August 2009

Beijing driving is nuts. Here, the lines are just a suggestion and cars weave in and out on a moments notice or just drift for the sake of it. Frequently they even straddle the line as if they are just waiting to decide what they want to do. Turn signals almost don’t count and horns are used constantly. Most roads are like mini highways. There is a bike lane, which is closest to the curb, then a little fence, then a single lane for drop off or going to a store, then there is another fence. Finally, then there are about three lanes of traffic in one direction and then another fence before the exact mirror image happens on the other side. These fences are to prohibit jaywalkers or driving where you shouldn’t be. There are pedestrian bridges and crosswalks everywhere.

Also, another major difference is the toilet situation here. In Korea, I was lucky to find Western toilets all of the times and toilet paper most of the time. In China, most of the toilets are Asian toilets and more often than not, there is no toilet paper or soap. An Asian toilet is like a glorified porcelain hole in the group, and though it must be easy for a guy to use, a woman must squat down as low as possible and pull their pants forward to avoid an accident. The rest of the trip is now BYOTPAHS (and hand sanitizer).

Lunch was an experience. Since YK has gone to Beijing so many times, Xuesong and Aihua try to find new places to bring her. This place was definitely unique. We came inside and walked into another room where there was a small pond with giant fish swimming around. Most every store that sells fish has a tank or seven, and since we went to the aquarium, another ongoing joke is “look, an aquarium!” Soon, one of the fish in the pond, a two-foot-long catfish, was sitting right next to me all chopped up and ready to be cooked.

There was a lid on the table, and when it was removed a giant wok was revealed. A man came over with a bunch of raw ingredients and just like the table-side guacamole makers at a Mexican restaurant, this man made a huge wok of catfish and tofu stew. Of course, Xuesong ordered tons of other plates of food, and when I was stuffed and all the fish was gone from the stew, the waitress made a whole other stew with the same broth by adding lettuce, two types of mushrooms and potatoes. It was so good.

Xuesong, Dad, YK, and I went to the original Summer Palace. The original Summer Palace was burned down years ago and spent three full days burning before it stopped. That’s how big the grounds are. Now the palace itself is gone, but they have recreated the gardens and redone a lot of the ruins. It was beautiful. There were huge ponds with giant lily pads, and ruins everywhere. One major highlight was a maze. The walls were about four feet high and in the center of the maze was a little pagoda. We figured out the maze after a little confusion.

Tired, we swung by and picked up Hyun and had to kill some more time before dinner. What did we do? Got a massage, of course. This time, however, it was different than any massage I have ever gotten. YK, Dad and I were in one room while Hyun and Xuesong were in another. Fully clothed, we lay down on tables and were given a ridiculously deep tissue massage. My lady looked very young, and her fingers were like needles. She also used her pointy elbows and leaned with all her body weight into me. I was lucky that my face was down so she couldn’t see the faces that I was making. I was thinking of saying something, but I didn’t know what to say and I figured that she was a pro and maybe I needed that kind of pressure. Lastly, it felt great once she stopped working on a particular area.

Soon I heard snoring and figured Dad had fallen asleep. I was wondering what kind of massage he was getting because there was no way that anyone could sleep through my massage. Also, parts of my neck and shoulders were still sore from the last foot massage, so bits were agonizing.

We then were instructed to flip over, and she massaged my face and head. She rubbed all over my forehead, and then pinched my eyebrows from end to end. Then she spent about 6 minutes on my ears alone. She massaged my earlobes, pinched the cartilage, and rubbed up and down on my ears. She then moved on to my stomach, which she kneaded like bread, and then my arms and legs. It was fascinating to see that she did not massage my feet at all.

This place was also very loud. I could hear the suction cups of someone’s foot massage through the wall, and when all three ladies in the room were smacking our backs, it was like a symphony.

When we regrouped and were finally able to share our experiences, they all seemed to have been similar. I asked Dad how he was able to sleep through such pain, and he said, “Are you kidding me? I just didn’t want to be the first one to scream!” Xuesong then came out and I noticed that his pants were rolled up. My guess is that he was the one getting the foot massage next door and he was the snorer.

We picked up Aihua and went to a Korean Chinese restaurant for dinner. This place’s claim to fame was their giant beer servers. We got a five-liter cylinder and it had a spout at the bottom. Hyun used the beer to demonstrate TPR (Total Physical Response).

The food was the spiciest meal of the trip. There was meat on sticks and spicy fish. It also had some dishes that were not as delicious to us as most. One was a dried fish that was hard for us to eat. YK said that it was an acquired taste.

