My tour of the Forbidden City took place on January 6th, and the next morning I was due to fly to Narita Airport Tokyo Japan for my connecting flight home to Brisbane. On my previous stay at the Zhong Yu Grand Century Hotel, there was an excellent English Speaking Assistant Manager named Rick, but he was nowhere to be found during this stay, and I found it impossible to communicate with staff.
On the morning of the 7th when I awoke, I called reception to inform them that I would leave within the hour, but they had no clue what I was on about. So as quickly as I could I packed and went downstairs. They could not seem to understand that I was leaving, and had to go get somebody. That somebody turned out to be a poor young man who had obviously been roused from his sleep, for his shirt was hanging out, his hair was a mess, and he was still brushing sleep from his eyes when he arrived in front of me.
During the long wait for his arrival, I began to panic, for I knew I was running out of time to make it to the airport, and when he did arrive, I was so rushed that I left my credit card sitting on the counter. I had not gone such a great distance when I realised the fact, but there was no way I was going to get the cab to turn around and go back.
Now as I have previously stated, I have stayed at the Zhong Yu before, and I have even directed Taxis to it from Tiananmen Square. But on this occasion, I found myself in the capable hands of a driver who knew exactly where he was going.....THE L-O-N-G-E-S-T WAY POSSIBLE. We had not gone more than a few blocks before I realised that we were criss crossing Beijing, and I really began to panic about the time. The money was not an issue, for I knew the fare to the airport and the most that I was determined to pay him was 100 yuan irrespective of the meter.
I eventually made it to the airport exactly 30 minutes prior to departure. The check-in counter for this flight was devoid of people, and I raced up and told them that my plane was leaving in 30 minutes. As they were processing my ticket, a young Chinese man ran up to the counter and began rabbiting on in Chinese and seemed very impatient when they started pointing at me. It turned out however that we were both taking the same flight. The staff were excellent. They rushed us through, and except for the metal detectors, we were fast tracked onto the plane.
Despite my annoyance with the staff at the hotel and with the taxi driver, they had done me a favour. The stop over in Tokyo was to be for 9 hours, and I had decided that rather than sit at the airport, I would take the fast train into Tokyo. As we disembarked at the airport, I struck up a conversation with the young man, and discovered that he was under the impression that because he was Chinese, he would not be given a temporary visa so that he could leave the airport. With my western willingness to make enquiries, we soon had him organised, and upon hearing my offer of a free train ticket, agreed to come into Tokyo with me. His name is Gao Bo.
A good aerial shot over Tokyo Harbour.
Mt. Fuji (from a distance as Better Medler would say)
Here it is again in all its' glory.
Gao Bo is a student in Sydney (?) and has been studying there for four years, and he intends to continue on to complete his masters degree. We spent the day walking aimlessly around, not sure what there was to see, and in any case not seeing much. We did however have a wonderful time talking.
When we left the train at the Tokyo station, I actually took some photos with my digital camera so that we might have some idea how to find our way back to the train.
Taking this shot didn't actually help us any, but at the time it did give us a feeling of security.
If you have ever been in that station you will know how big the place is, and how easy it is to get lost. As for site seeing, the only interesting site we came across was that to be seen from a bridge, but as neither of us spoke or read Japanese, we were none the wiser as to what the bridge was called or where we were exactly.
Gao Bo standing on a bridge in Tokyo
After walking for sometime (in a straight line) we had a meal in a restaurant that just happened to have a waiter than understood a little Chinese, English and sign language. During our discussions, I had mentioned to Gaobo that even though I am the only foreigner in my town, sometimes I have to look twice at someone to see if they are actually Chinese. This may sound a little odd, but you really get to know PEOPLE as people, and not as a race. So there are times when it can seem to you that someone is not Chinese. I mention this because this topic led to many other topics including that of Chinese of mixed descent as a result of the Japanese invasion, and of course, as a result of western involvement in China. The point is, that after dinner, we were headed back to the train station, and decided to walk in a circuit to see if there was anything worth seeing. As we walked up this side street near the station, two young Japanese men approached us and handed us flyers advertising a nightclub. We smiled, said thank you, took the cards and naturally enough, because one could speak English, we got caught up in a conversation with them.
