Cullen says:
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
The Good: The staff greeted us with smiling faces. Their English was good. They repeated my order back to me. I understood everything they said to me, and they understood everything I said. They were polite and friendly. In a word, delightful.
The Bad: We went on a Friday night. They had a special, Ribeye, Filet, or BBQ for ¥150. I picked the Ribeye, medium-rare. It was the worst "Ribeye" that I have ever tried to eat. It was raw on one end, and medium on the other, so I guess that means on the average it was medium-rare. The cut was not that of a Ribeye. I think it was an old Water Buffalo that got hit by a bus. Too bad the bus didn't help tenderize it. As I chewed away, the small hunk of flesh in my mouth grew bigger and bigger, and bigger. I began to wonder, "Will I have to spit it out?" I try not to laugh, as I imagine the elastic-bouncy-ball cud flies around the bar, like a bullet ricochet in an old western, or a cartoon. The "Texaco Marfak Lubrication" sign that hangs on the wall to lend authenticity to the place, also helps me with the bus analogy. My cud (I won't call it a Ribeye anymore) tasted more like wheel-bearing grease than "Pecan" or "Mesquite" smoke. There really is a charred BBQ pit there, but someone should tell them not to burn old tires in it. For Tim to blather on about the amount of trouble he went through to get proper cuts of meat (in many articles easily found on the web), and to brag about his "only the best cuts of meat" on his menu, he really shouldn't serve up old Water Buffalo and call them steak. Tim's either, shouldn't be trusted, or doesn't know where steak comes from.
The Ugly: As I write this, the price advertised at the top of this page is "Price Less than ¥99 per couple." Pshaw! Maybe if you bring your own water. I am not complaining about the prices (the prices are ok), but the advertising, (it's annoying). Expect to pay a minimum of 150-250 ¥ for two entrees and two drinks. Tim's website conveniently provides a menu with prices; if you'd like to check my work. The website's prices are similar to the prices on the menu.
This place is indeed an authentic Texas Road House. It has old Chevy pickup parts nailed to the wall, along with a few other relics. It has a few bras hanging from the rafters, but not enough to imply a really good party. It has a quite reasonable sound system. It has darts, and pool tables (probably purchased secondhand from a Texas roadhouse, or SPJST). And, football on TV (Australian rules, but what the hell.) It has a few regulars who run amok in the place, plugging their ipods (or zunes) into things they shouldn't. It is exactly like dozens of other road houses which could be found around Austin or College Station, whose parking lots are all full of Escalades, Hummers, and perfect brand-new Four-Wheel-Drive Ford Diesels complete with "Truck Nutz" and nary a scratch, nor a spot of dirt. It gets an "A-" in authenticity (it only needs graffiti carved into the tables and woodwork with pocket knives). I am reminded why I avoid them when I am stateside.
For my part:
I Found the staff to be amazingly kind. They tried very hard to treat us as they would in an American restaurant. They brought us the menus after they sat us down, then left us there for a bit. She asked for our drink order then stopped herself from asking us what else we would order, and left us to decide upon our food without doing the customary hovering while we browsed their menu. Their wait staff is amazing and lovely.
The plate of Enchiladas Verdes was not the usual tex-mex variety of enchiladas verdes. I expected and prepared for this. I was a bit let down, but I am aware of the difficulty in finding the ingredients for the sauce. No big deal there... but the quality left something to be desired. The corn tortillas, the essence of any enchilada, were dry, and seemed a bit old. The sauce is used to combat this issue, by coating the enchilada. The sauce was only smattered on top, and though it was a generous coat, it wasn't coupled with any cheese to moisturize the enchilada, making for a dry bite every time. Then there was the rice. Here I have to complain totally. The rice, one of my favorite dishes to cook, is extremely simple, and almost impossible to ruin unless you don't put enough spices. They didn't put enough spices, OR enough tomato. The tomato is the most important ingredient next to the cumin and the bell pepper... Not only was the rice flavorless, but it was dry and chewy in some parts, making me think they reheated it. Reheating rice in CHINA? Really?? There is NO shortage of rice in China. No excuse for reheating rice to the point of making it anything but delightful. None. The bean were ok, but not refried the way I am used to... probably no lard, which is probably good. I like the fact that they put cheese on the beans too. They did have the authentic pickled jalapeños too.
Enough about the food. Though the local crowd was bad, and frustrating because they acted like they owned the place and didn't want us there... and maybe it was true... I think we heard the best Country Western Cover-band I have ever heard. They covered quite a few old/good country songs. I'm not a country music fan, but they certainly made me smile. :D
Enough complaining. Back to the beauty that is Beijing.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Victorious find
The Hunt:
As I have previously posted, we have been looking for Sauternes, a fine yet rare dessert wine from a small area in France that has a rare molding condition in their wine grapes. This wine is the only wine Cullen and I seek out when we shop for wine. It makes the exercise more of a treasure hunt than shopping. (If you want to know more about Sauternes, check out this site: http://www.wineintro.com/types/sauternes.html )
Yesterday, Cullen needed some more tools and supplies for work. We hopped into a cab and headed to Haidan, the super Tech area Cullen has been working on the blog for (I am beginning to be skeptical about his actually working on it).
Cullen picked up part of what he needed, but was unable to finish getting everything since they close at 5pm, he likes to bargain, and we arrived at 3:30pm. (This means he gets to go back... no really he loves this place so much he would spend every waking moment there if he could.)
With all the "up" escalators turned off, we suspected that something was up. There was no loud announcement of the closure of the place, but as we started to wander around at about 5:15pm, we noticed people packing up, and the escalator status... so we decided to start the other part of our quest... the finding of our wine.
The China World Trade Center:
This structure is 2 towers consisting of offices in the upper floors, and exposition hall, and ... yes... a mall. A big fat designer mall. Cullen and I aren't really into designers, nor are we into malls, but I had searched the internet for fine wine stores, and one of the stores that carries Sauternes was listed to have a store in The China World Trade Center. (Store link and listing is here: http://www.montrosechina.com/include_html/common.asp?type=c&name=winestore ) Our search was on.
Though this mall was down in the basement of the building, we found all the same decor as any mall. Nicely paved shiny floors, tons of small shops on the sides of the central lane. Only about 2 or 3 of the small booth-like structures in the main walk way. It didn't feel as cluttered as some malls, but it was definitely a mall.
We walked for a bit and found that there was a grocery store, with an alcohol department in a store next to it. The store looked promising, and appeared to match the image on the website, though the name was not the same. We went inside and asked about the wine. The sales woman searched the shelves for the wine to no avail.
It is worth mentioning that they had beautifully hand-blown bottles of alcohol. Some in the shape of Goldfish, some in the shape of dragons. One of the most beautifully sculpted bottles was a cylindrical bottle with a blown glass dragon inside, suspended in the alcohol. These bottles of alcohol were not too much more expensive than a regular bottle of wine.
