So it's been a whirlwind past few days! Granted - they've been wonderful!
So Friday after the adventure at the Great Wall, Ky took me to Houhai. It's a neat part of town. There are lots of bars, restaurants, shops and lights. It's situated around a lake, and it's just pretty at night time. It's cold enough to where the lake is starting to freeze over. Ky and I partook in some Yunaan food. It was decent...not my fave though. We walked around a little more, and she took me to the Starbucks that's written in Chinese. So cool!
Saturday was crazy. Matt's clothing label (www.shortandsavage.com) was launching the following day, and the t-shirts didn't arrive until Friday night. We had to get some product/modeling shots out there...and we got to be the subjects - in the Forbidden City. WOOT! So after doing product shots at Matt's, he, Ky, me, and new friends Mike, Andrea and Mark hopped in cabs to meet Esther at the Forbidden City.
We had the best time. I got some good picture crashes in with the Chinese folks, and I got to see the sights. The Forbidden City was amazing. I love that the Chinese have such a rich history that dates back so long ago. The different halls and palaces were pretty mind blowing...and the rock garden was incredibly awesome. There are also these trees in there that grow wildly and are so heavy that they have to be held up by metal posts. They sort of remind me of the banyan trees in Hawaii. My favorite part of the city was the rock wall with the temple on top of it...built so the emperor could have the best view around. By the time we reached the end, the security forces were herding us out...very efficiently I'll add. They just started closing the doors on us! We were heading back to the entrance, and Mike & Mark stopped to play frisbee. We chatted with some folks and then started heading out again. We harassed some vendors. One woman really wanted us to buy some postcards..."2 for 10 quai!" Then Esther suggested that Ky and I take pictures holding some Chinese flags. A younger dude was selling them in the square, and we tried to give them back to him when we were finished. He wouldn't take them. Ky kept trying, and he still wouldn't take them! It was odd, and finally - she was so frustrated with him that she threw them down on the ground. I didn't quite know what to do myself. Just an example of how terrible language barriers are sometimes. We did, however, get to see the guards retire the flag for the evening. The precision of the Chinese soldiers is simply amazing. (There's a great shot of Ky standing exactly like one of them from the back...priceless!) Also - the giant picture of Mao outside of the city sort of cracked me up.
After the Short+Savage picture party, we crossed the street to get some night shots of Tianaman Square. I'm excited to see how they turn out.
We hopped on the subway (halfway frozen), and headed back to Esther's neighborhood for some yummy Tibetan food. That was a rad experience. The food was so good, the service was excellent, and the entertainment was authentic. I got some videos of it all. What is so crazy is that there's no tipping - so great service for no tip is sort of mind blowing. The food was of rockstar status! We had yak, lamb, some tasty veggies and washed it down with the cheap, refreshing Chinese beer. One of the best experiences food-wise thus far.
After our fabulous meal and long but fun day...we decided to go for massages. So there we were...Esther, Matt, Ky, Mike, Andrea and me all getting massages at 10pm on a Saturday night. During the massage, Mike turned on some mood music - Regulators by the genius Warren G. The "masseurs" (that's what they're called here) found it very amusing. Ky and I got the same guys that massaged us earlier in the week. My dude, #83, told me I had a beautiful nose and foot. He was mesmerized by the tattoo. Those massages were so relaxing that I thought we were never going to be able to get out of those chairs. Magically - we did...but it was rough.
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! What a day! The Short+Savage clothing launch was upon us at The Gift charity bazaar. We starting setting up at 7:30, and made it out of there by 6pm. It was a long day, but a fruitful one. We sold tons of t-shirts, Matt did some amazing art, and what a bonding experience. It makes me proud that I got to be a part of it...thanks, Matt, Mike and Mark for letting me help. Your gifts are literally reaching across the world.
After the busy, tiring, fantastic day, a huge group of us headed out for some awesome Japansese food. I haven't Japanese that good in ages! After full bellies hit, Ky and I headed back to her place to watch some Mean Girls and veg out. Matt and some crew came over...but we were too tired to chill with them. I crashed out on the couch, and it felt good.
Today - lazy day. We have plans to get kebabs and beers at Hooters (for realz) tonight. While Ky's tutoring, I'll get my bags all packed up and run a couple of errands. It's so hard to believe my trip is coming to a close. I couldn't have had a better experience. Ky was amazing...well, she's always amazing. She did an excellent job of showing me a great balance of tourist things and local flare. I met people that touched my life, I picked up a few Chinese words (I was totally able to order my own water and tell the cab driver where to go), got some shopping in, saw the Great Wall, and had an experience of a lifetime. I had some crazy food (cartiledge, yak, beef tongue, weird veggies) and it was all pretty tasty. Also - it's comforting knowing I've got a friend like Ky. We're good for each other. It's going to be nice to get her back to the States, but I'm so glad she took this opportunity to come out here.
First international experience: still going, but a complete success!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Teaser
It's late...it's been a busy day, and I'm pretty tired. Also - we have to be up and out the door at 7:15am tomorrow (it's 11:45 now).
Here are the highlights you get to look forward to:
Here are the highlights you get to look forward to:
- Photo shoot in the Forbidden City
- Night photos of Tianaman Square
- Chinese flag faux pas
- Short & Savage
- Tibetan food
- Another fabulous massage
- Subway ride
- Picture crashes with the Chinese
Friday, November 27, 2009
The Great Wall
Today was an epic day...in all senses of the word.
We started out with breakfast here at the house with Esther...tasty egg toasties! I made my way into the bathroom to get ready for today. The driver showed up a little before 10, and so did Andrea - a new friend we've met that came along for the Great Wall ride. She's from Portland and happened to be visiting at the same time. Our driver was sweet...didn't know a lick of English, but was a jolly, older Chinese man. He drove us to our destination: the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall of China. We had an hour and half car ride to get out there. The sites were much different heading out that way versus riding around in town. Smaller towns that were more run down...
