Nanning - back in time 18 years

In 18 years, Nanning has changed so completely I recognised barely anywhere! Few bicycles on the streets now - 18 years ago the city probably had about 10 cars - now, its all silver four-wheeled 'motorcars'. And the buildings! In the past 5 years alone, maybe 15 have shot up - I mean skyscraper-type officeblocks. The old Nanning Department store is still there, except now it's two stores, and the most glamorous things for sale in them aren't a tuppence ha'penny roll of nylon carpet and a battery-powered torch, no they have designer stuff, fashion clothes, stuff that even I, a 'rich' westerner can't afford, and there are about two other department stores close by, not to mention Walmart, McDonalds, KFC - all the trappings of modernity. We drove through the city at night, and in true Chinese style, everything is lit up like christmas, every night of the year. The old men still play mah jong and gamble at cards in the tree-shaded areas though, and there are still streets which smell like...that smell that cannot be described, but must consist of the excrement of a million generations, animals putrefied innards, rotten cabbage, the contents of peoples acrid lungs...I don't know what else, but the unanticipated waft of it as you wonder down the street is as welcome as a fart in a lift...or a chain smoker or three on an overnight sleeper bus with aircon and no openable windows!! The smoking thing is worse, however, as there are only so many times in a day you can hold your breath until the offending person and fag is passed on the street/mountain path/swimming pool (yes I'm just joking about the third one, but I wouldn't be surprised) without asphyxiating yourself. And they still SPIT. It really makes me feel sick.

Meeting all the people that still work at the factory was fun, and we all went for a huge seafood banquet which was v delicious. No gizzards or pigs bladders on the menu here. Still had the old chicken's feet there though. Afterwards, we went for a walk in the park, which is huge, and even has a cinema screen which is created by a fountain spraying a sheet of water in the air - only plays for half an hour in the evenings - but very fancy eh?

Anyway, I realise this isn't very interesting for everyone to hear about my trip down memory lane. So will tell you more about other bits of China in the next blog entries!! Can't seem to add photos n this blog but will email a link so you can see some photies soon if you want.