N. China - Day 12 - Departure

"I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end." - Margaret Thatcher

***

N. China
Day 12 - 10th November - Departure


"Law, order... the environment and sanitation, municipal affairs, public affairs, city water conservation, plant decor, upkeep of the grounds, city rivers and lakes... parking"
Chairman of the Neighborhood Watch - it'd be easier to list the things he was NOT in charge of

I saw two soldiers walking in step on the pavement. I thought they were off duty, but I guess they were in uniform so they still had to do so either way.

There was a KFC ad which kept playing on the subway, featuring office workers and kids going ecstatic at the line "开饭了!" ("Break out the rice!"). The date November 15th was then flashed. Seems they took a leaf from Indonesia's book.


Slovakia's ripped Olympic aspirations

At McDonald's I ordered a Sausage McMuffin with Egg, as it was my last chance to have proper pork sausage. I asked to change the drink to orange juice, and was told it was "凉" (cool). I asked if there was hot orange juice. I don't know who drinks hot orange juice. Or maybe cold drinks for breakfast is inimical to Chinese culture (ergo why I couldn't get cold soya bean milk at KFC).

The McDonalds paper bag boasted that most of their outlets were 24 hour ones.


"Welcome Again" (on the exit doors)

The PA system on the train said we should "尊老爱幼" ("Respect the Elderly and Love the Young"). Apparently this is a Chinese national value.


The railway's "Four Capabilities"

At the airport I saw a Burger King and Kenny Rogers. I hadn't seen them anywhere else.


"Train Disinfected Regularly"
I am somewhat comforted, given an airport staff member (with an ID and lanyard) also spat on the airport floor.

One girl at the airport didn't look too bad. I thought this was proof for one of my many theories, and that she was flying somewhere to work - then I saw her passport was Japanese.

They sold insurance at the airport. This was not comforting.


"Advance the Chinese Service Develop a international Hub"


"Tianjin Chestnut
Sand cookies with chocolate"

I waited until after I'd checked in to buy little snacks back to Singapore, but inside the International Departures area they sold mostly International foodstuff like Merci chocolates. I guess no one wanted Chinese produce.

The prices in duty free were also 1.5-2 times of that outside the International Departures area, because those travelling internationally would be able to afford it. Grr. Liquour at least was cheaper than in Singapore, but I was advised that the Bailey's sampler pack would not be able to pass through Hong Kong airport security. Gah.

Eventually I found some BJ snacks, but it took a lot of effort. They were 1¥ cheaper than in the main area though (27¥ vs 28¥).


"Opening Hours 0:00-24:00"


Hong Kong airport: "Beware of Electric Carts"
This sign made me realise that in China there is generally no penalty stated for offences - maybe because the courts are empowered to throw anything up to and including the death penalty at you.


"We are committed to serve you at best!"
And at worst?

In a shop at Hong Kong airport: "Black Ice Fashion Readers are the latest fashion accessory that will improve your vision and enhance your appearance". This was the text of the eye test for said product (off the shelf prescription glasses; they didn't let me take a photo).


I was feeling peckish as I'd had breakfast but no lunch, so I had a Taiwanese Pork Chop bun with grilled onions inside. It had a bit more character than the Macanese version, and was less one-dimensional.

One flight steward was called "Athens". Maybe "Sparta" was too manly a name.

N. China - Day 11, Part 3 - Beijing: Old Summer Palace

"'Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt." - Abraham Lincoln (attributed)

***

N. China
Day 11 - 9th November - Beijing: Old Summer Palace (Part 3)


"1900
26th year of Guangxu's reign
Since England, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, America, Italy and Austria-Hungary's joint Eight Nation Alliance's troops washed Beijing in blood, they washed [away?] Yuanmingyuan"


"Please Accept Security Check"
Can I refuse?


I like the "No Begging" sign


"Unfortunately, this famous garden was burnt to the ground in October 1860 by the Anglo-French allied forces, leaving a heartbreaking chapter in the history of China"
Old Summer Palace information panel
I was surprised at how neutral the description was, as it was atypically un-Chinese. Even the Mandarin version reads similarly.

Unfortunately we arrived 45 minutes too late - they'd stopped selling through tickets (as with the Summer Palace, entrance to the best parts was not included in the main ticket - as a way to further extract money from visitors) at 3:30.


Jianbiting's Lake


Jianbiting's Lake
The piped music that you can hear in the background was very annoying. Especially when the singing started.


Canqiao (Ruined Bridge)


Same lake




Lake near the tree peony area


Hanjingtang (Hanjing Hall)




They make a distinction between Chinese food and Fast food.


Weird path


Beiyoudongtian

It'd long since gotten too dark to do any meaningful sightseeing, so we tried to extract ourselves from the park, which wasn't that easy.

I was then brought to have a look at Beida (Peking University). Apparently all the artefacts from the Old Summer Palace were there (around the lake) and Tsinghua anyway, but it was too late to view them.

There was a vendor selling some steamed cake outside Beida.


Raisin cake
I was told that this was one of the better Chinese cakes, but it wasn't nice. And the guy conned me (what do you expect, this was China). I asked for a little and he cut me a huge 20¥ slice. I should've cut my own portion.

The Subway at Beida was a few yuan cheaper than at Mutianyu (the Great Wall), but this was the school price. So actually there'd be no markup there.


Shen1 Jian1 Bao (my IME gives me "神剑包" or "Divine Sword Bun", which is definitely wrong), 2 custard and 1 vegetable bao
Also, 豆奶 (soya milk), which was blended with what was probably almond (there was an off-almond flavour and some other stuff). This was the nicest soya milk product I'd had in China.

The siumai here was only 0.40¥ - but this was because inside was rice, not meat. Grr.


小龙汤包
Like xiaolongbao except the meat is seasoned


The illustrated menu looks really appetising, but there's a disclaimer in Mandarin: "Pictures are for reference. The real food is the actual thing to look at"


Pork meat 回香 dumplings, bamboo shoots, corn soup (totally tasteless)
The dumpling was all chives. It was alright, but Cantonese dumplings were still better


漫漫求学路 温馨饺子屋
饺子是吉祥的美食
中国人过大年要吃饺子
("The long road of learning; warm dumpling house
Dumplings are a lucky beautiful food
Chinese people must eat dumplings during Chinese New Year")
They also won some award


I was surprised to see such a shop on campus


"Feed in raw material for free" (it should read "additional ingredients are free")


麻辣烫
This is like Malaysian Lok Lok except everything is already in the water


Armed Forces recruitment ad

The local students need to go to a room outside of their hostels to get drinking (i.e. boiling) water:



We then went to Orange Julius. A 16 oz cup cost 30¥, and I think the smoothie was more expensive than Singapore, but it was good having something authentically good (rather than a Chinese-tasting knockoff)

The counter girl could understand our English but talked to us in Mandarin.

I learned a new term: "暴菊"


"Police: There is no toilet outside"


This is why everyone bought subway tickets at the counter though there were so many machinese - they either rejected notes or were otherwise out of service


I was amused by these escalator signs


"Dishes with Chinese characteristics"
I blame Deng Xiaoping


There should be a large market in China for teaching women how to pee standing up. There's a business opportunity here!