Chapter China: Fresh catch

One of my favourite places here in Shekou is the waterfront, where all the fishing boats are. There are always boats unloading fresh catches of fish, eel, crab, squid, prawns, shellfish, and all kinds of sea creatures I've never seen. There is a buzzing energy of people unloading the boats, sorting their catch, and cleaning and moving containers around, combined with the people who are watching closely, looking for the prime catch of the day and no doubt, for a prime price. It's a scene I can't seem to get enough of, and although I stand out like a sore thumb in the crowd, I enjoy the atmosphere so much that I just can't help myself.

This morning I woke up at a decent hour and decided to go for a walk along the waterfront. I found a nice park where people were flying kites and hanging out with friends and family in the shade of luscious trees. There's a nice boardwalk area, where many people were out for a Sunday family stroll.

The puttering sound of a boat engine caught my attention, and as I got closer to the waters edge, I noticed the slight traffic of fishing boats making their way to the pier, where they were unloading their morning catch.

There was a line of vendors under large umbrellas, with their goods in colourful sieves and plastic bins, kept fresh and alive with water hoses It's fascinating to watch transactions - you chose your fish (or other sea critters,) it's put live and squirming into a dark plastic bag, then gets weighed, in what westerners would consider an antique weigh-scale. It doesn't get any fresher than that!