Right in the middle of it, Gao Bo just blurted out "Are you Mixed?". When he explained his meaning, the young man was quick to point out that he was not of mixed descent but was in fact fully Japanese. Given that 'saving face' is as much a Chinese Trait as a Japanese one, I couldn't believe that Gao Bo had actually said it.
When we finally left off speaking to them, I turned to him and said that I didn't think he looked Japanese at all. 'No!' he replied. 'But he was a very cute boy wasn't he?'. I chuckled a little and said 'Yes!'. A few minutes later he turned to me and said, 'Did I say that right? Should I have said he was very handsome, instead of saying cute?' Given that he studies in Sydney it did occur to me that 'cute' may have been the usual expression there, but in any case I said, "No!. In fact I think "cute" was probably the most apt word." I'm not sure if he caught the nuance.
A few minutes later we arrived back at the Train Station, and after a quick coffee and cake for me (he refused my offer of cake), we headed off to catch the fast train back to Narita. The further in and deeper down we went into the station, the less familiar the place seemed. We finally arrived at a point where we disagreed on which direction to go, so we found a lady who was able to give us directions. We walked just another 3 metres before seeing a big mural which would have given us our bearings. It was nice to know we were not lost. On the other hand, we were early. We had actually to stipulate the return time when we bought the tickets at the airport, and we had decided not to leave anything to chance, and chose to catch an earlier train to the airport.
By the time we were on our way back, Gao Bo's young body decided it needed a rest, and he promptly fell asleep.
Gao Bo enjoying a kip on the return train trip to Narita Airport He opened his eyes just as the flash went off.
Although we were both flying back to Australia, we were headed in different directions and our planes left 30 minutes apart. About 30 minutes after checking in for our flights, we said goodbye to each other and went our separate ways. He, the Chinese boy on a Chinese passport returning to Australia from his visit to China, and Me, an Australian boy on an Australian passport, leaving China for a visit to Australia. Ironic Isn't it.
I arrived at Brisbane Airport at 7am on January 8th, and found myself stuck there. It was harder to get OUT OF BRISBANE AIRPORT than to get into any other place I have been in the world, except for the Jewish Museum in Paris. Everyone it seemed had something to declare, and I was loaded down with gifts including two items (wooden beads AND pearls for my daughters), both of which needed declaring at customs.
Although I had not arranged for anyone to meet me, my brother was there wondering if I had missed my plane. It took literally one and a half hours to disembark, get through Customs, and leave the building. By 8:30 am I was being chauffeur driven to my hotel, where fortunately there was a room immediately ready. Less than two hours later I was in the Doctors office arranging for the medical operation that was the cause for my return to Australia. The 8th of January was a Thursday. My operation was the following Wednesday on the 14th, and I left Australia on the 25th. It was a short stay. I did nevertheless manage to enjoy myself, despite my 'hernia' operation.
The funny thing about my trip home, was that I had intended to spend the week after my operation recuperating at Jupiters Hotel on the Gold Coast, but because it was constantly overcast or raining most of the time, I stayed put in Brisbane. However I had promised my Sister-in-Law (actually we are OUT-LAWS, being divorced from a brother/sister team), that I would take her to see the current musical show at Jupiters, so on the 21st we went to the coast and stayed overnight (Yes Judith! I will mention that we had separate rooms) The day was absolutely beautiful and I regretted that I had remained booked into my hotel in Brisbane (so that I would not have to cart all my luggage backwards and forwards).
This is Jupiters Casino and hotel from the outside
These next two are the left/right shots from the Hallway window on our floor.
A view of the monorail connecting the Hotel to the Main Shopping Centre. That is Surfers Paradise in the Background.
This is the view of the Pacific Ocean from my room.
These next two shots show the two things that I miss most about Australia.
The Australian Beach
The Australian Countryside
I did have what I thought was a very good photo of Judith sitting in the Limousine that took us to and from the Gold Coast, but when I inserted it here on site, it was the first time that I had seen the photo in an enlarged situation. Well, needless to say that if Judith had not taken that moment to either carelessly position her hands, or make a rude gesture, I could have shown her here, sitting like royalty in a chauffeur driven white limo. Tough Luck Judith! I did offer to leave the photo here, but she insisted that I remove it. So in the absence of such a good photo, here is one of her walking by the swimming pool.
