This past week, I started my vacation with a trip to Qingdao with Pang Li, Annie, Jesse and P.A. Initially we were planning on going to DaLian, another beach city, but there was an oil spill just weeks ago that has ruined the waters and beaches (sound familiar?).
There are really only two words I need to describe Qingdao: beach and beer. If you want to get more cultural about it, I can add that there is a heavy German influence in the architecture and history.
The train from Beijing to Qingdao went by fast, and once we arrived, we took a van to check in at Kai Yue Youth Hostel/Old Church Lounge. This was my first time staying in a hostel, and it was a great experience. The hostel was recommended by Hostelworld.com and Lonely Planet. They had a bilingual staff, a bar/hang out area and one free beer per day per customer! We stayed in two eight-person rooms with other Americans, an Irishman, and a Taiwanese family. My only complaints: no hot water and the front doors are locked at 2 a.m.
Once we were settled in and got our free beers, we called the van driver from earlier. We (read: Pang Li) struck a deal with him that we would pay 300 yuan to hire him as a guide for the three days we would be in Qingdao, and he would take us wherever we wanted to go. He recommended (as did Lonely Planet) that we go to Beer Street, which houses the Tsing Tao brewery that makes Tsing Tao beer. Both Qingdao and Tsing Tao are pronounced "ching-dow," but they are written differently because of the evolution of Chinese pinyin. Beer Street also had numerous places to eat, drink and listen to live performers. We ate outside at a barbecue restaurant that the driver recommended. Since Qingdao is a port city, we had lots of delicious seafood. The pitchers of fresh Tsing Tao were also great and “the real deal.” We even tried black beer, which I think was only appreciated by myself and Pang Li. Our driver was fast asleep by this time, so we bribed a taxi driver an extra 5 yuan (US$0.75) to let us cram all five people in his cab and got home safely.
The next morning, we enjoyed an American breakfast (that’s even how it was advertised on the menu) at the hostel with eggs, bacon, sasuage, coffee, etc. It hit the spot, especially the coffee. Pang Li was not impressed and insisted that we give Chinese breakfast a chance the next day.
We set out for the day to an island called Little Qingdao that could be accessed by one road with waves crashing upon it. On the island, we walked along the rocks, let the waves crash upon our legs, took some pictures, and marveled at the number of Chinese people disobeying the “do not cross” signs to get nearer to the sea.
Next we went to one of my favorite places in the world: the beach. It was pretty crowded, but we found a spot to put our stuff down and lather up. The sun was out in full force, and the Chinese people all had their personal umbrellas to help. They also had an eye-catcihng range of clothing, bathing suits, and floating devices. I’m talking inner tubes, rafts, and even wing floaties (yes, grown men were wearing floaties – many Chinese people don’t ever learn how to swim). The sea water felt great, and we even got Pang Li to go in to his waist (he also can’t swim).
Once we were good and pruny and had seen enough small children running around the beach in the buff, we set off in search of lunch. Jesse and P.A. recognized a Chinese restaurant they dined in the last time the ASU group was in Qingdao, so the driver joined us for lunch there. It was amazing, but we all ate so much that we were in need of a nap back at the hostel.
We woke up and set off for a restaurant/bar that John recommended. John is an Englishman that works in our office and taught in Qingdao for a few years two years ago. The French restaurant, Le Bang, was a pretty big letdown as we were among the only people there, the service was slow, and the menu was pricy. We tried another of John’s recommendations, Corner Jazz Bar, later and this was equally disappointing. We decided to leave the empty establishment after one Qingdao. This proved to be a great idea since we found a place called Beer Bar (although it was basically just a few kegs and small chairs outside on the street across from our hostel) selling pints of beer for 2 yuan (US$0.30). Annie busted out the cards and we taught Pang Li B.S. and Spoons (which we improvised for and re-named “Chopsticks”). It turned out to be a great night full of lots of laughter.
The next morning, we held up our end of the bargain and ate a Chinese breakfast of dumpling soup and vegetable buns. Surprisingly, I liked it a lot, though nothing will replace bacon and buttered toast. Next, we set out for Mount Laoshan, which was about an hour outside of Qingdao. It was pretty touristy, but great to get away from cities and have a good sweat and hike. We hiked past pagodas, waterfalls, and a monastery that was supposedly 500 years old (although it looked pretty new to me). We even saw some goats, which reminded me of the last time I had hiked abroad on Mount Pilatus in Greece.