At approximately 11:45am, we arrived to the Great Wall entrance...sort of. There are several sections you can visit, and this one has a bit of a touristy flair, but still retains some of the mystique a 4,000 mile long wall can hold. Since it's not the best time of year to be in the Beijing area, there weren't many people out there to crowd us.
It's so hard to believe the Wall was built so many hundreds of years ago...and if you think about it, it was incredibly forward thinking. "Not only do we want to protect you in this lifetime son, but we want to protect your children's children's children's children..." That's just wild.
Ky, Andrea and I got some amazing pictures and spent a couple of hours just taking it all in. I really hope I got a few decent shots I can blow up and frame. One of the best parts: dangling our feet off the wall while we enjoyed a tasty lunch.
It was truly a majestic place, and I can't wait to post pictures. When I get back home, I'll add pictures back to my posts so you can get an idea of stuff.
The best part: riding a toboggan down...just like the Alpine Slide in Colorado! Soooo fun!
I got a couple of neat keepsake items as well. What an awesome, awesome day...and it's not even over with yet!
I have a new goal in life: (a Bucket List item, if you will) I will visit all of the 7 Wonders of the World. One down, six to go.
Also - I started reading "The Road." We'll see how this goes. More later.
P.S. I totally repped my 5th Grade Sports Legends shirt on the Great Wall today. Bam!
We started out with breakfast here at the house with Esther...tasty egg toasties! I made my way into the bathroom to get ready for today. The driver showed up a little before 10, and so did Andrea - a new friend we've met that came along for the Great Wall ride. She's from Portland and happened to be visiting at the same time. Our driver was sweet...didn't know a lick of English, but was a jolly, older Chinese man. He drove us to our destination: the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall of China. We had an hour and half car ride to get out there. The sites were much different heading out that way versus riding around in town. Smaller towns that were more run down...
At approximately 11:45am, we arrived to the Great Wall entrance...sort of. There are several sections you can visit, and this one has a bit of a touristy flair, but still retains some of the mystique a 4,000 mile long wall can hold. Since it's not the best time of year to be in the Beijing area, there weren't many people out there to crowd us.
It's so hard to believe the Wall was built so many hundreds of years ago...and if you think about it, it was incredibly forward thinking. "Not only do we want to protect you in this lifetime son, but we want to protect your children's children's children's children..." That's just wild.
Ky, Andrea and I got some amazing pictures and spent a couple of hours just taking it all in. I really hope I got a few decent shots I can blow up and frame. One of the best parts: dangling our feet off the wall while we enjoyed a tasty lunch.
It was truly a majestic place, and I can't wait to post pictures. When I get back home, I'll add pictures back to my posts so you can get an idea of stuff.
The best part: riding a toboggan down...just like the Alpine Slide in Colorado! Soooo fun!
I got a couple of neat keepsake items as well. What an awesome, awesome day...and it's not even over with yet!
I have a new goal in life: (a Bucket List item, if you will) I will visit all of the 7 Wonders of the World. One down, six to go.
Also - I started reading "The Road." We'll see how this goes. More later.
P.S. I totally repped my 5th Grade Sports Legends shirt on the Great Wall today. Bam!
Commie Thanksgiving
Okay - there weren't any commies present...but still.
Happy Thanksgiving! (Well - for about 3 more minutes here in Beijing.) It's been strange to be in a foreign country on such a significant holiday...but it's been a great experience.
Today - has been pretty chill for the most part. I got an email from Mike telling me that Sparky hasn't been so wonderful for BC...I felt pretty terrible about that. The little punk just misses me I guess. Anyway - Ky and I started the day off with crepes...mmm.
We headed over to Ya-Show, and I got one of my cute new jackets fixed...we moved the buttons over, and the lovely little lady at the tailor didn't charge me. Pretty rad. Ky had to tutor today, so I went into Ya-Show and bought some souvenirs while she did her thang. A fun thing about that part of my adventure: I was walking out the front door, and there was a manager standing there. We made eye contact and smiled at one another. As I was leaving, he called out, "Happy Thanksgiving!" I said it back and thanked him. He asked if I was American, and I told him I was. He was very excited about that. Pretty fabulous.
Ky and I met up, and got pedicures. I love that a decent pedicure cost $9 USD here. Pretty dope! By the time that part of our adventure was over, we needed to head back to get food ready for the Thanksgiving feast we were attending. Our contribution to the feast: green bean casserole, fruit salad, wine and dinner rolls.
Matt, Ky and I took the short walk over to the street to hop in the cab to head over to The Revolving Door. What is The Revolving Door you ask? Well - I'll tell you! It's this dude's house...and he keeps it open for all to come and go as needed. It's sort of his outreach to fellow Americans living in Beijing. His name is Mike, and he goes to church with Matt & Ky. There were easily 30-40 people there, and there was so much food! Turkey, ham, potatoes, green bean casserole, gravy, rolls, pumpkin pie and so much more! It was nice to see so many people come together like that. Also - Matt designed some pretty rad shirts, and I'm the lucky recipient of one. It's red with a French press...that has a revolving door inside of it. He's pretty dang talented.
Also - we played Call of Duty 2...I'm not going to lie - it was super fun.
As we were leaving The Revolving Door shindig, one of the security guards made it a point to tell us Happy Thanksgiving as well. Seeing Ky and Matt's faces light up with a little Western reference makes me smile.
You know - Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday. It's truly a time for all to come together and reflect on what makes life so great. There are the things I'm thankful for every year: family, friends, roof over my head, food on my plate...but there are new things that come along every year.