Judith by the Pool at Jupiters Casino
No! This is not Judith in Hong Kong. Despite all the Chinese people you can see in the photo, we were sitting on the beach at Karrawa. When people in China say to me, "It must be strange for you living amongst so many Chinese people." I just tell them the truth, 'It's just like being at home'.
The Chinese group we encountered at the beach, were a tour group from Taiwan. I took quite a number of shots, and even made a little video clip. I spent some time discussing China with a few ladies, who thought it funny that we should all meet on the beach in Australia.
Taiwan Tour Group
In Brissy (Brisbane) you don't actually have to go to the beach,to go to the beach. Beside the Brisbane River there lies the Southbank Parklands [the former site of Expo 88], within which might be found a man-made beach. As I used to live in the city, I loved going there on sunny days to sunbake.
Brisbane's Own Beach.
Unfortunately the best shot of this beach would not upload to this page. But you can get an idea.
In this photo you are looking across the swimming pool to the far wall, beneath which there is a promenade. Then there is the Brisbane River. You are not looking at one body of water here.
A view of both the concrete pool and the beach in the background
A view of the city from Southbank.
On January 23rd, I was down near China Town in Brisbane and decided to take some photos. While there I had a conversation with the lady in the photo below. I remembered her name all the way back to my hotel, recorded it somewhere in my computer, and for the life of me I can't find where it is. So I do apologise to her.
I was trying to get a pagoda type thing to fit 'in frame' in the camera, and had to walk back a little, and found myself backed up into a 'booth', beside which she was sitting. I knew she was studying me so I turned and said hello in Chinese. She then asked me in great English, If I like Chinese architecture and why I was taking the photo. I told her I was taking it with me to China to show my students. This then lead to a lengthy conversation.
From Shanghai to Brisbane.
She is a Chinese National whose Daughter and grandsons live in Australia. She comes from Shanghai. She first learned English as a young girl in an American school in Shanghai, but was forced to stop speaking it after the revolution. I got a marvelous little video of her talking about how important it is for Chinese students to apply themselves to the study and practice of English. And in fact it is. She is a marvelous lady, with a great semi-aussie accent, and a great sense of humour. I did meet her daughter ( in the next photo) as well as her grandsons.
Some More Shots of China Town in Brisbane.
China town is located in Fortitude Valley Brisbane. It takes about about 45 minutes to walk from the top end of Brisbane at the river, to get to China Town in the valley, so it is not far. Brisbane is a small town. This first photo is taken from across Wickham St.
This is the view once you walk through the archway.
This is the photo that I was trying to take when I commenced my conversation with the lady spoken of above.
As it turns out - This shot is one of the grandsons.
Returning Home via Hong Kong.
Originally I had planned to return to China via Shanghai and Wuhan. Unfortunately, it being the Chinese New Year, there were no seats available on any of the airlines any where near to the time I wanted to leave. So instead, I returned via Hong Kong (Xiang Gang), staying only for the one night stop over.
Unfortunately the best shots of Hong Kong are only available from the air, but for 15 minutes before landing one is not permitted to take photographs.
From the airport one may take the fast train into Hong Kong, or as the Chinese say, 'You can just......'. The trouble with that is, unless you can read Chinese, or have someone with you to guide you, you can't just do anything. I found it very confusing and wasted a lot of time trying to find my way OUT of the airport and onto the train, but having finally accomplished that, when I arrived at the final destination, I had no idea where I was, or where to go, or who to speak to, for, although Hong Kong was under the control of the British for so long, no one seemed to be able to speak English.
I finally found an English speaker who directed me to a counter which was empty, and finally a man came over, looked at my hotel booking slip, and motioned for me to follow him. We went outside (underground) and he indicated that I must wait for No. 2 Bus. While waiting for that, I had a surreal experience. I have already mentioned that sometimes I have to look twice to see if someone is Chinese. On this occasion, I was waiting for the bus when a man exited the building and stood a few feet away from me. He looked very strange, but I couldn't quite figure out why. As I stood there looking at him, suddenly the answer struck me like a bolt of lightning. HE WAS A WHITE MAN! At that moment I wondered if subconsciously I had forgotten that I was also a white man.
