Return to Moscow from China - impressions, plans

China left behind very strange and ambiguous impressions. Apparently, in order to understand this country, you need, at least, to learn the language and visit several of its parts. But since we were only interested in Hainan because of its climate, we did not go anywhere else. Actually, there is no desire, only if on a tourist trip for a short time. For example, see the Great Wall of China or the province that once became the prototype of the movie Avatar.

So all our impressions will be associated with Hainan. And after three months of living, it became clear to me why the main resort of Hainan, the city of Sanya, in the near future will not become the same trend as Thailand..

The content of the article

What did not like

Most of all, the language barrier was strained when it was impossible to take a step without an interpreter. The Chinese don't even know the simplest words in English like «how march». Therefore, you need to learn phrases in Chinese or take pictures of various signs, inscriptions, etc., in order to be able to explain what you need. In principle, after having trodden the main paths, that is, found the necessary cafe, studied the assortment in the store, photographed the necessary places (store, train station, cafe) to show them to rickshaws, you can live. Until an unplanned situation arises, for example, a sore throat and you need to buy something at the pharmacy.

But the most important thing does not leave the feeling as if you are an outcast and your access to this world is closed. And when everyone you meet starts to take a picture of you, in general in the zoo you feel on the other side of the cage. I do not deny that this is only my personal and subjective impression. Of course, without knowing the language and culture, this will be felt in any country, but I did not notice this, neither in Poland, nor in Thailand (these are countries where we lived for several months), because both there and there, at the very least, they speak in English. In Poland, the way of life is generally European and understandable (the logic of a European is very similar to ours), and in Thailand you feel very comfortable with their eternal smiles and Buddhism. The Chinese in Hainan are outwardly rather harsh, unusual. And I associate Asia with smiles, several winters in Tae make themselves felt. In conversation, of course, they smile, like all other people..

Walking up and looking, or sitting down and watching a foreigner is a common thing.

Walking up and looking, or sitting down and watching a foreigner is a common thing.

And no one knows why the Chinese are so noisy? 🙂 Moreover, if several people speak to each other in parallel, then they will definitely try to shout down each other.

And how do you like their eternal spitting on the floor, sneezing and coughing? I know that in many countries it is customary to get sick on my legs, but this policy does not suit me very much. In fact, the last month was very difficult for us, all three of us were ill, and not only us. Moreover, the viruses in China are somehow strange, no temperature, no other symptoms, only a cough, for example. Although anyone else, Daria, on the contrary, had only a temperature and that's it. And this infection does not go away for weeks, from which it exhausts you. Our needle doctor was sick in general for 2 months, he coughed constantly, apparently from him and got infected. Although here I do not know which is better, Moscow's flu epidemics in winter or Chinese viruses. I would choose, after all, Chinese, but only in the tropics, that is, in Hainan. We would have been in the north of China, probably would not have crawled out of sores at all.

In addition to the warm climate, Hainan has a sea

In addition to the warm climate, Hainan has a sea

Perhaps due to fatigue and illness, in the end we were sick of the heat. I always had to turn on the air conditioner, which somehow blows on you, which, by the way, makes you want to cough even more. And who came up with such drops, somewhere in winter -50, somewhere in the heat of 40? Why not make more regions with 25-27 degrees most of the year 🙂 How cool it was in March, when we arrived, a fairy tale ... Next time you will have to plan so as not to get into the Hainan summer from May to September inclusive. By the way, in the Thai heat, I don't want something now either 🙂 Eh, we are getting old ...

And yes! Internet! When I lived in Thailand, I complained about the Thai internet. So these are flowers, I only dreamed of such in China. It takes a night to upload a video to YouTube! Provided that during this period the VPN does not turn off, with which you can have access to Google services, including YouTube. And he switched off very often. In general, it is impossible to work normally in China, until you open a few links, write a couple of letters and check social networks, it will take a couple of hours. Sometimes it got to the point that I just took breaks for an hour, because nothing worked at all. Perhaps it was only in our home that there was such a shitty channel, but according to reviews from other people, the Internet in China is not a strong point..

We come back with joy

Despite the fact that I am writing here, we are glad that we went and do not regret anything. The most important goal, to make Yegor stronger, was partially fulfilled. He can now walk with a walker or even stand in orthoses without support for several seconds. This is great! But more about everything on the Egorov blog.