I am not one to knock something before I try it, but I am certain I will be very reluctant to try one of their very special selections on display. From a distance, the drink appeared to be nothing more than a clear liquor with branches or roots from some plant floating in it. We went to get a closer look, and it was roots with snake wrapped in them suspended in a lightly clouded alcohol. The snake was twisted and knotted up, as if it had not been put into the alcohol in a proper state of euphoria. I mentioned to Cullen that the alcohol was really cheap and his response was, "Of course, they have to discount it. It has a dead snake in it."
The rest of the mall was a disappointment, save the Pizza Hut. We had been longing for a greasy American style pizza. Lo and Behold... Pizza Hut emerges!
Upon entering the Pizza Hut, Cullen had to say,"This is the Fanciest Pizza Hut I have ever seen." In all fairness to Pizza Hut, it has been a while since I actually went into a restaurant. Not only is it something we usually have delivered, but it's practically impossible to find an actual Pizza Hut Restaraunt in Houston. If my memories of Pizza Hut interiors serve me correctly, they are under-lit, slightly dingy, a bit worn buildings with sub-par service. This place was well lit, clean, and fresh looking. I was impressed with the service, and the selection. Usually all you have to choose from on a list of beverages is some soda, ice tea, or water. They have a fancy selection of smoothies which included a kiwi-mango beverage that I decided to give a try. Cullen had an ice-tea.
They tend to bring your bill while you are waiting for the food. You pay whenever you like. Very convenient.
We had and "American Style" pizza. This was a deep dish pepperoni with mozzarella cheese. Very American compared to their seafood stuffed crust pizza.
After food, we went off to hunt some more, but found nothing more than a tiny little wine shop with little to offer. We were once again stumped. So far we had spent quite a bit of money on taxi fares to find this wine, and were yet to find the true gold treasure. Cullen with his master problem solving skills decided that we should consult another problem solving master- The hotel Concierge.
China World Hotel is beautiful. With it's grand open lobby, and all the lavish furnishing, it is definitely and up-class hotel. We rode the escalator up into the lobby and around the corner to the Concierge desk. A friendly Concierge greeted us, and despite the fact that we told her we weren't staying at the hotel, she still assisted us in finding our treasure. She directed us to 2 international grocery stores. One, the Carrefour Supermarket, is a French import supermarket. The other was called Pacific Century. We chose to go to the French supermarket.
Arrrggghh Traaeeessure:
Upon finding the second floor of the Carrefour Supermarket, and their wine selection, we had uncovered our beautiful brassy prize. They had not one, but five different bottles to choose from. They have three vintages to choose from, 1996 (with a very deep copper to it), 2003, and 2005. The 2003 full bottle was 4 times the price of the 2005 half bottle. Cullen bought out all 7 of their 1/2 bottles and we proclaimed victory.
As I have previously posted, we have been looking for Sauternes, a fine yet rare dessert wine from a small area in France that has a rare molding condition in their wine grapes. This wine is the only wine Cullen and I seek out when we shop for wine. It makes the exercise more of a treasure hunt than shopping. (If you want to know more about Sauternes, check out this site: http://www.wineintro.com/types/sauternes.html )
Yesterday, Cullen needed some more tools and supplies for work. We hopped into a cab and headed to Haidan, the super Tech area Cullen has been working on the blog for (I am beginning to be skeptical about his actually working on it).
Cullen picked up part of what he needed, but was unable to finish getting everything since they close at 5pm, he likes to bargain, and we arrived at 3:30pm. (This means he gets to go back... no really he loves this place so much he would spend every waking moment there if he could.)
With all the "up" escalators turned off, we suspected that something was up. There was no loud announcement of the closure of the place, but as we started to wander around at about 5:15pm, we noticed people packing up, and the escalator status... so we decided to start the other part of our quest... the finding of our wine.
The China World Trade Center:
This structure is 2 towers consisting of offices in the upper floors, and exposition hall, and ... yes... a mall. A big fat designer mall. Cullen and I aren't really into designers, nor are we into malls, but I had searched the internet for fine wine stores, and one of the stores that carries Sauternes was listed to have a store in The China World Trade Center. (Store link and listing is here: http://www.montrosechina.com/include_html/common.asp?type=c&name=winestore ) Our search was on.
Though this mall was down in the basement of the building, we found all the same decor as any mall. Nicely paved shiny floors, tons of small shops on the sides of the central lane. Only about 2 or 3 of the small booth-like structures in the main walk way. It didn't feel as cluttered as some malls, but it was definitely a mall.
We walked for a bit and found that there was a grocery store, with an alcohol department in a store next to it. The store looked promising, and appeared to match the image on the website, though the name was not the same. We went inside and asked about the wine. The sales woman searched the shelves for the wine to no avail.
It is worth mentioning that they had beautifully hand-blown bottles of alcohol. Some in the shape of Goldfish, some in the shape of dragons. One of the most beautifully sculpted bottles was a cylindrical bottle with a blown glass dragon inside, suspended in the alcohol. These bottles of alcohol were not too much more expensive than a regular bottle of wine.
I am not one to knock something before I try it, but I am certain I will be very reluctant to try one of their very special selections on display. From a distance, the drink appeared to be nothing more than a clear liquor with branches or roots from some plant floating in it. We went to get a closer look, and it was roots with snake wrapped in them suspended in a lightly clouded alcohol. The snake was twisted and knotted up, as if it had not been put into the alcohol in a proper state of euphoria. I mentioned to Cullen that the alcohol was really cheap and his response was, "Of course, they have to discount it. It has a dead snake in it."
The rest of the mall was a disappointment, save the Pizza Hut. We had been longing for a greasy American style pizza. Lo and Behold... Pizza Hut emerges!
Upon entering the Pizza Hut, Cullen had to say,"This is the Fanciest Pizza Hut I have ever seen." In all fairness to Pizza Hut, it has been a while since I actually went into a restaurant. Not only is it something we usually have delivered, but it's practically impossible to find an actual Pizza Hut Restaraunt in Houston. If my memories of Pizza Hut interiors serve me correctly, they are under-lit, slightly dingy, a bit worn buildings with sub-par service. This place was well lit, clean, and fresh looking. I was impressed with the service, and the selection. Usually all you have to choose from on a list of beverages is some soda, ice tea, or water. They have a fancy selection of smoothies which included a kiwi-mango beverage that I decided to give a try. Cullen had an ice-tea.
They tend to bring your bill while you are waiting for the food. You pay whenever you like. Very convenient.
We had and "American Style" pizza. This was a deep dish pepperoni with mozzarella cheese. Very American compared to their seafood stuffed crust pizza.
