Greetings from Nanjing

Greetings from the 46th Floor of my hotel in Nanjing. Finally got here this afternoon. I was a bit apprehensive coming to a place where our embassy representative is not around (and yes, I appreciate what my colleagues at MOFAT do). Anyway, got off the plane and walked out on what turned out to be a very modern airport and at the immigration counters saw special lanes for us participants of the 4th United Nations World Urban Forum organised by UN Habitat.

No hassle, the officer smiled, chopped my passport and return it as quickly. The bags came out efficiently. The customs officers just look at us walking through the green lane. The hotel reps were waiting and we were told to register for the Forum right at the airport and got our passes already. 40 minutes car ride to hotel, whizzed to my room and here I am typing this just a few minutes later. I have certainly been underestimating the Chinese here.

Communication will be a problem though as the drivers don't speak English. Walking outside too will be a problem. The haze here reminded me of our 1999 haze in Brunei. Really bad. The whole place looked as if it is going to rain anytime. Can't see the sky. But temperature is not too bad at about 19 celsius. Looking out, Nanjing is just as big as the other Chinese cities. Google said it is numbered 16th.

What's here in Nanjing? What most people don't know is that Nanjing used to be the capital of China before it moved to Beijing. Our beloved country paid tributes to the Emperor of China and sent the tributes to China in the 15th century. In fact, Nanjing has the Makam of Sultan Majid Hassan, currently unnumbered but if numbered will be the 2nd Sultan of Brunei. He reigned from 1402 to 1406. The Chinese called him Majekana and he died while visiting China then ruled by Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty. I hope to get the opportunity to visit the Makam and will tell you all about it.