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Currently in China... 28 January 2008 The Old Codger is sorry to report that China is basically closed as of this writing. It might be another week before it is open for business again. But by then, it will be a bit too late as it will be time to officially close the country again for Spring Festival - or the Chinese New Year.
One and a half foot of snow here in Nantong as of today. Still snowing too. It has brought everything to a stand still. Here in this part of China they don't have snow plows, so unless there is a bit of traffic on your street, you probably aren't going to go anyplace. All you will do is slip and slide and slide and slip. Electric bikes, I have discovered, do not go very far in this much snow. Maybe about 3 inches. All of the information I read about Nantong before I moved here said that the weather was a "semitropical monsoon climate." The Old Codger thinks that is some good propaganda - as other places in Southern China are advertised as such as well. Of course, like Nantong, they are all basically closed - many without power - due to this "semitropical snow storm that we are enjoying. Airports are closed. Roads are closed. Rail lines are closed. TV stations are pretty much off from the air (today). Last report that was aired was that there was concern about electric plants being able to get enough coal to run them. Yeah. semitropical climate. Bull. Saturday evening, took a bit of a walk in the snow. 'Tis amazing what The Old Codger will do in order to get to happy hour. First time that he has a walk in the snow in ages. Of course, walking in wet snow without boots means wet feet. Wet feet mean cold feet. Cold feet mean uncomfortable feet. So, not, it wasn't exactly a nostalgic journey. More one of: What in the hell am I doing here? Walked all the way over to the North Gate, where one can usually catch a cab. Of course, unbeknownst to The Old Codger, a bit of snow on ground and streets means that things start to shut down. After waiting for about 15 minutes in the nice, warm "semitropical weather" that causes water to freeze, The Old Codger realized that the prospects of getting a cab were slim to none. So, back to the apartment to get out the electric bike. Happy hours can not be missed. After all, Saturday was also Australia Day, and The Old Codger had to meet up with his Aussie friends from the ship yard. Then, after that, he had to go to a dinner party for someone's birthday. So, a little bit of snow could not hinder him. A few wobbles and slipping and sliding, and The Old Codger was able to master driving on the snow and semi-ice. To fast forward a bit - coming home at 3:30 the next morning, it was snowing quite good - big, fat, wet snow flakes. That should have given The Old Codger a reasonable idea that things were going to be getting worse. The bike made it back home - but at times it was nip and tuck, touch and go. The Old Codger typically does his grocery shopping on Mondays. Of course, with the weather that is impossible - or at the very least improbable. He has no idea what stores, if any, are open, and walking in wet snow for about 5 kilometers is not exactly an option. So, the pantry is getting close to bare. The fresh water supply is very, very low (3 liters) - so it will be necessary to boil some water tonight to avoid dying of thirst. Cold. That is the other part of the weather, in one simple word. The apartments here are not designed for cold weather. That is one thing for sure. The heaters - or air conditioners as they call them here in China are having a very hard time keeping up with the cold. About the warmest it gets in the apartment these days is 20 Celsius or 68 F. Heat cuts off, but then in about 10 minutes or so, it drops down to 16 C or 60 F. Step out in the hallway, and the temperature is very close to freezing - which is where the cold air is coming from. If it weren't for the Quartz heater that The Old Codger bought, he would be in real bad shape. Outside temperature is about or below freezing (0 C or 32 F). Ah, well, the good side is that The Old Codger doesn't have to pay for the electricity. Have noticed that some students - a very small number - have not gone home for Spring Festival. Suspect that their families can't afford their transportations costs back home and then back to school again. With this cold weather, I do feel sorry for them in their dorm rooms. They can't even buy a heater - against the rules. They can probably heat the rooms up a bit three times a day when the hot water is turned back on. All that they will have to do is explain the additional hot water usage since all of the water in each dorm room has water meters. The Old Codger is fortunate that his hot water meter isn't working... The steam does make a difference! Web Site: We have had to change the color of the printing. Some old geezer in Thailand was having trouble reading the red. He whinged about it for about 30 minutes one night in e-mails, so we are trying something new. If you have problems reading this, let us know, and we will try something else. China: A bit of a parody about China worth taking a look at it. Click here. Also, have discovered a web cam that is on line showing a small picture of Nantong. They say that it is a "weather camera." Seems to be about the only thing that anyone is talking about here these days... Nantong camera. Well, with the weather keeping everyone shut in, it is a bit like being in prison I presume. At least the notorious Paranoid Delusional inmate here is keeping to himself, other than insisting on going out in the hall way to talk on the telephone. I suspect that he does that just incase the Communist Party or the CIA has his apartment bugged. One can't be too careful you know. And yes, he is still continually moving his furniture around... Time to wrap this up. No snow is predicted for tomorrow so eventually might be able to get out again. Temperature is supposed to be above freezing - not much - but it might do some good as far as melting the snow. The Old Codger
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