The view to the north out our kitchen window. There's a faux ship mast in a courtyard full of trees
The view to the south and southwest out our bedroom window
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Photos: Our Apartment, part 2
Our Bedroom
The view to the north out our kitchen window. There's a faux ship mast in a courtyard full of trees
The view to the south and southwest out our bedroom window
The view to the north out our kitchen window. There's a faux ship mast in a courtyard full of trees
The view to the south and southwest out our bedroom window
Photos: Our Apartment, part 1
Our building from the south (pretty in pink)
Our lovely front door!
The Living Room
The Kitchen (the light's a bit poor in this one)
Our lovely front door!
The Living Room
The Kitchen (the light's a bit poor in this one)
Dogs - love them, don't eat them
My dog Cody didn't want us to go to China. He parked himself next to our bags the night before we left!
First Night on the Town
This entry almost got skipped due to my reluctance to go to our local internet cafe. You see, just about every male here smokes like a chimney, and you can smoke almost anywhere. I've been a few places where I was bowled over that the air was fresh and that they were actually enforcing the no smoking policy. Anyway, I hate going down there because you come back smelling like the Marlboro Man, and it burns my eyes.
However, we just got our DSL working! Back in the saddle at last. It's definitely slower than your garden variety DSL in the US but anything seems better than hanging out down in the cafe (perhaps "internet saloon" is more apt) downstairs. As a side note, another interesting fact about these local internet cafes is the preponderance of 20 year old boys (and I do mean boys) playing Counterstrike and Warcraft III from the wee hours of the morning to wee hours of the morning. It seems in China that male students are either: studying, chanting militaristic-sounding shouts in the courtyard, or making the world safe for democracy through the world of online gaming. I left out "frustrating their western English teachers" but that's a topic for another team.
Last Friday, an Irish fellow and I headed out to meet a few other teachers on the town in downtown Dalian. This fellow has a blog you can check out. He helped make C and I feel comfortable that DMU was a legitimate place that paid on time and wouldn't have us living in an anthill. So anyway, we took the number 23 bus after some dinner. In the evenings here in Dalian, as in New York City, the traffic dies down dramatically (perhaps "dies down" is insensitive given China's poor traffic safety record). So the bus was almost like taking a taxi. It flew along Dalian's wide boulevards and through Zhongshan Square (the heart of town). We got off downtown and meandered down the Renmin Lu ("The People's Street") towards the Shangri-La hotel. For those of with you means, the Shangri-La hotel chain appears to have an excellent 3-4 star hotel in almost every major Chinese city, should you wish to stay in style as you visit China. My Irish friend indicated that the pub we were headed to was on the street behind the Shangri-La.
As we walked down an alley (a BIG alley, not a shifty one), we saw China's winds of change. Old beat up Chinese cars parked next to the mainstay Volkswagens and Toyotas of the upper Chinese middle class, and finally the S-Class Mercedes - truly the transportation of choice for the elite. Once we turned right on the back street behind the hotel, we entered a new world. Apparently in China, expat bars are in the same class as massage parlors and sex shops. China has a funny faux society where the people are loath to express the most basic physical affection in public, but the risqué establishments are as seedy as they come. Of course, unlike an American city, you don't feel unsafe in the Chinese red light district. It's not dangerous, just "adult". A block or two down and we found our watering hole for the evening - an Irish pub called "The Tin Whistle". The other teachers were already there and they were easy to spot since they were the only people in the place other than the staff.
I had a Tsingtao and we shot the breeze for an hour or so. The other American teacher (a 24 year old from Colorado) had a Corona. The beer cost 10 kuai each (about $1.50) The Chinese waitress was exceptionally rude, which I have found to be unusual in China. Almost everyone here is really nice to foreigners so I was taken aback when she practically yelled at me the price of the beer. Sorry lady, I didn't hear you the first time!
Eventually we got tired of the rude waitress and decided to look for a livelier atmosphere. Apparently that's hard to find in Chinese nightlife. The average Chinese person saves about 30-40% of their income, so except for a few karaoke establishments, most places don't get too crowded except on special occasions. We walked back towards Zhongshan Square and settled on a place called Rio that had outdoor tables. Rio was an interesting place. First, there were actually people there. Secondly, half of them were Chinese, and the other half were Russian. My fellow English teachers cautioned me to lower my voice when I pulled my "mother Russia" routine and started talking like a Muscovite gangster. At Rio we had some type of light lager draft beer. It wasn't bad. I also got to experience the unisex bathroom. Chinese toilets of course are porcelain bowls in the ground. I found it a bit odd utilizing this queer WC (as it's called) knowing a Russian girl was in line behind me for my stall. One must adopt the common refrain I've heard from other Westerners - "It's China!" And say it with a smile!
