It’s Bike O’Clock and All Is Well.

Last week was a bit like Xmas for the Guihot’s in Beijing as our stuff FINALLY arrived from Australia. After a mess up with the paperwork the shipping container touchdown finally came at 3pm on Wednesday afternoon, but thanks to the great customer service from the Allied Pickfords at the China end most of our stuff was unpacked onto shelves (in one form or another) by 4pm.

A quick check over the stuff found only one casualty from the uplift, that being the rear derailleur on the Giant Reign X (it just HAD to be the Beast, didn’t it?). Safe to say an insurance claim is in progress, although a simple requirement to get a quote for the work is a VERY difficult task when you can’t read, write or speak the language. Defeating bureaucracy just got a whole lot more challenging.

On the upside I was finally able to get back on the bike for a ride around the area – not too far abroad on the first trip, but a lot faster than by foot and a lot more invigorating than by taxi. Plans were to head out the day after the goods arrival, and all would have been fine except that the following day Beijing got its first rain since October 17. And not just any rain. In fact, all 100 days of denied and pent up wet stuff came down in one solid 12hr drenching (by Beijing standards anyway, Amy doesn’t think it compares in any way to the rain the day the furniture was moved out of our Canberra house). But while it was a disappointment to be delayed by a day or two, on the upside the rain did give the streets a very good clean and got rid of a lot of the lovely essences that had been building up since the last big shower (as well as removing the solid layer of frozen human throat goobers from the footpaths).

Now I’m back on the bike though, and even though I’ve only managed three rides so far there are certainly things you notice on a bike that you don’t notice in a taxi or on foot. One such example (and one that is very relevant to my continued safe biking in Beijing) is the Chinese driver’s adherence to the “Stay as far to the left as practicable” road rule. They do that well here, just like the Australian Road Rules say you should. The only ‘small’ issue with it is that they actually DRIVE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE HERE. It seems that that they tend to use the whole width of a two lane side street until they are forced to move over by oncoming traffic. It certainly makes riding around a fun experience (and provides for lots of near death experiences). Mental note to myself – always be on your guard and get use to riding on the right, else I’m flying home Cargo Class. And while it was great to get my bikes, I couldn’t resist buying another bike to ride around town – more on that later.

"The Grey Ghost" - my new 'reliable' townie.

On Saturday night Amy and I got all done up to the nines for the annual Beijing Australia Ball, held at the China World Hotel down in the CBD area. It was the pilot event for the new tuxedo, which not only fit like a glove but also managed to take all the punishment I could dish out to it including a few spilled drinks down the front. The ball itself was the best one I’d ever been to (which is comforting, as it cost a pretty penny), with plenty of wine on offer as well as cocktails all night. It was looking ominous very early, and it proved to be so when I’d knocked down 3 cocktails and 2 glasses of wine before we even got into the dining hall. With Jackie Chan and Corinne Grant being the special guests for the night I actually wanted to enjoy all of the night, so didn’t really want to be falling into a taxi after entrees for the unremembered trip back home – and if fate was to have its way to also meet Jackie Chan to grab that awesome Kodak moment.

Dancing at the ball. I've been told that there is a band hidden somewhere in this photo, but haven't been able to find it.

I put the cocktail drinking record on notice that night.

In the end the alcohol proved to be a welcome co-pilot in my flight for courage, as I finally got up the nerve to approach both Jackie and Corinne for happy snaps. And while I know it may surprise many out there, they both beat the cheesy picture of me with our former PM (sorry Johnny. Please don’t cry). The only thing that could have made the night even better is if I’d won the ultimate auction prize of the ball – a walk-in part in Jackie Chan’s next movie. Unfortunately it was not to be, as we were not even in the starting bid range as the prize went to a local guy for the pricey sum of 200,000 yuan (about AUD$50,000). We did though manage to win one of the silent auctions, so took away a wine fridge and case of wine for our efforts. Looks like my George Clooney looks get to wait a bit longer before being unleased onto the Asian comedy-action-martial arts movie watching general public (a very obscure movie genre I know, but romantic comedy just doesn’t fit my level of sweet talk especially after a few drinks).

