厦门海景

Four-and-a-half hours of sleep was so not a good idea, but at least I got to the airport comfortably on time after all. Check-in was a breeze, and then Nar showed up to send me off. w00t. The flight was delayed for about half an hour because the documentation hadn't been cleared by depature time, and then other air traffic got in the way, but after that it was a smooth and uneventful journey.


Xiamen felt quite the same as nine months ago, only slightly warmer--and it's supposed to be winter now? The same light haze in the air, the same aged but sturdy buildings, the same cosy atmosphere, the same panoramic views of the clear blue sea. The taxi deposited me at the wrong gate of the University because the road ahead was blocked by a peloton of buses following a traffic accident and the driver couldn't be bothered with detours. Walking across campus to the gate where the parents were waiting didn't take too long though, and it was very agreeable weather to walk in: sun shining but not glaring, comfortably warm, the slightest hint of wind. Our living quarters are quite close to the sea, even closer than our home in Singapore. A hundred metres, perhaps? And the seaside here is quite different from Singapore's. The waters stretch out in a grand, sparsely-populated vastness. Ambling along the boardwalk that goes along the shore from near the University to somewhere half a dozen kilometres north, one could take in, along with the crash of the waves, the endless sight of sky blending into sea with only the occasional fishing boat or small ship to interrupt. Not like Singapore's sea, endlessly interrupted by anchorages and huge industrial chimnies and all sorts of industrial sounds.

[All hail Bluetooth]