "Guijilanchou (Devil Frowning Peak)" because of its steepness. It is steep!! We cheated and took the cable car (a 20 minute ride) to the top. Sha was a tad nervous as the ground really was a long way away and we weren't very securely held in. Anyway we got safely to the top (the views are of forested mountains with a few temples dotted around) and then walked all the way back down through the forest!!

At the bottom we decided it was time for food and so we bought some lotus and something really tasty that seemed a bit like an omlette. Then we fed the chickens that were walking around. Then we went to the beautiful botanical gardens to see the lotus exhibition. We also met some of the terracotta warriors that must have escaped from Xi an. Later in the evening we met up with Xiaopeng and then drove to Isabel's house (Sha's cousin) where Xiaopeng explained all about pulsars until they got bored and we went out to dinner. I'm wondering when I'll be able to taste anything again. They told me that Western people could not eat a particular chicken kebab because it was too spicy. I took this as a challenge and ate one!! Wow it was spicy! We then went to the cinema and watched a 3D cartoon, but I have no idea what it was because it was all in Chinese.

After the cinema we came out to find the car didn't work (umm ... the lights had been left on). However, this is China and so we just found the nearest car mechanic and banged on the shutters until a man turned up and he came and jump started the car!