Stuffed, Xuesong asked me if I wanted corn noodle soup. Three years ago, when we were in Yanji, China, I was introduced to a dish called corn noodle soup. It was a thin noodle in a spicy broth with cucumbers and an egg. It was a simple dish that was simply delicious. It was also really cheap at 6 Yuan (8 Yuan was about a dollar then). This dish isn’t just anywhere because it is a Chinese Korean fusion dish and Yanji is very much a Chinese Korean fusion city. However, this restaurant was a Chinese Korean fusion restaurant, and when Xuesong asked me if I wanted it, I had to say yes. My exact words were “Yes, I’d love to share some.” He ordered five bowls. This corn noodle soup was spicier than normal and instead of egg, it had beef, but it was delicious. Also, I was told that the price was nowhere near as good as it was in Yanji. I was so stuffed and it was so spicy that I ate slowly, but Xuesong helped Aihua and me out. They wrote down the name of the soup in Chinese so I can again begin my quest of finding this soup in LA.

We stopped for coffee after dinner at a little Starbucks-esque coffee place. I didn’t dare order a caffeinated beverage because it would affect my sleeping, so I got an iced hot chocolate. While we were waiting for the coffee, I saw a sudoku in a Korean newspaper that YK had grabbed. I started to do it, and Aihua and Xuesong asked me how it worked. I showed them, and they were hooked. We didn’t hear from them until they finished the puzzle.

Beijing Diaries(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

 

August 2009

The flight to China was fine and relatively uneventful. They fed us a breakfast of fried rice and a brownie. I thought I’d sleep but didn’t.

The Beijing airport made us long for the ease of Incheon. After disembarkation (I’ve been wanting to use that word for a while), we all waited and waited behind a quarantine line. This was similar to when we got to Incheon on the day of our arrival and had our temperatures taken. However, no one seemed to be paying attention to us at all.

While we were standing there, a short, young guy came up and asked me at what hostel I was staying. I explained a little about what was happening, and this friendly, yet loquacious man, talked my ear off. He was from Canada and just graduated from college and was teaching English for a year in Seoul to get money to pay off student loans. The trip to Korea was the first country other than Canada, and his trip to China marked a third country. He asked another group in front of us what hostel they were going to, and they too were not going to a hostel. I suggested asking people in the taxi line. He said that was a good idea.

Finally we were led through the gates to a place that put a universal stamp that said my temperature was 37 degrees Celsius. Then I had to carry the sheet of paper to another person waiting at the end of the corridor. Then we waited in line for immigration. I was originally in line with Dad and YK (Hyun got held up), but then I bailed for another line. Then the race was on. Their line was shorter but denser, while my line was longer but had fewer people. In the end, I won. You were given the option of pushing a button to rate the screener at the end of the screening. I pushed the excellent button. YK pushed the slow button.

There was no Customs in the airport, which struck us all as odd.

We were picked up at the airport by a man named Xuesong. I had not met him before, but he and his wife Aihua are partners of campwww. Xuesong drove us to the apartment that was no longer an apartment. Apparently, two weeks before, YK had made a reservation for a three bedroom apartment. Two weeks later, the apartment complex was now a hotel. So, instead of a three bedroom apartment with a kitchen and laundry facilities, we were offered a two bedroom and an office. However, they were really pressing to give us a two bedroom without an office. We took it, so Hyun and I are roommates.

The hotel room is on the 17^th floor, but the view is no where near as nice as the view in Seoul. The area is not as nice and it is surrounded by high rise apartment buildings, but also, the air in Beijing is grey. It’s like the city is covered in a haze. It’s not quite fog or clouds, because you can see both move, but it’s just grey. Also, Beijing is warm. Not as hot as Seoul, but close to hot.

The cool thing about this hotel building is that it is one of the host places of The FISM World Championships of Magic. Yes, we are surrounded by magicians. Even if they aren’t magicians, they are to us. It has been a reoccurring joke that if someone is late or missing, a magician made them disappear.

We got settled in the hotel room, and picked Aihua up on the side of the road to go to lunch. Lunch was at a modern Chinese place. We had a feast of sweet and sour shrimp, and just when I thought I couldn’t eat anymore, Aihua ordered three different types of mandu. It was a great welcome to Beijing. Since then, YK has to keep telling them not to order too much.

Stuffed, we were dropped off around the corner at a little thing called “The Bird’s Nest”. Yes, the Olympic stadium was right around the corner from our hotel. We walked back after we toured the area. Dad took this great picture of me, The Bird’s Nest, and a random Chinese man.

