Have a wild Midsummer`s night! :)

In Latvia, Midsummer is called Jāņi or Līgo.

It`s the festival held during the night from June 23 to June 24 to celebrate the summer solstice (Midsummer), the shortest night and longest day of the year.

Celebrations consist of a lot of traditional elements - eating Jāņu cheese, drinking beer, singing Latvian folk songs dedicated to Jāņi, burning bonfire to keep light all through the night and jumping over it, wearing wreaths of flowers and leaves.



P.S. ...for Midsummer`s it looks like it`s gonna rain even here in Rizhao - the Sunshine city ;)

Beach fun!

Beach season is (un)officially open :)



Tents to protect Chinese white skin are set...


Swimming equipment secured...


..so it`s time to get wet! :))


See you on the beach! ;)

2011 Ocean Midi Music Festival in Rizhao!!!

Since the mid-May Rizhao is a bit more lively on Saturday nights as there are free 2011 Ocean Midi Music Festival concerts in Sun Square park from 19:00 to 22:00 :)



Park itself is also quite nice!



Champagne picnic during the concert!(guess if there was anyone else having such a brilliant idea ;)
At the back note the angry "grass security officer" ;) who wouldn`t let us sit on the grass :)))..


So this seems to be the plan for all the upcoming Saturdays here in Rizhao ;) Wanna join? :)

To see a doctor in China...

In China to see a doctor you need to go to a hospital. And if in Shanghai there are special hospitals for foreigners or foreign VIP centres in Chinese hospitals available (with foreign staff or staff speaking English and possibly some other languages and Western approach to things)...in Rizhao there`s the "Renmin YiYuan", not much English and things are as Chinese as they can be ;)

Anyway...this post is not about English in hospitals...it`s about what to expect in a typical Chinese hospital...
Let`s skip the deatils about:
1) getting your hospital card made
2) paying card fee...
3) figuring out where to find the doctor you need..
4) finding it...
5) going to pay a doctor fee
6) patiently waiting for 40 minutes in a waiting hall (there is even a computer organised line like in a bank...so you get real excited about how advanced things are)...

Let`s go directly to the point when your turn comes... a kind nurse directs you to a room number 3 and (having waited for your turn for 40 minutes) you are speechless to see what`s in the room...


Now it`s the same for all the doctors` offices... all the doors were opened and most of them had hoards of people in: patients, their friends, family members.... who knows...

So at this point you realise that as a foreigner you have absolutely no idea what & how happens next...

All the Chinese are leaning over the table and over the doctor and patiently being present in diagnostics process of all the patients..



Privacy?
Patient`s confidentiality?
Not in a Chinese hospital!

Luckily the nurse noticed our shocked facial expressions and squeezed through the crowd to advice doctor of foreigners ...and all the attention switched to us!

As the doctor was ready to talk to us (in Chinese, of course!) realizing we were quite shocked she even asked all the other people to leave the room :))) (door, of course, stayed opened!) Chinese were obviously confused and disappointed they would not get to hear about foreign health issues ;)))

All that said... the tests were done, the diagnosis was made, the cure was found and the disease was fought! :)




P.S. I wonder if it`s the same for the gynaecologist visit?! :)))

P.S.1. These doctors here must have nerves of steal to be able to stand that kind of working environment! (or to have continuous nervous breakdowns!)

MAY FEST in Qingdao

We decided to spend 1st of May holiday in Qingdao...we were not the only ones ;)




Happy family BBQ by the beach :)


It was a very educational holiday - 2 museum visits in one day!
1) TSINGTAO BEER MUSEUM


Yes, it`s what you think it is...and yes, it`s actually in the middle of Beer Museum exposition!!!


Lots of beer!


2) WINE MUSEUM (with amazing underground tunnels and exhibits!..and wine bar ;)



Qingdao by night


And then we came to church... damn, wedding photography business must be really doing great in China!!!


art


some Chinese forest ;) (if you look carefully, U`ll find it :)


Street art of Qingdao!

The hills of Rizhao

Some nature around Rizhao captured on a warm winter day...

Little temple in the hills


Quite a nice feeling to hike the surrounding mountains!




Cemetery spotted from the top looked like a place to explore...especially because we hadn`t really seen any cemetery in China before!






natural fence :)




Typical street of typical Rizhao village area. Less and less of those left...

Henan province trip: Nanjiecun (where communism is alive!)

Day 3 evening & 4: NANJIECUN

Nanjiencun was not so much about seeing things - it was about experiencing a diffeent China and because it was so different from anyhting else I`ve seen in China before - it was WOW!

"Here there is no upstart, and no poor households, the collective is backing the villagers, Nanjie is a big family, people dream of a sense of security"

It brought back my "sweet memories" of almost failing my final University exam answering the question on Socialism & Communism... cause Nanjiecun is the place where socialism seems to be still alive and guests are invited to "view red revolutionary culture and feel the superiority complex of collectivity"!



