A few months ago, I purchased an innocent-looking 10-pack of pocket-sized Kleenex®. I'd learned to carry at least one pack of tissues at all times during my first trip to China, because toilet paper in bathrooms (and napkins in restaurants, and papertowels next to sinks) are an extremely rare delicacy. I was horrified to learn, however, that each and every tissue in this 10-pack was perfumed, and not with good perfume, either. I am very sensitive to strong smells -- they can give me a headache nearly instantly -- so I relegated these tissues to the back of my closet to be used in case of emergency only.
Before we took off for Shanghai, I noticed that my purse was low on absorbant materials and threw several packs of the smelly tissues into my purse. I never removed the tissues from my purse when we returned to Dalian, and it actually came in handy today when I had to use a restroom on campus during a class break. The bathrooms on campus can be smelled from 30 feet in either direction, and I always try to avoid using them, but today I had to go somewhere right after class and was therefore forced to use them. And they smelled so awful that I was extremely thankful for the perfumed tissues, and gratefully held them up to my nose the entire time I was in the bathroom.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Saturday, March 10, 2007
D - We're falling behind!
In my last two posts I forgot to express my concern about how the US is falling behind China in key areas. For example, as the photo below demonstrates, China is in the process of creating "advanced three-dimensional transportation networks"!!! In the US, we only have two-dimensional networks! You've heard of the missile gap from the Cold War, well now we have the dimensional transportation network gap...
Well I sure hope they make it 3-D because otherwise only people from Flatland could use it.
Well I sure hope they make it 3-D because otherwise only people from Flatland could use it.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
D - Rolex, anyone?
No, we haven't gotten into the fake rolex business I promise. But if you're looking for a good fake, I can tell you where to go. Stop by any one of Shanghai's classy tourist traps, and you'll be offered watches faster than you can say 不要 (that's Chinese for "go fly a kite" [which itself is my-mother-speak]). C, who has a better nature than most people I've met, is never one to be rude to anyone, even aggressive and annoying hawkers. Nonetheless, after awhile, even she put on the blinders and started pushing more quickly past the Shanghai entrepreneurs. I will say this for the salesmen - they use a colorful, laminated poster with pictures, as opposed to a guy in New York who would probably just open his jacket and have them hanging. Yes, inkjet technology has revolutionized the illegal goods market on the Shanghai streets. So if you're in Shanghai and you're heading for Nanjing Lu or the YuYuan Gardens, gird up to deal with China's tribute to street capitalism.
But I digress - Shanghai wasn't all bad. For one thing you can more styles of Western food there than anywhere else in China. C and I, knowing we were returning to Dalian where our only Western cuisine respites are KFC, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut (is that an unholy trinity or what) decided to take advantage of the food diversity. One evening we dined on spanish tapas at a lovely place called Azul Tapas. For lunch one day we had Japanese. Another night we hit TGI Friday's. And on the third night, and this feels like a confession even writing this - we went to Hooters. Yes, you read that correctly. Hooters is now in China. Upon discovering this fact during our initial day in the city during a walk in the Pudong district, I remarked to C that they might have trouble finding qualified applicants. After seeing the restaurant from afar initially, we resolved that we would not go there. The truth is, I'd never been to a Hooters restaurant in the US, let alone China, and I wanted to keep the streak alive. Our steadfastness was shaken by a craving for chicken wings (which Hooters is somewhat known for), and a lovely ad we saw in a taxi. In case you didn't spot it on our photo album, I am pasting it below:
The decision to go to Hooters was a joint one, I must add, a unified husband and wife choice. Perhaps you think I jest, but maybe you're not aware my wife is from the home of chicken wings (Buffalo, NY). How could she resist?
