Nanjing week

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On a mission!

A destitute family in the outer suburbs of Nanjng is in desperate need of supplies. Without them, the children will fade away and vanish. My mission is to bring those supplies to this poor and needy family so they can survive in the face of all adversity.

This is the fifth time I have been to Nanjing - always for work. Usually I visit for two weeks. This time just a week. I choose to extend my visits here by a week or so each time to havea peek at other places. First a walk on the Lantau Trail on Lantau Island near Hong Kong. This included a visit to the village on stilts and a bouncy small boat trip to see the pink dolphins.

After the next visit I went to Anhui Province and the famed Huangshan (Yellow) Mountain. I spent a short time in Hongcun and Xidi - UNESCO World Heritage villages near the foothills of Yellow Mountain.

Another time I spent 10 days catching overnight trains to Beijing and walking the central city from the Hutongs to the Forbidden City and from the Imperial Palace to Tian'anmen Square. I even took an acting role as an extra in a movie for a day.

This time my mission takes me to Masterland, an Estate surrounded by a fence, locked gates and with security guards. It is an oasis of ornate high-end dwellings amongst lush treed streets overlooking a man-made lake with an island and a bridge to it.

The supplies were to be delivered to Keran and Pepe, whose parents were originally from migrant subcontinental Indian heritage (The Punjab) who moved to the UK in the 60's. Pepe now works for Ford in production and project management. Keran works with 2 and 3 year old pre-kinder kids as a teacher.

The supplies I had brought were jars of Indian curry paste, spices and some of the vital cereal called Rice Bubbles. I exchanged them for a very pleasant evening of conversation, a beautiful range of curries and some Tsingtao beers. Mission accomplished. You won't have to suffer any more :-)

Thanks guys!

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