Hobri
Share and Connect
From The Netherlands, Turkey, Iran, Asia, Australia to New Zealand
Share and Connect
Share and Connect...
China's drawings ...
The taxi driver moves gently in this morning’s traffic jam. I admire his patience. In the far distance I see a tower which is spherically shaped on the top. I do not remember the name but it’s part of Shanghai’s impressive skyline. We are heading for the historic city centre and are not used to the intense and hectic crowd that belongs here. We are moving slowly between the Chinese chauffeurs. The taxi pulls over close to a market place and the driver makes a friendly gesture towards the historic centre. …somewhere over there…. His hands are waving in the direction of a small street. The crowd makes me uncomfortable and the people seem to hold some sadness inside. China has historical wisdom and an impressive cultural status so I am kind of surprised by the sadness I observe.
We walk the crowded streets with red lanterns. Close to the historical centre artists show and sell their paintings on the street. My attention is drawn to a charcoal sketch of a model. I look at the person who made the sketch and see dark curious Chinese eyes . He gives a friendly smile. The artist has a small goatee and wears a black biretta. Feeling a little shy, I withdraw my eyes from his and focus on the sketch. My thoughts are taking me far back…..I was a child….and liked to draw and to paint and wanted to become an artist. My father made charcoal sketches and oil paintings and he encouraged me. Why did I stop painting? According to my father and my teachers I was talented. I look at the face of the Chinese artist again. He stares at me and his eyes look like they want to tell me something. I stand up and explain with my hands that I admire his work. He nods kindly, smiles and still holds his stare. I feel captured and do not know why. We move on and his eyes sting in my back until we are lost in the crowd.
Chickens and birds are locked in cages and the owners sit on their knees or on a chair on the street. We walk into a backstreet of Shanghai. The people are not used to strangers here. We greet them in Chinese…ni hao ma…. and we receive a huge smile in return. I observe these different faces and in my mind I start sketching their portraits. What did this Chinese artist do to me? His eyes were so familiar and it seemed he wanted to tell me something. Perhaps I could start drawing again at home? Caught in my deep thoughts I trip over a chicken and can barely hold on to Pieter before landing on my knees. People laugh and drive off the chicken.
Walking back to the market place we pass the Chinese artist again. He looks at us, nods kindly again and locks his eyes straight into mine. Reading his eyes I know…..for sure…. I have seen these eyes before . Where? This interaction was not a coincidence. I wave at him to say goodbye and he smiles.
We get a taxi and dissolve into Shanghai’s traffic jam again. Next week we’ll be home……I need to sketch, draw, paint….
Regien, China 2008
Pancakes...
It is early sunset. It‘s cold and the sun is low. The Tasman Sea is at our right side and the South Island landscape is on our left side. I try making myself smaller behind the KTM’s windshield to catch less wind. My legs shiver and I squeeze them tight against the motorbike to absorb some engine heat. Yesterday we had a day with lots of rain and we searched for a motel in the early afternoon. Our motor jackets and gloves dried out last night and the sky is clear now blue. Pieter drives ahead of me and I can see by the way he’s driving it is early…and cold….for him too.
We want to go to Mount Cook but the weather forecast is bad again, rain, rain and rain. This morning’s dew is disappearing slowly and the view I have is magnificent. The road curves between the rough sea and the rocks. Fascinated by the view around me, I cannot fully concentrate on my driving. Somehow a flow picks me up, takes over my driving and I feel at one with all the elements.
This road takes us to the Pancake Rocks. The naturally shaped layers of these rocks were made by the influence of the sea. The layers look like pancakes. A few years ago we visited these rocks but today we will stop to get warm and rest some. We park our motorbikes in a large parking area and walk over to the nearest restaurant. It’s dark inside the restaurant and the door is locked. A man walks over to us and informs us that today is Veterans Day. At noon all the restaurants and shops will be open again.
The Pancake rocks are across from the parking area. We want to see these ‘blow holes’ once again. It is impressive to watch the seawater being pressed in the holes and splash high against the rocks into the air. We watch the water for a while. Back at the parking area and getting ready to go we see a car coming wildly towards us followed by braking hard and shutting down the car’s engine. The driver’s door swings open and a sad and disappointed face looks at us. The man inside the car is kind of grumpy about the closed restaurant. He can’t even get a cup of coffee……..He starts talking and shows his interest in who we are and in our motorbikes.
While talking to Pieter the man is rolling a cigarette and out of his pocket comes a small plastic bag with marihuana. He finishes his ‘cigarette’ and offers it kindly to Pieter. Pieter smiles and says: ‘No thanks sir, we still have a long drive ahead of us’. ‘No problem’. .he says, thanks us, wishes us a save trip and leaves the parking area with more wild driving.
Both in our own thoughts we close our motor jackets and get our helmets. We look at each other and Pieter says with a grin: ‘We just met a pot ‘smokin’ kiwi’….
With a smile we start the engines….heading for…..somewhere….
Regien, New Zealand 2008