Pictures of the Hotel

An Open Letter to Soy Products

Dear Stinky Tofu,

Why do you stink so bad? What are you cooked with that makes you smell like old socks and rotting garbage? I would like to think I’m an adventurous eater, Tofu, but I will not put you near my face.

Apologies,

Kelly

A Note for Jessie

Thank you for reminding me to bring my keens. Lifesavers. 

Sunday.

We started the day out with a morning news meeting, as we will every morning on this trip. The morning part didn’t bother me, since I haven’t quite adjusted to the time change yet and Dawn (my awesome roommate and the only other photo person on the trip) and I woke up about 6am. Our friends from grad school, Reno and Katie, were very nice to give us both these nifty little coffee mugs with a built in press so we could make our own coffee in the mornings. In my intense excitement over getting to use this new toy, I forgot that drinking coffee before I eat breakfast can be fairly detrimental to my ability to focus. By hour two of the morning meeting, I was actually rocking in my seat from over-caffeination. The problem was not helped by the fact that hotel staff continued to fill a tea cup in front of me, which of course, in my manic state, I continued to drink. The one plus to this experience was that afterward, I learned China has excellent breakfast food, including something that nearly resembles a breakfast taco, but with noodles instead of eggs, contained in an egg roll wrapper that’s deep fried. Someone should talk to Torchy’s about this. For serious.

Saturday.

Day 1. I’ve started trying to learn some basic Chinese phrases, so as not to appear to be so much of a jerky tourist. So far I’m working on hello, thank you, where’s the bathroom, and I’m sorry. I hope to never have to use these last two in conjunction, but if I do, you can bet there will be a post about it. 

The Flight to Beijing or, How I Learned to Stop Packing and Love the Flu

The first thing I learned about the Chinese at the airport is this: they are not messing around when it comes to luggage or swine flu. When I checked in at Heathrow, I was told I had to weigh my carry on bag to make sure it was less than 5 kilos.  I’ve had to weigh a checked bag before, but never a carry-on, so I hadn’t thought much about it when I packed all my camera gear and laptop into my nifty compact roller bag. Turns out, it’s actually 16 kilos.

Oops.

After much negotiating with the attendant and finally her manager, I was able to sweet talk my way onto the plane without checking the bag, an option I felt would surely have lead to my camera gear becoming a very expensive collection of broken glass and microchips. Ten hours, 4 movies, and no sleep later, we landed safely in Beijing, but were told to wait in our seats. I watched the guy in the row next to me take full advantage of the airline sick bag, and then to add to my entertainment, the plane was boarded by half a dozen technicians in white uniforms and surgical masks. They proceeded to point small, gun-shaped thermometers at every passenger’s head, ensuring no one on board was deplaning with a fever. As if this wasn’t wonderful enough, upon exiting the plane we were corralled through an infrared video system, intended to catch any traces of excessive heat in our bodies. Brilliant. When I finally got to baggage claim, I found a sea of luggage carts surrounding the carousel. The drivers were maneuvering the small carts with great agility and speed each time an opening appeared around the bags, and I was nearly taken out by one overzealous traveler who went right for my ankles. Only by spotting a British family with less experience in cart bullying was I able to muscle my way to the front and retrieve my backpack.  Thankfully, I wasn’t quarantined afterward like one of my classmates, although that would have made a fantastic story.

Blogspot: The Bastion of Democracy

Apparently Blogspot poses some kind of significant threat to the stability of the Chinese government, because the website is blocked throughout the entire country. Supposedly we should have a way around the firewall soon, but in the meantime, Emily (my life partner in excruciating detail) will be uploading posts for me. Sorry for the delay, and thanks for reading.