tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post1684949315049343140..comments2024-01-08T19:49:13.932+00:00Comments on Froogville: It's not like they don't want us here (1)Frooghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-29837102170280315162012-05-17T22:56:41.095+00:002012-05-17T22:56:41.095+00:00I'm impressed that you managed to find an inco...I'm impressed that you managed to find an inconspicuous streetside bus stop down a flight of steps behind the subway station! It's difficult to resist the clamorous allure of the major transport hub - bus depot and taxi rank - right outside the main entrance, and to set off instead <i>in the opposite direction</i> to where you want to go.<br /><br />We chaps don't do that counterintuitive thing very well.Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-7725702967286913832012-05-17T22:51:30.730+00:002012-05-17T22:51:30.730+00:00Ah. So, after an hour and a bit of walking, I past...Ah. So, after an hour and a bit of walking, I past within 100m or so of it without realising...Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-92200252041753928212012-05-17T14:38:13.580+00:002012-05-17T14:38:13.580+00:00West end - you really can't go much further do...West end - you really can't go much further down Dezheng Jie, I believe it ends in a T just past the hospital.Heatherhttp://global-gal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-61537902747196481592012-05-17T10:21:35.324+00:002012-05-17T10:21:35.324+00:00Heather, that map link doesn't appear to show ...Heather, that map link doesn't appear to show either the hospital or Dezheng Jie.<br /><br />I got as far as Yong Feng Lu, which is a good 5 or 6km from the subway, and then walked north up that a bit.<br /><br />All the roads off Houchangcun Lu seem to be called Xibeiwang something.<br /><br /><br />Aha - <i>just</i> found Dezheng Jie... after HOURS of staring at the map. I had been led to believe (never trust anyone else's directions!) that it was a N-S street, so I wasn't looking out for it in the right place. I did, in fact, walk past it on Yong Feng Lu without noticing it!<br /><br />Is the hospital at the east or west end, or somewhere in the middle?Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-56315002835112125242012-05-17T05:55:03.819+00:002012-05-17T05:55:03.819+00:00In fact the hospital is not all that far away - I ...In fact the hospital is not all that far away - I think a bit further than 15 minutes, though. Maybe 30 minutes? This is a Google Map link: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=beijing&hl=en&ll=40.050105,116.260264&spn=0.00905,0.019054&hnear=Beijing,+China&t=m&z=16<br /><br />It's on Dezheng St. just north of Houchangcun Rd, which is the road you'd have to walk along. If you happened to see a huge assortment of satellite dishes on the side of the road, it's just a bit further west from there.Heatherhttp://global-gal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-10471528348153332302012-05-17T00:10:45.641+00:002012-05-17T00:10:45.641+00:00Ah well, yes, the whole finding anything in Beijin...Ah well, yes, the whole <i>finding anything in Beijing</i> challenge is probably worth a post or two all of its own. The inaccuracy of maps, the crazy approach to allocating addresses, the dizzying rate of urban renewal, the inability of anyone to give directions which are even vaguely accurate - these are all problems which are unique to, or far worse here in the capital.Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-70170902570580883502012-05-16T19:16:47.285+00:002012-05-16T19:16:47.285+00:00You'll notice I said posts (plural.) I reckon ...You'll notice I said posts (plural.) I reckon you've had enough of these kind of adventures to be able to make a section all to themselves. Off the top of my head I can recall when you were going to give a presentation somewhere when in fact it was actually somewhere completely different. Then there was the time you went to find a bar and they'd demolished the whole hutong.<br />I'm not for a second implying you have a bad sense of direction, I just happen to love reading these tales. About the only comparison I can make with here is that we've actually had some really nice weather recently too.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15692328535476075420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-27413596072559637662012-05-16T14:11:36.926+00:002012-05-16T14:11:36.926+00:00Another thing that's nagging at me about this ...Another thing that's nagging at me about this 570 bus deal (Heather, if you're still out there?)... My friend Debbie had told me that the mythical hospital was <i>only three stops</i> away on this route. And the stop for the 570 that I found was presumably <i>the first</i> of these, around the corner from the one under the overpass (which I didn't see, although I must have walked right past it - had given up looking by that point), less than 500m away. If this suggests that the 570 is a regular sort of bus with stops every half or three-quarters of a kilometre rather than a long-distance express bus with stops only every few kilometres... then the hospital should be a fairly easy walk, no more than 15 or 20 minutes away on foot.<br /><br />Did I walk right by it, without even realising it, because the roads weren't labelled in accordance with my scruffy map??Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-84444490269810195192012-05-16T13:52:41.492+00:002012-05-16T13:52:41.492+00:00Yes, Beijing always gets the worst of the politica...Yes, Beijing always gets the worst of the political paranoia and procedural inanity.<br /><br />I spent some time in smalltown China last summer, for the first time in ages, and really enjoyed it.<br /><br />Another option for me might be to move out in the sticks somewhere, take Chinese study seriously for a bit, do some writing....Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-71860863197698680632012-05-16T13:49:14.255+00:002012-05-16T13:49:14.255+00:00Well, this was pretty alien compared to my regular...Well, this was pretty alien compared to my regular life, John!<br /><br /><br />The weather has been a boon. I would have borne these irritations with much less equanimity if it had been filthy humid or pissing with rain.Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-61879897392772221592012-05-16T10:36:28.632+00:002012-05-16T10:36:28.632+00:00Oh man, I love these types of posts; your 'lit...Oh man, I love these types of posts; your 'little' excursions every now and then are so alien compared to my regular life!<br />After a day like this and what with your recent injuries Froog, I wouldn't be surprised if they stamped you as DOA!Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15692328535476075420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-50624361022826709312012-05-16T08:14:41.559+00:002012-05-16T08:14:41.559+00:00Froog, it seems Beijing may be more the problem th...Froog, it seems Beijing may be more the problem than China <i>per se</i>.Gilman Grundyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06607416440240634159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-55177532108161887892012-05-16T06:31:56.185+00:002012-05-16T06:31:56.185+00:00The weather helps. And not reading the news!
