Shenyang International Horticultural Expo

Rob and I finally made it to the expo. It is here in Shenyang this year, about 25 km outside of the city. It opened in May and is running through October. We had planned on going earlier, but either I was miserable with morning sickness, Rob had to work, it was bad weather, or something. We didn't want to go on a Chinese holiday or the weekend either and be part of a sea of a million people. If we wanted to be around a lot of Chinese people we could just stay in the city.

It was nice to get out of the city and see some color. Living in the city is sometimes like living in grayscale. There were lots of flowers, trees, and some open space. The day was overcast, with rain in the afternoon. The high was only 65 degrees so it was a good day for us to go. I get tired enough without hot weather making things more difficult.

While it was nice to get out in the city, the expo was not all that thrilling. A lot of the countries that had gardens really seemed to have more of a gift shop than a garden. The gardens representing different cities in China were better done. Of course it is kind of strange to be in China looking at fake old Chinese buildings when we could see real ones outside of the expo.

It was good to get out though and if we hadn't gone I would have been disappointed.

We really liked the American Garden, which had a number of large busts representing famous Americans. They were not very well done. Rosa Parks looked like a guy. :( I had Rob pose next to Thomas JCLLERSON. It was spelled correctly on the bottom part of the sign. There were quite a few times that there would be one correct and one incorrect spelling on the same sign. Go figure!

They had some pretty comfy swings. Do I look relaxed? After Rob took the picture I let him sit with me. :)

There were several areas of open grass which were protected from trampling by little snail signs that found polite ways to basically say keep off the grass.

My favorite part of the expo was the bridge area. There were several types of bridges crossing over a small body of water. Some were easy, while others were quite challenging. I didn't see anyone fall in today. If the weather had been warmer I bet people would have "accidently" fallen in. The weather was cool enough today that it would not be pleasant. One woman kept starting on the trapeze type bridge, but then chickening out as she would step from the first rung towards the second. I didn't see anyone else even begin to attempt that one.

It seemed like it would be a really fun thing to have over a swimming pool or lake, but of course in the States there would be too many liability issues to just let anyone who wanted to attempt it have a chance. There were a couple of employees scattered around the area with bullhorns. They didn't seem to do anything though. There were also a few life preservers tossed in every little ways. Sometimes after a group would dare someone to try a bridge they would stand at the end and shake the bridge to make it harder to cross. None of the bridges called out to Rob and I conveniently used my pregnancy as an excuse not to try any out.

Actually, we did cross one, the floating bridge, which was calm, level, and had railings. It was the easiest way to get to where we wanted to go.

Here I am in my 26th week. I am so looking forward to going back to the States and being able to get a haircut. I have so much long, thick hair that wants to do nothing but frizz out into a big ole afro. Of course I suppose I could spend more time trying to do something with it since I don't have a lot of things that I have to do during the day. Since I don't really have anywhere that I have to go looking decent I guess it isn't worth the effort.

If only I had known earlier...

One of my handy dandy pregnancy tips arrived in my e-mail inbox the other day. It gave me handy fashion tips such as not wearing horizontal stripes because they will make me look bigger. Oh no! Someone might think I am pregnant! Instead it suggests that I wear dark colors, such as black for a slendering effect. As if that would do it! I should also wear tight, clingy clothes to show off my new curves. No one really wants me to wear tight and clingy things when I am not pregnant, now it is is scary thought!
I guess I should also do my hair and make-up so that when I am home all day (STILL puking at almost 6 months along) I am at my best. Instead I consider it an accomplishment to be out of bed and dressed by 10:30 in the morning. Getting fatter and heavier, but still not glowing unless you count the way my face is a bit flushed after vomiting...

