'Tis the Season to be jolly

The date approaches fast and a certain unease is starting to crawl over me. For the last couple of weeks it's like being at a boarding gate, in limbo. Everything is ready, enough waiting, now it is time to go. Even if it's not actually all ready and every day there is something to sort out. Yesterday for example I went to the doctor to ask him for a letter to explain the amount of medicines we'll be carrying: all legal drugs and for personal use. Ten boxes of antibiotic could rise some eyebrows going through custom. Last week we payed for the Yangtze cruise, today they confirmed having received the transfer and gave us even an upgrade: from the Victoria Rose to the Victoria Prince, bigger and more modern. Our friend Li Beiyan in Beijing booked for us the train between Beijing and Xi'an and the flights between Xi'an and Chengdu and Yichang and Shanghai (Xie xie Beiyan, I hope you are picking that restaurant nice and expensive!!). We're left with the hotel in Xi'an and the one in Shanghai, there's still time.

For once I am totally immune to the Christmas frenzy that every day becomes more intense around here. We're to the point of avoiding the city center unless absolutely necessary. Christmas carols have been playing continuously in all shops since the beginning of November, after one hour drives you nuts. I am quite capable to resist the temptation of buying beautiful and useless staff, party clothes, cashmere scarves and scented candles leave me totally cold this year. Yesterday, passing by the pet shop I have seen a new one : Santa's stockings for cats and dogs with toys and food with a Chritsmas theme.

I am not a complete King Herod, I decorated the tree for my daughters and Santa will arrive even to this house. My Christmas shopping is of a different kind. I can't pass Mahers Outdoor Shop in town without going in and every time I came out with some new gadget. The last purchases are some really thin super absorbent towels with practically no volume and 4 Sporks, knife, fork and spoon in one. I have almost fallen under the spell of astronaut food but then I told myself we're not going to the jungle and we'll be able to buy whatever we're missing on the way. My last, for now, bit of shopping was on ebay: two gadgets not to lose your children, some traking devices with an alarm that will go off if the child strides further than 25 meters. Not exactly necessary but can't hurt having them.