it's their job to die

There's a fish tank in our Beijing office. Standing next to it this morning, I remarked to a colleague that we had a tank at home, but unfortunately had succeeded in killing 30 or so fish in the past 4 weeks -- a mixture of our ineptitude coupled with Archie's desire to overfeed the poor critters. Anyway, they're dead.

I'm used to Chinese folks' ability to speak bluntly. And I'm now used to the way animals are treated, but his response threw me:

"That's their job", he said.

"Eh?", says me, "I thought they were a Feng Shui tool to bring luck".

My colleague agreed with this - fish do bring luck, or rather they deflect bad luck! Their death is a side effect of having absorbed negative chi which would otherwise end up circulating around the apartment/office.

Poor things.

M

Beijing airport's new terminal -- AMAZING

I just landed @ Beijing airport and I spent the next 45 minutes GAWPING at the airport's new Terminal 3.

AWESOME.

It's huge; clean; seamless; vast; flooded with natural light; airy; intuitive; connected -- in other words, it's exactly what the UK can't build.

And it does look dragony inside and out (a design objective - although some say it looks like a giant thong!).

My jaw dropped when I entered the railway link area (pic above with the curved roof & uniformed lady) -- IT'S A MASSIVE BUILDING. Beijing Capital Airport is not just the largest airport in the world. The new terminal, at 10,600,000 square feet, or 244 acres, or 235 football pitches, will alone be bigger than any other airport, without having to add the current two terminals @ the airport into the equation.

It is larger than Heathrow's four older terminals rolled into one.

In fact, the size of the place is one drawback -- it takes 30 mins+ to walk & train from the immigration lines to the car park/railway station.

Beijing airport - the facts

Beijing Airport's new Terminal Three needed:

64 million cubic feet of concrete
500,000 tons of steel (the Eiffel tower is 7,300 tons)
41 million square feet of road paving
220 miles of pipelines
1850 miles of cable
447 lifts, escalators and automatic passenger belt

Asians have design of new terminals licked -- I need to write that comparison of airports which I've been meaning to write for months now.

The airport's Terminal 3 has been built to cater for the extra demand for flights to the Chinese capital expected to be created by the 2008 Olympics.

Designed by Foster + Partners, the firm behind developments at Chep Lap Kok Airport in Hong Kong and Stansted Airport.

Travellers passing through the terminal next year will benefit from a sophisticated luggage handling system, a rail terminal to ferry passengers into the heart of Beijing and decor that carries subtle tones of traditional Chinese architecture.

The terminal is expected to increase the airport's total capacity to 62 million passengers, compared with the 48.6 million travellers seen last year at the hub.

When the new Beijing terminal opened three weeks ago, many column inches in the local China press were devoted to how Beijing achieved this WITH NO TEETHING PROBLEMS; e.g. in <4 years with only $xx million dollars - contrasting this with the fact that LHR's T5 lost baggage galore .. was 20+ years in the making @ $xxxxxx million dollars. *However, they neglected to mention the 2000 or so homes which were 'relocated' to make room for the new terminal/landing strip*

The Beijing airport authorities said 10,000 people had seen their homes demolished to make way for the new terminal - a fraction of the 1.5 million people that have been evicted to make way for all the city's new stadia, metro lines, and other Olympic-related development.

I read today that BAA might be disbanded (finally) in an effort to create more competition amongst UK airports. About time too --- LHR T3 is a national disgrace.

By the way, did you see this tragi-comic story of how a BA passenger died on a flight (from T5) and then the airline lost his luggage - which included his address book? His family could not invite his friends to his funeral. PR disaster after PR disaster. BA "The world's favourite airline"? Not any more.

"We are now planning a second airport," said Zhang Zhigong, Beijing airport's general manager. "We expect to start work on that in 2010."

It will be ready in 2015, when Mr Zhang expects even his new dragon to have reached capacity.

M

Why we'll be staying a bit longer

I try not to think too hard about lush green fields and rolling countryside, the slightly fresh and yet damp smell of dusk,large round hay bales, guy fawkes night, sausages, windswept walks on west country beaches, smokey london pubs, FA cup final barbeques, country pubs, herbs picked from the garden, the smell of freshly cut grass, spring when the magnolia and cherry blossom are out, oh and Sky Plus (TV is rubbish out here)

When I do, I get homesick but there are so many compensations for living out here.

1. People are really nice - I guess most people in the same boat, also it is such a small world, that no one dares be nasty.

