Mike Chrisp

Yet another disrupted night clock watching. The last time I looked at my watch it said 4:15 am. I rolled over and tried to sleep. I woke with a start and realised that something was wrong. I picked up the watch. 5:38. Shit we were going to be late. I jumped out of bed and switched on the light.

"Can you get that light? Asked Tim, as he rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.

I showered, shaved and dressed packed all my gear and was ready in 15 minutes.

"Didn't he say seven am," Tim asked.

"No, he said six."

At 6:08 we went and knocked on Lao Bei and Lao Wu's door. A very disheveled Lao Bei came to the door in his underpants.

"Good morning. It's six o'clock."

"No, no, no, no, six thirty."

We retreated back to our room. Lying on our beds we tried to relax as much as possible. Finally there was a knock on the door.

"We go," said Lao Bei.

We clambered into the Nissan and set off for Tian Chi. We got lost and Lao Bei had to stop and ask directions four times just to get out of the city. After about an hour we turned off the expressway and entered a narrow gorge. Climbing steadily, we eventually arrived at a large car park. It was cold. The coldest we had experienced the whole trip. Ice was underfoot. Tim and I pulled out our down jackets. Loa Wu just patted his rather large stomach.

Of course the chair lift was not working, as we were early. Lao Bei returned with the tickets and a driver who would take us in a minibus up to a restaurant for breakfast. We arrived at a small square quite reminiscent of an alpine ski resort. We wandered across the square and found a small eatery. After we had finished we walked back out and found all the resort staff sitting down for a mass breakfast. We passed by and decided to walk the five hundred metres up to the lake.

The first view was breathtaking it was so beautiful. We spent a few delightful hours walking around the lakeside filming or photographing as we saw fit. The sun came out and it started to become quite hot so all the cold weather gear we had clothed ourselves in had to be stripped off, much to the amusement of the two Loas who had seen us put it on then take it all off again.

When we had finished we walked back to where Lao Bei was waiting. Tim suggested we have a ride out on the lake in a speed boat and so we bought tickets and climbed aboard a twenty foot speed boat in the company of a couple from Utah. The boat crew looked resplendent in their naval uniforms. The trip was all too short and we were soon pulling back into the dock.

We caught the cable car down. It was crazy affair, as the cars did not slow down to enter, being on a fixed cable. I had to stand on two large painted feet to be in the right place. Two girls were controlling the passenger flow. One took my rucksack and the other grabbed my arm. On cue my girl opened the door and pulled me into the car. The other threw my rucksack into the other side. I sat down with a bump, the car swaying wildly. We all experienced the same entrance. I sat and looked at the view and suddenly realised that getting off was going to be a completely different ball game. There was no need to worry. As I arrived the door was opened, I was grabbed with my rucksack and literally pulled out of the car.

As we walked backed down to the Nissan we passed a large water wheel obviously recently built which was over ten metres high. No sooner were we back in the hotel room when there was a knock on the door.

"Eat, eat." It was Lao Bei and Lao Wu. They were hungry.

We had a leisurely lunch and enjoyed a few beers before returning to our room. There was a knock on the door it was the bellboy with a bag of laundry.

"No do," he said, motioning the pulling on of underpants and socks.

"Oh, Okay," we both said, and he went off smiling.

The next five hours were spent working on photographs and downloading film footage. At precisely ten the doorbell rang. We opened it to find Lao Bei.

"Where's Loa Wu."

"Him not well. Sleep."

The three of us went back into the night market again and had the same experience as the night before. This time Tim and I filmed and photographed it. We went back to the same restaurant and tried our luck with another bottle of wine. It too was awful, probably worse than the previous night. Tulafan wine obviously does not travel well.

We all got very merry with the beer we had drunk but still found time to shoot some balloons in the shooting arcade. Tim being ex military was accurate with handgun and Kalashnikov. Loa Bei had had a little too much and I had to hold up the honour of my public school cadet force and achieved a respectable ninety five percent score.

The girl running the stall was impressed, "Velly good," she said.

"Where's the teddy bear?" I asked. She had no idea what I was saying.

I sat down and worked until one before retiring.

—Mike Chrisp

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