This year:
1) The new relationships in my life: friends, new bosses, new boyfriend...all of those people make my daily life that much better.
2) Maintaining the older relationships in my life: still keeping in touch with people from all the different chapters in my life...and rekindling some old friendships as well.
3) Appreciating generational differences.
4) The opportunity/experience to travel to a completely new place (and to spend some quality time with a dear friend).
5) For doors shutting, and windows opening.
6) For unconditional love continuing to prove itself.
7) For understanding who I really am...and helping convey that to others.
8) For a new apartment in a new part of town!
9) For more adventures on the horizon.
I did miss my family a lot today. I know they'll enjoy spending the day tomorrow...and I'm glad I'll be seeing them at Christmas. (But I'm really glad they're not going to eat kibbe without me!) Family - I love you dearly, and hope you think of me a little when you're eating the broccoli and cheese casserole!
At any rate, it's bedtime now. Tomorrow's adventure: riding a toboggan down the Great Wall of China (after riding a gondola up, of course!). I'm so excited!!
Happy Thanksgiving! (Well - for about 3 more minutes here in Beijing.) It's been strange to be in a foreign country on such a significant holiday...but it's been a great experience.
Today - has been pretty chill for the most part. I got an email from Mike telling me that Sparky hasn't been so wonderful for BC...I felt pretty terrible about that. The little punk just misses me I guess. Anyway - Ky and I started the day off with crepes...mmm.
We headed over to Ya-Show, and I got one of my cute new jackets fixed...we moved the buttons over, and the lovely little lady at the tailor didn't charge me. Pretty rad. Ky had to tutor today, so I went into Ya-Show and bought some souvenirs while she did her thang. A fun thing about that part of my adventure: I was walking out the front door, and there was a manager standing there. We made eye contact and smiled at one another. As I was leaving, he called out, "Happy Thanksgiving!" I said it back and thanked him. He asked if I was American, and I told him I was. He was very excited about that. Pretty fabulous.
Ky and I met up, and got pedicures. I love that a decent pedicure cost $9 USD here. Pretty dope! By the time that part of our adventure was over, we needed to head back to get food ready for the Thanksgiving feast we were attending. Our contribution to the feast: green bean casserole, fruit salad, wine and dinner rolls.
Matt, Ky and I took the short walk over to the street to hop in the cab to head over to The Revolving Door. What is The Revolving Door you ask? Well - I'll tell you! It's this dude's house...and he keeps it open for all to come and go as needed. It's sort of his outreach to fellow Americans living in Beijing. His name is Mike, and he goes to church with Matt & Ky. There were easily 30-40 people there, and there was so much food! Turkey, ham, potatoes, green bean casserole, gravy, rolls, pumpkin pie and so much more! It was nice to see so many people come together like that. Also - Matt designed some pretty rad shirts, and I'm the lucky recipient of one. It's red with a French press...that has a revolving door inside of it. He's pretty dang talented.
Also - we played Call of Duty 2...I'm not going to lie - it was super fun.
As we were leaving The Revolving Door shindig, one of the security guards made it a point to tell us Happy Thanksgiving as well. Seeing Ky and Matt's faces light up with a little Western reference makes me smile.
You know - Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday. It's truly a time for all to come together and reflect on what makes life so great. There are the things I'm thankful for every year: family, friends, roof over my head, food on my plate...but there are new things that come along every year.
This year:
1) The new relationships in my life: friends, new bosses, new boyfriend...all of those people make my daily life that much better.
2) Maintaining the older relationships in my life: still keeping in touch with people from all the different chapters in my life...and rekindling some old friendships as well.
3) Appreciating generational differences.
4) The opportunity/experience to travel to a completely new place (and to spend some quality time with a dear friend).
5) For doors shutting, and windows opening.
6) For unconditional love continuing to prove itself.
7) For understanding who I really am...and helping convey that to others.
8) For a new apartment in a new part of town!
9) For more adventures on the horizon.
I did miss my family a lot today. I know they'll enjoy spending the day tomorrow...and I'm glad I'll be seeing them at Christmas. (But I'm really glad they're not going to eat kibbe without me!) Family - I love you dearly, and hope you think of me a little when you're eating the broccoli and cheese casserole!
At any rate, it's bedtime now. Tomorrow's adventure: riding a toboggan down the Great Wall of China (after riding a gondola up, of course!). I'm so excited!!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Discrimination & Peking Duck
One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post was treatment in the market by Matt's place.
Kylene has a really cute scarf she bought at said market. I told her I'd be interested in being twinsies, so she took me up there. (Also, I needed to buy a flash drive for picture sharing.) I walked up the a vendor that had scarves I dug. Ky asked how much, and the woman told us 35 yuan. Not bad really (that's roughly 6 bucks)...but for a very similar scarf, Ky paid only 20. I started to walk away, and Ky did a little haggling. The really crazy part: because I was white, she wanted to charge me more. That's not the first time I've been discriminated against because of race (there were a few times in Hawaii), but it was just odd. At any rate - I only paid 25 yuan for the scarf, and Dan will appreciate it because it's black and white houndstooth.
After Ky and I watched Zombieland, Matt met us over here so the 3 of us could head to dinner. We went to a fairly nice place called Xiao Wong Fu...for Peking duck. A very pleasant surprise: the manager of the establishment was a gentleman from Germany. (Honestly - it didn't really matter to me, but Matt was really excited.) It's just not commonplace here for a white face to be in charge. He was an awesome dude named Holger. After he gave us fantastic recommendations, our food and my first Peking duck experience was on the way.
