Communications

'Recover post' is one of the options when creating a blog. How pertinent as we don't seem to be receiving any sort of post at all other than local bills. This is particularly odd given we have two magazines which should arrive here every week and all our mail is being redirected from the UK. Maybe the Economist and the Week are banned here although their offices say not. In an attempt to stay in contact with the outside world, Jamie accosted the local postman as he cycled past us the other day. 'We live on Lane 351, are you our postman?' 'Yes' replied the somewhat bewildered man. 'Well, we haven't had any mail since moving in'. 'Well are you expecting any?' said the mailman. 'Yes' said Jamie 'If you get mail, I'll deliver it' replied the man, not unreasonably but clearly thinking Jamie had lost his marbles.

Having failed to solve anything by tackling the delivery point, we thought we'd go to the source so sent our driver Mister Guo to the post office to find out what was going on but he received more or less the same answer as Jamie. The Chinese post office now thinks we have no friends and are so desperate for mail that we have to beg for it.

A further problem on the communications front is that you have to apply for international direct dialling and it takes a month to come through. That means no international calls and no international texts for now. Not only that, but in order to get a contract rather than pre-paid phone which is what enables you to get idd in the first place, you have to go with a Chinese national who has to take out the contract on your behalf and hope you don't abscond with huge amounts outstanding.