There’s some lovely filth over here…
In Monty Python and the Holy Grail there is a scene in which King Arthur encounters two peasants digging around in the mud looking for heaven only knows what. Not too different here in Shenyang. No, I haven’t seen anyone dressed up like King Arthur and I don’t think the people are referred to as peasants, but same general idea. As I walk down the streets I can’t help but see people digging through dumpsters looking for treasures. Perhaps it is something that they could use; something cast out that still has some use left in it. Generally people are collecting recyclables that they can turn in for cash. It might be cans, glass, plastic, cardboard, newspaper, or any number of things. Sometimes the people have bicycles with carts on them, allowing them to ride from dumpster to dumpster as they pile the loot on the cart. When our cheap DVD player died I didn’t want to just throw it out in the trash here at the hotel. I wanted someone to get something out of it. Surely a broken DVD player can be repaired or recycled somehow. I made my poor husband put it in a dumpster on his way to pick up some soda at the nearby convenience store. When he came back only minutes later, it was long gone. I have some old shoes I want to get rid of. I wish someone could get use out of them, but let’s face it, what Chinese woman is looking for size 10 ½ shoes? I hesitate to trash them in a nearby dumpster because I am afraid my friend, Sewing Machine Lady’s Mom (I will have to write about her sometime), will find them and pull them out for me because she thinks they might fit me! (Her feet were once bound and are very tiny. We have compared her little deformed feet to my huge clodhoppers.) I don’t want the shoes as they are, let alone dirty and smelly from the dumpster! Now while dumpsters are the likely place to find things, they aren’t the only place. After a building has been demolished people scour the area looking for things that might be left in the rubble. There could be all kinds of good stuff! Of course if it is freezing, a nice fire helps warm up passersby and creates a nice hang out spot.

How many Chinese people does it take to get a lightbulb changed?

No, it is not exactly a joke. It is the event of the day.

I have had a couple of burnt out fluorescent bulbs in the kitchen for some time now. I have been putting off getting them replaced. Why, you may ask. Am I too lazy to do it? Too cheap to buy the new bulbs? No. The hotel likes to do these things for us because of their "delicate wiring" that impacts so many. In my mind I replace "delicate wiring" with "shoddy workmanship and potentially dangerous wiring" but that's just me.

Today was the day. 5:00 I call down to the front desk and explain my problem. I am told that housekeeping will be right up to fix it. I think things are going too well. Could it possibly be that someone from housekeeping can replace lights? I won't keep you in suspense. The woman, who arrived almost immediately, saw the problem and asked to use the phone. She called someone and said some things in Chinese and then told me someone would be up very soon.

Once again, very promptly, help arrived. This time in the form of an assistant manager and a security guy. They examined my problem and made a call. Someone from engineering would be right up.

As promised, engineering showed up. There was main dude, guy who hands things to main dude, and supervisor(?) dude. Of course assistant manager and security guy are still here as well. The mounts for the lights were unscrewed and removed. New lights were put in and then the lights were remounted. Supervisor(?) dude periodically used his cell phone to update heaven-only-knows-who on the progress.

Shortly after 6:00 pm the project was done. The kitchen is once again much brighter. And it only took seven people to help me with this issue. Just think, if assistant manager guy hadn't spoken English I would have also gotten translator dude!

For those of you wondering why I have not yet had my pictures hung on the walls, well, you can probably know imagine. I need to plan a full day with lots of helpers.

Over Halfway There!

Well, here is a picture of me at about five months. I am 24 weeks pregnant, 60% down, 40% to go. Who's counting though? I am beginning to wonder if vomiting will become so natural to me that I will continue to do it after Baby is born. :(

This is one of my new maternity shirts that Mrs. Wong made. I went to the cloth market today to get more fabric. Maternity clothes are definitely much more comfortable than my pre-maternity clothes. I am wondering if those pre-maternity clothes will ever fit again!

I got the pictures I bought in Xi'an framed. I think they turned out well. I really don't have an eye for figuring out what borders and frames work. I think I lied to my family and said it cost $25 to frame them, but it was really almost $32. I think that is a good deal. I need to come up with more things to frame.