After food, we went off to hunt some more, but found nothing more than a tiny little wine shop with little to offer. We were once again stumped. So far we had spent quite a bit of money on taxi fares to find this wine, and were yet to find the true gold treasure. Cullen with his master problem solving skills decided that we should consult another problem solving master- The hotel Concierge.
China World Hotel is beautiful. With it's grand open lobby, and all the lavish furnishing, it is definitely and up-class hotel. We rode the escalator up into the lobby and around the corner to the Concierge desk. A friendly Concierge greeted us, and despite the fact that we told her we weren't staying at the hotel, she still assisted us in finding our treasure. She directed us to 2 international grocery stores. One, the Carrefour Supermarket, is a French import supermarket. The other was called Pacific Century. We chose to go to the French supermarket.
Arrrggghh Traaeeessure:
Upon finding the second floor of the Carrefour Supermarket, and their wine selection, we had uncovered our beautiful brassy prize. They had not one, but five different bottles to choose from. They have three vintages to choose from, 1996 (with a very deep copper to it), 2003, and 2005. The 2003 full bottle was 4 times the price of the 2005 half bottle. Cullen bought out all 7 of their 1/2 bottles and we proclaimed victory.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Fireworks in China
The Olympics ended on the night of the 24th. About 10pm, while we were watching the closing ceremonies on television, we started hearing very loud thunderous explosions. Curious, I peeked out the bathroom window to see red sparks showering down from the sky. The boom of fireworks continued to echo through the Institute.
Cullen and I were afraid we would miss all of them. The loud booms, we suspected, were the signal of the end, and there couldn't possibly be much more left to the fireworks production.
We rushed outside and hopped on one of the bicycles. As we whizzed through the roads of the Institute, the fireworks continued. Sparkles of red and gold continued to rain down on the skyline. They were so close.
We exited the Institute to find a crowd gathered on the street, lining it as far as we could see either way on both sides of the street. A man on a Mo-ped puttered out in front of us with his puppy on the footrest. We stood with the crowd, ooo-ing and ahh-ing at the spectacle.
The fireworks continued from between 5-10 more minutes from when we heard the first big bang in the apartment. I had never in my life experience such a long extravagant display of diverse fireworks. There were blooms that exploded over and over, then large fiery missiles and glittery drops that sparkled as they fell. There were also the explosive bits that continued to pulse as they dropped to the earth. Each of these I had seen before, but never in such a long production or such a large quantity at a time. It was beautiful and inspiring.
When the Chinese do fireworks they do them right.
Cullen and I were afraid we would miss all of them. The loud booms, we suspected, were the signal of the end, and there couldn't possibly be much more left to the fireworks production.
We rushed outside and hopped on one of the bicycles. As we whizzed through the roads of the Institute, the fireworks continued. Sparkles of red and gold continued to rain down on the skyline. They were so close.
We exited the Institute to find a crowd gathered on the street, lining it as far as we could see either way on both sides of the street. A man on a Mo-ped puttered out in front of us with his puppy on the footrest. We stood with the crowd, ooo-ing and ahh-ing at the spectacle.
The fireworks continued from between 5-10 more minutes from when we heard the first big bang in the apartment. I had never in my life experience such a long extravagant display of diverse fireworks. There were blooms that exploded over and over, then large fiery missiles and glittery drops that sparkled as they fell. There were also the explosive bits that continued to pulse as they dropped to the earth. Each of these I had seen before, but never in such a long production or such a large quantity at a time. It was beautiful and inspiring.
When the Chinese do fireworks they do them right.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Electric Genius!
Today:
I played in puddles! I also got us cards to recharge our cellular phones. Everything here is on cards.
Chinese cards:
When we got the internet hooked up, Cullen purchased a card. To pay for the internet, you recharge the account by buying cards for it.
The cellular phone system is such that you buy cards to charge your account by monetary amounts. Each card has a value, you enter the code from the card into your cell phone... viola... cell phone has more time!
We encountered the most fascinating use of cards yesterday.
I cooked lunch and returned to my computer. It had a message saying the battery was getting low, and the fan in the room was off... It was noon on a sunny day, so I hadn't noticed previously, but the power was off. Cullen got home for lunch and tried to reset the breaker outside.. it would reset and then turn back off immediately. After eating lunch, we went to talk with our contact.
We had to "charge" our electricity card. I didn't quite understand what this could possibly mean. She had the land-lord (I assume this is his job... it's who we pay the rent to) show us what the card looked like. Cullen went back to the house and found it, while our contact explained that we needed to go to the bank and put money into the card... ??
Ok.. so we went to the bank... put money into the card... now what??
Suspecting that the electricity would be similar to electricity back home, we were thinking... 24-48 hours and the power would be back on... but what do we do with the card??
Cullen called to find out. He followed the very strange instructions...
First, looking for the slot to put the card into....
He put it into a slot in the meter which had a red display below it....
wait a moment... the red display went from reading 00000 to reading 00600 (we charged the card with 600 units of electricity)
turn the breaker back on...
The power was back on in the apartment.
All of it...
No power company guy was involved....
There wasn't any waiting for the guy to come switch it back on... there wasn't any "Sad day, I can't pay the back-payments or the late payment fees"... It was just back on.
China appears to live in a society where you pay first, then you use it. If you don't have any money, you don't have any electricity. There is no late payment fee, no billing adjustments. They tell you what you will pay for the power when you get to the bank, you pay for the amount you would like to pay for... then you go and put it in the meter YOURSELF! That's so awesome.
Bad credit? not important
No credit? not important
Over due on a bill? Not possible with Electricity.
You can even charge the card while you are out shopping. There is an "electricity" bank on every corner... it doesn't get more convenient than that.
I played in puddles! I also got us cards to recharge our cellular phones. Everything here is on cards.
Chinese cards:
When we got the internet hooked up, Cullen purchased a card. To pay for the internet, you recharge the account by buying cards for it.
The cellular phone system is such that you buy cards to charge your account by monetary amounts. Each card has a value, you enter the code from the card into your cell phone... viola... cell phone has more time!
We encountered the most fascinating use of cards yesterday.
I cooked lunch and returned to my computer. It had a message saying the battery was getting low, and the fan in the room was off... It was noon on a sunny day, so I hadn't noticed previously, but the power was off. Cullen got home for lunch and tried to reset the breaker outside.. it would reset and then turn back off immediately. After eating lunch, we went to talk with our contact.
We had to "charge" our electricity card. I didn't quite understand what this could possibly mean. She had the land-lord (I assume this is his job... it's who we pay the rent to) show us what the card looked like. Cullen went back to the house and found it, while our contact explained that we needed to go to the bank and put money into the card... ??
Ok.. so we went to the bank... put money into the card... now what??
