Where did I last leave us? Somewhere on the Great Wall? Well after trekking the strenuous 10 km and landing in the "Lonely Planet Restaurant" (how annoying is that), we drove three hours back to the big city, lost those annoying Yanks - and went to relax but, wait now, I had made a plan with the movie star to go out - for dinner? drinks? wasn't too sure - so put on the "nicest" clothes I had (like 70s football jersey and jeans) and headed off to the World Hotel - our meeting place. Kiyomi stayed in like a lame loser. When I hooked up with Yuan Quan and Xiayu they were lookin pretty good. And we went around to all these cool different places in his slick car. I felt really really weird. We went to a place called the Loft - which was like the Beijing equivilent of one of those posh restos the girls go to in NY on Sex and the City. Actually, one of the bars we went to was called "Sex and the City". It was actually nice though, not too themey either. We bar hopped a bit - although, not drinking - just perriers and ice cream and stuff - to all these little spots in an area called Houhai (pronounced Ho-hi). There is a lakey-river thang in the middle that is dotted with little red chinese lanterns and torches. It was so beautiful at night. There is actually a bar in the middle of the lake that you can take a gondola to. Very nice. Some people recognized them and bugged him for autographs, which was mad weird. They were really embarrased about it - and so modest. It was a pretty bizarre experience in all.
The next day was our last and we were exhausted from the Great Wall. We tried to go to the Summer Palace, but failed miserably at being good site seers. We took a paddle boat out to the middle of the lake, saw a dead turtle, sang Mr. Big's "to be with you" at the top of our lungs and went back. Felt a big too lazy to check out the rest of the sites, so hopped on a bus to go back to the hostel. Not such an easy task. The ride was like an hour on the way there, but this time we had no seats. We got off cause we decided that it was too hellish on the bus, and bought some things. Then we attempted a taxi to Ti'anamen. This proved a little bit difficult, but we managed. Got to T.Square for sunset, which was beautiful and kicked the days ass. The kites were flying, people were having a good time, and then we saw a group of Tibetans just sitting there. Yomers took some flix - it looked a bit like a silent sit in - nothing huge, they were really beautiful. The sky was pretty killer too.
We walked back to the hostel and bought some presents on the way in the alleys. Went for dinner in the alleys with the best lady ever. And hopped on a train to Qingdao. All in all, it was a nice trip - apart from the odd Kiyomi-assholeness, we had a good time.
Friday - we get back, are in the taxi on the way to the apartment and I see all these people looking in one direction. Some guys are running in that direction.... and then I see this fatty Chinese dude - kicking the shit out of, well another Chinese dude (Everyone is Chinese really - and it's not so relevant). But brutally - the kind that makes you feel awful and you heart race. Like mad blood running down his face, and trying to run away while the dude drop kicked him in the back and stuff. It really disturbed me. Of course this stuff goes on - but you just wonder what would make someone do that to someone else. I'm sure the bloddy guy did something awful, but it's so grossly real to see it up close man. Anyway, now - everytime I pass that place I get a weird feeling and think about seeing that.