We returned to Qingdao and ate on Snack Street, another strip of restaurants specializing in barbecue seafood. I had a crab, a large shrimp (Qingdao’s specialty), some kind of large clam, and a fish that we picked out and watched get killed (sad, but, as Pang Li says, “TIC: This is China.”). We decided to give up on the bars and embrace our hostel’s amenities, so we headed back home to out free beer and hookah. This was another first for Pang Li and something I had been wanting to do in China ever since I heard that Hookah Bliss in Chapel Hill had closed (moment of silence, please). We worked our way across the street and down a bit to a place where the beer was, believe it or not, even cheaper. We eventually even got a bag of beer, another #onlyinchina moment. While we were out drinking and socializing, P.A. didn’t feel well so he was in the hostel meeting an American roommate named Chris who, no lie, graduated from UNC and was originally from Charlotte. P.A. told Chris about me and sent him out to find us. We flagged him down as the only other Westerner sitting amongst Chinese people and had a great conversation. It turns out that he did a summer in China when he was my age through UNC’s B-school and decided to learn Chinese and return before starting work for Habitat for Humanity. We “bar hopped” and toasted to yuan fen (read: fate) for introducing two Charlotteans and Tar Heels in Qingdao!
The next morning, while Chris set off for the airport to go back to the States, we had another Chinese breakfast, said our goodbyes to Pang Li and set off for the train station.
Next stop: Shanghai!
Showing posts with label Western food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Western food. Show all posts
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Take me down to the paradise city [47-50+Article]
FIFTY DAYS is a long time to be in a place!
Anyway, the rest of last week was all about friends and fun.
Thursday after work I met up with a fellow Tar Heel and friend, Katherine, who is also interning in Beijing. We met up in Wudoukou, which is near where she works, and she took me to The Bridge Café. The café was cool – three stories, including a coffee shop/hangout area, a fine dining floor, and a rooftop bar and eating area. The food was spectacular – I had fettuccini alfredo with chicken. It was the first time I’ve had pasta in China. We shared apple pie with ice cream for dessert – another first in China.
It was great to catch up with a friend from home, though it felt a little strange to be meeting up in the bustling and foreign city of Beijing. We shared our experiences of working for a Chinese company, living in strange places, and meeting locals and expats. We also shopped around a bit at the night market, where I bought some TV series of DVD and we saw a man giving real tattoos IN THE BACK OF A VAN - gross. We took the bus home, and it turns out she is staying RIGHT across from where I work – small world!
On Friday, Annie’s ASU/Holland Fellows friend, Jesse, came to visit. He is interning in a northern province of China and came for the weekend to do Great Wall Fresh with Annie. We went to the beer garden, where Pang Li joined us for skewers and pijiu. As always at the beer garden, rounds started stacking up, and just as we were about to leave, a few Chinese people (that seemed around our age) came up to us and gave us half of a watermelon! We graciously started eating it, which they took as a sign to bring more watermelon and beer to gambei (read: toast). Knowing they wouldn’t leave us alone until we did, we went over to their table, where it looked like they were celebrating something. Pang Li told us that they all worked together at a restaurant up the street, and it was one of their birthdays. That’s when the photo shoot started. Everyone wanted a picture with the Mei guos (read: Americans) on their camera phones. We chatted the best we could (which mainly stuck to “nice to meet you”s) and even renamed Strawberry and Javi to Stella and Seth, respectively.
As Annie and Jesse fought hangovers the next day hiking the Great Wall, I took it easy and went shopping. My first stop was Panjaiyuan Market, which was described to me as “the mother of all flea markets.” This was a good description. It was so huge, with so many different stalls full of sculptures, antiques, paintings, scrolls, books, and more that I got overwhelmed and left empty-handed.
I decided instead to try my luck at Glasses City, a huge mall solely full of eye glasses stores. It was a success – I bought a pair of prescription eye glasses for $20. They were ready in ten minutes! And now I want more.
