Hawkes Bay NZ Water trail

Friday, February 6, 2015

9am Thursday Oct 23 Tongling Botanic Gardens

Clear sunny days in Tongling, (likely anywhere in China) where the air pollution has been tamed temporarily by heavy rains 2 days ago, are rare and precious. I took an early (by local standards) walk in the garden close to my apartment. I am developing a standard walk: I say "Nihao" to the bored and lonely old man who sits in a bashed up chair near my bus stop, as he enjoys a break from his dark and cold home in the old-style residential area on the other side of the street-facing wall. Then I stroll through the row of little shops that sell pot plants and flowering shrubs. I stop to admire their selection of truly ancient and no doubt expensive Bonsai trees, checking for any autumnal color changes. Then, either clockwise or counterclockwise I walk around the garden's central lake. I can hear the girl practicing her trumpet in a side garden, and, today, I stop to listen to the Chinese Opera singers, who occupy the primo spot near the lake with a fountain. It's a big group today, with 3 retired ladies who sing well. There's also a foursome of skilled musicians, playing their long necked Chinese violins and tapping some sort of bamboo percussion instrument , so the performance is actually good today. The ladies aren't screaming into their microphones and they're doing some dance moves as they perform. Usually I find these groups of amateur enthusiasts utterly dreadful, like a bunch of yowling cats. Yes, the weather today is quite lovely, but I don't think that's the only reason I'm upbeat about the opera singers.
I exit through some steps I've noticed that lead into another old style community behind a wall abutting the garden. Here I enter the community of shabby homes by way of a path along the side of the community toilet block. I'm no longer disgusted by the stench, and step carefully around the garbage. It's what you do in China.

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