It became a good day after all ...

Today in the morning I had still quite a strong longing for home with all the good and 'safe' things around me
... but not anymore :-) ... it became a very nice day after all.

One nice person knocked my door and asked me if I'm interested to join him and his friends to go to get some
massage where some blind people give treatments. I had been thinking that it would be so nice to get
massage so of course I was interested. Then I also was able to tell him how I had been feeling and so I started
crying again ... so I cried against his shoulder for a while. Oh my ... but it was comforting and I felt a bit better
after been able to talk about things.

I had also long Skype talk with a friend in Stockholm and it was so nice to hear his voice.
It's not easy to find time to make these calls because there is 6 hours time difference between
China and Sweden. So when it is 12.00 during day in Stockholm it will be 18.00 in the evening here
in Chongqing. When I get up here it's still middle of the night in Stockholm. Only weekends seems to
work to make calls in that way. I have discovered that 'voice messages' with Google Talk is also nice
way to let people hear you and give more 'live' contact. It's good that there is different possibilities
to communicate even though you are on the other side of the globe.

We had to split our group and some of us went to another place to get massage. It was relaxing and quite ok
but not the best massage I have got. Next time I will try the other place where blind people give massage.
It sounded that it was more effective and cheaper, 30 yuan for treatment of whole body. It is
extreamly cheap compared with prices in Europe.

Afterward we went to eat in a restaurang 'Statue of liberty' ... despite the name it seemd to be a very
common Chinese restaurang with very good food and nice beer. Massage and afterwards some good food and beer
is a lovely combination and I will do it many times while staying here. With good company it's even better.

Finally we did some sight seeing to 'The Supermarket' ... the one and only ... and then taxi upp the hill to 'home'.

On the mountains

Climate is still warm and I start sweating very easily here when I go outside.
I suppose it's normal because it feels that all the time I'm walking up or down a hill ... or up or down the stairs.
Lot of exercise is good I suppose but I believe that I have lost weight and for me it's not really good news.
Well ... I might become really strong and though here.

After doing som downloading of some TEDtalks about design and illustration I saw that it seemed to be
quite nice weather outside. I took my first walk to mountains that are located behind our house. I have heard people
shouting loud in the morning and seen that some people are standing upp on the mountain.
One friend told that some people do some excercise there that has something to do with Taoism.

Yesterday - fun

We went to eat to a restaurang and I tried to order and explain to someone on the phone who could speak a little bit english but it ended with feeling that I didn't have any idea what food I was going to get ... but it went well and the food I got was quite nice vegetarian food actually. Me and my friends were talking and making some plans and then went shopping to Metro. You have to get membership and show card to be able to buy anything in Metro ... I don't know why. I had got card arranged and was able to shop some things that I needed. In Metro you can find many products that westerners miss here and are not available in ordinary shops in Chongqing.

It was a quite nice day ... and we got also spray to get rid of cockroaches as well ... a perfect day!

Now it's time for some nice noodles and DVDs.

Supermarket - only fixed spot in China right now

I was invited to drink and had nice company with some french people living in the buildning and was having chat with one chinese woman visiting them. I also got som valuable information and found a heater that was left behind by someone living here before. I heard that it will be good to have a heater during winter time even though we have air conditioning. Lucky me ... didn't have to buy one.

I had long chat about China, etc. with one friend late yesterday evening. It became late and at last when I tried to sleep I didn't sleep so well and has felt quite tired today ... been 'home' and watching chinese films on dvd, talking with my neighbors, cleaning and doing sightseeing to The Supermarket ... again ... I also heard that my mother was taken to hospital and she will have to go through surgery. That makes me sad.

I have not been able to see much of the Chongqing city yet. It seems that the only fixed spot right now for me in Chongqing is the nearest Supermarket. This place where I have my residence in Chongqing doesn't apparently have any adress so the adress we have is to the working place. It means that if I take a taxi I must be able to show the way for taxidriver and I cannot do that yet. So, I was thinking ... Supermarket has an adress and if I find my way there I might even find my way back 'home'. I understand so well now what one 'cqexpat' ment when he was writing me that he feels like 'total illiterate' ... Well, I suppose I have to be patient ... I will learn. I have been here only some days.

