Wuhu Noodles Amazing

This Islamic restaurant is amazing for noodles and the price is awesome under 10 rmb for a meal the surroundings are basic but the food is superb.
If this place was in Europe behind a glass screen for the kitchen they could charge a fortune!!
Maybe a franchise idea for some enterprising person here its just normal nothing unexpected or even considered amazing at all.
The quality of the food here is absolutely FIRST CLASS and this is perfect example of what is available in numerous places in Wuhu and no doubt the rest of China we have eaten there and some times at the tables they have on the pavement area thats how basic the surrondings are but worth it for the food.

Trip to Nanjing more shopping Valentines day

After all this time just realised my blog is still on UK time hence the posting been on the 15Th February not 14Th as I had thought also not sure now how to adjust it believe me took me weeks to load the pictures link which should only take 5 minutes talk about technophobia.
Any way had a choice of 2 places to go to on Valentines day Hefei the capital city of Anhui or Nanjing pick Nanjing for no other reason than I have been there twice and I don't get lost as easily and the DVD shop is there. DVD and Cd's for 10 rmb approx £1 also have never yet had any problems with the music DVDs great quality and fairly good choice.
Travel to Nanjing by bus from Wuhu which takes under one and a half hours not recommended to watch the road as the driver swerves all over trying to get ahead listen to my ipod and the time passes quickly.
As it is now lunchtime we head off from station towards castle wall and find a restaurant have my usual Beef potatoes and green vegetable with rice so now I'm a happy bunny.
Have spotted a sign for park which looks nice so head off towards there and wander round lots to see in the park including various fountains and monuments and the twin spring of the Yangtze river as the translation is never great not sure if that's what it is the park is huge and is complete with temple please see pictures on Picasso not sure i can do it justice verbally.
After a pleasant wander around the various parts we head off by taxi into centre of Nanjing and as usual end up in Starbucks for a coffee at European prices allegedly one is going to open in Wuhu but no sign of it yet.
Wander round the shops then head off to the DVD shop I spend the grand sum of 120 rmb and get 12 albums some which are double albums for a total of £12 amazing would pay that for 2 in the UK.
By now its heading towards 5.30 and the bus is at 6.30 so near to the bus station we go looking for food its not easy to describe the basic cafe type places which in the UK with regulations and council interference would be closed down as unhygienic and not suitable,here they flourish the food is cheap tasty and varied.Have never in all my time been ill or suffered at all as these places need regular customers to survive the food is fresh and delicious and at prices which by western standards are unbelievable.So we have noodles and beef for less than 10 rmb cooked and served within 5 minutes of sitting down delicious.
So Valentines day is nearly over not Romantic by western standards but I enjoyed my day out in Nanjing again still have not found the Indian Restaurant maybe next time need to go and stay overnight.

My Own Transport and Office Move

Well after months of searching and some what seems to me strange negotiations which seem to have no logic or rhyme or reason and not convinced anywhere else it would work at all. Our new office location which is 5 minutes from my apartment although the most direct route is through a section of demolished houses and soon to be built upon. This is OK in daylight but not recommended at night due to the potholes and uneven road.
The new office means we are no longer near to the city centre and walking street but looks and feels more like an office and space wise its a lot bigger.
The move is fairly painless from my point of view i lock my desk drawers and bundle up my computer at the old office and on Monday turn up at new office and its all in place again a testament to Chinese efficiency and organisation and from the IT department a lot of hard work on the Sunday to connect everything.
Any way over the weekend we have a look at the location from the point of view of food and where it is in relation to everywhere else I decide to invest in some transport of my own as my complex is on a road to nowhere so getting taxis is not always easy.
I have been looking at various cycles from mountain bikes to normal bikes to electric scooters and petrol motorbike.Have to say when i first arrived here i could not contemplate any type of transport as i found the roads chaotic and seemingly with no rules or observation of traffic lights or crossings.
However now after 5 months of taxis and walking around I feel i have more of an idea as to what is the expected norm.
The traffic lights here have abrilliant sysyem of counting down to the change to green so you arrive at the junction and it may say 89 secs then counts down to zero makes life so much easier the only other thing strange to me is turning right on any colour of light fairly logical when you think of it and quite easy to work with maybe in the gridlocked roads of the UK we could try the same for turning left at junctions etc.
Any way decide on healthier option of cycle which having seen Jacobs newly purchased bike we decide to go to same shop near to Auchan the French supermarket.
So Saturday afternoon meet Jacob and after some negotaion agree price of 600 rmb for 2 bikes 2 shopping baskets and 2 locks this is for a classic style bike with chain guard no suspension and not the worlds best braking system but as I dont expect to go very fast its not a problem.
Having purcahsed our bikes we cross the road to Auchan so Luca can buy some food for the next day he has promised to do a pasta dish for Lunch.
We then have to cycle home which is no mean feat as it is some distance from my apartment and I have not been on a bike for over 12 months and then it was my mountain bike with gears gel seat and suspension I soon realise that the seat is not the most comfortable and after 20 minutes arrive home in one piece having only had one minor mishap at a junction.
If the sight of two foreigners walking around Wuhu the apperance of two on cycles seems almost to stop people in their tracks as we cycle down the road.
Sunday meet Luca and Dong Dong for lunch cooked by Luca which is nice spaghetti with sauce cheese which was given to me by Elodie on her return from France after her break over the CNY.
Having now got some transport of my own its now a lot easier to get around and as a by product I get some exercise which is an additional benefit, I am still losing weight all be it at a slower pace now and the new jeans i bought a few months ago here are now also too large,I need to have a suit made and my original suit altered to fit for when I attend Exhibitions later this year in Germany and USA no doubt finding a tailor will be an experince as are most things in China.