Still Alive!

Hi there!! Wow, it's been a long time! I finally broke through the great wall and found my way back to my blog! How is everyone? Here's proof we're still alive!

 

A recent meal of bacon, eggs, french toast (with real maple syrup!) and CEREAL at 9:30 in the evening. Cereal is expensive here, and we haven't had any since we got here this summer.  But Jonathan found Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes for 10RMB a box in Guangzhou! Who knew two little boxes of cereal could cause so much excitement?

                                                I also made a new friend. Isn't she cute?

                                                Been working on our badminton skills.

And despite warnings from all the moms back home, we've gotten bold in the last few months and started eating street food, especially shao kao (grilled meats and vegetables on sticks) ! It's actually our new obsession! Don't worry moms, we always make sure to kill any germs and bacteria in the food with beer and soju.

Reunited!

Jeremy gets the prize for being our very first house guest in China!
Who's gonna be #2?

What a feast!

We came back recently from attending a 3-day banquet! The 4 hours it took us to get there was nothing compared to the 62 hour bus ride it took one friend to reach Hong Kong. It was really exciting to see so many friends there. We saw Zeta, who is doing well! It was quite a feast with dish after dish of well-prepared food. We even saw 162 go swimming. What a sight! We left HK satisfied and happy. Sorry, no photographs were allowed.

Until next time!

We had a great time!

Yangshuo - Day 4

Our last full day in Yangshuo was spent souvenier shopping on West Street! It was fun looking at all the stalls selling everything under the sun. We put our bargaining skills to the test! Jessie successfully bargained an item from 280RMB to 75RMB, (see picture of her holding up the bag of goods) and Phil got his item down to 120 RMB from 485 RMB. I think they did pretty well! The best part of the day was lunch! West Street is a pretty touristy area with lots of foreigners, so there were lots of Western restaurants to choose from. We ended up with what else? Pizza!!! It was really good with a thin, crispy crust and loads of cheese and toppings. Just as good as any pizza in...Phoenix! =) Of course, NYC pizza is the best.

Yangshuo - Day 3

Ever wonder what it feels like to be followed by the paparazzi? We found out in Xing Ping when we were followed for hours by middle-aged Chinese women. It all started when the bus pulled into this little town, and a crowd of 6-8 women gathered at the door. We thought they were all getting onto the bus. As soon as we stepped off the bus, they all swarmed around us with brochures in their hands, offering us a great price for a scenic boat ride up the Li River. We quickly told them we weren't interested and walked away. We thought that would be the end of it, but no! 4 of them started following us. Even after we told them not to follow us, they still trailed behind us. We ignored them and went about exploring the town. This is what being famous feels like! They even sat outside the cafe waiting for us when we stopped for drinks and lunch! The funniest part is when a full-blown shouting match erupted between the women and our waitress at the cafe. Turns out the women found out we had agreed to take the boat ride with the waitresses' brother. They accused her of stealing their business. At one point, a lady (she seemed like a person with authority) came to stop the argument and hear both sides. Then she walks over to us and tells us it is our decision who we want to take the boat ride with and the most important thing is to enjoy our lunch and eat in peace. At the end, the waitress told us to take the boat ride with one of the other women instead because she didn't want them to be mad at her. All this fighting for 150 RMB (about $23US), which was the cost for a 2 hour boat ride for all 3 of us! At the end, the boat ride was lovely and peaceful. The scenery was spectacular. A nice way to end a very interesting day!

I finally gave in....

...and bought an umbrella to sheild me from the blaring sun. I think this officially makes me a China girl.

Yangshuo - Day 2

The day started off with bacon, eggs and toast which we haven't had since we've been in China! Then it was off to explore on bikes. Our destination was the 1,400 year old Banyan Tree. We quickly got lost and ended up riding through open fields and greeting the smiling faces of the villagers. We eventually saw our ancient tree, but like most road trips, getting there was half the fun. Our ride back was quite memorable as well, but for different reasons. After 5 hours of biking we were tired, hot, sticky and looking forward to a cold shower. We were less than 10 minutes away from our hotel chugging up a small hill when a big truck carrying pig manure zooms past us. The stench nearly knocked me off my bike. As I was trying to ride my bike with one hand while clenching my nose with the other, a bigger truck comes roaring past us leaving a trail of black exhaust fumes in our path. At that point, Yangshuo wasn't quite looking so beautiful. However, a couple hours later while we were enjoying our dinner on the patio of our hotel watching the colors of the sky change as the sun went down, we were charmed by this riverside city once again.

