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IN THIS ISSUE

• Louise Kruithof writes about the problems of finding a temporary home
• Pat Moore remembers an eventful flight to China
• Betty Fehlhaber forwards a fast recipe for summertime breakfasts
• Barbara Wear sends a summary of the attractions of retirement
• Pat Moore, Tom Kyle, and Zvonko Springer suggest websites

Louise Kruithof had a busy week after reaching Xining, in the Qinhai Province of

CHINA

On July 12 we were picked up at the airport by a very nice gentleman who will be acting as my husband´s interpreter during our stay in Xining. Part of his duties were to find us a hotel for the length of our stay. What he did was tell someone in the office at home the name of the hotel and the phone number and she made the reservation. She told us that she had made a reservation for a double room with a sitting room. That sounded great.

We got to the hotel, which is fairly new and looked well appointed. We went to the registration desk while our luggage was being placed on a trolley of sorts. When they started asking questions about how long we would be there and requested our passports, I asked if we could see the rooms we were given.

No problem, they said, and the manager of sales took us to the elevator and showed us a rather small room with a regular-size double bed and not much room to move around. Almost immediately and in unison hubby and I said: "NO!" It was too small to be living in for three months; we needed a bigger room.

OK, she said, and back to the elevator to look at another room. This one had two single beds and was the same dimensions as the first one. Again, in unison, "NO!"

Back to the elevator, to see yet another room. This time we were taken to a corner room. I was hopeful because in most hotels that is where they place the larger rooms. It was a bit bigger, had a queen- size bed, and not much else. Again "NO!", this time with emphasis on the fact that we needed a place to put the computer to be able to do some work. Willem goes to bed earlier than I do most working days, and for me to be able to do some work on the computer and he be able to sleep, we needed more space or two distinct areas. What if I wished to watch TV in the middle of the night because I couldn´t sleep?

With a big sigh, the saleslady took us to the 12th floor and showed us a suite with a living room and a separate bedroom. Now that was more like what we were looking for! Then it was time to negotiate for the fee for this suite. The posted fee was out of the question - away too high! She gave us a much better price but that was still too high. My principal argument was that there was no bathtub in the room, only a shower. There is a bathing facility on the first floor, was the answer. The closet was way too small. Nobody has ever complained about that one, she said. There is no refrigerator in the room to keep some fruits and some water cool. The response: we are a full- facility hotel and those are available downstairs. We were still arguing about the fee.

In despair, she took us to another hotel to show that what she was offering was good. Into a taxi we all got, Willem and his long legs in the front, the rest of us in the back. I was starting to feel sorry for the interpreter, who had to constantly translate all these going-on.

The suite in the other hotel reminded me of the hotel disaster in Beijing: sparsely furnished, worn- out furniture, but it had a very nice deep bathtub and a fridge, but no closet. All this has already taken over two hours, we were all getting tired, and we went back to the first hotel.

The saleslady called her manager and came back with the highest amount we were willing to settle for, so we agreed. Then she told us that she would try to keep it for us for the duration of our stay, but if someone else specifically requested that suite, we would have to move to another room for a night or two. Whoa! I said. NO! emphatically. My biggest argument was that once we got installed in this suite, it was our home and we did not wish to lend it to someone else, even if it was the President, whom I had already met. It was finally all agreed.

We moved in: that is, we dropped the luggage in the room, checked that the internet worked, which it did, and left to go and get SIM cards for the phones. By then it was 4:00 in the afternoon and the driver of the van who had picked us up at the airport, and was still coming along with us, had not had lunch, so it was suggested that we go and have some food before going to China Mobile for the phone cards.

What option were we offered for dinner? Would you believe KFC? By then I was very tired, with no patience left, and said in a rather sarcastic fashion (which got me a dirty look from hubby) that I thought we were in China and should be eating Chinese food. Big smile from the interpreter and off we went to a "hot pot" place. We like those: it is the Chinese version of what we call Chinese fondue.

