Wow what a day...managed to get to sleep some time after 3am last night but Im keen to sort out these strange hours Im keeping so I got up at 8 and walked into town to try out a coffee place Id noticed yesterday. Im not sure about Changsha in general but around here pretty much nowhere sells coffee and I was very much in need of it today. What an amazing place...huge, with sofas, settles and upholstered chairs enough to seat between 200 - 250 people. Its called Milo and its on the second floor of a concrete block of cheap clothes and electronics stores at the corner of a huge traffic intersection. I entered through the tatty unassuming double doors and made my way upstairs. There was a distinct aura of faded grandeur about the place. Think aged mahogany, aspadistras (possibly plastic), fine bone china and retired colonels drinking brandy at 11am whilst Hercule Poirot reads The Times of London by a huge wooden bar as a lizard clings to a whirling ceiling fan and youre half way there. Run that image through an almost not there 1970s filter (It looks like it dates from 1915 but Im guessing 60s/70s) and add a barely detectable hint of Wetherspoons and youre very close indeed. An ageing Chinese gentleman read the paper a few tables away from me in the low light from the half drawn blinds...he was the only other customer. I ordered a pot of coffee which at around £8 was relatively speaking the most expensive thing Ive bought here and sat reading my book and watching as the the ballet of cars, people, buses and motorbikes gracefully described perilous arcs of faith and luck across the dual carriageways. The coffee was pretty good and 30 minutes later I walked back to my hotel to run through the songs for todays sound check / rehearsal. At noon I met my contact for the day, Dunrui and we set off to meet the band Da Mu and travel to Orange Isle by bus and metro. By the time we arrived 40 minutes later the warm hazy day had become scorchingly hot and very humid. By the time we arrived at our stage I was soaked to the skin. But what a stage! Its the main stage in a huge grassy arena and better equipped in terms of monitors and back line than most Ive come across. After 30 minutes of setting up our gear and being assessed by a very competent stage crew we ran through the set and I had a fantastic time. I couldnt help but enjoy myself and dance around as I played. For half an hour I was a Chinese rock god! Albeit one playing to a large expanse of empty grass. The band are very good at what they do and I have a feeling the crowd here will really enjoy them tomorrow. All that remained was to carry my equipment back to the hotel. By this time it was so hot that I actually had to focus on not passing out as I carried my guitar and bag the long walk to the metro. By the time I got to my hotel I was totally exhausted but had an hour to shower and catch up on e mails and then I was in another taxi and on my way to a more modern part of town to see a play. It was great to see this other side to Changsha...the area was teeming with people out for the evening, visiting the bars, restaurants and shops flanked by neon trimmed skyscrapers. And Dunrui and I ate in a lovely little bar/cafe before entering an office block and making our way via an elevator to a back room that had been renovated and turned into a fantastic small theatre. I can tell you that the actors were brilliant, the packed house audience of 50 or so people loved it and laughed riotously and that I admired the physical energy and direction of the play. I also think it was a kind of farce based on relationships, unfaithfulness and friendship with a dose of slapstick thrown in. And I got a genuine sense that I was watching real quality. Beyond that I havent a clue. It was all in Chinese. After failing to flag a taxi I risked an unregistered car back to the hotel and am now about to fall into the deepest sleep known to man.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 17:03:24 +0000
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