Yangshuo - Day 1

Hi Everyone! After a 3-week hiatus, I'm back!! Since my last post, we've settled into our apartment, got internet connection and even taken a trip to Yangshuo!

We've heard from so many people what a beautiful place Yangshuo is, so we decided to check it out ourselves. We survived a 6 hour bus ride and a stop at a sketchy looking rest area selling questionable food and arrived in Yangshuo just as the sun was about to set. Beautiful it is, this little city surrounded by karst mountains and nestled along the Li River. After settling into our room we walked along a dirt path past squeaking pigs and women drawing water from a well to the riverside. There, we boarded a little raft to cross the river where all the restaurants and shops are located. We heard the local woman sharing the raft with us telling the man to charge us 10 Yuan! Fortunate for us, he was honest man and didn't listen to her and charged us the normal fare of 1 Yuan each. On the other side, we enjoyed a dinner of beer fish (pijiu yue) and stuffed tofu (dofu niang) and cold beer!! Delish!

Ah-Who?

This morning a group of us went to play badminton. It's a popular sport in China! I invited my new friend, Ah Ying. She's the girl who helped us find our apartment. She keeps on calling me Xu Xiao Jie although I've told her a few times to call me Ah Yun, which is what they call me here. Everyone is Ah-something. There's Ah Ying, Ah Mun, Ah Suet, Ah Kwun, Ah Ling (that would be Jessie), Ah Toe. Chinese names are hard to remember! The first week I would pretty much say, "Nay ho, Ah......" and let them fill in the blank. I've pretty much abandoned Jill. No one here can pronounce it. They all end up saying Jiew (as in Hern Jiew for banana in Cantonese), which sounds funny so I decided to just stick with Ah Yun. It's a little strange to hear friends call me Ah Yun, when all my life I've just been known as Jenn.

Family Ties

Not So Secret Admirer

So Phil has an admirer. She's the younger sister of a girl that Helen visits at a nearby tea shop. The younger sister is 16-years old and she's here in the city during the summer to work. She's bubbly, chatty and completely awestruck that there was a real live American sitting less than 3 feet away from her. She's really cute. She turns to us and says, "can I ask him a question in English?" She then turns to Phil and says slowly, "what is your name." When Phil responds, "my name is Phil" she turns to us, covers her mouth with her hands and starts giggling. She's probably thinking, "oh my goodness, he spoke to me!!!!" She was also admiring Phil's nose. She says its "high" and "so beautiful." She wanted an English name so we helped her choose one. She wanted her name to start with the letter X, so we said, "Xena" as in the Warrior Princess. She loved it. We walked by the tea shop on the way to dinner tonight and Phil called out, "Hi Xena". She waved back with the biggest smile on her face. I think he made her day.

Home Sweet Home

Our home in China! We live on the 15th floor, on top of a shopping mall. Jonathan & Nancy's place is a 5 minute walk away. All the furniture came with the apartment. We'll be sleeping here for the first time tonight!

Baseball and Big Appetites

Its 95 degrees and humid outside. What should we do? Let's go run around in the park and play wiffle ball! It was a beautiful park filled with trees blooming with all kinds of flowers. We found ourselves a little open spot next to a playground. All the little kids with their grandmas were so cute.

We went to lunch after the game, and one friend ate FIVE bowls of rice and washed it all down with a bowl of congee! Never underestimate the appetite of a skinny Chinese guy.

Field Trip

Yesterday was a field trip to the big city! Unlike the restaurants here, the trains and stations are immaculate. Our first stop was Ikea! It was packed. I've never seen so many people in a store before. The funny thing is the majority of the people who go to Ikea are not shopping for anything. Ikea is their hangout spot. Practically every sofa, chair and bed has someone on it. Some are just sitting, others chatting with friends, others are taking a nap. I saw two people sitting at a table eating, like they were at home.

