What I accomplished:
Bought a wrist watch
]]> Sun, 06 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=657315 0 39.9288889 116.3883333 French aristocracies of the 17/18th centuries, shiny everything! And only 499 ren min bi per night ($80).

The room had the usual western amenities of soap, shampoo, conditioner and lotion (but in an embossed leather box), a blow dryer, big screen TV, iron and board, not free mini bar and plush towels, and the Chinese amenities of slippers and an electric kettle. But it also had a safe, a mini fridge, two bathrobes, a scale, wall panel push button bed lamps, wall panel push button nightstand lights, wall panel push button vanity light, wall panel push button over toilet light (which never turned off), wall panel push button do not disturb light, wall panel push button entry light, wall panel push button shade over the jacuzzi up or down (there being a huge window between the bathroom and the main room a shade comes in handy) and two full-face gas masks. Did I mention jacuzzi? Oh, you were focused on the gas masks. Yes, we found that odd, too.

For all this luxury there was one little flaw and one huge flaw: big, ugly stain on the carpet and the AC did not work. Hands down the fanciest place I've ever stayed but no AC? ]]> Wed, 02 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=655836 0 41.5702778 120.4586111 The Bird Flower-rock (fossil) National Geological Park is 60% kitsch, 30% awesome. They have the actual pit where some of the first fossils were found. They have a long, deep trench showing the sediment layers. This is not open air but in a modern building resembling an ankylosaurus. They have a museum showing scores of fossils pulled from the site, including a turtle visitors can touch, the famous feathered Dinosaur and a specially lit main feature: two small Dinosaurs caught in the act of creating new little Dinosaurs. The hokey parts are the animatronic T-Rex and others since the animatronics is hokey and these Dinosaurs were not found in Liaoning. The petrified Forest is disappointing in how pieces were poorly glued together in columns of their original growth. I'd prefer to see them the way they were found. Also very hokey is the fake and unimpressive in size Volcano.
But still worth the trip for the fossils, dig site and trench. Ahhhh...]]> Wed, 02 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=655824 0 22.8166667 112.0333333 But we don't have same day tickets out of town and we don't have a place to stay in this foreigner-forbidden city. What to do? I had a plan all along. At the ticket counter I tell the 5 ladies behind the counter (and only me and RJ in front - read that, "almost no visitors, way over staffed") that we need a hotel for they evening. Sure enough, these very helpful ladies call around and find us two, TWO!, hotels that will take 'outsiders.' One one cheap and near the train station, one is expensive and not. To the great Surprise of all who know me well, I chose the latter. 'Near the train station' is code for filthy. Read the next post for how the day ended!]]> Wed, 02 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=655797 0 44.5666667 126.3 ]]> Wed, 02 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=655761 0 39.9288889 116.3883333 Men and smokers don't think their jackets need washing. They are everyone-else-is-plugging-their-noses wrong. I once sat behind a young man at the ballet in Raleigh Fanning my face constantly to dispel his outerwear's rankness. At the hostel I'm currently at, I complained at the front desk that the room smelled. I was wrong. The British-sounding Chinese man's clothes reeked. He said he was moving out the next day and I was looking forward to the smell's departure. His English is like my Chinese - we sound better than we comprehend. He did indeed move out though when I ran into him in the lobby the next morning he said he was staying. I thought he meant that he was staying somewhere else (as in different city) for the next week which would match our first conversation (pre smell diagnosis) that he was heading out of town for the Chinese holiday. Well, he's back (it's been one day). I enjoy talking to him but I sure hope he's staying in a different room!

Jan]]> Wed, 02 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=655759 0 39.9288889 116.3883333 Men and smokers don't think their jackets need washing. They are everyone-else-is-plugging-their-noses wrong. I once sat behind a young man at the ballet in Raleigh Fanning my face constantly to dispel his outerwear's rankness. At the hostel I'm currently at, I complained at the front desk that the room smelled. I was wrong. The British-sounding Chinese man's clothes reeked. He said he was moving out the next day and I was looking forward to the smell's departure. His English is like my Chinese - we sound better than we comprehend. He did indeed move out though when I ran into him in the lobby the next morning he said he was staying. I thought he meant that he was staying somewhere else (as in different city) for the next week which would match our first conversation (pre smell diagnosis) that he was heading out of town for the Chinese holiday. Well, he's back (it's been one day). I enjoy talking to him but I sure hope he's staying in a different room!

Jan]]> Wed, 02 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=655758 0 39.9288889 116.3883333 Santa Claus?]]> Wed, 02 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=655755 0 39.9288889 116.3883333 English. He hands the phone to me. I act as translator conveying Brit's question, then Wu's answer; brit's complaint, then Wu's solution. What's my hourly rate??? (Brit said, "You sound American.")]]> Tue, 01 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=655177 0 39.9288889 116.3883333 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=655176 0 39.9288889 116.3883333 ]]> Tue, 01 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=655171 0 39.9288889 116.3883333 ]]> Tue, 01 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=655168 0 39.9288889 116.3883333 Stinky tofu!

I'll pass!]]> Sat, 28 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=652575 0 39.9288889 116.3883333 Xingcheng train station ticket window having just bought our soft seats for Chaoyang [only $10!] when the Drama began. I attempted to make a follow on request for two tickets to Beijing from Chaoyang. Having been told by a nation-wide reservation service that no hotels in Chaoyang were cleared for accepting foreigners, we intended to choo choo in & out on the same day. But all soft seats were sold out! My western sensibilities would not tolerate a hard seat for 13+ hours. Now what? Back to the hotel where Internet access will help us scheme. There we contrives plan B. back to the train station to impliment it. Stand in line again. Get to the same ticket agent again. Show her plan B. No go. Rinse and repeat. After our third round trip still no ticket! On the knowledge that there are buses and the nation-wide reservation service could be wrong, we choo choo to Chaoyang the next morning, no firm, guaranteed plan in hand. Seat of my pants travel!!!

]]> Fri, 27 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=651297 0 40.6166667 120.7166667 Thu, 26 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=650610 0 40.6166667 120.7166667 [Sign posted at the entry ramp to the ancient city wall of Xingcheng, one of only four remaining Ming Dynasty walled cities.]]]> Thu, 26 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=198024 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=650601 0 40.6166667 120.7166667