Around 12:15 I had gotten enough of my first taste of Dalian nightlife and the other American teacher and I got a cab back to "Da Lian Hai Shi Da Xue" 大连海事大学 aka Dalian Maritime University. Ironically enough the Irishman and the Brit decided to stay out and keep drinking. "I'm Irish!" he said.
However, we just got our DSL working! Back in the saddle at last. It's definitely slower than your garden variety DSL in the US but anything seems better than hanging out down in the cafe (perhaps "internet saloon" is more apt) downstairs. As a side note, another interesting fact about these local internet cafes is the preponderance of 20 year old boys (and I do mean boys) playing Counterstrike and Warcraft III from the wee hours of the morning to wee hours of the morning. It seems in China that male students are either: studying, chanting militaristic-sounding shouts in the courtyard, or making the world safe for democracy through the world of online gaming. I left out "frustrating their western English teachers" but that's a topic for another team.
Last Friday, an Irish fellow and I headed out to meet a few other teachers on the town in downtown Dalian. This fellow has a blog you can check out. He helped make C and I feel comfortable that DMU was a legitimate place that paid on time and wouldn't have us living in an anthill. So anyway, we took the number 23 bus after some dinner. In the evenings here in Dalian, as in New York City, the traffic dies down dramatically (perhaps "dies down" is insensitive given China's poor traffic safety record). So the bus was almost like taking a taxi. It flew along Dalian's wide boulevards and through Zhongshan Square (the heart of town). We got off downtown and meandered down the Renmin Lu ("The People's Street") towards the Shangri-La hotel. For those of with you means, the Shangri-La hotel chain appears to have an excellent 3-4 star hotel in almost every major Chinese city, should you wish to stay in style as you visit China. My Irish friend indicated that the pub we were headed to was on the street behind the Shangri-La.
As we walked down an alley (a BIG alley, not a shifty one), we saw China's winds of change. Old beat up Chinese cars parked next to the mainstay Volkswagens and Toyotas of the upper Chinese middle class, and finally the S-Class Mercedes - truly the transportation of choice for the elite. Once we turned right on the back street behind the hotel, we entered a new world. Apparently in China, expat bars are in the same class as massage parlors and sex shops. China has a funny faux society where the people are loath to express the most basic physical affection in public, but the risqué establishments are as seedy as they come. Of course, unlike an American city, you don't feel unsafe in the Chinese red light district. It's not dangerous, just "adult". A block or two down and we found our watering hole for the evening - an Irish pub called "The Tin Whistle". The other teachers were already there and they were easy to spot since they were the only people in the place other than the staff.
I had a Tsingtao and we shot the breeze for an hour or so. The other American teacher (a 24 year old from Colorado) had a Corona. The beer cost 10 kuai each (about $1.50) The Chinese waitress was exceptionally rude, which I have found to be unusual in China. Almost everyone here is really nice to foreigners so I was taken aback when she practically yelled at me the price of the beer. Sorry lady, I didn't hear you the first time!
Eventually we got tired of the rude waitress and decided to look for a livelier atmosphere. Apparently that's hard to find in Chinese nightlife. The average Chinese person saves about 30-40% of their income, so except for a few karaoke establishments, most places don't get too crowded except on special occasions. We walked back towards Zhongshan Square and settled on a place called Rio that had outdoor tables. Rio was an interesting place. First, there were actually people there. Secondly, half of them were Chinese, and the other half were Russian. My fellow English teachers cautioned me to lower my voice when I pulled my "mother Russia" routine and started talking like a Muscovite gangster. At Rio we had some type of light lager draft beer. It wasn't bad. I also got to experience the unisex bathroom. Chinese toilets of course are porcelain bowls in the ground. I found it a bit odd utilizing this queer WC (as it's called) knowing a Russian girl was in line behind me for my stall. One must adopt the common refrain I've heard from other Westerners - "It's China!" And say it with a smile!
Around 12:15 I had gotten enough of my first taste of Dalian nightlife and the other American teacher and I got a cab back to "Da Lian Hai Shi Da Xue" 大连海事大学 aka Dalian Maritime University. Ironically enough the Irishman and the Brit decided to stay out and keep drinking. "I'm Irish!" he said.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Xinghai Square and Pizza Hut
Although Saturday was rainy here in Dalian, C and I decided we should actually see more than the southwestern corner of the city where DMU is. So around noon we headed out to Xinghai Square. Xinghai Square is one of the city's most famous sites. It's apparently one of the largest squares in Asia. And indeed it is huge. We took the 202 tram up about 5 stops and braved the road crossings to get to the square. The square is located in southern Dalian, directly on the Yellow Sea. The square is very beautiful and has many pillars and sculptures scattered throughout. There are also pools of water and marble everywhere. It's a very relaxing walk to take in. Once you get to the end of the square, there's an observation area right next to the sea.