To be honest, Hooters was actually quite good. My chicken sandwich was excellent, the wings were good, and C's caesar salad was also quite tasty. The conversation with the waitress was also a highlight. They all spoke good english, and our server related how some American men explained the double entendre nature of the "Hooters" name. Apparently prior to his revelation, the Chinese girls working there thought the name was merely an innocent reference to a cute and friendly owl. They were a little taken aback but they didn't stage a walk out or anything. I guess the biggest culture clash for them was when some other Chinese came into the restaurant and asked them why they were wearing tight fitting tank tops and short shorts during the dead of winter.
Anyway, you haven't learned much about our trip to Shanghai in this post. That's okay, I'm getting to it. The truth is it's hard to summarize museums, exhibitions, and architecture which is what we primarily experienced. I would say our primary activity was walking around the city. Compared to most Chinese cities, there are a lot of interesting buildings left over from the European heyday, so it's enjoyable to take a stroll and enjoy the variety. There's even a hip section of town (Hengshan Lu) where trendy looking bistros, bars, and cafes coexist on tree lined streets.
In terms of cultural experience, we visited the Shanghai Museum which is filled with cultural artifacts from China's incredibly long history. That's interesting but 5 floors of old bronze pots and sculptures of Buddha eventually wears out its welcome. We also stopped in the Shanghai urban planning exhibition, which details Shanghai's transformation from backwater to modern metropolis. The exhibition was a self-congratulatory brouhaha essentially praising the wisdom of the government in how it has planned the city. There was however one redeeming feature of the exhibition: a full scale model of the entire city that filled a gigantic room. See our photo album towards the end for some examples. I wouldn't want to be the guy that tripped while they were putting the last tiny wooden skyscraper in the place. Finally, we also went to the Shanghai City Temple. We were there during the Spring Festival, and it seemed like everyone was in a traditional mood. People were burning incense to the ancestors, and they also would go up to the innumerable idols, er, statues in the temple, press their hands together as if to pray, and bow their heads for a moment. Coming from Christianity, it's strange sight. People here are so areligious as a whole, but once a year they certainly put on a performance to get the blessings of those who have gone before.
One final note on Shanghai before I sign off. If you're going to visit and you don't know anyone locally that can guide you to cheaper pastures, make sure your bring your wallet. The city is very expensive, more so than New York in many cases. The cultural attractions and so on are priced at a standard Chinese rate, but the restaurants and cafes are quite pricey!
But I digress - Shanghai wasn't all bad. For one thing you can more styles of Western food there than anywhere else in China. C and I, knowing we were returning to Dalian where our only Western cuisine respites are KFC, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut (is that an unholy trinity or what) decided to take advantage of the food diversity. One evening we dined on spanish tapas at a lovely place called Azul Tapas. For lunch one day we had Japanese. Another night we hit TGI Friday's. And on the third night, and this feels like a confession even writing this - we went to Hooters. Yes, you read that correctly. Hooters is now in China. Upon discovering this fact during our initial day in the city during a walk in the Pudong district, I remarked to C that they might have trouble finding qualified applicants. After seeing the restaurant from afar initially, we resolved that we would not go there. The truth is, I'd never been to a Hooters restaurant in the US, let alone China, and I wanted to keep the streak alive. Our steadfastness was shaken by a craving for chicken wings (which Hooters is somewhat known for), and a lovely ad we saw in a taxi. In case you didn't spot it on our photo album, I am pasting it below:
The decision to go to Hooters was a joint one, I must add, a unified husband and wife choice. Perhaps you think I jest, but maybe you're not aware my wife is from the home of chicken wings (Buffalo, NY). How could she resist?
To be honest, Hooters was actually quite good. My chicken sandwich was excellent, the wings were good, and C's caesar salad was also quite tasty. The conversation with the waitress was also a highlight. They all spoke good english, and our server related how some American men explained the double entendre nature of the "Hooters" name. Apparently prior to his revelation, the Chinese girls working there thought the name was merely an innocent reference to a cute and friendly owl. They were a little taken aback but they didn't stage a walk out or anything. I guess the biggest culture clash for them was when some other Chinese came into the restaurant and asked them why they were wearing tight fitting tank tops and short shorts during the dead of winter.
