Writes of Passage

In this gated community in Shanghai, a driver parked the car blocking the path. Inexperience or didn’t care? I wasn’t sure there’s a parking lot for visitors. The narrow path doesn’t seem to provide space for street parking. What do you do when you’ve a party?

Also, I observed the gate keepers are often salute the driver, as in the army – right hand to his temple, as the homeowners drive by.

This time around, I found almost all the cars are equipped with this device, to proven pengci 碰瓷 – baike explains 碰瓷，原属北京方言，泛指一些投机取巧，敲诈勒索的行为。例如故意和机动车辆相撞，骗取赔偿。此外，

Search hotels in Dongzhi for my trip:

• Anhui Chizhou hotels, these 3 show up
• 安徽池州酒店, these 3 show up
• Anhui Dongzhi hotels, these show up
• 安徽东至酒店, these show up

My relatives usually stay at Yaocheng  尧城迎宾馆 (16 Jianshe Rd, Dongzhi, Chizhou, Anhui, China). Comments on dianping Chinese version of TripAdvisor n Yelp are pretty bad. The hosts put me at Yaocheng too.

Dongzhi (wiki/zh wiki) is a county under City of Chizhou (wiki), in Anhui (安徽) province, China. It’s one of my four branches’ hometown. The map below is made with wiki, an image and a mapbar (the touristy map).

• my 2016 trip

• where to stay: hotels I stayed here
• how to get there: It’s 66 km (41 miles) south of Anqing 安庆 and 230 km (143 miles) south of Hefei.
• where to go:
• what to do
• where to dine

Over the years, it had been known under different names:

•  ..
• Qiupu 秋浦县, since 1914: 前身为清代池州府建德县，因与浙江省建德县重名，改名秋浦县 (zh wiki)
• Zhide 至德县, since 1932 (民国21年): 秋浦县更名至德县
• Dongzhi 东至县, since 1959: 由东流、至德两县合并成

Dongzhi is one of four counties in Chizhou, with 12 towns (镇 zhen) and 3 villages (乡 xiang):

1. 尧渡镇 (zh wiki) seat of government & Zhikengshan 纸坑山
2. 东流镇
3. 大渡口镇
4. 胜利镇
5. 张溪镇
6. 洋湖镇
7. 葛公镇
8. 香隅镇
9. 官港镇 (included Shichengxiang 石城乡)
10. 昭潭镇
11. 龙泉镇
12. 泥溪镇
13. 花园乡
14. 木塔乡
15. 青山乡

Jiande 建德是安徽省旅游景点最集中的地区之一???  It’s nine administrative towns
▪ 洋湖镇
▪ 葛公镇
▪ 官港镇
▪ 昭潭镇
▪ 龙泉镇
▪ 泥溪镇
▪花园乡
▪ 木塔乡
▪ 青山乡

There are three mayors 市长 of Chizhou (map  of Chizhou) listed on different sites:

1. On wiki, it’s Chen Qiang (陈强)
2. On zh wiki, it’s 雍成瀚  (Yong Chenghan)
3. On baike, it’s 赵馨群 (Zhao Xinqun)

It’s probably lack of updating. Yong Chenghan (代理 as the interim chief; photo) had a meeting with my relative in February 2016.

2016 flood

No. 172, Section 2, Chongqing N Rd,
Datong District,
Taipei City, Taiwan 103
重庆北路二段172号 886-2-2553-3919 website

Someone mentioned this hotel and after a quick search, Agoda showed up and I booked through it. Breakfast is included (so so; good coffee tho). Good service, room and bathroom are fine.

We arrived at the hotel at 12:30pm, a female staff said the room wasn’t ready.

The good: a little old world feel, high ceiling, good water pressure. Front desk staff are helpful and always ready to help. And, the hotel records the phone message the old fashion way: typed up on a piece of paper.

The bad: I thought I booked for two beds (traveling with my dad) but Room 309 has one bed. If I wanted two separate beds, us$25 per day would be added, the same female staff informed me.

The sound proof is pretty good – never heard a human noise but the water running is loud, and runs all the time. I complained to the front desk. The smiling young man said, he will ask his manager and switch it for me. Never happened.

The housekeeping is sloppy. Their shampoo as well as conditioner and lotion are in bottle that are small and hard to squeeze. Coming back to the hotel the second day, this is what I found in the bathroom. The lone bottle lotion, used.

The round faucet is difficult to manager. I’ve to make sure my palms are dry. A little moist will not be able to turn the nobs.

The hotel is near (east of) Tamsui River 淡水河, Dacaocheng Wharf (大稻埕碼頭), the Dadaocheng Park 大稻埕公園, Cisheng Gong/Chi Shing Temple 慈聖宮, the Ningxia Night Market 寧夏夜市 and the home coming worshipers on Sunday night.

Dad loves to get passports. Any passport. Be it the HK, or Taiwan or whatever. He’s a Taiwan passport which is still valid for another two years that was issued in San Francisco. Once we got to Taipei, at the Household Registration Office 户政事務所, he asked if he could get a passport that’s issued in Taipei – just bit more precious, dad thinks. The girl was very helpful and off we went, to the Bureau of Consular Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs 外交部领事事务局.

The application made easy by scanning your ID card.

As dad wished, yes he could get his Taipei issued passport on Monday before 1pm. However, their requirement for photos is stringent than what dad had brought with his (he’s prepared): two identical recent pictures without showing tooth. The good news is, as the staff pointed out, there is photo service on the ground floor.

We went down and waited. Two seconds later, dad said, “no, I won’t have this kind of photo for my passport.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. It’s late afternoon, Friday. We were leaving next Monday.
“I want a professional photography.”
“I don’t think we’ve enough time.” Giving we traveled this far, to fulfill his wish, he won’t settle for a photo booth picture.
“Dad, who’s on earth will see your picture other than the immigration officer?”
But he won’t listen, insisted to go to a photo studio. He mentioned that his appearance had set him back but won’t elaborate on a particular incident.
Off we went, to shop for a tie …

We did return on Monday after the tree burial. The hall was packed. I didn’t want to miss the flight, so we left. The flight to Shanghai, ended up, being canceled.

Or 地政事務所 in Taipei. We needed to get the death certificate for my grandma’s tree burial. It’s efficient. The roaming staff really helps a lot.

One thing I find different: banks in Taiwan as well as in China all have chairs. Does it mean the public has longer waiting time? DMVs in New York have chairs because government services always have longer than 10 minutes of wait. I don’t recall banks have chairs by the counters. There’s a station with hot water for tea.

 ‘

There’s a medical office on site too. Over all, good and fast service. The young lady was patient and very accommodating. Yes, my dad did ask about how to get me a Taiwan passport.

Getting off at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), this ad caught my eyes. Wiki states that this 上海商业储蓄银行 was founded by Chen Guangfu 陳光甫, better known as K. P. Chen in 1915, in Shanghai. Google 民国上海实业银行, nothing turns up tho.  I may have the name wrong.

600 meters away from hotel in Taipei is the food market, bordering Datong District Penglai Primary School 臺北市大同區蓬萊國民小學. I’m so so on the food but love the fruits tho.