当然，可以！ (Dangran Keyi) – Of Course You Can!

Things are a little different here in China. For instance, every morning on our way to class we pass a group of people, most of them elderly, exercising. Now what makes this scene different is not only the equipment but what they do with it. One day as we were passing we see an elderly lady hop (and I do mean hop) up on to a set of parallel bars and swing herself up on top. Now her body perpendicular to the bars, so she inserts her legs between them and begins to do a maneuver that is like a reverse sit-up; one moment her head is hanging down to the ground and then she raises her body up horizontal to it. Now, I am sure that China is not the only place with ultra-flexible grandmas but most of the older ladies that I knew back home would dislocate joints just thinking about trying that move. But here, “hey Grandma can you do that?” 当然，可以！Of Course You Can!
Another example of how things are different is how the parents encourage their children to talk to perfect strangers, especially if they are foreigners. Take the little girl pictured above. She and her mother sat next to me on the bus. Almost immediately the mother told her to say “hello” and tried to get her to carry on a conversation with me. It seems that she had recently started English lessons and her mother wanted her to get in free practice. In other developed countries, parents usually try to shield their children from any contact strangers, and they get especially testy if you try to talk to their children. But here “hey that family looks nice, can I say hello to their cute little boy?” 当然，可以！Of Course You Can!
One last example of how things are different here can be seen in the picture of me below. Due to my chosen profession and other extenuating circumstances, I had to shave just about every day. But here “hey I wonder if I can grow a beard?” 当然，可以！Of Course I Can! – 付伟国

A different language is a different vision of life.
Federico Fellini (1920 - 1993)

一 个星期 (Yi Ge Xing Qi) – One Week

We are really settling into our lives here. Amanda with the talking thing (she is really coming along). Me with the eating thing (I actually am starting to enjoy spicy food). It seems though, that no matter how exotic the climes, things can become routine. So what is a week in our lives like?
星期一 (Xingqi yi) – The week usually begins here much the same way as the rest of the world… Wishing the weekend was one day longer. This is especially the case for me because bright and early we have school. Intellectually, I know how important going to school is, how much I need it, and how much it has helped. But what does not liking school have to do with intellect? I guess there are a lot of nouns that we could replace “school” with and those sentiments would still be true for a lot of people, i.e. work, the gym, Walmart. Anyway, I usually wake before the sun at around six thirty. I get up and check my email, see if anyone has left a comment on either of the blogs (we love hearing feedback), and our course check and see what is going on in Packer land (This season things are not looking so good. You would think it is because Brett is in New York but he doesn’t play defense). After that I go over the lesson for the day, and it is off to school. After class we either go somewhere for breakfast and to do homework, or we go home to do the same thing. Once homework is done, I start stretching to get ready for basketball and Amanda meets one of our friends in the city. Once we return home we eat dinner and unwind before bed.
星期二 到星期五上午(Xingqi er dao xingqi wu shang wu) - Tuesday thru Friday morning
These mornings are the same as Monday, school followed by homework. After we are done with our homework, we usual go our separate ways into the city to find people with whom we can 练习 (lianxi) or practice the things we have learned. I guess I am making progress because I don’t mind going places without my “wingman” anymore. In fact, when I am alone I seem to do pretty well communicating. “Pretty well” might be overstating things a bit, but at least I can get rudimentary thoughts across. We try to lianxi Chinese everyday with people. It serves a twofold purpose. Not only do we work on speaking and comprehending Chinese but we also meet a lot of really interesting people.
星期六 (xingqi liu) – Saturday morning we sleep in. Well, Amanda sleeps in; I am up at my usual time. I do sometimes sleep until seven so I guess that is sleeping in for me. How I wish I had cartoons to watch! I now understand the importance of Saturday morning cartoons while I was in school growing up. After a week of studying hard, the brain needs to unwind and there is something therapeutic about Bugs Bunny. Would doesn’t laugh at the antics of Bugs, Daffy, Elmer and the gang? After breakfast though, I usually do more studying, but in English. I don’t mind this studying at all. In fact, it always seems to give me the strength needed to muster up boldness and overcome any reticence that I may have. It is like food for a hungry man. In the evening we usually get with some of our waiguoren (foreign) friends which also serves to incite us to keep working.
星期天 (xingqi tian) – Sundays are often spent in one of the many parks here. The Chinese have a knack for parks. They are simple but wonderful places to relax. Last Sunday as I strolled through a park I came across a group of old people playing Mahjong. I decided to watch for a little while so I asked them if they would mind. They gave me the warm traditional welcome 欢迎 欢迎. One of the ladies tried to explain the rules to me but I got more out of it by just watching. Mahjong is a fast paced game that they really enjoy here. There is also a variation of chess that is popular with the men here but so far the rules are beyond my ability to comprehend. I think I will Google Chinese chess, and see if they have the rules online. On Sunday evenings we do whatever homework we have left, 预习课 yuxike or preview the next day’s lessons, and watch a movie or TV on the computer. Then it is off to bed so that the week can begin again.
Having stated all that, we have 一个星期 (yige xingqi) before our routine changes temporarily. We are approaching the end of the first three months of our stay, so we are going to have to make a visa run to Hong Kong. We were originally planning on going to Thailand but with the recent unrest we have diverted to HK. We have heard it is a wonderful place to visit. As always, of course, we will keep you posted. – 付伟国 Fu Wei Guo (my Chinese name)
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

