Ocean of Morality
  • Blog
  • Family
  • Relatives
  • Countries
  • Gallery
  • Guestbook

Young and old

30/8/2015

 
Picture
Picture
Hard to believe these photos of JD were taken just a day apart.

Hell to pay

28/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
JD and I visited YuanTong Temple today. It was buzzing with activity as tomorrow is Ghost Festival in China - a bit like Halloween in the West. Ava has already bought various fake banknotes and paper items to burn in memory of her grandmother. I was intrigued to see that the money is issued by the "Hell Bank"! With the recent worldwide financial crises you might feel they need to be more specific... 
Picture
0 Comments

V-gone

26/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Presumably meant to be "Navigator"? Spotted today.
0 Comments

Crashes

24/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
As news in the UK is dominated by an airshow jet crashing, China's news continues to be about another crash - the stock market plummeting in value over recent weeks. With millions of Chinese affected and world markets getting increasingly nervous, it could be the start of a huge correction in China's economy, for so long the marvel of the world. Ava has dabbled a bit in the stock market in the past, seeing huge gains in recent years. But whilst those "paper" gains for us have now largely been wiped out, many others have lost their life savings or bank loans taken out to invest in "sure fire" profit. There's a lot of very angry, worried and much poorer people over here.
0 Comments

Cheeky

22/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Spotted today. It's always worth being
reminded that slapping people is forbidden.

0 Comments

Hunting animals

20/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Our year's pass for the Animal Museum in Kunming ran out today but, despite JD starting school soon, it made sense to get another. At 100RMB (£10) for a year's unlimited entry for 2 adults and a child it's great value for money. JD knows his way around the place very well by now (I take his there every week or two) and yet we are always finding new stuffed animals hiding away in various places, such as this civet-like creature we spotted behind a tree today. Not seen it before throughout our previous 20-30 visits. And I'm convinced the museum staff move some of the animals around when the museum is shut.

0 Comments

Takenaway

17/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
We're back in Kunming and we took our last opportunity to meet up with Cindy, Martin and JD's favourite little friend, Liv. The family will do some travelling around China for a few weeks before heading back to Australia. We'll really miss them. JD and Liv excelled at leading each other stray, as you can see!
0 Comments

Check, mate

16/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Footbath, check. Massage, check. Game of chess??
Strange advertising poster spotted in Shenzhen today.
0 Comments

Jelly good time

14/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Shenzhen boasts a small aquarium which we decided to visit today. The first section was devoted to various jellyfish, lit in slowly changing colours which made them look very other-worldly. The later sections had other fish, raging from small but pretty coral reef sized ones to larger turtles, manta rays and sharks. There were even some horseshoe crabs and spiky anemones you could touch. Most of the tanks were a little on the small size however and you sometimes wondered whether the animals really had enough space. But overall, they looked cared for and JD loved it, of course.

Picture
0 Comments

Life's a beach

11/8/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
Despite threatening weather, we decided to head for the beach today - a 40 minute drive. Not a world-class beach, but clean(ish) sand, warm(ish) water and not too crowded. For a couple of hours we built the requisite sandcastles and jumped over the obligatory waves, before the heavens opened and we scuttled off to a nearby KFC. The rain became a deluge, however (the tail end of a typhoon, we later found out) and so it was Uber to the rescue, with a friendly pseudo-taxi whisking us back to the flat.
1 Comment

Water treat

9/8/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
One of the big draws of the flat we use in Shenzhen is the neighbourhood swimming pool. As well as a larger adults' pool, they have a small kids' pool which is perfect for JD - he can just stand up in it. Go there at 3pm when they open for the day and you can be the only people swimming for almost an hour. JD because increasingly confident during the many trips there, and was swimming with water wings and holding his head underwater by the end.

1 Comment

Ȕber and out

8/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
During our time in Shenzhen we have been using the Ȕber taxi service for the first time. I'd only read about it before. Your phone broadcasts where you are, a nearby driver gives you a call and picks you up (you can see the car approaching on your phone map). We never had to wait more than 2-3 minutes for a car to arrive. Our drivers were - without exception - polite, on time and driving new, clean, air-conditioned cars. And the cost was 50-70% that of a normal taxi. What's not to like?

