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There's nothing like a bike ride in China to work off a delicious street breakfast and some jetlag.
After 3 hours to Toronto from Dallas-Fort Worth, 3 hours in that Canadian airport, around 13 or 14 hours in the air, a couple more going through immigration, customs, and looking for luggage, and a wee bit more waiting for a shuttle bus to take us the 3 hours to Tianjin where our friend James lives, we made it.
THE FLIGHT
I was as suprised as most of you will be that to get to China from Toronto, we actually did NOT fly over any of the Pacific Ocean. How is that possible? Well, from Toronto the plane headed pretty-much due north, over the Hudson Bay and northern Canada, clipping Greenland, and then--this is what blew my mind, slightly--over the North Pole before sailing over Siberia, Mongolia, and on to northern China. The Arctic Circle was unlike anything my eyes has seen before: hundreds and hundreds of miles of ice, sometimes floating in the chilly Arctic seas, other times as an almost solid sheet. Unfortunately, there were no Santa sightings. I guess it's the off season.
Perhaps it's because I've taken my share of 20+ hour bus rides, but the flight really wasn't that bad. The 5 movies, 2 meals and a snack helped. The jetlag isn't that bad either.
THE HOOK-UP
This trip is getting off to a great start because of our friend James Foster. James studied Spanish with me at UT, taught Spanish in the Austin schools (like me), has been a great friend to both my wife and I, and has been teaching in China for a year. Instead of scrambling for accomodation and food and suffering badly for our non-existant Mandarin, we're getting the hommie hook-up. His apartment is quite nice and roomy, with his two roomates on holiday right now. The beds are extremely 'firm' (read: hard), but I'm told that's a China thing (a phrase I'm sure to repeat).
We woke after a good night's sleep and took the bikes out for a ride, first thing. Bikes, that's another 'China thing'. Seemingly everyone's on one, and they are functionally old-school. I think these must have been ridden on the Long March when Mao and company got tired of walking. Bike lanes are very wide, and cars, driving in typical third-world manner, go to great lengths to avoid hitting you.
First stop: just outside the nearby market for breakfast where all of the food vendors set-up shop and tables. The main course was, well, none of us have any idea what's it's called, but something not unlike a 'gordita' or a stuffed 'arepa', a bread-y disk cut in two and stuffed with some stewed pork, some chile pepper, and cilantro, just divine. The entire 'kitchen' this was all cooked and put together in was attached to--you guessed it--a bicicle. Next-up: long fried bread, a cross between churros and croisants, for dipping in warm, sweetened soy milk. While we ate, we observed all of the other vendors and their products around us in tempered amazement. Breakfast for 3: about 10 yuan, or around $1.25US.
James' school, a few kilometers down the road, was abandoned (it's Saturday) but nice. We'll come back next week to see his class and students, as well as have dinner with his boss who wants to talk me into taking a job here (and I think I could be talked into it).
Tianjin, one of China's largest cities, is around 7 million, maybe more. It seems modern yet industrial, hot in the summer, pleasant enough despite nearly-omnipresent smog. It's not considered a hot tourist destination, but still there's much to explore. When I'm somewhere I've never been to before (and even if I have), the mundane is fascinating. I could spend hours, days, just watching people and the things they do and how they live. There's plenty of that here.
We'll run around some more later today, including going to a beer festival, and I promise to not forget my camera. As soon as I get back, I'll try to download some pictures and post them on the blog.
Please leave comments when you wish and keep checking back to see what's the latest from China.
--Hasta pronto,
Shaun Hopkins
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Micah
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Wow I can't explain the feelings of jealousy I'm experiencing right now. I want pictures so I can complete my audio visual vicarious experience. Be safe, but not too safe like you always are. Teach some kids to sing "eyes of Texas are upon you". Represent!!!!!!!!!!