Stranger No More

Wow. We went yesterday. So amazing. I got so many great pics. I also bought a great old wind-up alarm clock that has a Red Party member waving Mao’s little red book of quotations. It kicks ass. I overpaid at Y50, ($6.00), and was offered one later for Y30, (san-shr), but that is what I get for buying the first one I saw. Jed bough a switch-blade for Y10.

The bus ride back was the most amazing ride I may have ever been on. Loud techno dance music blaring while the driver weaved through traffic. Not just the traffic going our way either. If there is no oncoming traffic, (or doesn’t appear to be as we barrel around corners), all lanes are open for traffic. We had Bai tell him that he drove it like he stole it and he said it was okay because his relatives were police officers. So pretty much just like America. I was hoping that his relatives were doctors. It is unbelievable the way they drive. You never see an accident or even dented cars as they are always riding the horn and the brakes as much as the gas. Yesterday, near where we stay they had a public service display of photos of people killed in traffic accidents blown up to 3′x4′ in the park square to warn people of the dangers. Really seemed inappropriate since it was very near a school and many kids were checking it out. Far too graphic.
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Yay! I made it. Well, sort of. I’m in Datong. After the message this morning I was able to find the bus station by myself, (how very grown-up of me, eh?), and catch a 1100 bus for Datong. Forget whatever I said about Beijing being dirty. I am now in my third Chinese city and it has been progressively worse. But I’m here, so I have that going for me.

The bus ride here was much nicer than the Calcutta-esque trip I took yesterday. It really was an amazing journey. Over 300km almost all with crops growing but not a single piece of farm equipment. The highway itself was a beauty of engineering and maintenance. Apparently almost all of their intra-continent shipping is handled by rail so big rigs are almost non-existent. We passed through a tunnel at one point that was nearly 3km. Like a total tourist I was taking pictures out the window. Bet you can’t wait to see those.

For now I am sharing a two bedroom flat, (not the deal but for all the apparent griping I AM IN CHINA!), with Jed and Dan. Jed seems pretty cool, from Portland so he is pretty kick back. I haven’t met Dan but I hear he is a self-proclaimed ‘eccentric’, so that should be interesting.

[The Carpenters, ‘Yesterday Once More’ just went into the fifth consecutive play since I began this]

It looks like I am all play and no work until at least the 8th as that is when the National Holiday ends. [every sha-la-la-la] Good thing I am well practiced at that vigorous a schedule.

The word from Jed is that the boss, Rian, is in Fuzhou scouting a school location where the three new arrivals may be headed. Coastal living? Yeah, I’ll take that. Plus, you know, I’m in China!

Okay, the cigarette smoke and The Carpenters are killing me.

[every shing-a-ling-a-ling]

The Marine Corps motto is Semper Fidelis which means Always Faithful. We used to joke Semper Gumby to try to remember to be Always Flexible. It still applies.

If some of you are thinking I am pretty relaxed for all that has gone on, well, I am.

Thanks for your thoughts and I’m thinking of you.

- Olen

[when I was young I listened to the radio . . . ]

At 0930 I’m watching the Presidential debate in my room about, (you’d be disappointed if I wasn’t), when a knock on my door signals the arrival of Kevin. Finally, I think I am being rescued and shuttled away from all the chaos of Beijing on National Day. The streets were seriously packed with Chinese tourists.

After the Bank of China telling us I can’t cash my travelers checks it is decided that I have enough and can safely leave for Datong. Anyone else see how that might sound like ‘downtown’? It is assumed every time I say it and I am diligent in my pronunciation. Well, as much as I can be.

I’m typing this in my room in Taiyuan where I magically appeared after boarding a bus for Datong. This truly has been an adventure and if it doesn’t stop being one so much I am going to fucking lose it. It is one thing when they don’t speak English and we can usually hand gesture our way through it or they recognize the words/numbers written down but when I meet someone who speaks good English my guard goes up. Something always seems too slick about them. At least on the street. If it is their job then I am just thankful. So with the help of a young man from my bus with a bit of English I was initially taken to a ’small hotel’ that was going to cost Y30 but after being led to the room that had four beds and no real door I just grabbed my bags and bailed. The host then offered it for Y20. For those of you keeping track at home that is about $3.60 but he came down to $2.40. I just kept walking.
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I moved hotels today, and heard from my contact. I expect to meet up with him and be on a bus to Datong Friday morning around 1030.

