Walk like poetry
Beijing is a lot of walking in the deep freeze. Our director Joffre said during orientation that the Chinese way is similar to Sour Patch Kids — first they’re sour then sweet. Instead of giving us all the luxury first, we’re made to do most things ourselves, that is, giving ourselves tours by feet and making us find our own food. Which would have been fine if we were at least taught how to say “Chicken” in Mandarin.
Our hotel was situated between a lot of shops and restaurants. My favorite food place was literally five doors down, a noodle shop where the dough is cut right into the pot as soon as the chefs receive your order. Not knowing how to order, I chose the picture of the food item that looked least like beef (I do not consume beef,) waved wildly at an employee, pointed at the picture then to the chefs. She didn’t really smile, apparently Chinese people keep very straight faces most times, but she did successfully help me order so I was happy and smiled for both of us. That’s the Thai way!
The delicious spicy pork soup, cooked along with mushrooms, bok choy and of course, chewy, fresh noodles only cost 10 yuan ($1.45). I never once finished the entire bowl because of how filling it was.
The next day we were taken to a rickshaw tour of more villages (walk first, ride later! Thanks, Joffre.) The rickshaws resembled much of the Central Park tricycle rides; each couple were given pillows and a blanket as the driver drove us through the narrow roads. We took several pit stops to various sites. The first was the drum tower, which in ancient times was used to notify time. More walking up the 69 steep steps got us to the top where we watched a performance.
After trying not to stumble back down the steps, I took a stop at a local grocery shop to buy a cup of instant hot chocolate to warm up. When I turned around, my group was gone and I ran around in circles looking for any sign of Josh’s blue flag. Returning the same way we walked in, I found my rickshaw-mate freaking out for me and hugging me when I arrived. Getting lost in China is nothing new to me, but it was nice to know I had friends that cared.
Our other significant stop was at a local family where we were treated lunch. The food reminded me much of how I used to eat back when I grew up in Bangkok, where there were plates of various dishes and everyone took from the middle. Coke was also abundant; I’d never drank so much soda in a day but it is served with almost every meal here.
The woman who cooked us food told us a little about her life. She was youthful and happy, and said she doesn’t usually get young students as her guests. Her tiny living room somehow accommodated about 25 of us. Although the village itself is not nearly as poor looking as the one in Xi’an, it wasn’t amazing. Still, her home was equipped with a large HDTV (full 1080P no less!) and air conditioning for the summer. Our totally opposite vision of what constitutes a rich and privileged life never cease to amaze me.