0 Comments

Spout and about

5/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
When we were in Shenzhen with JD previously, friends invited us to a nice restaurant and, afterwards, we saw kids playing in some dancing fountains. Despite being unprepared with a new set of clothes, we let JD have a run around and he simply loved it. We were determined to return this time, somewhat better prepared. And we were so glad we did. JD spent nearly half an hour screaming and laughing in joy as he got absolutely soaking wet, fearlessly battling the sprays where other older kids were far more cautious and nervy.

Picture
0 Comments

Brights park

3/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
JD is enjoying the various local parks in Shenzhen - so much better than the Kunming parks. There is one about 20 minutes walk from the flat (which we have been given use of) which  has a huge children's section, with (free) sandpits as well as the usual climbing frames, swings, slides and see-saws. Unfortunately, with temperatures of up to 36°C and 90% humidity, you can't be out playing for more than an hour or so and chilled water bottles are pretty much a necessity. There's another area with free "gym equipment", so you can lift weights, do sit-ups and practise cross-country skiing whenever you feel the urge.

Picture
JD is very much into water and sand these days; filling, transporting, digging, etc. We always take a range of construction toys, buckets, spades and moulds [see photo above]. The only problem is that Chinese children aren't so well prepared, so within a couple of minutes of arriving at the sandpit there can be 3-4 local kids "borrowing" his toys ...and JD hasn't quite got the hang of sharing things just yet! So I've started taking him to more secluded places [see photo left] where he can dig to his heart's desire.

0 Comments

Four my wife

2/8/2015

5 Comments

 
Picture
Ava and I celebrated our fourth Wedding Anniversary yesterday. We fly to Shenzhen today, with JD, for a bit of a break - looking forward to being a little family all by ourselves for a change!
5 Comments

Three and two and a third

1/8/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
JD's best friend, Liv, turned three today, and JD turned 2⅓ yesterday so, with Liv and her parents leaving for Australia in a few weeks, we thought a little party was in order.

Balloons up, home-made cake prepared, snacks ready, presents wrapped, party hats made, poppers popped, pass-the-parcel poised and toys galore. The kids played really nicely together and JD belted out the "Happy Birthday" song which he'd been practicing for weeks before prematurely blowing out Liv's candles - JD thought it was his birthday and, rather bizarrely, so did Liv! It was such a shame when Cindy & Martin had to leave with Liv, knowing that JD may never see his little friend again. "JD very sad" he said as the door closed. Jiajia and I are starting to wonder about a trip to Australia in  a couple of years....!

Picture
Blowing out the candles
Picture
Pass-the-parcel
1 Comment
    paul hider

    Author

    Paul Hider lives and works in Kunming (SW China) and regularly updates this blog about his life there.

    Past blog entries

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009

    Tags

    All
    April Fool
    Basketball
    Birthday
    Blog
    CAL
    Car
    Cataract
    Cemetery
    China
    Chinglish
    Chippenham
    ChongQing
    Christmas
    Competition
    Construction
    Cooking
    Cop15
    Countryside
    COVID
    Dali
    Dancing Lady
    Dave & Esme
    Den
    Dentist
    Disaster
    DnD
    Dorta
    Druncle
    Earthquake
    Ebike
    Education
    Everton
    Exams
    Exercise
    Family
    Film
    Fishing
    Flashback
    Food
    Forest
    Fossils
    Friends
    Furniture
    Games
    Gardening
    Geese
    Gym
    Halloween
    Hamsters
    Health
    Heijing
    Holiday
    Home
    Homework
    IELTS
    IKEA
    Illusion
    JD
    Jiajia
    Kindergarten
    Kunming
    Language
    Laos
    Lattitude
    Leaf
    Lego
    Lexulous
    London
    Ma
    Mandarin
    Merton
    Minority
    Molly
    Mountain
    Movie
    Museum
    Nancy & Family
    Nanny
    Neighbourhood
    New Flat
    Olympics
    Painting
    Parents
    Park
    Party
    Paul & Crystal
    Pets
    Podcast
    Police
    Pregnancy
    Primary School
    Private Tuition
    Random Travel
    Relatives
    Renovation
    R.I.P.
    R.S.L.
    Running
    Schools
    Shenzhen
    Shopping
    Ski
    Sport
    Spring Festival
    Sri Lanka
    Swimming
    Temple
    TESOL
    Thailand
    Theme Park
    Traffic
    Training
    Transport
    Travel
    TV
    UFO
    UK
    University
    Vietnam
    Violence
    Visit
    VSO
    Water
    Weather
    Wedding
    Wildlife
    World Cup
    Xishuangbanna
    YUFE
    Yunnan
    Zoo
    Zoom

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.