Comments on: Freezin’ your laowai ass off? Tips for staying warm

By: Julian

Julian — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:23:26 +0000

Yeah, a good English-language bookshop is really missing here. Does your bookshop have a web-address? Perhaps they deliver to Guilin. Would be cheaper than the amazon and better than the crap you get over dangdang

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:00:19 +0000

I should be doing a post about how to stay “cool” now… but that book idea is a good one. We’re fortunate here in Suzhou that we’ve a good English-language bookshop, maybe they could hook me up with a bulk of books before next winter.

By: Julian

Julian — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:49:35 +0000

Luckily I live in Guilin. It doesn’ t get that cold here. Still, a pair of long johns is the best weapon against the cold…and my wall-to-wall bookshelves insulating my working room from the outside world (cost a fortune getting the books here, but its definitly worth it)

By: Kotsengkuba

Kotsengkuba — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:22:40 +0000

My Chinese flatmate always tell me to buy one of those furry slippers but I always decline. One time in the supermarket, I was cornered by him and his girlfriend so I didn’t have a choice but to buy one. Luckily, it really helped me in fighting the cold not to mention it’s more comfortable wearing them instead of my shoes.

By the way, I’m trying to sign up here with the link below right but the page is not found. Isn’t blocked by the “China Great Wall?”

By: Bonny

Bonny — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:26:56 +0000

OK, here’s one for when you have to go outside for any length of time. U get a cheap hair drier and blow hot air into your boots for a while. It really works… I hope you brought boots big enough to support 3 layers of socks, and those knee socks over the long johns are nice too!

By: Lonnie

Lonnie — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 16:00:05 +0000

That is why you’re cold: no pants!

Ya, ya, I am in the same breezy living room…sigh…

I am here on the Tropic of Cancer and–no shit–I am wearing three shirts, a sweater and three sets of polyester and wool socks that I am holding close enough to the space heater (the ones in Guangzhou aren’t strong enough to warm a toilet seat) I am assured of a melt-down…

At least I am not a migrant at the station cutting in line to get ahead in the wait for an imaginary train…

I need to go: time to jog in place and then put Tiger Balm in my underpants…

By: Chip

Chip — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 02:27:46 +0000

Ryan,

Have you ever thought to yourself “Why am I letting her wear the pants?” I do, constantly.

By: Philip

Philip — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:15:41 +0000

My tip is (modified ) ladies tights under the long johns, of which I am commanded to wear two sets by ‘er indoors.

Angel is now unfreezing snow because we haven’t had any water for over 24 hours.

-24c tonight if we’re lucky….

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 03:44:23 +0000

@Tam: As much as I HATE zhou, you make it sound kinda good.

@Lou: Sweet suggestion – though I’m betting it kills all hope of having natural lighting eh?

@Chip: That fucking “fresh air” thing slays me. I’ve virtually got frostbite on my extremities and the missus is opening windows. I tell ‘er if she wants fresh air she can go outside, just for god’s sake let whatever heat we’ve managed to accumulate indoors stay where it is. She ignores me.

By: Chip

Chip — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 03:03:20 +0000

The root of the problem is a combination of 1)no insulation and 2)”gongnuan” soviet style radiation. For all the effort gone into piling clothes upon clothes upon bodies, you’d think somebody would be smart enough to stick some insulation in the walls here. And don’t get me started on the “public radiators”. They’re crap! This year, my wife made us buy a slightly larger radiator to replace the POS sitting next to the window in our room (Why would anybody put a radiator next to a window???). Rather than go for the 200 kuai electric heater fan that can be moved wherever you want in the house, we opted for a 1200 kuai radiator. That is still next to the window. Oh, and every few days we open the windows in polluted beijing in the dead of winter to “get fresh air”. Someone shoot me, please.