So, first off, they have IKEA! - Who knew that the Scandinavian behemoth was impacting on one of the world's oldest civilizations, it means I shall want for no creature comfort!
Secondly, and potentially life changing, I can buy Marmite at Taobao (online marketplace like Amazon) I think it's about £6.00 a jar so will still be bringing some out with me.
While I'm on the subject of what I'll be bringing, I've gone a little crazy - so far I have gathered the following:
- New iPad
- New iPhone 6
- New Kindle
- Mini Sony Walkman
- A Raspberry Pi (Can watch any film or TV programme apparently - so my son Gabriel informs me although we haven't quite got it working - I'm worried he may not be the genius we all thought he was!)
- New reading glasses
- 6 Deodorants (Sure guaranteed dry armpits even in the toughest climates!)
- Aussie shampoo and conditioner
- Imodium
- A bottle opener
- Large suitcase
- Umbrella
- New pants
- Cold and flu remedy!
I have truly surpassed myself and can only hope Little Debs (my long suffering wife) doesn't read this!
Now then, back to Chengdu - land of the pandas but so much more!
It is home to the New Century Global Centre is the worlds largest building and could accommodate 20 Sydney Opera Houses and is 3 times the size of the Pentagon - it contains hotels, a beach, a waterpark, an IMAX cinema and a whole lot more! Great as the city also boasts around 300 days of cloud a year so an indoor beach may be just the tonic!
I've also been learning about Anren Town which is where the school is and where I'll be living
Here's some stuff from CNN
"At first glance, the sleepy Chinese town of Anren, isn't much to look at unless you're a fan of the giant Buddha heads and vintage water tanks being hawked outside its vintage buildings.
And then, around a corner, everything changes.
At the far end of a long driveway lies a colossal complex and one single word that has come to define Anren: museums.
A decade ago, Anren was like many other ancient towns dotted around the country -- rich in history but largely forgotten.
Located just over an hour's drive from Chengdu, the capital of China's southwestern Sichuan province, it traces its origins back to the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD).
Due to a lack of industry, Anren would likely have remained a backwater but for local landlord Liu Wencai, whose legacy has driven the town's rebirth as an historic destination.
There are currently 24 exhibition spaces open, covering 100,000 square meters (1.1 million square feet) and housing more than eight million items including historical artefacts, commissioned artworks and reproduced photographs, themed around the Sino-Japanese war, the Mao-era, Chinese culture and the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
When Chengdu's government announced in 2009 that it would invest $820 million to transform Anren into an internationally renowned museum town, its fate was further sealed.
Enough now, I have to go for a chest X-Ray for my medical - apparently I need to have the health of an Olympian to get my work visa - note to self (try using those new trainers for jogging!)
Toodle Pips Chums! Stay tuned!
Greg
Later that year, China's Association of Museums and the National Heritage Board awarded Anren the title of "China's Museum Town"
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