Anyway, you haven't learned much about our trip to Shanghai in this post. That's okay, I'm getting to it. The truth is it's hard to summarize museums, exhibitions, and architecture which is what we primarily experienced. I would say our primary activity was walking around the city. Compared to most Chinese cities, there are a lot of interesting buildings left over from the European heyday, so it's enjoyable to take a stroll and enjoy the variety. There's even a hip section of town (Hengshan Lu) where trendy looking bistros, bars, and cafes coexist on tree lined streets.
In terms of cultural experience, we visited the Shanghai Museum which is filled with cultural artifacts from China's incredibly long history. That's interesting but 5 floors of old bronze pots and sculptures of Buddha eventually wears out its welcome. We also stopped in the Shanghai urban planning exhibition, which details Shanghai's transformation from backwater to modern metropolis. The exhibition was a self-congratulatory brouhaha essentially praising the wisdom of the government in how it has planned the city. There was however one redeeming feature of the exhibition: a full scale model of the entire city that filled a gigantic room. See our photo album towards the end for some examples. I wouldn't want to be the guy that tripped while they were putting the last tiny wooden skyscraper in the place. Finally, we also went to the Shanghai City Temple. We were there during the Spring Festival, and it seemed like everyone was in a traditional mood. People were burning incense to the ancestors, and they also would go up to the innumerable idols, er, statues in the temple, press their hands together as if to pray, and bow their heads for a moment. Coming from Christianity, it's strange sight. People here are so areligious as a whole, but once a year they certainly put on a performance to get the blessings of those who have gone before.
One final note on Shanghai before I sign off. If you're going to visit and you don't know anyone locally that can guide you to cheaper pastures, make sure your bring your wallet. The city is very expensive, more so than New York in many cases. The cultural attractions and so on are priced at a standard Chinese rate, but the restaurants and cafes are quite pricey!
Sunday, March 04, 2007
D - Levitation without Meditation
C and I returned Friday night from a visit to Shanghai, in south central China. We arrived Tuesday morning and spent 3 nights and 4 days. From a pure tourist standpoint, that's too long for Shanghai. It has often been noted that up until the 20th century Shanghai was a tiny fishing village. Then, the decline of the Qing dynasty and its concessions to Western powers began radically transforming the city into a hub of commerce and banking for southeast Asia. Britain, France, and even the US setup various operations in the city. With the end of World War 2 and the rise of the Communists, the foreigners were kicked out of the country and Shanghai again became a quiet place (albeit with European architecture and buildings). In the next stage of Shanghai's history in the 1990s, the PRC's government chose Shanghai as a place to demonstrate the new power of China's opening economy. Billions have been invested turning Shanghai into a world class city. Thus while Beijing can be considered the cultural capital of the country with its Forbidden City and Heavenly Temple, Shanghai is China's economic stake in the post-modern world of the 21st century.
Perhaps most symbolic of Shanghai's most recent transformation is the Shanghai Transrapid Magnetic Levitation (maglev) train that runs from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to suburban Longyang station on the Shanghai Metro (subway in NYC terms). Maglev technology has been around for 60 years but there are few implementations of it. It allows for incredibly fast speeds but is currently extremely expensive to build. To China's undemocratic government however, cost is no barrier to demonstrating her entrance on the world stage. Like a model on the runway, China struts her stuff with all the confidence of the emperor's new clothes. As C observed on our trip, the maglev is a colossal waste of money - but it sure is fast. Reaching a top speed of 431 km/h (267 MPH), the maglev scorches the 30km distance in 7 minutes. Compare this to a Boeing 747 which needs a take-off speed of only 180 MPH. Despite my distaste for huge government projects (and China's heavy-handedness at pushing them through), I have to say that the technology itself is impressive. As a child, one of my favorite books was called "Trains". I loved the different kinds of cars and locomotives. To ride on something like the maglev (which I've read about longingly for years) was in many ways a dream come true. The train is fairly smooth at top speed, but getting there takes more vibration than I expected. Additionally, the train is rather loud while it's accelerating. It's not any louder than a jet engine during takeoff, but doesn't sound effortless. I should note that despite the adrenaline rush of traveling so fast, it's not particularly practical from location standpoint. Longyang Metro station is on the far east side of Shanghai in the Pudong development area, far from any tourist hotel. Once you arrive there, you need to take the Metro into the city, or a taxi to your hotel. We took the taxi, which was about 35 RMB to the Bund area. Cost wise however, depending on where your hotel is, the maglev may make sense. It's 40 RMB one way if you have a same-day airline ticket. Add in 30-40 RMB to your hotel and you're looking at 80 RMB. This is compared to a likely 140-150 RMB taxi ride if you go straight to the airport.
