August 2009

Sunday was the last day in Beijing and a travel day to Shanghai. Since we were traveling later in the evening, we decided that we needed an easy day and one that did not include massive sweating. Lunch was across the street, where we ordered corn noodle soup that never came. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the supermarket so I could buy my eighth shot glass, and YK could buy a can of Coke Light to replace the one from the mini bar that was consumed the previous evening.

Xuesong and Aihua picked us up and dropped us off at the Capital Museum while they went off to eat lunch. This museum was in a beautiful building and held all sorts of antiquities from old Beijing. We saw porcelain, jade, paintings, and calligraphy. YK and I bought ourselves shirts.

 

 

Then we went back to the foot massage place and had a repeat performance of the first night of the Beijing leg of our trip (pun intended). This time I had the guy that massaged YK last time and though the massage was great, I didn’t remember it being so painful. Also, this time we each ended up with a free pair of socks.

For those of you that don’t know, my Dad took Mandarin at SMC a while back. His Chinese comes in handy quite frequently, especially when ordering beer or paying for things. When he speaks Chinese, he usually shocks his audience because they don’t expect a westerner to know Chinese. However, the problem that dad then faces is they answer him back in Chinese, and then he does not know how to respond. It is still worth the shock value though.

Also, he figured out in this class that the words mother, scold, horse, the last name Ma, and when you make a statement a question are all the same word “ma” with different intonations. So, he asked Aihua how she would say, “Does mother Ma scold the horse?” and she said “ma ma ma ma ma” and then looked very surprised at the coincidence. She had never noticed it before. Dad showed me his flashcard later on and we learned that the word hemp is also a ma. He never did ask how to say “Does mother Ma scold the hemp horse?”

Post foot massage it was time for dinner at a place called Jinding Xuan, which was known for its dim sum. We ordered and waited for our dumplings and eggplant when I noticed that there were twin girls, probably around 12 years old, who were celebrating a birthday. How did I know? They were wearing crowns, and they had a cake. The mother had a camera and looked at me, so I offered to take a family portrait. They thanked me, and I went back to the table. Ten minutes later, one of the girls brought me a slice of cake as an additional thank you. We figured this was a birthday place because we saw two other cakes brought to tables. Everyone joked that I should offer to take their pictures too in order to get more cake.

We started to hear music from what we thought was a live band, but then over the loud speaker we heard, “It is rush hour, be mindful of your belongings”. I guess they have had problems with theft at the restaurant. Someone even came to YK’s chair and put a big orange slip cover over the chair to conceal her purse. Hyun pointed out that by concealing the purse in that manner, they were actually telling the thieves where the purses were.

Service was pretty good, but two dishes lagged, and we were given the option of waiting for the last two dishes or canceling them. Since we were in no hurry to get to the train station, we decided to wait, probably to the dismay of the waiter, who wanted to fill the table with a new group of people waiting outside. Soon three ladies in red started to bring art onto a stage directly behind Aihua, Xuesong, and Hyun. Right away, I noticed a hand painted giant fan. It turned out that there was a live auction for everyone eating dinner. As the auction began, one of the ladies spoke on a mike while the others held the art. It seemed like no one was listening. Xuesong was very interested and looked at the bid sheet and each piece of art intently. He ended up buying two scroll paintings, one of the monkey symbol of the zodiac (his father’s birth year) and another one I can’t recall.

A fan came up, but it had huge flowers on it. It was starting at 280 Yuan (almost $45). When the one I was interested in came up, I was afraid that would be the starting bid for my fan, however, instead of having a high starting bid, it was a flat price of 180 Yuan to the first bidder (less than $30). My hand shot up, and I bought the giant fan. Only four items were sold at the auction, and three of them were to our table.

The ride to the train station was short and we sat outside killing some time until we boarded the train. We chose a 10-hour overnight train, and the four of us had our own bed in a deluxe four-bed sleeper room. YK was in the bed above Dad, and Hyun was in the bed above me. We also each had our TV, though they went unused. Soon after the train took off at 9:30, we went to sleep one by one. I was last because I was typing out an update. We all awoke Monday morning in Shanghai.

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

August 2009

Saturday basically started with lunch. Hyun, YK, and I went to No. 9 Café and had beef noodles while Dad stayed home and had a PB&J. We were instructed the night before to not even eat lunch because we were going to a buffet with over 400 items.

