Orphan Ride Day 2

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Today I woke up around 5, surely thanks to going to bed as early as I did last night. Its like despite how much worked I put in the night before, I'm never really tired the next day. I was a little sore, but not enough to really feel bad.

The orphanage provided breakfast, first time I've had cereal in months. Raisin Bran, I love raisin bran! Then Gordon and I headed out. My butt was as sore as I could imagine, but the bikes felt good to ride. There is a certain speed that bike riding provides. Not so fast that you feel all that detatched from your surroundings, but not so slow that you feel like you can't get it all in. We took a dirt road over towards Langfang just next to the orphanage. It led us through a maze of back alley farmland. It was like a forest had just been felled, and what currently stood was a tree farm. I can't imagine what the plan for this farm was, as gowing trees must take a long time. But here it was. The weather was sharp and overcast. Like when the heat feels more like an oven than from the sun. Like it is just eminating from all around you, when the shade doesn't help. But in this small neatly sqaured farmland, it was cool, and I love it.

After too short of a ride through this beauty, with Gordon the Engineer getting restless for buildings, we headed towards some kind of civilization. First we passed a building that seemed like a factory just set down on the side of a field. Huge and out of place. It was just as the developers would have wanted. Ample space for future plans. As we got onto the road that fueled the factory, it to was a developer's dreamm easily wide enough to be a four lane highway with ample room for shoulders. But still, we were in China, a developing country. A little ways down the road dogs came out to greet us, man angry dogs, and once again I as happy to be on a bicycle.

Arriving in Langfang proper was another experience. This was a town designed for Chinese. Far from any attractions, the first park we found was as dreary as could be asked for. It was painful in its sadness. It was little more than a dusty field. The trees were pathetic in their attempt to grow. There was a pond with filthy water, and the patrons were sad and old. Going through the motions of what should be happy. I clamored up onto a wall to take a picture of the ironic misery and for a brief moment the people looked as if to be excited. But it was fleeting, and the picture shows nothing more than drudgery.

A little ways down the road from this was a beautiful new park with brightly colored excercise equipment, people flying kites, a huge pond and a mountain complete with temple. How these two places were allowed to exist in such proximity was mind boggling. But it was in this park that we spent some time. It was filled with people, happy people. It even featured a special toy for the kids. For ten blissful minutes you coudl put your child in an inflatable ball and let them run like hamsters in the water. They would fall and jumpmocking the water in how close they were, yet how they danced above it.

For lunch we found a small restaurant called "Saef Safe Small Eat." As we walked in, the place went silent and everyone stopped and stared. We were like a villian in an old Western who walks into the local saloon and casts fear upon the locals. Except there was no fear here. Shock, almost. This town was close enough to Beijing and Tianjin that everyone had seen a foreigner before, but not in their home town. The customers called for the waitress, who, busy in the kitchen, didn't respond. It wasn't until we called ourselves that the excitement started to titilate in the air. The customers laughed, we spoke Chinese! The boss came out and was so shocked she could barely utter a word. When her husband came out with our food a few minutes later, he only grinned from ear to ear, stopped long enough to let the sight sink in, and then retreated back to his kitchen duties. He too was rendered speechless. Next time he came out we broked the spell. We talked about movies and how good his food was. In that moment I had never eaten better. This pure curiosity. This wonder that comes solely from my being me. Me and a smile seem to make things so easy. If only everything were so simple. Maybe it is.

Once back in the orphanage compound we took care of our donation, and made our preparations for departure. The wonderufl woman who handled public relationtions for the orphanage was a dream to work with. Never once did she bring up a "cost" for the lodging. We talked about what we needed from her in terms of receipts, and otherwise exchanged delightful pleasantries and compliments. Besides that, what we had seen of her orphanage was really wonderful, and we were geuninely delighted to be there. Tomorrow is a big day for me, it might rain, and it might be windy. But God willing, I'll do a little better than yesterday.

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