So without further ado - here are two crude videos I filmed while on the maglev. The first shows the train getting up to speed, and the second is a brief one showing the top speed of 431 km/h. No doubt if you have further interest in the subject you can search YouTube and get a more professional take.
Ramp-up:
Top Speed:
I will continue my thoughts on Shanghai in a future entry of IM. Don't forget to check out our web photo album for a sneak preview.
Perhaps most symbolic of Shanghai's most recent transformation is the Shanghai Transrapid Magnetic Levitation (maglev) train that runs from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to suburban Longyang station on the Shanghai Metro (subway in NYC terms). Maglev technology has been around for 60 years but there are few implementations of it. It allows for incredibly fast speeds but is currently extremely expensive to build. To China's undemocratic government however, cost is no barrier to demonstrating her entrance on the world stage. Like a model on the runway, China struts her stuff with all the confidence of the emperor's new clothes. As C observed on our trip, the maglev is a colossal waste of money - but it sure is fast. Reaching a top speed of 431 km/h (267 MPH), the maglev scorches the 30km distance in 7 minutes. Compare this to a Boeing 747 which needs a take-off speed of only 180 MPH. Despite my distaste for huge government projects (and China's heavy-handedness at pushing them through), I have to say that the technology itself is impressive. As a child, one of my favorite books was called "Trains". I loved the different kinds of cars and locomotives. To ride on something like the maglev (which I've read about longingly for years) was in many ways a dream come true. The train is fairly smooth at top speed, but getting there takes more vibration than I expected. Additionally, the train is rather loud while it's accelerating. It's not any louder than a jet engine during takeoff, but doesn't sound effortless. I should note that despite the adrenaline rush of traveling so fast, it's not particularly practical from location standpoint. Longyang Metro station is on the far east side of Shanghai in the Pudong development area, far from any tourist hotel. Once you arrive there, you need to take the Metro into the city, or a taxi to your hotel. We took the taxi, which was about 35 RMB to the Bund area. Cost wise however, depending on where your hotel is, the maglev may make sense. It's 40 RMB one way if you have a same-day airline ticket. Add in 30-40 RMB to your hotel and you're looking at 80 RMB. This is compared to a likely 140-150 RMB taxi ride if you go straight to the airport.
So without further ado - here are two crude videos I filmed while on the maglev. The first shows the train getting up to speed, and the second is a brief one showing the top speed of 431 km/h. No doubt if you have further interest in the subject you can search YouTube and get a more professional take.
Ramp-up:
Top Speed:
I will continue my thoughts on Shanghai in a future entry of IM. Don't forget to check out our web photo album for a sneak preview.
Friday, February 23, 2007
D - 过年好 (Commence the detonation)
Contrary to the title of the post, 过年好, Guo Nian Hao is a traditional Chinese greeting heard during this season meaning Happy New Year. Needless to say we've been hearing it regularly in Dalian this past week. We've also experienced a different type of greeting recently - the explosion. Apparently the Year of the Pig is so fortunate, everyone in Dalian has taken to setting off their fireworks at all hours of the day. Our second night back I was awakened at 4am by a cacophony of cannon shots. And I do mean cannon shots - I think they have a cannon on campus that can shoot blanks. In China, fireworks are more about sound than sight (but there's plenty of light as you'll see), thus the ongoing orchestra of black powder.
