Stuffing Our Faces In Shanghai

I admit it. I am 100% guilty of being a blog neglector lately.
Do I have a good excuse? Yes! I was eating, sleeping, and watching Netflix! Nope.
I do want to document how Curtis and I spent our very first wedding anniversary, though.
So that's what this here little post is gonna be about.

As I was saying, a few weeks ago, my marriage turned the big O-N-E.

Curtis and I really hadn't talked much about how we were going to celebrate even though this past year has given us lots to be happy about. I mean, in addition to getting hitched, we had a beautiful home built in KC and got to enjoy living there for a few months. Curtis totally healed from his broken ankle fiasco. And of course, we moved to China and have pretty successfully navigated all the crazy-weird-awesomeness that has come with THAT.

So yeah, I thought maybe a nice dinner was in order.

Then I got a text message.

It was sent by Curtis, who was sitting two feet away from me on the sofa at the time. It said that I should look inside my favorite decorative green teapot for a surprise.

Sitting inside the teapot were high-speed train tickets to Shanghai for the weekend. AND he booked us a room at a fabulous hotel... the kind where you get to pick what kind of pillow you want from a "bedding menu," and then sneaky elves leave chocolate on your selected pillow each evening when you're not there.

If I've said it once, I'll say it again: I am a good husband-chooser.

Since this was our second trip to Shanghai, we decided not to bother too much with sight-seeing, and instead focus on one of our shared passions: eating everything in sight.

The following photos document our shameless gluttony in all of its glory.

First stops: Yang's Dumplings for fried shrimp and pork soup dumplings, and Jia Jia's across the street for steamed versions with pork and crab. Here you can see Curtis demonstrating cautious dumpling-eating behavior since he overzealously dove in last time, only to have the hot soup squirt out and burn his nose.
No more risky dumpling eating for THAT guy.

We met up with my old college friend for a delicious dim sum lunch at Tang Court in the Langham Hotel. Poorly pictured here is a shrimp roll, turnip cakes, and slices of roasted pork belly. Not pictured at all because I was too busy pigging out were custard buns, spare rib soup, a cold mango puree dessert, and a whole lot of other dishes I somehow managed to stuff behind that stupid restrictive bow on my dress.

Goodfellas was a little gem of a restaurant I found on good ol' Tripadvisor. The lasagna (bottom left) isn't much to look at, but with layers of fresh pasta, cheese, cream sauce, and bolognese sauce, it was pretty much heaven in my mouth. Fantastically, they offered a complimentary digestif of limoncello (yum!) or sambuca (eewww.).

Calypso is a gorgeous restaurant with a chef who is so authentically Italian that I could not understand a word he said when I asked him what the soup of the day was, but it was still fun listening to him talk. Far and away, the shining star of the night was the Margherita Pizza. The crust was perfectly chewy and salty, and I coulda drank a vat of that red sauce with a straw. I don't know if I can ever eat at Pizza Hut again. (Just kidding, Pizza Hut. Nobody does a super supreme quite like you.)

When we occasionally looked up from shoveling food into our mouth-holes, Shanghai made sure to show us a few of the other beautiful and/or strange things it had to offer. Very notable were the bags of fruit juice that were being sold in IV bags for vampire wannabes (left middle), and the grown women wearing giant light-up bows on their heads (bottom middle).

So yeah-- it was a pretty great first anniversary. I'm already kinda looking forward to seeing what we'll be doing and where we'll be celebrating next year.

The Wild Side of The Great Wall

I spent most of yesterday huffing and puffing my way up a mountainside and through the wilderness, swatting away bugs (giant and teensy) that were incessantly buzzing in my ears and/or attempting to attack me, and trying not to think of all the slithery critters that were probably resting near the very overgrown path on which we were stomping. 

None of this was part of my plan. 

Our goal for the day was to see an unrestored, or "wild" section of The Great Wall. How beautiful and fascinating I thought it would be to see a part of The Wall that showed off the splendor of being 2300 years old; that wasn't filled with hoards of tourists and didn't look like it could've been built last week.

How hard could it be, right? We'd just hire a driver, pack some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and have a leisurely stroll and picnic lunch on the crumbling stones. It would be lovely. 

WRONG.

I didn't have a good feeling from the moment our driver dropped us off in a little village, gestured in a general direction, and said, "About twenty minutes that way." The Wall was absolutely no where in sight. 

But off we went with our pals, Rachael and Jerrod, wandering up the side of the mountain. 