Then it was work time. I love that “work time” for me meant going to a six-hour Chinese rock show. I was asked to report on this show late in the afternoon on Friday, so I didn’t have a chance to get a really good camera, but I made due with mine. I walked to the venue from Glasses City, which reminded me of a larger version of Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro or Tremont in Charlotte. It was such a cool experience - seeing Chinese punk kids moshing, running on stage, etc. The bands ranged from folk to screamo, from heavy metal to pop-rock. A couple of them even sang songs in English! However, I was the ONLY white person there, and seemed to be the only English-speaker, so conducting interviews was tricky. In the end, I decided to make my article into more of a slideshow of the event. Please check out the published slideshow here. Below are a few that didn't make the cut.
[Random, but the venue had a cool way to label the bathrooms: ]
During the last performance of the night, a Chinese girl, about my age, came up to me and asked me, in English, if I liked the music. It turned out that her name was Jesse (pattern?) and that she worked with one of the guitarists at a bank near Xizhimen, which is one bus stop away from my office. We exchanged e-mails since her English was rough, and decided to meet up at another point. She even invited me hiking with her!
I was exhausted from the show the following day. I took it easy again and shopped at the Hongqiao Pearl Market. China is known for pearls, silk, and of course, knockoffs, so I was obligated to bring some back home. I felt pressured, accomplished, and ripped off all in the course of this a couple of hours so I devoted the rest of the day to reading and relaxing.
As my Facebook status says right now, there is still so much to do and so little time!
Anyway, the rest of last week was all about friends and fun.
Thursday after work I met up with a fellow Tar Heel and friend, Katherine, who is also interning in Beijing. We met up in Wudoukou, which is near where she works, and she took me to The Bridge Café. The café was cool – three stories, including a coffee shop/hangout area, a fine dining floor, and a rooftop bar and eating area. The food was spectacular – I had fettuccini alfredo with chicken. It was the first time I’ve had pasta in China. We shared apple pie with ice cream for dessert – another first in China.
It was great to catch up with a friend from home, though it felt a little strange to be meeting up in the bustling and foreign city of Beijing. We shared our experiences of working for a Chinese company, living in strange places, and meeting locals and expats. We also shopped around a bit at the night market, where I bought some TV series of DVD and we saw a man giving real tattoos IN THE BACK OF A VAN - gross. We took the bus home, and it turns out she is staying RIGHT across from where I work – small world!
On Friday, Annie’s ASU/Holland Fellows friend, Jesse, came to visit. He is interning in a northern province of China and came for the weekend to do Great Wall Fresh with Annie. We went to the beer garden, where Pang Li joined us for skewers and pijiu. As always at the beer garden, rounds started stacking up, and just as we were about to leave, a few Chinese people (that seemed around our age) came up to us and gave us half of a watermelon! We graciously started eating it, which they took as a sign to bring more watermelon and beer to gambei (read: toast). Knowing they wouldn’t leave us alone until we did, we went over to their table, where it looked like they were celebrating something. Pang Li told us that they all worked together at a restaurant up the street, and it was one of their birthdays. That’s when the photo shoot started. Everyone wanted a picture with the Mei guos (read: Americans) on their camera phones. We chatted the best we could (which mainly stuck to “nice to meet you”s) and even renamed Strawberry and Javi to Stella and Seth, respectively.
As Annie and Jesse fought hangovers the next day hiking the Great Wall, I took it easy and went shopping. My first stop was Panjaiyuan Market, which was described to me as “the mother of all flea markets.” This was a good description. It was so huge, with so many different stalls full of sculptures, antiques, paintings, scrolls, books, and more that I got overwhelmed and left empty-handed.
I decided instead to try my luck at Glasses City, a huge mall solely full of eye glasses stores. It was a success – I bought a pair of prescription eye glasses for $20. They were ready in ten minutes! And now I want more.
Then it was work time. I love that “work time” for me meant going to a six-hour Chinese rock show. I was asked to report on this show late in the afternoon on Friday, so I didn’t have a chance to get a really good camera, but I made due with mine. I walked to the venue from Glasses City, which reminded me of a larger version of Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro or Tremont in Charlotte. It was such a cool experience - seeing Chinese punk kids moshing, running on stage, etc. The bands ranged from folk to screamo, from heavy metal to pop-rock. A couple of them even sang songs in English! However, I was the ONLY white person there, and seemed to be the only English-speaker, so conducting interviews was tricky. In the end, I decided to make my article into more of a slideshow of the event. Please check out the published slideshow here. Below are a few that didn't make the cut.