Suspecting that the electricity would be similar to electricity back home, we were thinking... 24-48 hours and the power would be back on... but what do we do with the card??
Cullen called to find out. He followed the very strange instructions...
First, looking for the slot to put the card into....
He put it into a slot in the meter which had a red display below it....
wait a moment... the red display went from reading 00000 to reading 00600 (we charged the card with 600 units of electricity)
turn the breaker back on...
The power was back on in the apartment.
All of it...
No power company guy was involved....
There wasn't any waiting for the guy to come switch it back on... there wasn't any "Sad day, I can't pay the back-payments or the late payment fees"... It was just back on.
China appears to live in a society where you pay first, then you use it. If you don't have any money, you don't have any electricity. There is no late payment fee, no billing adjustments. They tell you what you will pay for the power when you get to the bank, you pay for the amount you would like to pay for... then you go and put it in the meter YOURSELF! That's so awesome.
Bad credit? not important
No credit? not important
Over due on a bill? Not possible with Electricity.
You can even charge the card while you are out shopping. There is an "electricity" bank on every corner... it doesn't get more convenient than that.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Dueling Bicycles
IKEA and SOHO shopping:
Yesterday was a beautiful day, so we decided to take a trip out to IKEA again... and then to go out hunting again. Hunting those odd things that only we can think to look for... We are currently looking for a nice bottle of Sauternes wine. Knowing full well how difficult it is to find in Houston, we still look.
We headed out about 8pm. Late enough to miss rush hour in the subway. We headed out to a stop that Fan had suggested when we were out on Thursday. This stop dropped us in the SOHO shopping area. It had a Dairy Queen as well, and a lot of other things that were obviously catering to foreigners. I believe we saw about 4 coffee shops right next to one another... and a Starbucks on a second floor in a building just across the walkway from the other four.
We stopped at a Tai and Vietnamese place to have dinner. The food here was very good... but one of the dishes was far to spicy for either one of us. They seem to think Chili peppers are a vegetable not a spice. Ouch! The pork we did eat from this dish was delicious... just way too hot.
We finished our meal and left the waiter a tip... as we rounded the corner, he came chasing after us, telling us we forgot our money.... fortunately we were able to convey to him that it was his now... and we were on our way again.
Everything was closing down by now. We wandered back around to Dairy Queen, all ready for a blizzard, but they told us that their only choices were from the "Orange Julius" section of the menu... They were tasty... a peach and a Strawberry Orange Julius. Of course, it baffles me any time a restaurant closes their desert section before their dinner section...
So we took off and headed back to the subway... it was 10:15 by this point, and just about time for the subways to be on their last runs. We entered the subway station that was practically empty...as we walked down the halls, we only saw a few stragglers... until we reached the hallway for line 1.. the one we were taking... A horde of people swarmed in front of us...
The writhing seething mass of 100Watt power generators turned a breezy cool hall way instantly into a sweat box. We followed the crowd like lemmings... herded to our future as sardines crammed into a mobile tin box.....
Once inside the subway cars, the heat didn't subside... and neither did the crowd. We squeezed our way out at our stop, and decided that the subway was not the place for us....
Bicycles:
Today was another day of area exploration. The weather was still nice and cool... though it appeared to be wanting to spill it's guts again... it was worth the chance at dueling bikes....
Cullen got on Speedy Gonzales, and I hopped aboard Pokey (the GIANT brand bicycle). And we were off.
We went back around the IHEP community and found a little back street... it was very green and there were loads of people walking and riding today. As we progressed down the road, we found a small up-hill road that lead back into a different type of scenery. The houses in this area were single story, multi-family homes... but the roofs of these homes were covered in anything that would stop a leak. It was as if the roofs were initially made of wood shingles, but instead of replacing or repairing the roofs, they just started stacking things over the holes... there were loose bricks, rocks, sticks... anything that wouldn't blow away in a nice wind.. and they were just stacked haphazardly up there. There was no organization to the stacking... maybe those things had just fallen off of something and landed there.. there's not telling.. There were also brick walls around parts of the homes... like parts were sectioned off. It was as if we were seeing the part of town where the real people live, not apartment complexes near beautiful new buildings. There was only this one lane road, loads of people: half dressed men, babies with their mothers, and children playing.
I think this was one of the most beautiful places in Beijing that I have seen yet. It felt so real, and so alive...
While cycling, Cullen decided to stand up on his bicycle... we were already getting loads of stares from the passing Chinese, but when he did that... well almost every one had to look. There were smiles, laughing... children that said hello... Loads of fun!!!
We followed this road around to the point where it met with the main streets. More of the same beautiful green, and bicycle lanes. The bicycle lanes are great. We rode for quite a while after that... We followed the roads back to the general proximity of our apartment... picked up some screws at the hardware store, headed to the groceries store, and then ended the trip with some good, old fashioned bicycle locking.
Today was a beautiful day.
Yesterday was a beautiful day, so we decided to take a trip out to IKEA again... and then to go out hunting again. Hunting those odd things that only we can think to look for... We are currently looking for a nice bottle of Sauternes wine. Knowing full well how difficult it is to find in Houston, we still look.
We headed out about 8pm. Late enough to miss rush hour in the subway. We headed out to a stop that Fan had suggested when we were out on Thursday. This stop dropped us in the SOHO shopping area. It had a Dairy Queen as well, and a lot of other things that were obviously catering to foreigners. I believe we saw about 4 coffee shops right next to one another... and a Starbucks on a second floor in a building just across the walkway from the other four.
We stopped at a Tai and Vietnamese place to have dinner. The food here was very good... but one of the dishes was far to spicy for either one of us. They seem to think Chili peppers are a vegetable not a spice. Ouch! The pork we did eat from this dish was delicious... just way too hot.
We finished our meal and left the waiter a tip... as we rounded the corner, he came chasing after us, telling us we forgot our money.... fortunately we were able to convey to him that it was his now... and we were on our way again.
Everything was closing down by now. We wandered back around to Dairy Queen, all ready for a blizzard, but they told us that their only choices were from the "Orange Julius" section of the menu... They were tasty... a peach and a Strawberry Orange Julius. Of course, it baffles me any time a restaurant closes their desert section before their dinner section...
So we took off and headed back to the subway... it was 10:15 by this point, and just about time for the subways to be on their last runs. We entered the subway station that was practically empty...as we walked down the halls, we only saw a few stragglers... until we reached the hallway for line 1.. the one we were taking... A horde of people swarmed in front of us...
The writhing seething mass of 100Watt power generators turned a breezy cool hall way instantly into a sweat box. We followed the crowd like lemmings... herded to our future as sardines crammed into a mobile tin box.....