We had no idea what the day would bring! Which is the only explanation for why everyone is smiling.

About twenty minutes in, our path was blocked by some tall bushes that were completely covered in thorns. Obviously we were going the wrong way. We did the only logical thing and turned around to head back to the car. Except we bumped into two young Brits, who insisted the right way was through the thorn bushes. They had been told by a Chinese guide to keep walking east, and that the trail to The Wall was "treacherous." 

Hmmm. Surely the translation was wrong. By "treacherous," the guide surely meant "relaxing" or perhaps "really easy." 

Nope.

So through the thorn bushes we went. 

I could not save my torso from the angry wrath of the thorns, but I could save my arms. Rachael and Jerrod got pretty scratched up. Thankfully, the fur on Curtis's legs seemed to save him.
Which is why I'm now considering growing mine out.

As we climbed further up the path, the bugs would not leave us alone. Rachael walked right into a huge spider web, which probably enraged its inhabitant. Flying things wouldn't stop buzzing in our ears and swarming around our water bottles. When we put the bottles away, they started flying directly into our eyes. What I'm trying to say is that I'm pretty sure the crazy bugs were trying to drink the moisture off our eyeballs. I had to pick like, SIX thirsty bugs out of Curtis's eyes. That, my friends, is love. 

While all that was happening, I was also dripping in sweat and having a heckuva time catching my breath going uphill no matter how many little breaks I took. Apparently couch-sitting is not a good cardio workout. 

Jerrod and Rachael were always a bit ahead of us. You see, they are the kind of people who say things like, "When we climbed Mount Rainier..." whereas I say things more along the lines of, "Can I have some of your cheese?"

Oh and did I mention-- The Wall was still absolutely no where in sight. 

After hiking for well over an hour, I could feel the utter and complete hopelessness start to set in. I was ready to give up. Who cares about a stupid, old wall anyway??? And that's when I knew we had to be close-- because if there's one thing I know about life, it's that just when things seem totally hopeless is exactly when it all turns around for the better. (Usually. I mean, sometimes. Okay... once in a while.) 

 

Sure enough, about ten minutes later, Jerrod and Rachael yelled out, "It's The Wall!"

Holy cannoli. We were beside ourselves with joy. 

Synchronized jumping for a photo is a good way to document happiness.

Soon we were exploring and marveling at the rugged beauty of The Wild Wall, munching on our peanut butter and jellys, and sipping the wine that Rachael and Jerrod thoughtfully brought along. It was perfect.

Here you have six hard-earned photos of beauty.

And not even the very long snake skin dangling from a nearby tree could ruin it. 

Horrifying. Juuuuuust horrifying.

White River Hike

I have been spending a lot of time hanging out on our couch lately.

It's not because of the air quality outside-- that's actually been surprisingly good. It has more to do with the fact that Curtis just signed us up for Hulu Plus (because seeing his wife be a productive human is clearly not of great importance to him). Also, we found out that some of our favorite restaurants will deliver FOR FREE. If you have never tried watching all The Mindy Project episodes in your pajamas while eating chicken ravioli and tiramisu from your favorite Italian place, I highly recommend it. That's good living right there.

Anyway, when some of our friends suggested we all go on a hike together, I knew it was time to give my couch some space and spend a day in the great outdoors. Time out for honesty: I am not a huge fan of being in nature. I mean, I like looking at it... in pictures and stuff. But mosquitoes are such party poopers. And when I see a random hole in the dirt, I'm always 87% sure that whatever's in it will probably try to kill me, or at the very least will not want to be my friend. Still, Curtis and I set our alarms for 6am this past Sunday so we could spend time with some very cool people in what turned out to be a gorgeous setting about two hours northeast of Beijing's city center.

As we began our nature trek, we noticed tons of locals hanging out in rafts on the White River. One of the downsides of living in such a populated country is that even when you try to get away from it all... you can't.

Fellow nature lovers. 

Not to worry though, because soon enough, the crowds thinned out, and we had all the highly questionable bridges and random goat herders to ourselves.

Not to reinforce negative perceptions, but if there's one thing I don't want to have "Made in China," it's a bridge. This one in particular rocked hard with each step we took and had large gaps between the wooden slats. If you love danger, this bridge is for you! 

Oh yeah-- there was also lots of beautifulness just sittin' around, waiting to be admired.

Note the pollution-free blue skies! This of course meant there was no pollution to protect us from the scorching hot sun. Curtis's sunscreen kept melting off his face and running into his eyes. By the end of the day we were all covered in a sticky film of dirt and about twelve layers of dried sweat.
But did I sleep well that night? Yes, yes I did. 

