Holiday Inn Express Tianjin Dongli

... next to you. For most of them it’s rather amusing to watch foreigners barter, even if they know you are getting ripped off. In Western society we label it as blatant racism with a dash of collectivism, but here it’s just about making enough to buy that extra dumpling. That all said, I’ve managed to figure out reasonable prices for the things I buy regularly and I’m finding it much easier to “just say no” when I feel I’m ...

... no bridge crossing the river, we grabbed a taxi to take us out to the temple.

The temple was out in the middle of nowhere, and we asked the taxi to wait for 30 mins but he said it was too long. The entrance fee was only 2rmb and that itself should have been a warning. The temple seemed to be not a tourist attraction but an actual functioning temple where believers come to pray for this or that. As such, it was rather boring, very ...

... expat could expect to be. There's no regrets, but only a wish that I had more time to wander the little crevices and feel the mood of the buildings more often. In time I suppose, and also in time I will be able to travel away from my comfortable little zone of China I have created and to wherever the winds of change may call me.

Pictures added, taken Nov. 17.

... at my elite chinois skills yo?). All kinds of ZhongShanMen ensues. Don't think I'll settle for the road. Naw, the bridge doesn't look like fun. No more ZhongShanMen. Half hour's almost up. But lo and behold, here's Anr (two) thingy that looks like a pagoda? GM indicated is would just be a short but confusing walk from here, rock it! But the bus don't stop. O the humanity. How will I reconstruct those confusing directions? Well ...

... of work to eat around all the bones in a skull is amazing, truly a work of dedication.

After the duck head place, we walked a long time and eventually came to a park in north Tianjin called 'Beining.' The park itself was quite large, with lots of attractions and amusement rides and even a couple miniature zoos, but very few people. I actually felt sorry for most the vendors here. The ...

October 1 I had the day off for the Celebration of Chinese National Day. It was the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. I used this time to explore more of Tianjin. I did a lot of walking and sweating but it was worth it. Enjoy the Photos.

Blake

National Day in China is celebrated on October 1st, and this year is a big one since it's the 60th anniversary of the PRC. Added with that, the fall festival fell close enough to national day this year that I ended up with 8 days off. 'Course, I had to work the Sunday before and the Saturday after ...

Pics from Culture Street and Dinner at a Hot Pot Restaurant.

HUO GUO mean "fire pot"-- The concept is easy you put seasoned water in a pot and boil it in the center of the table. Everyone around the table cooks food in it and eats. Kinda like a Fondue.

Our dinner was shrimp, beef, lamb, mushrooms, cabbage, octopus, squid, and noodles. To make the ...

... Lastly the Monastery of Deep Compassion. It was nice, although the lack of any sort of English explanation made it seem no different than any of the Monasteries I've been to other places in China, so I didn't really stay too long here. Overall though it was nice to get out of the city for a day, since I hadn't actually left Beijing since our last holiday in October! Hope all's well at home, and wish you guys a Happy New Year, xox Katie

... a temple dedicated to the God of the Sea. The let us ring the bell that sounded awesome and super loud. I got a picture of Andrea doing it. We then stopped in at a shop that had most things for 2 yuan which is the equivalent of about 33 cents. The had all sorts of sculptures, fake pearl necklaces, and little kick knacks. So I obviously bought several of them and then realized the error in judgment because my pack became 3 times as heavy and we were headed on our way to ...