SATURDAY, 5/30/15

We spent a lot of time today thinking through our packing schedule over the next 3 weeks. We also have to decide when people can come by that are taking some of the items from the apartment that we’re not shipping back to the US. We’re planning on carrying two suitcases each when we leave Beijing, but settling on what to take and what to ship is tough. We have to pack for a week in Cambodia/Thailand, but also what we’ll need on our cruise, including several extra days in Barcelona and Athens.

We finished off the evening with food from Avocado Tree, a Chipotle rip-off. The food is great! The tastes are so much like what we would get in the US. For the longest time, they weren’t on any of the local delivery websites, but they’re back on now. I bet we have it several more times before we finally pull out of town.

SUNDAY, 5/31/15

We made a day of it today! Started off with a trip out to 798 Arts District. We’ve been several times before, but with pretty weather and still yearning for a few small items to take home, it was the perfect time for a visit. We wandered through several shops and galleries before settling into our favorite. We’ve been admiring a series of small statues for over a year. While we were debating about a purchase, one of the workers told us the artist had been in on Thursday, leaving 10 different designs in a smaller (cheaper) size. That was it. We found a couple we thought fit well together and made the purchase. There are so many things we’d like to bring home, but there’s no room in the condo for everything we want.

We walked across the street to a small café, for some snacks, drinks, and people-watching. I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed when I take time to sit and watch. There are so many unusual characters around here, and I’m not just talking about the Chinese. The westerners in the crowd have some crazies as well.

We headed back to the apartment to rest before going back out for a real dinner. I’ve been trying to get Judy to Eatalia since I ate there a few weeks ago with the crew from BHSFIC. We had a nice dinner with some good Italian food. Afterwards, we walked around the area for a little while, checking out nearby Houhai Lake. I was also looking for a shop that might have phone cards for Judy’s phone. It’s short on money (I thought I had us fixed up a few months back, but must have miscalculated). I finally found one that had China Unicom, our company. It’s quite a scene, me trying to get a shop keeper to understand what I need, when I speak little to no Chinese, and their English is non-existent. With Judy’s phone charged, we headed home, ready to prepare for the last full week of students at BISS.