[Random, but the venue had a cool way to label the bathrooms: ]
During the last performance of the night, a Chinese girl, about my age, came up to me and asked me, in English, if I liked the music. It turned out that her name was Jesse (pattern?) and that she worked with one of the guitarists at a bank near Xizhimen, which is one bus stop away from my office. We exchanged e-mails since her English was rough, and decided to meet up at another point. She even invited me hiking with her!
I was exhausted from the show the following day. I took it easy again and shopped at the Hongqiao Pearl Market. China is known for pearls, silk, and of course, knockoffs, so I was obligated to bring some back home. I felt pressured, accomplished, and ripped off all in the course of this a couple of hours so I devoted the rest of the day to reading and relaxing.
As my Facebook status says right now, there is still so much to do and so little time!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The next stop is SiDaoKouBei [37-39+Article]
The title: Annie has picked her Chinese name, SiDaoKouBei, based on our favorite bus stop. Also, China has decided that we are not only a couple, but we are married. And I should buy everything for her. Oh, China…
I felt like a real reporter for the first time in China on Monday. I went with Zhou Jing, a reporter for the world news section of China.org.cn, to the opening ceremony of a Czech astronomy exhibit at the Beijing Ancient Observatory. Apparently she has an “in” with the Czech embassy, so she always gets invited to these things and scored me an “exclusive interview” with the Czech ambassador. The story went well and was online by Tuesday. You can read it here.
After the great adventures of the weekend, I decided to take my explorer hat off for a day and go to spinning class at the gym after work instead. It kicked my butt, but it felt good to work that into my week again.
I donned the explorer hat again on Tuesday as Annie and I made our way to Joy City, a mall in Biejing. On the way there, we also came across 77th Street, an underground mall mostly for locals. The stuff was cool and relatively cheap, and I got a pair of just-for-show glasses, trendy by Chinese and American standards. At Joy City, I bought a new pair of flip flops from H&M for RMB 30 and a Blizzard from Dairy Queen - yummm.
Wednesday was a great day at work since my piece about Great Wall Fresh went online and was on the main page, along with my picture with Mr. Chen!
After work, Annie and I went to WuDouKou to meet up with a friend we made at the Great Wall Beach Party. He pointed us in the direction of Pyro Pizza, a popular hangout for foreigners in the university area. We had a great margarita pizza and mozzarella sticks. We will definitely be back there.
With no other plans in WuDouKou, we decided to explore the area. We came across an outdoor market that stretched on for a few blocks and had anything you could think of – clothes, food, pets, knock-offs, etc. I got a few things there – the best among them being The Karate Kid on DVD for RMB 5! It’s in English with Chinese subtitles and shows Jaden Smith in Beijing, so I thought it would be a great memory!
So much to look forward to this weekend – stay tuned! And if anyone back home wants anything from China, let me know. It’s all so cheap. Love.
I felt like a real reporter for the first time in China on Monday. I went with Zhou Jing, a reporter for the world news section of China.org.cn, to the opening ceremony of a Czech astronomy exhibit at the Beijing Ancient Observatory. Apparently she has an “in” with the Czech embassy, so she always gets invited to these things and scored me an “exclusive interview” with the Czech ambassador. The story went well and was online by Tuesday. You can read it here.
After the great adventures of the weekend, I decided to take my explorer hat off for a day and go to spinning class at the gym after work instead. It kicked my butt, but it felt good to work that into my week again.
I donned the explorer hat again on Tuesday as Annie and I made our way to Joy City, a mall in Biejing. On the way there, we also came across 77th Street, an underground mall mostly for locals. The stuff was cool and relatively cheap, and I got a pair of just-for-show glasses, trendy by Chinese and American standards. At Joy City, I bought a new pair of flip flops from H&M for RMB 30 and a Blizzard from Dairy Queen - yummm.
Wednesday was a great day at work since my piece about Great Wall Fresh went online and was on the main page, along with my picture with Mr. Chen!