Rob evidently doesn't like them. He hasn't said as much exactly. He just is glad that I like them.

August 21st (Monday)

We arrived in Beijing last night and had a WONDERFUL dinner at TGI Friday's. I had been looking forward to that since I knew we were coming to Beijing. Baby loves fried cheese. :) We each ordered an appetizer and a main dish, which was way too much, but so good. I love a chance to get American food. A lot of tourists come to Beijing and want the duck, jiaozi (dumplings) or something else Chinese.

Rob got up before I did on Monday and went in to the Embassy. I slept in a little, had breakfast at the hotel, and started walking around. I got tired and decided to get on the subway. At about 36 cents a ticket, it is quite affordable. I got off near the Silk Market. It was huge and sells everything, not just silk. I was excited at first, but ended up being quite disappointed. The vendors are used to a lot of tourists and are very aggressive and start the bargaining process high! One vendor tried to convince me that 2000 kuai (about $250) was quite a bargain. I talked her down to 100 kuai (about $12.50). Since she agreed to that, she was still obviously making a profit. Many of the vendors would grab your arm and almost all would call out to you and shove their wares in your face. I don't particularly like the whole bargaining thing to begin with, but it was just insane. A lot of the stuff I wouldn't want if it was free. Some of the stuff was interesting, but I don't know what it would do besides clutter up the house. I think it would be different if I lived there. I could take in the insanity a little at a time, get a feel for what prices should be, and maybe get some neat things. I guess I will have to see what I can end up with here in Shenyang.

Rob called me on my cell phone when he was finished at the Embassy. We met up for lunch at a restaurant someone recommended to him, the Mexican Wave. It wasn't good Mexican food, but it was decent. Then back to the hotel for some rest. I sure love my rest. :)

Tuesday, August 22nd-- The Great Wall (Ba Da Ling)

It keeps going and going and going and going.....

Yes, we went to the touristy part of the wall. We could have driven further or gone to a more "hard core" hiking/climbing kind of place, but we didn't. Rob has a nasty cold and I am, well, lugging around this baby inside of me. Ugh. Beats carrying it kicking and screaming up the wall. I needed lots of rests. It was steeper than it looked. I thought stairs would be a welcome change to walking on a steep grade. Not necessarily the case. The steps are worn, some missing chunks out of them. They are VERY uneven in height and width as well. Sometimes I could easily take three stairs at a time, sometimes it was a climb doing one. See the tower at the top of the picture? Yep, we trekked it up there. From there we walked a bit furter and took a cable car down. I found it quite enjoyable, but Rob does not like cable cars.

Great Wall, Part Two

After we rode down on the cable car from the south side, we rode the cable car up to the north side of the wall. Rob didn't enjoy the cable car going up anymore than he did going down. It did save us a lot of walking though. We then walked down the north side. There were still ups and downs, but mostly downs. I had to watch my step carefully in places, but it took a lot less energy. Quality of the wall varied quite a bit, though since it is a tourist part it is all maintained. My friend, June, went to a less popular spot of the wall. I have put up a picture of her and her cousin. There hike was a lot harder as you can see! There are some sections that are even more difficult. I think Ba Da Ling section was just what I needed to be able to say that I have been on the Great Wall.

