ChinaFubar

Anybody remember Arlo Guthrie’s iconic “Alice’s Restaurant?”  Remember one of the main issues during the song was the dump being closed for Thanksgiving, and no one ever heard of a dumb being closed on Thanksgiving?

Seems a lot of times I feel that way here in P.R.  I mean, sitting here in the car, sitting here in my little borrowed car, we seem to come to a lot of stuff that logically should be open, but for some reason isn’t.  And we find we’ve driven a long time to get there only to find out it’s closed, or closing, or we can’t get access.

First, shopping.  The laws have recently changed, and with it the mall hours, but first time we experienced this was going to the shopping mall close to our apartment,  Aguadilla Mall.  Has a K-Mart as one anchor, and an Amigo grocery as the other anchor.  Got there about 7:30 on a week night, K-Mart and Amigo open, mall closed.   Ok, look at the door sign, mall’s open late Thursday, Friday and Saturday.   So Thursday we go back, and the mall still closed at 7:30, even though the signs say closing at 9.  We check our Spanish/English translation… no, we’re not totally stupid, it really does say open to 9 on Thursday’s but the mall still closed at 7… ok.  Home we go.  With a stop off at Rex Ice cream at the Aguadilla town square.

So, that Sunday, we decide to head to the mall in Mayaguez.  Get there, about 1 in the afternoon, seems not a lot of cars.  “Gee, the recession’s hit pretty hard here, mall is deserted” we thought.  Wrong….mall is closed.  Now this is a pretty large mall. several anchors, etc.  Ok, what’s up with that.  Found out later stores and shopping malls are closed on Father’s Day in Puerto Rico.   Now since my father bailed when I was like 3, I never celebrated Father’s day, so I never kept track of it… Oh, ok…. Father’s day you close the malls… Give the old man a tie and let’s go shopping.  So we head home, stop at Rex Ice cream at the Aguadilla town square.

Fast forward a couple of months, and we decide to go out to a local state park for a hike, picnic, etc.  Sunday, afternoon.. think the state park would be open.  And you would be wrong my little friends….  Get to this park after a half hour of narrow winding roads… nice picnic areas, barbque grills, pavilions, all that fun stuff.  Behind a locked fence.  Sign says park is opened until 3.  Ok, it’s only 1.  Why closed.  No reason.  Just closed.  Go home, stop at Rex Ice cream at the Aguadilla town square.

So we get savvy about this.  Look at the guide books to see what days places are open.  Then head to Cagua to the Botanical and cultural Garden.  Well, ok, part of this is our fault, decided to have lunch on the way, and got there at about 3.. find out the Garden closes at 4.. and they charge 7 bucks to get in so to us, not much use to go in for an hour, takes at least 2 hours to see the place according to the guidebooks.   So, go home, stop at Rex Ice cream at the Aguadilla town square.

Which brings us to our latest adventure.  Decide to go to the Rio Camuy cave and park.  We plan ahead.   We have lunch on the way, so we get to the park oh, about 1:30.   And, we’re stopped at the gate.. “park is full, reached capacity for the day, can’t let any more people in – come back tomorrow”  Huh?   Park Closed?  After a 3 hour drive?  CRAP!

Check the map, Ah, Arecibo Observatory  not too far away, let’s go there.. plug that into the GPS… and after an interesting trip through progressively narrower and windy roads, we find the place.  And……IT’S OPEN!!!! YIPEE!!!   Interesting and impressive place, will write about that later post.  No Rex Ice cream today>

So, the point of all this, is we’re finding out that just because a place should logically be open, or signs say they are open, or will be open, that is not always the case.  Be flexible and have a backup plan.

And Rex Ice cream in Aguadilla Town square is always open until 9.

Well, it’s Christmas Day in Dongguan, and rather than presents under the tree and a scene from the movie “A Christmas Story,”  I’m typing away on the computer, the wife’s sleeping on the couch, where she was when I woke up this morning, (no reason why so far) and the construction workers are banging away downstairs on yet another apartment redecorating project.

To be fair, apparently there was a bit of holiday spirit, dare I say CHRISTMAS spirit in the air last night around town.  Concerts, recitals, the local expat school had their Christmas Pageant, and the mall next door had a show of some sort.  Actually the show was put on by a local auto dealer trying to drum up sales for Geelys, Suzukis, Great Wall, Chevrolet, and some other brand with a Mini knock-off.

The show also included dancers, who while we were watching were doing some sort of dance routine that I think was supposed to be “sultry” but instead they just had a look of general unhappiness to be there.

The whole display was capped off by a giant Christmas tree made of Snow beer cans.

At least the PA system wasn’t blaring out what is apparently the one Christmas music CD that is available locally.  Cutsey-sounding kids singing Christmas carols.  First 100 times it was cute, and put one in the holiday mood.  Second thousand times,… you get the picture.  This one has been playing everyplace from the Carrefour, Dongcheng Walking Street, Trust Mart, and the Japanese Noodle shop.  Sales must have been in the 100’s for this CD.