I eventually made it to the hotel, checked in, showered and went down to the restaurant for dinner. Again, I must stress, that one would think that the people of Hong Kong wouldn't think twice about seeing a foreigner, but even in the Restaurant people turned to stare and talk about me. I checked my fly, looked in a mirror to see if my hair was right, looked at my clothes which were neither too rich or too common, and finally decided that it was not me (unless I really am THAT stunning looking), it was THEM.
After dinner I went for a walk, and as usual, have a knack for walking in 'red light' districts. It was meant to be a leisurely after dinner stroll, but it did not take long for it to become a game of 'dodge the grasping hands', as one after the next woman tried to drag me into a nightclub. Thanks to an experience like this in the Reeper-Bahn in Hamburg, I have learned how to 'dodge' quite well.
Next morning I caught the bus back to the airport. A foreigner ought not to feel strange if he gets lost in the big city, even the bus driver did that. This little porter found me quite interesting as the bus was waiting to leave from that particular pick up point, but when a few moments later we drove past the building again, he was jumping up and down like a monkey, smiling and waving goodbye to me.
An Active little monkey this one is.
Between the weather and taking photos from within moving buses or from behind glass at the airport, I don't have many photos of any quality, but here are a couple.
This is just a picture of a public park.
A view looking across the Bay. North Point to Kowloon
The Flight to Wuhan:
My next port of call was Wuhan where I planned to spend a few days resting. On the plane flight from Hong Kong to Wuhan (Hubei Province - draw a straight line from Beijing to Hong Kong and another west from Shanghai and you are there), I met a businessman and his wife, both from Hong Kong. Mid flight I asked for a Chinese Newspaper, and the man made a comment about my reading Chinese. I informed him that I thought my students might like to read it, and he immediately checked it to see if it was 'authorised'. This he explained, meant that unless a paper had a certain mark on it signifying Government approval, it could not come into Mainland China. "Oh well", I said, I have about a dozen newspapers in Chinese and English that I am bringing back with me." He told me that Customs would probably take them off me at Wuhan Airport, but in fact they did not. Nor did they remove the half dozen copies of 'Womans Day' and 'New Idea' that I brought back with me.
During the flight he was telling me how Mainland Chinese Businessmen pay big money for Hong Kong Business lecturers to teach them about 'business', but how it all goes in one ear and out the other. The traditional Chinese businessman cannot see beyond his immediate sale. Forget about customer relations, business networking, promotions, customer incentives and maintaining a long term client base. JUST GIVE ME THE MONEY NOW!!!!! Such is life in China.
Now I mention this man, because as I have related earlier on, it is a great feeling to be a foreigner in a strange land, and to help the natives find their way around. Here was this Chinese man asking me for advice about Wuhan, and taxi prices etc. I informed him that a car was coming from the Hotel to pick me up, otherwise I could have shared a taxi, but I did tell him how the taxi situation works at the airport in Wuhan. When we landed, we were shepherded into a different part of the complex, than that to which I had been used to coming from Japan. We had to go through a particular monitoring procedure because of SARS. When we left the building, we came out a different exit than I am used to.
My driver was there with a sign looking for me and I greeted him and gave him my bags. As I turned to say goodbye to these nice folk from Hong Kong, the man asked me where this taxi rank was, because it obviously was not in front of the building as I had said. We had in fact exited the building from a side door. I quickly bolted to the corner of the building, got my bearings and directed him to the taxi rank, reminding him to keep the 'chit' that the official would give him, for this would stop the driver from charging him the 'tollgate' fee. He thanked me, and I reciprocated by informing him that it was a pleasure to be of assistance to 'Foreigners'.
My Four Days in Wuhan.
I had originally planned my stay in Wuhan to coincide with the holidays of some Chinese friends in Wuhan. Since they later advised me that they were still down south, I had nothing much to do but 'veg out', watch TV, and go buy some more cartridges for my printer. So I really have nothing to tell about my time there, except to relate a tale about Chinese Business practices.
On my previous trip to Wuhan I had purchased some Hewlett Packard No 27 & No 28 Black and Colour toner for my printer. The salesman did not know the price and had to look in the book - so naturally I had a look with him. The two cost 280 yuan. Armed with this information I went back to the same place, only to find that all of those computer places were closed for the holidays. On my last day in Wuhan, I discovered that the shops were open and went to purchase three of each toner.