啊呀 Aya! I Think I Bruised My Brain

Our first week of school is done. It was quite a week. In five days we covered 10 chapters. We were required to learn 120 vocabulary words. That includes recognizing the character, being able to write the pinyin (phonetic spelling), with correct tone. We were given a test Friday. We thought that it would be a selection of the words. We were wrong. We were tested on every last character that we covered. Our teacher, 上老师 (Shang Laoshi), is a very sweet lady but she clearly has lost touch with reality. Her expectations for us are too high. Every day after class she gives us tons of homework (I thought I gave that up with high school), and we have to practice writing characters that she test us on the next day. On top of that we have our other studying to do, and just being able to buy the daily necessities can be an experience that we have to struggle with. Aya! I think I bruised my brain. (This is one of the Chinese words that I know really well is aya. It is an interjection that denotes surprise or pain. If you have been keeping up with the blogs then you know that I have had many slapstick moments that give me the opportunity to use it.) You know how if you work out too much, or if you haven’t worked a muscle group in recently, you can hurt yourself? Well since they say the brain is like a muscle, does the same thing apply? I think so! There are parts of the brain that I have been using to learn Chinese that have clearly not seen much action for awhile. So that I don’t seem too negative about school, I am actually learning. When we walk down the street or go to the store we get to put into practice the things that we cover in class. Being able to recognize more characters is really helping our comprehension. Studying 语法 (yufa or grammar) is helping us understand how to use the words we know properly. It is hard work but there is also an expression that is used in connection to exercise. No pain, no gain. I sometimes think back to when I was a training officer with the fire department. When we had recruits to train we really worked them hard. We pushed them to the brink of mental and physical exhaustion and beyond. When their bodies and minds were ready to give up but the task was incomplete we would have to motivate them. Sometimes, we would use an encouraging word. Other times it would take a kick in the pants kind of like they do in a boot camp. But we would always remind them why they were willing to put themselves through so much. They had a goal. They wanted to be firefighters. To reach, that goal they had to train themselves even if it hurt. Well for me (I speak only for me because Amanda loves class and is doing really well, of course),when things get tough and I am getting to the point of total mental fatigue then I have to give myself a mental kick in the pants. I usually do this by picturing Jack Veal, one of my fellow training officers, in my face yelling at me. (Jack is a master motivator and is full of funny quotes.) Also I think about what all this hard work will accomplish. One out of every three babies born in the world is Chinese. There are huge Chinese communities in just about every country on the planet. My goal is to be able to communicate well enough so that I can teach them. A magazine that I read once says that people learn best if they are taught in the language that they speak in their heart. I want to be able to speak to their heart. So, I guess I will push pass the mental fatigue, and get back to my homework. – Frank
We have something in common. Your mama and my mama are both mamas. – Jack Veal
If you gonna be stupid, you better be tough. - Jack Veal

Lijiang – A Crossroad of Cultures

We arrived in Lijiang at sunrise, and it seemed like the entire city was asleep. When we agreed to go on holiday with our friends, we did not know what to expect. But as the sun rose over Leaping Tiger Mountain, we realized that we were in for a treat. The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it is not hard to see why. Lijiang, like so many places in China, is a city steeped in history. It dates back over 800 years. It was a major player in trading due to the old tea horse road which wound its way over 4000 km through the southwest Yunnan and Sichuan provinces and played a very important role in the development of China. Different Chinese ethnic cultures, such as the Dai, Yi, Han, Bai, Naxi, and Tibetans, have met, fused, and developed along the historic road. It is also famous for its orderly system of waterways and bridges. So when you combine the stunning panorama, the history, and the people into one place, you have the recipe for a wonderful time.
We spent the day walking through the ancient village, bartering with vendors hawking their goods, and taking snapshots to enhance the memories that were being made. At almost every turn there was a postcard worthy picture of a person, place, or thing. Do you realize that over five hundred years before Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock and the others penned that famous document that gave birth to a nation; this city was not only in existence but thriving. It is stunning to think that there is not one city in America that is as old as Lijiang, and it is not even close to the oldest city in China.
Amanda has already reported on our wonderful dinner (if you missed it checkout mandachino.blogspot.com) but I just have to say if you ever visit Lijiang you have to visit a Mexican restaurant called Frosty Morning. Now, who would have believed that among all the different cultures you have here in Yunnan, there would be an authentic Mexican restaurant, run by a Mexican family, or that they would have a burger there that I rate as one of the top three burgers I have ever eaten. I could probably rate it higher than that but I don’t want to seem like I am exaggerating. Honestly, I can’t remember having a better burger. Not only was the burger first-class, the fries were crisp and hot, and the beer was ice cold and smooth. (Can it get better than that?)
We ended our evening in Lijiang, once again taking in the view of the city only this time at night. The city skyline was completely lit up with shades of red, orange, green, and yellow coming from the sweeping roof tops and hanging laterns. In the town square there was music playing and people were literally dancing in the streets. We walked along one of the many streams flowing through the city and gazed at the reflected light off of the water and breathed in the pleasant aromas emanating from the many restaurants. It was almost sensory overload but in the most wonderful way. Now we were looking forward to what the next day would bring. – Frank
Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers, that the mind can never break off from the journey.
Pat Conroy (1945 - ),


http://brucesabroad.com/www.brucesabroad.blogspot.com/Ljiang%20pics.doc

It's All the Same, Only Different

I know it seems like we do a lot of traveling but that is actually not the case. Mostly our lives are a lot like they were back home. We have pretty much settled into a routine. We started school this week to help us improve our Chinese. Our teacher is very nice and extremely patient (a very important quality to have while trying to get me to say my tones correctly). After school, we usually have homework to do but we also try to spend a portion of each day meeting people that we can talk to. Usually that is not hard because many Chinese are really curious about foreigners and enjoy talking with us. Often I get stopped by people on the street who just want to say hello. I have met quite a few people that way. On Mondays, I go to one of the local universities with a couple friends to play basketball. ( Yes Mom, I know I am getting too old for that but it is a great way to stay in shape and, truth be told, I love it.) The first time we went to play, I thought that since basketball was invented in America, we would not have any trouble staying on the court. The rules of the court are the same as back home; if you win, you keep playing. Well, after watching some guys play for awhile, we realized that things were not going to be so easy. Some of these guys are really good! Also, since there are so many people wanting to play, the games go to four points. That means that every possession counts. The games are usually intense but fair. The sportsmanship of the players is nice too. They call their own fouls and seem to play for fun. The first time we played, we stayed on the court most of the day. yesterday was a different story. There was this one team that routinely won five or six games in a row. The first time we played them, they won easily. The second time the game was much closer. They won 4-3. The third time we played them, we played to our strength. They had a guy guarding me who was 4 foot 6 inches so I had over a foot height advantage over him. So, basketball 101 dictates that I get down low, the rest of my team clears the lane so that I can shoot right over top of him. Our strategy worked, we won but I would learned later that I had just tugged on Superman's cape. The next time they came up to play us, not only did they put a taller guy guarding me, but "mighty mouse" now had something to prove (if you remember that not losing "face" is very important here. The entire court was surrounded by people who came to see the waigouren play. My posting him up and scoring three of four points on him in that situation fired him up. I continued to guard him but it took all I had to do so. This guy was quick. Just think about the physics involved. He is lower to the ground, so when he dribbles the ball gets back to his hands faster. Add to that they he has a lower center of gravity, so he can make cuts much quicker than the average person. Finally, I am probably 15 years older than him (aw youth, where have you gone?). You can probably tell by the strategic placement of my excuses that I didn't do too well. Just to give you an example let me describe one possession: he has the ball, I am thinking to myself "OK he is not getting by me". He goes left, I went left. In my mind I am thinking "OK. I have still got him". He dribbles right, I go right. I am still in front of him, barely. I am thinking "Please pass the ball!'. He crosses over and goes left again, I fall flat on my butt, he goes right by me. As that happens there is a loud "OOH" from the crowd. I am reduced to one last defense. I fervently wished "Please miss it. Please miss it". It seemed like eternity passed as I waited for the inevitable cheer that would come as he hit the shot. Thankfully, it never came. He missed the lay-up. (That left me a little face.) My team rebounded. We went on to play a few more plays. They still won must of the games the rest of the way. Mighty mouse was all over the place. He was a scoring machine. Afterwards, an old cliche came to mind: It is not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. It seems that saying is true at this court. No matter what the outcome, everyone seems to enjoy themselves, even when they fall. - Frank
Not every age is fit for childish sports.
Titus Maccius Plautus (254 BC - 184 BC)
One man practicing sportsmanship is better than a hundred teaching it.
Knute Rockne (1888 - 1931)

