HB of CJ 1,263 Posted September 12, 2015 Report Share Posted September 12, 2015 I never been to China. But I've been to Oklahoma. Also Bakersfield CA. About the only thing I can add is to consider hiring a "speaker" or native language English speaking guide/helper/communicator. Being China probably a male middle aged commie party member would be best. Use him to grease the skids. Take him always when out of the hotel. Perhaps your company can make arrangements. Always let many know where you are going and how long you will be gone. Get off the streets after dark. Do not make direct eye contact. Give them physical space. The Chinese are very strange about lots of stuff. Be polite. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sim_Player 1,939 Posted September 13, 2015 Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 (edited) Just sitting here watching your world go round! Enjoy! Thanks for sharing! Edited September 13, 2015 by Sim_Player Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mullet Man 2,114 Posted September 13, 2015 Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 Just go to WalMart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vulcan16 971 Posted September 13, 2015 Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 Wife said the same thing about Chinese drivers. Three lane roads are used as they were meant for 4 lanes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
macbeau 902 Posted September 13, 2015 Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 In China, there is no need to find a party. The Party will always find you! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted September 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 (edited) So one of the port engineers found out that they are scrapping the Glomar Explorer further down in the yard, and it looks like they haven't really started on it. Since he's the PE in charge he thinks he can swing us a visit to the Glomar Explorer before I go. For those that don't know about it, the GE was purpose built by Howard Hughes to recover a sunken Soviet nuclear sub, and was built under the guise of being a deep ocean drilling exploration ship, and had the appropriate drilling apparatus fitted topside, while having a secret underbelly equipped with a gigantic grappling hook designed specifically to lift a sub from the ocean floor. My wife's grandpa was on board the GE during that operation. At the time he was still a chief engineer on the Skipjack class boats I believe, but was brought on as part of that team. So hopefully I can get some photos of the GE to show him before it gets torn apart. An interesting thing I've noticed here... Very little police or rules. The area I'm in (Zhoushan) is more rural, and there aren't that many people here. Lots of farms interspersed with factories, small towns, etc. I've seen zero police. People just do whatever they want on the road, seem to be doing their own thing on the streets and in town, and as far as I can tell anything goes for buildings, vehicles, etc. - seems to be completely void of any rules or regulations compared to the western world. Of course that can mean some stuff is less safe than we're used to, but it it looks to me like a lot of people in this region live without the state being in their nose more than some of us are used to... but the state is obviously in their nose in HUGE ways in other parts of their lives, being China and all. Not saying that I'll be moving here, but it's surprising to see that there are people living here with what some in the US would consider a high degree of personal freedom despite living in a virtual dictatorship. OTOH we drove past some little town of single-occupant homes that looks like it's being demolished for really no good reason.. And there are shit tons of HUGE high rise apartment developments that are completely empty a few miles down the road. Word is the government wants people to move out of small rural towns and concentrate them in these fake urban landscapes. It's eerie to drive past them in the evening and not see a single light, or single open window during the day... completely empty. Edited September 13, 2015 by mancat 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Long Shot 1,287 Posted September 13, 2015 Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 Yep, third world freedom. It's a different kind of freedom for sure. No rules in traffic, no 911 to call, no building codes to worry about. Your pretty much on your own for most shit. The other side of that coin is that there is no legal recourse when some corrupt ass clown with a gun and a badge decides to screw with you for whatever he feels like that day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted September 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 Had to move to another city to go to a different ship on short notice. My driver this morning ("Susan" I'm sure is not her real name) listened to country music and it was clearly not a show, she sang along badly to it. Sort of surprising. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sim_Player 1,939 Posted September 18, 2015 Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 Enjoy the experiences! Love the updates! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted September 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 (edited) hahaha Went to one ship today I was scheduled to attend, but there was another ship down the dock that used to be from the same company. I know the Captain pretty well and I stopped by to work on a couple things as a favor even though his company didn't pay for me to be here. Well before I went to that ship, the other Captain had told me about a little place outside the shipyard gates that had cheap food and beer. So when I was all wrapped up on both ships, I headed out the gate and found the little hole in the wall, had a couple beers while the young(er) Chinese lady sat and chatted with me... Very friendly but I could tell it was all a show. When I asked about the food, she brought me inside and pulled out a frozen bag of whole shrimp and asked "you like?" I was like.. Yeah I like shrimp. She says "okay I make you" and yells to the back, where an older lady comes out. Turns out it's her mom. Her mom takes the bag of shrimp and a jar full of noodles, hops on a bike, and rides off.. The lady says "that my mom she cook you dinner." Well about 20 min later up rolls mom on the bike and damn.. That was some tasty shit. Very spicy whole shrimp and spicy fried noodles with whole chili and garlic. She also brought out fried chili peanuts. Super good food, I didn't get lunch on the ship so I wolfed it down but made sure to not finish all of it as I've been told it's apparently an insult to your guest if you don't provide enough food for him, so you're never supposed to finish the whole plate. Any way.. As I'm eating the food and finishing up a beer, up strolls the Captain and one of the engineers and sits at the place next door. They didn't notice me so I got up and walked over to say hi.. Seems like they were not expecting to see me there and seemed a bit surprised rather than welcoming. I was like, well I paid for my food over at her place so I don't wanna piss her off by moving over here, enjoy yourselves and I'll see you later.. As I'm sitting there I realize why they were uncomfortable as a couple short-skirted girls roll up in a car and join them. Soon they're all sneaking off to get in their cars and take off. So it was not explained to me that the bars outside the shipyard gates offer more than beer and food. When I got a ride back to the hotel from the restauraunt's "driver" she started asking me questions about myself and asked me if I was lonely.. . NOPE thanks for the ride have a great night here's a few bucks for the ride ROFL 3 beers excellent food and ride back to the hotel were all like $15. ...and I made to sure ask her to tell her mom that the food was excellent.. old lady smiled big and said thank you. One of the Captains has a master suite that is... $80 a night. He showed me photos of his room and in the US it would easily be a $500 a night room. This place is dirt cheap. Enjoying a glass of Johnnie Walker black out on my balcony. And doing my evening reports. Had a good time here but going home tomorrow and looking forward to it. thanks for all the tips bros Edited September 18, 2015 by mancat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted September 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 BTW downtown Nantong looks like a triad gangland scene straight out of a bad 80s movie I looke dfor Kurt Russel but couldn't find him Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lone Star Arms 2,047 Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 hahaha Went to one ship today I was scheduled to attend, but there was another ship down the dock that used to be from the same company. I know the Captain pretty well and I stopped by to work on a couple things as a favor even though his company didn't pay for me to be here. Well before I went to that ship, the other Captain had told me about a little place outside the shipyard gates that had cheap food and beer. So when I was all wrapped up on both ships, I headed out the gate and found the little hole in the wall, had a couple beers while the young(er) Chinese lady sat and chatted with me... Very friendly but I could tell it was all a show. When I asked about the food, she brought me inside and pulled out a frozen bag of whole shrimp and asked "you like?" I was like.. Yeah I like shrimp. She says "okay I make you" and yells to the back, where an older lady comes out. Turns out it's her mom. Her mom takes the bag of shrimp and a jar full of noodles, hops on a bike, and rides off.. The lady says "that my mom she cook you dinner." Well about 20 min later up rolls mom on the bike and damn.. That was some tasty shit. Very spicy whole shrimp and spicy fried noodles with whole chili and garlic. She also brought out fried chili peanuts. Super good food, I didn't get lunch on the ship so I wolfed it down but made sure to not finish all of it as I've been told it's apparently an insult to your guest if you don't provide enough food for him, so you're never supposed to finish the whole plate. Any way.. As I'm eating the food and finishing up a beer, up strolls the Captain and one of the engineers and sits at the place next door. They didn't notice me so I got up and walked over to say hi.. Seems like they were not expecting to see me there and seemed a