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Sell photos on photrade | By EllyHangzhou in Zhejiang Province is regarded as one of the most beautiful places in China. In part it is because of the West Lake, which is surrounded by temples, lush gardens, and wonderful relics of times past.
In Autumn and Winter the colours are spectacular.
Our hotel in Ningbo was described as "5 minutes from the railway station."
I am glad we didn't walk! We chose to go by taxi - in part because it is not easy to follow a Chinese map! I am sure that the ride was a fairly direct route - though we did weave in and out of traffic! But it took about 20 minutes in a taxi. I wonder what mode of transport was used to take 5 minutes from the station to the hotel?
The hotel advertised "Cable TV" - when we queried it - when we couldn't find it on the television, we were told "no longer available." I do suspect though because we had discount rates that we were put in a room without all the facilities advertised.
The Room Service menu - was old. The items we chose were no longer available!
Is it all about "show"?
Sadly this type of playing with the truth is not rare here. Very frustrating.
All is not as it seems.
I think many Westerners feel that when Chinese people are talking - they are shouting at one another - perhaps being rude. I have discovered that Chinese people talk loudly - much more loudly than we do. For example in a bus, you will find many passengers talking on their mobile phones and the whole bus can hear the conversation.
If people are talking with their friends or family members, the volume is very high!
When people talk there seem to be no such thing as a 'private' conversation - everyone hears the conversation. Speaking loudly is what the people do here in China. Of course if there is an argument (and I have seen quite a few) the volume is much higher and generally it is pretty obvious that there is some sort of altercation going on.It does seem to make us squirm a little - but after a while you realise that it is just the way things are here. And we resolve to just accept it.
At first I thought it curious - so many small children and few prams. And then I understood. Not many folk here have motor cars so their most regular form of transport is a bicycle or e-bike. No room for a pram.
The only people who use prams are those with cars or those who only walk the baby for a short distance from their home. The rest of th time the children are carried. So many fathers and grandfathers especially get the job of carrying the child.
The Chinese people just love their babies and children. They are so well cared for. I've noticed in the bus that a child gets a seat. Not on the lap of mother or the adult with them - they get their own seat and people will give up their seat quickly for the child - not so quickly for "old ladies" though.
