Paul Git

When I left China on 19th January there was news about a virus in Wuhan, but I had no idea that the whole world would be impacted the way in which it has. I would have never guessed that my 14 day trip would eventually be an additional 186 days! However, after an approximate 2 month process, today I was finally reunited with my family and almost got licked to death by my two dogs!

I would not have got through this experience without the love and encouragement of my family and friends all around the world. I am especially grateful to my friends in Hodenhagen who looked after me for the vast majority of the time I was in Germany. An experience I will never forget.

I must say a big thank you to my colleagues in HR at thyssenkrupp System Engineering, The German Chamber of Commerce and Lufthansa for making my return to China possible at this globally challenging time.

I would also like to say a special thank you to the Qingdao authorities and the staff of the Mangrove Tree Resort World who have looked after me, along with the other passengers who arrived in Qingdao on the 22nd July Charter flight. You have made the last 14 days as comfortable as they could be. 谢谢!

I should also thank the Qingdao West New Area Government for the ample supply of complimentary beer!🍺.

I think I have some interesting photos to post from today, which I will do in the coming days. But right now I must get myself readjusted to life at home at give my wife and dogs the attention they have missed.

Thank you all for coming on this journey with me!

For many years I have been told by friends that I should try TsingTao Original Beer, however I have never seen it anywhere when I have looked. That was, until today.

Today is my last day in Qingdao, the home of TsingTao beer and I was pleased surprised to see a small beer store selling the local wares.

I was pleasantly surprised that not only did they have the TsingTao Original Beer, they even had cold ones! (If you have ever been to China you will know that ice cold drinks are not very common).

This has to be the best TsingTao beer I have tasted so far, but it’s not cheap. It cost ¥99 (about $14 US) for 1L. But after 14 days of quarantine, I deserved it! It is served in a quality aluminium bottle which probably adds to the cost!

I have just finished the last supper of my 14 days of quarantine here in the beautiful city of Qingdao, Shandong Province.

Earlier today I was visited by doctors in white suits who did another COVID-19 swab test and also sucked blood out of me for an antibody check. Hopefully this will enable me to be issues with a certificate that states I completed quarantine virus free!

I am particularly interested in the antibody results, just to see if I ever had the virus without knowing. However a friend told me that asymptomatic carriers tend to be fit and healthy individuals, so that actually rules me out.

So, apart from finishing the remaining beer, tonight I must re-pack my suitcase ready for my onward adventure to Shanghai tomorrow. Then my real diet and excercise program can start (maybe!).

Well there is a little under 3 days to go before I will be released from quarantine. To be precise my quarantine officially ends at 10:29 On 6th August, this happens to be the official landing time of my flight on 23rd July.

The last few days have been really humid and the nights have been disturbed due to a tropical storm off the east coast area of China. I hope I can get some good sleep later today!

As I woke up earlier than usual this morning, I checked my leg and it seems the muscle injury had healed. Feeling guilty, I thought I would start doing the quarantine exercise regime that I had planned. For this I used Carrot Fit as my mentor and guide, only to discover that I am really out of shape, which is surprising because when I look at myself in the mirror, I see a finely tuned athlete.

I completed the routine and this afternoon I am now hurting in places that I didn’t know could hurt. Perhaps exercise is really for young people?

However, Carrot Fit did give me a reward of a popsicle but sadly there are none available in my hotel quarantine room.

While I am biding my time in Qingdao quarantine, my wife is once again travelling to some of the more scenic places in China. This time she is in Qinghai Province with her photography group. Today she sent this spectacular drone footage of The Devil’s Eye, Aiken Spring. I assume she is one of the small dots near to the vehicles you can see.

Here is another great photo taken of my wife by her photography teacher. I am so envious, I just wish I was there with her, I need a vacation!

Your terminal can display color, but most diff tools don’t make good use of it. By highlighting changes, icdiff can show you the differences between similar files without getting in the way

🔗 icdiff: side-by-side highlighted command line diffs

I am on a roll today, the second really useful utility I have found. I always struggle with the output form diff, probably because I am old, but icdiff allows me to stay on the command line. Lets see if it becomes a permanent replacement for Beyond Compare which is my current go to GUI based diff/merge tool.

This tutorial teaches you to convert the tabs into spaces in Linux command line from the programming perspective.

🔗 How to Convert Tabs to Spaces in Linux With Expand Command

I often think that I am knowledgeable about Linux, but I keep discovering little gems like this one. The actual real magical command I discovered in this article is sponge, if only I had know about that before, some of my shell scripts would be so much better!

Who made the beach disappear?

So it’s quarantine half time. What have I learned during the last 7 days?

1. The hotel is nice, normally with a wonderful sunny few of the beach.
2. I am getting well looked after but the hotel.
3. The food is much better than I thought it would be, but sadly it has a slight western slant to it, bread instead of rice. I miss my rice.
4. There is almost free flow complimentary beer, I am actually drinking much more than I usually do.
5. I had forgotten how unreliable the China Internet was when accessing sites overseas.
6. My plan to actually exercise during quarantine has failed for the following reasons:
   • A leg injury is preventing me from doing anything too strenuous (I did something the day I left Hodenhagen).
   • Walking up and down my hotel room to get my steps in is extremely tedious.
   • I am simply lazy
7. My other plan to actually sit down and do some digital housekeeping has also failed because sitting on my balcony, listing to music and watching the sea is far more attractive.
8. Time actually flies when you have work to do during the day.

My guess is the second half will be pretty much the same. Further COVID-19 tests are scheduled including an anti-body check so that is probably as exciting as it gets.

China’s homegrown large amphibious aircraft AG600 successfully completed its maiden flight over the sea yesterday in the coastal city of Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, its developer has announced.

🔗1st amphibious aircraft tested off Qingdao | Shanghai Daily

Damn! I had this happening on my doorstep and I had no idea.

Today was my first working day of quarantine. It was a very pleasant day here in Qingdao with clear blue skies and really good air quality, I hope that this continues.

There is something to be said about the climate here. I usually detest the summer in Shanghai because of the humidity. Normally within minutes of leaving my home to start my commute my shirt is usually soaked in sweat and I am ready for another cold shower!

Qingdao is different, for the last few days and nights I have kept my balcony door open and the cool sea breeze is just enough to take the edge off the heat and create a really comfortable environment. Looking up from my laptop and seeing sun, sea and sand takes me away from the reality that I will have no human contact and very little native language communication over the next 10 days. The only person I see and interact with each day is someone dressed head to toe in a white suit who knocks at my door twice a day to take my temperature.

It hasn’t been plain sailing for everyone. The German Chamber of Commerce set up a WeChat group for all of us on the 22nd July Charter Flight. There were reports today that many people who were on the 15th July Charter Flight got stomach issues starting last week, possibly as a result of the food. Apparently some even had to be taken to hospital. This no doubt has made a bad situation much worse for them, I wish them all a speedy recovery.

A few people on my flight say they have had stomach problems, but fortunately I have been OK so far, perhaps as a result of the fine whisky I brought with me. Hopefully the situation will remain that way!

Now I must address an important issue, I have run out of beer! 🍺