I’m writing this on Tuesday night. We finished unpacking, and ran a few errands. Judy got a haircut, and I went for a swim. We met up after we finished and taxied over to Sanlitun for a very late lunch (we at a very late breakfast). We had Mexican food at Cantina Agave. It wasn’t Santa Fe or Clovis, but it was close enough for us both to agree that it was Mexican food.
After we returned to the apartment, we sat down to do school work. A few fireworks began to go off in the neighborhood. As dark approached, the frequency of the fireworks increased. The standard approach to set them off is to walk out into the street, set it down, and light ‘em up. There are sidewalks, but those don’t seem as popular as the street. Traffic just keeps rolling by and star shells and mortars are being set off in the traffic lane. We’re not talking little fireworks. These are big blasts, and they just keep coming.
When it got dark, the real fireworks began. We had heard it was crazy, and they weren’t kidding. Everywhere we look (and from the 25th floor we can see a long way) there are huge shells blasting off. One of the favorite activities is to lay down a long string of firecrackers (20 or more feet), and light it. It blows up for 2 or 3 minutes. It’s been going on steadily for over three hours, and we’re not sure when it will end. We’ve seen a few police cars cruising the street, but they’re just watching the fun.
I’m really interested as to how long this activity continues. Today is the 5th day of the Lunar New Year, as declared by the Chinese government, and it’s supposed to be some kind of special day. I think there are two more “special” days over the next week. This calls for a little research………tomorrow. Right now, I’m going to try to get to sleep. BISS starts classes up again tomorrow. Everyone’s going to be a little bleary-eyed if this continues too much longer.