Hello again from the land where a large bottle of draft beer costs less than a bottle of distilled water. Came back from a fun-filled 4 days in Inner Mongolia which is different from the Autonomous region of actual Mongolia. For all your Mutton and Stray Sheep lovers out there, sheep meat is a staple in that part of the county and we had it for nearly every meal everyday. Sheep hotpot, marinated sheep, fried sheep, skewered sheep, stewed sheep, sheep soup, sheep innards (bob-cued shrimp, shrimp n' potatas, shrimp bubba on a skewer. . .) No pork though cuz lots of Muslims. We also went to a few temples. Tibetan Buddhism is the main religion there.
I went with my Austalian friend, her American roommate and my LA friend I met on the plane here. I actually met a few Vancouverites on the tour and they were talking about all the nature and animals back at home I refused to talk to them on the trip because I would start missing home. My Australian friend Susan and American friend Mai and I adopted a Korean boy (Joon) and we became a family. Susan is his mom, Mai is his older sister and I'm his grandma. He just finished high school and is here in Beijing studying Chinese as well. His Chinese is better than all of ours of course
Grasslands and lov'n it
Yeah! Finally I was able to get some fresh air. Away from the city and pollution. Even though the grasslands area was freezing and all the grass have died, the sky was actually blue and millions of stars dotted the night. The cold reminded me of Ottawa minus-something wind chill. The land was relatively flat but undeveloped; the grassland (or bald land during this time of the year) stretched far out into the distance like the prairies (I've never been, but I'm using imagination). We rode on Mongolian ponies and stay in Mongolian yurts. They are like circus tents which get v. v. chilly in the eve. Good thing I have a trusty Canadian sleeping bag by my side. We had this potent 49% hard alcohol, a custom of the Mongolian people and saw a dance and musical performance. Things were a bit touristy with all the psuedo-costumes but we were braving the elements and that's all I cared about. we woke up to see the sunraise.
Although Inner Mongolia is just a 11 hour train ride from Beijing it's apparently north enough to see a special kind of sunrise (compared to Vancouver, anyway). The sun is blinding and because its so high north it pops up very quickly that is you were to turn your head for a few second you would have missed the moment.
Maltreatment of Animals
We went to the Gobi desert. We have to sit on a camel to get out far enough to see how the sand dunes and plains stretched far into the distance. NEVER RIDE CAMELS!!! We paid 60 kuai for an hour and I went on it even though I saw that they were being mistreated (But if I didn't go, I would have seen the vast landscape. . .). Never again will I go on camels that have wooden pegs pierced through their nose that are attached to ropes that the camel in front of then tug whenever they take a step. They wheeze with each step they take and are struck if they do not sit or stand up immediately.
The Mongolian ponies were also struck if they did not catch up with the rest of the group. Also, I refuse to go to the Beijing zoo even though I want to see the pandas and its supposedly a huge place. I've heard of animal confined in small small areas and monkeys that die in front of spectators, other monkeys cradle the dead one and mourn it. No workers cared or did anything.
A Note on Cabs and Transportation
There is a 2 tiered cab system here in Beijing. the 1.20 and the 1.60. 1.20 is cheaper because there is no A/C. You have to see where the antenna is located on the cab to distinguish them.
A big change happening in Beijing right now is that taxi drivers are being released from their cages. They had cages to around them to protect from violent passengers in the past but now, to have a more personable feel (probably to please foreigners in 2008), the cages are slowly being taken away.
The new line for the subway has newly opened. It's like a skytrain and I can take it directly to downtown. (I'm currently living in the psuedo boondocks now) Except I have to take three different trains. The Metro here is similar to Hong Kong except in Putonghua (Mandarin) instead of Cantonese. (OF COURSE)
My Language Update
Very frustrated at the moment. My Mandarin still sucks. I speak v. slowly and I don't completely understand what most people say to me 50% of the time. I wish I were better and that I can read lots more. *sigh*
Your Turn
What are the top news items in Canada and in Vancouver? I feel completely out of the loop. I heard that two weeks ago Wednesday, the US and England bombed Iraq. My Australian friend told me she saw it hidden between bigger articles in a Chinese paper. CRIKEY