After Ikea, we stop at an American grocery store. They've got cheese, cold cuts, cereal, chocolates, etc. Everything was super expensive - can you see how much a container of Ocean Spray Ruby Red costs? Almost $12!!

Next stop, Tom's new apartment! He just moved in a month ago! Bryan cooked us a delicious dinner of pasta with crabs and garlic bread, and we spent the evening sharing stories and showing the local friends some pictures from Mark's wedding. Guess who we got to meet? Zoe, Peter's fiancee! She's a very cool girl. =)

Very Good Advice

The CO has been visiting this week. He's such a funny character. Last night he said, "if you're single and want to get married, but can't find anyone here, don't worry. There will be over 4,000 people in Hong Kong next month. Don't look at the stage, it's too far away. Look around your seat. See who you can talk to and meet." Very good and practical advice, I'd say.

Cheap Beer and Sweaty Friends

There's this Dong Bei restaurant in the neighborhood that we've eaten at. The AC doesn't work great and the doors are usually kept open so its pretty steaming inside. The tables and chairs are kinda sticky and dirty looking. We all sanitize our bowls and chopsticks with hot water that the restaurant provides for that purpose. In New York, this place would probably receive a big F from the Health Department. But....my oh my, what amazing food this place has! Tasty and cheap. The owner (who reminds us of HeLan) gives us discounts cause the friends come here all the time. We ate here a couple of nights ago after a party - 14 of us crowded around a table, drinking beer (3 large ones for 10 RMB or $1.50 - i think we ended up with 12), eating skewered lamb kabobs, deep fried sticky sweet potatoes, jellyfish, sweet and sour pork, fried dumplings and so much more. The guys were down to their undershirts with sweat dripping from their faces. It was a night of cheap beer, good food and sweaty friends. What more can you ask for?

Hello...

... He's Jack. I'm Jill. Nice to meet you.

Phobia

I was visiting a friend in her tea stall this morning when out of the corner of my eye, I see something move. I look down and see this huge cockroach not too far from my feet. For those who are not familiar with cockroaches in Asia, they have long antennas and are 3-4 times bigger than their American relatives. Oh, and they fly. Think roaches on steroids with wings. That's what we've got here.

Another friend was telling me a roach flew right into her face in the middle of the night when she got up to get a drink of water. She screamed so loud she woke up everyone in the house. What if that happened to me? Yikes!

Tidbits

Few pics from our first full day in China (Monday). It's about 300 degrees here and humid.

Imagine you are in the subway station on a hot summer day in NY and wearing a fur coat and wool hat. That's what it feels like here. =) Despite the pore-clogging heat, we are having a good time here. Clockwise from top left corner:

Typical street corner; the entire group goes apartment hunting - the Lee's for a short-term rental, a one-year rental for us; Phil pondering what to get for breakfast; hanging out in Jonathan & Nancy's apartment where we are staying temporarily along with Jessie; umbrella are a necessity here, every little bit of shade helps; strolling the neighborhood -we definitely stand out here and not just Phil!; typical restaurant scene - plate of fried dumplings=less than $1, tomato and beef over rice with side of veggies=less than $2, bottle of cold water=15 cents, iced coffee and chicken McMuffin special at McDonalds=90 cents; Jessie shopping at the nearby Park & Shop, a big store that sells everything, kinda like Target; it's normal to leave your garbage at the table when you're done and there's no tipping here!!; Jessie and I happy and satisfied after a meal; reunited with Bryan, as usual he's always got stories and will make you laugh; Jonathan flossing with the piece of wire Helen found in her noodle soup.

Rewind

Dinner at Kyo Chon two days before our flight. FYI - Don't take the chicken skin off Rachel's plate! She saves the best for last! =)

Touchdown

The 15 hour flight went by quick. We arrived in HK just as the sun was going down. After finding our way to our hotel by bus and putting down our things, it was time to search for some FOOD!! Wonton noodle soup & baked pork chops with rice - YUM!!!

Eastbound

In 3 days and counting! Through modern citites, remote villages, and bustling night markets, join us on our journey as we explore China and beyond.