Once inside the subway cars, the heat didn't subside... and neither did the crowd. We squeezed our way out at our stop, and decided that the subway was not the place for us....
Bicycles:
Today was another day of area exploration. The weather was still nice and cool... though it appeared to be wanting to spill it's guts again... it was worth the chance at dueling bikes....
Cullen got on Speedy Gonzales, and I hopped aboard Pokey (the GIANT brand bicycle). And we were off.
We went back around the IHEP community and found a little back street... it was very green and there were loads of people walking and riding today. As we progressed down the road, we found a small up-hill road that lead back into a different type of scenery. The houses in this area were single story, multi-family homes... but the roofs of these homes were covered in anything that would stop a leak. It was as if the roofs were initially made of wood shingles, but instead of replacing or repairing the roofs, they just started stacking things over the holes... there were loose bricks, rocks, sticks... anything that wouldn't blow away in a nice wind.. and they were just stacked haphazardly up there. There was no organization to the stacking... maybe those things had just fallen off of something and landed there.. there's not telling.. There were also brick walls around parts of the homes... like parts were sectioned off. It was as if we were seeing the part of town where the real people live, not apartment complexes near beautiful new buildings. There was only this one lane road, loads of people: half dressed men, babies with their mothers, and children playing.
I think this was one of the most beautiful places in Beijing that I have seen yet. It felt so real, and so alive...
While cycling, Cullen decided to stand up on his bicycle... we were already getting loads of stares from the passing Chinese, but when he did that... well almost every one had to look. There were smiles, laughing... children that said hello... Loads of fun!!!
We followed this road around to the point where it met with the main streets. More of the same beautiful green, and bicycle lanes. The bicycle lanes are great. We rode for quite a while after that... We followed the roads back to the general proximity of our apartment... picked up some screws at the hardware store, headed to the groceries store, and then ended the trip with some good, old fashioned bicycle locking.
Today was a beautiful day.
Friday, August 15, 2008
China's Tien'amen gate
The ancient Tien'amen gate had a face lift and was only revealed a day before the opening of the Olympic games. This gate was the grand structure that the Emperor passed through when entering or exiting his palace. The colors and paint were just as lively and fresh as most of Beijing this week. The streets and buildings all were refreshed and beautiful. Though I greatly respect old architecture as it is, I can appreciate the usefulness of revitalizing the area so near a tourist attraction.
Amazingly, on a Thursday afternoon... at 11pm, the place was swarming with people... mostly Chinese as well. There were foreigners mixed in, but nothing like the main Olympic areas we have been in.
Today was a very special day. I had been asked to assist a journalist on her project. This meant that not only would I get to meet an amazing Chinese journalist, but was also going to get to do something.... and something fun. Without going into details about her project, or ruining a later post, I will just say that it involved a bit of investigation...
Fan is an amazing woman. She is very intelligent, clever, and has a quick wit. Though English isn't her native tongue, she has few problems getting her point across.
For lunch she treated me to a special native dish... ok... it was just noodles, but it was really good. She told me the sauce was made of finely chopped pork... but it was a sauce. That must take a whole lot of chopping. :O
Cullen and his coworker went out to find cell phones and were going to meet us when the finished... so they took the bikes...
As we were well into our antics, the looming clouds decided to rupture and cry their eyes out... all over us. Cullen and his friend were still out getting phones and we were forced into a post office for a time... waiting for some little bit of let up in the rain.
Cullen found us, and once we were able to head back into the streets.. and back to the apartment... the rain had washed all desire to explore from our bones today. We were headed back to the safety of the apartment: Myself and Fan took the subway, and Cullen rode the bicycle back with his coworker. The race was on.
I totally expected that they would beat us back. The bicycles are a little slower than the subway, but we had to make a transfer, and that takes a bit.
Oddly enough. The subway won by more than 30min. I think this may mean that there will be some bike modifications.
Amazingly, on a Thursday afternoon... at 11pm, the place was swarming with people... mostly Chinese as well. There were foreigners mixed in, but nothing like the main Olympic areas we have been in.
Today was a very special day. I had been asked to assist a journalist on her project. This meant that not only would I get to meet an amazing Chinese journalist, but was also going to get to do something.... and something fun. Without going into details about her project, or ruining a later post, I will just say that it involved a bit of investigation...
Fan is an amazing woman. She is very intelligent, clever, and has a quick wit. Though English isn't her native tongue, she has few problems getting her point across.
For lunch she treated me to a special native dish... ok... it was just noodles, but it was really good. She told me the sauce was made of finely chopped pork... but it was a sauce. That must take a whole lot of chopping. :O
Cullen and his coworker went out to find cell phones and were going to meet us when the finished... so they took the bikes...
As we were well into our antics, the looming clouds decided to rupture and cry their eyes out... all over us. Cullen and his friend were still out getting phones and we were forced into a post office for a time... waiting for some little bit of let up in the rain.
Cullen found us, and once we were able to head back into the streets.. and back to the apartment... the rain had washed all desire to explore from our bones today. We were headed back to the safety of the apartment: Myself and Fan took the subway, and Cullen rode the bicycle back with his coworker. The race was on.
I totally expected that they would beat us back. The bicycles are a little slower than the subway, but we had to make a transfer, and that takes a bit.
Oddly enough. The subway won by more than 30min. I think this may mean that there will be some bike modifications.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Xidan Market trip
Tennis Shoes:
I am certain few are aware of the current state of my tennis shoes. Cullen has threatened to buy me a new pair since 2 days before we left for China... when he looked with dismay upon them. Several times he has referred to them as "dirt farmer" shoes. He actually threw them in the washing machine last week in an attempt to improve their appearance (or destroy them.. I'm still not certain which).
Every time I put on my tennis shoes, I take pride in every inch of dirt on them. I worked in the yard, walked the dogs, and painted many a wall with these tennis shoes on. Not to mention that I purchased them with my first animation job dollars... I am very happy and proud of these Nike AIR shoes. They are comfortably broken in, and bear the markings of many good deeds done.
My philosophy on tennis shoes is very similar to my philosophy on Pick-up trucks. I think they should be used and dirty. If they are clean and shiny, they are either bran spankin' new, or aren't being used properly.
Cullen throwing them in the washing machine didn't phase them.
We went to Xidan market to pick up some tea and look for some spices. We are still hunting for some Oregano and Basil. It has to be somewhere. They appear to have everything else.
We entered the market, and went straight for the tea. The tea is in numerous glass jars overflowing. I was after some serious Jasmine tea. They also sold me on some flowering tea. The flowers fully open when submerged in hot water.
After acquiring my teas we headed to the escalators...
"I clean your shoes, free... no charge!" The small Chinese man was adamant... he wouldn't let me get by, and actually started cleaning my shoes while I was walking... and of course, Cullen was laughing and forcing me to stop too...