We started off with fried salt & pepper spare ribs (that fell off the bone) and green beans with minced pork. We also had some fried silk bean curd (tofu) with a mild chili sauce. Then the big boy came out to play. So I'd always heard about Peking duck but had never had it. You start by taking a really thin pancake looking thing (no - not a Jean Gerrard crepe), brush it with the fancy sauce (not Brennan's concoction of mayo & ketchup), through a few onions and a cucumber slice on top, then roll like a burrito and enjoy. It's a rich dish, but a very tasty one.
We ate, drank and were merry.
After a tasty dinner, we walked over to see a giant TV, but it wasn't on. Sad.
We did, however, have the opportunity to work out on the equipment on the side of the road. That was neat fun.
A highlight of the evening: we found some statues at the shopping center that needed camera attention...and then a local Chinese man joined in, and made his friend "join us" too. It was super funny. He spoke good English and really dug that I was from America. Another neat fun thing: Cuban cigars! Yes - that's correct - they're not illegal. Matt bought some mini ones, and we enjoyed them. Yum.
Now - Ky and I are sitting on the couch, watching my favorite movie of all time. It's a good, good night.
I'm really excited about Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow...and visiting the Beijing Hooters.
Kylene has a really cute scarf she bought at said market. I told her I'd be interested in being twinsies, so she took me up there. (Also, I needed to buy a flash drive for picture sharing.) I walked up the a vendor that had scarves I dug. Ky asked how much, and the woman told us 35 yuan. Not bad really (that's roughly 6 bucks)...but for a very similar scarf, Ky paid only 20. I started to walk away, and Ky did a little haggling. The really crazy part: because I was white, she wanted to charge me more. That's not the first time I've been discriminated against because of race (there were a few times in Hawaii), but it was just odd. At any rate - I only paid 25 yuan for the scarf, and Dan will appreciate it because it's black and white houndstooth.
After Ky and I watched Zombieland, Matt met us over here so the 3 of us could head to dinner. We went to a fairly nice place called Xiao Wong Fu...for Peking duck. A very pleasant surprise: the manager of the establishment was a gentleman from Germany. (Honestly - it didn't really matter to me, but Matt was really excited.) It's just not commonplace here for a white face to be in charge. He was an awesome dude named Holger. After he gave us fantastic recommendations, our food and my first Peking duck experience was on the way.
We started off with fried salt & pepper spare ribs (that fell off the bone) and green beans with minced pork. We also had some fried silk bean curd (tofu) with a mild chili sauce. Then the big boy came out to play. So I'd always heard about Peking duck but had never had it. You start by taking a really thin pancake looking thing (no - not a Jean Gerrard crepe), brush it with the fancy sauce (not Brennan's concoction of mayo & ketchup), through a few onions and a cucumber slice on top, then roll like a burrito and enjoy. It's a rich dish, but a very tasty one.
We ate, drank and were merry.
After a tasty dinner, we walked over to see a giant TV, but it wasn't on. Sad.
We did, however, have the opportunity to work out on the equipment on the side of the road. That was neat fun.
A highlight of the evening: we found some statues at the shopping center that needed camera attention...and then a local Chinese man joined in, and made his friend "join us" too. It was super funny. He spoke good English and really dug that I was from America. Another neat fun thing: Cuban cigars! Yes - that's correct - they're not illegal. Matt bought some mini ones, and we enjoyed them. Yum.
Now - Ky and I are sitting on the couch, watching my favorite movie of all time. It's a good, good night.
I'm really excited about Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow...and visiting the Beijing Hooters.
Ziejian for Now...but more massages later!
Today - it's incredibly smoggy out. It looks as if it could start dumping snow at any minute. That's the thing about China that isn't so super.
I totally slept in this morning and didn't wake up until 10:15. It felt pretty fabulous. Ky and I lounged around the house for a while and got up and around to leave at 11:45. First stop: massages!
So for 78 yuan, we got lunch (all you can eat, including dumplings, rice with tomatoes and eggs (honestly - delicious), fruit, noodle soup accompanied by your choice of juice, tea, Coke and water) and an 80 minute massage...for $11 USD. RAD!!! It's not like massages in the US though. You keep your clothes on, and they use cloths. They focus on your neck, shoulders, legs and arms. It felt so good! Something that's even better: we have plans of getting at least one more before I leave.
One of our tasks today was to get the rest of the food needed to prepare our part for Thanksgiving dinner. We're going over to one of their friend's houses with several other folks from their church. Don't worry - we're having all of the typical Thanksgiving treats...green bean casserole, turkey & dressing, warm rolls, pumpkin pie - the works! So we had to get rolls. cream of mushroom soup and fruit for the fruit salad.
On the way, we stopped by a DVD shop. I got 7 DVDs for $11 USD. I'll be checking them out to make sure they work, but still! What a deal! (Matt and Ky shop at that one...it's pretty legit.) I'm pretty excited about them.
We got all of our goodies, and now we're back at the apartment for a little while. Tonight, we've got dinner reservations for 7:30 to eat some Peking Duck. Woot! After that, we're either going to help set up for tomorrow's festivities or check out the local bar scene for a bit.
It's been really great thus far. Spending time with Kylene has been awesome. I miss her living in the US...and she does too. She'll be back before we both know it. The fact that she picked up and moved to another country for a year still impresses me. I see how much of a struggle it would be and how she does such an awesome job of overcoming those barriers.
Being in a place like this is pretty humbling. I mean - there's tons of English everywhere - signs and even a little is spoken...but it's just a different place. Dirty air, not as clean standards, and just the quality of life is different here. This country has gone through so much change over the years, and it's still trying to figure out who it is. I guess I sort of relate in some ways.
Anyway - there's not really more to blab about right now. We're going to watch one of my new DVDs...possibly the Hangover or the Goods. :)
(P.S. Mike - I got Zombieland and District 9.)