After work, Annie and I went to WuDouKou to meet up with a friend we made at the Great Wall Beach Party. He pointed us in the direction of Pyro Pizza, a popular hangout for foreigners in the university area. We had a great margarita pizza and mozzarella sticks. We will definitely be back there.
With no other plans in WuDouKou, we decided to explore the area. We came across an outdoor market that stretched on for a few blocks and had anything you could think of – clothes, food, pets, knock-offs, etc. I got a few things there – the best among them being The Karate Kid on DVD for RMB 5! It’s in English with Chinese subtitles and shows Jaden Smith in Beijing, so I thought it would be a great memory!
So much to look forward to this weekend – stay tuned! And if anyone back home wants anything from China, let me know. It’s all so cheap. Love.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Trial and error [30-32]
I’m learning a lot about myself by being more or less on my own in a foreign country. One thing I’ve noticed (and those around me have noticed), is that I hate giving up. Especially when it comes to finding a place. I’ve never had a spectacular sense of direction, but I can read a map and judge distance thanks to many years of backpacking and cross country.
That being said, this week has tested my tenacity. On Monday, Annie and I finally went to Friends Café, a nearly identical replica of Central Perk from one of the best, if not THE best sitcom of all time, Friends.
We took two hot and crowded buses to get there but wandered for a while before finding it tucked into the sixth floor of a sleek SOHO building. It was extremely cute, and surprisingly filled with Chinese locals instead of foreigners. It also was the best cup of coffee I’ve had since I’ve been in China (most of the coffee here is instant coffee instead of drip coffee). It was also refreshing to watch TV (Friends, of course) in English and to sit in comfortable chairs (sadly, the famous orange couch was taken by some locals).
We also discovered The Place, a popular mall and hang-out spot. The Place is hard to describe, but I will definitely come back and take more pictures.
The highlight of Tuesday was getting my first article published! See the last post for the link! I took a break from running around Beijing for a day and ran on the treadmill instead.
On Wednesday, the plan for after work was to eat at a Western deli called Bocata and then check out Boat, a bar/club on a boat (!!!) on a river since I won’t be in town this weekend. We took the subway to the Sanlitun area and walked towards Bocata. On the way there, we found a place called “Here” with a really good menu, and since it was late and we were starving, we ate there… at Here. It was amazing. I had a roast beef sandwich with fries (best fries in China… best fries ever?) and a Coke. When we got to Boat, the place was dead. Mental note: Wednesday night is not particularly hopping in Beijing. We ended up walking to Sanlitun and watching a Michael Jackson impersonator and a Chinese girl band over a pijiu.
That being said, this week has tested my tenacity. On Monday, Annie and I finally went to Friends Café, a nearly identical replica of Central Perk from one of the best, if not THE best sitcom of all time, Friends.
We took two hot and crowded buses to get there but wandered for a while before finding it tucked into the sixth floor of a sleek SOHO building. It was extremely cute, and surprisingly filled with Chinese locals instead of foreigners. It also was the best cup of coffee I’ve had since I’ve been in China (most of the coffee here is instant coffee instead of drip coffee). It was also refreshing to watch TV (Friends, of course) in English and to sit in comfortable chairs (sadly, the famous orange couch was taken by some locals).
We also discovered The Place, a popular mall and hang-out spot. The Place is hard to describe, but I will definitely come back and take more pictures.
The highlight of Tuesday was getting my first article published! See the last post for the link! I took a break from running around Beijing for a day and ran on the treadmill instead.
On Wednesday, the plan for after work was to eat at a Western deli called Bocata and then check out Boat, a bar/club on a boat (!!!) on a river since I won’t be in town this weekend. We took the subway to the Sanlitun area and walked towards Bocata. On the way there, we found a place called “Here” with a really good menu, and since it was late and we were starving, we ate there… at Here. It was amazing. I had a roast beef sandwich with fries (best fries in China… best fries ever?) and a Coke. When we got to Boat, the place was dead. Mental note: Wednesday night is not particularly hopping in Beijing. We ended up walking to Sanlitun and watching a Michael Jackson impersonator and a Chinese girl band over a pijiu.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
It just needs a napping kitten! [20-22]
If one phrase describes the past weekend in Beijing, it would have to be “change of plans.” Pretty much nothing worked out the way that I had planned it, but everything worked out for the best.