One of the "highlights" of the hike was having to walk through the river at four different spots. Our guides seemed to think this would be a treat. Note: My idea of an actual treat involves fun-sized candy bars or realizing there's enough wine left in the bottle to fill another glass.

Two things I learned from walking through the river four times are 1) wearing flip-flops is a very poor choice in situations of full-foot water submersion and 2) there are actually bugs that just walk around on shallow water all day and wait for you to spot them and scream.
Get a real job, bugs.
Seriously. 

The true highlight of the trip was getting to hang out with this fun bunch, who we met on a day trip soon after moving to Beijing. If you've gotta be out in The Nature, this is a great group to be with.

The bottom left pic shows us in front of a "cave" we walked through at the end of the hike. If you think the rocks look fake and glued on, that's because they are. It was some sort of weird styrofoam and wood facade that resembled a grade school art project.
Why was it there? Because China. 

Adventures in Jinan

This past week, Curtis and I were invited by our friends, Jerrod and Rachael, to join them for a day trip to Jinan. We had never heard of Jinan, but we happily agreed to go... because everyone knows that if you say "no" to a day trip, there's a good chance that all you'll end up doing instead is watch an entire season of Cake Boss on Netflix.

So I've heard.

Turns out that Jinan is the capital of Shandong province, and is located about 250 miles south of Beijing. Apparently it is known throughout China as the "City of Springs." It has several beautiful parks filled with weeping willows that are built around lakes fed by natural spring water.

Lots of prettiness.

While we did spend the majority of our day wandering through these lovely parks and basking in all that nature-y goodness that we don't get a whole lot of in Beijing, there are other things that I will remember much more clearly from this day of adventure.

Here they are for your perusal:

1) Jerrod ordered this plate of silkworms for lunch.

Silkworms are the pupae of moths and not actually worms. Knowing this does not make it any less horrifying.

2) Curiosity trumped disgust, and I ate half of a silkworm. (Handy tip: If you ever decide to eat only half a silkworm, never ever look inside to see what's in the other half.)

Here is Curtis looking on lovingly as I eat my first silkworm. This is pretty much one of my favorite photos of all time.

4) An hour after eating the silkworms, Jerrod grew red welts all over his face and neck.

This is not Jerrod. This is Will Smith in the movie Hitch. But this maybe COULD HAVE been Jerrod if we didn't run into a pharmacy so he could get some Chinese meds to get his face under control.

5) This building:

Located in the city center, we couldn't help but notice that whoever built this enormous structure was clearly making up for something.

6) What would Sylvester Stallone look like as a giant Buddha?

Obviously, that's what the makers of this Buddha wanted to know. At one time, Jinan was the historical center of Buddhist culture for the whole province, so there are lots of Buddhas everywhere. This here is the only one we saw that resembled Sly.

7) Riding home in style after our eventful day.

They ran out of the cheap seats on the train home, so we ended up doing the 2-hour ride in first class, which was AMAZING. If you're ever wondering if you are in first class, just ask yourself these questions: 1) Am I wearing brand new house slippers that were just now given to me? 2) Could I comfortably get into a fetal position if I wanted to? 3) Are there free snacks? If you answered "YES!" to these questions, then CONGRATULATIONS! You are officially livin' it up, China-style. 

Scammers, Rice Terraces, and Bamboo Rafts

There is a lot of concrete in Beijing. 

This is even more obvious after having spent the past four days in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of Southern China, where the abundance of natural beauty made us feel like we were exploring something exotic and wild. Sure, there was the occasional McDonald's and KFC sighting. So yes... partly commercialized, but mostly... exotic and wild!

Before I get to the pictures filled with lovely landscapes, I must first say that this trip started off in a most unfortunate way. We got scammed at the Beijing airport! 

Oh the humiliation. 

Have I not read all the warnings about the many scams in China? (Yes, I have!) Have I not done a fair amount of traveling and should therefore know better? (YES, I HAVE!) But alas, my husband and I fell victim to two seemingly sweet (but actually EVIL!) women who offered to help us at the check-in kiosks at the airport. 

You see, the dang machines were not scanning our passports properly. Suddenly this little old woman appeared and asked if she could help me. I just thought she was the person waiting in line behind me and wanted me to hurry up. Before Curtis and I could fully comprehend what was going on, we were whisked away from the kiosks and brought to the front of a very long line of people waiting to get their plane tickets. A flurry of Mandarin was spoken and voila! We got our tickets. All of this happened in about three minutes. Tops. 