The salesperson tried to tell me that the combined price for them was 450 yuan. I said - no way jose! I went to another shop and they wanted less - but still overpriced. I left there and went to another and was told 350 per pair. I told them the true cost and they said 'No!. So I walked out. At least in Hong Hu I can get them for 300 per pair. Then it struck me. I went back to the last store and wrote out the true price for a pair of them, then multiplied by three (3) and offered them 840 yuan for 3 pair. They eventually (why? I don't know!) settled on 810 yuan. GO FIGURE! Nevertheless I got them cheaper than in Hong Hu.
That's it folks. Nothing more to say about Wuhan. So here are some pictures.
This is the view of the QingChuan Gateway with the ChangJiang No.1 Bridge in the background. WuChang is to the left of the Bridge and River.
This Picture looks toward the other end of the street and to the Red Bridge the (QingChuan Bridge) which goes across to HanKou. The bridge was closed to traffic for repairs while I was there, and it was an inconvenience because I could not catch the 803 bus directly over the other branch of the river to HanKou.
I like Wuchang which is on the other side of the river from the QingChuan Hotel (in HanYang). On the day these pictures were taken, I was coming back from taking some photographs, and of course buying those ink cartridges.
These 3 photos almost constitute a complete panorama.
Over No. 1 Bridge - looking back toward WuChang
Looking down river to include both WuChang and Hankou
Looking across toward HanYang and further down to Hankou.
I don't know the name of this park, but I went there specifically to get a rather interesting picture of a sign written in English. (Not appropriate here unfortunately).
This is the view from within the park and includes the festive red lanterns that celebrate New Year Festival.
Again - I have no idea of the identity of the Statue. (For those interested, the foreign affairs office is just around the corner)
Religious Sites: As you travel from HanYang over the No. 1 Bridge, the first landmark you will see is the Yellow Crane Tower. Thereafter along the main road you notice quite a number of monasteries.
A Crystal and Gold Souvenir of Yellow Crane Tower Warning - I've seen these at 30% the price I paid. Dec 29, 2005 (About Overpaying for goods.)
This is the gateway to one of the many monastries in Wuhan.
Now this is the underside of Wuhan. This photo is taken just down the road from the QingChuan hotel. Just before the red bridge which goes to Hankou, there is a side street which takes you down to another bridge, over which most of the general traffic travels. Quite a different picture of life in a big city, isn't it?
On Friday 30th January, my school sent the car to pick me up and bring me home, and what with some business that both my liaison officer and the driver had to do, we arrived back later in the afternoon. But this was not the last part of my holiday adventure. My two friends in Wuhan with which I was supposed to meet, were back in Hong Hu preparing for a 'cousins' wedding, and they had invited me to go with them to the wedding on Saturday 31st.
The Wedding took place at ShaKou, a tiny little dirt road village west of Hong Hu on the other side of the lake. Knowing how fond the Chinese are of Photos, I deliberately left my camera at home, for I knew I would spend the day taking everyone's pictures. And it was just as well that I did.
The Traditional wedding in this area runs for days, but on this day, members of the families, together with friends, meet at the groom's house. The house is located in a solitary dirt street beside a river (creek), on the banks of which was set a marquee for the band who were belting out loud songs on a PA system. It's hard to imagine if you have not witnessed something similar. Between the entrance to the house, where everyone was gathered (both inside and out) and the Marquee, there is a distance of only about 3 metres, and between the singing and the firecrackers (which go on forever) it doesn't take long to develop a headache.
Add this to the tradition of everyone handing you a cigarette as soon as you put one out, and it isn't long before your throat and lungs are red roar. For a long time we just stood around. Well I just stood around because despite the many people who insisted on talking to me, no one spoke English. Eventually we all took turns to sit inside to have a meal, during which, the cooks place a bowl on the table for the guests to put money into, as a payment for the workers. I followed the lead and put 10 yuan in the bowl, but then everyone wanted me to put in foreign money. I did have an Australian $20 note in my wallet, so I donated that - about 120 yuan - a most generous foreigner.
After lunch, a convoy set out to go 'steal' the bride from her home, and I was invited to take part. Crowded into a minivan with about 12 people, we set off to the Bride's home, which was about 10 minutes away. Everybody gathered outside, and at the appointed time, the men (including myself) entered the house and tried to break into the Bride's room, which was locked from the inside, and protected on the outside by female relatives demanding some form of payment.