After a good dinner, we went back to the hotel and started unpacking. The suite did not have a dresser or anything of the kind to store clothing in, and the closet was very small. Once the coats were in it, that was it - no more room. The rest of the clothes stayed in the suitcase, and although it was still early in the evening, it was definitely bedtime.

The next day was lucky Monday! (being sarcastic again.) Willem left to visit the plant and meet the management. I declined the invitation to go along and went back to the room and started unpacking. The summer clothes were to be kept handy at the top of the suitcase, and the heavier clothes for the fall season left in the bottom.

Then I tried the internet. It did not work; did not want to work; refused to work - and when it finally agreed to let me on the internet, it was soooo slow, almost like it was 10 years ago before the advent of the high-speed connections. I would be on for 10 or 15 minutes and then I would lose the connection. Thinking that maybe there was something not working correctly on my computer, I waited for Willem to get back from work and try his computer. It did not connect to the internet either.

Desperate, I went downstairs and asked for someone to come and see if it could be repaired. In the meantime, I called our son, who is quite adept at conversations with the computer, and tried over the phone to see if we could get one of these machines to connect effectively. That did not work. The "IT specialist" from the hotel finally showed up, tried everything he could think of, and after a good 45 minutes, decided that the connection was not good and needed to be repaired. We were promised that it would be done next day.

I waited all Tuesday morning for the IT people to come and repair the internet connection. In the meantime, I started making the suite a liveable place for the next three months, i.e., unpacking, taking out the books to read, and the yarn for crocheting, etc. By 2:00 in the afternoon, no one had shown up, so I went downstairs and spoke to the ever-present "assistant manager" who, luckily for me, spoke a little English. He made a number of phone calls and then told me that the internet connection in that room was defective and if I needed to use the internet I would have to change rooms. There was no choice at that point because Willem could not get on the internet at the plant either, and that was the main means of communication with his office in Burlington and was necessary to send and receive communications and documents related to the job.

He told me that there was another room I could have. I asked to see it. It was on the 11th floor, just below the one I had just finished getting installed in. The exact same layout, same furniture, etc. So I agreed and said I needed a half hour to get everything packed. He left and I packed again. Exactly one-half hour later, he was back with the trolley to take the suitcases down to the 11th floor.

I tried the internet - it seemed to work, so I started looking around, and asked if we could have another suitcase rack in the bedroom. I was told it was not possible because each room was allocated one of those, no more. Imagination now came into play, and I asked if we could take the desk out of the bedroom and replace it with the suitcase stand from the sitting room. He agreed, so we started moving. Now the bedroom part of the suite had two suitcase racks and the sitting room had two working desks.

It did not matter which kind of furniture I asked for, it was not available. We needed a place to put the books, dictionaries, learning material, and other assorted paper work. One desk held the computer, the other the assortment of books and paper work. Once he left, the unpacking started again. You´ve heard of the expression: living out of a suitcase? That is what we are doing at the moment.

When hubby got home, I met him downstairs to get a new card for the new room. The young man at the reception desk was bound and determined to give us only one card for the room. We have two cards: one for hubby and one for me. Back to the very helpful young man and he spoke to the person at the desk, who then gave us the second card.

On Sunday, a young lady, just completing high school, had met us and offered to help me get around town. She came on Wednesday and we went downtown, looked at some shops, bought some CDs, and went back to the hotel. It was raining quite heavily and I was not yet quite used to the elevation.

Back at the hotel, I did some crocheting, talked on Skype with my brother and his wife, and later with our daughter in England. It is mind boggling to be able to speak to and see someone for instant communication from China to England and to Canada. Very mind boggling when one thinks that when I was young, televisions in black and white were just starting to come into homes.

On Thursday I decided that it was time to start exploring around the hotel on my own. I walked around the block to get familiar with my new surroundings. I did not expect to see much, but in Chinese fashion, the street level of most buildings had little shops set up selling everything from soup to nuts to nuts and bolts. As I was walking along, I saw a "supermarket" of sorts, went in and purchased a teacup with cover to keep the tea warm. Back outside, I met two very European-looking people and started chatting. During all my time in China, I had never met very many Europeans so this was quite a surprise. We chatted for a while. She was from southern England, he was from Northern Ireland, and they had lived in Xining for about five years and were starting a business: a coffee shop. Back to my walking and I met another couple, those two from the United States, who had lived around Xining for 15 years. They operate a travel agency specializing in excursions into the Himalayas.

