XingBaKe – Starbucks

Sometimes, it is the little things that makes you happy. I was pleasantly surprised when our friends called us and asked if we wanted to meet at XingBaKe before going to see the pandas. There are some things that don’t need to be asked, you can just assume the answer is yes. That is like asking “would you like a steaming hot cup of happiness”. Do you really need to ask? Here in China, there are some Western things that they try to do but don’t quite get right. This is not one of them. They have truly succeeded in capturing the Starbucks experience. Everything was great. The décor, the music, the pastries, and yes the coffee, were all terrific. They even had a Chinese barista that spoke English really well. We would not want our caramel macchiato, cinnamon dolce latte, or mocha frappacino order messed up due to something being lost in translation. I don’t believe they have characters for these words.

After leaving Starbucks, we a got into a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the panda reserve. He agreed and promptly began driving south. The only problem with that was that the reserve was north of where we were. Our friend pointed out the error of his way and he told us that there was a “traffic jam” in the other direction, and he knew a shortcut. We decided to get out of the taxi then and there, before he went any further. We are pretty sure that as he looked at us waigourn, he saw easy money. His shortcut would have probably cost us 100 kuai for a 40 kuai trip. So we ended up having to take a crowded bus for the one hour trip to see the pandas. Despite the long journey, the hassle, and the crowds, the pandas were absolutely worth it. I will post more about that tomorrow. - Frank

Suave molecules of Mocha stir up your blood, without causing excess heat; the organ of thought receives from it a feeling of sympathy; work becomes easier and you will sit down without distress to your principal repast which will restore your body and afford you a calm, delicious night. ~Prince Tallyrand