China & Warmer
Well, I’m back in China and yes, it’s finally getting a little warmer. Of course, that is after I purchased an additional space heater to try to warm my apartment. It has done nicely. Only I almost wish it didn’t have a fancy digital register on it. It tells the actual temperature, something I really didn’t need to know. Even when I plugged it in, after temperatures had risen in Dongguan, I was rather surprised to find the temperature at 16°C. Heck that’s only 60°F!! No wonder I’ve been cold!
Getting back to China was not so easy, as all things seem to be here sometimes. I had changed flights from Bangkok to Guangzhou from Sunday to Thursday. Not being sure of the seats, I had to go to the airport early last Thursday. That part was okay. But of course, little China Southern made me run from one end of the biggest single airport terminal in the world to the other and back to get my ticket. It seems they can’t accept payment and made me go to Thai Airways service center a mile away for the transaction, before I had to return to claim my ticket.
And of course, wouldn’t ya know it, I got to Guangzhou on time only to receive a call from my company people, that my driver couldn’t get to the city! No, they had closed the highway to Guangzhou. It was open to Dongguan, but a section of the elevated highway had collapsed slightly and was now closed.
So I had to take a bus!
And then cabs were again the joke of Dongguan. They had a taxi stand near the bus terminal, but of course, taxi after taxi would pull in and announce they only wanted to go to Houjie for a big fare. They didn’t want to take any of the many passengers mulling around looking for a ride across the city. No they had to make us wait for other taxis for another 30 minutes.
Labels: China roads, China Weather, Dongguan, Life in China
Chinese New Year in Thailand
Thailand….. HOT! And I love it! Yes! I’m finally warm!
Okay I was surprised to find rain on arrival in Bangkok, but that didn’t last too long. In fact, it has cleared off and gotten extremely hot. And that is the usual conditions here this time of year. This is typically too early for the rainy season, and that is okay by me.
Meanwhile, China continues to suffer from the worst blizzard in 50 years. Just, when the country was all primed for this being the year of China with the Olympics in Beijing, instead the coverage it is getting is all about the travails of the migrant workers caught trying to get to their homes.
I even had the chance to catch both sides of the news on the subject too. In Hong Kong, the newspapers were freely reporting the unrest and dissatisfaction of so many workers in their difficulties in going home. While the newspapers in China and releases from the government sanctioned news agency, Xinhua, was reporting how things were coming together and that migrant workers were happily not going home. That is the way news often gets reported. It is probably a little of both sides of the issue, and neither is wholly accurate.
And believe me I’m sure a lot of workers definitely want to get home. They often do not have a factory home any longer to go back to, particularly in Dongguan. Recent actions by the government have increased costs substantially, and reportedly as many as 1000 shoe factories alone in Dongguan have closed and moved to other regions or countries.
Couple that with the fact that many workers use the Chinese holiday break to change jobs, and you have a lot of workers that have quit their jobs and no longer have anything to stay for in their home away from home. A newscast reported that as many as 38% of white collar workers alone use the break to change jobs! I knew that every year I have gone back to the factory only to find several of the office staff had not come back. I didn’t know the numbers were quite as high as reported, but that’s what they said on a CCTV newscast.
Labels: Bangkok, China, China Weather, Chinese New Year, Guangdong News, Newscast, Thailand
It's TOO COLD!!........I'm Getting Outa Here!!
Brrrrrrr!!! I’m getting out of here! This is far too cold! Okay, yes, I lived in Michigan and it was colder! But never was it this cold and wet. And I could always walk into a heated room! Again there is NO HEAT! Not anywhere here!
Okay, I have found heat in our finishing oven. And yes, I have been seen frequenting the ovens, not to smell the fumes, but to get some heat!! Otherwise, I enjoy going to the washroom to use the hot hand warmer! It’s that bad!
I could have it worse. Many of you have probably seen the plight of the workers here in Guangdong area. The Lunar New Year starts next week, and already millions of workers are trying to get home for extended leave. But the snows are hampering travel. They just want to get home. They only go once a year. And they go all year planning for this one trip to see family. It is often the only time they see their small children, who have been left with grandparents while they have come to this manufacturing region to work.
Me, I want out of this cold too. So I’m going to Thailand! Yes! Thailand. Warm and beautiful Thailand! I can’t wait. I’ll be working at our new factory all next week, but working with temperatures in the 90’s will be a great change!
Labels: China Weather, Dongguan, Life in China, Lunar New Year, Thailand
Cold Rain and No Petrol
It’s getting colder here in Dongguan finally. Okay, not exactly cold, but colder. Last week I played golf in shorts (we won by the way). But today I had to bum a company shirt for a jacket. Of course, I can’t button it. At least I’m warmer.
A light rain has been falling, which probably should be deemed more of an acid rain. The smog the last few weeks has been some of the worse I’ve ever seen. After going through a nice summer with winds and aversions that kept the air fairly fresh, it has reversed to very poor conditions! You can rarely see a hundred yards at any hour of the day.
And truck drivers are having to endure the cold and the smog while waiting on diesel gas. Every station in Guangdong Province for the last week has had long lines of trucks trying to get fuel. Reports today surfaced that there is no shortage, but that dealers are limiting the amount they sell, in hopes of price increases being allowed soon. The result is that trucks are certainly stuck in long lines to get petrol.
Maybe with a little less gas being burned, the rain will now clear the air and we’ll see blue skies again some day soon.
Labels: China Weather, Dongguan, Life in China
Typhoon Brings Some Relief........ But No News
Finally a break in the heat! A typhoon! I never thought I would be so happy to be near a typhoon! But this one is bringing cooler temperatures, even though the humidity has gone up dramatically, it is a lot better than its been, particularly with the added wind. And besides, it doesn’t look like it will materialize into too severe of a storm, just be good for some wetter weather, and milder temperatures.
Which is great relief, considering I have not been in the best of spirits in the mornings lately. Seems the News networks must not be in favor with the Chinese lately. The ABC and CBS Evening newscasts (which show here in the mornings) have been pre-emptied most days lately.
I am getting pretty tired of Samantha Brown climbing the inclined walk to the top of the Cathedral in Seville. Or the Rocco versus Jeffery saga on The Restaurant. You would think that they are the only two shows the local networks own here. They don’t show any other broadcast when they cancel the newscast. And I mean they show the very same two shows, not another show from either series. Just the same show every time they pre-empt the news. So in the last two months, I bet I’ve seen Samantha climb to the top of that Seville Cathedral over a hundred times! I’M SICK OF IT! Can’t she go to another city?
At least it’s cooler! Only 90° F!
Labels: China Weather, Dongguan, Life in China, Newscast
Still Scorching HOT Weather!!
We finally got a break in the weather! It’s only around 96° F!! And there is some wind. Better yet, humidity is even under 50%!
We have had practically no rain in weeks. Usually you can count on a typhoon or some disturbances building to give us some breaks in the heat.
The reports are that this is the longest continuous period of high heat. Hong Kong has set records for longest “Very Hot Warning” period. Shanghai has set several records of temperatures over 40° C or 104° F. We may still reach that later this week…………. But at least the humidity is down.
Here is a little comparison between nearby Guangzhou and Advance, NC:
Notice how the temperatures tend to drop down at night in NC. It only drops to around 80° F here!! Not much relief!
Labels: China Weather, Dongguan, Life in China
