Photos ...

View from our terrace.

Sunset, view from our terrace.

Light and shadow.

Boat cruise on Yangtse river.

Boat cruise on Yangtse river.


Boat cruise on Yangtse river.

Boat cruise on Yangtse river.

Boat cruise on Yangtse river.

Boat cruise on Yangtse river.

Boat cruise on Yangtse river.

Boat cruise on Yangtse river.

Noodle lunch was so good!

Some 'admireres' at lunch restaurang.

Massage for about two hours cost 70 yuan.

Place where we got massage, about 2 hours for 70 yuan.

Visiting shopping mall with architecture mixed with ancient and modern style.

Visiting shopping mall with architecture mixed with ancient and modern style.

Visiting shopping mall with architecture mixed with ancient and modern style.

Visiting shopping mall with architecture mixed with ancient and modern style.

Visiting shopping mall with architecture mixed with ancient and modern style.

Walking around in Jienfangbej, downtown area in Chongqing.

Incent for sale outside Arhat temple, Jiefangbej, Chongqing.

Arhat temple, Jiefangbej, Chongqing.

Arhat temple, Jiefangbej, Chongqing.

Arhat temple, Jiefangbej, Chongqing.

Arhat temple, Jiefangbej, Chongqing.

Arhat temple, Jiefangbej, Chongqing.

Arhat temple, Jiefangbej, Chongqing.

Arhat temple, Jiefangbej, Chongqing.

Arhat temple, Jiefangbej, Chongqing.

Arhat temple, Jiefangbej, Chongqing.

Arhat temple, Jiefangbej, Chongqing.

Operahouse in Chongqing.

Operahouse in Chongqing.

Operahouse in Chongqing.

"Celebrating China - program" at Operahouse in Chongqing.

Operahouse in Chongqing.

Art and sports

Day before yesterday I found a large roll of canvas of good quality in one room in our house where people leave their stuff when they leave Chongqing. I took the canvas and plan to do some artistic experiments.

Today I bought some brushes and paint in a shop. It was not so easy to explain what I wanted because nobody could understand much english ... as usual ... but some art students tried to help me to get what I tried to find. Trying to explain 'acrylic paint', 'charcoal' and 'fixative' with gestures was not simple but I finally got allmost everything what I was looking for.

In the evening I have asked around if somebody here have some old sheets or other kind of fabrics they could give away so that I could use to clean brushes etc. but nobody wants to throw away anything here ... Well, I might continue my 'hunt' tomorrow or buy cheap towels or something.

In the afternoon was warm and it felt really nice to walk with sandals again. It feels strange to think that it is october and I'm still walking in sandals, T-shirt and sweating while walking outside. It doesn't happen in Sweden in october.

While trying to find Art shop I happened to meet one student that I learned to know during my travel to south east Kina during National holidays. He was playing tennis with his friend and they asked me if I want to play. So I played for a short while and it was fun ... maybe I can play some more tennis later on ... it would be fun.

Shouting on the mountain

Today I went with one friend to mountains behind our house to do some 'shouting'. I have heard local people doing it every day during sunrise and sunset ... and many times even during day. It can be kind of annoying if you want to sleep late and someone starts shouting loud just outside your house. I have understood that it's kind of training especially older people use to do.

When we climbed up to the mountain we met some chinese people walking and some of them was also shouting and sometimes doing some physical exercises, kind of streching.

There was one guy who wanted to take photo of us and it was not just one photo he wished to take but many ... many photos in different places and positions. It was not fun in the end ... :-/ .... but at last he left us alone and we could continue our shouting 'in peace'. My friend took some photos while I was shouting so I might show some photos here later on ... if I dare ... ;-)

It really was fun and liberating experience to shout on the mountain. Sometimes we could hear echo of our voice and also other people 'answering' by shouting on another mountain accross from our mountain. I believe that I will go shouting again one morning or evening. I wish we had custom like that in Sweden and Finland ... I believe it would be very "healthy" experience to all people to have possibility to shout like people are doing here on mountains in Chongqing, China.

National day of China - holidays

Since friday last week we have had holidays because of celebration of National day of China. I was invited togeather with friend from US to travel with chinese family to Yellow mountain area in An Hui province located in south east China. It was good trip and very interesting.