"Well, you get your wish," I looked at Cullen as he nodded approvingly at the Chinese man on his knees rubbing at the dingy sole of my shoe...
The dirt was rubbing off... I couldn't decide if I was happy about it or not, but the man continued to clean, so I just let him... I figured he wouldn't try to clean the fabric, just the sole... so I was safe....
Then he pulled out the other cleaner... for the fabric. I was well aware that this wouldn't take the old paint off my tennies... but it certainly worked off some of the dirt... water was soaking through to my socks...
Never fear, my shoes are still the warriors of a year of yard work, and will never be beautifully white again... not if I have anything to say about it. This guy's cleaners worked some powerfully impressive magic on my shoes though. They almost sold a Chinese woman... and that's no easy task. The soles are actually white again. The magic is reminiscent of another tool I used to use back home... good old Magic Erasers. Yes, We bought 3 of these magic tools... and are ready to use them for purposes not on the packaging...
Shopping:
In perfect cosmic retribution, Cullen got his shoes cleaned by another guy on the next floor.
We left that shopping center for the one across the street. We were still in search of some good old spices. Unfortunately the one across the street happened to be a good old fashioned American style mall. This mall was complete with a Saphora, a French Connection, and... a Dairy Queen. Believe it or not, there is a Dairy Queen in a mall in Beijing, China. The floors of this mall are named, and the Dairy Queen is right at the top of the escalator of the "Happy" floor. You can bet we were happy when we saw it. Blizzards... oh joy!
We went all the way to the top of the mall where they have the Cinema. There were floors named, "Childish", "Dating", "Trendy", and "Sporty." I felt that the names for the floors were pretty good... they stuck to the ideas really well... though I tried to stay off the "trendy" floor with my "Dirt farmer" looking shoes.
To our amazement, there was really no oregano or basil to be found in this mall... maybe we will have better luck next time.
In case anyone is wondering, Cullen is really really good at driving his Electric bicycle here. He is an expert... even with my added weight on the back.
I am certain few are aware of the current state of my tennis shoes. Cullen has threatened to buy me a new pair since 2 days before we left for China... when he looked with dismay upon them. Several times he has referred to them as "dirt farmer" shoes. He actually threw them in the washing machine last week in an attempt to improve their appearance (or destroy them.. I'm still not certain which).
Every time I put on my tennis shoes, I take pride in every inch of dirt on them. I worked in the yard, walked the dogs, and painted many a wall with these tennis shoes on. Not to mention that I purchased them with my first animation job dollars... I am very happy and proud of these Nike AIR shoes. They are comfortably broken in, and bear the markings of many good deeds done.
My philosophy on tennis shoes is very similar to my philosophy on Pick-up trucks. I think they should be used and dirty. If they are clean and shiny, they are either bran spankin' new, or aren't being used properly.
Cullen throwing them in the washing machine didn't phase them.
We went to Xidan market to pick up some tea and look for some spices. We are still hunting for some Oregano and Basil. It has to be somewhere. They appear to have everything else.
We entered the market, and went straight for the tea. The tea is in numerous glass jars overflowing. I was after some serious Jasmine tea. They also sold me on some flowering tea. The flowers fully open when submerged in hot water.
After acquiring my teas we headed to the escalators...
"I clean your shoes, free... no charge!" The small Chinese man was adamant... he wouldn't let me get by, and actually started cleaning my shoes while I was walking... and of course, Cullen was laughing and forcing me to stop too...
"Well, you get your wish," I looked at Cullen as he nodded approvingly at the Chinese man on his knees rubbing at the dingy sole of my shoe...
The dirt was rubbing off... I couldn't decide if I was happy about it or not, but the man continued to clean, so I just let him... I figured he wouldn't try to clean the fabric, just the sole... so I was safe....
Then he pulled out the other cleaner... for the fabric. I was well aware that this wouldn't take the old paint off my tennies... but it certainly worked off some of the dirt... water was soaking through to my socks...
Never fear, my shoes are still the warriors of a year of yard work, and will never be beautifully white again... not if I have anything to say about it. This guy's cleaners worked some powerfully impressive magic on my shoes though. They almost sold a Chinese woman... and that's no easy task. The soles are actually white again. The magic is reminiscent of another tool I used to use back home... good old Magic Erasers. Yes, We bought 3 of these magic tools... and are ready to use them for purposes not on the packaging...
Shopping:
In perfect cosmic retribution, Cullen got his shoes cleaned by another guy on the next floor.
We left that shopping center for the one across the street. We were still in search of some good old spices. Unfortunately the one across the street happened to be a good old fashioned American style mall. This mall was complete with a Saphora, a French Connection, and... a Dairy Queen. Believe it or not, there is a Dairy Queen in a mall in Beijing, China. The floors of this mall are named, and the Dairy Queen is right at the top of the escalator of the "Happy" floor. You can bet we were happy when we saw it. Blizzards... oh joy!
We went all the way to the top of the mall where they have the Cinema. There were floors named, "Childish", "Dating", "Trendy", and "Sporty." I felt that the names for the floors were pretty good... they stuck to the ideas really well... though I tried to stay off the "trendy" floor with my "Dirt farmer" looking shoes.
To our amazement, there was really no oregano or basil to be found in this mall... maybe we will have better luck next time.
In case anyone is wondering, Cullen is really really good at driving his Electric bicycle here. He is an expert... even with my added weight on the back.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Adventures
Cullen's Special contribution:
Cullen is going to write a piece on one of our special adventures. He insists that he wants to write about it, and I'm not arguing. He's been working on it for days. I just couldn't wait any longer to write another post. I'm sure it will be good.
City Exploration:
So we have been exploring extensively during times when we suspect others are busy watching Olympic events. During the Opening ceremonies at 8pm on the 8th of August, we decided everyone would be busy either attending the ceremonies or watching them on the tube... When we exited the apartment there was an immense silence that made me whisper. It was as if the city had shut down. Before we left, I had glanced out the window to make sure there were still Taxis running. We had been told that EVERYONE would be watching the Opening Ceremonies... There has never been such a silence at 8pm in this city. All that could be heard was the crickets and soft distant sounds of televisions floating down from the apartments. It was a very eerie feeling stepping out into the mostly empty street.
We went down and got on the subway, where we were able to sit down. This was something we have yet to experience here in Beijing. The subways are completely packed most of the time, and if they aren't packed, at least the seats are filled.
We rode the subway all the way to the other side of town, and went to explore the streets. I actually managed to find several places that do nails over there. I think I might have to test one or two.
So this part of town is known as the Bar district. We were actually exploring more of the restaurant side of this district. I actually saw a Mexican restaurant... though we didn't go in. We have already eaten at an Egyptian restaurant out here, and there are Italian, Greek, and many many more types of Western and Mediterranean food in this area. I suspect it's because of the near by embassies.
