To the cunning vendor at Tianzifang: I ate both of those marshmallow-filled, synthetic durian flavoured sticky rice skin balls, whether I wanted to or not. On principle. If you're going to charge foreigners the same price for one sweet as you charge your countrymen for two, you'd better be sure laowai doesn't have enough stealth Chinese … Continue reading Tianzifang
Day: November 3, 2017
Sensory contrast
My hotel in Shanghai is a beautifully restored art deco building, with lavish appointments including marble windowsills and bench tops, decorative crown mouldings and tasteful decorations. Entering the hotel, with bell boys making eye contact as they greet you, a subtle floral scent welcomes you as you make your way down to the reception. There … Continue reading Sensory contrast
Flower bud
Flower bloomed too soon Showing the promise of pink Inside browned petals.
Internet
Being in China without ready access to the internet made it simple to focus on the present, observe my thoughts and write about what I was experiencing. I need a strategy to continue thinking and writing now I'm home and have broadband and 4G on tap. The internet has been a compulsion ever since I … Continue reading Internet

