I'm beginning to think that the Chinese government has somehow blocked blogger so that people here can't view it. I can post blogs but I can't view them or your comments. That means that I won't be able to check and see what this looks like so please forgive any errors. I'll fix them later. Today has been a wonderful day. Not much that you would find interesting but for me it was fascinating all day long. Basically we came here to learn more about the LiFePO4 chemistry and so all day long was like being in a very interesting college class. I will spare you the details. This morning I had a wonderful surprise, I
was in the shower trying to wake up and I noticed a button on the wall. I've never been one who could leave a good button alone so I pushed it. My water shut off for a brief moment when all of the sudden water came pouring down out of the ceiling. It was cold at first but quickly warmed up and I enjoyed a wonderful shower. The entire ceiling was basically one huge shower head. I'm quite sure that it would not have been legal in California where they have restrictions on the flow rates for things like that. Since there is little I can tell you about today that you would find interesting I will just share some photo's that will give you a bit of an idea what it is like here. My
first trip to China was in 1999 so I've been coming here for about ten years. Boy has this country changed in that time. It is rather amazing that a country that is so huge could make so much change in so short a time. When I first came here everything was dirty and in chaos. That was my first impression. The streets were dirty and ugly and people were building make-shift houses under the over passes but now they have plants along side the streets and flowers in the medians and there is definitely no one living in the underpasses. Some of the apartments and the shops are still in a bit of a shambles but it has come a long
way. The other big change is the traffic. When I first got here traffic rules were meaningless. I don't know why they bothered putting lines on the roads because no one paid any attention to them. They also completely ignored traffic lights. They even ignored the traffic cops. They don't have them anymore but they used to put a traffic cop up on a big pedestal in the center of the larger intersections. I have a picture (which I tried to find for you but couldn't) of an intersection where the light was red and there was a cop in the intersection and pedestrians, bicycles and cars were going in all directions including kitty corner across the intersection. That doesn't happen anymore. I say that as a general rule because on the way to the airport tonight we came across a major traffic jam. Because our driver was worried about the time, he proceeded to drive down the highway towards the oncoming traffic for nearly a mile. The oncoming traffic just drove around him as if there was nothing wrong. He then pulled up to the intersection just as if he belonged there (still in the left hand lane), waited for the light to turn green and then turned left. I was laughing the whole way. I also thought I would share with you the difference between Japan's space age toilet and China's squatter. They are becoming less common as well but most Chinese toilets in their homes and factories are just a hole in the floor. I mean it is porcelain and all but still the guys have it lucky because you just stand there and aim for the hole but the poor women. They have to squat over this little hole and try not to make too much of the mess. So far I've managed to avoid going #2 in one of these things but it doesn't look too pleasant. While there are far fewer bikes than there used to be they still far out number the cars and you would be surprised to see what they carry on them. The little three wheelers (like in the first picture) are the work horse of China. I've seen them carry beds, bathtubs and families on these things. We caught our plane at eight tonight and landed in Tianjin at around 9:30. Our ride was right there to pick us up (thank goodness) but they couldn't find our hotel. We finally made it in here by 11:30 so it is now way too late so I'm going to go to bed. The room is another beautiful room.
I'm beginning to think that the Chinese government has somehow blocked blogger so that people here can't view it. I can post blogs but I can't view them or your comments. That means that I won't be able to check and see what this looks like so please forgive any errors. I'll fix them later. Today has been a wonderful day. Not much that you would find interesting but for me it was fascinating all day long. Basically we came here to learn more about the LiFePO4 chemistry and so all day long was like being in a very interesting college class. I will spare you the details. This morning I had a wonderful surprise, I 
was in the shower trying to wake up and I noticed a button on the wall. I've never been one who could leave a good button alone so I pushed it. My water shut off for a brief moment when all of the sudden water came pouring down out of the ceiling. It was cold at first but quickly warmed up and I enjoyed a wonderful shower. The entire ceiling was basically one huge shower head. I'm quite sure that it would not have been legal in California where they have restrictions on the flow rates for things like that. Since there is little I can tell you about today that you would find interesting I will just share some photo's that will give you a bit of an idea what it is like here. My
first trip to China was in 1999 so I've been coming here for about ten years. Boy has this country changed in that time. It is rather amazing that a country that is so huge could make so much change in so short a time. When I first came here everything was dirty and in chaos. That was my first impression. The streets were dirty and ugly and people were building make-shift houses under the over passes but now they have plants along side the streets and flowers in the medians and there is definitely no one living in the underpasses. Some of the apartments and the shops are still in a bit of a shambles but it has come a long
way. The other big change is the traffic. When I first got here traffic rules were meaningless. I don't know why they bothered putting lines on the roads because no one paid any attention to them. They also completely ignored traffic lights. They even ignored the traffic cops. They don't have them anymore but they used to put a traffic cop up on a big pedestal in the center of the larger intersections. I have a picture (which I tried to find for you but couldn't) of an intersection where the light was red and there was a cop in the intersection and pedestrians, bicycles and cars were going in all directions including kitty corner across the intersection. That doesn't happen anymore. I say that as a general rule because on the way to the airport tonight we came across a major traffic jam. Because our driver was worried about the time, he proceeded to drive down the highway towards the oncoming traffic for nearly a mile. The oncoming traffic just drove around him as if there was nothing wrong. He then pulled up to the intersection just as if he belonged there (still in the left hand lane), waited for the light to turn green and then turned left. I was laughing the whole way. I also thought I would share with you the difference between Japan's space age toilet and China's squatter. They are becoming less common as well but most Chinese toilets in their homes and factories are just a hole in the floor. I mean it is porcelain and all but still the guys have it lucky because you just stand there and aim for the hole but the poor women. They have to squat over this little hole and try not to make too much of the mess. So far I've managed to avoid going #2 in one of these things but it doesn't look too pleasant. While there are far fewer bikes than there used to be they still far out number the cars and you would be surprised to see what they carry on them. The little three wheelers (like in the first picture) are the work horse of China. I've seen them carry beds, bathtubs and families on these things. We caught our plane at eight tonight and landed in Tianjin at around 9:30. Our ride was right there to pick us up (thank goodness) but they couldn't find our hotel. We finally made it in here by 11:30 so it is now way too late so I'm going to go to bed. The room is another beautiful room.
2 comments:
That shower sounds cool!!! Kind of like a waterfall.
That's what I was thinking Lisa! I bet it came down as a bit of a shocker at first. Cold water? YIKES!
Love the pics of China. I hope to see some soon of the flowers and changes you are speaking of. I heard that the changes are all due to the Olympics. They have even "moved" people away. I wonder if that was some of those people under the overpasses.
I don't think I would like that squatter toilet at all. Just one question. Is it actually just a hole it the ground (like in an old outhouse) or is there actually plumbing that "takes it" away down in the hole in the ground?
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