The Cultural Park with Sarah

---

2 weeks in Beijiing! I never thought I’d get stuck here so long. But I really feel settled in and comfortable at this point. Waking up next to a girl I actually care about really does change things. I woke up around 9am after very little sleep and stepped out to grab some breakfast. Then I made my way to the internet café and spent a couple hours uploading photos and ripping songs from CD’s into what I thought was MP3 format. Actually it was Windows Media Player format so all that time was wasted. After finishing with the Internet I went to the fakes market yet again and complained that my MP4 player wasn’t working. I said I’d be back in 10 minutes and went up to the cafeteria to grab a hearty lunch. When I returned later the guy told me the format was wrong and had wiped off all the songs I had put on. I was pissed and nearly started yelling at the bastard. Instead I demanded my MP4 player back and jogged back to the hostel to wash up. I threw on a new set of clothes and jogged out to meet Sarah in front of the Worker’s Stadium.

We jumped in a cab and went to the Cultural Park. It was an amalgamation of architecture and culture from many of the numerous ethnicities that compose the expansive Chinese territory. At about 4pm it began to rain and we ducked into a tea café to stay dry. While trying some interesting teas, a couple German guys joined us and began chatting with us. At some point the numerous girls dressed in pink costumes working there asked to do some dancing for us. After singing numerous high-pitched songs as well as a flute and a guitar, Sarah and I exited the park and cabbed over to Landao Street. I fell asleep in Sarah’s lap and woke up fresh when we arrived at the building where Kingdom Travel was. We went up to the 11th floor as I bought my ticket off of Elaine, the friendly guide who’d put up with my numerous phone calls.

With my exit tickets from China safely tucked into my bag we walked down the street stopping at a DVD/CD shop and then a Starbucks. We discussed her passion to be a politician, which I thought was a complete mistake for her personality. After she finished her dark chocolate cake we went to the World Trade Center in hopes of finding an Internet Café. But we found nothing so we cabbed back to her place. On the way up she admitted screwing some French guy, William, just 2 weeks prior to meeting me. This pissed me off and she could tell.

Later on we went to the Korean restaurant right in front of her place and had very reasonably priced barbecue. After dinner she admitted to me that she’s had many 1 night stands and had acted as what I would deem a “dirty slut”. I told her this on the street outside and we had a bit of a standoff in which we weren’t sure if we were going to continue our little fling. I was half thinking I’d walk out her door and throw the dice to se if shed actually call me back. Something inside me told me she probably wouldn’t and that she was a bit hollow and cold inside. So I stayed there but spent most of the night separate from her.

---

Photos

Sarah in Cafe
Sarah taking some tea as we wait out the rain

Sarah in Cultural Park