Some highlights from our trip:
- Many new good local foods and different kind of tea. "White wine" in China is NOT like white wine in Europe or US ... it's more like aquavit ... interesting but STRONG!
- Climbing steep hillside of Yellow mountain to witness sunrise while still dark people waring colorfull raingcoats and carring flashlights.
- Beautiful scenery of Yellow mountain area ... rock formations, pine trees, steep hillsides, etc.
- Experiensing fresh air and water in city of Hefei, Yellow mountain and Tai Pin Lake area.
- Boat trip in mini-boats at lake in park area in city of Hefei.
- Interesting conversations and meetings.
- Visit to Hot springs to be able to swim and dive in cool pool and sit in warm water pool where small (and bigger) fish was eating dead skin from our feet. I will do it again here in Chongqing.
- Ancient towns and architecture.
- Modern roads and comfortable ride in private minivan.

I will show some photos soon ...

HOTPOT

At last I got possibility to experience the famous hotpot of Chongqing yesterday evening. Our table had stronger and milder version of hotpot soup where to cook all the ingredients served. Chinese people like to eat all parts of the animal as my translator was telling. You can eat cow stomack, liver, chicken feet, intestines, etc. I didn't feel like eating that kind of stuff so I took only vegetables and enjoyed my hotpot very much. The stronger hotpot soup was much better and it was not too hot for me.

Tired after long day I took taxi home and it went well ... I found taxi easily, the taxi driver was not complaining or shouting too much or refusing to take me were I wanted to go. Taxidrivers seems to be quite rude people many times in Chongqing and even Beijing. Many stories have been told about this rude 'house of chinese taxidrivers' here among us foreigners.

Next week will be National day holidays and we have some travelling plans but we'll see if we get our passports back in time so that we can take our flight friday morning to Nanjing with chinese student and meet her mother at airport, drive to Hefei where we will stay for couple of nights and visit Yellow mountain and stay over one night in that area. Lot of confusion, difficulties in communication and frustration has been involved around planning this trip but I hope that everything turns out to be fine in the end so that we can travel.

This is China ... and everything has it's own kind of timeframe and ways to accomplish things. It's just to accept that and try to make best of the situation.

Mid-Autumn-Day

Today people in China wishes Happy Mid-Autumn-Day to each other
and probably eating lot of Moon cakes.

I was doing some sightseeing on mountain area here nearby with a
new friend from US and we also got nice good food, interesting photos and
met some excited girls who were so happy to be able to talk to
foreigners ... something they had never done before. We also got
massage during about 2 hours for 70 yuan. It was also the best massage so far
here in China.

Now we have also booked flight to Nanjing in the beginning of october
during National Day holidays. We are invited as guests to visit chinese
family and travel with them on Yellow mountain area and AnHui province
in southeast China. It's so exciting ... to be able to see and learn more about China.

Yesterday evening we were checking out salsa night at Cotton club and it was fun
except that many people were smoking in the club and the smoke started hurting my eyes.
They were playing not just latin music but kind of funny mix of pop, rock, latin, etc.
Live music wasn't latin either but kind of pop-rock but I enjoyed listening them.

I also enjoyed dancing. I became a salsa teacher for a while showing some basic steps for one
chinese woman who wanted to learn salsa. My friend told me that there is
dancing school with salsa courses near by my 'home' so next month when
they will open again I hope to be able to join them .. at least I just must
go and see how the place looks like. I love salsa! ... even in China.

We also did some research of other local clubs ... lot of dancing, loud hip-hop/techno music,
drinks, young chinese people, decorations and ornaments in interior design of these clubs were
kind of baroque and crowded ... interesting to see anyway.

Tomorrow some sightseeing to Shanpingpa district i Chongqing. Maybe some shopping as well.
It's cooler now so one don't have to sweat all the time when going out.

Hot hot hot ...

It's very hot here now. One afternoon we went to downtown by bus and it was an experience ...
Busstop was noisy and busses stopped beside each other so it was
quite of dangerous business to try to get into our buss that stopped
behind another buss. No airconditioning in that buss and we had to stand
quite a while before we could get seats. It was hot, hot, hot ...

I had nice dinner with one friend and her collagues working for US Peace Corp
in restaurant in downtown that had mexican evening that night.
Mexican food in Irish pub in China ... :-)

This evening we have plans to go to Cotton club to Salsa night. I miss dancing
and I hope to be able to dance to nice music tonight. Salsa in Chongqing ... :-)
I heard that chinese people like dancing salsa ... we'll see.