When we got back to Beijing, we had our driver drop us off at TGIFriday's

Wednesday, August 23rd Today was ultrasound day! We went to the hospital and the doctor was able to show us what appears to be a healthy baby developing right on schedule. It is nice to see arms, legs, hands, feet, fingers, toes, eyes, nose, mouth (opening and closing), kidneys, spine, heart (with four working chambers) etc. Of course the big question: will it be a boy or a girl...? Well, there was no penis to be found, so the assumption is girl, though we were told it could be an uncooperative boy. So, the question in my mind is am I glad to know that? I want to get excited about a girl now, but what if a boy pops out? Don't want too many pink frilly dresses in the closet! For lunch we went to TGIFriday's for fried cheese. Okay, we got the Three-For-All and Tex Mex Tower appetizers and ate (most of) those. Yum! We took a cab to Temple of Heaven. It is a nice park with beautiful grounds to walk on and some interesting things to see. We (especially me) were tired from yesterday at the Great Wall. Put me in 90 degree heat with sore calves and a bladder that needs frequent emptying and it doesn't take long for me to have my fill of seeing things. I primarily wanted to see this one building (you can see me in the picture). I think it is absolutely beautiful! From there we left through the East Gate and went to the Pearl Market. We walked through rather quickly and didn't buy anything. I enjoy browsing and the Pearl Market is not as aggressive as the Silk Market. I was tired and didn't feel like doing a lot of bargaining. Plus, it is more fun to shop with someone. Rob doesn't count as shopping with someone because he doesn't like to shop. He will wait and let me shop, but he doesn't participate. We went behing the Silk Market to the smaller Toy Market. Rob actually got some things! I was so excited that he found some things that he liked. He got some flashlights and swimming goggles. We didn't get "Chinese prices" but we didn't pay "White prices" either and felt we were getting a deal. Back to the hotel to rest, download pics, and blog. Soon it will be time to find dinner. Sizzler perhaps?

After resting on Thursday we decided to go to the Summer Palace on Friday. The area is absolutely HUGE! We could have spent days there, but feet were tired and weather was hot and humid.

The only part that I did not like was San Something Street. It costs an extra $1.25 if you don't have an all inclusive ticket. We did have the all inclusive ticket, and I thought it sounded interesting. We hiked around the park to find it. Basically it is a blocked off part of the river (with drawbridges on each end) that has shops surrounding it and a little skinny narrow walkway (no railings). Yes, it ends up that you are paying to see the little shops, which are not that different from those you would see anywhere else. Rob and I decided that the only reason they charge is to keep it from being crowded. If they didn't charge, it would be so packed that people would be falling in the water right and left.
When we were finished seeing all we wanted to see, back to the hotel for a nap before a late lunch. Resting in the hotel was definitely the constant throughout our trip. :)

Saturday, August 26, 2006.
Today was our day for the Forbidden City and Tiannamen Square. They weren't a far walk from our hotel, but it seemed like quite the walk with baby dancing on my bladder.

A lot of the Forbidden Palace was under renovation. Got to get everything pretty in time for the Olympics. That was fine with me. It is a huge place and we didn't even see half of it! You know you have had enough when you are scouting out places to sit and rest. It was really crowded too. I can only imagine what it is like over holidays or what it will be like once the crowds from the Olympics arrive!
I guess it is a "must see" for Beijing, but I just didn't have the same enthusiasm at the end of the trip that I did at the beginning. Besides, Shenyang also has a Forbidden City, though not as big. It wasn't used for as long either. I don't think I ever wrote about our visit there. I will have to blog it.

Even Tiannamen Gate was under renovation. I took a shot anyway as you can still see the top part of it and the picture of Chairman Mao. I have some better pictures that my friend June took a few weeks ago before the green scaffolding stuff went up. I think those will be the ones I get prints of. The ugly construction picture is mine though and shows that I have indeed "been there, done that."

Saturday afternoon I took a quick walk down "Night Food Street" just a couple blocks from our hotel. I had read that they have all sorts of "treats" like scorpions and seahorses in addition to some of the more typical Chinese treats. Yum! I did see scorpions, silk worm pupas, snakes, starfish, grasshoppers, and other interesting culinary delights. Didn't see seahorses though. Perhaps I was out too early. I wanted to go before dinner as I didn't plan on eating there!
I did buy some candy coated kiwi. Basically sliced kiwi on a wooden skewer covered with a yummy sugary coating like a candy apple.
We went to Sizzler for dinner. It was nice to get a piece of red meat. Such "exotic" dining options in Beijing!

The Baby (My mom says I can't call it a bad baby.)