More later...ziejian!
I totally slept in this morning and didn't wake up until 10:15. It felt pretty fabulous. Ky and I lounged around the house for a while and got up and around to leave at 11:45. First stop: massages!
So for 78 yuan, we got lunch (all you can eat, including dumplings, rice with tomatoes and eggs (honestly - delicious), fruit, noodle soup accompanied by your choice of juice, tea, Coke and water) and an 80 minute massage...for $11 USD. RAD!!! It's not like massages in the US though. You keep your clothes on, and they use cloths. They focus on your neck, shoulders, legs and arms. It felt so good! Something that's even better: we have plans of getting at least one more before I leave.
One of our tasks today was to get the rest of the food needed to prepare our part for Thanksgiving dinner. We're going over to one of their friend's houses with several other folks from their church. Don't worry - we're having all of the typical Thanksgiving treats...green bean casserole, turkey & dressing, warm rolls, pumpkin pie - the works! So we had to get rolls. cream of mushroom soup and fruit for the fruit salad.
On the way, we stopped by a DVD shop. I got 7 DVDs for $11 USD. I'll be checking them out to make sure they work, but still! What a deal! (Matt and Ky shop at that one...it's pretty legit.) I'm pretty excited about them.
We got all of our goodies, and now we're back at the apartment for a little while. Tonight, we've got dinner reservations for 7:30 to eat some Peking Duck. Woot! After that, we're either going to help set up for tomorrow's festivities or check out the local bar scene for a bit.
It's been really great thus far. Spending time with Kylene has been awesome. I miss her living in the US...and she does too. She'll be back before we both know it. The fact that she picked up and moved to another country for a year still impresses me. I see how much of a struggle it would be and how she does such an awesome job of overcoming those barriers.
Being in a place like this is pretty humbling. I mean - there's tons of English everywhere - signs and even a little is spoken...but it's just a different place. Dirty air, not as clean standards, and just the quality of life is different here. This country has gone through so much change over the years, and it's still trying to figure out who it is. I guess I sort of relate in some ways.
Anyway - there's not really more to blab about right now. We're going to watch one of my new DVDs...possibly the Hangover or the Goods. :)
(P.S. Mike - I got Zombieland and District 9.)
More later...ziejian!
Xiexie! Olympic Green!
Greetings...again!
Today was another superb day.
I got to experience hot pot...and have officially fallen in love. It sort of reminded me of going to the Melting Pot - but with a Chinese twist. The table is set up with a burner in the middle, and the lovely servers bring out a pot...that gets hot. hehe But really - they put the pot in the middle and fill it with your choice of broth. It comes to a boil, and then you start putting all of your goodies inside the broth. We ordered lamb, some really tasty meatballs, spinach, mushrooms, turnips, and cabbage. While waiting for your delicious concoction to be prepared just right, you go to the sauce bar and create your own customized blend. Mine consisted of sesame paste, balsamic vinegar, chili oil, satay sauce, garlic, sesame seeds, Korean chili sauce and fried soybeans (I know - seems to defeat the purpose of soybeans). Oh. My. Word. So. Freaking. Tasty. AND - it's really not bad for you at all! I loved it...and I quickly saw why it's one of Ky's favorites.
After our fantastic meal (with excellent service), Ky, Matt and I hopped in a cab to head to the Olympic Green. It was funny because we were trying to tell the cabbie where we wanted to go, and that wasn't proving to be fruitful. I pulled out one of my travel books and showed him a picture of the Bird's Nest. He was like, "OH! The Bird's Nest." What was funny is it hadn't occurred to any of us to try English.
We got there, safe, sound and in one piece.
Holy moly. What a site! The buildings are mammoth...and just so intriguing. We took some fun pictures in front of the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube...we saw the color-changing media tower, and even picked on some of the street vendors. It was just really neat to see where it all was, and to see how the money was spent. It's funny to me that it was Ky's first time to actually get there. They tried a couple of times with no avail. At any rate - super glad we went, and it was especially awesome at night. Matt & Ky got some great pictures, and I got a couple of decent ones.
What an awesome experience this has been! Tomorrow's agenda: massage (no oil push), pedicures, another fun local market, and Peking Duck. It's after midnight...so that means goodnight!
Another fact about China: no tipping makes life easier. They expect to get paid for the service provided. So simple and fabulous.
(P.S. There will be a delay on posting this particular entry due to VPN issues. This blog can't be easily accessed in China due to the government constraints. What rebels!)
Today was another superb day.
I got to experience hot pot...and have officially fallen in love. It sort of reminded me of going to the Melting Pot - but with a Chinese twist. The table is set up with a burner in the middle, and the lovely servers bring out a pot...that gets hot. hehe But really - they put the pot in the middle and fill it with your choice of broth. It comes to a boil, and then you start putting all of your goodies inside the broth. We ordered lamb, some really tasty meatballs, spinach, mushrooms, turnips, and cabbage. While waiting for your delicious concoction to be prepared just right, you go to the sauce bar and create your own customized blend. Mine consisted of sesame paste, balsamic vinegar, chili oil, satay sauce, garlic, sesame seeds, Korean chili sauce and fried soybeans (I know - seems to defeat the purpose of soybeans). Oh. My. Word. So. Freaking. Tasty. AND - it's really not bad for you at all! I loved it...and I quickly saw why it's one of Ky's favorites.
After our fantastic meal (with excellent service), Ky, Matt and I hopped in a cab to head to the Olympic Green. It was funny because we were trying to tell the cabbie where we wanted to go, and that wasn't proving to be fruitful. I pulled out one of my travel books and showed him a picture of the Bird's Nest. He was like, "OH! The Bird's Nest." What was funny is it hadn't occurred to any of us to try English.