So in our explorations, we traveled up and down the streets, inspecting the lights, noting to our selves what shops were where. This part of town has a lot of English speakers. As we walked up and down the streets, there were many bars showing the Opening Ceremonies on big screen TVs on their patios, and they had tangled masses of people not only inside, but outside watching the show. It was amazing. There were not complaints or nervousness about people sprawling into the roads.. there was a random Taxi that tried to get around some bicyclists that had taken to parking in the street to watch, but that was about the only noise other than cheering and the Opening Ceremonies on the TV. It was still really eerie, even with tons of people around...
We would reach a dark deserted street once in a while and peek into corners... I can only imagine how packed these streets are when there isn't a serious event going on. The Olympics are Serious Business!
Our exploration went on for hours. Two 3yuan Popsicles and two 6yuan drinks later, we decided we had enough of the White-Man tax (Popsicles on our side of town cost 1yuan and the beverages are rarely more than 3yuan) and hailed one of the passing empty taxis.
With Olympic cycling to take place the next day in the streets of Beijing, they decided that the perfect time to set up would be during the night. Our taxi driver discovered this during his several attempts at a straight forward rout to get us home... He was extremely frustrated when his exit was closed and he had to do a u-turn to get back on track... he started clucking and talking to himself... He even turned the radio off for a bit. The second time it happened, he just started talking to himself... not much clucking this time.
We were finally home, and worn out from hours of walking and exploration, but it was worth it.
Bicycle Adventuring:
Yesterday we were going to take a small trip to explore our surroundings. This required that Cullen modify the passenger seat of the bicycle. I can't ride for very long without an intense desire to get off and walk. The seat has little to no protection from road imperfections to the point of OUCH. After a bit of seat modification we were off to see the area...
We discovered a serious baby shopping section, clothes shopping stores galore, and many women's shoe stores. Then, we spotted something different. I hadn't thought about it until we saw it, but we had not seen any fishing supplies anywhere yet. We discovered a little pushed back set of shops exclusively for fishing and fishing accessories... well, there were also some golf clubs... but mostly fishing and fishing accessories.
We also discovered a huge, beautiful park. It was well groomed and full of flowers, topiaries, and paths. We will have to go and lounge about in there another day. I am excited to know I am surrounded by such beautiful greenery.
Then Cullen's shopping side came out... he wanted another bike. He wants both of us to be able to adventure independently, and for us to be able to go out together without listening to me complain about the extreme discomfort caused by the passenger seat. Yes, it really was THAT bad.
The first bike shop he stopped at had similar, yet more "scooter" looking bikes for about the same price he paid for the GIANT electric bicycle we were currently riding.
The next one had similar bikes for about 400rmb less... Of course, recognizing the bargain, he was ready to purchase a new bike. The salesman wasn't particularly more convincing or more charming... he just seemed to be more honest. He also seemed to be selling WAY more bicycles than anyone else...
While we were sitting about, waiting for the bike salesman to prepare a bicycle for Cullen to test drive, Beijing became much smaller than we originally though. The Chinese man who had helped us buy the first bicycle popped by and said hello. He was on his way home. I'm sure he recognized Cullen's curls.
To make a long test drive short, Cullen bought the new bicycle which is much faster, fancier, and I suspect a bit less robust... though it doesn't have to last. We will only be here a short while anyway.
It's so much fun watching Cullen buying a bicycle, or speakers for that matter... he's just like a kid in a candy store... browsing all the flavors and only settling for the one that makes his tummy feel the best!
Cullen is going to write a piece on one of our special adventures. He insists that he wants to write about it, and I'm not arguing. He's been working on it for days. I just couldn't wait any longer to write another post. I'm sure it will be good.
City Exploration:
So we have been exploring extensively during times when we suspect others are busy watching Olympic events. During the Opening ceremonies at 8pm on the 8th of August, we decided everyone would be busy either attending the ceremonies or watching them on the tube... When we exited the apartment there was an immense silence that made me whisper. It was as if the city had shut down. Before we left, I had glanced out the window to make sure there were still Taxis running. We had been told that EVERYONE would be watching the Opening Ceremonies... There has never been such a silence at 8pm in this city. All that could be heard was the crickets and soft distant sounds of televisions floating down from the apartments. It was a very eerie feeling stepping out into the mostly empty street.
We went down and got on the subway, where we were able to sit down. This was something we have yet to experience here in Beijing. The subways are completely packed most of the time, and if they aren't packed, at least the seats are filled.
We rode the subway all the way to the other side of town, and went to explore the streets. I actually managed to find several places that do nails over there. I think I might have to test one or two.
So this part of town is known as the Bar district. We were actually exploring more of the restaurant side of this district. I actually saw a Mexican restaurant... though we didn't go in. We have already eaten at an Egyptian restaurant out here, and there are Italian, Greek, and many many more types of Western and Mediterranean food in this area. I suspect it's because of the near by embassies.
So in our explorations, we traveled up and down the streets, inspecting the lights, noting to our selves what shops were where. This part of town has a lot of English speakers. As we walked up and down the streets, there were many bars showing the Opening Ceremonies on big screen TVs on their patios, and they had tangled masses of people not only inside, but outside watching the show. It was amazing. There were not complaints or nervousness about people sprawling into the roads.. there was a random Taxi that tried to get around some bicyclists that had taken to parking in the street to watch, but that was about the only noise other than cheering and the Opening Ceremonies on the TV. It was still really eerie, even with tons of people around...
We would reach a dark deserted street once in a while and peek into corners... I can only imagine how packed these streets are when there isn't a serious event going on. The Olympics are Serious Business!
Our exploration went on for hours. Two 3yuan Popsicles and two 6yuan drinks later, we decided we had enough of the White-Man tax (Popsicles on our side of town cost 1yuan and the beverages are rarely more than 3yuan) and hailed one of the passing empty taxis.
With Olympic cycling to take place the next day in the streets of Beijing, they decided that the perfect time to set up would be during the night. Our taxi driver discovered this during his several attempts at a straight forward rout to get us home... He was extremely frustrated when his exit was closed and he had to do a u-turn to get back on track... he started clucking and talking to himself... He even turned the radio off for a bit. The second time it happened, he just started talking to himself... not much clucking this time.
We were finally home, and worn out from hours of walking and exploration, but it was worth it.
Bicycle Adventuring:
Yesterday we were going to take a small trip to explore our surroundings. This required that Cullen modify the passenger seat of the bicycle. I can't ride for very long without an intense desire to get off and walk. The seat has little to no protection from road imperfections to the point of OUCH. After a bit of seat modification we were off to see the area...
