Hey Hey and a Big G'Day to you
Wow, what a fantastic weekend.

I spent an entertaining Friday with my Grade 3's and then a most beautiful evening with my lovely friend Lisa. After walking her home I hit the market place for a night of cards, chat, beer and awesome food. The night was warm and little Tianyang was wide awake and a happening place to be. I woke my 'happy' friend at the school gate with a round of cheerful 'hellos' around 4am. He sleepily grunted something as I walked through that I'm sure wasn't as cheerul as my 'hellos'.

On Saturday I headed to Baise to spend the weekend at my friend Brads place. I was the first foreigner to step foot in his parents place where he lives on the fourth floor. The guest room is on the third floor. After many 'hellos' and 'welcomes' we headed to BBQ Street for Hot Pot where I ran into some friends from Kylies old school. It was a fantastic dinner and heaps of fun.

Brads friend owns a camping store in Baise where we spent an hour or more talking and going through photos of his treks. He promised to call me when he hits the trail again. I hope he does as I will get to see a side of Guangxi that has remained hidden to me. Another friend of theirs has opened an upmarket Bar/Club type thing in a rather exclusive are of Baise. I had never been to this area before. It's in a big hotel complex and the cost of standing at a table to drink along with the price of the beer has put all thought of returning out of my head. Hey, I'm just not an 'exclusive' type of guy! The beautiful dancing girls do keep returning to my thoughts though! It was a pretty cool evening with some hip and funky music.

We met quite a few Germans whom have made it their local weekend hang out. Obviously they get paid much more than I. They all work at the big smelter not far from Baise. They come to Baise for a month or two, they go home, others come and go home and they pretty much keep to themselves. We have spotted them several times over the past year. Whilst walking along the streets of Baise they will walk past you like you are Chinese or don't actually exist. None of them really like China or Baise for that matter....so once again, they must get paid a lot more than I!

This time with a few beers under their belt they actually talked to me and we spent a great evening together sharing beers, thoughts on China and views of the lovely dancing girls. My thoughts were the complete opposite to theirs when it came to China but our thoughts were pretty much the same when it came to the girls. I was happy we agreed on at least one thing. The early hours of the morning found me going from table to table playing drinking games with the Chinese. Brad was chasing after me trying to get me into a cab to go home. Around four or so he finally won and we bounded outside looking for a cab.

Sunday we spent driving around the out skirts of Baise in Brad's car. It's not often I get to spend time in a car in China so it is a time I get to see things from a different view. Instead of catching a bus and seeing only as far as you can walk and return before darkness covers the world or the last bus leaves you in that darkness, you get to see so much more. We drove around the Chungbia Lake area mostly. It is a whole lot bigger than I thought and it is said to be much smaller than the new lake. I am yet to find out where the new lake actually is. Many people have told me about it but no one seems to know where it is or how to get there.

As the day became night I boarded the local roadside bus home. I sat next to a happy old man who continued to talk to me the entire way home. I tried to tell him I couldn't understand him when he spoke in sentences. I then actually showed him in my phrase book but he happily chirped away for the entire hour anyway. We shared the tiny red and yellow tomatoes that this part of Guangxi is well known for. As we munched he chirped and I smiled. He actually walked me to the school gate to make sure I knew where I lived and he caught a Tuk Tuk home to his tomato farm somewhere in the happy fields of Tianyang.