We got there, safe, sound and in one piece.
Holy moly. What a site! The buildings are mammoth...and just so intriguing. We took some fun pictures in front of the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube...we saw the color-changing media tower, and even picked on some of the street vendors. It was just really neat to see where it all was, and to see how the money was spent. It's funny to me that it was Ky's first time to actually get there. They tried a couple of times with no avail. At any rate - super glad we went, and it was especially awesome at night. Matt & Ky got some great pictures, and I got a couple of decent ones.
What an awesome experience this has been! Tomorrow's agenda: massage (no oil push), pedicures, another fun local market, and Peking Duck. It's after midnight...so that means goodnight!
Another fact about China: no tipping makes life easier. They expect to get paid for the service provided. So simple and fabulous.
(P.S. There will be a delay on posting this particular entry due to VPN issues. This blog can't be easily accessed in China due to the government constraints. What rebels!)
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Flying Solo (sort of)
Nihao!
Today has been another great day...and it's not even over yet. Ky made us a fabulous breakfast of fruit, egg sandwiches and coffee, and we got up, around and out the door around 11:30 this morning. We took a short bike ride to the Village and Ya-Show (shopping areas). She had a teaching demo to do (follow up to an interview), so I wandered around the area while I waited for her to finish. (BTW - she got the job! Woo hoo!!!)
Before Ky headed out, we got a snack of those pancake things (I need to find out the name of them...but they're so good!) and Diet Cokes. (Yes - I totally took a picture of the Chinese Coke cans.) A funny thing about this little shop: they totally sold mini bottles of liquor. It kind of reminded me of the ABC store - only in outdoor kiosk form and without cheesy Hawaiian souvenirs. Then, she took me into Ya-Show to teach me how to haggle in the Chinese style. We then parted ways, and I started on my shopping adventure.
First of all - Ya-Show is HUGE. We're talking 5 floors of vendors that sold everything from scarves, hats and gloves to coats and sweaters to jewelry to curtains. I meandered through the stalls...haggling with the vendors...and I got some good finds. I found 2 coats for myself along with a scarf, a couple of things for Mike, something for Mom and one for Britt (they're Christmas presents...), and a hoodie for Allen for about $100 USD. Super cheap!! I also got a manicure and a coffee at Starbucks for about $10 USD. So rad.
I walked around and took some pictures too: including a great shot of the Hooters, a funny sex shop and of the bar street. It was intriguing to walk around alone for a while. It's still funny to me how much of a novelty a white face is here.
Now - we're sort of taking it easy around the apartment. Ky and I are about to meet up with Matt and Esther to eat some dinner (hot pot!), and then Matt, Ky and I will head to the Olympic Green to see the Olympic buildings. That's going to be incredible to see!
Thomas - if you're reading this - please know I took a fabulous Michael Jackson picture for you.
One thing of note: the pollution here in Beijing turns your boogers dark.
Today has been another great day...and it's not even over yet. Ky made us a fabulous breakfast of fruit, egg sandwiches and coffee, and we got up, around and out the door around 11:30 this morning. We took a short bike ride to the Village and Ya-Show (shopping areas). She had a teaching demo to do (follow up to an interview), so I wandered around the area while I waited for her to finish. (BTW - she got the job! Woo hoo!!!)
Before Ky headed out, we got a snack of those pancake things (I need to find out the name of them...but they're so good!) and Diet Cokes. (Yes - I totally took a picture of the Chinese Coke cans.) A funny thing about this little shop: they totally sold mini bottles of liquor. It kind of reminded me of the ABC store - only in outdoor kiosk form and without cheesy Hawaiian souvenirs. Then, she took me into Ya-Show to teach me how to haggle in the Chinese style. We then parted ways, and I started on my shopping adventure.
First of all - Ya-Show is HUGE. We're talking 5 floors of vendors that sold everything from scarves, hats and gloves to coats and sweaters to jewelry to curtains. I meandered through the stalls...haggling with the vendors...and I got some good finds. I found 2 coats for myself along with a scarf, a couple of things for Mike, something for Mom and one for Britt (they're Christmas presents...), and a hoodie for Allen for about $100 USD. Super cheap!! I also got a manicure and a coffee at Starbucks for about $10 USD. So rad.
I walked around and took some pictures too: including a great shot of the Hooters, a funny sex shop and of the bar street. It was intriguing to walk around alone for a while. It's still funny to me how much of a novelty a white face is here.
Now - we're sort of taking it easy around the apartment. Ky and I are about to meet up with Matt and Esther to eat some dinner (hot pot!), and then Matt, Ky and I will head to the Olympic Green to see the Olympic buildings. That's going to be incredible to see!
Thomas - if you're reading this - please know I took a fabulous Michael Jackson picture for you.
One thing of note: the pollution here in Beijing turns your boogers dark.
School, Kebabs & Jenga
I must say - it was a fabulous Monday. (Isn't any Monday you're not on vacation a great one though?) Ky and I hopped on the bikes again to head to the subway station so we could go run an errand in a different part of town. Outside of the Agricultural Center, there's a parking lot...for bikes. There was a parking attendant and everything. Pretty spiffy, really.
The subway was a different experience. It was crowded (which was to be expected) but clean. I don't think I saw any other white faces while on the subway. Ky warned me that there would be staring...and I was aware that it would happen (and I read up on my culture books). It was pretty funny. They were fascinated that we were speaking English. Also - westerners usually travel cab. Ky also does a fabulous impression of the subway announcer lady. I think she was bypassed for the job in all actuality.
We had to go to a travel agents office. Ky and Matt are going to Hong Kong for a wedding (not theirs). After a little round and round about price and payment methods...we worked up an appetite! We got ramen (Ajisen Noodles)...and it was awesome. Also - the pumpkin croquettes were pretty tasty too.