On Saturday I decided to get a massage to help with all my back, knee, and ankle problems. It was suggested I get a Japanese massage. That was a new one to me, but what the heck, let´s try it. Most times, when getting a massage, one is lying on the stomach and the masseur works on the back. Not this one! It started with my lying on my back and the masseur did my head, then my shoulders, then my tummy, then my legs. When that was all done, I turned over and the masseur proceeded to work on my back. At first it was very similar to all therapeutic massages, but after a while the masseur got on my back and started working with her knees on my back. It was different, but it seemed to have worked!

To be continued.

Reminded by Louise Kruithof´s story about travelling to China, Pat Moore recalls an earlier flight:

TRAVELLING TO CHINA

After many weeks of waiting for all arrangements to be made to travel to China to teach, everything seemed to be in order and we had to hurry to make all the last-minute packing and arrangements to leave for an extended absence.

The other two people travelling with us flew from Toronto and met us in Vancouver for a delightful visit and sharing of notes and an early night for the long flight the next day. Everything went smoothly, and since Bob is 6´4", we were pleased that our request for business class was filled. It was great for Bob and terrific for the rest of us.

We were all excited as we finally lifted off and said a fond farewell to Canada. We settled into a great meal and then relaxed. Suddenly, there was a great commotion from the passengers at the back of the plane as they could see flames coming from the right side engines. The pilot quickly reassured us and said that we would be heading back to Vancouver after unloading some fuel. He said this would take about 1-1/2 hours so "please relax - everything will be all right."

Easier said than done for many of the passengers, but I have always loved flying so decided that my worrying would not help and decided to doze off and be ready for anything. Our seats were in the business section at the front and we had no idea how scary it was to see the flames from the engines. We landed without incident and were greatly surprised to be greeted on the ground by cameras, etc., and to be interviewed by CBC News re how we felt about the emergency landing!

We were whisked off to a hotel nearby until our re-scheduled flight the next day, but were not told whether our plane would be "fixed" or we´d get another one, so that was a bit of a concern. The hotel opened up the dining room and we all had a great meal and then went to bed until a wake-up call the next day.

Our flight to Beijing was uneventful and we all relaxed and enjoyed the long, long flight.

We landed in Beijing in late afternoon and were met by a very helpful interpreter, and by the time we collected all our luggage he had a bus ready to take us to our hotel. He told us that he had arranged a suite for us, so we were not too sure what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised as the suite was two medium-sized rooms together - one a small bedroom with a medium-sized bed and the other a small sitting room with a lovely table set up for tea. The fellow who took us up to our rooms took great pride in telling us that the rooms had just been redecorated for our reservation. The absolutely beautiful pale blue silk wallpaper was installed to perfection at the seams, but put up with dirty hands as there were fingerprints all over where they had straightened the wrinkles!

We were off early the next morning for our flight to Chengdu, our main destination for teaching.

To be continued.

Betty Fehlhaber is enthusiastic about this recipe: This is an amazingly quick way to do an omelette, especially when camping. We love it as there is no need to fire up the barbecue or have a lot of messy pans. Just throw away the baggy when finished and a quick wipe of the pot is all it takes.

ZIPLOC OMELETTE

(This works great. Good for when all your family is together. The best part is that no one has to wait for their special omelette.)

Have guests write their name on a quart-size Ziploc freezer bag with permanent marker.

Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not more than 2) shake to combine them.

Put out a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc.

Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake. Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.

Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes [we did 15 minutes]. You can usually cook 6-8 omelettes in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water.

Open the bags and the omelette will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed.

Nice to serve with fresh fruit and coffee cake; everyone gets involved in the process and a great conversation piece.

Imagine having these ready the night before, and putting the bag in boiling water while you get ready. And in 15 minutes, you´ve got a nice omelette for a quick breakfast!

