Dalian update: exit Japan, enter Azerbaijan

Last Friday we say goodbye to the four Japanese students in our class. This came as a surprise for all of us, indeed. Turned out they were here on some exchange programme for just one month. Somewhat a pity, even though there had not been a lot of communication with them as they did not speak a word of English (nor any other foreign language). They came from Hiroshima, and it struck me that all four of them seemed quite different in terms of behaviour and attitude than what I have experienced in Tokyo, Nagoya or Kyoto. Maybe it was just a coincidence but - especially the two girls - were the shiest 20-year-olds I have ever come across. The two boys fit every traditional Japanese stereotype, especially portrayed by extreme politeness and all its bodily gestures. They were cool, though. On their final day, one of the two guys arrived with an authentic samurai haircut ;-).

There is a new addition to our class as well, however. A girl from...Azerbaijan. So, it is quite an interesting mix here!

The weekend went by quickly. On Friday night I went to the next ICD evening at the Swish-hotel (yes, Swish, not Swiss) and came across meanwhile familiar faces. But there's always new people, too. For instance, an old staff member of the Bank of England, who seemed quite happy to meet another "central banker" in Dalian. Not being an economist I do no consider myself a banker at all, of course, but it's always the first thing they see on the business card that one exchanges at these events. Afterwards, I joined four expats to a Japanese yakitori restaurant, but we settled for some tasty rahmen. I could even speak some Dutch that night, because at the table was a Taiwanese business consultant who grew up near Amsterdam and is now working in Dalian for the Dutch government's business support office. After the meal, we split up and I went to meet Henry and the Frenchies for a few more drinks at Dave's and at 2046.

On Friday I saw my first genuine traffic accident. A lorry driver suddenly turned left without indicating (nor looking I presume), and a taxi coming from the opposite direction just drove straight into him...

I spent Sunday the good old-fashioned way: get up early to be on the bike by 9 a.m. I did a 3 hour training with just over 1000Hm, and explored some more new roads. I even found the Dalian equivalent of the Cote de la Redoute, the famous climb of Liege-Bastogne-Liege! Clearly the toughest hill so far! When I got back to the appartment, I took a quick shower and prepared myself some gnocchi, sprinkled with black pepper, and some fresh tomatoes and pickled gherkins to go with it. Followed by a nice glass of Valpolicella and a bar of ...well... Russian chocolate (Cote d' Or is really too expensive here...), and then off to the Havana Bar at the Intercontinental Hotel to watch the Australian GP Formula 1 with some ICD people ;-) There was a 2-for-1 promotion going on, but it turned out it was only valid for beer. Sigh, paid 60 kuai (6 euro) for two Perriers...