Then came the evil part. 

The little old woman went to a young, pretty woman dressed in a suit who demanded (in perfect English) that we pay her 400 RMB (about $65) for this service of getting our tickets "in just one minute!" WHAT???? I instantly became one Very Angry Asian, and after a few words were exchanged, we ended up giving them half that amount (which was still WAY too much) before storming off.  

Note to self: Learn how to cuss at evil-doers in Mandarin. 

Anyway. A three-hour plane ride later (filled with me fantasizing about drop-kicking the Evil Scammer Ladies over and over again), we were in the city of Guilin. 

Top left is me looking like a super-authentic Chinese fisherwoman in front of the famous Elephant Trunk Hill.
The fishermen put rings around the bird's necks so they can't swallow the fish they catch in their beaks. When enough fish have been caught for the day, the rings are removed and the birds are fed. Maybe one day the birds will organize a rebellion, but for now they stay faithfully by the side of their fishermen.
Bottom pics were taken while we wandered through the night market area.

Guilin is teensy compared to Beijing with only 5 million people, and there were some noticeable differences. For one thing, many more people ride scooters because cars are too expensive. For another thing, the food options are much more limited. As our guide put it, "the people in Guilin like to eat their food fresh." Right now you are thinking, "So do I! I love fresh food! Those Guilin people and I have so much in common!" You are adorable, but you are so wrong. What our tour guide meant is that outside of many restaurants are buckets filled with live sea creatures, and cages filled with live animals including chickens, turtles, snakes, and football-sized fur balls that we later found out were bamboo mice (MICE!). Basically you choose which one you wanna eat and then BAM! It's served right up! I am no vegetarian, but this was really too much. I like to believe that my pork was always bacon-shaped. Needless to say that apart from our hotel breakfast buffet, Curtis and I did not eat much during our two days in Guilin City. 

It's okay though, because we were only there so we could go to Longsheng County to see the magnificent 650-year-old Dragon Spine Rice Terraces. These photos do not do them justice...

Behold the beauty! It was quite a hike up there, but the view was worth every uneven stone step.

The area is also home to the Zhuang and Yao Ethnic people, who wear colorful outfits and cannot wait to talk you into buying all their snacks and handmade crafts. 

The woman I am standing next to is smiling because she got me to buy a scarf.
Apparently, I can't resist a pretty scarf.

The next day, we took a three-hour cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo County, an area known for its stunning mountain backdrop. Because it was a bit rainy, the mountains were misty and dreamlike. I kept feeling like dinosaurs should be frolicking on the mountaintops. Or unicorns. Disappointingly, I saw neither of those things.

Since there were no unicorns, we hung out with a nice German couple from Canada, instead.
They've been married for 47 years and have traveled the world together.

Afterward, we rode a handmade bamboo raft down the Yulong River which gave us a chance to get a whole lot closer to all the nature-y things. This decidedly touristy experience came complete with strategically placed photo ops meant to capture the entertaining moments when foreigners think they might possibly get tossed into the river. There might have been a little squealing involved, as I am positive that we did not get enough vaccinations to make it okay for us to be tossed into a Chinese river. 

For the bottom left pic we were told to wave at the camera while trying to also not get dunked in the highly questionable river water. Good times.

When we were finally back on land, we discovered that Yangshuo County is extremely tourist-friendly and generally delightful. Most importantly, absolutely delicious food could be found here. While it was possible to get unusual (i.e. utterly horrifying) dishes like dog hotpot and horse noodles, we opted to try a vegetarian restaurant where we thoroughly enjoyed some spicy fried noodles with mixed veggies, sticky rice with tofu "meatballs," vegetable dumplings, and fried bananas that came out piping hot and were deliciously sweet and creamy.

We concluded our trip with relaxing full-body massages (at a place in Yangshuo called Dr. Lily's) that cost $11 for one hour... because four days of exploring all things exotic and wild is not only endlessly fun, but also quite exhausting.

Weekend in Xi'an: Terra-Cotta Warriors, baby!

If you live in China, one thing you must do is always carry a package of moist towelettes. 

Another thing you must do is visit the Army of Terra-Cotta Warriors. 

This past weekend, Curtis and I hopped on a high-speed train (it traveled around 300 km/h) with a couple of friends to visit Xi'an, the city closest to the Terra-Cotta army. It also happens to be the city which marks the beginning of the Silk Road. 

