From Last weekend's trip to Long Je Le

Last weekend, my site mate Paul's sophomore oral English class invited me to come with them and Paul to this entertainment place called Long Je Le. It's a place where you can play majiang, play cards, do KTV, go fishing, and eat meals. It is really close to the university, so we took a small bus there but then walked back. I learned to play majian, which is a very famous and popular game in Sichuan, especially Chengdu. People spend so much time playing the game and bet lots of money while playing. It is very fast paced, so I could never compete with real players--I'd be left in the dust! But I played my first games at Long Je Le and actually won a couple of games (beginner's luck combined with the help of about three Chinese students all advising me simultaneously). So we headed out at about 9:30 a.m. to Long Je Le and then returned at about 6:45 p.m. We ate lunch and dinner there, both meals very delicious. I wish I knew the names of some of the dishes we ate. One of my favorite dishes was kind of a slightly bitter fresh vegetable that had the nickname "Pig's Tail." Also, I tried what I think was like tofu cheese (?); it was definitely aged, reminding me of perhaps the blue cheese of China or something. Anyway, the students took a load of pictures, and despite the fact that I'm way overdressed (three shirts, my jacket, my thickest long johns and jeans, and polar fleece socks), the pictures aren't that bad...hehe. From the pictures, you can definitely see how cute and endearing the Chinese students are. They love to pose for pictures! So, enjoy... more later :)

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