Monday, April 9, 2012

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Some days things can get a little slow around here, so I decided to take you on a tour of our complex.  Plus it gave me the perfect excuse to check up on the caged pigeon I am so concerned about.

This is the main entrance.  Not the greatest photo, but this whole front is a water fountain that is occasionally turned on.
Our complex is called Marina Cove Garden, don't ask me how to say that in Chinese I have only taken two Mandarin lessons.  It is divided into blocks (or buildings) and offers a variety of floor plans. There are multiple gates from which you can enter, all are manned by security guards.  The building shown above houses a lounge, spa, restaurant and indoor pool.

Next, we have our building.  We live on the second floor.  There are two apartments per floor and we are currently the only ones living on our floor.







 Many of the trees and bushes are in bloom.  There are all kinds of flowering plants around the complex. It is also not uncommon to look out a window and see workers weeding the lawn by hand. 


















There is a stream of sorts that flows through part of the complex.  It is full of different colored goldfish.










It is along this path where I also discovered the pet pigeon, or as someone suggested, a messenger pigeon.  I sneaked a picture of him.  I am pretty sure every time I walk by he calls to me free him. Poor guy.




May I interest you in a round of golf?
Short on time?
No worries, there are only two holes.

This may look like an innocent walk way, but just two days ago I met a women who has two small children.  On a windy day last weekend she was stopped on the bridge and let go of her stroller to say something to her other son, when a gust of wind tipped her stroller, baby included, in the pond.  Frightening.





We also have a ridiculously large outdoor pool.  I am told the Chinese are not much for swimming, so it is pretty wide open in the summer.  It seems as though I may regret the decision to not pack our Funoodles.  This pool is also a goldmine of confusing signs.  If you are a friend on Facebook you might already be aware that there is to be no slapsticking, ducking, duching, relying, or use of life-saving beds.

The building behind the pool houses a small gym, bad-mitten courts, fencing, yoga, spinning, and ping-pong.  On top of the building is a grilling patio.


This building is directly behind our block.  It has a small convenience store, basketball/tennis courts, billiards, indoor/outdoor play grounds, library (with only Chinese books), and what I believe to be a small theater where you can watch strange and/or outdated movies.





All-in-all it is a pretty nice place to live. There are walking path's all through the complex and lots of places to sit and relax should one choose.









It is also a very short walk to two international grocery stores, many restaurants, bakery, Starbucks and Cold Stone Creamery. Some day soon I will try the green tea ice cream!


2 comments:

  1. You are an excellent tour guide.

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  2. Shayne,
    What great pictures, it's great to see where you live and to keep touch with you.
    Keep the information coming. I love looking at the picture and hearing from you.
    Cathy

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