San Diego: Old Town

Verdant greeting at the Old Town in San Diego

On our second last day in San Diego we drove south to the Old Town to check it out. It is the first European settlement in California, and the oldest neighbourhood in San Diego (though it's literally just a tourist spot now, no one lives here).

Conveniently there's a parking lot nearby where you can park for four hours for free, but it's not necessary! The area is divided into several sections -- a Mexican-themed place with restaurants and gift shops, and then a more open area with individual shops, sadly many of them have closed. Keep walking up and you'll hit the main street of the area where there are cafes and restaurants serving mostly Tex-Mex food.

Gum Saan sells non-Chinese trinkets

The Mexican area is very colourful with lots of succulents and flowers mixed with skeletons. It's like a perpetual Cinco de Mayo there. Souvenir shops sell colourfully embroidered clothing -- made in China, or jewellery and items made by local artists. There were also tile shops, one selling very spicy chilli sauces, and ceramics.

We then headed to the more Western area that sort of looked like a hastily assembled Wild West Main Street. The City Hall had two women dressed up in clothing from two centuries ago, and there was a candle-making shop that was quite popular that also sold soap.

Another one with many customers was the candy shop where people could not resist buying fudge to stuff their faces with. Interestingly ther was a shop called "Gum Saan" or "Gold Mountain", as many Chinese migrants came to California to try their luck and pan for gold. But the shop actually sold Tibetan and Nepalese items, including bracelets, singing bowls, statues, and incense. Nothing to do with Chinese!

In the end we had a bite to eat in a Tex-Mex restaurant, and I ordered two tacos, one was seared Mahi Mahi, the other pulled pork with a side of black beans. I was full after eating those two tacos and only managed to make a dent in the black beans!

Mahi mahi taco (left) and pulled pork, black beans

We then tried to get on the Hop On, Hop Off bus, but found out it would be a two-hour ride and about US$50 a person, so we made our way back to the parking lot and came home!

Zero-Covid Protests Erupt in China

Police in hazmat suits beat protesting workers in Zhengzhou

There are tremors that are becoming more agitated in the Middle Kingdom thanks to Xi Jinping's insistence on zero-Covid.

In the last two days videos have been posted on Twitter showing workers at a Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, Henan province. There are scenes of them armed with metal sticks clashing with "dabai" or police in white hazmat suits with riot shields, and the workers are for the most part holding the line.

The workers are protesting the working conditions and pay in the biggest factory that makes iPhones.

Foxconn workers protesting pay and conditions

Last month there was the threat of a lockdown in the factory because of a Covid-19 infection and many workers fled with suitcases, literally walking hundreds of kilometres to get home. They could not take public transport because their phones would have a warning of a possible infection.

The Taiwanese factory then tried to hire more workers, but apparently the new ones found their pay was changed when they got there. One worker, Li Sanshan said he was lured by 25,000 yuan (US$3,500) for two months' of work. But when he got to the factory, he found out they would have to work an additional two months to get the 25,000 yuan.

"Foxconn released very tempting recruiting offers, and workers from all parts of the country came, only to find they were made fools of," Li said.

The company claimed it was a "technical error" and offered an apology. But Foxconn is now struggling to fill iPhone14 orders.

Chinese shocked to see maskless football fans

Meanwhile the World Cup has kicked off in Qatar, and despite its reprehensible treatment of migrant workers, banning homosexual acts and sexist treatment of women, it has allowed the thousands of football fans in the stadiums to watch the matches without masks.

When the Chinese turned on their televisions or phones to watch the matches, they were shocked -- shocked -- to see no one masked up.

"Some people are watching World Cup matches in person with no masks, some have been locked at home for a month, locked on campus for two months without even being able to step out the door," a Guangdong-based user on Weibo wrote on Wednesday.

"Who has stolen my life? I won't say."

Another Weibo user from Shaanxi province said they were "disappointed" in their country.

Chinese wonder if China on same planet as Qatar

"The World Cup has allowed most Chinese people to see the real situation abroad, and worry about the economy of the motherland, and their own youth," the user wrote.

Another questioned China's zero-Covid policy and if China was "on the same planet" as Qatar on the Weibo platform before it was censored. 

The World Cup matches are broadcast on state broadcaster CCTV, which also gives a lot of negative information about the rest of the world, claiming they are struggling with the virus. 

Now the Chinese feel like they are made fools of too...