http://brucesabroad.com/www.brucesabroad.blogspot.com/Basketball.doc

Yunnan or Bust – Yunnan by Bus

We were invited by friends to join them for their trip to the Yunnan province. Yunnan is famous for its beautiful landscape, weather, and people. The capital of Yunnan is Kunming, which is called “the city of Eternal Spring”. It is a three hour flight from Beijing. Kunming has numerous parks, gardens, and a zoo. The people are amazingly friendly and helpful. In Kunming we boarded an overnight bus to Lijiang. Lijiang is an ancient city that dates back over 1000 years. After spending a day in Lijiang, we took a four hour bus ride into the mountains to Dali. Dali is between the amazing Himalayan Mountains on one side and a beautiful lake on the other. The drive to Dali was truly breathtaking, in part because of the bus driver. To say he was an aggressive driver would be like saying a tiger is just a cat; it would be true but definitely would not give an accurate description. Mountain roads are often narrow and can be treacherous. Most people would traverse them with at least a little caution. Not our driver. It was Full speed ahead with horn blaring. Often, he would even pass other vehicles on blind curbs. So you can probably imagine the sound made by anyone foolish enough to be paying attention to the road; the sound of one sucking in their breath. Mostly the trip was breath taking though because of the stunning views. Before we moved here we realized that China was a beautiful country but we really had no idea how beautiful it really is! Over the next few days we are going to write about the time we spent in Yunnan and post pics. For now I will tell you about the trip from Kunming to Lijiang.
We left Kunming at 9 pm on a sleeper bus for the eight hour trip. Like most things here, that was quite an experience. Once again I was reminded that here, I am a big guy. The beds were made for the average Chinese person so I guess making them five foot seven inches long and twenty-four inches wide is usually plenty big enough. The problem though is that I am a little over five foot eight inches tall and my shoulders are twenty-two or twenty-three inches across. You might not think that one inch makes that much of a difference but believe me it does. I imagine it was like lying in a coffin. I really appreciated the confined space training I received at the fire department. Without that and my Zune (mp4 player), I don’t know if I could have made it through the night sane (who says that I did?). About half way through the journey the bus stopped for a bathroom break and then for breakfast. When we got off the bus, I forgot all about my discomfort. Looking up at the night sky, admiring the myriads of stars, and even catching a glimpse of two shooting stars made up for my ride in the glorified hearse.
If you ever make it to China it is Yunnan or bust; the Yunnan province must be on your list of things to do. - Frank

A path is made up of one or more straight or curved segments. The beginning and end of each segment is marked by anchor points, which work like pins holding wire in place. – Chinese Proverb
http://brucesabroad.com/www.brucesabroad.blogspot.com/Lijiang%20pics.doc

I Don't Want to Know

It has been a week since my last post. We have been super busy. Of course, that is why we came. There is so much going on here. I am still trying to find work. This week we are going to try to find a good school to enroll in. That is going to make our schedule even tighter but we need it, especially me. You would be proud of me though. I have been going out on the town alone and communicating. Because I am able to read a little, I have been communicating through text messages. It is pretty cool that I can at least communicate in this manner. Verbal communication is a lot harder but I am able to do that a little too. Today I met a guy and we talked for a long time. He speaks a little English so that helped. He and his wife took me to lunch. We had a dish called a hotpot (Amanda wrote a blog about it; big pot with boiling liquid that you drop meat, vegetables, and etc. into). Along with the hotpot they ordered jixue or chicken blood (unfortunately this is sometimes the etc). The owner of the restaurant proudly walked a big bowl of bright red blood out and set it before me. I guess they thought this was a special treat for me. I had to quickly explain to them that there was absolutely no way I was eating that, and I had to do it without hurting their feelings. Thankfully they were very understanding and did not get offended (they even took the bowl off of the table so I did not have to look at it). Something very important here is "face". People are very concerned about not losing face. This can make dealing with people difficult but it is interesting to see how it plays a part in just about every aspect of life. Anyway, I ate a lot of everything else so that they were able to be good host and not lose face. Once again you would have been proud of me. There may not have been any jixue in the pot but the rest of the ji was in there; feet, neck, and some parts that I don't want to think about (hey I think that chicken lost a little more than face and I found it). At one point I asked what something was and they told me something about duihao shenti which I think means very good body or possibly health of the body. I quickly realized that I may not want to ask too many more questions. I don’t think I want to know what it was that I just ate. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. If not bliss, ignorance at least lets one get the food past the mouth and sometimes it helps keep the food down. – Frank
All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910), Letter to Mrs Foote, Dec. 2, 1887

The Sun Will Come Out...