2 We live by the beach in a place that feels like a holiday resort - actually we're moving in July. To Stanley, which is even more like a resort. Last Sunday 12 of us hopped onto a ferry to Po Toi. Had a great sea food lunch of flash fried squid, prawns, noodles etc, washed down with copious amounts of Cloudy Bay. The kids roamed around, in the sea, on the pier, in and out of boats and pausing only to grab mouthfuls of rice, noodles, back on the ferry and home in time for tea. Idyllic.

3 Time - work is very busy but we're lucky enough that we can go out for dinner or off to the cinema without a thought. Actually bizarrely given that we have babysitting on demand, apart from the weekends we don't go out that much. I play hockey once and occasionally twice in the week. M is travelling quite a lot, so I'll come back to see the boys and put them to bed and then catch up with FT guys in London, or catch up with news on line. Probably not much different from anyone else in that sense.

4 perspective - priceless; It has been fascinating for us working in Asia and I hope it is for Billy and Archie - not that they realise it now; we have met some amazing people with such interesting lives. We feel like novices. Living in HK is easy.

5 There isn't a daily grind. Transport is easy, and really cheap, Also I guess that's because although we both work, we don't have to: shop, clean, wash, cook, make the bed, do DIY,(beauty of renting). Any time not at work is for leisure. Makes a big difference. It's also incredibly safe here - no anti social behaviour, no nutters, pretty much no petty crime.

6. opportunity. there are so many opportunities here - to try something new, to learn a language, take up a new sport, start a new business, to see something different - it makes every day interesting as you never know what you will discover or learn.

7 Holidays - who needs a holiday when you get to go to bali for work, eh Mark! hk is just a hop away so we've made an effort to get away or make plans for each of the 14 public holidays we get a year. Philippines and Thailand soon and boys are such frequent fliers now, that they know where all the airport lounges are and recognise all the airlines.

Come pay us a visit and big hugs to everyone where ever you are reading this.

All this culture and Power Rangers wins

Sigh.

We could have taken them to Universal Studios and they'd have had a better time. I suppose temples and 1,000 year old tea houses hold little attraction to young boys.

Mark: "Archie, what was you favourite thing in Japan?"

Archie: "Seeing Power Rangers"

Like Joss said below, we took them to the Eigamura film studios in Kyoto.

Those poor actors didn't know what hit them -- Billy wants to be a ninja when he grows up and so took the opportunity to practice his nunchukka skills out on the poor unsuspecting (Japanese children don't behave this way) samurai-actor fellows --- Archie, well he's just aggressive and can't keep away from danger - so he piled in too.

M

Japanese Leratives

The boys praying nicery with their rong-rost leratives and uncre.

M

Images of Japan: squirting loos and whale meat

Japan never fails to amaze me.

Sooooo different from everywhere else.

Half the time, I have no idea what's going on. Whether it's shops making and selling either soap or coconut ice (I could not tell); ready-made prayer cards for sale (@ silly prices); posters advertising whale sushi for sale inside; green tea flavoured kit-kat or how about loos that warm the seat to body temp; play flushing noises throughout the duration of your business (to avoid undue embarrassment) and then proceed to squirt warm water into your nether regions (slightly unpleasant feeling I must say - so much so, I had to keep trying it to make sure). Bonkers place.

M

Billy's first 'proper' soccer game - LA Galaxy

I've been looking forward to taking Billy (and now Archie) to his first proper football game.

I remember, so clearly, when Dad took me to my first game. It was West Ham versus Stoke, or was it Southampton? In the Autumn of 1969, or was it sometime in 1970?

Hmmm.

Actually, I do recall it was at Upton Park. We had Bovril. The terraces were high and noisy. I made the most noise (@ 6 or 7 the same as at 44). And West Ham lost of course.

We went to see the football at HK International stadium. I warned Billy the ground would be packed and very very loud.

I forgot about the Asian crowd mentality (polite and subdued compared to England/the English) and I forgot about the Beckham effect. LA Galaxy Vs an HK invited team may not have been the most inspiring game to de-blood your eldest son on. The ground was half full - and then full of girls screaming every time our Dave touched the ball. Billy said "it's not very loud is it?".

Well, it was 2-2 after full time. LA Galaxy lost 5-4 on penalties. We left before 90 minutes .... first time I've done that in years and years.

Must take him to Upton Park in 2009 - a floodlit night game.

BTW, with his favourite Brazil T-shirt on, I think he's the double of Joss' brother Paddy.

