Plenty of Glitter - Some Gold

After breakfast (which included me zooming Gow Jie in his stroller around the outdoor restauarant), we head back to Moon Mountain.  This is my last day here and there was still a lot to do.

First was to the market.  It's fairly quiet (again we've missed the rush).  Aunt 5 led us to a smoke shop - which was actually (also?) an underground currency exchange.  She does some business inside. While waiting, I decide it was a good idea not to take a photo.  (Above: A tobacco vendor's wares in the market.)

Next was Cousin Djam's house.  Cousin Djam's wife gave us a small tour, but my eyes were drawn to the table filled with sparkles.  This was her "added work" ("value added work").  These sparkles were to be attached to the mesh, which would later become the outer shell of a handbag (retailing at about 300 yuan).  It takes her between 2 to 3 hours to finish one.  She did the caculation for me: It works out to be about 0.0008 yuan per rhinestone.  I start working on the bag as the other talk.  While it's kind of fun, I realised how much the hobby of crafting is a luxury.  Here, it has be taken seriously as something to make a living. 

The quiet outside was broken by an insistent clanging.  The strange is explained!  The tricylcles I've seen piled high with materials are actually garbage buyers.  People would hear the clanging (for bottles) or call and come out from their appartments to sell their recyclable garbage.  These buyers then sell it to recyclers or factories.  There isn't a deposit on these items, so the buyers offer a price, and sellers can actually refuse and wait for another buyer to come another day. 

We have lunch with Uncle 2 and Uncle 3's family next. 

(Below left: Cousin Djam's son polishes off the last of the popular 蘋果酸 "apple sour" drink.)









Afterwards, we return to the market to visit gold shops / gold smiths.  We made our orders and headed out. 



















The rest of the market seems completely closed.  Is there a siesta culture that I've been missing?  I hide from the rain in one of the few open shops.  It's hard to believe how different this is from our last visit. 

I was hoping more would make sense, but really everything was so different.  So much of what I've seen still surreal.  I found myself looking at beautiful, smiling celebrity / model with her signature indicating her endorsement of the product (like the prestigious Omega adverts), to find it was for a sit down toilet. 

Then there are traditions (or how people observe them)... The latest to catch my attention was the fuss Aunt 5 was making for Cousin Ian to remember give his mother-in-law moon cakes for Mid-Autumn Festival.  What sounded like a kind gesture actually had an ulterior motive: If Cousin Ian completes the ritual properly, his mother-in-law would then be obligated to give him / the new family moon cakes every year hereafter for the Festival until Cousin Ian and Ying Ying's first child is married.  I have yet to figure out the reasoning.  I'm hoping it was originally for some good, but at this point for these two families the exchange feels almost mean-spirited.

We have dinner with Aunt 4 and Aunt 5's family in a place, when described by Mom, makes me think of "cottage country".  Minutes away from the city, it is a tourist area filled with trees and natural beauty, and man-made conveniences.

Cousin Ian picks an interesting combination of dishes: Bitter melon and chicken soup, pig intestine with egg, bittermelon with seaweed, salty fish with 五花 pork (pork belly), steamed meatloaf with tofu and egg...

There was a little more talking after returning to Aunt 4's apartment, but mostly, I just tried to collect my thoughts and figure out what to do with the remainder of my things.  I'm pretty sure I won't miss this place, but I'm thinking how strange it will be once I'm gone and these people, my family, will be far away again. 

Left: "King of fruits", Aunt 5 calls it that because of its price. 

Below: What is looks like inside. 

Above: Gow Jie's 喜羊羊 piano. 

月圓, 二元... A Round and A Round

While I spoke to Paul over the computer, a chicken was being guttted in the bathroom.  Aunt 4 was doing the honours in preparations for the Mid-Autumn Festival evening meal. 

Having had so many meals out, I haven't had a chance to witness the preparation of a meal in the city.  There is a large sink with running water and taps in the kitchen.  But, with the toilet "flush" with the floor (like a drain), it is probably easier to clean up any messes by hosing-off the floor.  O.k. enough of that. 

Aunt 5 also prepared a coconut (right). 

Mom and I have been exempted from this work.  Instead we go back to Moon Mountain and Law Village for lunch and to pick things up. 

Ling Yee Sum has been busy preparing for the Festival as well.  Among traditional dishes, there were also sweet, rubbery, jello-like dessert rounds were made for the ocassion.   (Left: A wooden jelly mould.  This one, I think, is a laughing buddha and 福 - the word for fortune / good blessing.)

In that lull after lunch and before being whisked away again, I take as my chance to explore more of the family house. 

More photos of old (and new) stuff in the house here.

Once back in Kaiping, it's more shopping.  With the relatively cool weather, there seemed be even more people than before on the street. 

In the rush, I still had to stop for this:

Aunt 5 was probably a little bit horrified that I was interested in the 二元 "Two Yuan" (or about 30 cent) Store.  We'd been looking for nice souvenirs.  Not found to be found here, but definitely worth a look.  As expected, there were hair ties and accessories, small bottles of nail polish, and paper note pads.

Later, back at Aunt 4's, we have dinner. 

