China – a place of magical multi-scenary feasts

After a 14 hour direct flight from Toronto to Beijing then a three hour flight from Beijing to Chengdu, I arrived in China a few days ago to visit my dad, play some golf, take in the local culture then take a side trip to Thailand for the full moon party.

It’s steamy hot here – around 38 degrees with no wind and the constant humming of the tree locusts is reminiscent of the Vuvuzela sound the world was introduced to during the South African World Cup – but more organic sounding and not quite as loud.

Here are 9 quick things I’ve noticed or learned so far:

1. Although you feel extremely safe here, driving is an extreme sport. A combination of cars, trucks, and bicycle’s stacked 12 feed high with plywood, farm animals or people and a code that says left turns can be made from three lanes across on the right is normal makes for an interesting ride every day.  Traffic lights seem to be “recommended” and not mandatory as people would rather honk than brake for a stop light or person
2. Most signs are in English – although much of it barely makes sense (like the title of this article – it’s a selling point printed on a billboard for a new condo unit going up). I’m going to start capturing my favorite ones and posting them here.
3. Social Media (at least North American) does not exist here. No Youtube, Twitter, facebook or foursquare.  There are some huge Chinese based sites, but it’s not like i can read them
4. Toilet paper is soft and looks perforated, but in reality it’s a struggle every time to tear off just a few squares without making a mess
5. If you go out for a run, be careful not to step on the sewer grates as many are missing and you don’t want to step into a dark hole unexpectedly.  Sewer covers are also prone to fall in when stepped on
6. Chinese traditional greeting for hello is Ni hao (Knee How) – I use it everywhere. Most men will just look back at me, while most women will smile and return a greeting
7. This place is exploding with growth. There is construction everywhere and many are massive projects. The city of Chengdu has about 14 million people – and growing. Their first subway line opens this October
8. This is a cash society – virtually no credit. People don’t rent apartments or lease cars – they buy them outright. The government also takes back your home after 80 years, so you never really own anything
9. There are only 4 golf courses in Chengdu and fortunately my dad lives on one of them – Luxehills International. It’s also part of the pro Asian tour every year.