I know it has been some time since you have heard from me. Sorry about that. We went through a few weeks of sickness coupled with bad weather, but that seems to be behind us now. Sickness is expected since the body is bombarded with so many new things, germs, pollutants, etc. Ours was much milder than others. When the sun came out again, I went out to soak it in and found a nice park. Everyone else must have read my mind because the place was packed. There were street performers, and hawkers galore. The most interesting one was the cotton candy guy. He had a pretty neat setup on his bike as you can hopefully see in the picture. (If you click on the pic it should enlarge, please let us know if this works.) The propane heat came out the center of his pan and he spun the sugar by pedaling. Nifty. It tastes pretty much the same too. For some reason, a foreigner eating cotton candy was the most hilarious thing many of them had ever seen. Old ladies could not stop turning around to giggle at me as I walked along pulling at the white puff in my hand. Cotton candy, as far as I know, did not originate in China! Someone correct me if I am wrong on that. Anyway, I brought smiles and laughter to many that day.

I was so grateful to at last see the sun, that I soaked in it a bit much. You can tell I had my shades on too, sort of a reverse- raccoon look. That is strange for them as well. Any sane person knows that you carry your umbrella on sunny days to prevent tanning. I must be crazy!

PS- We have been experiencing difficulties with loading pics and viewing our own blog, please let us know if you are able to see the pics in the upcoming blogs. Thanks to everyone for their encouraging comments, keep them coming!

Mandy

“What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.”
Joseph Addison

One Small Step for Man...

Most of you undoubtedly recognize those words. Many of you were probably alive when they were first spoken. On July 21, 1969 Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, and as he did so he uttered these now famous words. Today, November 10, 2008, these words came to mind when I took a small step. I do recognize that, even if our being in China may sometimes feel like we are on the moon (to us and to you), there is almost nothing I could do that could even approach the significance of the moment Commander Armstrong stepped off of the Apollo 11 lander. That being said, I think I took a pretty significant step today. I actually read Chinese. That’s right I read a sign that was totally in Hanzi (characters) or as many of you call it “chicken scratch”. I figured out that the written Chinese language is not a big joke that China is playing on the rest of the world. Those symbols truly do have meaning. The funny thing is that I wasn’t even trying to read the sign at the time. We were on a bus and the sign just happened to be right in front of where I was standing. I was looking at the sign but I really wasn’t thinking about it, when out of nowhere the meaning slowly worked its way in to my brain. As it began to sink, in the corners of my mouth began to inch up until I had a full grin on my face. I think I may even have giggled. Amanda looked up at me with the look that wives must have to go to finishing school to perfect. Husbands, you know the one I am talking about, the “what did you do?” look. Well, I told her, “I just read this sign”. She says I was like a kid in a candy store. I will tell you honestly; at that point I really didn’t believe it. I didn't think I was right. So I tapped a young kid on the shoulder, and asked him what the sign said. He confirmed it. My, oh my; Mrs. Bruce’s boy may not be able to speak Chinese very well, but by Joe he can read it!


OK. Just so you know I have not lost all perspective on this, I am not going to run out and buy the Chinese version of War and Peace. It was just a sign on a bus describing the bus route. I know I am not going to win a reading contest any time soon. Heck, I don’t even read at a school grade level yet. But if there was only a preschool aged child and I around, and you had to get one of us to read it for you. I am sure most of you would pick me. This gives me hope that someday I will get it. So, with all due respect to Mr. Armstrong, I say “that is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". For all of you who have said “I can never learn Chinese”, I say to you “if there is hope for me, there is hope for you”. Anything is possible. – Frank


Language exerts hidden power, like a moon on the tides.
Rita Mae Brown


PS - We are currently having difficulties post picture to the blog. Hopefully this will be fixed soon, until then we are going to upload a Word file with the pictures embedded in it with each new post. All you have to do is open the link. The ones below are from the last couple post.

http://brucesabroad.com/www.brucesabroad.com/Blog%20Pics%202.doc

What a Difference a Day Makes

Friday was fabulous. After such a miserable week filled with rain and some severe flooding in parts of China, this morning the sun decided to make an appearance. Sometimes people may take the sun for granted but when it is absent for a few days, we notice. The city seemed colorless. People seemed listless. Nothing seemed quite right. What a difference a day makes. As we woke this morning, both Amanda and I felt better. The sky was clean, bright, and blue. People were bustling about with an energy that had been lacking all week. At the risk of sounding cliche-ish, it was like the scene from the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy steps out of her house and first sets foot into OZ. Everything went from black and white into dazzling technicolor (we'd like to welcome you to Munchkin land). At first I thought it was just me. (Some of you may not be aware that I sometimes get carried away with things. I have a propensity for mental hyperbole.) But this time, that is not the case. I offer as proof a couple things: first how can I be exaggerating about the difference when it is November 7th and it is 70 degrees and sunny out? Secondly, I visited the park today and you should have seen the people. They were so alive and everywhere. Of course there were people line dancing (this must be one of the nation's favorite pastimes) but there was also a big group of people singing. Children were running to and fro, lovers were milling about. It was truly electric. I am so glad that the weather has improved. What a difference a day makes.

I visited a place called the flower and bird market. It was a really interesting place. I bet you can guess what they sell there. They also sell the same kind of wares that you would find at any street-market anywhere in the world. Knick-knacks galore, trinkets aplenty, and enough "designer" watches to turn the arms of half the population green. How I love the sights and sounds. People are never as interesting as when they are trying to get something for cheap.
- Frank

Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation.
Kin Hubbard (1868 - 1930)

Rainy Days and Mondays

It has been raining for the past few days, and it is still raining today. The dreariness of the weather is fitting because we have both been sick and have felt dreary all of that time. I have wanted to write a new post but nothing interesting has happened unless you count the interesting colors of phlegm that I have been spitting up, yuck. (Is that yellowish green or greenish yellow?) Aside from illness, things are going well.

When we were in Chengdu, we visited the Tibetan area. It was pretty interesting. We went to a nice restaurant that served yak. It was really good. Afterwards, the xiaojie (waitress) began singing a traditional song in a very strong voice. It was beautiful, haunting, and dripping with sadness. I tried to record it but, when she realized I had a camera, she stopped. I guess she was a little shy about her voice. She had no such reservations about her dancing though. She and her co-workers treated us to a traditional dance. Amanda even got to join in.