All of this is a tremendous contrast to places like New York or your favorite nanny State where giving your children a sparkler could get Social Services called and your kids in foster care. In China on the other hand, if you're not handing out bottle rockets by age 6, you are probably being delinquent in your parental duties.
Given all the fireworks, we decided that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Thus on Monday evening we decided to attend the Dalian City fireworks show at Xinghai Square. We took two brief videos with C's camera while there. The first is just a quick panorama of our spot at the Square. The second is the beginning of the fireworks show. Not being a fireworks aficionado I couldn't tell you if it was a good show or not. C wasn't that impressed, so I will defer to her experience.
Panorama:
Beginning of the show:
And if you're really interested in getting a good feel for the fireworks around the city, click here. This is a video made by another Dalian resident, as found on YouTube. Our video taking/editing skills are not up to this standard, so check it out as you'll see a lot more.
After the fireworks were over, we had to somehow get back to our apartment. We went with some of the other foreign teachers though who wanted to eat first. It turned out that it didn't really matter. The crowds were huge and we couldn't get across the street to the 202 tram line. So instead we walked a couple of kilometers down to Heishijiao where our local McDonald's is. Now Xinghai Square really isn't that far from our campus, but it seemed a lot longer when we were walking. Fortunately, it wasn't overly cold (high 30s). After a couple hamburgers we were able to catch the tram there, and get back to campus. I felt bad for the girls working at McDonald's because the place was mobbed and they seemed woefully unprepared for such a huge crowd. I doubt they've ever been that busy at 9:30pm because people here don't really like to eat late.
All of this is a tremendous contrast to places like New York or your favorite nanny State where giving your children a sparkler could get Social Services called and your kids in foster care. In China on the other hand, if you're not handing out bottle rockets by age 6, you are probably being delinquent in your parental duties.
Given all the fireworks, we decided that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Thus on Monday evening we decided to attend the Dalian City fireworks show at Xinghai Square. We took two brief videos with C's camera while there. The first is just a quick panorama of our spot at the Square. The second is the beginning of the fireworks show. Not being a fireworks aficionado I couldn't tell you if it was a good show or not. C wasn't that impressed, so I will defer to her experience.
Panorama:
Beginning of the show:
And if you're really interested in getting a good feel for the fireworks around the city, click here. This is a video made by another Dalian resident, as found on YouTube. Our video taking/editing skills are not up to this standard, so check it out as you'll see a lot more.
After the fireworks were over, we had to somehow get back to our apartment. We went with some of the other foreign teachers though who wanted to eat first. It turned out that it didn't really matter. The crowds were huge and we couldn't get across the street to the 202 tram line. So instead we walked a couple of kilometers down to Heishijiao where our local McDonald's is. Now Xinghai Square really isn't that far from our campus, but it seemed a lot longer when we were walking. Fortunately, it wasn't overly cold (high 30s). After a couple hamburgers we were able to catch the tram there, and get back to campus. I felt bad for the girls working at McDonald's because the place was mobbed and they seemed woefully unprepared for such a huge crowd. I doubt they've ever been that busy at 9:30pm because people here don't really like to eat late.
Monday, February 19, 2007
C - an unusual Chinese New Year celebration
Who would've guessed that a great Italian meal could be had in Dalian, even during the height of Chinese New Year? We've been eating pretty sparsely at home, with peanut butter, oatmeal, and yogurt being our staples, but last night had a feast at a restaurant called Olive Garden (not the Olive Garden, however.) I had discovered through Dalian XPat that this restaurant was open all week despite it being Chinese New Year, and talked D into going there over the Paulaner Brauhaus.