With each new trip, more and more often there are thoughts that you want to settle in one place and stop traveling to other countries, just tired already. A lot of time is spent on arrangement, on finding out where and what to buy, how to live here, and so on. Previously it was cool, but now it is annoying, because there is no time for this, I want to come to the ready-made in comfort and not bother.

Despite the disadvantages, we will really miss the tropics, mango, sea and other delights

Despite the disadvantages, we will really miss the tropics, mangoes, the sea and other delights of life.

That is why we are happy to return to Moscow to our small, but equipped apartment for us, to our district, where everything is clear and understandable, and everything is solved in no time. We need cough pills - so there is a pharmacy on the ground floor, you need to go somewhere - there is a car, we need a teacher / doctor for Yegor - now, according to reviews on the Internet, we will find someone. Not to mention the fact that you can always call your grandmother to bring something tasty to eat or sit with Yegor for a couple of days and give us a break. There are also enough minuses, but we have already written about them many times when we came from Thailand - link 1, link 2.

Things are piling up again

Interestingly, and when everyone returns, do not understand where they come from? This is not the first time I notice that there are always a lot of some stupid things, which you could easily forget about at the time of departure, but as soon as you came back they pile up with renewed vigor 🙂 It’s just some kind of trouble. Daria needs to deal with a blocked bank card and an invalid passport, thin out the heaps of her and Yegor's clothes. Egor has to go to take tests in several laboratories, look for socialization and canis therapy. I have to change water filters, go to my parents for the car, pick up parcels from the pick-up point, send papers for individual entrepreneurs, and so on. A whole huge list is written on a piece of paper, we have been raking it for a week now and have not raked it. But due to the difference of 5 hours, we get up at 6-7 in the morning, as the most correct.

We had an argument with Daria, and she tried to convince me that most of the things are in the Yegorovskys' suitcases. I suggested dumping everything and making 3 heaps. Hehe, as required to prove. Now I want to conduct the next experiment, go somewhere with Yegor myself, in order to understand whether I need the same amount of junk or not. In the meantime, things continue in a brazen way tying our time.

Guess whose heap is where :)

Guess whose heap is where 🙂

We continue to search for the base

The question is still open where our base will be. While she is in Moscow, but how do you want to go to a place with better ecology, food and air, where the winter is milder and there are no problems of a big city, while this is not a backwater and there is rehabilitation and classes for Yegor. Where is the city we need? The population is 500 thousand people, exercise therapy like in China, sensory integration like in Warsaw, deaf teachers like in Fryazino near Moscow, mountains like in the Caucasus, climate like in winter in Hainan, people are friendly like in Thailand. So I swung, right? That is why we are sitting further in Moscow 🙂

By the way, the further, the more Daria and I begin to differ in views. These moves weigh on her much more than me. Apparently she's completely tired and doesn't want anything anymore. In the sense that even though there will be Moscow, if only there are no unnecessary gestures. Only now it seems that body movements will be in any case, because under our windows they are going to build a route for 8 lanes. Actually, already now there are a lot of cars driving along the street and the dust settles in tons on our windowsills, just right to put air filters. Now we are considering an option, but not whether to move to the nearest Moscow region, there will be more housing in area and the air is cleaner.

Container lid after 3 months on the balcony

Container lid after 3 months on the balcony

Immediate plans

As usual, making plans is very difficult. How not to plan, all the same, everything will turn out differently in fact. In general, in a week Daria will leave for Fryazino with Yegor for rehabilitation, and I will go to collect material in the direction of Sochi. Even in the summer I still want to go to Serbia, find out how and what, maybe it is worth going there to live for a year, the combination of climate and prices is pretty good. And in the Crimea, too, will go or will go. It is not yet clear whether they wanted to try rehabilitation there as well, but we will still see if it is working out or not, since it would be necessary to move to a warmer place by winter, perhaps back to China. Although, if you like the rehabilitation in Crimea, then what the hell is not joking there over the winter.

P.S. Soon I will tell you separately how we got from Sanya to Moscow via Hong Kong. Although they were sick, it was still a good trip..

P.P.S. How about a meeting in Kolomenskoye on June 13th? And then later, not earlier than the middle of summer.