That's all for now. Hopefully, we will get to feeling better soon and be able to get out and start experiencing things again. - Frank

Health is not valued till sickness comes.
Dr. Thomas Fuller

Chinese Cuisine

China has many dishes which delight the senses. Equally, there are many things which bring no delight at all. Stinky tofu for example, overloads your senses so it is best to hold your breath within a one mile radius. We have been told that it tastes much better than it smells, but even I have not the courage to test this theory.

Chengdu is known for it's hotpot. A large vat of oil or white broth or both is set into the table. The oil is red with hot chilies. There are numerous items from which to choose that are each dropped into the liquid which is heated by the furnace beneath the table until it is boiling hot. Then, you dig in. Lotus root, mushrooms, lamb meatballs, thin slices of beef, tiny quail eggs, tofu noodles and rice noodles for example. The chili oil was too hot for me, I blistered my mouth with the oil and the peppers left my lips buzzing. The white broth was spectacular. It improved with each thing dropped in and after everything had been consumed but the noodles the broth was perfect. So much flavor. I ordered the quail eggs even though none of the others wanted them. They were a fine addition. Even in the chili oil, they were delicious. Make sure you drink beer with this meal to tame the heat or order yogurt. They did provide a spoonful of what I believe was supposed to be ice cream at the very end, to cool the tongue. I would recommend this experience to anyone.

There are many familiar things too, in the meat market. Chicken feet, pig intestines, cow stomach, and rabbit. I guess southern cooking is similar no matter where you are. There are some additions though. The rabbit head is smoked as is the pig's tail, it's snout, lungs and other unmentionables. Gizzards are popular here, I was happy to find, and they taste just as good grilled on a stick as they do fried. Deeeeelicious!

I tried my hand at stir fry today. I used mushrooms, some type of greens similar to collards but much more tender, thin slices of mystery meat, "chicken"? I seasoned it with sauteed garlic, then added lemongrass, chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, etc. That, with our first pot of rice from our newly acquired rice cooker, was lunch. It was great!!!

There are so many things to experiment with. Wal-mart has actually become a helpful place. Did I say that out loud? I mean, where else can I buy toothpaste, toilet paper, dehydrated squid, a dead chicken (with feet and head) and live bullfrogs? So many choices. What's for dinner? - mandy

The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star.

-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

All Creatures Great and Small...

We all desire a world where animals can be enjoyed without fear, where they are safe from harm and so are we. We saw something close to that in Chengdu. The park was well maintained and far from the pollution riddled city. Here, the quiet bamboo lined paths held peace and beauty. The masses of children had exited the park by the time we got to the bears and we could enjoy them relatively uninterrupted. The weather was beautiful, which is odd for Chengdu. Clear skies and warm temperatures brought the pandas out into the open.

Some have said that Pandas are silent creatures, but for the first time, I heard them speak, calling to their young, taunting each other as they wrestled or grunting as they foraged for food. One large adult buried himself in heavy brush looking for the perfect snack. When he found it, he sat in front of us, whittled it down to the choicest part and enjoyed the fruits of his labor. I didn’t know they use their paws as hands, he looked like he was eating corn on the cob. Amazing! We must have watched him for twenty minutes and he was completely unbothered by us.

The nursery was a special treat although pictures were not allowed. (Frank did manage to get one though) A large wooden crib held about ten infants all fast asleep. One of them preferred to lay sprawled on his back, can you see him? They flipped him over several times but he was determined to have it his way. The caretakers fed them and pottied them while we watched. They were so adorable! I have loaded many pictures to my Kodak Gallery account. If you would like to view them, send me a message thru yahoo and I can send you an invite. It is not open for public viewing. Creation is full of wonders and I am very glad we have been privileged to behold so many of them in this mysterious and beautiful country.

These are Red Pandas. They must have had something very serious to discuss. There was an entire section of the park dedicated to Red Pandas but it was closed because so many of them are pregnant and need silence.

It is good to realize that if love and peace can prevail on earth, and if we can teach our children to honour nature's gifts, the joys and beauties of the outdoors will be here forever.”
Jimmy Carter

mandy

The Himalayas

Growing up, I was always fascinated by descriptions of distant lands. I would imagine the sights and sounds, and think about what it must be like to visit such places. That, in part, is the reason I have always enjoyed reading. As the words on the pages progressed, in my mind’s eye I was transported to another place and time. It didn’t matter what our financial situation was, I could travel the world and beyond. Well, even though our financial condition is much the same as it has always been, we find ourselves now in a place I only thought I would see through books. As we travelled home from Chengdu, our train wound its way through the Himalayan Mountains. Yes, THE Himalayas. History, beauty, and wonder draped like a curtain across Asia. People from all over the world have come to scale these peaks. The tide of battles and the fate of nations have turned in these passes. Over seven hundred years ago, Marco Polo established the Silk Road that traced along this same route delivering silk, spices, and treasure to the people of Europe. You can almost see the past and present sharing the same time and space. As the landscape rolled by, so many things looked like they had not changed in all of that time. There were farmers working the steppes with the aid of bison pulling old plows. There were small houses and villages that just seemed to have grown from the earth like the bamboo from which they were made. It reminded me of how very small and insignificant man truly is but also how, whether for good or for bad, man always tries to leave its mark. Even so, that mark is like a single word or sentence on a page in a book. It has meaning and can convey so much but the Earth and its wonders provide context to the story.

Hard Sleeper

We took the slow train home. It was eighteen hours in a hard sleeper berth for us. There have been horror stories told about how miserable and uncomfortable these journeys can be. Others though, tell nostalgic tales about their time spent in transit in this manner. So, when there is no consensus on a matter, you just have to check things out for yourself. I will say this; I do understand why some would shy away from travelling in this manner. The bunks are not very comfortable but that should come as no surprise. It is called a hard sleeper. But considering that most beds here in China are hard, I expected the bunk to be like sleeping on concrete. It was actually not much worse than our own bed so I count that as a plus. Then there was the smell. Our car was, all things considered, not too bad. Occasionally, however, we would catch a whiff of either someone smoking in the area between cars, the pungent odor of the WC, or sometimes both. Recently, though, I heard a nice quote about smells that I think applies: “If you stay in the barn long enough, eventually you don’t smell the manure”. I believe we proved that true on this trip. Despite all of that, we really enjoyed the ride (Amanda probably would have enjoyed it more if her back was not hurting from falling out of a bus. That is another story for another time). It was so nice to be able to slow down for a little while. There was a certain charm to the gentle rocking of the train as the scenery slowly scrolled by. It gave us time for reading, study, and reflection. Oh, if only I could have found a soft spot in that hard sleeper...