Our Danish friends were interested but the lady of the house was ill, so just one of them, our retired professor friend, came along. Nearly the first thing he said to us was "I'm so glad you came back!" (Apparently some of the other teachers have abandoned ship over the holidays). But the real bombshell came next -- he said "You've scored yourselves a free dinner!" and then explained "I found out an hour ago that I'm going to be a grandfather!" He was all smiles and had obviously been crying a few happy tears not long before. So we were of course elated for him, and enjoyed celebrating the great news with food and wine and the non-stop fireworks of Chinese New Year.
The food was good indeed -- our friend had an Australian steak that was done perfectly to his liking, D had a margherita pizza that smelled wonderful, and I had a salmon cream penne pasta dish that was so good that I had the leftovers for breakfast.
My movie binge has kicked off again. We bought five DVDs at the grocery store on Saturday: Casino Royale, Borat, Crank, Pan's Labyrinth, and The Last King of Scotland (all illegally copied, of course).
So our Chinese New Year has consisted of 1. lots of sleep, 2. lots of movies, and 3. Italian food. But hey, I'm trying:
"福" essentially means that we wish the best for all of you in the coming year. And we do!
Our Danish friends were interested but the lady of the house was ill, so just one of them, our retired professor friend, came along. Nearly the first thing he said to us was "I'm so glad you came back!" (Apparently some of the other teachers have abandoned ship over the holidays). But the real bombshell came next -- he said "You've scored yourselves a free dinner!" and then explained "I found out an hour ago that I'm going to be a grandfather!" He was all smiles and had obviously been crying a few happy tears not long before. So we were of course elated for him, and enjoyed celebrating the great news with food and wine and the non-stop fireworks of Chinese New Year.
The food was good indeed -- our friend had an Australian steak that was done perfectly to his liking, D had a margherita pizza that smelled wonderful, and I had a salmon cream penne pasta dish that was so good that I had the leftovers for breakfast.
My movie binge has kicked off again. We bought five DVDs at the grocery store on Saturday: Casino Royale, Borat, Crank, Pan's Labyrinth, and The Last King of Scotland (all illegally copied, of course).
So our Chinese New Year has consisted of 1. lots of sleep, 2. lots of movies, and 3. Italian food. But hey, I'm trying:
"福" essentially means that we wish the best for all of you in the coming year. And we do!
Saturday, February 17, 2007
D - Eating our way to China
Home sweet home! Well, sort of. We are back in Dalian China after an epic 29 hour journey. After many days of uncertainty when we would return, we finally picked February 15 as our departure date. To make the trip to China a little more pleasant, I decided to utilize some of our Continental miles to upgrade from Economy to their BusinessFirst class. They had previously denied the use of the miles for reserving a one way flight, so I was amazed when they said we could actually do it.
Despite having never experienced Business or First class on my previous 4 international flights, I was pretty sure what to expect. We'd get big cushy seats that almost lie flat, lots of free drinks, and a half decent meal. The seat is worth its weight in gold. You can adjust almost every aspect from an extendable footrest to lumbar support. If you're like me though, you can't sleep unless you're totally flat. So "lie-flat" (which is really at an angle and not entirely flat) is not flat enough for me. The most interesting thing though was the huge amount of food we got.
Some examples of the food:
Appetizer of pork and lobster
Mesclun Salad
Champagne with lunch
Steak as the main course
Port wine and chocolate for dessert
Second meal of chicken noodle soup (more like chicken noodle stirfry actually)
Third meal of fresh fruit, omelette
Interestingly, I found the food passed the time more than movies or my futile efforts to sleep. The first 6 hours breezed by thanks to the initial meal service. The flight attendants were a little nicer in BusinessFirst but I still wasn't overwhelmed by the service. I guess it's hard for anyone to sound pleasant repeatedly asking "Coffee, Tea, something to drink?" 500 times a flight. Oh and I don't recommend the Oscar nominated film "Babel". I'm a sucker for artsy make-you-think kind of movies but I just didn't get it. It's also over the top depressing, which probably isn't the best choice for people who are trapped inside a small cylindrical shell for 13 hours.