At about 0930 this morning, (when I sent my last email), it began raining and continued throughout the day. At least I think it did since I had to have a nap from 1300-1700. If there was ever a city in need of a washing this is it. It helped. A bit. I can’t tell if all the smog is from the traffic or from *everyone* smoking. Likely the amazing traffic. After about a day you stop listening to the honking of horns, they seem to figure that the car has one so they should use it. Constantly. I’ve also become quite the bold pedestrian in my attempt to follow local custom. Most major streets have frontage type roads on both sides for bicycle traffic so you have extra opportunities to get honked or ‘belled’ at.

This evening I went to the night market with the street vendors offering fried everything. I took some pictures but couldn’t bring myself to actually eat any. Or grubs. Or grasshoppers. Or squid. I had both chicken and beef but it wasn’t nearly as good as the lamb, (or maybe it was goat since it was described using sounds), that I had last night. I am trying to not eat at anywhere with roman characters. I’m thinking about breaking down for som KFC but it might just make me more homesick.

My fellow round-eyed tourists aren’t generally social although I have met a few that were friendly. Most just nod and keep walking but some don’t even do that.

The major plaza here is a bit like Times Square only you can’t understand most of the words unless they are major corporation, (Nestle - Good Food, Good Life), but it is glorious eye candy.

My Chinese has improved to the point that I now say ‘thank you’ constantly,(shee-shee), and ‘please’, (ching) quite a bit as well. Oh yeah, ‘ni hao’, (nee-how), is hello so I’ll mutter that quite often. It also how they answer the phone.

The Kings will be playing the Rockets in Beijing on the 14th and the 17th. I’m hopeful that I can come back since the 17th is a Sunday and attend the game. Now that’d be cool.

I look forward to having more regular internet access. I miss you all. The movies I brought to watch only seem to make me more homesick. I found a store today that has movies still in the theater for you on DVD for me. I might swing by and get Shrek 2 and Collateral.

Hope you all are well. I am making it. I appreciate all of your support!

O.

This is pretty crazy. I’ve been propositioned twice by Chinese prostitutes. Don’t worry, I said no. Both times. I did see the one from last night with a round-eye in my hotel last night. The other was at 0830 this morning, (it is 1015 now).

I also got stopped by two girls that wanted to ‘practice their English’ when it was really an attempt to coax you to look at and purchase some of their art. Very nice but maybe on my way out of the country.

So glad to have emails!

I ate at a street vendor last night and had fantastic lamb kebabs for ~$0.80, it was so much because I ate a lot. This morning I ate in some alley kitchen/restaurant thingy that was full of non-English speaking locals and had a bowl of what I think was warm yogurt with a sprout and mushroom soup over it accompanied by three dumplings of some sort of meat and some fry bread. It was all yummy but I wasn’t really into the fry bread. Total cost of breakfast? Y3, which is somewhere around $0.40. Some Australians I ran into told me about a street vendor with grasshoppers, snake and scorpion kebabs that I may try this evening.

My hotel is a nice one but is Y448 a day so I think I am going to check out and move to one that is Y280 i found while walking. The name of the one I expect to move to is Fangyuan Hotel at 36 West street of Dengshikou in the Dongcheng District. They have their own email address at fangyuan_hotel@sohu.net and webpage at www.cbw.com/hotel/fangyuan . It is still nice and there were some other Australian tourists staying there and they said it was fine. They were discussing the hot water which isn’t a problem at all in my current hotel - I took a 30 minute shower this morning. The bathroom is all stone, (maybe marble), and has a drain in the floor so basically the whole thing is a shower.

Still haven’t heard from Kevin McCray who is my contact. His email should anyone need it is american_k@teacher.com. Since tomorrow is the first day of a week long national holiday I think I’ll move to the less expensive hotel and stay for the first day and then just take myself to Datong City. With luck I’ll hear from him tonight.

Beijing has to be one of the most beautiful filthy cities; it turns out the ‘fog’ last night really is smog that just hovers. It is hard to say since it was sprinkling a little this morning so there is also a cloud cover. The people seem nice and it seems to be a safe city as I was out last night until 0100. When I got back to my hotel the bar was empty but I went in and got a drink; the only hard liquor was Chivas and it was Y50 for a really fat shot which I think is right about $6.00.

Odd thing about the flight is that it was entirely during the day as we were chasing the sun.

The clothes really are cheap here. I bought this great shirt for Y98 which as I get used to the math would seem to be about $12.

O.