Another subway ride later...and we arrived at the education office for Ky's school. She teaches English part time a few times a week and had to do some last minute prep along with meeting up with her fellow teachers. All of them were pretty cool. We shared a cab with Richard and Alex. What a riot! Alex is from Connecticut, and Richard comes from the UK. He's a vulgar Brit and was pretty hilarious.
I got to sit in on Ky's class at the school. We walked into the gate and got our temperatures taken. Thankfully - no swine flu. We waited in a conference type room for a break between classes, and there was a woman in the room cleaning every leaf on a plant. Yes - she gets paid for that. Apparently - there are lots of weird jobs like that over here. If she could have understood anything we said...she would have been chuckling. I'm positive. It was a very colorful conversation. At any rate - music begins playing, and kids come out into the halls. Yes - their bell for class is a kitschy little tune. I followed Ky up to the classroom...and what cute kids! One kid, Peter, was incredibly excited for English class. She warned me about that one. Ky covered off on the use of "always, usually, sometimes, seldom, rarely and never." The students had a blast telling what they did. One girl said she ate French fries everyday, and another kid told her she was going to get very fat. Hilarious! Ky also had them do a game where they had to find someone who...for instance: wore contact lenses, had ridden a horse, etc. They were all over it! One boy, Leo, had decided I was going to be his partner. He was super cute...and I think he had a little crush on me. Ky put in the sheet "find someone who is named Brandi," and his answer was "my friend." I must say - the school was in the armpit (or "ass end" as Richard and Alex put it) of Beijing. BUT - the amusement park Happy Valley looked really fun.
We got back to the office via cab (oh my word - the folks on the road are insane!) and got back to Esther's via subway and bike.
6:55pm rolled around...which meant it was time for kebabs (pronounced sort of like ts-ch-war)! We went to Esther, Matt and Ky's favorite place and had quite the feast...lamb kebabs, chicken kebabs, tasty green beans with peppers and pork, and flat noodles with onions, peppers, celery covered in a fabulous tomato sauce, all washed down with very tasty Chinese beer...refreshing, cheap, and not bitter at all. It was AWESOME! I also tried some cartiledge...totally not my thing. (Perhaps it was because I wasn't prepared for the crunch...)
After our amazing dinner, we walked to The Village which is a really nice mall. During the walk, there were lots of street vendors, and I got some awesome earrings for about $1.50 USD. (10 quai) Our next stop was Herbal Cafe for dessert. We're not talking brownies and cheesecake. It's a horse of a different color. Esther got black sesame paste; Ky ordered mango pudding; Matt got egg tarts and a version of mango bubble tea; and I ordered coconut balls with peanut paste (very similar to mochi). We also played Jenga during dessert. It was a neat place. One thing I love about the Chinese is their horrible fashion sense. It's very much an anything goes sort of place. Honestly - it cracks me up.
When we got back to Esther's...I was very sleepy. I conked out as soon as we got back. My body is doing well with the time difference, but it's having its moments.
Today will be another fun-filled one. Shopping at Ya-Show, Ky's teaching a demo class (hopefully it leads to a new, awesome job for her!), more delicious food, and the Olympic Green. So exciting!
It's now 10:15am on Tuesday...time to shower and get out and about for the day. If there's not another entry tonight - there will for sure be one tomorrow.
The subway was a different experience. It was crowded (which was to be expected) but clean. I don't think I saw any other white faces while on the subway. Ky warned me that there would be staring...and I was aware that it would happen (and I read up on my culture books). It was pretty funny. They were fascinated that we were speaking English. Also - westerners usually travel cab. Ky also does a fabulous impression of the subway announcer lady. I think she was bypassed for the job in all actuality.
We had to go to a travel agents office. Ky and Matt are going to Hong Kong for a wedding (not theirs). After a little round and round about price and payment methods...we worked up an appetite! We got ramen (Ajisen Noodles)...and it was awesome. Also - the pumpkin croquettes were pretty tasty too.
Another subway ride later...and we arrived at the education office for Ky's school. She teaches English part time a few times a week and had to do some last minute prep along with meeting up with her fellow teachers. All of them were pretty cool. We shared a cab with Richard and Alex. What a riot! Alex is from Connecticut, and Richard comes from the UK. He's a vulgar Brit and was pretty hilarious.
I got to sit in on Ky's class at the school. We walked into the gate and got our temperatures taken. Thankfully - no swine flu. We waited in a conference type room for a break between classes, and there was a woman in the room cleaning every leaf on a plant. Yes - she gets paid for that. Apparently - there are lots of weird jobs like that over here. If she could have understood anything we said...she would have been chuckling. I'm positive. It was a very colorful conversation. At any rate - music begins playing, and kids come out into the halls. Yes - their bell for class is a kitschy little tune. I followed Ky up to the classroom...and what cute kids! One kid, Peter, was incredibly excited for English class. She warned me about that one. Ky covered off on the use of "always, usually, sometimes, seldom, rarely and never." The students had a blast telling what they did. One girl said she ate French fries everyday, and another kid told her she was going to get very fat. Hilarious! Ky also had them do a game where they had to find someone who...for instance: wore contact lenses, had ridden a horse, etc. They were all over it! One boy, Leo, had decided I was going to be his partner. He was super cute...and I think he had a little crush on me. Ky put in the sheet "find someone who is named Brandi," and his answer was "my friend." I must say - the school was in the armpit (or "ass end" as Richard and Alex put it) of Beijing. BUT - the amusement park Happy Valley looked really fun.
We got back to the office via cab (oh my word - the folks on the road are insane!) and got back to Esther's via subway and bike.
