When the Cranes Fly South

Holibobs 2026: Doctor Faustus & the A.C.

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“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

Holibobs 2026: Watermelon seeds

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The sweat seems to swelter beneath every pore. Your skin refuses to cool your body temperature. Every sinew is at an exhausting saturation point. 35°C sits two digits or so beneath your body temperature. With the added 74% humidity, the dew point (26°C) is long passed. It feels like 43°C. Saying, “It’s too hot”, has long become a fruitless task.

As is tradition, a flock of angry and hungry mosquitoes, descended upon me within Guangzhou Airport’s confusing subway/railway transit system. I arrived to a vast modern terminal by Guangzhou Baiyun (白云机场东) East and only needed a 5 minute train ticket to get to Baiyun North (白云机场北) but it took nearly an hour to transit. My eSim card failed to get a signal in the last 50 metres of underground tunnel to the ticket booth. A kind staff member provided a WiFi hot-spot after I’d attempted to buy a ticket only to lose the eSim signal at the ticket booth. I would make it back to my waiting duo no matter what.

Tastes of Guangdong 2026.

“…she doesn’t give a solitary shit what I want.” – Bo, When the Cranes Fly South, Lisa Ridzén

The same happened at Baiyun North as I crossed onto a subway train. A man dressed all in black wearing only a body CCTV camera on his chest provided the WiFi hotpot. He was either Public Security Bureau or another government body. His English was crisp and clear. The subway took me to Guangzhou East Railway Station. Here a WiFi signal was found at the mall’s H&M clothing store. From then on it was plain sailing but I was regretting a lack of sleep on the flight to Shanghai from Manchester. My aches, pains, and caffeine-withdrawal-induced nausea were in full flight. That Costa Coffee in Shanghai certainly boosted me through a 3 hour delay.

During the journey, Ironwood, by thriller writer Michael Connelly, alongside When the Cranes Fly South kept me company. The former focuses on Detective Stilwell based on Catalina (a filming location of the nudist swimmer scene in the movie Jaws). Whilst not quite as sharp as the Harry Bosch or Ballard series of novels, the pages move fast. Due to time waiting in Manchester Airport, the book was finished by my 3rd day in Huizhou. Many welcome distractions and a spot of jetlag allowed a balanced approach to reading and pleasure. The journey also featured the movie Mr Burton which was a lovely flick about the rise of actor Richard Burton. “No one would have believed…” Eventually a solo became a duo that hooked into a trio.

After an early afternoon of swimming in a river by Aiwei village (隘尾村 – see also 五塔云山农庄 广东省惠州市惠东县梁化镇七星墎隘尾村), our reunited triplet hunkered down for a night and day inside sheltering from Typhoon Hongxia/Whatitsface. The big bugger flattened the majority of the garden complex’s trees and crushed a few cars and bikes. The air mostly felt comfortable throughout Sunday the 26th. By late evening, the relentless humidity was back to ensure my lack of suitable t-shirts would remain ever drenched.

To be continued…