The city of Xi'an itself is surprisingly modern and bustling with a population of about 8.5 million. Back in the 10th century, this was supposedly The Place To Be, and there are still areas and sights that hint at its ancientness and former glory days.  We spent our first day checking a few of these out...

The Muslim Quarter 

It was fascinating to wander through the narrow streets filled with vendors selling all kinds of snacks and souvenirs. We sampled some peanut candy and dried persimmons because my guidebook told us to. They were pretty good. Then we stopped for lunch at a Muslim restaurant, and dined on a variety of seasoned veggies, cold noodles with spicy sesame sauce, and flatbread stuffed with beef. Only later did it occur to us that the beef sandwiches were probably purchased off the street and served to us. I spent half of that night lying in bed, wondering how grumpy my stomach would be about this. Happily, my belly was a total trooper and did not object at all to its first encounter with street meat. 

The Great Mosque

Tucked away in the Muslim Quarter is one of the largest mosques in China. Founded in the 8th century, it's a beautiful blend of Chinese and Islamic architecture. We snapped a whole bunch of photos and soaked in the peacefulness behind its walls. 

The City Wall

One thing China seems to do exceptionally well is build really impressive walls. We had a hard time finding our way onto the wall, and by the time we did, it was almost dark. However, we were in for a grand surprise because they lit everything up when the sun went down, which made for an extra gorgeous two-hour stroll. Oh. And that bottom left pic is us pretending to bang on a drum at the bottom of the wall. Because it was there. 

The next day was Terra-Cotta Warrior day and we could not wait! After all, these 2200-year-old warriors have been featured a gazillion times in places like Time, Smithsonian, and National Geographic magazines. They are the freakin' supermodel rock stars of ancient relics.

Here are the pics to prove we were there. Or that we're really good at Photoshop. Kidding! We were totally there. 

Not surprisingly, the story behind this army of warriors is incredibly interesting. It's the tomb of Qin Shi Huang Di, China's first emperor who died in 210 B.C. Apparently this army of 6000 soldiers (in addition to horses, musicians, acrobats etc.) was created to protect him in the afterlife. It is believed to have taken 700,000 men 36 years to build the grave, and each of the warrior's faces is unique. While Emperor Qin Shi Huang did a heckuva lot to advance China, he was not known for being the nicest guy. After work on the tomb was completed, the artisans and laborers were essentially buried alive so they wouldn't tell anyone about where it was or what was inside. Then grass and trees were planted on the mound to make it look like a regular ol' hill. All I can say is that I am very thankful to my last employer who just had me sign non-disclosure forms when they didn't want me spilling any secrets. Jeebus. 

Before catching our train back to Beijing, we tried to visit the Wild Goose Pagoda. It's a Buddhist pagoda in southern Xi'an known for it's height and square shape. We meandered outside the gates before realizing that we were running out of time, so we took a few pics and went to hail us a taxi! 

By the way, you should know that pretty much all the taxis in Xi'an take a half hour break at around 4pm. They love this break and will not take you anywhere if there is even a possibility it will make them late for their break. They do not care about you almost missing your train at all. 

You should definitely remember this for the next time you are in Xi'an.  

Belly Aches & Blind Massages

"Into each traveler's journey, some intestinal discomfort must fall."

That's how the saying goes, right?

We were warned early on that eventually, it would happen to us. 
Careful as we've been to eat at only trust-worthy looking restaurants, stay far away from street food, and wash all our fruits and veggies in filtered water, the Woo-Jay household had a rather... um... explosive past few days. 

I heart Western meds.

We are still not exactly sure what caused it. 
For some reason, Curtis has been wanting to blame my poor, innocent Cheerios (and the milk they were in). I am more inclined to point the finger at some dubious-looking spinach we were served the other day. (There was too much sauce on that spinach. It was obviously hiding something.) 

All I know for sure is that I am still recovering.
And I am now afraid to sneeze. 

The worst was finally over by Sunday morning, so we decided to treat our tortured bodies to a massage. But not just any massage. Oh no. We booked two blind massages.

I've been intrigued with the concept of blind massage ever since I read about it in a guide book a couple of years ago. The theory behind it is that the visually impaired masseuse's other senses are heightened in such a way that they are better able to locate and ease tense muscles and problem areas. 

Also, it was only going to be $17 for a one-hour massage, so heck to the yes we were doing this! 

The $17 storefront to go with the $17 massage.

