“Look at the bee! It looks like a goth!”, I said to nobody in particular. The hovering jet black bug landed on a flower with such delicate motion yet the tank-like structure of its body screamed not to be messed with. Think Rocky meets The Rock. But, almost entirely black with some white facial features. Not to be confused with racist minstrel men of dated television shows.

When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén touched me. So much so that the last few chapters had me in and out of my eyes doing impressions of waterfalls. Empathy and that book seemed inseparable. I haven’t cried at many books. In fact, I can’t think of any off the top of my head, not even Bambi (the book, not the film). Felix Salten’s written words didn’t quite torture my young soul like the Walt Disney animation.

Exploring Huizhou has seen many wanders to various parks such as West Lake (西湖); Dong Ping park (东平公园); Dongpo Temple (东平公园); Dongpo Jing Park (东坡井); Hejiang Tower (合江楼); & Zhongshan Park (中山公园). A mesh of flowers, temple-like structures, wooden platforms, and traditional realms can easily be found. And mosquitoes.

I firmly believe that where I step, the mosquito conservation programmes improve. As a knock on effect bat populations improve. Their guano feeds a realm of trees. The mosquitoes dive from leaves onto my skin and top up theor dietary needs. I am part of the circle of life. Eternally bugged by the little winged terrors. And the relentless humidity and heat partners such things.

Many wanders were had on the banks of the Dōngjiāng River (东江), which stretches 523 km (325 miles) from Mount Yajibo in Jiangxi to Machong in Dongguan where its mouth opens into the Pearl River (Zhūjiāng/珠江). China’s third longest River system has many tributaries along its whopping 2,400 km (1,500 miles). Amongst its flow through Huizhou, there are tree-lined banks. Many have their own passports with species names and locations fastened on the side. Esch wander was toasty and way above thirty Celsius.

Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus was first performed around 1594 survives via two texts published around ten years and 22 years later. An Elizabethan peer of Shakespeare’s times, this play shook the apple cart with themes of dark arts, devil worship, and occultism. The religious focus of the text is interspersed by witty moments. It is a challenging text to read, yet, once you start the short play flows towards a morbid conclusion. I finished reading the play script in a Luckin Coffee by Huizhou’s Xinkai River. A friendly partner to the cathedral city of Worcester, I enjoyed my cappuccino, thinking how much I’d like cheese on toast with some Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce. A.C. firmly on chill.

“Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris” – Latin for ‘Misery loves company’, Doctor Faust, Christopher Marlowe