Pollution Is Gross And Grey

The pollution in the air has been really bad the past few days. 

"Very Unhealthy", see that?  And see all the dark red from yesterday

in the top line of charts?  Even worse.

This was yesterday morning's view from Joel's apartment:

There are other skyscrapers, you just can't see them.

The whole city felt grey and dirty and gross.  So what did I do?  I went outside to explore!!  I found dirty things and colorful things and I want to share. 

 There's the sun, shining through the smog! 

Christmas-Obsessed

The holiday season in China is huge.  Like, ppl got into it.  Here follows my collection of photos of Chinese people enthused about Christmas.  People wearing Santa hats in McDonalds, children dressed up as Santa as if this was a hybrid holiday with Halloween, HUGE Christmas trees and holiday events not just on Christmas but in the days following... I have no other words.  I must let the images speak for themselves.

Our Faces

This is a post filled mainly with pictures of me and Joel at places of interest. Selfies!. It's just something you have to do! I think some people do it for the proof that I've been there thing. I tend to think of selfies as a lottery; if I take enough of them, maybe one of them will make me look cute! ^^

Here goes. 
ps, this was a beast to organize and I don't do html, so I wash my hands of the formatting of this post.

Selfie number one. This is us in Chengdu just before going out for some pretty not great hotpot. We are posing in front of this bower overflowing with little red pouches filled with wishes! And Joel wrote one for us and we tied it on. Isn't that the sweetest!!

The hot pot was bad in that we ordered too much, the fish tasted like dirt, and a giant shrimp's head exploded in our broth.  BUT there was a performance with bits of Chinese opera and the mask-changing dance! That was super cool :)  

Selfie number two. IN THE AIRPLANE ON THE WAY TO HONG KONG! Yay Christmas!!

Selfie number three. This was when we were eating that amazing sushi. There was another sushi restaurant downstairs (apparently malls are legitimate locations for fancy restaurants here) that looked half empty, but they said they were full. This one looked full, but they said they still had space at the bar. It was the best thing that ever happened to us.

Selfie number four. Showing off our Hawaii outfits. Joel's mom sent us a joint package (*yay!!*) with a Hawaiian shirt for him and a tropical scarf for me! We are so ready for day two in Hong Kong.

Selfie number five. On the adorable ferry that shuttles people between Hong Kong island and Kowloon. That Hawaiian shirt is the best. He wore it allllllll day. 😍

Selfie number six. (These likenesses of me keep getting worse and worse! I'm telling you, selfies are a lottery. And I don't often win... Joel, on the other hand, looks totally great! Sigh.)  This is right after riding an *awesome* roller coaster!! It had been something like ten years for each of us since riding a 'coaster. It felt good to get back in that harness.

Selfie number seven. Waiting in line for the Raging Rapids ride, and then...wait for it.....

Selfies number eight, nine, and ten. These goofy pics are from the thrilling initial climb, just before I tucked my phone away so it wouldn't get wet.

And...the piece de resistance....

Picture number eleven. This was the shot taken just before the final plunge. Joel insisted that we spend the $15 for a copy because our resting faces are priceless. Mostly his. What an abiding glower!! Money well spent, I must say ^^

Selfie number twelve. After a full day of amusement parking, a mad dash to make our dinner reservation, and a deliciously hearty meal at Dan Ryan's, I was pooped. Jet lag might have still had something to do with it.. This is a shot from when we were heading back to the hotel, just before I started looking like a zombie and turning into a pumpkin at the same time. Joel took such good care of my sleepwalking self and didn't leave me on the subway or anything! Partially couldn't be helped, since I was napping on his chest the whole ride. Boyfriends can be pretty nice.

Oh, and I have to add the pics from the restaurant--it was just soooooo good!

    

The potato skins that changed my life, Joel's rack of ribs, and my beautiful beautiful steak...  That night it was go big or go home. In the end, we did both!

Selfie number thirteen. Us with our new friend Sol (short for Solomon) from New York. Riding the tram up to Hong Kong's peak! It was unfortunately quite rainy and bleak that day, but it was a cool ride and the views were still solid, even if a lot of it was white. Sol was nice and took pics for us: 

And I, of course, also needed to take one, selfie-style. 

And with that, I'm out.

Dear Sugar Cane Juice Seller:

Repeating the words louder and louder will not make me understand you better. I wasn't trying to cheat you, I was just stupidly ignorant (the nerve of some people, I know) of the fact that 'kuai' is a measure word for money and is often used alone implying yuan. And it's hard to ask clarifying questions on the spot. Maybe I could've cobbled something together had you not been increasing my anxiety with your yelling. In the end you got your money and I got my juice. You taught me a vocabulary word I'll never forget, and I suppose I can be grateful. I just wish I could have taught you some patience--and perhaps a few miming ideas--in return. 

Yours truly,

That Silly American Girl With The Blank Look

Hitler Fish, Bamboo Scaffolding and Star Wars: Christmas In Hong Kong

Hong Kong was, in a word, crowded. 
People everywhere!  Lines lasted for ages!

But that is not to be the point of my post. 
Hong Kong was also a study in contrasts.  Near the harbor it was built of huge shining skyscrapers that lit up with Christmas gaudiness when the sun went down (more on the apparent Chinese obsession with Christmas later).  Further from the harbor, I suppose it was technically in Kowloon, the buildings were covered in scaffolding or air conditioners or peeling pastel paint.  I thought it was beautiful in a try-to-see-the-best-in-every-situation and my-those-subtle-colors-are-lovely kind of way.  My iPhone can't really capture what I saw, but I'll share anyway.

Do you see what I mean?  Also, that bamboo scaffolding was held together with plastic lashing.  It was terrifying-looking.  Joel says it's economical and environmentally friendly.  Ok.  I hope it is also structurally sound.  Apparently it is, because we saw multiple buildings entirely swathed in bamboo scaffolding and natural-colored hemp-like cheese-cloth-texture gauze, as if they were cocooned chrysalises waiting for their transformation to be complete.

But we didn't just see cool retro buildings!  We also toured the Goldfish Market and the Flower Market and the Bird Market! 

note the Hitler 'stash on this inquisitive goldfish

see the wild bird taunting and/or bolstering his caged brethren?

The bird market was kinda sad.  Lots of birds in cages.  Like Joel said, a fish in a bowl can still swim, but a bird in a cage can't fly :(  Of course, there were plenty of beautiful and empty bird cages for sale and those aren't sad at all!  I would have bought a bunch, but I'm not rich enough yet for such an eccentric purchase.  Instead, Joel got me a little wooden cricket cage!  Just like the one in Mulan!!

Ok, now that I see it again, it's not like that one, but it's the same idea!

Also, there was a cage full of lizards at one place, and one of the lizards chewed off another lizard's hand.  It was horribly graphic.  We saw the bloody stump when the dust settled, and I had to leave the store.

BUT THEN!!!!  We had the most delicious sushi ever.  No joke.  We decided we like marinated tuna, fatty tuna, and salmon the best.  Regular tuna is just eh.  An 'eh' at this place was still a 'mmmmmmmwow' at any other, though, so no complaints.  ^^

AND THEN FOR THE FINAL ACT OF CHRISTMAS DAY IN HONG KONG we watched Star Wars.  :)  So good.  Loved it.  Loved the day.  That day was good.