Xuesong and Aihua picked us up after a break and took us to an excellent dinner spot known for meat on sticks. We had plenty of meat on sticks. The three men had one kind, while the three women had another. There was also great lamb and good old Chinese whiskey with dinner.

When I was in China last, Yanji to be particular, I had a massage. I have been looking forward to getting massages in China ever since. So, when Xuesong and Aihua gave us the option of going somewhere to drink more or get foot massages, the latter option was the obvious choice.

The six of us were taken to a room of six lounge chairs. At the end of the room was a giant TV and sound system. I never did find out why that was there. Each chair felt like a cloud and the softness, the full bellies, and the whiskey helped us relax easily. The three women had male masseurs and the three men had female masseuses. After they removed a portion of our couches, a sink was reveled where our feet were washed with herbs. Then the others started to get a suction treatment. Each therapist had a big cotton swab that was on fire. They put a very little bowl, like a mini fishbowl, and then the bowl was quickly put on the bottom of the foot and moved around. My guess is that the fire burned the oxygen, which created the suction. It was interesting to watch.

When I heard we were getting foot massages I was very excited because I was sure he was going to appreciate my somewhat new pedicure. Instead, while the others were getting this suction treatment, he was unhappy with the bottom of my feet and took out a razor and started going to town on the bottom of my feet. It didn’t hurt, but you would be amazed at how much he chopped off. It was a tad embarrassing, but then he started doing it to Aihua’s feet too.

Eventually, I got to the suction part. The suction was followed by the rubbing and massaging of our feet and legs. Some parts were really painful, but it was wonderful. Pretty soon Dad was asleep and snoring. The massage was great. Just when I thought it was done, we turned around and sat cross-legged and got back massages. It was pampering at its best.

This picture below was the sign for the place. The big yellow symbol is actually the Chinese character for feet, but they have added a smiley face and made the bottom of the character feet as well. Very clever.

 

Beijing Diaries(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

July 2009

Monday evening started as a get-together and ended up being a party. After my last writing, I went out to talk to YK and Dad, and they said, “Jamyung is coming in 15 minutes”. So much for a nap. In fact, no one had a nap on Monday, and we were suffering because of it.

So, it started with Dad, YK, Jasmine, Kathy, Hyun, and I, but soon the Seed Doctor, JM, Euigyoo, Hyngji, Eunkyung, Ahnsook, and Professor Chan Park, not necessarily in that order, all showed up. Jamyong and Euigyoo are longtime friends and I spent some time with their daughter Hyangji the last time I was in Korea. Jamyong and Euigyoo came with 10 bottles of soju and 10 bottles of maekju (beer) and a watermelon and introduced to me so-maek, a shot of soju in a glass of beer. No, the watermelon was not in so-maek, but it made for a good snack. At one point in the evening, after many bottles of soju were emptied, someone looked in the refrigerator and counted the remaining bottles. There were 9 full bottles left. Someone called it a miracle.

Since we did not really have a dinner, YK and Dad went on a quick run around and came back with a myriad of snack to serve as dinner. It was “sel-pu”  or help yourself to whatever we have. They also got a lot of ramen, because everyone likes ramen when they have been drinking. Hyunji mentioned that the spread was similar to camping. I think she was led to believe that her parents’ friends were taking her out to a nice dinner.

In Insadong earlier in the trip, I bought for YK and me a splat pig. Through some mystery of modern science, these small water-filled hand-sized toys splat against things and then reform. This apartment is perfect for it because the pig can splat against the walls, floor, ceiling, and the windows. As the imbibing continued, my pig made an appearance, and everyone marveled at its skills. YK and I took a liking to the particular splat of the pig against the window. Euigyoo, waiting his turn patiently, grabbed the splat pig and threw it against the window and it EXPLODED. Water went everywhere. Everyone laughed and Eigyoo felt terrible. It was totally worth 1000 won (80 cents).

At one point, Eunkyung, a friend of Jamyong and Euigyoo’s, disappeared into the kitchen and made a full pot of kimchi soup with all the camp snacks. Then, someone wanted ramen, and she again made another pot of soup with whatever she could find in the sparse kitchen. I think she continued doing this throughout the evening, and knowing how different the foods were and how little there was to actually make a cohesive meal, I am convinced she is a food wizard.

This all started a 5 PM, and Dad dipped away to take a nap and come back to join in the festivities. I hung on until 11, too soon after Professor Park and Ahnsook came, when I had to excuse myself and go to bed. I think they continued until midnight when everyone left and/or went to bed. Good times with good people.