Beijing Trip

The trip in Beijing has been epic fun. I've really enjoyed my time here with Gloria and Bob, it's been a refreshing infusion of American culture into my life. I didn't bring a computer, so I haven't been blogging regularly. I hope that after I get back I'll sit down and document some of the weirder stories.

As it is, I will try and write some stories now, though my focus is lacking. I am currently sitting in a cafe with Gloria and we are both painfully hung over. We had the option of having a quiet night at home last night or going out to exlore the Houhai bar district. We chose the bar district, and what a night we had.

We started out in a bar called "Sex In Da City", I'd seen it a few times before and always wanted to go. We took turns buying each other rounds and bar hopping. There was lots of live music and performances going on at each bar, so we made sure to walk around the lake and check all of them out. Gloria video documented our trip around the lake bar district along with many other parts of the trip, once she gets those online somewhere I'll link to them. We eventually had some other friends meet up with us, though when they got to us we were tipsy and "China Crazy".

China Crazy has been the ongoing theme of the trip, it's the word Bob and I have been using to describe the change of behavior that occurs when you get abroad and into a new culture. Gloria has been going China Crazy, and it's rubbing off on Bob and me. Much more on me, since I'm staying with her. We just do some strange, strange things with no fear of embarassment. She brought Metamucil with her, and both of us are now addicted to it. We discovered the preventative cure for unhappy stomaches and bowel movements caused by spicier than death food is Metamucil, and we are taking so much it's crazy. SO MUCH FIBER.

China Crazy is so intense. We stole the little decorative shams off our beds this morning. We aren't really sure why. It just needed to be done.

Back to the story, we ended up spending so much money in the bar district. We spent the equivalent of about 200 dollars American each, but that means we spent 4000 in Chinese money. Each. People thought we were rich, it would be like seeing someone in America spending 4000 bar hopping. It was the one-time-only type of drinking experience that can only be done with friends, and despite how terrible I feel now I definitely am happy that we did it last night.

Yesterday I went to buy a jacket at the mall. After buying the jacket at the mall, the people at the counter told me I needed to go upstairs to the customer service center. Apparently since I'd spent so much money on the nice jacket they wanted me to get a membership card, it was free so I said okay. After filling out the card, they gave me a complimentary gift. The choice was a pillow or a wine set complete with two nice bottles of wine and two wine glasses in a display case. I was like "What the HELL who chooses the pillow?" then watched in amazement as the other woman getting a card chose the pillow. That's like a 300 dollar value in wine and glasses and display case she is passing up. Also I have no idea why they give such nice gifts, but I took it.