Since it had just rained in Dalian, there were clouds everywhere in the sky but they all had the most interesting shapes. Dalian City has green hills and mountains poking up all over the peninsula, so the clouds draped the green mountains like cloaks. Above the square in the hills is what looks like a european style castle, probably Russian in origin. We have pictures of all of this of course, but we can't upload until we get our own DSL next week (hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday).
After enjoying the square thoroughly, I had a craving for some western food. I knew there was a Pizza Hut on the 23 bus line, but we weren't exactly sure where. C was reluctant at first to go on a Pizza Hut expedition without exact knowledge of how to get there. I convinced her I could find it and off we went. The Pizza Hut was a thing of beauty. Western restaurants tend to be much more upscale in China and Pizza Hut was no exception. Their menu was crazy though. You can get crab pizza there. Ew. Apparently Pizza Hut China was running a "New Orleans" promotion, where many foods were branded as being from Nawlins. For example you could get New Orleans chicken wings, and gumbo soup. But you could also get a cocktail called "The Hurricane"! Talk about insensitive...shame on Pizza Hut - one man's disaster is another man's marketing opportunity I guess.
Anyway, they did have the "American special" which was a pan pizza with pepperoni. And it was just like home.
Since it had just rained in Dalian, there were clouds everywhere in the sky but they all had the most interesting shapes. Dalian City has green hills and mountains poking up all over the peninsula, so the clouds draped the green mountains like cloaks. Above the square in the hills is what looks like a european style castle, probably Russian in origin. We have pictures of all of this of course, but we can't upload until we get our own DSL next week (hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday).
After enjoying the square thoroughly, I had a craving for some western food. I knew there was a Pizza Hut on the 23 bus line, but we weren't exactly sure where. C was reluctant at first to go on a Pizza Hut expedition without exact knowledge of how to get there. I convinced her I could find it and off we went. The Pizza Hut was a thing of beauty. Western restaurants tend to be much more upscale in China and Pizza Hut was no exception. Their menu was crazy though. You can get crab pizza there. Ew. Apparently Pizza Hut China was running a "New Orleans" promotion, where many foods were branded as being from Nawlins. For example you could get New Orleans chicken wings, and gumbo soup. But you could also get a cocktail called "The Hurricane"! Talk about insensitive...shame on Pizza Hut - one man's disaster is another man's marketing opportunity I guess.
Anyway, they did have the "American special" which was a pan pizza with pepperoni. And it was just like home.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Anecdotes
A couple days ago, I took the Dalian tram from our university towards the downtown area. I found it to be far superior to the bus. It's larger so there are more seats, and it's actually air conditioned - which borders on miraculous in China. It's also quicker. And you're not subject to the whims of Chinese drivers. We've been in buses that have made some pretty crazy moves. It would be neat if more cities in the US had a light rail system. I know they are building one out in New Jersey near Jersey City (close to NYC), but it's definitely a very nice system. Smooth, clean, and efficient. Maybe $5/gal gas and we'll think about it...
C and I ate lunch at KFC today. KFC is hugely popular here. Apparently the Chinese love their fried chicken. All week we've been eating native, but after a few poor meals, I wanted a little bit of western food. The biggest problem we have is that unless a helper is with us, we can't read the menu. So we stumble through with our rudimentary Chinese and hope to get the message across. On Tuesday we ate dinner at a local place and ordered a chicken dish which the waitress said was their specialty. Well, their specialty consisted of a few vegetables and every part of the chicken you could think of, NOT including any breast meat. There were feet and ribs and God knows what else. There wasn't anything edible though! But even at the local restaurant that has an english menu, you can get surprises. At least there I was able to avoid ordering the fried pigs blood.
One of my students asked me today if "all americans are tall, handsome, and blue eyed like you".
Some other students asked me what I thought about Taiwan. I was briefly tempted to push for Taiwanese independence - kidding. I told them Taiwan and China should be come one, but only through peace. I think that placated them. The secret police can calm down.
C and I ate lunch at KFC today. KFC is hugely popular here. Apparently the Chinese love their fried chicken. All week we've been eating native, but after a few poor meals, I wanted a little bit of western food. The biggest problem we have is that unless a helper is with us, we can't read the menu. So we stumble through with our rudimentary Chinese and hope to get the message across. On Tuesday we ate dinner at a local place and ordered a chicken dish which the waitress said was their specialty. Well, their specialty consisted of a few vegetables and every part of the chicken you could think of, NOT including any breast meat. There were feet and ribs and God knows what else. There wasn't anything edible though! But even at the local restaurant that has an english menu, you can get surprises. At least there I was able to avoid ordering the fried pigs blood.
One of my students asked me today if "all americans are tall, handsome, and blue eyed like you".
Some other students asked me what I thought about Taiwan. I was briefly tempted to push for Taiwanese independence - kidding. I told them Taiwan and China should be come one, but only through peace. I think that placated them. The secret police can calm down.
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