The weather is mild today. It’s obvious the minute we step outside, not only because of the temperature, but also because of the sound of small kids filling the air. They are everywhere, running, toddling, riding, and being followed closely by an army of parents and grandparents. Everyone is taking advantage of the weather and enjoying clear skies and warmer temps.
The warmer weather has reminded Judy of how miserable she was last fall at school without a fan. We head over to BISS to remedy the situation. Gome, a large appliance store, similar to a Best Buy, is close to Judy’s school, so we walk in searching for a fan. It’s not “fan season” yet in Beijing, so the displays are full of heaters of every size and design. We manage to find a large floor fan on display, but it’s the only one in the store. 10 minutes later, it’s ours, and we’re out the door over to BISS. At BISS, we get it in place, ready for the heat of the spring and summer. Judy finishes up some printing, and odds and ends.
As we leave BISS, we’re overtaken with hunger. Judy had talked several times about a local restaurant near BISS that had the best Chinese food she had tasted since we’ve been in Beijing. We decide it’s time to try it again. We walk down a narrow road, arriving at a building with no markings to indicate it’s a restaurant. I would have walked right by it. We test the doors, and it’s open. Walking in, there are several small rooms, and a few families are scattered around.
We get a table, and start the ordering process, using the menu with pictures. We know what we want, but it’s not so easy to find it in the menu. Judy places the order. We did have to call Lynn, a Chinese teacher Judy works with at BISS. We couldn’t find where to order dumplings or “steamed buns.” Lynn talks in Chinese to the waiter over the phone. He tells her they come 5 to an order. We say we want 5, so of course we end up with 5 orders, or 25 total. Maybe we didn’t quite get it right.
As is the custom, the food arrives, one dish at a time. Judy’s right! It’s really good. This is a small family-run establishment, and they really like their peppers. We have a green bean dish, a chicken dish, shredded potatoes, and steamed buns. We end up taking half of it home. It cost us 81rmb, about $14, and we’re going to get one or two more meals out of it.
Back to the apartment, where I drop Judy off and head to the Marriott for my swim. I’m trying not to miss a day, but it’s tough when I’m basically a lazy bum. I don’t seem to be losing any weight, but I’m physically feeling a little more “fit.” Certainly, my back, which was an issue when we first came to Beijing is much better.
The entrance/exit for the Sanyuanjiao train station. I use this station to cut under the Airport Express Highway, when I’m walking to the Marriott.
These are the shuttles from the station to the nearest main road, which happens to be near the Marriott. The shuttles cost 2rmb for a one-mile trip.
A shuttle in traffic at the intersection near the Marriott.
At the apartment, after the swim, we spend the evening watching a few episodes of “Lost.” We’re just getting started on the series. It’s weird to have started this just as the news is breaking on the missing Malaysian airliner, most likely in the South China Sea or Bay of Thailand. Since the flight was headed to Beijing, and there were 150+ Chinese passengers, it’s big news here.