Once we arrived, we were guided into a sparsely decorated room that smelled (not unpleasantly) of baby oil, with two basic massage tables. 

Curtis hopped on one table, and was quickly tended to by a young, lanky, friendly fella who was very evidently visually-impaired. 

I climbed onto the other table and was greeted by a cheery, older, round guy who I thought was maybe the towel-bringer, but who turned out to be my masseuse. Based on all the looking-at-each-other-and-smiling we were doing, I am not so convinced my guy was even close to blind. Maybe he used bifocals once in a while? 

I have learned that when in China, sometimes you cannot be too picky.

Our massages commenced and I immediately did not have high hopes. 

I could hear a tv blaring what sounded like Chinese action movies from the next room, and when that was muted, someone upstairs decided it was the most perfect time ever to start hammering the floor above my head. 

But then my guy started working his masseuse-y magic and nothing else mattered. He got all kinds of spots in my neck, shoulders, and back, some of which I didn't even know were tense until he started working on 'em. Those same quick, strong, kneading motions were unfortunately tickle-y torture on my legs. I burst into a giggling fit, which prompted Curtis's masseuse to turn around and earnestly ask, "Are you having a very fun time?" 

Speaking of Curtis's masseuse. Right away, he asked Curtis if he knew he "had a little hunchback." This made me chuckle not only because it was so direct, but also because it sounded weirdly adorable. Apparently the rest of Curtis's massage involved stretching, twisting, cracking, and elbowing this "little hunchback" into submission. Poor little hunchback.

Overall, I have to say that I was pretty impressed with the thoroughness and intensity of my blind(ish) massage. At one point, my foot started cramping badly, and my masseuse sprung to action and pushed really hard on a specific point on my foot, which relaxed it entirely. I later found out (from my super-smart pal, Google), that the point he applied pressure to was the reflexology spot for my small intestine. 

What I'm trying to say is, on top of the great massage, his magical, blind-masseuse-intuition powers obviously told him I was recovering from food poisoning, and he knew just what to do to help relieve my agony. 

So would I go back? 
Why yes, yes I would. 

Food! Food! Food!

There's one thing that moving to China hasn't changed a bit: 

My inability (or umm... lack of desire) to cook. 

There are many reasons for this, but right now I'm going to blame it on the fact that we only have butter knives in our kitchen. We cannot find a good knife anywhere! I cut up an enormous, juicy mango with a butter knife just yesterday, and it was not pretty at all. 

For the record, that mango deserved better. 

Thankfully, Beijing has about 10,000 restaurants. That is not an exaggeration. Restaurants are EVERYWHERE, and Curtis and I have decided to make it our personal mission to try as many of them as we can. 

I am no chef, but I absolutely love to eat. 

Eating's my favorite. 

Here are a few of me and the husby's most stand-out Beijing dining experiences so far...

Vietnamese at Susu

This place is ahh-may-zing. The restaurant is in a beautifully restored old Chinese home. They serve up some of the best Vietnamese food I've ever had-- and I've been to Vietnam! Our favorites included the tangy Susu shrimp salad (top left), the rare beef pho served in a rich broth with wide, flat noodles (left middle), and the deep fried spring rolls that were so delicately fried, the wrapper was still a little chewy (right middle). Everything was so fresh, seasoned perfectly, and presented beautifully. Oh em gee I cannot wait to go back!

Chinese-Muslim at Xinjiang Crescent Moon Uyghur Muslim Restaurant (Yeah. Curtis and I just call it "The Tasty Lamb Place")

This is supposedly the best place in Beijing to get the kind of food you might expect whilst traveling the Silk Road. "What does that even mean?" you ask. It means delicious yumminess everywhere. The lamb kebabs seasoned with chili and cumin came out piping hot on metal skewers, and the fried flatbread with lamb was can't-stop-eating-it good. The eggplant was tender and smothered in a thick, sweet-ish sauce, while the green beans were stir-fried with dried chilis until they were crisp on the outside and puffy on the inside. We were also served bowls of smooth and creamy homemade yogurt that I sweetened with sugar and devoured for dessert! 

Thai at Thai Express

This is one of our neighborhood go-to spots. The spicy seafood salad (on the left) was vinegary, refreshing, and flavorful like a green papaya salad, but had a big kick to it that had our eyes watering after a few bites. Top right looks a little weird, but it's just steamed mixed veggies with a very light coconut sauce, which was mild and scrumptious. Bottom right is one of my favorite desserts in the world-- fresh mango with sticky rice, topped with sweet coconut cream. Mmm...