Today I was doing som yoga and I saw that under my couch was something and it turned out to be quite big, dead cockroach. Oh my ... I have seen them walking in corridors couple of times and heard that my neighbour has problems with them almost every day. It seems that they are part of peoples life here and they have to learn to handle them as well as with high humidity.
When I came to my appartment I found a plastic container in one closet. Today I got to now what that was for ... it was containing liquid and that liquid was sucked by the material in the container to reduce humidity in the closet. My neighbor told me that those containers is specially important during winter when the humidity is even higher. Oh my ... So I did sightseeing to 'the one and only ... SUPERMARKET' again and bought 4 big containers that I put to my wardrobe, closet where I have some electronic stuff and closet under the sink. I don't want that my stuff get moldy, stop functioning and start smelling bad. I have started keeping windows closed and using air conditioner more often. It feels quite allright now. It feels nice and cool to come to the appartement after I have been sweating while climbing the hillside back 'home' from Supermarket.

Today I found at las ta little shop that sold cheap lighters. It seems really hard do find matches here. I still wonder where they sell them? Again I got helping hand of one student dressed in bluish camouflage clothing who actually could speak english and helped me to buy one. When I asked 'if he can help me' so he thought that I wished him to pay for it and he seemed very willing to help me. Of course I said that no, no, ... it was not that what I ment but if he can ask the saleswoman if she has any cheaper lighters. He was very helpfull.

Well ... now it's late so Good night everybody!

Day 3 in Chongqing, southwest China

It's my third day here in Chongqing. I arrived during monday afternoon and it has been two days with a lot of new impressons and experiences so there is already too much to be able to describe here on blog ...

My trip from Stockholm, Sweden to Beijing and transit to Chongqing went well and I didn't get lost. I met nice young woman from Hong Kong during flight Stockholm-Beijing and while waiting sitting and drinking chinese tea in the café at Beijing airport I met a man from Holland who was staying in China for a month and travelling around. He showed me some nice photos from his trip.

When I arrived to Chongqing airport I was warmly wellcomed by my friends and they drove me with car to my new 'home' for some months. Chongqing airport is located on north side of the city and while driving to south side of city area I had possibility to see some views of city ... misty mountains, green areas, palm trees, grey skyskrapers, chinese caracters and many people on streets.

It's an adventure trying to find my way to supermarket that is located here quite nearby. Almost all labels are written only with chinese caracters so it was quite difficult to understand what was inside packages. Also lot of interesting vegetables and packages. Problem is that I don't know how to use them yet.

I send also som pictures:
- Beijing international airport is very modern and spacious. You are not aloud to smoke exept on some separate smoking rooms. I think it is very good.
- Misty view of the mountains and city from the terass of the house.

Today I feel tired and try to take it easy listening music with Spotify and Internet connection is fast and works well ... GREAT!

I like chinese beds ... first I was afraid that I'm not able to sleep at all because bed felt very hard ... like wood plank ... but none of us has got backpain after 2 nights. Maybe I should get bed like this even at home in Stockholm.

Many loud cleaning ladies and men in our house today ... nobody can english but somehow things work anyway.

Well ... it's quite different atmosphere and way of life here than in Europe ... it's interesting.

To blog in China ... ?

It seems that it is not sure that I will be able to continue writing to my ainoinchina-blog
while staying in Chongqing, China because many blogs are blocked in China.
What a pity... but I hope that I will be able to continue writing about my experiences there.

Chongqing - furnace of China ?

Climate is subtropical in Chongqing, China. It is about + 40 degrees and sunny in Chongqing right now in august. I will be leaving to Chongqing in the end of the month and I hope it will not be so HOT then. I've heard that it can be quite pleasant, warm weather during september, october and november. It will be really nice to be able to escape the cold weather during autumn and beginning of winter here in Stockholm, Sweden.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/climate/chongqing.htm