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prrrrl

131 Blog Entries
9 Trips
80 Photos

Trips:

Liaoning, 2013
Beijing, 2010 or Liaoning, 2013. They are appear to be mixed up!
Yunnan, China
Philippines!
Beijing I, 2012
Beijing 2015
Beijing 2011
Beijing 2012 II
China 2009

Shorthand link:

http://www.blogabond.com/prrrrl




I tried, I really tried

Beijing, China

Errand list:
Buy hats for Jensen
Pick up black ball gown
Pick up dance skirts

What I accomplished:
Bought a wrist watch


permalink written by  prrrrl on October 6, 2013 from Beijing, China
from the travel blog: Liaoning, 2013
tagged Errands, Failure and Diversion
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Spotty Chinese

Beijing, China

One word (bian3) came back to me without me thinking the English first. Yea! I'm actually not sure of the English translation. I just know how to use it in Chinese.
Another word (hao3 mi3) I knew I should know just wasn't there till I asked the stone vendor. The frustration of long language breaks

permalink written by  prrrrl on October 6, 2013 from Beijing, China
from the travel blog: Liaoning, 2013
tagged ThinkingInChinese, ForgettingWord and LongAbsence
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Thanks for the work out, Google Maps

Beijing, China

My friend's House is east of the outlet mall. I know that now because I GM sent me northwest of the outlet mall. I'd been to SZ's House before via subway and remembered it being close to the mall. Unfortunately I wasn't sure of the direction. I trusted GM. I walked 2+ kilometers in the wrong direction then had to taxi back to the mall then beyond. So much for saving money by using public transport. At least I was not trying to arrive fresh. I had already had a long day tramping (a Kiwi term for hiking) about the city.

permalink written by  prrrrl on October 6, 2013 from Beijing, China
from the travel blog: Liaoning, 2013
tagged Walking and WrongPlace
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Useful!

Beijing, China

Hiking poles sure are handy. They are probably good for hiking, too. This trip the only action they've seen is reaching for shoes deep under the bed and closing windows too high to reach. Not sure it's been worth carrying them from the US and all through Liaoning. Oh, well...



permalink written by  prrrrl on October 5, 2013 from Beijing, China
from the travel blog: Beijing, 2010 or Liaoning, 2013. They are appear to be mixed up!
tagged HikingPoles and Usefulness
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Morning Surprises?

Beijing, China

I sure hope there are no caterpillars under my pillow tonight.

I use my clean clothes wadded up under the hostel's thin pillow to raise it to a comfortable height. My clean clothes dry on clotheslines on the Terrace. The Terrace is populated with fuzzy caterpillars. I picked 7 or 8 of my clean clothes before wadding them up. Don't want squashed caterpillars on my outfit tomorrow!

permalink written by  prrrrl on October 5, 2013 from Beijing, China
from the travel blog: Beijing, 2010 or Liaoning, 2013. They are appear to be mixed up!
tagged Laundry and Squish
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Jade!

Beijing, China

We left NC on Thursday; we arrived in China Friday. Sunday morning we were still both jet lagged. What to do at 5am? Dirt market! There is a weekend flea/dirt market of many decades history on the south east side. It's grown very touristy in recent years and the Prospect of finding an authentic antique are increasingly slim. But what else to do at that early weekend hour? Dawn barely Broken, we head for the subway. It used to be that one had to get to the dirt market by 5am to snag the best deals. We arrived just after 6 and very little was yet set up. We wandered as venders unpacked. RJ being an antiques dealer I thought this place would interest him.

I didn't plan to find anything but did! Ancient pieces of jade that used to be bracelets, fracture plains filed smooth, with holes drilled at mid-point or end. I'll have a dozen unique pieces to add to my collection very soon. dRt cHc* to rise again!!

While working these unique pieces into my designs I drop one. It Broke. My supplier tried to file the edges of what the became earring dangles (and they look good!) but being high on the Mohls scale jade, it ruined her file!

  • dRt cHc is my line of high end, exclusive, one of a kind and rare jewelry pieces.


    • permalink written by  prrrrl on October 5, 2013 from Beijing, China
    from the travel blog: Beijing, 2010 or Liaoning, 2013. They are appear to be mixed up!
    tagged Jade, Broken, PanJiaYuan and DRtCHc
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    Children and dogs...

    Beijing, China

    On the subway I started playing peek-a-boo with a curious toddler sitting one lap over. What else would I do when a small child stares at my blue eyes and then covers their brown beauties. But this game did not end well. I smiled upon reappearing from behind my hands. He cried. Scary foreign ghost!