Drinks at Flamme

I know, I know... drinks don't technically count as a meal. But the (Australian) bartender here is kind of a creative genius and mixed us up a few cocktails that were truly memorable. One of the drinks I ordered was served as a mini chemistry set that I got to mix myself! Hooray for fun! Curtis's favorite was the Passionate American (tee hee) which was bourbon, passion fruit, and bitters served with half a passion fruit in the glass (top right). My favorite was the Sichuan Beauty (next to the Passionate American). It had Sichuan peppercorn infused vodka, house-made passion fruit syrup, and fresh lemon juice. I could drink that all summer long...

Korean at a random place we meandered into for lunch

Being half Korean, it is pretty much mandatory for me to love Korean food. And I do! I always order the Bi Bim Bap, which is rice topped with a whole slew of seasoned veggies and a little bit of meat, which is then topped with an egg (bottom left). The corn pancake thing on the bottom right was the winner of this meal. It was like a thick crepe with sweet corn in it, and it came with a sesame seed and soy dipping sauce. That was not a great description. It tasted better than it looks or sounds (according to my bad description). 

Hot Pot at Haidilao Hot Pot

I think this is a perfect meal for friends to share 'cause you're all cooking your food together in one big pot at your table. We thought we'd introduce this experience to John Keeling (fellow Hallmark alum!) and his partner, Colin, during their recent visit to Beijing. We ordered the heaven and hell hot pot (half mild, half spicy) and a bunch of meats and veggies that would be thrown into the soup to be cooked. Everyone's favorite was the Noodle Dance, in which a very energetic guy does an impressive dance while hand-pulling the noodles (what's not to love about this?). I did not capture this well with my photos because I was too busy squealing and clapping with joy. I could not get enough of this dance. (Possible new life dream: To spend the rest of my time in China learning how to be a professional Noodle Dancer!!! Yessss!)  

So there you have it-- a sampling of some of the wonderful food we've been enjoying. 

Fear not, though, our cute little kitchen isn't completely going to waste. Sometimes Curtis feels like whipping up a good ol' American breakfast. 

And that is (still) one of my most favorite things of all. 

Day trip to Chuandixia

Curtis and I learned a very important lesson over the weekend:
When in China, don't even try to do anything during a Chinese holiday. This is because no matter what the holiday is, you essentially have 1.3 billion people trying to be somewhere other than wherever they are at the moment.

Naturally, mayhem ensues.

This past weekend was the nationally celebrated Qingming Festival, a.k.a. Tomb Sweeping Day in China. Since this was not noted in the Office Max calendar I purchased in Kansas City before we left, I only found this out when Curtis came home from work on Friday and told me one of his co-workers mentioned it in passing. "It has something to do with people showing respect to their ancestors... I think they go and tend to grave sites or something like that."

This was great news! After all, we had a big weekend planned of going to Ikea to get more essentials for our apartment, and we had scheduled our first day trip to a nearby village. Now we would obviously have everything to ourselves because the 25-35 million people with whom we share this city would all be dusting tombstones!

Isn't it so amazing when your new country conspires to make your weekend even better than you had planned???

On Saturday we learned that apparently another way of showing respect to one's ancestors is by having a shopping day at Ikea. All of Beijing was at Ikea when we got there. We had to literally push and shove our way through a sea of people in order to get our mixing bowls, coasters, and Swedish meatballs. Thank gawd they also have wine.

After such a stressful shopping trip we could not wait to get out of the city center for our day trip to the village of Chuandixia. We woke up at the very crack of dawn on Sunday with big smiles and lots of cheerfulness. Let me tell you that nothing can wipe a smile off of my face quicker than a packed subway car at 7am on a Sunday. I was squished in on all sides by people who smelled like their last meal had been garlic soaked in garlic. No bueno.

Thankfully, this longish story has a mostly happy ending.

I will fast forward (through the horrifically horrifying traffic we endured) to say that Chuandixia is a charming, old-timey little village nestled in the mountains with stone-paved streets, steep and narrow stairways, and courtyard homes. It was founded during the Ming Dynasty (i.e. a really long time ago) by the Han family, and is currently home-sweet-home to about 93 full-time residents. Curtis and I met some really nice people, did some hiking, breathed some fresh air, and ate a lovely meal.

Here are the pictures to prove that Tomb Sweeping Day did not completely ruin our weekend:

Gotta love the warning sign. Although we cherish our lives, we did end up choosing to climb some of the wild mountains that surround this village. And we even lived to tell of it!