– Frank

If the riches of the Indies, or the crowns of all the kingdom of Europe, were laid at my feet in exchange for my love of reading, I would spurn them all.
Francois de Fenelon (1651 - 1715)

PS - The video that I was going to load for the panda post was too big, Blogger would not let me load it. Sorry about that. I will save it and try to show it someday.

The National Treasure – The Giant Panda

Indigenous of China, the giant panda has become the symbol of the nation. There are some things that must be seen when visiting this country. The pandas are one of them. After the hour long bus ride to the north side of Chengdu, and after all of the hassle that preceded the visit to the park, I was afraid that the trip would not live up to expectations. That was nowhere near the case. The panda reserve more than delivered.

Having visited several zoos, we should have expected the scene that awaited us. The park was filled with children. There must have been several hundred, maybe a thousand children visiting. As we walked in, we were literally mobbed by children shouting “nide mingzi, nide mingzi” or “your name, your name”. They wanted our autographs. For the first time in my life, truly could understand how Michael Jordan must feel. I had people who only came up to just past my waist (children are people too), shoving pieces of paper at me, and shouting with glee, just to get my barely legible signature scrawled for them. And my jump shot is not nearly as good as his.

Once we finally made our way past the adoring fans, we set out to do some gawking of our own. It was a beautiful, clear day and the animals seemed to really be enjoying it. Hence we were treated to very active animals. There is just something special about observing nature. It is like it is what we were meant to do! There is only so much that I can say, so I hope you enjoy the pictures and the video. - Frank

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

To Chengdu

Tomorrow we are off to Chengdu for some sightseeing. It should be an interesting place to visit. It was the scene of the big earthquake this past April that killed 70,000 people. It will be interesting to see how the people are getting by in the aftermath. One thing that we can say about humans in general is that they are resilient. After a tragedy, those who survive are usually numb, and are changed by the experience, but they keep going. It seems that things are moving forward there. I guess we will see firsthand.

One of the commercials that we have seen describes Chengdu as the land of abundance, home of the pandas. Chengdu is famous for their giant panda reserve and we are supposed to go see that. We are really looking forward to it. The other thing that we are going to do is go to IKEA. That is where we are going to get the rest of the furniture for our apartment and they have a café that gives free refills on coffee (that is something almost unheard of here). On top of that, they will even ship our goods across country to our place for us. Wow, pandas, refills on coffee, and delivery of our comfy furniture! We can’t wait to get there.

We are going by plane there and then we will be taking the train back, the slow train. It is going to take us about 18 to 24 hours. That should be quite an experience itself. We are going to get to actually see the countryside. Pictures will follow. – Frank

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
Chinese Proverb

Xiao Xin!!!!! (Be Careful!!) -cont.

Did you know there is a nationwide epidemic in China? That’s right, manhole cover theft! Seriously! It takes about 4 of 5 guys to lift it and cart it away, but the money they get from the steel must be worth the effort. There was a write up in a recent National Geographic magazine on this. It’s crazy! I bring this up because I have experienced the effect that missing manhole covers can cause. Well, it was actually my friend who experienced it, but I had to watch. We were walking across the street this morning, she was texting, and suddenly she fell into an open manhole! It was like a cartoon episode where Daffy casually walks right into the hole, only not funny at all. Thankfully, one leg caught the edge and she didn’t go all the way in but her body was splayed half in and half out of the hole, and trucks were coming. I got them to stop and helped her back to the sidewalk. Apparently, nothing is broken, but she is in a lot of pain. I still can’t believe it happened, what a freakish thing.! She didn’t let that stop her though and we stayed out all day.
There’s more. Another friend was riding home last night when a semi came barreling out of nowhere right on his tail. Our friend started pumping for all he was worth to get out of the way and guess what? Repeat. The chain came off and he went down into a tuck and roll that took him just out of harm’s way. The truck never stopped.

But wait, that’s not all. (I sound like an infomercial, don’t I?) We met some friends for dinner tonight at a western restaurant, no, not steak and potatoes with peanuts on the floor, just western as in not Chinese. Afterward we came out to get on our bikes. Frank went to his and the others got theirs and suddenly I asked, “Frank, um, where’s mine?” STOLEN!!! Some little tiny Chinese butt is riding around on my nice extra wide cushioned seat that I just bought!!! AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!! They were all parked together and locked!...I didn’t like riding bikes anyway.
Frank walked his home so we could walk together. I really prefer walking but that’s not the point, I didn’t tell them that. Mine was not the first though, several friends have replaced theirs twice and one is on their fourth bike! My replacement will have to wait. Man, that seat was really nice too. Best thing about the bike. At least we followed instructions and bought junkers. I had several people tell me how bu hao (bad) my bike was. I thought that meant it was safe. It would have been, maybe, without my nice seat. Oh well! Such things will happen, right?

Mandy

Think Happy Thoughts!

