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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: What can you do? In your city, I mean.
What kind of things can you do in your city?
I'm tipping there's SFA for you to do.
But if I'm wrong, please tell me.
And...what do you do? I mean, there's 24 hours in a day....how do you fill in your time?
This isn't always such an easy thing to do, given there's nothing to do.
In my city there's a park and one can ride to it and then sit and read. And...that's all.
Still, it's something. Can you beat it?
We have a park, then there is another park, a mountain with 1000 steps to the top (including some BS nationalistic story behind why the 1000 steps) then there is a small island with a path around to walk on, then there's all the shopping centers, KTVs, there is Chimelong Ocean Kingdom (not fully built and admission fees are too steep for just going there to burn an hour or two)
Then there is a replica of The Summer Palace, admission is 100RMB or so, it's mainly cast in concrete, there is entertainment in there, but you have to suffer loud distorted music.
There is the race circuit, not too much going on there, but there are a couple of races per year of international class.
The short story for Zhuhai, there is zero going on, but Macau right next door has lots of stuff going on from things like Cirque du Soleil to clean quiet streets one can just sit on.
Zhuhai is a much larger city in terms of population than my old home town back home, the amount of culture and sports activities is disproportionally low. Of course people don't need activities as they waste so much time stuck in traffic, all family goes when one needs a haircut etc.
Scandinavian:
oh, we have city bikes, need to have a registered bank card with 300RMB in it to get access to them, free for the first hour
So, Suzhou.
* A lots of lakes there, and each got really nice pathways around, perfect for walking, running, biking. Apart from early spring or late autumn, few people there. If you know a bit, you can escape the crowd, and the city is not super crowded as far as you avoid the historical down-town. To me, it's the top point of Suzhou.
* Historical old city which is not a recent reconstruction ! With nice historical gardens. But it's loaded of people, so best enjoyed early in the morning.
Apart from that, you got a loads of restaurants/shopping mall/KTV, but that's not specific to Suzhou. Cultural activities, I've been to cities of 50000 people with more cultural activities. After living in Bordeaux, Paris and Hanoi, it's kinda a no man's land in comparison.
In my city, they can stay in the car, while in gas station, 'cause comet is coming any day....now.
Otherwise, I go to Carrefour in Urumqi for monthly groceries shopping. Will tell more as soon as I jump on the bicycle.
I go to work. I go to Carrefour to buy groceries. I go to the local laundry to pick up my clean clothes. I buy fruit at the fruit place. I stay in my little home and watch my computer for many hours. I cook. I play with my cat. I sleep or lie in bed daydreaming. I shower and put on makeup. I go back to work.
Sometimes I go out with friends and get drunk in a pub.
Sometimes I walk to a different place for my groceries.
Sometimes I walk or taxi to a restaurant for a good meal.
Sometimes I book time off work and travel.
That's it. Sounds boring but I'm happy overall. It's my life as I've arranged it. If I wanted more, I would do more.
I live in Shenzhen so there are many things to do but usually I follow a bit of a schedule. Monday to fridays work and dinner at home. Watch tv and hang out. You can usually find me in the evening watching CNN or Discovery and drinking Baileys and coffee. Once a work week we drive into the city center for dinner and to pick up a few things from the foreigner supermarkets that we cant get here. Breakfast cereals , pop tarts, real milk things like that.
Weekends I will usually drive to Shunde or Guangzhou to see friends, or theyll come here for pub nights. And other weekends, there are countless things to do within a 2 hour drive. Go to the beach for the weekend, Chimelong a few times. Hong Kong is subway ride away.
Days alone are usually when I can go explore. I enjoy walking when im alone, checking out museums, or old parts of certain cities and once im good and sweaty, a 2 o"clock beer in a foreign pub really makes the day right.
Im lucky that my chinese friends all have cars and spare income and are quite spontaneous. So once a month we all get bored and just run away from work , and take a train up to changsha to get drunk or head to macau to gamble.
Before you know it, theres another holiday where my family will come here, or we will go home, me and the wifey will run away from China somewhere for a week or two and once a year we have a guys trip for a long weekend. Taiwan or someplace.
Generally im just too busy to get bored, so it took a few years to get where I am now, but i feel like I have found a really nice balance between family and friends and work. So Im content.
royceH:
That's not China, Mike. That's bullshit.
China is...China is....nothingness. China is nothing to do. No supermarkets that sell anything you want to buy. No pubs. No friends to go hang out with. No place to even hang out should a friend ever be found.
I want to do what Icni does. I want to go to Carrefore in Urumqi and buy some real food. But Urumqi is 5 hours away.
This afternoon I'm going to buy some warm beer and sit in the street and drink it. Some random will stare and say..."Hello!" Then probably follow up with "Do you like Chinese food? What's your telephone number?"
After that I'll have dinner with my wife and some newly arrived Sth African friends. They drink beer and speak English.
mike695ca:
@royce.... Im sorry your so unhappy man. You live in perhaps the most remote part of all China. No real food or beer or friends or shit to do. I really feel for you man. Why dont you think about a change? A larger city, much more convenient, higher salary and better quality of life for you and your girl. Ive been in guangdong for a long time. If theres ever anything you need just let me know. Ill do what i can.
icnif77:
@royce: Do you want to come to 'comet area'? Many Schools here looking for FT. I can hook you up, if you want! Only Ozz FT is leaving in a month.
royceH:
Thanks fellas.for your kindness, but I'm ok.
I did live in Qingdao for a couple of years before coming out to Xinjiang. QD wasn't bad but it wasn't alluring enough to keep me there beyond that time.
I can see the sense of living in the south of China for many reasons.
But I'm going to stick it out here for another year, at least. Wife has a good job and my job is pretty good, too.
The air is clean and the Uyghir food makes it. Last night I had yang pai and it was fab.
Only the first beer was warm as by the time I'd finished it the next one had been in the freezer long enough. And so on..
sevenyan:
Your life sounds pretty cool and nice . I also live in Shenzhen ,struggling for my life. Trying to start my new career. All though it's tough at the beginning , Still got to fight for it.The happy thing is I find my way , and I am working on it :)
mike695ca:
@sevenyan dont worry man. Things get easier. Just takes time to fine true friends and things you enjoy doing. Youll be fine. Keep at her and things will turn out great!
I lived in Guangzhou for two years and the routine is pretty much the same everyday. Work, eat, shop, sleep. Sometimes shoot pool at the western pub in Panyu with friends, go up to Hunan to eat spicy snake and yabbi. Go to HK to revive, get real cigarettes and toiletries. Nothing exciting really. Now that I'm in Chongqing, I've started the usual hunting around for the nearest supermarket, which bus goes where, where the restaurants are etc. Good thing the air isn't polluted here, so that's a bonus. I think it's good to change cities every now and then, otherwise we'll get so bored.
Wuhan
This city has got much more to offer on the weekends if you have some energy after a tiresome working schedule. Optics Valley Square, Hanjei Street( beautiful place for shopping and hangout), East Lake specially these days filled with fresh air and flowers and too cheap(90 Yuan/year). I would suggest if you are using QQ International get into some groups looking for hangouts on weekends as I am attached to one who will arrange trips on weekends and will cost you not more than a couple hundred.