Barbara Wear forwards this summary of

RETIREMENT IN FLORIDA

For those of you contemplating retirement, I would like to share my retirement experiences with you, which I hope will be helpful.

Fifteen years ago my wife and I moved into a retirement development on Florida´s south-east coast. We are living in the Delray/Boca/ Boynton Golf, Spa, Bath and Tennis Club on Lake Fake-a-hachee. There are 3000 lakes in Florida; only three are real.

Our biggest retirement concern was time management. What were we going to do all day?

Let me take you through a typical day. My wife goes directly to the pool for her under-water Pilates class, followed by gasping for breath and CPR. I put on my "Ask me about my Grandchildren" T-shirt, my plaid mid-calf shorts, my black socks and sandals, and go to the club house lobby for a nice nap.

Before you know it, it´s time for lunch. We go to Costco to partake of the many tasty samples dispensed by ladies in white hair nets. All free! After a filling lunch, if we don´t have any doctor appointments, we might go to the flea market to see if any new white belts have come in or to buy a Rolex watch for $2.00.

We´re usually back home by 2:00 to get ready for dinner. People start lining up for the early-bird about 3:00, but we get there by 3:45 because we´re late eaters. The dinners are very popular because of the large portions they serve. You can take home enough food for the next day´s lunch and dinner, including extra bread, crackers, packets of mustard, relish, ketchup, and Sweet-and-Low, along with mints.

At 5:30 we´re home ready to watch the 6 o´clock news. By 6:30 we´re fast asleep. Then we get up and make five or six trips to the bathroom during the night and it´s time to get up and start a new day all over again.

Doctor-related activities eat up most of your retirement time. I enjoy reading old magazines in sub- zero temperatures in the waiting room, so I don´t mind. Calling for test results also help the days fly by. It takes at least half an hour just getting through the doctor´s phone menu. Then there´s the hold time until you´re connected to the right party. Sometimes they forget you´re holding, and the whole office goes off to lunch.

Other possible activities are:

An early morning or late afternoon game of shuffleboard;Walking around the indoor mall, causing indoor traffic congestion;Driving on the I-95 or Florida Turnpike at 45 mph in the left lane;Attending the lawn/garage sales on Saturday morning; andGoing to real estate open houses for the food being served.

Should you find you still have time on your hands, volunteering provides a rewarding opportunity to help the less fortunate. Florida has the largest concentration of seniors under five feet and they need our help. I myself am a volunteer for "the Vertically Challenged Over 80". I coach their basketball team, The Arthritic Avengers. The hoop is only 4 1/2 feet from the floor. You should see the look of confidence on their faces when they make a slam dunk.

Food shopping is a problem for short seniors, or "bottom feeders" as we call them because they can´t reach the items on the upper shelves. There are many foods they´ve never tasted. After shopping, most seniors can´t remember where they parked their cars and wander the parking lot for hours while their food defrosts.

Lastly, it´s important to choose a development with an impressive name. Italian names are very popular in Florida. They convey world traveler, uppity sophistication, and wealth. Where would you rather live, Murray´s Condos or the Lakes of Venice? There´s no difference. They´re both owned by Murray, who happens to be a cheap bastard.

I hope this material has been of help to you future retirees. If I can be of any further assistance, please look me up when you´re in Florida. I live in The Leaning Condos of Pisa in Boynton Beach.

SUGGESTED WEBSITES

Pat Moore writes: A friend has just been preselected for a torchbearer in Vancouver for the winter Olympics. Each torchbearer will carry the torch approximately 300 to 400 meters. Torchbearers will be able to carry the torch at their own pace. If desired, those with disabilities can request assistance with carrying the torch for their segment.

https://www.carrythetorch.com/olympic-torch-relay.html

Tom Kyle recommends this site for the creation of a thunderstorm by an amazing choir:

http://www.videosift.com/video/Africa-Acapella-cover

Zvonko Springer forwards the URL for a video of the famous Lipizaner horses:

http://arunaurl.com/34i5