(Left: Aunt 4 has transforned the coconut shell into a bowl for Gow Jie - perfect to stand up to any flinging-dishes-on-the-floor-tantrums.)

Just like back at home in Canada, we have rice noodles with a broth made from lotus root and meat. Unlike home, the meals been augmented with fresh chicken and pig's blood. 

We eat and chat, and then eat and chat some more.  I expected we'd actually at some point look out the window to enjoy the full moon (what Dad always makes sure we do), but instead we talk.   

There are a lot more varieties of moon cakes here, and we sample some of them later in the night. 

There's a part of me that has trouble believing all these people are my family, but I do get  a warm fuzzy feeling by being with them on this day. 

Above, from left: Mom, Aunt 4, Uncle 4, Cousin Sum's husband, Cousin Sum's daughter - Ling Ling, Cousin Ping, Cousin Sum, and Gow Jie)

Mother's Land and Wedding Part III

At 4 a.m., both Mom and I awake.  Last night's storm had not stopped when we went to bed, but  have been a particularly loud part that woke us and made it hard to fall back asleep. 

At 7 a.m. I get up, a little time for postcards before our pickup 8 a.m. pick up time.  We wait downstairs until 9:15 a.m.

Today's trip was to Mom's family village for Part III of Cousin Ian and YingYing's wedding.  Much smaller the first two, this was meant for the couple to make offerings to the ancestors of Aunt 5's side of the family.  And of course there was a meal involved as well. 

(Right: Food shack in Mom's village.  There's dog on the menu - not what we had for lunch.)

I'd never been here before despite Uncle 2 and Uncle 3 having houses there.  We arrived despite a couple of close calls with water covering some of the roads we had taken, to find YingYing's family had more trouble - the bridge they relied on had been flooded over!  

Mom and I had then some time to visit her old home and some of the people she had hoped were still in the village. 

I guess Mom felt safe here since she didn't seem to mind when I wandered off to explore.  And maybe she was right.  I didn't go far before a woman with a child asked me if I needed help.  When I told her I was visiting a couple houses down, she happily went away - to say hi to Mom. 

We visit Uncle 2's house where he proudly showed me his backyard.  A large "Yellow Skin" fruit tree was right next to one of his bee hives. 

We meet up with Ying Ying's family at the restaurant in the nicer part of the village.  Again, the meal was chaotic - people coming and going, some starting to eat while others were still trying find a seat.  I  had no clue who most these people were, but Mom smiled and nodded and chatted, and she seemed happy. 

Ying Ying, all modern and made-up, I think, stuck out even more than I did here.  We sat at different table and didn't have a chance to talk.  She went away with her family, and I went on to explore and see more of the village before heading back to Kaiping. 

Back in the city, we spent 3 hours at the tailors.  Apparently made-to-measure still didn't fit.  I feel vindicated. 

More pictures from Mom's village here.  

Village Hall and Where Birdies Are Made

Only 4 "real" days left in China and I know things are not going to slow down. 

We start off the morning early with a trip to Moon Mountain to buy an assortment of souveniers and gifts.  Some are to go to people we're visiting, a lot of it is supposed to be for me to bring back. 

When we're back in Law Village, Ling Yee Sum took me and Mom to see the inside of the Village Hall (above).  Mom triggers mild recognition; It's Ling Yee Sum's pressence who assure the men and women playing majong inside that it's o.k. for us to be there. 

Maybe because of the kungfu movies I've seen, I'd thought there would be more... officiating?  This is, in theory, where any decisions that affect the whole village would be made.  In reality, there just seemed like a handful of people resting and a lot of grey brick. 

We spend the rest of the day visiting with other family and friends - mostly in the new area of the village. 

Late in the afternoon, it began raining heavily.  When Cousin Ian came to pick us up, we jumped over puddles to reach the car.  I wondered if the streets streets had flooed again.  At least the rain did seem to cool things down.

We picked up Aunt 5 from her factory.  As Aunt 5 prepares to go, I explore.  Upstairs, there are feathers everywhere.  Bags and bags of feathers, some in a more natural state, others already boiled in pots of dye until they were neon green or hot pink. 

Cousin Djam's wife works here on a part time basis (above), making ornamental birds.  For their current project, chicken feathers are carefully laid out to become minature peacock tails. 

This seems to me both exceedingly lovely and at the same time sad and a little strange. 

Cousin Djam's wife is curious as to how much one of their handiworks would cost to buy in Canada.  Maybe we'll see them as part of next year's Christmas stock. 

More photos from the day, here.

My Cousin's Wedding: Part II

My guess is Aunt 5 only got a couple hours of rest before going full force again to make preparations for today's wedding ceremonies back in the village.

So, while I was really hoping to sleep in, both Mom and I headed out early, back into Moon Mountain.

We stay with Grandmother.  

(Left: The alley way that Grandmother's shares with a restaurant.)

Mom worries about her since she really has gone quite deaf.  Mom tries to talk to her, but she seems more interested in putting various medicines and patches, that others have given her for her  pains, onto my ankle.  (One had a disturbing numbing effect.)