It started Friday when John, a British employee in our department, invited the UNC interns to get beers after work with a few other guys. I had originally planned on rushing to the gym to work out and shower and then get ready for a night out with Annie. The beer kept flowing and the skewers of “barbecue” piled up. Before we knew it, it was already past 9 p.m. Courtney and I walked back to the house, picking up a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor) on the way. We had to convince Annie to come out with us since she had given up on us hours ago (we sometimes forget that we have cell phones since they are of little use here). Anyway, I had found a bar online earlier that was holding its opening night with free drinks and appetizers until 1 a.m. We hopped in a taxi and headed toward the Worker’s Stadium.
The bar was called George’s and it was built into the stadium. It was all black marble with small lights and candles and altogether very chic. There were a good mix of Westerners and locals there, so we felt comfortable in our little nook by the bruschetta. A bartender came up to us and said “This is an open party. Help yourself to drinks at the bar.” There were a set of signs with drinks listed on them (Johnnie Walker Black Label, passion fruit mojito, mango mash, Redbull Vodka, Bacardi and Coke, etc.) that were all free! And the food was amazing and FREE too! Satisfied, we took a taxi home, angered our landlord for getting in so late, and rested up for Saturday.
The plan for the UNC interns for Saturday was to go to Summer Palace, a picturesque Beijing tourist attraction, but Courtney and I were not in the sightseeing mood, so we spent some time in the office instead. Eventually, Annie convinced me to go on an adventure with her (she enticed me by bringing me food—she must know me pretty well already). We took the subway to Ghost Street, a street lined with the classic Chinese red paper lanterns and restaurants and shops. Lonely Planet was on our side today as I found a place called “Grandma’s Kitchen” right near the exit from the subway station. It was a cute little restaurant originally opened by an American grandmother living in Beijing. We ate on the porch/sunroom and had American favorites, including chocolate chip cookies. Ghost Street was a little disappointing after eating such delicious food and looking at the live seafood and shellfish in front of restaurants.
Next on the agenda for me was to go to Broadway Cinematheque in the MOMA North Section of China to watch a documentary and review it for China.org.cn. This was a frustrating ordeal since no one there spoke English nor did they know what I was talking about when I said the name of the film. After talking to the editor on the phone, I was left with just as little information as from before, so Courtney and I reached a compromise. I would let her cover this story (if she could figure it out), and I would cover one next weekend. Annie and I walked around MOMA for a while, finding a cute book/coffee shop and some interesting looking buildings surrounding a small lake. China.org.cn gave me a really nice camera to cover this event, so I got something out of it – really nice pictures!
Annie and I decided to take a taxi to Houhai Lake, a place we had been during my first weekend in Beijing. On the way there, we saw the hutong that Keith and Ithzel lived, so we told our driver to “ting,” and got out. We met up with our friends and saw their new apartment. It was literally right off of the busy alleyway and was actually a really cool place, despite having no bathroom and having the shower in the kitchen. They walked us to Houhai, shopping along the way. At the lake, our friends left us (they teach English to Chinese children, even on the weekends) and we found a bar to sit down in. There was a singer at this quaint place that made me change my mind about Chinese singers – they aren’t all awful. He was really good, but didn’t have a CD, unfortunately. There was another change of plans when we decided to take a 3-wheeled motor bike with a small cabin home instead of a taxi. The driver said that it would be 8 kuai, about half the price of a taxi. “OK,” we thought, “we’ll sacrifice comfort and speed for this price. Besides, it’ll be an experience!” An experience it was. We almost crashed into a car, hit severe potholes, and basically got robbed. Turns out he wanted EIGHTY kuai for the ride. We were pissed. Not only had he taken advantage of us, but we didn’t have anywhere near that much money. After plenty of yelling and exchange of bilingual profanity, we all walked away frustrated. Like I said, it was an experience.
Today, Sunday, was supposed to be our make-up trip to Summer Palace, but due to miscommunication, Courtney and I had to reschedule that again (it WILL happen next weekend, dang it!). Instead, we spent the day and reading/napping under the trees of Yuyuan Tan Park. A fair trade for a lazy Sunday, if you ask me.