Xuesong picked us up and dropped us off at Jingshan Park, which is a giant park north of the Forbidden City. It is also where the last emperor hung himself. We climbed to the top where there were a little temple and an excellent view of the Forbidden Palace and the city. Unfortunately, the day was so grey that we couldn’t see much. Also, the place was packed with Chinese tourists, so the dancers and other performers that usually hang out at the park weren’t there.

Afterward, we hopped on a bus and went to Wangfujing, a major shopping area, which I had been to before. I went into the bookstore and bought Xuesong and Aihua each a Sudoku book to foster their new love of the logic puzzle. Also, we were happy to see that the food area was still there where countless vendors sold food on sticks. Last time I took a picture similar to this one:

Yes, those are dried seahorses on sticks accompanied by live scorpions on sticks. I had imagined coming across this vendor again and having to eat at least one of these “delicacies”, but we were walking around to work up an appetite for the buffet.

Near the food area are a large number of vendors that are more than persistent. Not only do they call you over and ask you to look at their wares, but they will grab you by the arm and pull you to their stall. I noticed all over a small copper statue of four faces of Buddha that I had looked at in Korea. At $40, it was more than I wanted to spend, so I was wondering how much it was here in China. Also, you have to haggle with them about the price. The guidebook says and my experience is that they inflate the price to at least 3 times what they want for it. My statue started at 400 Yuan and I bought it for 100 Yuan, or about $15. This was a lot cheaper than Korea.

We then spent some time in a large arcade and watched a guy set a new high score on a basketball shooting machine. We walked around to kill time and work up an appetite before we met up with Aihua and Xuesong and their two daughters, ages 3 and 5 at the buffet place. In Korea, the girls would be 4 and 6 because they start at 1 on the day they are born. I unfortunately never learned their names. We met up with them right in time because it started to pour, and during dinner, we were treated to a lightning storm.

This place put Vegas to shame. When we were told it had at least 400 items, it was not an exaggeration. We wandered up and down the rows of food that were from different nations. Everything was labeled in English, but many of the things were too odd for me to even attempt like cut up pig ear, lots of innards, and three different types of chicken feet.

One cool feature was that each table was given little metal clips, similar to binder clips that had the table number on it. Many of the dishes were made to order, and to order any of these dishes, one dropped a clip into the box in front of the food description or clipped it onto a board that had a list. One could get many different types of soup, pasta, rice, seafood or fish this way. The fish and seafood were presented whole on ice just in case you didn’t recognize it by name. The fish was so fresh that one of them was still grasping for air. Dad ordered udon noodles and a scallop and noodle dish (that took 40 minutes to get to the table) and I, eager to test out this ordering method, got soup similar to the lunch soup.

Drinks were also all you could drink, but the alcohol content was so low, that it wasn’t really worth it. The dessert spread was impressive, including a chocolate fountain and ice cream. Also, you could get tea based on your astrological sign. I was happy to see that the Gemini tea had chamomile in it, and it tasted great.

The two girls, who were dressed identically in blue dresses, were slow to warm up, but the older one has been using the website, so her parents were eager to show us the English she has learned. She did a great job with Hyun’s TPR, so it was clear she has a great understanding of the material that she has covered so far.

Eventually, the girls warmed up and were adorable. Regardless of the language barrier, play is universal. I started wiggling my eyebrows, which got smiles, and then we started playing with the food clips. As we were doing so, the older daughter lifted up the dress of the younger one and then pulled down her panties so her butt was exposed in the restaurant. I thought tears were going to be shed, but instead, both girls laughed hysterically, as did we all. The pantsing game went on for a little bit before the gag got tired. Later, when we were hiding the food clips and playing “pick the hand the food clip is in” the younger one put a bunch of them in her underwear, which again incited laughter.

Our buffet entertainment was a group of five dressed in country/western apparel complete with fringed leather. Oddly enough, they played contemporary easy listening songs. Our table was located in such a way that we could not see the band, so there was a TV posted near the table which broadcasted the band so we could watch them. The girls loved the band and spent a lot of time dance with them before they figured out the TV connection. Once they did, they took turns being on “TV”, or basically climbing on stage with the band and waving at each other while the other one watched the TV. The band had no idea. It was adorable.