6:55pm rolled around...which meant it was time for kebabs (pronounced sort of like ts-ch-war)! We went to Esther, Matt and Ky's favorite place and had quite the feast...lamb kebabs, chicken kebabs, tasty green beans with peppers and pork, and flat noodles with onions, peppers, celery covered in a fabulous tomato sauce, all washed down with very tasty Chinese beer...refreshing, cheap, and not bitter at all. It was AWESOME! I also tried some cartiledge...totally not my thing. (Perhaps it was because I wasn't prepared for the crunch...)
After our amazing dinner, we walked to The Village which is a really nice mall. During the walk, there were lots of street vendors, and I got some awesome earrings for about $1.50 USD. (10 quai) Our next stop was Herbal Cafe for dessert. We're not talking brownies and cheesecake. It's a horse of a different color. Esther got black sesame paste; Ky ordered mango pudding; Matt got egg tarts and a version of mango bubble tea; and I ordered coconut balls with peanut paste (very similar to mochi). We also played Jenga during dessert. It was a neat place. One thing I love about the Chinese is their horrible fashion sense. It's very much an anything goes sort of place. Honestly - it cracks me up.
When we got back to Esther's...I was very sleepy. I conked out as soon as we got back. My body is doing well with the time difference, but it's having its moments.
Today will be another fun-filled one. Shopping at Ya-Show, Ky's teaching a demo class (hopefully it leads to a new, awesome job for her!), more delicious food, and the Olympic Green. So exciting!
It's now 10:15am on Tuesday...time to shower and get out and about for the day. If there's not another entry tonight - there will for sure be one tomorrow.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Monday Morning in the Market
I arrived at PEK (the Beijing airport) at around 8:10 last night (local time). I got off the plane and headed through the swine flu screening, customs and then the currency exchange. I got my bags and waited for the beautiful Kylene to come get me. It was soooooo good seeing her!
She's gotten pretty savvy about which cabs to take, so she picked out a cab with a female driver who happened to speak a little English. Kylene speaks enough Chinese to get around, but that's about it. What's interesting is the cabbie wanted us to pay her a flat rate of 100 Yuan, when it should really be close to 65. Ky was trying to tell her that we wanted our fare to be metered. What's really funny about this: the cabbie was trying to stiff us...and we actually got the fare cheaper: 60 Yuan. Just a funny way to begin my trip.
We arrive in the embassy district, which is Ky's home for now. Kylene lives with Esther - who happens to be her boyfriend's cousin. The flat is in the Djibouti Embassy, but Eshter hails from Liverpool. At any rate - it's really nice, and it's huge! We stayed up for a while, chatted with Esther and Matt (Ky's main squeeze who's really rad), and talked about some of the things we're going to do while I'm here.
I was exhausted...and slept super well. My body tried to wake me up at 4am (which is noon Seattle time), but I was able to fall back asleep.
So Kylene and I have had a fabulous morning thus far. We started out with coffee, toast and a gab session. Then we got ready and hopped on bikes to go to a local market. It was fascinating to be the only "non local" there. The produce was beautiful, and the odd meats were plentiful. Don't worry - I took pictures of the cat. I'm not even kidding.
We had some tasty local fare as well. We shared a sweet potato and a pancake thing with lettuce and spices in it. YUM!!! I can't wait to eat again! hehe
Soon, we'll be heading out to visit Matt's class, and Ky has to tutor today for a couple of hours. Matt teaches art and Ky's currently tutoring a couple of children from Palestine (actually -it's the Palenstinian ambassador's children). They were saying the connections you make out here can be pretty wild...all because you're a westerner.
We're going to do a little shopping today, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a suit tailored for me. Rad! Also - tonight's menu includes kebabs. Oh-so-excited!
On a not so happy note - I totally forgot my camera cord...so pictures might have to wait until I return.
She's gotten pretty savvy about which cabs to take, so she picked out a cab with a female driver who happened to speak a little English. Kylene speaks enough Chinese to get around, but that's about it. What's interesting is the cabbie wanted us to pay her a flat rate of 100 Yuan, when it should really be close to 65. Ky was trying to tell her that we wanted our fare to be metered. What's really funny about this: the cabbie was trying to stiff us...and we actually got the fare cheaper: 60 Yuan. Just a funny way to begin my trip.
We arrive in the embassy district, which is Ky's home for now. Kylene lives with Esther - who happens to be her boyfriend's cousin. The flat is in the Djibouti Embassy, but Eshter hails from Liverpool. At any rate - it's really nice, and it's huge! We stayed up for a while, chatted with Esther and Matt (Ky's main squeeze who's really rad), and talked about some of the things we're going to do while I'm here.
I was exhausted...and slept super well. My body tried to wake me up at 4am (which is noon Seattle time), but I was able to fall back asleep.
So Kylene and I have had a fabulous morning thus far. We started out with coffee, toast and a gab session. Then we got ready and hopped on bikes to go to a local market. It was fascinating to be the only "non local" there. The produce was beautiful, and the odd meats were plentiful. Don't worry - I took pictures of the cat. I'm not even kidding.
We had some tasty local fare as well. We shared a sweet potato and a pancake thing with lettuce and spices in it. YUM!!! I can't wait to eat again! hehe
Soon, we'll be heading out to visit Matt's class, and Ky has to tutor today for a couple of hours. Matt teaches art and Ky's currently tutoring a couple of children from Palestine (actually -it's the Palenstinian ambassador's children). They were saying the connections you make out here can be pretty wild...all because you're a westerner.
We're going to do a little shopping today, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a suit tailored for me. Rad! Also - tonight's menu includes kebabs. Oh-so-excited!
On a not so happy note - I totally forgot my camera cord...so pictures might have to wait until I return.
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