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Changsha: The City That Never Sleeps

2005-3-29 17:22:51

Changsha embraces modernity but still offers plenty for history bug.

Another trip across the east side of the traffic circle and we are at EF which is in-between China Post and a furniture store that

looks like it imported everything from IKEA. There are 63 steps up to the third floor which is EF. Yes, I have counted them. One day I went out for lunch with Steve and later over to A.Best with Kim so all in all I climbed those *&^% stairs three times! I am getting toned up people! Now I can climb then all at once without stopping and can almost keep up with Kim. I am still a little out of breath when I get there and the receptionist always laughs at me. Soon I will have it conquered. That's my cardio and toning workout every day. Plus all the other walking we do. Once I have the stairs mastered (stair-master, get it?) I would like to take Tai Chi every morning with Kim. Her instructor is a 60 something lady about 4' 6" who can't speak a word of English. They interact by playing charades! Kim feels so pumped after her class and comes back up to the apartment feeling great. I am usually still in post-sleep mode and can't get motivated. So, it might do me some good! Something to look forward to…………..if I can get my lazy you know what out of bed earlier.......

Back to the city…………the walk home after classes, usually around 9:30 pm is always in the dark. The sun rises and sets here about the same as Canada right now. This city never stops; the traffic is always busy (where the heck is everyone going?). To the north you can see the giant ferris wheel all lit up at night. I have never seen it move and no one I have asked has ever been on it. Another one of those things they saw and thought they just had to have? The lights at night are impressive and add to the ambience of the cityscape. I guess that's a good enough reason.
Across from our apartment on the main street is a huge theatre complex. Apparently there are live shows there although once again I don't know anyone who has ever been there. Jurgen ran into two actors at McDonalds from Kazakstan which is a country north of China and part of Russia. Now he wants to go! We are going to take one of the Chinese girls with us to the box office and check it out. Hmmm……maybe the Nutcracker for Christmas? There is a huge TV/Plasma screen outside that looks like it only shows commercials but it's pretty cool.

Our apartment complex is tucked in behind the main street so we have to walk down a side road about 100 ft. to get to the main gate and the guards. The guards just got new uniforms, very snazzy. If they had the right hat they would look like Canadian Mounted Police without the horses. They take their job seriously and never smile. If you say "Nia hao" (hello) they will give you a little nod but that's about it. Then it's past the guards, past the garden area and on to the entrance of our building.
There are speakers in the bushes that play loud elevator music. We haven't figured out what the schedule is, that is if there is one. It's either on or off at any given time of the day or night. I have been awakened before 8 am many mornings to a violin rendition of Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called To Say I Love You." That seems to be the first song on the tape that keeps playing over and over. Heather is trying to convince someone to cut the wires to a speaker just outside her bedroom window. So far no takers!

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