Of course, not a lot of the local population really understands what Christmas is all about, mostly an excuse for a party and maybe exchanging of gifts, and an excuse for the vendors to run around to the customers giving day planners for next year.  I’ve also gotten a ton of e-mails from executive recruiters wishing me a Merry Christmas, and if I know of anyone looking for a new job to refer them and I’ll be entered in a chance to win a 3000HKD gift certificate to some high end department store or another.  About as much chance of that happening as one of said recruiters actually placing someone in a job.

To be fair, seems this year there is an attempt by some folks here that actually understand the true meaning of Christmas to try and get the word out,  Even the local government sponsored English language news website “Dongguan Today” had an article about the story behind Christmas.  I’d link to it but it’s been taken down already.

I know this all sounds cynical on my part, but for some reason the Christmas spirit has yet to descend on your able writer. Had a brief encounter with it sitting in Starbuck’s a couple of weeks ago, but still waiting.  Maybe the sub tropical weather, palm trees and beer can Christmas trees has something to do with it.

I do have to say, as cynical as it sounds, from what I’m hearing back in the states there is more Christmas Sprit in our little atheistic city of Dongguan than there is in most of U.S.  Of course the current economy is playing a part in the reduction of holiday cheer in the states, but I’m hearing that political correctness has about wiped out the whole celebration of Christmas. I was in the states last year for Christmas, and I do have to say, more holiday spirit and “Merry Christmas” – NOT “Happy Holidays” here in DG land.

‘Tis a shame really,

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

And May Peace be With You and Your Family

ChinaFubar

So last night, I was on Skype with friend, fellow blogger, humorist and co-conspirator in many things shoemaking, China Charlie, and the subject of the melamine  milk scandal here in China came up.  Now China Charlie is currently semi-retired and sunning his buns in the Philippines, so he was asking what the impact here in China was.  Any my reply, recalling the time during my childhood when dinnerware made from melamine was all the range (anyone remember “Melmac” dinnerware)  replied that I was probably going to be passing a cup and saucer set soon. Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, so I’ve had enough of Obama, McCain, Hillary and the rest.   A friend of mine and I were sitting and chatting about Lee Iaccoca’s book “Where Have All the Leader’s Gone?” in which he devotes about 263 pages to complaining about the leadership of the U.S. and the presidential candidates, then goes on to say he didn’t run because the bureaucracy would drive him nuts. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, it finally happened! I can kiss this place goodbye, I won the lottery!  At least I’m getting numerous e-mails telling me so. Too bad, I have to share with 5 other lucky winners, or I’d have the whole $500,000 to myself.  Who knew the Beijing World Cyber Olympics Games 2008 Lotto Promotion would pick my numbers and pick me to be one of the 5 lucky winners.  Great!  Now I can invest in some beachfront Property in Arizona!

Ah yes, back home where I understand the big news is the UFO landing in nearby Needles, CA.  Seems like a good story, “Men in Black” strange looking trucks and misplaced helicopters.  Combined with a person I know who claimed to pick up a couple of “sorta funny looking and hot and sweaty  and stinky,  and couldn’t understand anything they were saying” hitchhikers.  Got scared of them and dropped them off in town.  Pretty sure they weren’t aliens of the south of the border illegal variety, those are common enough to identify fairly easily.

Gee, makes life in Dongguan seem down right boring… the big news here is… is….is…. well, we’ll get back to you on that one.

And since this is “silly assed Sunday” I guess I’ll post this video link, scammed from Imagethief.

And this my friends, is what happens when a blogger posts on a Sunday morning after too many cups of coffee.

Ok, time for a break from all this Olympic Visa nonsense.  We’re about to be inundated, worldwide, by The Olympics, and all the back stories, side stories, front stories and who knows what stories that will come of it.  But really, check the blogroll for some very good sources of information

My only comment about the whole thing today?  The Visa Olympics.  No, not sponsored by VISA  but an Olympic event where everyone tries to get a visa to come to China, vs Chinese trying to get a visa to go to anyplace else.  Can be graded on “degree of difficulty”  I say this because I just had to make a trip to Hong Kong to get 6 months of bank statements and a “statement of bank balance” so my wife can get a visitor’s visa to U.K.   I, being an American, can just show up, go through immigration and done deal. Her, on the other hand, being Chinese (even though she’s a US permanent resident) has to jump through hoops and file copious amounts of paperwork.  I think we had it way to easy with the China Visa situation for a long time.

But I digress, had a little rant there. Sorry.

The real story today is the “Legend of the Ghost of NB”.   This actually happened, I used to work for the company involved, and while I never met NB, I know some of the other players, at least the ones still alive, and have heard this all first hand from the folks involved.  I’m not naming names, some are still alive, and I think NB’s wife is still around, and may not even know the whole story as of yet. Read the rest of this entry »