‘The early bird catches the turtle…
Trip Start
Jul 18, 2010
1
67
82
Trip End
Mar 04, 2011
Tsuen Wan, China
Monday, November 1, 2010
I walk down to the park, stopping at the local 7-Eleven for some lunch to take to the park. The sun is amazing today. I can’t believe it’s November! The temperature at the moment is so comparable to those lovely, British-summer days when all you want to do is have a bbq and go to the park to lie back on the grass. The sort of day that just puts a smile on your face because it’s so beautiful.
I wander down the avenue of the park and round the pathway to the turtle pond Benjamin pointed out lat night. Wow, he was right, there are so many! They’re all out of the water, lounging on rocky islands in the sunshine. I watch them for a good 30 minutes, they’re quite entrancing! I then eat my lunch in the sun on a bench and go for a walk along the water front. This is bliss. I really like Tsuen Wan. This visit has been allot better than the last, when I was in such a shock from landing in the country. Now I’m settled, my curiosity to venture out of my comfort zone is pretty strong. After a couple of hours in the park, I walk back to the main street and into Yeung Yuk rd. market. The first floor is fish, the sign portraying this information is fairly redundant as the smell is enough for any nose to distinguish the trade here! Second floor is poultry and meat, I avoided this. I don’t like seeing meat and cleavers… bleurgh. On to the third floor, dry foods and clothes. The clothes were, questionable, but the fruit and vegetables and dry goods were an amazing sight! So colourful and vibrant! One stall holder let me take a photo of her stall. On the way back out and I go to a shopping mall. There’s a cinema in this complex too, hmmm, Tsuen Wan seems like a great place to live! I’m not surprised Benjamin and Leon chose to move here. I get some Taiwanese Pearl tea and head off home for a nap before going out to dinner with Benjamin later. I was trying to scope out some restaurants today, but they’re all Chinese/ Japanese, so Benjamin won’t eat it!
After relaxing at the apartment for a couple of hours and a nice kiwi-call, I can’t believe I’m going to be there next month!, Benjamin calls me with dinner plans. He hasn’t cooked all weekend, so suggests cooking in. I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in a while, so this is very welcomed!
We meet in the foyer and head out to pick up supplies. He directs me to the supermarket that I had been walking the long way around to get to, it’s attached to the building! Never mind. A good FIY.
We get back to the apartment, it’ nice to be around furniture again, annnnnnd internet! I get a chance to check mail and arrange some Facebook photos from the weekend whilst Benjamin cooks up a French storm. Aperitifs of Whisky, seaweed, crackers and tomatoes. A starter of (okay, not so French) Sushi, followed by a main of pan fried beef mince and fresh tomatoes with Garlic and herbs - amazing! We finish off with ice cream and almonds. So, so good! I think my hankering for European food is kicking in now! Eeek. Going back to Mainland is going to be really hard. I’ve really enjoyed myself here, it’s almost been a taster of ‘what I could have had’. I may arrange to come over the border in the New Year. As it stands I’m now working a 6-day week until Christmas to make back some of the days I’m taking for vacation, so there’s no point in coming over the border for one day.
Over dinner Benjamin and I discuss life in Mainland and the fact that I am probably one of the first ‘Business-girls’ in China, hence the locals curiosity at my presence! I think this could be right. The first if a new generation though.
Benjamin’s apartment has a view that I don’t have of the street below, which I get a quick photo of before departing on a full stomach. I bid Bon Nuit/ Voyage to Benjamin passing on my e-mail address for future meetings. It’s really nice to have made a friend in the apartment block and has pretty much made my weekend!
