Rhinos and panties

I did not notice the rhino picture until Friday morning.  It is above my bed.  Something even I wouldn't have considered.
Friday night the driver had an errand and did not eat dinner with Lucas & me.  After dinner we waited for him on Busy Street and I noticed this street vendor selling 'unmentionables' in front of the department store.  Before we left, Lucas & I went over and he purchased some socks.  The lady yelled at me-maybe for not buying anything.  Their general conversational tone sounds aggressive.

Sunday

Today, I went to Busy Street for lunch.  I ate lunch one day last week at the Zhong Department store where they have 2 different sit down areas and food bars.  It was crowded and there was nowhere to sit so I started to leave.  They have a large indoor play pen thing for toddlers and a lady over there waved like we knew each other.  I waved back, hoping she wasn't waving to someone beyond me.  She came over with her young daughter and mimicked taking a picture.  then led the daughter off, around a corner.  Another lady came by and put her daughter (with hat and no smile) beside me and was goint to take our picture together, so I picked her up and she took one with her and then with my camera. The first parent showed up (drying the youngster's face from a fresh scrubbing) and we did the same scenerio.  I was concerned we were going to create a riot because of all the other parents/children, but I was able to leave without an incident.

I ate lunch at KFC I I made a mistake by failing to ask that my drink contain no ice.  I can only hope that does not come back to be a problem!

Around town

 Here ate some pictures from this weekend.  The lady is cooking bisquits and the man on the right side pic is roasting peanuts on the sidewalk.  They were on opposite ends of the 'Bamboo Mall' I found on the street parallel to the canal and intersects w/ Busy & Music streets further west.  The mall had very small stores along each wall and a long of stuff down the middle.   Very crowded.  A young university student from Beijing, Chu, rode his bike up and started asking me directions on getting somewhere!  I continue to find the Chinese sense of humor much to my liking.   Chu is in town visiting his aunt during the time University is out for Spring Festival.  He is studying International Business.  That would be about the top choice to make right now, I think.  He and I met another Chinese man who came out of a store and shouted Hello to us.  He is an English teacher at a local school and kept us with his talking about 30 minutes.  Later, he found me again after I had parted from Chu.   (I believe people here do a lot of stalking)  He wanted a way to contact me and wants me to come and speak at his class.  I told him I was very busy, but if he called later I would see what I could arrange.  When I returned to the hotel I was on the computer for a while and then was reading when I heard  pecking on a door.  I heard it 2-3 times and decided it may be my door.  I started across the room and as I opened it, I startled a clerk whole was about to open it.  She was delivering the breakfast coupon, which I never use.  They have a problem staying out of my room, though nothing has come up missing, they are very interested.  The ladies have walked into the room 2X when I was getting ready to go to work.  Another time I let a cleaning lady in while I was finishing a note to Lela  & she stood beside me with her hands on her knees watching me   finish the note.
The picture on the left, below the bisquits, is the selection of face masks available for Lela when she arrives.

Tyson-Xinchang Accounting Department

Frank and his accounting department

Pics from China

In China, everyday is Monday

I am paying about $32 USD per night at the Changyi Hotel, breakfast included.  Unfortunately, breakfast is stems, sticks & seaweed.

Tonight I had to call Lucas to ask him to let the front desk know I would like toilet paper every day. I do not think it costs extra.  But maybe it does, because another point is figuring out a Chinese hotel bill.  That is a challenge, but if they mis-add and add 10 Yuans to the bill it is only ~$1.50.  The term 'Chinese math' has taken on new meaning.

I may be the only person in China that eats candy regularly.  Lucas does not like it and apparently few others do either.  I am out of cinnamon Hot Tamales, but I found a lady selling the variety candy like you buy in grocery stores by the pound.  She was selling it in the Alley of Horrors between plants 2 & 3, where several cart merchants set up their 'stores'.  She must make a good profit because she has an AC/DC electronic scale to weigh it on.  It was slightly flavored peach & other fruits (maybe scented as opposed to flavored) and had a lot of cornstarch to keep it from sticking to the wrapping.  Another kind tasted like WD-40 smells.  Still searching for better stuff, but for future reference, the best candy won't be bought in a Chinese alley.

The Accounting department have given themselves American names and invited me to over so they could practice their English today.  Sandy, Linda, Frank, Vic and the other name is off the beaten track.  I'll have to come back to it, as I forgot.  When Lucas isn't with me, he is teaching them English. There is someone coming from corporate to teach them some programs and they want to be able to impress her when she arrives.  Her title is apparently 'Director of something', so they are determined she is very important!  They chose the names from a list of English names Lucas thought they could easily pronounce.. The language differences make a lot of English sounds hard, like the sounds in there language are harder than (pun alert) Chinese arithmetic for me. 

I have tried, since arriving, to pronouce 'fork', but Lucas has all but given up on me speaking the word correctly.  Last night, a server responded by bring one to me when I asked and he said it was just a lucky guess on her part.  I think he was right.

Sunday afternoon friends

There are not many pets around.  But some of the shops have them.  It is supposedly illegal to eat dogs in China, but who knows.  I have given names to streets and such bbvecause they are not named here.  Yesterday I showed pictures of Busy Street and today I have some of Music Square.  Music Square because there is loud rock music coming from several stores in the area.  The canal, which is visible in several pics, crosses this area & the music is on both sides of the canal.  Because I haven't ventured too far off the beaten path, several of the shopkeepers and venders, as well as school aged teenagers are recognizing me and acknowledging me as I walk the streets.  The children are all dressed in bright colors and it isn't like the U.S., here people are not concerned when men talk to their little ones.  Even me!  Adults who stop me will frequently stop school aged youngsters as they pass, to speak English with me.  Kids will ride by and holler 'Hello'.

Saturday sights on Busy Street in Changyi, China

Everyday life in the Far East

Pics of things the Communists have & we don't