FRIDAY, 5/2/14

Judy slept better last night. Our plan for the day is to rest and relax, and let Judy recover as much as possible. We pretty much met the criteria. I did make it over for a swim session. Later, in the early evening, we walked over to the mall, and found a new place to eat, Cloud Nine. It had lots of exotic foods (stewed pig intestines, etc.), but we were able to find a green bean dish, a potato dish, and a sweet & sour chicken option. They were all good.

SATURDAY, 5/3/14

Judy is feeling feisty today, so we decide to explore a little. We’ve heard about an area called “798 Arts District.” It’s supposed to have lots of shops and cafes. We grabbed a taxi and started giving directions to where we thought it was. When we arrived in the area, nothing looked like what we were expecting. After driving around the neighborhood, and frustrating the taxi driver (he had no idea what we were doing or what we were looking for), we give up. We have him drop us in a nearby neighborhood we recognized. We looked at several lunch options, eventually settling on the “Irish Volunteer Pub.” We had a pizza and some fried dumplings. It was a very ecletic place, declaring itself “a hockey bar.” We enjoyed the meal, and watching out the windows at all the unique individuals walking and driving by.

Back at the apartment, it’s back to the grindstone, working on our computers, preparing for the week ahead. When we get bored, we watch a few “Lost” episodes.

SUNDAY, 5/4/14

Judy has a big day of “girls” activities planned. A group of five BISS faculty are headed to Lily Nails for nails, massages, and lots of discussion about life in Beijing. Then they’re headed to the Moka Café, a small restaurant to finish off the day.

I work on some class planning (maybe I’ll one sometime soon), before I head over to the Marriott for a swim session. After swimming, I decide it’s time for my own massage, so I walk over to Drangonfly and enjoy a one-hour session. It’s going to be a tough transition back to the US when this all ends. The generally cheap cost-of-living in Beijing, combined with cheap massages, and an Ayi who cleans our apartment (including laundry and ironing three days a week) sure has us spoiled.