Escalator Effect

   
Today was our first chance to get to the park early in the morning and try our hand at Tai Chi or whatever else we could find there.


When we crossed the threshold to the park it was as if we we went thru a wormhole and came out in an oasis where old people are young, baby butts abound and all dogs frolic!
     What a difference from the fast paced, bedraggled and polluted feeling on the street. The 'young' people don't hang out in the park. This is where the 'old' people come. Go old people! You ROCK!
     The grandparents are very involved in the upbringing of the grandchildren so we see a lot of them walking through the park together. The children here do not wear diapers. Instead they wear 'split pants'. It is kind of like seeing babies run around in ass-less chaps until you get used to it! Little baby butts everywhere. I have tried to get a picture to show you but I am afraid the parents or grandparents will think I am some crazy person and have me arrested.
      The dogs at the park were just so happy. Dogs do not have to be on a leash anywhere in Beijing. They were bouncing around and were very well behaved. You rarely hear one bark. Everyone is happy here at the park.

The first group we came across was doing Tai Chi. There were 6 people. They let us join in. We fumbled our way through that until they started using props! They used red fans in one form. It was fun to watch. The fans make a great popping sound when they open or close them. Then...they graduated to swords...SO...we went to find a different group.

Next, there were a lot of people all forming 2 circles around a big concrete circle in the center of the park. We thought they would be doing Tai Chi so we found a spot and joined in. Instead it turned out to be morning exercises, Chinese style.  These people love to slap themselves all over. It feels a little nutty, but since everyone's doing it you look really out of place if you are not participating. So we slapped our arms, shins, thighs, back, hands, knees...I unfortunately lost consciousness during the head slapping so I am not sure what came next. (Just kidding, no head slapping).

Then I noticed the first group we had done Tai Chi with was now playing hacky sack!!!! YAY! I love hacky sack! These 'old' people were better than teenagers. They are all retired and they go to the park every day to exercise and play games. It is amazing. They invited me to play and I had a blast. I love things that cross language and age gaps.

After the park we went back to the apartment. Chelsie had a big day of dumpling making planned. Some of her coworkers came by to show us how to make traditional dumplings. We had so much fun! It would take me page after page to explain what all we did. I will bring the recipe home with me and make some for my friends and family. Luckily the recipe they showed us was for 10 people! We had leftover dumplings and we were all full. So they showed us a game. It is basically like a drinking game except if you mess up you have to eat a dumpling! That is how you finish off all the leftovers. We were overstuffed.

Teresa and I went up the block to the local mall. We were just looking around to see what there was to see. The grocery store and food court are on the bottom floor. We took the escalator down. The escalator is just like a conveyor belt. No stairs. Cool. The escalator is also magnetized so carts can go up and down without rolling. Genius. We finish downstairs and go back up to the top floor. Shops and kiosks just like you would expect. Except we can't read or understand Chinese. We were ready to go and were heading out and Teresa stopped and was staring at the escalator. She says, 'What's this?' (as I wonder if I really need to respond) I say, 'an escalator?' To which she responds, 'Ya...but it is going UP.' We thought we were already on the top floor. Cool. Up we go! So we spend some time checking out all the shops. Teresa would like a T-shirt so we kept looking for some unique ones. Didn't find any, so back down we go. Until Teresa says...'Is that another escalator?' I look where she is looking and in a corner is an escalator...going...UP. Hmmm.....up it is! Let's go! Again...we shop all the shops. We really were ready to go. So...we head to the escalator. Until yet again Teresa says...'No way'....again...I look....escalator! UP! We trudge onto the escalator. Walk walk walk..look look look OK..let's go........Teresa, 'Is that?.....Me, 'Oh no'....up we go.....So, no more shopping! Now we are on an escalator hunt! How many more could there be? Where are they hidden. We find them around hidden corners and some are in the open. So we work our way to what we feel is the top floor. Shwew! Done! NOW we can leave. No...Wait...what is this advertisement for a gym? On a higher floor? We are already on the top floor! No more escalators. Wait...is that an elevator? UP? Ok. Let's go. Open it and it is the creepiest elevator and Teresa won't let me go in it. Thwarted! How are we going to get to the top?! We look for more hidden escalators or non creepy elevators to no avail. Awww. Defeated and broken we go down all the escalators to the first floor. We are one exit from reaching the outside when we are stopped by a guy trying to sell us a gym membership! He probably still doesn't know why he didn't have to convince us. Instead we are saying, 'can you take us there please?' All the way back through the mall to....ELEVATORS all the way to the top!............maybe......


When we finally got back to the apartment we told Chelsie and her roommate Teresa about the gym...so...back we go. The girls joined the gym. Yay! Then home again.

We found out that a foot massage business is right below our apartment. So that is where I went. Ahhhhhh.
    

Woah!

I believe anything I say may be a poor description of my first day in Beijing. I could write a short story based on one single day.
     Get off the plane.
     Walk a half mile through airport. (No one says a word during the walk.)
     Get to the visa check point.
     Didn't get arrested.
     Went thru customs...didn't get arrested.
   
     Now we emerge into the passenger pickup area where Chelsea and Theresa are meeting us. We find them holding a sign:

     Don't look at my hair.
     SO...outside we go. 
Now...let me tell you... They say smell will bring forth the strongest emotions and memories we have. That being the case...I will never forget China.
If only I could transport your nose to our location. The smells are plentiful......and......unpleasant. Sewage smell is everywhere.     The first thing I see are hundreds of Chinese people crowding to get taxis. Chinese men smoking in large groups right around the exits. The air is thick. We try for a good while to get a taxi. They don't want to take us! I don't know if it is because we are so close to the airport (they get paid by distance instead of time) or because we are foreigners or they may not know where we were talking about.  Our driver drove like a madman (I liked it). When we got to the apartment he tried to charge us 100 yuan for the ride when it was only 63 yuan. Chelsea argued with him and we only paid the 63. He tried to tell her we had to pay his trip back to the airport. Right. Stupid (tai chunle).
     Sleep came easy and then our first day started.
     We had to exchange our money. The banks are run like the DMV. You get a number and sit. That took about an hour. It was a strange feeling in there.
     Then we were off to Wudaoying Hutong. Hutongs are hard to explain. They are like retail alleyways. The only thing to way to explain is thru pictures and video. Go to this link to get a better idea: Definition of Hutong

 Entrance to Argo Greek Restaurant

     We went to a wonderful Greek restaurant on the Hutong.

The ZIGZAG salon

Then we had a massage. That was so nice! We will try to go every day. It was only 118 yuan. (about 20 bucks). We laughed trying to figure out how to put on the pajama like pants they gave us to wear.   

We went to eat again. We went to the Lido area. It is a foreign area so it has more things familiar to us. It was more modern and clean than the other areas. We ate at Ganges. It is an Indian restaurant. It was good.
We ended our day at the grocery store. That was pretty cool too. I will get pictures for you.




    

OH NO! Wait! They are boarding the plane!

I just logged on! Off to Detroit...for a 6 hour layover. Holy Moly! I will have to check in later!