The men had 1000 yuan to offer but it was not enough, and jostling broke out. While I became quite concerned, Tobias informed me that this was all prearranged and there was nothing to worry about. Some quick donations took the amount to about 1300 yuan, and still the women would not let the men in. By this time they were kicking and belting the door. It is often hard to tell if Chinese people are having a lively discussion or are just plain 'fighting', but it was to this dumb foreigner, quite a scary time.
Eventually the door was unbolted from the inside, and the bride came out. This was followed by an ancestor homage at the family shrine in the entrance room. As we turned to leave the room however, it was discovered that the exit was blocked by chairs and planks and more women demanding money. They got none! The barricade was dismantled. The convoy set off once more for the Groom's house, and all the time firecrackers were being set off. If you have seen a Chinese movie in which fire crackers are let off, you may have noticed that they are set off in long strings - hundreds of firecrackers. When they explode, they actually send out paper projectiles and so you must protect your eyes, and in our case, they were being set off beside the cars as we made our way to the main (dirt) road.
Our particular vehicle, in addition to the dozen people in it, was absolutely full of the wedding gifts, namely, varieties of linen bedding and quilts. And just as well too. We were the last vehicle to leave, and had driven about 5 minutes when we were involved in a car crash. As near as I can figure out, we hit a ditch and as a result, the steering column or axle broke, and the driver could not control the car. We spun 90 degrees and crashed into two thin trees on the bank overlooking the canal. They actually prevented us from ending up, upside down in the canal.
Everyone was thrown around. The initial 'bump' sent the bedding flying, some of which hit me in the face. As we spun, My face hit the window of the car, but thankfully, I was covered in bedding at the time. As we hit the tree, we all shot forward, landing one on top of the other on the floor of the van.
We had about 6 kids in the van with us, and while I don't remember it, they apparently climbed right over top of us to escape. Tobias was underneath everyone, and I had a 'seat' (read plank), wedged firmly in a place I won't mention. Until it was removed, I could not get up. Of course I didn't actually know at the time why I couldn't get up, but the bruising I suffered the next day, brought back memories.
Tobias was bleeding profusely, and a passing car rushed him to Hospital. The groom's other cousin was trapped for a few minutes in the front of the van, and possibly had a broken leg. In all the confusion, it was hard to know what happened to all the people who had been in the van, but at last Eunice, myself and another gentlemen were left standing beside the empty van.
Poor Eunice! Despite seeing all of Tobias' blood etc, the only thing she could say and kept on saying was 'Oh I am so sorry! I am so sorry!' And uncharacteristically, she was trying to brush the dirt off my clothes. (She should not have been touching a man.) We eventually hailed a car which took us to Feng Kou hospital. On the way I was sitting between Eunice and the other gentleman, and I told Eunice that I needed to spit out of the window. She said - as is customary - 'spit on the floor'. I told her I could not - so she gave me some tissues. What no one knew was that I had been swallowing blood since the accident and could not keep doing it. When I spat blood into the tissue, she just freaked! (I suffered a hairline fracture to my nose, which took about 6 weeks to heal.)
At the hospital we found Tobias. His bleeding had been caused by a little cut to his neck, but he was fine. Eventually we made it back to the wedding, where everyone swarmed upon us. One elder uncle expressed his apologies and said that it would have been very unlucky for the Bride and Groom if I had been killed, (Yeah! For me too!), and that everyone had been concerned that if I died it would have given the village a bad name. hahahahahah
So this is where my Holiday Story Ends. I hope you enjoyed it!
These are the Culprits. Eunice and Tobias. They are responsible for inviting me to the wedding, and my involvement in the car accident.
R.P.BenDedek is from Brisbane Australia and is the author of 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran' at http://www.kingscalendar.com His academic articles set forth Apologetics for and results of his discovery of an "artificial chronological scheme" running through the Bible, Josephus, the Damascus Documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Seder Olam Rabbah.
He writes photographic 'Stories from China' and social editorial commentaries, both at KingsCalendar, and as a contributing newspaper columnist. He currently teaches Conversational English in China and in addition to his English Lessons at KingsCalendar, he has created specific sites for Students of English.
I really think you should delete that photo of a rude woman in the limo giving you her own personal salute. THIS COULD BE CONSIDERED NOT POLITE IN SOME CIRCLES. Smiling older sister.
