Travelove Series is about the smiles I have gathered during my travels. I consciously look for Travelove during my travels.
Travelove Series 7 – Spray Stockings
During my Beijing trip, I visited Temple of Heaven just around sunrise. I roamed around the sprawling Complex for the next few hours.
I marvelled at its magnificent architecture. I admired the well-manicured gardens. I took in the fascinating sight of groups of Tai-chi practitioners engaged in morning workouts.
Just before exiting the East Gate of this massive complex, I realised the ankle I had twisted earlier was acting up again. The pain was almost unbearable.
Near the exit, I came across a mixed group learning traditional Chinese fan dance. I went up to them to ask if there was a pharmacy nearby.
Our mutual ignorance of each other’s language made me resort to sign language. I gestured by rubbing my hands up and down my calf that I was in pain. For further clarity, I made groaning sounds. With my hand, I made a spraying gesture.
Like all good Chinese folk, few of them smiled, nodded and made understanding noises. One of them took great pains to give me directions through his hand gestures. After repeating the directions and getting a nod from him, I hobbled away in the direction indicated.
I walked out of the Complex, walked a couple of blocks, turned left, and came to a building that looked like a shabby mall. I made my way up to the 4th floor (there was no lift in the building) and found myself in the lingerie section.
Staring me in the face were some sheer stockings. And that’s when it dawned upon me that my sign language communicated ‘Stockings’ and not ‘Pain Relieving Spray’ to the kind man. Despite my pain I couldn’t help broadly smiling to myself!
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