M

More HK Sevens Photos

Call me a girl if you like, but I was so ill with alcohol last year that I decided to take it easy on the drinking front at this year's Sevens. Still managed to enjoy quite a few pints on Friday and Saturday mind you!

We were blessed with good weather. It chucked it down non-stop virtually Weds and Thurs the week of the Sevens and the Monday immediately after.

Despite England getting knocked out in the Quarter finals, it was great, great weekend. Truly one of the World's best sporting occasions.

And thank you Alan for being a great guest and for treating us to an amazing night at Robuchon's place. YUM.

M

Shanghai MagLev : fastest train in the world

I spent an extra RMB100 (about £7) to go on the MagLev train from Shanghai to the airport. (RMB100 was for a seat in the First Class cabin - it was empty apart from me. The other classes were full who paid RMB50 for the same trip albeit standing up with 100 people in the carriage).

My God. Best £7 I've spent in ages! It's fast! See my open jaw.

430kph - 270mph. It covers the 19 mile jouney in a blistering 7 mins. AWESOME.

It took 10 billion RMB (1.33 billion US dollars) and only 2.5 years to complete the 30.5 km (19 mi) track. Can't imagine it taking only 2.5 years in the UK to build.

Some put offs -- the low tech driver's cabin (complete with low tech VDU - on-floor power extension cord! - ordinary office chair and flask of tea). As far as I could see, he did nothing apart from press the start and stop buttons. Not much you can do on a single track @ 430kph I suppose.

Also put off by the dead something stuck to the train's nose! Too gruesome to show I'm afraid.

M

Xintiandi (新天地) Shanghai

Have had a couple of great evenings recently in Xintiandi, Shanghai. Comprised of old, saved, converted townhouses (shikumen), it's a bit touristy and (as I stupidly said to a colleague": "is great, does not feel like China at all". Whoops! Feels quite European, but is the birthplace of the Chinese Communist ('Socialist) party - the first meeting room (one of these pics) is a National monument.

M

April Fool. One of the best ever

Fantastic April Fool!

Jamaican bobsledders, the California Highway Patrol and Mormons

What do they all have in common? They're all to be found in the South Stand at the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, plus a whole stand of cross dressers, cowboys and pirates to boot. Mark and I, and Alan, our first sevens guest, tried out three of the stands this year. South on the Friday amongst the flying jugs (empty at that stage but by Sunday the beer is flying), corporate hostility(thanks to DDB) on the Saturday with free flowing Pimms and Beer and amazing seats down on the touchline, and then up in the gods in the West stand with the families (and underage drinkers) on the Sunday. Billy got to play in the Under sevens tournament in front of a packed stadium on Friday afternoon, and enjoyed watching Hong Kong so nearly beat the French. Sadly England got beaten by Samoa but it was a great tournament all the same and I bumped into two old friends who I'd not seen for some 15 years which made my weekend, both now living in Asia as well.

Kyoto in the Spring

I've been wanting to go to Kyoto ever since we arrived in Hong Kong and now that Billy and Archie are old enough (and just about civilised enough) to go for a cultural City break rather than a beach break we thought it was high time they met up with their Japanese cousins.
We were hoping to time our trip to coincide with the cherry blossom. We've both been pretty busy so it was a mad scramble to find a hotel as they all get booked up months in advance at this time of year, thank goodness for Mark's brother, Tony, who sorted us out and put together an itinerary that would combine the main temples and shrines and some places for interest for the boys where they could let off steam. Their imagination was really taken by Nijo castle (the residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun, built in 1603) where the coridors squeak when you walk on them - the floorboards were laid in this way to warn of intruders - called the Nightingale floor. We visited some really beautiful shrines, temples and gardens; Heian Shrine was absolutely stunning and very peaceful, as was the Golden Pavilion. Archie's highlight though by far, was the power ranger show at the Eigamura studios. He was first to the stage when they called for volunteers. Not being able to understand a word that was said did not dent his enthusiasm and he capered around waving his arms and kicking much to the enjoyment of the audience.
Unfortunately we were a little early for the blossom; we saw plum blossom in abundance but no cherry. Nonetheless but we had a fabulous time and owe a huge huge debt of gratitude to Tony, Yoshiko, Maria, Cain and Hannah, who entertained and amused Billy and Archie and ferried us around to so many wonderful places. Billy announced that he wants to live in Japan, doubtless the combination of Sushi and Shinkansen, so am hoping that we'll get back there next year if I can persuade Archie to eat ramen and Mark to go skiing in Niseko...
J