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!