Adventures in China Part 1.

Off to China we went.

On the Plane, from 2 lunch choices, I chose the beef noodle: This was a "good choice" I was told by the stewardess.  It was surpisingly good, but dinosaurs need not apply as the size of lunch was suitable for a toddler.  On the plate, was some noodles, beef a lonely bread and some grapes on the right.  I ate 2 of my grapes and saved the other 3 for later. 

Airplanes have advanced since I was a child, with a TV display behind every seat headrest.  And, in case the seat headrest directly in front of you is too far for you to get up and reach, the buttons are on a remote control device saving you the trouble of lifting your arms!  On the movie display, they even gave a mandatory tai-chi lesson. wow.

Watching movies back to back, A thirteen hour flight didn't seem so bad, until the nausea inducing turbulence kicked in: at that point water boarding would have been more fun. 

I was quite grateful when the airplane landed.  I waited in the processing line, proudly thinking about my brand new visa which had just been renewed a few weeks earlier, with an expiration date so far in the future: I wouldn't have any trouble getting through.

Vivian's parents kindly carried our luggage all the way back to the car and drove us back to their apartment, as the traffic's casual honking of horns faded into the background.  As we pulled up to the drive way of the apartment complex, another car blocked our path.  The driver of our car, Vivian's Mom, adeptly demonstrated the means to deal with this situation.  The window rolled down, loud words were spoken, with arms gesticulating in tandem, each sentence punctuated by a honking horn.  This proved quite effective, as the large blocking car started zig-zagging back and forth furiously for minutes on end, like a worm trapped in a sandpit.  Eventually, a guard came over and motioned the other car in another direction, allowing us to get past.

We arrived at their apartment, not unlike apartments in the US.  Walls, windows and doors are present, with most furniture resembling their US counterparts.  On the other hand, the beds look like beds, but feel like tables, an extremely firm mattress.  Don't let The switches confuse you, they go from left to right, not up and down.

After a delicious dinner, we were extremely tired.  With the jet lag, it was hard to sleep.  If only I could 'sleep' instantly with the click of a button - like my laptop.

The next morning we visited the local downtown area for breakfast.  If you thought my apartment was small, the restaraunts around here have me beat.  The main dinning area was the size of my kitchen, featuring 4 small benches the width of my hand, 2 tables, and their kitchen was smaller then my closet, featuring no less than 9 crowded Umpa lumpas busyly making Shou-lumpas.  But that's not the only thing sized differently.  Counter-tops were 2 inches lower, clothing sizes actually fitted me, and Vivian's parent's phone was large enough to be a tablet.  The chinese associate large spaces with luxury, and hence Audi actually makes an elongated audi A7, just for China.

The busy sidestreets shared their space with walkers and motorcycles who used morse code as communication with their horns, repeatedly beeping "Get out of the way, I'm coming through!".  Walking through the crowded corridors featured the occassional bump from a passerby, a little like bumper cars.  Countless little stores sold everything from giant cactus blimp like fruits from tai-wan, to shreaded pork burgers, candied carpet, white strings molded into pastries, chicken on a stick, punching chicken sticks, and various items liable to end up at a yard sale also known as yard sale equipment.