We discovered a serious baby shopping section, clothes shopping stores galore, and many women's shoe stores. Then, we spotted something different. I hadn't thought about it until we saw it, but we had not seen any fishing supplies anywhere yet. We discovered a little pushed back set of shops exclusively for fishing and fishing accessories... well, there were also some golf clubs... but mostly fishing and fishing accessories.
We also discovered a huge, beautiful park. It was well groomed and full of flowers, topiaries, and paths. We will have to go and lounge about in there another day. I am excited to know I am surrounded by such beautiful greenery.
Then Cullen's shopping side came out... he wanted another bike. He wants both of us to be able to adventure independently, and for us to be able to go out together without listening to me complain about the extreme discomfort caused by the passenger seat. Yes, it really was THAT bad.
The first bike shop he stopped at had similar, yet more "scooter" looking bikes for about the same price he paid for the GIANT electric bicycle we were currently riding.
The next one had similar bikes for about 400rmb less... Of course, recognizing the bargain, he was ready to purchase a new bike. The salesman wasn't particularly more convincing or more charming... he just seemed to be more honest. He also seemed to be selling WAY more bicycles than anyone else...
While we were sitting about, waiting for the bike salesman to prepare a bicycle for Cullen to test drive, Beijing became much smaller than we originally though. The Chinese man who had helped us buy the first bicycle popped by and said hello. He was on his way home. I'm sure he recognized Cullen's curls.
To make a long test drive short, Cullen bought the new bicycle which is much faster, fancier, and I suspect a bit less robust... though it doesn't have to last. We will only be here a short while anyway.
It's so much fun watching Cullen buying a bicycle, or speakers for that matter... he's just like a kid in a candy store... browsing all the flavors and only settling for the one that makes his tummy feel the best!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Bicycle
On Monday Cullen decided it was time to have a bicycle. Our quest began at the nearest subway station. A colleague of his recommended a certain shopping center only about 4 stops from our place. When we got off it took a bit of help from some Olympic volunteers again to find our bearings. Once we found the shopping center, we realized we were in for a huge treasure hunt without a map, and the only direct instructions were "it's in the basement." Which meant it could be anywhere in the basement... one of 2 basements...
We wandered about in the upper parts of this goliath mall that was more interesting than any mall I have been in. There were more people than I expected on a Monday afternoon too. It was only about 3... on MONDAY and the place was PACKED!! Then again... I have to remind myself.. This IS the Monday before the Friday that the Olympics begin.
We stopped in a shoe store, where Cullen looked for a fancy set of shoes to match his new suit he bought in Hong Kong. This time, there wasn't so much of an issue with his shoe sized. One more thing to check off the list of difficulties in China. They found several pairs that fit him, and he pick one. Once again, much less than you would expect to pay for shoes.
With his new fancy shoes safely stowed in his backpack, our side-track was completed, and we were back on our mission. A Bicycle... so while they got his change, he drew a picture of a bicycle in our handy notebook, and one of the women in the store pointed us to the correct mall... the one across the street. She also wrote us a note in Chinese that I suspect said "I want to buy a bicycle."
Once inside this mall, we proceeded to the nearest Olympic volunteer... they helped us out immensely so far... and he ushered us down down down to the basement two, and through a bit of round about we found... deep in the farthest back corner of a grocery store....A department of the store that sells GIANT brand bicycles.
The selection wasn't small, but the room they packed them into was. I was amazed as always, at the Chinese ability to put so much into such a small space.
So the first thing that caught Cullen's eye, and the thing he has been wanting since before we left Texas, was a selction of 5 electric bicycles. Yes... Cullen now owns an Electric bicycle. This bicycle was reasonably priced, and they claim that it will go 40km on one charge... time to test it out...
You can't take bicycles on the subway... we decide this through deductive reasoning... no one does, there are bicycle parking places near the entrances to the subway stations, and the subways are always packed. The only solution to our distance dilemma was to ride the bicycle all the way back to the apartment. Fortunately for us, the bicycle came equipped with two seats...
The ride home was beautiful. As Cullen will readily tell you, Beijing is full of beautiful landscaping. Trees, flowers, and shrubberies abound. It is difficult to believe that with all these tall buildings, pavement, and industry around, there is still so much beautiful foliage.
The bicycle's battery made it all the way home, without even weakening. We have yet to check the actual mileage that it went, but we are sure that it will be able to take us just about anywhere in Beijing we need to go... unfortunately the back seat is very painful to sit on for even the ride we took home... We will just need another bicycle.
We wandered about in the upper parts of this goliath mall that was more interesting than any mall I have been in. There were more people than I expected on a Monday afternoon too. It was only about 3... on MONDAY and the place was PACKED!! Then again... I have to remind myself.. This IS the Monday before the Friday that the Olympics begin.
We stopped in a shoe store, where Cullen looked for a fancy set of shoes to match his new suit he bought in Hong Kong. This time, there wasn't so much of an issue with his shoe sized. One more thing to check off the list of difficulties in China. They found several pairs that fit him, and he pick one. Once again, much less than you would expect to pay for shoes.
With his new fancy shoes safely stowed in his backpack, our side-track was completed, and we were back on our mission. A Bicycle... so while they got his change, he drew a picture of a bicycle in our handy notebook, and one of the women in the store pointed us to the correct mall... the one across the street. She also wrote us a note in Chinese that I suspect said "I want to buy a bicycle."
Once inside this mall, we proceeded to the nearest Olympic volunteer... they helped us out immensely so far... and he ushered us down down down to the basement two, and through a bit of round about we found... deep in the farthest back corner of a grocery store....A department of the store that sells GIANT brand bicycles.
The selection wasn't small, but the room they packed them into was. I was amazed as always, at the Chinese ability to put so much into such a small space.
So the first thing that caught Cullen's eye, and the thing he has been wanting since before we left Texas, was a selction of 5 electric bicycles. Yes... Cullen now owns an Electric bicycle. This bicycle was reasonably priced, and they claim that it will go 40km on one charge... time to test it out...
You can't take bicycles on the subway... we decide this through deductive reasoning... no one does, there are bicycle parking places near the entrances to the subway stations, and the subways are always packed. The only solution to our distance dilemma was to ride the bicycle all the way back to the apartment. Fortunately for us, the bicycle came equipped with two seats...
The ride home was beautiful. As Cullen will readily tell you, Beijing is full of beautiful landscaping. Trees, flowers, and shrubberies abound. It is difficult to believe that with all these tall buildings, pavement, and industry around, there is still so much beautiful foliage.
The bicycle's battery made it all the way home, without even weakening. We have yet to check the actual mileage that it went, but we are sure that it will be able to take us just about anywhere in Beijing we need to go... unfortunately the back seat is very painful to sit on for even the ride we took home... We will just need another bicycle.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