“Gravity is a contributing factor in nearly 73 percent of all accidents involving falling objects.”
-Dave Barry

http://www.manhole.ca/pics/sydneymorningherald.pdf

Xiaoxinde – Carefully

Getting around can be very dangerous. There are millions of people in this city. The chief means of conveyance is either walking or riding a bicycle. There is also a very efficient bus system, and of course cars, trucks, motorcycles, and scooters. There is even the occasional horse or mule drawn wagon, all “sharing” the road. Maybe sharing is too generous a term. I think begrudgingly occupying simultaneously is more accurate. As with most traffic systems, there are traffic lights. Next to these lights there is a display that counts down the seconds until the light changes. At around 5 second, the green light changes to red and people begin to cross. This is not always the smartest thing to do. If one is not careful, they may get hit. There is often one last vehicle trying to get through the intersection, usually preceded by a continuous blast of the horn. You should see the casual way that the pedestrians react to this. You would think that there would be a mad scramble for safety, but instead they usually just slightly alter their course. It is almost as if they know that they won’t get hit or either they don’t care. I haven’t figured out which it is yet. It is a wonder that there aren’t more accidents. One day, while riding the bus, I saw two people almost get hit within an hour of each other. One was a lady who was sweeping the street. As the bus was barreling down on her, she was totally expressionless. She just stood there and watched. I guess she had total confidence in the driver’s ability to stop in time. Although I didn’t know the words but judging by the tone, she had more faith than the driver. Somehow he got the behemoth stopped; she continued sweeping the street. About 40 minutes later a guy walking a bike stepped out in front of the bus. There must have been about 20 feet for the bus to stop. We were travelling about 40 mph. Physics was not on his side, there was no way we were going to stop in time. Before we hit him, a guy reached out and pulled him back. Once again there was little reaction by anyone other than the driver. It is sad that with so many people around, most people seem to be myopic. They are in their own little world and they have little interest in noticing what is going on with others.

Amanda and I have had bikes for about a week now. I really enjoy riding it around. Even with all of the other bikers, pedestrians, and motorized vehicles on the road at the same time. There is an ebb and flow to things. I heard getting around compared to playing a video game. Amanda says it is like Frogger. You know, the classic Atari game about a frog trying to cross the street. Fortunately, I was really good at that game. Well, I have been getting the feel for the rules of the road. I will sum them up for you. Ride fast, don’t hit anything, and when you see an opening take it. Other than these, I don’t think there are any.

I remember when I first began driving. My dad showed me how to check the oil, transmission fluid, and tires on the car. He told me how important it was to do this so that I could make sure the car was safe to drive. When I was at the fire department, I actually taught new drivers to do the same thing. For some reason, I did not apply those lessons to riding a bike. I usually just jump on it and go. What can go wrong? Today, I paid for that hubris. I was riding along, following the rules of the road; especially the first one. There I was, standing up on the pedals, pumping my legs as hard as I could, and leaning forward to get as much momentum as possible. Everything was in sync. The bike and I were one. Then the chain came off. That small event began a chain reaction, please excuse the pun. The chain came off just as I was pushing down on the pedal. That made me lose my balance, and I fell into the handle bar. Falling into the handle bar made the front tire turn perpendicular to the direction of travel. Here is where physics was not on my side. WARNING SCIENCE CONTENT: Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of motion states “Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it”. With the tire turned sideways, friction caused the bike to stop. Unfortunately, with no such external force applied to me, I didn’t, at least not immediately. So, I flew through the air until that other discovery of Newton’s caught up to me: gravity. After an incident like this happens to you, what is the first thing most people do? Check and see if they are hurt or check on the bike to see if it is broken? Nope. Look around and see if anyone saw you! Whew! Thankfully, I was in the clear. I couldn’t believe that there was no one around. Truth be told, I was truly relieved that no one was around, because if it had been during rush hour, I could have easily caused a huge Nascar style pile up. All of this because the chain of on my bike was too loose and slipped off. I guess I learned my lesson. I will be checking my bike out from now on. I have got to be xiaoxinde. – Frank
We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it--and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. She will never sit on a hot stove lid again--and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

PS - I am fine. Just a little sore. The only thing hurt is my pride. You know I have had writer's block for the past few days. It is a shame that I have to fall off of my bike for inspiration. Hopefully the next post will come at a lest painful price.

Babies Anyone?

I have had so many requests for Chinese babies, (as in, bring them home in your suitcase requests), that I thought I should create an order form of sorts. You know, to keep things organized. Seriously, China has some of the cutest kids. Let me introduce you to some:

This little girl was not afraid of Frank, even let him hold her. That says enough right there, don't you think?



She was a bit shy about having her picture taken. Her face sells a lot of blankets and pillows though.










These two are very handy. They do their own shopping.
Don't they look like two tiny adults?
"Step aside, we have things to do,
places to go and people to meet".















You can save so much money because diapers are not necessary! That's what sidewalks are for! No kidding!

















This little guy is quite the explorer.
He was half-way down the market lane
before his father realized he was gone.










They don't mind being wrapped up like a
sack of potatoes and slung onto the back.
They love it! It means snuggling with Grandma.
Who doesn't love that?















They aren't picky eaters either. I'm not sure what he picked up, but it must be good.











How can you not love them?
So just let me know who wants which,
and I will send... their pics!










Mandy





Families with babies and families without are so sorry for each other.-- Ed Howe

I’ll Just Sleep On It

Today, Amanda and I have to go back to the market and see if we can get our washer exchanged. The one we purchased has two small problems. First, it doesn’t work. The barrel doesn’t fill with water, and the agitator doesn’t agitate. When we bought it we kind of wanted it to do those things. Second, when you reach inside you get shocked. Not shocked as in surprised, shocked as in electrocuted. I guess we can be thankful that so far it has only delivered minor doses. It is plugged into 220 V! Not to seem picky, but we want clean clothes, not electro-therapy. So we are going to try to get them to exchange it for us. This should be fun.


In many homes in America, there is often a debate over whether to have a firm or soft bed. Here in China, there is no debate. The only type of mattress that we have been able to find is called a hard box spring in the US. One of our friends says there is a place that caters to soft westerners, where we can get a mattress. We don’t know whether we will buy one or not. For now we will just sleep on it.


As for sleeping on it, after struggling to setup my wireless router for about four hours, I put the router back in my suitcase and gave up. Well, after sleeping on it (not literally but it couldn’t be much worse), I tried something different this morning and got it working. And I didn’t need to speak Chinese to do it. So now, both Amanda and I are able to surf the net from the convenience of our own home. Things are looking up. – Frank


To achieve the impossible dream, try going to sleep.
Joan Klempner



PS: Thanks for all of the comments. We enjoy hearing from you.

