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.