That night, we went to a party that we didn't know much about. It was brutally ridiculous Chinese stuff at its best man. My roommate Soph is friends with these like GnR/Mr.Big/Meatball fanatic Chinese band dudes and one of them (whose name is Tom because he is a movie director and thinks he looks like Tom Cruise, so we just call him Tom Cruise) works for some sort of shipping container manufacturing company. And this company decided to hold a little "English Party" and had us whiteys bussed in from Qingdao. I'm not joking, it was me, Kiyomi, Colin, Matthieu, Soph, Martyn and Eryn (don't ask why Aussies all have y's where i's should be) - that's SEVEN of us, in a huge bus - that would hold like 40 people - to drive us, way the hell out in the middle of nowhere's industrialville. We walk in and it's a giant echoing hall with banquet style tables set up and a stage with big - hand done - cut out letters proclaiming "The Passion of Life"....and further along "English Party". oH and the excitement that exploded when we walked through those doors, let me tell you. On the stage, was Tom Cruise and his charismatic band - of cute, wailing, mullet sporting, chubby singer friend, and his heroin-skinny, long straight rocker hair having, crop-top and leather jacket sporting guitarist. And then they summoned Kiyomi to the stage to do a little rendition of Take Piece of My Heart and Mr. Big's To be With you. Two words my friends - HOLY FUCK. You've never seen ANYTHING like this. The drunken Chinese office workers were really letting their guards down and saying all kinds of things like "you shoulda facka me! mwahahahahaha" to my really sweet friend Eryn. Or (Charlie): upon finding out that Colin was my fiance (just playing with them guys...) saying "Colin you are a very lucky man" and then whispering into my ear "and you are a very lucky girl!" Big smiles - think Dr. Evil style. We have a bit of video footage of Kiyomi playing, and of OH! THE BOSS PERFORMING. Unreal. He was hilarious. Singing this old school chinese love song (that according to Charlie - "is about two people who want to have sex and so they do - all the time every day and all day too! mwahhahahahaha" This little shrimp of a drunken business man performed the song - with a huge smile on his face doing little like, hand gestures oh man. it was gold. Pure gold.
The bus back was a bit of a blast. We made sure we got use of the free beers they offered us - and brought a couple cases on the bus - the way back - had our other German and Aussie friends that had been there earlier than us. So we were all on the bus, and then Charlie and all the other drunken office workers. We blasted the music dancing in the aisle and drank beer. (one night a week mom). and one office worker - the one who was bothering my sister and Eryn - started pukin' all over himself. NICE! not. The night carried on with this sort of ridiculousness. At one point we were on a pub crawl booze bus that the Redstar (my magazine) organized, at one point I was doing the "salsa" with some dudes from Cameroon and another I was in an insane Chinese disco - while a stripper danced on this dude from the audience and dropped her on the floor while my "homo" sister was a jerk. It was a night of total insanity. But I have finally caught up on all the excitement, and don't feel so guilty. Kiyomi left the next day and it was sad because I don't know when I'll see her again. I love her.
The past week has been a lot of schedule changing and stuff cause the summer is coming for kids. The next three months are gonna be really intense working and stuff. the magazine has given me a lot of assignments for the next two months so I'm really busy with that too. Which reminds me, I really gotta go. So! Thanks for reading, if you do read it, can you drop me a line cause I'm trying to get an idea of how many people are checking this out.
Zai Zhen.
Ceexoxo
Oh yeah - I"ll post some pics and stuff this week.
The next day was our last and we were exhausted from the Great Wall. We tried to go to the Summer Palace, but failed miserably at being good site seers. We took a paddle boat out to the middle of the lake, saw a dead turtle, sang Mr. Big's "to be with you" at the top of our lungs and went back. Felt a big too lazy to check out the rest of the sites, so hopped on a bus to go back to the hostel. Not such an easy task. The ride was like an hour on the way there, but this time we had no seats. We got off cause we decided that it was too hellish on the bus, and bought some things. Then we attempted a taxi to Ti'anamen. This proved a little bit difficult, but we managed. Got to T.Square for sunset, which was beautiful and kicked the days ass. The kites were flying, people were having a good time, and then we saw a group of Tibetans just sitting there. Yomers took some flix - it looked a bit like a silent sit in - nothing huge, they were really beautiful. The sky was pretty killer too.
We walked back to the hostel and bought some presents on the way in the alleys. Went for dinner in the alleys with the best lady ever. And hopped on a train to Qingdao. All in all, it was a nice trip - apart from the odd Kiyomi-assholeness, we had a good time.