10.pm. Chairman Mao greeting me on arrival to Nanjiecun... no people on the streets...no sign of shops or any other opened establishments...quiet...mysterious...kinda relaxing...Am I really still in China?!


..and when I notice that Lenin, Stalin, Marx & Engels are also there to welcome me...I feel it`s gonna be one wild "red" experience ;)


I check into an old school hotel (right next to Mao square) ...

....where every floor has a floor attendant (in army green uniform!) and will open the room door for you, so that you never have to bother about having your own room key..and when I decide to go for a late night walk in the rain they run after me offering me an umbrella! Night walk feels kinda spooky... some random strangers on the street... no cars...no nothing! Just me on the empty streets, rain and the silence!


According to the brochure of Nanjiecun there are 848 families and 3100 people living there in 1,78 square km of land. Aside from being able to visit different areas of the village (agricultural area, cultural area, red revolutionary area, Happy Eden house area, etc.) brochure insists that "people can also get the effect of purifying soul, subliming emotion and edifying sentiment."



Dongfang square in the morning:


...add the sound of broadcasting propaganda and you`ll get the whole picture!!!




Lenin... childhood memories...


Stalin



And on this square I had a kinda of a "Big brother" encounter! :))) 4 guys (on the picture) with pens & notebooks were trying to talk to me (interview me)...and as their English was worse than my Chinese we tried to talk in Chinese..


We talked for some time, but let me give you the coolest bits of talk.
First is my typical conversation in China...when I answer to the first question everyone asks here.." Where are you from?"

- Where are you from?
me: Latvia!
- Aaaaaa.. (trying to make a smart face to show they know it...even if if it`s obvious they don`t)
me: Do you know where it is?
-....aaaa.... (trying to invent a smart answer...failing...)
me: it`s in Europe!
- a...a...a.... (maybe they know Europe...maybe they don`t ;)


After some chit-chat about what do I do in China and stuff like that... the fun began:
- How did you know about this place?
me: from a guide book
- Aaaa...
- Do you know Mao?
me: (ok, here we go :)....mmm... yes...I know who he is...that`s the statue of him right here!
- What do you think of Mao?
me: Excuse me...
- Was he a good person or a bad person?
me: (not wanting to offend locals I opted for a "diplomatic" answer) I have never met him in person, so I wouldn`t tell you... Do you think he was a good or bad person?
- O, very good, good good!


They obviously wanted to talk more, but I had plenty to walk around & find my breakfast canteen (as suggested in hotel), so I said good-bye and headed away...they followed me for a while...and then I lost them :) Promising start of the day!



I wondered along perfectly clean & empty streets...public WC every 200 m...found public showers ( I remember those from childhood summers in Jurmala!)



The Gate


And then I found the Canteen in the same building with the tourism information office!
...again childhood memories of typical soviet time canteen...


...with a typical Chinese style breakfast meal :)))

My breakfast...payed total of 4 RMB (0,40 Euors) for these 4 dishes :)
1) toufu "cheburek" (quite good!)
2) dumplings (which, of course, are not really called dumplings, because to Chinese every different kind of dumpling has a different name :) I named these ones "Mao meat balls" as the sound of the name in Chinese was very close to it ;)


3) sweet pies!!! (really delicious)
4) chicken soup (of course...how could I ...after 2 years in China....still hope to get a chicken soup that wouldn`t be sweet at this time of day!!!)


and I stayed away from these pots...;)


The making of : "Mao meat balls"


And again... green uniforms...


Not your average newspaper stand



And now WELCOME to HAPPY EDEN!!! (that`s how the residential area is called in the brochure)


Residential area... looked like Socialist theme park..not very real... :)



Not your typical Chinese shop...


Mosque! (now that was a surprise!)


Little communist ZOO - free of charge for everyone to come and see the animals...strangest mini ZOO I`ve ever seen!



And this old man couldn`t just pass by me... he looked at me several times till decided to give it a try...and when he realised I am able to speak some Chinese...he had a plan! After talking there for a moment he invited me to visit his home and after refusing several times...


....there I was following him to drink tea in his apartment and confirm that there are indeed people living in those buildings I saw earlier... :) Actually he was a real cool old man :)...and apparently Muslim! (now I have to investigate the link of Islam and Socialism...)


All the land is used for a good purpose: growing lettuce, leek and other good green stuff!



Now that was one true trip back to past & escaping the real China for one day!!!




And before heading back to Rizhao ....yet again I was in Zhengzhou (for transfer)....and as this was my 3rd time passing through Zhengzhou + I had to stay 1 night there... I thought it also deserved a photo! (hope you get the idea ;)


See ya :)!!!