I had an interesting visit with my friends in China. Beijing is still as busy. The flight to Beijing was very tiring this time round. I did think that I would get rested before beginning to visit some places I wanted to go. My friend didn't waste anytime and we headed straight for the Yanshan mountain ranges. We were lost at some point and when we got back to Beijing it was already 1030 in the night. It was a good thing that a restaurant for steam boat opened 24 hours and so we had a good dinner before I headed for the room for the night. For 4 nights I was to stay and helped look after a dog.
It was quite an experience for me. The first night, I told my friend to please take the dog and I would walk the dog the next morning. Well, we got a long very fine. The dog is actually a very quiet and obedient dog who only wanted a few basic needs met...eat, sleep and pooh. I also made some interesting observations which I will share another time. What struck me was that the people who walked their dogs in the neighbourhood knew the dog but never once questioned why I was walking the dog. My friend never appeared for the 4 days I was given the dog except one day when I pleaded that perhaps there was a need to take a look at the dog. The dog was way too quiet. I thought that giving him hot dogs might have caused the dog to be a little upset.
4 nights later, I was on a plane to Chengdu to be with a group of counsellors from Singapore. I decided to join them because they are going to visit a pastor at the earthquake zone. I was unwell after a visit to a school. The places I visited in Wenchuan was really unhygienic. People were really poor and even then they shared their resources with us generously. I was watchful about the food I was eating but then I caught the bug. After 3 nights, I travelled back to Chengdu on a bus while the rest of the team stayed in Yilong for the morning sunday worship service. I checked into a hotel that was bearable and as soon as day breaks, I checked out. I couldn't wait to get back to Beijing and into the clean environment. But my diarrhoea persisted. Until my friend gave me the wonder pill one day before I was to fly home to Singapore.
I will write more about my visit to the earthquake area. And my visit with the chinese physician who took care of my knee pain that I had before I flew to China. He was really interesting.
The good thing about the trip was I rested. I slept. I didn't go very far. And the only time I had a lot of work to do was when I was in the earthquake zone. Even then, it was light work. I am grateful for the rest because I didn't think I was that tired. But my body just couldn't take it anymore.
So I hope to rest up again because my friend from Calgary will be visiting with his students and I am to give a lecture on the urbanization of Singapore and urban planning in Singapore.