It started Friday when John, a British employee in our department, invited the UNC interns to get beers after work with a few other guys. I had originally planned on rushing to the gym to work out and shower and then get ready for a night out with Annie. The beer kept flowing and the skewers of “barbecue” piled up. Before we knew it, it was already past 9 p.m. Courtney and I walked back to the house, picking up a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor) on the way. We had to convince Annie to come out with us since she had given up on us hours ago (we sometimes forget that we have cell phones since they are of little use here). Anyway, I had found a bar online earlier that was holding its opening night with free drinks and appetizers until 1 a.m. We hopped in a taxi and headed toward the Worker’s Stadium.
The bar was called George’s and it was built into the stadium. It was all black marble with small lights and candles and altogether very chic. There were a good mix of Westerners and locals there, so we felt comfortable in our little nook by the bruschetta. A bartender came up to us and said “This is an open party. Help yourself to drinks at the bar.” There were a set of signs with drinks listed on them (Johnnie Walker Black Label, passion fruit mojito, mango mash, Redbull Vodka, Bacardi and Coke, etc.) that were all free! And the food was amazing and FREE too! Satisfied, we took a taxi home, angered our landlord for getting in so late, and rested up for Saturday.
The plan for the UNC interns for Saturday was to go to Summer Palace, a picturesque Beijing tourist attraction, but Courtney and I were not in the sightseeing mood, so we spent some time in the office instead. Eventually, Annie convinced me to go on an adventure with her (she enticed me by bringing me food—she must know me pretty well already). We took the subway to Ghost Street, a street lined with the classic Chinese red paper lanterns and restaurants and shops. Lonely Planet was on our side today as I found a place called “Grandma’s Kitchen” right near the exit from the subway station. It was a cute little restaurant originally opened by an American grandmother living in Beijing. We ate on the porch/sunroom and had American favorites, including chocolate chip cookies. Ghost Street was a little disappointing after eating such delicious food and looking at the live seafood and shellfish in front of restaurants.
Next on the agenda for me was to go to Broadway Cinematheque in the MOMA North Section of China to watch a documentary and review it for China.org.cn. This was a frustrating ordeal since no one there spoke English nor did they know what I was talking about when I said the name of the film. After talking to the editor on the phone, I was left with just as little information as from before, so Courtney and I reached a compromise. I would let her cover this story (if she could figure it out), and I would cover one next weekend. Annie and I walked around MOMA for a while, finding a cute book/coffee shop and some interesting looking buildings surrounding a small lake. China.org.cn gave me a really nice camera to cover this event, so I got something out of it – really nice pictures!
Annie and I decided to take a taxi to Houhai Lake, a place we had been during my first weekend in Beijing. On the way there, we saw the hutong that Keith and Ithzel lived, so we told our driver to “ting,” and got out. We met up with our friends and saw their new apartment. It was literally right off of the busy alleyway and was actually a really cool place, despite having no bathroom and having the shower in the kitchen. They walked us to Houhai, shopping along the way. At the lake, our friends left us (they teach English to Chinese children, even on the weekends) and we found a bar to sit down in. There was a singer at this quaint place that made me change my mind about Chinese singers – they aren’t all awful. He was really good, but didn’t have a CD, unfortunately. There was another change of plans when we decided to take a 3-wheeled motor bike with a small cabin home instead of a taxi. The driver said that it would be 8 kuai, about half the price of a taxi. “OK,” we thought, “we’ll sacrifice comfort and speed for this price. Besides, it’ll be an experience!” An experience it was. We almost crashed into a car, hit severe potholes, and basically got robbed. Turns out he wanted EIGHTY kuai for the ride. We were pissed. Not only had he taken advantage of us, but we didn’t have anywhere near that much money. After plenty of yelling and exchange of bilingual profanity, we all walked away frustrated. Like I said, it was an experience.
Today, Sunday, was supposed to be our make-up trip to Summer Palace, but due to miscommunication, Courtney and I had to reschedule that again (it WILL happen next weekend, dang it!). Instead, we spent the day and reading/napping under the trees of Yuyuan Tan Park. A fair trade for a lazy Sunday, if you ask me.
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