We enjoyed a lunch of locally-grown food before spending a few hours exploring and hiking. There are a bunch of tiny temples around town and that is me standing awkwardly in front of one.

Cool details everywhere! The top right photo is the inside of what was once home to the wealthiest person in the village. The bottom-right photo is some rooftop weeds that were being kind of show-offy with their prettiness.

 This is us on our climb up the wild mountains to get a better look at the village. The guy with the broken ankle did great on his first post-surgery hike!

 These were some of the friendly people we day-tripped with. Curtis could not resist having a post-hike street food snack. The smell of roasting corn and sweet potatoes was amazing!

I would like to add that we did pass by several cemeteries on the road to and from Chuandixia and they were all pretty much empty. Clearly everyone in China needs to get on Wikipedia (like I did!) to find out where they're supposed to be on Tomb Sweeping Day.

Tour de Our Beijing Home

Great news alert! 

Curtis and I have officially moved into our Beijing apartment!

Ta-da! This is our building.

After three months of living out of suitcases (two months in KC while Curtis's ankle healed and one month here in a hotel), we are unpacking everything! We have found our extra toothpaste! We know exactly where all of our clean undies are! 

It is a dream come true!

Now let me tell you that finding our little abode was quite an interesting experience. Curtis made an appointment with a realtor almost immediately after we arrived, and we soon learned what our budget would get us here in Beijing. 

The short story here is: Less than we thought.

The first few places we went to were dumpity dumps. Some of them were filthy, with great big pieces of paint or wallpaper missing. Others reeked of cigarette smoke. Apartments come furnished, and several of the ones we saw looked like they had been decorated by intoxicated three-year-olds. I'm talkin' hot pink sofas with gold fringe curtains. One of them did not have a "shower box." There was just a drain in the middle of the bathroom, and when you shower, water gets everywhere. Our realtor walked out of there shaking her head and muttering, "No shower box. Foreigners love shower boxes." It's true! We do. 

Here you have an example of a box-less shower.

Even after upping our budget, we soon realized there were certain things we would just have to get used to. Like hallways that have sound-activated lights, so when you get off the elevator, you have to stomp around in the dark until they go on. Also, no one really maintains the common areas in many buildings, so until you step into an apartment, you sometimes think maybe you're in a falling-apart haunted house. And most kitchens don't have ovens. Also, no clothes dryers, so everything must be hung. In certain buildings, hot water is not available 24/7, and in most buildings, heating is controlled. It goes on in mid-November and gets turned off in mid-March. If it's still freezing outside? Get a good blanket! Oh and another thing. There are mailboxes, but you will probably never get a mailbox key because people just don't use 'em. The mailman will come directly to your door and if you're not home then I don't know what. 

Big sigh.

When Curtis and I first started our apartment search, we were like giddy schoolgirls dreaming of The Perfect Guy. We were all, "Stainless steel appliances! Granite countertops! Hardwood floors!" Then we went on a bunch of bad dates and were all like, "Ummm... something with painted walls and a shower box would be nice." 

We really thought we would have to settle for something less than love, and we were not so thrilled about this at all. 

Then we found it.

Hardwood floors? Check! Shower box? Check!!!

From the moment we walked in, we knew this apartment was different. It felt cozy, the decor was simple but modern, it was spacious and bright, we could get hot water whenever we wanted it, and best of all, it was so clean! Our realtor also pointed out that it was on the 9th floor, which is a number that signifies harmony in Chinese culture. Bonus! It also faces south, which apparently is good feng shui. Nice! We called our realtor later that day and told her we would take it! 

So last night was our very first night here. I got to make our bed with our new Ikea bedding! I got to do a whole bunch of laundry in our little washing machine! I got to put our pictures up in the living room!

Our bedroom! We have a second bedroom, too, because we just know you cannot wait to visit.

I also found out that our (government subsidized) utilities don't cost very much at all (the last couple who lived here said electricity cost them about $15/month), everyone from nearby restaurants to the dry cleaner to our local grocer will deliver, and we can have a housekeeper come once a week for about $10. How amazing is that? Very! There's even a 7-11 right across the street that serves up some pretty dang good kung pao chicken for a little over $1.

Here is our little kitchen that I will barely use because of the aforementioned kung pao chicken.

So there you have the tour of our apartment where we will be living for the next year. I think the feels-like-we're-just-on-vacation phase of our journey has officially come to an end!