bit surprised rather than welcoming. I was like, well I paid for my food over at her place so I don't wanna piss her off by moving over here, enjoy yourselves and I'll see you later.. As I'm sitting there I realize why they were uncomfortable as a couple short-skirted girls roll up in a car and join them. Soon they're all sneaking off to get in their cars and take off. So it was not explained to me that the bars outside the shipyard gates offer more than beer and food. When I got a ride back to the hotel from the restauraunt's "driver" she started asking me questions about myself and asked me if I was lonely.. . NOPE thanks for the ride have a great night here's a few bucks for the ride ROFL 3 beers excellent food and ride back to the hotel were all like $15. ...and I made to sure ask her to tell her mom that the food was excellent.. old lady smiled big and said thank you. One of the Captains has a master suite that is... $80 a night. He showed me photos of his room and in the US it would easily be a $500 a night room. This place is dirt cheap. Enjoying a glass of Johnnie Walker black out on my balcony. And doing my evening reports. Had a good time here but going home tomorrow and looking forward to it. thanks for all the tips bros I loved your account! Well written. Like I said, as a western man, you'll get female attention. Glad you see it for what it is, Mancat. Along with the distinction of being the #1 destination for outsourced US jobs, China is overwhelmingly the world's largest and preeminent whorehouse. When I was there, I stayed in a hotel full of western defense contractors, with really stunning Chinese girlfriends. All of these guys were at or close to retirement age, and none of the women could have been over 30. The ugliest chick (and she was in stark contrast to the other girls) was the girfriend of a North American engineer, who stuck to him like glue. She said she was 1/2 North Korean, 1/2 Chinese, and did not react well when I told her that my Father had flown 29 bombing missions over North Korea. Nonetheless, she offered to act as a tour guide to the everyday life of Chinese citizens. The tour lasted exactly half a working day. After showing me around a meat market (a real one complete with tubs of reptiles, insects, and stuff that could have been skinned mammals), I was hijacked to an upscale apartment where, a Chinese sales team attempted to sell me crappy jewelry. After about an hour of being polite, and spending around $25 on garbage, I had enough of the "tour" and read the North Korean the riot act for the bait and switch routine, and wasting my time. I dispatched her and her white gloved driver, who was no doubt also a spy, stuck out my hand, and hailed a red cab back to the hotel. While I was waiting for the cab, a chinaman on a moped rolled by wobbling down the road with an enormous hog draped over the gas tank. I've never seen anything like it (except in Taipei). I digress. Back on topic. Nearly everywhere you go to relax, eat, sleep, drink in China is a whorehouse. Take lots of pictures and post them when you get back! Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sim_Player 1,939 Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 DO NOT GO ANYWHERE ALONE! Use the buddy system at all times! Good advice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted September 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Mike I did notice and fully expected everything to be a sale, as I had read "every relationship is a business deal and every business deal is corrupt" or some similar quote before going over. I forgot to mention while I was eating she had mentioned she had speakers and headphones for sale. They were knockoffs of Dr. Dre Beats headphones. While I ate, one of the guys from the shop walked up with a box of the headphones and told her they didn't work. She wanted to get him out of there very quickly and swapped out the box. She also seemed surprised when I didn't believe that her name was Annie and asked her what her real name was.. Ling. Come on why would I believe that was your real name? Many instances of thinking westerners are stupid and gullible. During the drive back to the airport this morning my driver, the same one that listened to country, made some comment when we were discussing the huge apartment farms. I asked if they were rented or if government provided them. She very quickly got angry (not with me) and said "no, you want you pay, government provide NOTHING.. the government not very good." Then she stopped herself and said, "not good to talk about it" hmm 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dad2142Dad 6,559 Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Yeah they are dim on bad rapping the regime. Are you on your way back? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted September 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 I am home, that last post was made at Incheon/Seoul airport... which is a damn nice airport 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dad2142Dad 6,559 Posted September 20, 2015 Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 Outstanding! Steak and potatoes STAT! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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