Friday - we get back, are in the taxi on the way to the apartment and I see all these people looking in one direction. Some guys are running in that direction.... and then I see this fatty Chinese dude - kicking the shit out of, well another Chinese dude (Everyone is Chinese really - and it's not so relevant). But brutally - the kind that makes you feel awful and you heart race. Like mad blood running down his face, and trying to run away while the dude drop kicked him in the back and stuff. It really disturbed me. Of course this stuff goes on - but you just wonder what would make someone do that to someone else. I'm sure the bloddy guy did something awful, but it's so grossly real to see it up close man. Anyway, now - everytime I pass that place I get a weird feeling and think about seeing that.
That night, we went to a party that we didn't know much about. It was brutally ridiculous Chinese stuff at its best man. My roommate Soph is friends with these like GnR/Mr.Big/Meatball fanatic Chinese band dudes and one of them (whose name is Tom because he is a movie director and thinks he looks like Tom Cruise, so we just call him Tom Cruise) works for some sort of shipping container manufacturing company. And this company decided to hold a little "English Party" and had us whiteys bussed in from Qingdao. I'm not joking, it was me, Kiyomi, Colin, Matthieu, Soph, Martyn and Eryn (don't ask why Aussies all have y's where i's should be) - that's SEVEN of us, in a huge bus - that would hold like 40 people - to drive us, way the hell out in the middle of nowhere's industrialville. We walk in and it's a giant echoing hall with banquet style tables set up and a stage with big - hand done - cut out letters proclaiming "The Passion of Life"....and further along "English Party". oH and the excitement that exploded when we walked through those doors, let me tell you. On the stage, was Tom Cruise and his charismatic band - of cute, wailing, mullet sporting, chubby singer friend, and his heroin-skinny, long straight rocker hair having, crop-top and leather jacket sporting guitarist. And then they summoned Kiyomi to the stage to do a little rendition of Take Piece of My Heart and Mr. Big's To be With you. Two words my friends - HOLY FUCK. You've never seen ANYTHING like this. The drunken Chinese office workers were really letting their guards down and saying all kinds of things like "you shoulda facka me! mwahahahahaha" to my really sweet friend Eryn. Or (Charlie): upon finding out that Colin was my fiance (just playing with them guys...) saying "Colin you are a very lucky man" and then whispering into my ear "and you are a very lucky girl!" Big smiles - think Dr. Evil style. We have a bit of video footage of Kiyomi playing, and of OH! THE BOSS PERFORMING. Unreal. He was hilarious. Singing this old school chinese love song (that according to Charlie - "is about two people who want to have sex and so they do - all the time every day and all day too! mwahhahahahaha" This little shrimp of a drunken business man performed the song - with a huge smile on his face doing little like, hand gestures oh man. it was gold. Pure gold.
The bus back was a bit of a blast. We made sure we got use of the free beers they offered us - and brought a couple cases on the bus - the way back - had our other German and Aussie friends that had been there earlier than us. So we were all on the bus, and then Charlie and all the other drunken office workers. We blasted the music dancing in the aisle and drank beer. (one night a week mom). and one office worker - the one who was bothering my sister and Eryn - started pukin' all over himself. NICE! not. The night carried on with this sort of ridiculousness. At one point we were on a pub crawl booze bus that the Redstar (my magazine) organized, at one point I was doing the "salsa" with some dudes from Cameroon and another I was in an insane Chinese disco - while a stripper danced on this dude from the audience and dropped her on the floor while my "homo" sister was a jerk. It was a night of total insanity. But I have finally caught up on all the excitement, and don't feel so guilty. Kiyomi left the next day and it was sad because I don't know when I'll see her again. I love her.
The past week has been a lot of schedule changing and stuff cause the summer is coming for kids. The next three months are gonna be really intense working and stuff. the magazine has given me a lot of assignments for the next two months so I'm really busy with that too. Which reminds me, I really gotta go. So! Thanks for reading, if you do read it, can you drop me a line cause I'm trying to get an idea of how many people are checking this out.
Zai Zhen.
Ceexoxo
Oh yeah - I"ll post some pics and stuff this week.