Another thing worth noting was towards the end of the meal, the girls asked for some beer. Aihua gave the older one a sip, which led to a bitter beer face. Then the younger one took a sip. Not only did she not dislike the taste, she asked for more. She kept reaching for the glass a couple more times. “She really likes beer,” Aihua said, “and she’s been drunk before”.

Dinner concluded and I thought I heard one of the girls say in English “pee pee”, so I was shocked to see that I was the only one headed towards the bathroom. I used the bathroom and caught up with the rest of the people waiting outside for Xuesong, who had gone off with the girls to get the car. Right when they pulled off, Xuesong jumped out of the car as did his youngest daughter, and he pulled down her underwear and lifted her off the ground so her back was parallel to the street, and she peed right in the gutter outside of the restaurant. In the meantime, the other daughter hopped out of the car, squatted, and then peed right along with her sister. When you gotta go, you gotta go.

The eight of us got in the car and headed back to the hotel. The majority of the trip was filled with singing songs, mostly in English. Old McDonald and Twinkle Twinkle, were among them. Another song was in Chinese and as the older daughter started with “Tong fon da doo”; Hyun mimicked her verse for verse in his best falsetto and continued to do so for a very long time.

The leftover whiskey was brought out back at the hotel, while I quickly covered my portion of the teacher lecture to Aihua. I talked about classroom management and taught her the games as well. She was a quick study and seemed excited to implement them into the Campwww material.

We soon joined the boozers and talked for a bit while primarily Dad and I continued to play with the girls. We also learned that both Xuesong and Hyun had taken home some of the metal clips in their pockets. As they were leaving, Aihua laughed at something the older daughter said: “Foreigners are funny!”

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

July 2009

Friday started with lunch with some of the kindergarten teachers that Kathy and Hyun worked with when they lived in Korea and Jasmine was a baby. They were customers of the “Watermelon” program to teach English. The restaurant was lovely and the food was good. Usually there are four people per table, and we had been told to move the previous night when we each had our own little table at the sting ray dinner. This place suggested that we sit three to a table. The reason became evident very quickly. I counted 39 little dishes per table, and there were three tables. Do the math! The food had some of the spiciest dishes I have had this trip and some of the sweetest ones as well.

After lunch, Keh met up with Jasmine and me, and we headed to the Chang Deok Gung Palace and the Secret Garden. As one usually boards a subway, you wait for the people to get off and then you get on. At a point there was a lull of people exiting the subway, and I started to get on. Then, a whole flood of people finally figured out that they had to leave the train and shoved to get off the train. Jasmine got on the train in time. Keh did not. Jasmine and I had no idea where we were going, so there was no “see you there, Keh!” I pantomimed something to him about getting off at the next stop and meeting him there. We did just that. As we waited for Keh at the next stop, we figured there were three scenarios: 1. Keh gets off at the next stop and finds us, 2. Keh sees us and we hop on his train, or 3. We don’t see Keh again, and we take a taxi home to jewelry city. Not only did the second scenario work flawlessly, he hopped on the same car that we did on the newer train, so his car opened right where we were standing. We made a major effort to make sure we all boarded the train in the future.

As we walked to the temple, it started to rain. Then it poured. We did not have umbrellas and I was not wearing my rain shoes. Keh and I bought very expensive umbrellas at the temple gift shop, and though it continued to rain a little, most of the downpour had ceased when we handed over the money.

The grounds and buildings were beautiful. We had an “English” speaking tour guide, but I had to put the English in quotes because her accent was so thick that it was very hard to understand what she was saying. Keh commented that we would have been better off with a Korean guide because at least one of us would know what she was saying.

After the tour, we walked to, guess where? That’s right, Insadong! It seems we are going there almost daily. The highlights of this trip: Jasmine was able to buy some splat animals and on the walk back to the apartment, we got to sample some street food. I had been eyeing some of these vendors that line the streets and to sample their wears was a treat. We had Turkish Ice Cream first. Like regular ice cream, it is cool and delicious, however, unlike regular ice cream, instead of breaking off when you bite or pull, it snaps off like Silly Putty. We then had a twisted potato. This man runs a potato through a spiral-er (for lack of a better word) and then puts it on a stick and fries it. I expected it to be more like a chip, but it was closer to a French fry. We dipped it in cheese and bulgogi flavorings. Yum. On the walk back to the subway, to drop Keh off, he said, “want to try that one?” Of course we said yes. The last street treat was like a pancake biscuit with a fully cooked egg in the middle. It was way sweeter than I thought it would be, but again, delicious.