Corinne and I practicing for the goldfish impersonation contest.

Trying to teach Jackie Chan my own Drunken Manatee martial arts style.

Closer to home Amy and I are both starting to get back into the exercise which has been great (although to be honest Amy is making better progress than I). Amy has been heading out early in the morning before work for a brisk walk along the canal near to us, and is very surprised at the amount of tranquillity she can find in a city with 19million people in it. She certainly has some great stories to tell from her morning trips, the most notable being the large number of ways that the locals exercise and the way they get their own little bit of cardio action happening. There are the standard forms of exercise you see back home: walkers, runners, people walking their dogs, a gaggle of women that seem to do more talking than exercise (Amy has nicknamed them Marylou, Marguerite, Cheryl, Karen and Marcella). And then there is the kind of exercise with a much more Chinese flavour – tai chi, badminton, walking along while singing at the top of their voices (sometimes to their birds that they carry in cages complete with fuzzy covers to ward off the winter chill) and one man that walks in a complicated pigeon-toed tai chi squat up and down the length of the canal – painful. As was the case in Australia I tend to be dreaming of exercise at the same time that Amy’s doin’ the real thing, preferring the evenings for my dose of lung-busting activity. It’s certainly a good deal on my part as Amy has come back and has the coffee made by the time I say goodbye to the sandman.

On the “odds and sods” news front, I am enjoying my new role as the Bar Manager for the social club – a job that seems to match perfectly my love for a good drink. While it’s not rocket science and the pay is crap it certainly is offering me the opportunity to bring all of the Badgery Street cocktail party skills out of the closet and put them to use. One cocktail night down already and a few more in the next year should allow for a variety of opportunities to mixa the elixa here in the ‘Jing (maybe even including some of the famous Jonny specials like ‘Daryl Strawberry’ and ‘Reecey it’s your birthday’).

On the weather front we got a great surprise here this week, as we woke up Tuesday morning to a very light snow. While it melted during the day, the white stuff came back with a vengeance the next night and Wednesday and Thursday it was like Lapland on the Lawn with the sidewalks of Beijing icy and wet. It did make for some interesting photos, - we have put some here and a few more to go into our Online Album. As well as covering the ground and furniture it also put a nice dusting on my new town bike, which I picked up for a whole 330 kuai during the week. Its job is to be treated mean and stay keen, and more importantly to be stolen ahead of my more expensive bikes. The Grey Ghost came pre-loaded with the obligatory bike rack but minus the basket (which I wouldn’t have liked anyway, because there were no matching spokey dokes). All it needs is the appropriately placed Astroboy decal and it’ll complete its initiation into the Guihot bike barn.

Snow in the courtyard.

Maddy has also had a social time of things – going to a birthday party (with another one on Sunday) and having 2 play dates with friends from school. She also has a number of friends who live in the same complex as us. Maddy also had another visit from the tooth fairy this week (with the exchange rate we are getting out of this seemingly continual payment fairly lightly).

Just when the canal was starting to thaw the cold snap gave new hope to the local ice skaters.

Other things on our horizon (some closer than others) is the starting up of the next darts season this week so I’m off to drink and throw sharp projectiles, and putting further thought to our plans of heading to Canada in May to catch up with Amy’s family. On the gastronomic front I’m heading down to a place called Wan Fujian next Thursday where they have the food stalls that sell the scorpions on a stick and the sea horses. We’ll see what comes of that, but I’ll be sure to take the camera and an open mind. (and for those protesting about eating Sea Horses, just think of them as the Meat Pies of the Sea – like the real Aussie pies they probably need a lot of sauce).

For reasons known only to him, a local decides to go for a jog in the snow kitted out on top with nothing more than a chesty-bonds. GO SON!

Maddy playing in the snow out front of the apartment.

The hedge along Dongzhimenwai Dajie got a nice dusting of the white stuff.

To wrap up this one a BIG Happy birthday to Mum and Dad, and to Nikki Baker and Jock all of who got that little bit closer to REALLY old age in Jan or Feb. Hope you had a great day.