Tianjin 10/01

We were tired on the flight. Evelyn decided to take some pictures of me while I was sleeping.

nice. air asia flights are freezing

After landing, we took a bus to Tianjin train station. After buying tickets for an express train to Beijing that night, we took a taxi over to their Ancient Cultural Street. The traffic is crazy with nobody waiting for anybody else and bicyclists moving right along with the cars.

It was very crowded

We picked the optimal time to visit China, during their Golden Week. October 1st is their National Day when the PRC was formed in 1949 after Mao Zedong kicked out Chiang Kai-shek, who had to flee to Taiwan, along with all the national treasures. Anyways, so China is even more packed than normal during this time since many people don't have to work. So in case you haven't figured it out by now, my original statement of this being the optimal time to visit China was sarcasm.

dumplings, noodles, and beef. it tasted like crap compared to food in Taiwan.

The whole time we were in China, I kept wishing for Taiwan.

some famous building

excellent product placement

Yes that's mud on my feet, almost slipped walking over there, all the chinese were laughing at me

nice riverview. Tianjin's Italian Concession on the right.

I don't know who's scarier

We walked around this area a little while and found the crappiest Italian food I've ever had. While enjoying our meal, we were interrupted by a woman we'd seen doing some onsite news reporting. She was recruiting foriegners to wish the PRC happy 61st birthday. I asked her what I should say, and she said "speak from your heart." So all I said was happy birthday. They asked Evelyn to say happy birthday to her mother country. She just said happy birthday and said the wrong year the first time. She said we would be on the news the next night, but I wouldn't be surprised if we were edited out.

gross gnocchi



terrible tiramisu

After dinner, we took a little motorcycle taxi to the train station

cool clock

nice fresco in the train station

not an airport, a train station, with palm trees inside

The express train is fast

we took a taxi to our inn. The driver and Evelyn chatted the whole time while I looked at all the massive buildings. As soon as the taxi driver's find out Evelyn is from Taiwan, they tell her that people don't know shit so it doesn't matter if they can vote. Very patriotic to their communist country; I suppose they have to be unless they want to land in jail.

our inn in Beijing

welcome to china