Good...The weather helps. And not reading the news!<br /><br />Good luck with the job search.Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-22294840246736305832012-05-16T06:00:42.250+00:002012-05-16T06:00:42.250+00:00While I'm (strangely) feeling positive towards...While I'm (strangely) feeling positive towards Beijing at the moment, I'm having a hell of a time finding a job that is not ESL teaching that will provide a proper z visa. Very discouraging.Heatherhttp://global-gal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-78534110062268716682012-05-16T05:52:43.298+00:002012-05-16T05:52:43.298+00:00Cheers, Heather. I might find myself having to att...Cheers, Heather. I might find myself having to attempt this again in the autumn.<br /><br />Apparently the 909 bus goes almost to the door of the place, <i>almost</i> from the door of my apartment (well, within a reasonable walking distance, anyway).<br /><br />As I observed to my translator friend The Weeble when he finally came up with this news for me: <b>"Wow! If I'd known THAT two hours ago, I might have applied for another Z visa and committed to staying in China for another year.<br /><br />Such is fate."</b><br /><br />I'm actually pretty glad I didn't know. Getting another Z at the moment is a crazy waste of money for me. I don't know what I was thinking!Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-25271221722994070762012-05-16T05:46:19.904+00:002012-05-16T05:46:19.904+00:00570 stops directly under the subway train overpass...570 stops directly under the subway train overpass on Xi Er Qi Da Jie - you have to walk south away from the subway station past all the food vendors towards the pedestrian bridge. (Don't go out to the main street in front of the station, just along the pedestrian area outside the station entrance) Then, instead of crossing over, take the stairs down to street level. The stop is 50 meters east of the pedestrian bridge.<br /><br />It took me 3 trips to figure this out.Heatherhttp://global-gal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-56297428501200209002012-05-16T05:42:05.315+00:002012-05-16T05:42:05.315+00:00But which bus, Heather?
I had about half a dozen ...But <i>which</i> bus, Heather?<br /><br />I had about half a dozen different buses recommended to me yesterday, but couldn't find stops for most of them.Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-14909696824930125912012-05-16T05:33:33.209+00:002012-05-16T05:33:33.209+00:00Having been out there 3 times now I have finally f...Having been out there 3 times now I have finally figured out how to find the bus - and Ruby is correct, it is underneath the train line overpass just south of the subway station. Maybe that tidbit will help some random reader.Heatherhttp://global-gal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-40000864577635729402012-05-16T05:16:06.027+00:002012-05-16T05:16:06.027+00:00Rubes, at Xi'erqi there are half a dozen diffe...Rubes, at Xi'erqi there are half a dozen different station exits straddling the train line and a major road. There's a bus station adjoining the station (at Exit B1, I think), and at least four other roads nearby on which there are stops for various buses that <i>might</i> eventually take you in more or less the right direction. You NEED A MAP to find the right bus stop!!<br /><br />The bus Debs had recommended to me, 570, didn't have a stop anywhere near the station.<br /><br />909 sounds like the best bus for me, but I couldn't find any stops for that either. So I walked down to Shangdi (a less complicated, less seething <i>ditie</i> stop) to get home.Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-79235336830755400002012-05-16T04:12:24.763+00:002012-05-16T04:12:24.763+00:00it was a moment of clarity. get outta there. -vamm...it was a moment of clarity. get outta there. -vammoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211251.post-12330476187276249612012-05-16T04:12:16.122+00:002012-05-16T04:12:16.122+00:00The bus stop wasn't directly underneath the tr...The bus stop wasn't directly underneath the train line overpass? At least that's where I remember it being last time I went out there. Did you end up finding the buss back ok?Rubyhttp://www.thrutheeyesofruby.comnoreply@blogger.com