Polaroid Photo

Pictures from Kathy & Paul's Adventures Abroad

Archive for November, 2009

Mon
30
Nov '09

A November Weekend

Friday night we went out to dinner with friends at a local hutong.
Back row- Doris, Alexander, Anthony
Front row- Paul, Dave, Justin, Kathy
We arrive.

The Reception Area

The Menu

Air is injected under the skin so it turns crispy.
The Cooks

The Meal

Carving the duck is an art.

The cook started carving duck at fifteen and he is now twenty-eight. There are [...]

Sat
28
Nov '09

Where the People Live

In Beijing buying a home would be the equivalent of buying a condominium in North America, and the majority of people live in high-rise apartment buildings. There are single family homes in the hutongs and in the countryside,but the hutongs in Beijing are rapidly disappearing. Unlike North America Beijing’s growth is mostly upwards. Instead [...]

Wed
25
Nov '09

The Pearl Market

Located in the south east of Beijing near subway station Tiantandongmen, the Pearl Market is similar to the Silk Market. Next door to it is Toy City which our grandkids will be glad we found. Here is where Kathy started to show some real haggling skills. She began slowly but it was like a dam [...]

Mon
23
Nov '09

The Lama Temple (by Paul)

Yonghegong subway station is not only a transfer station between line 2 and 5,it was built beneath the three hundred year old foundations of the Lama Temple. As you emerge from the subway the temple buildings are there above you. A short walk of fifteen or twenty minutes takes you past many small shops selling [...]

Wed
18
Nov '09

Haggling – An Art Form

Saturday we went looking for a camera with Mike and Chenxia at a place Chenxia called Computer City. We started looking on the fourteenth floor of the eighteen floors of consumer electronics.We bought our camera on the third floor.Chenxia’s haggling skills are a beauty to behold but somewhat confusing. In the heat of negotiations you [...]

Thu
12
Nov '09

Kids are Kids (byPaul)

We woke this morning to a three to four inch overnight snowfall. It was the first heavy snowfall of the year. Later in the day Kathy was told by a Chinese teacher it was the heaviest snow she has seen in her eight years in Beijing.
At about 7:40 a.m.  I heard noise coming from outside. [...]

Tue
10
Nov '09

Pay Day (by Paul)

As Kathy’s second scheduled payday rolled around we were more in tune with how things work in China. Things happen when they happen. This is why nobody in administration felt it necessary to tell us that payday was six days later this month.
Some teachers at this school are paid in cash – you go to [...]

Tue
3
Nov '09

Out and About (by Paul)

On Saturday we went to a shopping area around Haidianhuangzhuang subway station, which is known as Beijing’s Silicone Valley, where consumer electronics is king. There was one building with at least five floors of vendors.
At this point in our stay in China we are still outsiders looking in and we are intimidated by their [...]