After our cushy 13 hour flight to Beijing, the less pleasant part of the journey began. Primarily it consisted of waiting in lines for everything. It took forever to get through the customs line. We had to wait 5 hours for our connecting flight to Dalian. The plane was packed. Getting out of the baggage claim in Dalian was an exercise in human osmosis. The taxistand was a mad house. But finally we made it back to Dalian Maritime University. Note to self - try not to travel on the verge of Chinese New Year again.
Upon waking up the next morning, we decided to go looking for groceries. Normally we get basic things like water, coke, oatmeal, and snacks at a variety of "little stores" on campus. Being Chinese New Year however, this place is a ghost town. Around every corner I keep expecting to see a creaking saloon fluttering in the breeze and a cow skull half buried in the sand. Fortunately international capitalism came to the rescue in the form of Trustmart (a large Chinese grocery chain, now owned by Walmart). It's not in reasonable walking distance but it's not far on the bus so we were able to get our groceries there.
After a taxi back to the apartment and carrying a couple gallons of water up 5 flights of stairs, we had a lunch of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Then we promptly took a nap, which lasted from 3PM Saturday to 4AM Sunday morning. And that's why I'm writing this blog entry at 6AM our time. Needless to say we caught up on our sleep, but I am not sure we're adjusted to the time zone just yet. My next mission is to avoid going to bed at 6PM!
Despite having never experienced Business or First class on my previous 4 international flights, I was pretty sure what to expect. We'd get big cushy seats that almost lie flat, lots of free drinks, and a half decent meal. The seat is worth its weight in gold. You can adjust almost every aspect from an extendable footrest to lumbar support. If you're like me though, you can't sleep unless you're totally flat. So "lie-flat" (which is really at an angle and not entirely flat) is not flat enough for me. The most interesting thing though was the huge amount of food we got.
Some examples of the food:
Appetizer of pork and lobster
Mesclun Salad
Champagne with lunch
Steak as the main course
Port wine and chocolate for dessert
Second meal of chicken noodle soup (more like chicken noodle stirfry actually)
Third meal of fresh fruit, omelette
Interestingly, I found the food passed the time more than movies or my futile efforts to sleep. The first 6 hours breezed by thanks to the initial meal service. The flight attendants were a little nicer in BusinessFirst but I still wasn't overwhelmed by the service. I guess it's hard for anyone to sound pleasant repeatedly asking "Coffee, Tea, something to drink?" 500 times a flight. Oh and I don't recommend the Oscar nominated film "Babel". I'm a sucker for artsy make-you-think kind of movies but I just didn't get it. It's also over the top depressing, which probably isn't the best choice for people who are trapped inside a small cylindrical shell for 13 hours.
After our cushy 13 hour flight to Beijing, the less pleasant part of the journey began. Primarily it consisted of waiting in lines for everything. It took forever to get through the customs line. We had to wait 5 hours for our connecting flight to Dalian. The plane was packed. Getting out of the baggage claim in Dalian was an exercise in human osmosis. The taxistand was a mad house. But finally we made it back to Dalian Maritime University. Note to self - try not to travel on the verge of Chinese New Year again.
Upon waking up the next morning, we decided to go looking for groceries. Normally we get basic things like water, coke, oatmeal, and snacks at a variety of "little stores" on campus. Being Chinese New Year however, this place is a ghost town. Around every corner I keep expecting to see a creaking saloon fluttering in the breeze and a cow skull half buried in the sand. Fortunately international capitalism came to the rescue in the form of Trustmart (a large Chinese grocery chain, now owned by Walmart). It's not in reasonable walking distance but it's not far on the bus so we were able to get our groceries there.
After a taxi back to the apartment and carrying a couple gallons of water up 5 flights of stairs, we had a lunch of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Then we promptly took a nap, which lasted from 3PM Saturday to 4AM Sunday morning. And that's why I'm writing this blog entry at 6AM our time. Needless to say we caught up on our sleep, but I am not sure we're adjusted to the time zone just yet. My next mission is to avoid going to bed at 6PM!
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