For dinner, Kathy, Hyun, Jasmine, and I went around the corner and had fish. Hyun thought he had ordered some beef, but I guess they mislabeled something on the menu, so we got a lot of fish. It was good, though.

Saturday and Sunday we worked.

On Monday, the four of us and our luggage crammed ourselves into a cab and headed to Ansan, the area where Euigyoo, a wonderful artist, has his studio. It was a long drive, and I fell asleep even though I had a suitcase on my lap. I am a very good sleeper.

Jamyung met us when we got dropped off, and the six of us chatted for a bit before we got down to business. By business, I mean, Hyun and Euigyoo went to play ping pong and Jamyung, YK, Dad and I went across the street to drink. We ordered one of the largest pitchers of beer I have seen (see picture below) and finished that and a little one with anju (snacks). Soon after we had arrived, the waitress brought us four forks. It was the first time anyone had done that to me this trip. Many people had cautioned me that the food was too spicy for me or asked if I could handle spicy food, but no one had brought me a fork. I didn’t even want to touch it. If only they knew what kick-ass chopstick skills I have.

Soon, Hyun and Eigyoo joined us, shared a pitcher of beer and used the forks for the anju. I had proposed that the loser of the ping pong battle buy the beer before the official competition, but when they joined us, Eigyoo said Hyun was far too good. Then we were off to dinner. Jamyung said that since we were going to China and had been eating Korean food that we should have Japanese for dinner. On the walk, we ran across one of those South American reed playing bands playing outside a sushi restaurant. I found it particularly odd because I had just finished a book where the author, David Sederis, mentioned seeing one of these bands in Tokyo, and if they get to Tokyo, they are everywhere.

Dinner was again delicious and plates and plates of food kept coming. At this point, the drink at dinner switched from beer to soju, which the waitress put into a sake carafe to serve. I lost track of how many times she refilled the carafe. One of the dishes was a fried pork cutlet with sweet mustard and cheese crisscrossed on top. We even got a complimentary plate of meatballs for being such good customers. Eigyoo mentioned that he always brings VIPs there.

We staggered back to the studio and drank some more soju (left over from the night that Jamyung and Euigyoo visited us at the apartment). Slowly we each trickled to our sleeping quarters. YK and I shared a mat in a little room and Hyun and Dad shared a room next to it. I got to bed at a little after midnight and before I knew it, I was up at 6:15 for a 6:30 cab to the airport. Poor Hyun said he was up past 2 AM.

I slept on the way to the airport, which turned out to be a longer trip than anyone had anticipated. I think the point in staying at the studio was to be closer to the airport, but I think it didn’t really work out that way.

The airport in Seoul, Incheon, is ranked in one kind of travel somethingorother, the best international airport in the world. It did not disappoint. We flew through all the check points, except when we were checking in, the ticket did not say Hyun’s full name and the Chinese needed it to be exactly correct, so he had to pay 30000 won to change his name on the ticket. They never would have let “Christ Gallagher” pass.

While waiting, I was finally able to do one thing I have wanted to do for a while: have a Dunkin’ Donuts experience. Before the last trip to Asia in 2006, I had been on a trip with a friend of mine named Jay Dean where we went to Boston and daily had Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. Since there isn’t one in LA, when I came to Seoul in 2006, I was excited to see Dunkin’ Donuts everywhere. Now, Jason and I have Dunkin’ Donuts coffee at home nearly every morning. I had bought some earlier in the trip in Itaewon, but that was long gone, and now I finally was able to sit with a true cup of coffee and a donut from Dunkin’ Donuts.

They were out of the kind of coffee I wanted. However, I had another type and a vita donut. Yes, you heard me correctly, a vita donut. I have no idea if these are available in the US because I haven’t been to an actual Dunkin’ Donuts in years, but I got a flower-shaped donut with a mango peach jelly dot in the center that claims to have added vitamins. You can actually see the donut towards the middle of the picture below.