My sister says that I need to write more about my pregnancy. I guess I hate to complain so publicly (no problem privately). I do not like being pregnant. Yes, I am excited to be having a baby. No, I don't like this part of the whole process. I try to be positive-- I feel like I am 13, should be good to feel younger, right? Of course that means my face is breaking out and I don't recognize my own body. My mom tells me that I am not fat, I am having a baby. Since I don't feel movement yet I feel FAT. I have this bulge in the front of me. My clothes don't fit, I don't like bending over, and my muscles hurt from supporting this belly of mine. I know, it isn't going to get better either.
After the first trimester I was so excited the vomiting stopped. Now I puke more than ever. It isn't as urgent and I don't feel nausea, but puking several times a day gets old. I feel like between that and peeing I should just move into the bathroom.
My sister also told me that I should talk about my cravings. CORN DOGS were the baby's choice yesterday. Of course I live in China, so first task is to find hot dogs that are meat hot dogs and not some sort of myster sausage. Second, I have to mix up the corn meal and flour batter and coat the hot dogs and deep fry them. Picking up a box at Safeway and throwing a couple of dogs in the oven or microwave would sure be a lot easier!
I dream about doughnuts, frosties from Wendy's, and 7-11 slurpees. Somehow Chinese food just doesn't do the trick. Besides, even though I love spicy noodles, they aren't so great coming back up. They are too spicy and way to long and get stuck on the way up. Yum! Great image, yes?
Oh, I forgot how much I love Chinese bathrooms. Squatter toilets, what could be better when you are pregnant. Actually squatting isn't so bad, but having to get back up again can be a killer. I am afraid I am going to lose my balance and fall in. The smell is quite lovely too. :( On my trip to Xi'an I was so excited when I found a bathroom that was (1) clean and smelled good (2) had normal toilets (3) had toilet paper and (4) had soap. Who would expect so many luxuries in one place?
Evidently Rob isn't suffering enough. Yesterday he was talking about baby #2. I haven't even squeezed this puppy out yet. Is it possible I am not as cranky as I think I am?
I need to think of some amusing things to write in Baby's book. I am not enjoying pregnancy, but I know it will be worth it when I have my sweet baby. Of course there will probably be days I will wonder about that too. :) I am going to miss sleep. I really like it!

Trip to Xi'an, China

August 3rd through 6th I was able to go to Xi'an, China. Rob had to work, but I was able to go and meet up with some friends and enjoy the city.

I arrived on Thursday afternoon and took a bus from the airport to my hotel. The Bell Tower Hotel is in a perfect location in the center of town, very convenient to everything within the city walls. I checked in, rested a bit, and took off looking for something to eat. Unfortunately, the restaurant I was looking for was no longer there. Nothing looked very appetizing to the baby, so I finally gave up. I was starving and went into McDonald's. Might not be very exciting, but beats some of the other typical fast food.

I wandered around a bit and ended up over in the Muslim area of town. I walked through the market and browsed at the many things for sale.

Walking around in all the heat wore me out. I wanted to get back to the hotel and just relax. There were several restaurants up and down the streets, but none seemed to be the "to go" type of place. I ended up getting carry out at pizza hut and heading back to eat, watch tv, and get to bed early.

Friday morning June and her cousin Lynn arrived in Xi'an. They checked into the hotel and we went out to the Muslim part of town again. June's guidebook listed a popular restaurant in the area. We were seated on the third floor. Food was brought to the table and we either accepted or declined it. I tried a couple of different types of baozi (dumpling/bun type things). They were delicious! We ate our fill and it cost us less than $2 each, including drinks. I led us back to the market area. This early in the afternoon it wasn't at all crowded. People tend to come out in the cool of the evening. We bought a few souvenirs and then found an art gallery. We enjoyed browsing through the shop and even met the artist. We spent quite a bit of time there before we left with our purchases in hand.
From there we went on to the Drum Tower. We climbed up and walked around the tower. Our timing was perfect and we were able to catch a drum show while we were there.