At some point I fell sleep sitting in a chair.  That's when Mom suggested we go over to Aunt 4's place in Moon Mountain for a real nap. 

(Right: Aunt 3 and Uncle 3 with their grandson and Gow Jie)

When we see Aunt 5 at the restaurant, she's already settled things at her factory, made offerings to the gods and ancestors, and finished probably half a dozen other things. 

(Left: Cousin Djam's wife arrived on her motorbike.)

(Right: The banner reads "Law Village Wedding Banquet".)

The restaurant had been decked out with balloons for the occasion along with a large heart "arch" covered in fake pink blossoms.  We found our seats there behind the arch.  I saw many familiar faces from meetings in the village and the night before, but I definitely felt more comfortable to be sitting at the same table with some of my cousins.

Ying Ying and Cousin Ian, who had been greeting people as they entered, made a grand entrance, and then the meal started. Later they and members of both familes went to each table to give thanks and make toasts. 

It was a smaller, more intimate affair than last night, but the same thing still happened: People started leaving even before others at their table have finished eating. I'm starting to really wonder if there really was something to what Mom said: People are wealthier now, so they have all kinds of celebrations to attend - being invited out for dinner (even for a wedding) isn't that big of deal any more (yet the inviting still had to be done...).

We left with leftovers.  Mom and I back with Cousin Ping et al. to Aunt 4's in Kaiping.  Ying Ying and Cousin Ian go back to Aunt 5's, with Aunt 5 and Uncle 5.  I half wonder if the two will actually get some alone time in the near future. 

Firecrackers, Coconuts, and a Bit of Bubbly Red

"How big is it?  Oh, that's just a small one." 

Did it really matter how big it was?!  There's a cockroach in my nightguard holder! 

After what was actually a pretty pleasant evening catching up with Cousin Ngaw and Cousin Yut*, I was jolted back into the reality of living in an upper level appartment in Moon Mountain - there are plenty of bugs!  Before going to bed, I made sure all my luggage was securely zipped and took extra care in arranging the mosquito netting. 

Still, it was not a restful night. 

(Right: Our restaurant neighbour has a grand re-opening.)

(Below: Posters on the appartment's garage advertise for STI cures.)

It's another auspicious day in a string of auspicious days (apparently it's a good month for weddings).  I've been awaken by firecrackers really early in the morning, but I'd lightly doze until a more reasonable hour to get up.  This past evening / morning was the same... until the doorbell got into the game.  Somehow, somewhere, a string of firecrackers created just the right vibration frequency to make the doorbell ring (an annoying, alarming, high pitched "Eeeeeeeeeee...!") continuously.  Aunt 5 took a broom handle to it, with no effect.  I put plugs in my ears and was almost able to drown it out...

Not sure how Aunt 5 managed to be so chipper after such a night, but she was eneregetic as ever (does she usually get no sleep after 4 a.m.?).  After breakfast, we followed her to the market. 

There we bumped into Aunt 3 with a bunch of coconuts (right).  I asked about them and she told me they were part of tomorrow's gifts to Ying Ying's family.  I thought, maybe, like the lotus seed, they were to appear symbolically (for fertility / many children), but she said "There must be coconuts - without them you can't get married!"  I couldn't tell if she was joking. 





There were certainly a lot of things at the market, but Aunt 5 seemed to know exactly what she wanted (and was in a rush), we didn't really explore. 

As the only two people who didn't really have duties or things to prepare for, Mom and I just tried to stay out of the way.  I took this as my chance to catch up on sleep. 

Late afternoon, Mom and I headed out again.  This time it was just the two of us to a restaurant about 15 minutes walk away. Only a few days in town, Mom's already been invited to a party.  This time, it was a celebration held by a purse factory owner (a family friend?) who was expanding operations and purchased a new building. 

I smiled and responded as Mom told me to.  A few people I recognised from Law Village, but we didn't sit at the same table.  After a few words of greeting, a long string of firecrackers were set off outside - what a dinner bell! 

During dinner, I dove into each dish as it arrived on the table, hoping to pick off a portion before any of the flies in the air contaminated it (just in case, I also swished it in hot water). 

Since no one talked to me, I was able to do a little more observation.  From the talk, it seemed the level of "grandness" of the meal was measured by the different bottles available on the table.  The four being offered included a coconut drink called "Coconut Cow", Sprite, beer, and wine. 

The wine (right) was a not-really-that-dry red most people were cutting with a lot of Sprite.  I was told "this was the way people outside like it".  (Hm... nope... atleast not this outsider.)

There were quite a number of tasty things, but I appreciated dessert the most: Fresh mantou with condensed milk! 

When it came time to leave, I was pleased and amused.  People requested plastic bags from the wait-staff, saying the leftovers shouldn't go to waste - they'd feed it to their dogs.  Along with all the scrappings of the platters, I saw bottles of beer go into these bags.  Maybe their dogs do like beer, but methinks it's all really for the people.  (Agreed, it's not so different from a doggie bag, but it's still somehow funny.) 

Tomorrow is supposed to be another busy day.  Fingers crossed there are no crazy firecrackers and bells, and that I'm not coming down with a cold.