Our First Houseguests!

It is much too quiet in our little Beijing condo since my mom and baby brother left after a whirlwind-y and super fun two-week visit. I LOVE that they came with Costco-sized packages of everything from my favorite granola bars to brownie brittle and macadamia nuts. If a zombie apocalypse ever happens, now would be a good time because we are STOCKED with snacks!

Anyway, it would be an understatement to say that an amazing time was had by all in Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai. We walked until our feet hurt, ate until our bellies bulged, and got lots of practice bargaining for souvenirs. I was also reminded daily of how totally hilarious my brother is, and how nice it is to have my sweet mom around who always carries snacks and hand sanitizer, and makes the most perfect cheese omelets for breakfast.

Lots and lots of great memories were made... here are a few of my favorite ones...

Climbing The Great Wall

We spent a glorious day eating salami and cheese sandwiches, hiking, and trying not to trip on the rebuilt Mutianyu section of That One Famous Wall. Mom was extremely hesitant and moderately terrified about tobogganing down when it was time to go... but she did it!!!
Yay, mom! 

Dining at Made in China for Beijing duck

Our perfectly cooked duck was carved table-side. Its skin was crisp and not at all greasy, while the meat was tender and flavorful. We wrapped pieces of it in a thin pancake with scallions, cucumber, and plum sauce. Best Chinese burrito ever. We also enjoyed their snowflake dumplings, named for the delicate pattern of fried crispiness they were served with.

ALL the touristy spots (It's so much more fun to go with family!)

No group selfie was left untaken during our visits to every tourist attraction from The Forbidden City to the Terra-cotta Warriors to Nanjing Road. It came in handy that Jon and I both have freakishly long arms. 

Happy hours!

To help him cope with long hours of shopping with his mom and big sis, Jon often suggested we take afternoon breaks for a foot massage or a cold, refreshing glass of alcohol.
He is full of excellent ideas, that one. 

Riding the levitating train

A new thing I learned is that there are trains that magnetically magically levitate. One such train, The Maglev, is the world's fastest commercial train, and will get you from Shanghai's Pudong airport to the city center in 8 minutes. (It would take a taxi about an hour.) Bonus: You can get green tea soft serve at the McDonald's just outside of where it drops you off. Mmm.

Enjoying the Shanghai skyline

We took a nighttime cruise down the Huangpu river for spectacular views of the Shanghai skyline. The most amazing thing of all? Every last one of those brightly lit skyscrapers was built within the past 30 years. 

The world's most delectable dumplings

Yang's Dumplings serves up a fried version of Shanghai's famous soup dumplings (xiao long bao), and they are mouth-wateringly scrumptious. I really cannot overstate how delicious these little suckers are. They're filled with pork, broth, topped with sesame seeds and scallions, and delivered piping hot and crisp on the bottom. They are what all other dumplings only wish they could be. 

Man oh man, there were so many other great moments on this trip (like the awesomely awkward time my brother laughed hysterically for the better part of an hour-long massage because he's so ticklish, and then said to his masseuse,"Do you know kung fu? Because your hands are really strong. It's kind of scary."). However, I realize this post is already waaay too long, so I'll just end it by saying, "Come back soon, mom and Jon! We loved having you here!" (Plus, we're already starting to run a little low on brownie brittle.)

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.