The Hiatus

I know I have not written a post since the 13th. I took a short hiatus because things have been pretty hectic. We have been shopping for stuff for the apartment. We ended up buying a bed, a wardrobe, a table, two end tables, and a washer. Aside from the things for the apartment, we also each purchased a bike, and I bought two new suits. The suits were a surprise. We were actually shopping for furniture when we passed a store that had suits on sale. I bought a suit for 180 kuai and one for 280 kuai. That is two suits for about $75. What is really nice about this is that I really didn’t think I would be able to find a suit to fit me off the rack. I almost didn’t. I had to get the largest size they had, a size 52. At first I tried on a 50 but that was too tight. Now, as you all know, I am not a particularly large man. So how is it that I am one size away from shopping at the big and tall store? After trying on the pants, and getting measured for the hem, one of the ladies took my money, while another one took the pants and ran down the street. I asked the remaining clerk “when will my pants be ready”? She says “xinzai, qingzuo” “now, please sit”. I waited about ten minutes and I had my suits.
After leaving there we went and bought our wardrobe. We bought it from the same lady that we bought our bed from. We like her because she delivers for free and it is hard to carry large pieces of furniture on our bike. For that you need a tricycle. I am serious about that. At the market there are guys that have tricycles that they use to deliver the goods that people buy. On Tuesday, we used one of the tricycle guys to deliver our washer, table, and chairs. He was expensive but he got our stuff to our place with a minimum of hassle. That is more than can be said for the people who deliver for free. You know the old saying “you get what you pay for”. When we purchased our bed, they told us that they would have it to us by four. A little before four, we got a call that said they would be there around six. At six, we got a call from them saying they were on the way. At eight, Amanda and I were on the streets looking for them. By nine, we had our bed. Ok, so the next day when it is time to buy our wardrobe, where do we go? As I stated earlier, we went to the same lady. Why, because we can usually negotiate with her and get her to agree to a reasonable price, and because delivery is free. We figured they know where we live now, so delivery should go much smoother. It was a nice thought at least. This time they didn’t even pretend that it would be delivered while the sun was up. They told us after six. Well, by eight o’clock we began to wonder. We received several phone calls from the delivery guy that even Amanda couldn’t make sense of but we did know that once again the delivery guy was lost. So I took the phone down to the building security guard and he told the driver how to get to our place. Once the guy arrived, it took him about an hour to set the wardrobe up. So we couldn’t relax until almost 10, so much for free delivery.
We now have internet access in our place. The guy came today to set it up. He tried to help me set up my wireless router, but that didn’t go so well. After trying for an hour he took off. I brought my router with me half way across the globe, but it will not work. I think it is, like me, having trouble communicating. If anyone has any advice (Tim R. or Dave T., this means you) I would really appreciate any help you can give. – Frank
To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.
Chinese Proverb

Wai guo de!

Last night, as we walked the streets of our new neighborhood, we were suddenly accosted by 3 little girls all standing inside one hula hoop. They ran behind us for the longest time, chanting,"waiguode, waiguode" (foreigner, foreigner). Somehow, they managed to chant, run, dodge potholes and still all stay inside the hula hoop. Finally, I whirled on them with fingers clenched into claws, leaned over them and started my own chant. "Zhongguode, Zhongguode" (Chinese, Chinese). They squealed, giggled and kept up the chase until we crossed the road. I find it amusing that they should say that I am a foreigner when two days before, a man I sat next to on the bus asked me if I was a local! Of course, as soon as I opened my mouth, he realized his mistake. A few days before that, a lady told me I looked like a member of one of the local tribes. WHAT!!??? She said my nose and round face were very Chinese. She had no explanation for the hair, and you should have seen her face when saw my ears! (for those who don't know, they are TINY) She called them baby ears and seemed very sympathetic that they had not developed since then. But wait, there's more. Tonight, as I waited at the corner of Wal-mart for our bed to arrive, an elderly man stopped and asked me for directions! Alright Mom, Dad, have you been holding out on us? Is there Chinese blood floating around somewhere that you haven't told us about? Mandy

The Search Is Over!!!

Yesterday was the day. We finally signed on an apartment. It is not perfect but it is clean, has a spectacular view, and is in our price range. As we were sitting in the realtor’s office signing the contract, not only was the owner and his wife there, but they also brought family and friends. It was truly an occasion for them. They were all going out to dinner afterwards to celebrate. When signing on a lease here, you have to pay six months’ rent, an administration fee, and even dian ti fei (elevator fee) all in advance. Can you believe it, we have to pay for use of the elevator? I asked them if we still had to pay it if we promised not to use the elevator. I bet you can guess the answer. Well, after forking over all of that qian, it is no wonder the owners were in such a good mood. They even invited us to dinner too. I guess they wanted us to see where our money was going. We declined. We didn’t want anything to do with the toasting and drinking that traditionally go with such occasions. "Gan Bei" is what they shout as they down each round. Generally, they don’t stop until everyone is wasted. No thanks. We had to meet with the owner to get registered as residents today. Well, one whiff of his breath told us that the celebration must have continued all through the night. His breath was 80 proof! I felt like shouting "Gan Bei"! Now that we have our place and are registered, we have to set the place up. So tomorrow we are going to look for a bed, sofa, wardrobe, and possibly a table. Right now the most important things are the bed and sofa so that we can move in. We looked around a little today but didn’t really find anything. Tomorrow, it is off to the flea market.
One thing of interest that we saw today was duck ready for the market. Can you say "AFLAC"? - Frank

I will not eat oysters. I want my food dead- not sick, not wounded - dead.
Woody Allen (1935 - )

Pics and Such

BEFORE...

...Just Kidding!

Actually, this is spiced Yak meat. When I say spiced, I mean la si le(spicy to death). I told the server I like hot food and he recommended this. My sinuses are very clear and should be for a few days at least, but the flavor was wonderful. The meat was shredded, mixed with hot peppers(seeds and all) and green onions, then fried crisp. It had the texture of jerky. I loved it. It cost about $2.60. You just can't beat that. I don't have much to say in this blog, but I did want to show you some of the things we have seen in the week we have been here:

View from the Plane of the Rockies

Window of Famous Tea House

Really Cool Lookin' Tree

















Gas Efficient Vehicle















Dusk


















Night View of Our Courtyard









Hope you enjoyed!!!


mandy

“I've learned that good-byes will always hurt, pictures will never replace having been there, memories good and bad will bring tears, and words can never replace feelings.”