    In Xingcheng I took an early morning solo stroll down modern city allies to the ancient city wall. I made it inside before the kitschy shops opened and the noisy crowds gathered - ah, peace! Down one what we might call an alley but in Ming Dynasty China was a real street a local canine was waiting at its gate for re-admittance. My legs were just another early morning stroller's legs. Panting and waiting. Waiting and panting. But then pooch looked up. It saw my big nose (I think dogs are color blind so we can't blame my blue eyes). It panicked, reared up and pounded its front paws on the gate of wait. The gate popped open and the pooch ran for the safety if its owner's courtyard.

    Children and dogs cry or flea at my visage. Aren't I special.

    permalink written by  prrrrl on October 4, 2013 from Beijing, China
    from the travel blog: Beijing, 2010 or Liaoning, 2013. They are appear to be mixed up!
    tagged Dog, Ghost, Run and Cry
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    Eight by Nine

    Beijing, China

    I'm a happy clam! Or should I say mussel since it is their product I'm here to buy. The hostel up-graded me to a two person dorm from a six person dorm - big improvement! And better yet, the other bed is empty giving me a private room. For the time being. There have been nights where I woke up with more roommates then then I went to bed with the night before. (Please don't read that the wrong way!). I can crank down the AC (mostly to rid the room of excess moisture), I don't have to share the bathroom with anyone and I don't have to be super quiet day or night (the lad I thought was going to be my roommate ignored his morning alarm forcing me to zip, wad and Groom a la the proverbial mouse). I've got 5 days here. How long can I enjoy the solitary??

    (Comments don't always show up. Want to tell me something? Email my regular address.)

    permalink written by  prrrrl on October 3, 2013 from Beijing, China
    from the travel blog: Beijing, 2010 or Liaoning, 2013. They are appear to be mixed up!
    tagged Hostel, Alone and Roommates
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    Salt air!

    Xingcheng, China

    We had traveled by bus, train, subway, several types of motorized pedicabs, taxi, bench seat bike, foot and now ferry. It was a slow ride to the island that was faded in polluted-view but not far off shore. I mistakenly purchased the all inclusive ticket which would take us by bus around the island to three sites of interest to Buddhists and sinophiles. Though RJ leans towards the former, for him one old red tile-roofed building looks like all the other old red tile-roofed buildings. We skip the pre-paid tour and take the advice of an Aussie dude and his companions suggested: a small fishing village on a small beach. The pre-paid tour does get us the short distance to the other side of the island on the local bus. A very short walk brings us to the shore. The fishing vessels look heavily weathered as if abandoned but apparently not as we see several in active use. Then I spot a old favorite: rocks along the shore perfect for climbing on. We pass locals gouging oyster-like mollusks, dislodging the top shell, harvesting the meat and leaving the bottom glued barnacle-like to the rocks. Low tide is what reveals their quarry. The un-seaworthy looking boats put on the water make a pretty sight with their red Chinese flags flapping in the breeze.

    We climb the bank towards a road when we are surprised by a donkey. Or did we surprise it? Its ears were standing straight up as it stared intently at us. Is it tethered? Is it territorial? We're to far to determine the former and too cautious to test the latter. We proceed slowly with jackets in hand to swing at it if necessary. But not necessary. We follow the road back to the village and are pleasantly surprised to find a restaurant overlooking the little bay. Seafood with a view!

    It's not tropical Philippines. It's not primitive Borneo. It's not fascinating Kenyan coast. It's not picturesque Bali. It's not perfect Thailand. It's not gorgeous Samoa. But it is a nice day trip off the gray, dusty mainland.

    Now if only we had a cart to hitch to that donkey to add to our list of transports...

    (Please send comments to my regular email. Thanks!)

    permalink written by  prrrrl on October 3, 2013 from Xingcheng, China
    from the travel blog: Beijing, 2010 or Liaoning, 2013. They are appear to be mixed up!
    tagged Fishing, View, Donkey and Transports
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    Santa National Day?

    Beijing, China

    "Did you have a good National Day?" I asked smelly, Brit-sounding gentleman who had not left (for more than a day, anyway). The memorable answer did not come from him but from the desk clerk eavesdropping. He said, "Not really." "Of, course! You had to work!" I assumed out loud. "No, since I'm grown up, it is not special." Would the average American adult say that about the Fourth of July? Is the Chinese National Day the equivalent of Santa Claus?

    permalink written by  prrrrl on October 2, 2013 from Beijing, China
    from the travel blog: Liaoning, 2013
    tagged NationalDay, GrownUp and DeskClerk
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