Rain, Rain, Go Away...

The theme for Wed, rain...rain...and more rain.

Today was a rainy day from sun up to sun down. Actually looking out our hotel window it's still coming down at a nice pace so forget the sun down part. Maybe more like sun up to sun up even though Ming said we still might have some rain tomorrow morning. Oh well, at least the bad weather is on it's way out and will already be through Beijing by the time we arrive tomorrow afternoon.

With the rain falling the way it was I decided to skip class this morning and stay in our hotel room in an attempt to get some work done. I caught up on emails (both personal and work) and did some much needed SIGGRAPH planning as well. After sending off my s2010 homework assignment that was requested and finished playing catch up on all my blog posts. As of this evening you should all be up to date, thank goodness. Sorry that things have been lengthy but so much is going on that I want to share. I wish you could all be here with me but this is the best I can do.

But I digress. 

Once Terri returned from classes we both changed for the day and decided to venture out. I'm glad she reminded me to pack my umbrella since having a small one that fits in my purse really came in handy today. Since it was pouring just yet we decided to walk back up towards the shopping district we discovered yesterday to grab some lunch and then use that as a starting point to navigate our way to the Tianjin Department Store that our guidebook suggested. We felt like pros walking around today. Not only do we have a renewed sense of confidence now in reading our map, but we're really starting to recognize the different areas, shops and street names which makes the walking time seem so much shorter. It seemed like with a blink of an eye we were passing the mosque we saw yesterday, the big cathedral and then there we were, shopping mecca. I still cannot get over how many shops and malls this place has. Yes I realize there are 10 million people in Tianjin (according to Ming) but come on! How many Nike stores, seriously do you need in a 5 block radius? I think we've counted as many as 5. And the McDonalds....McDonalds in China seem to be the Starbucks of the States. There seems to be 1 on every corner and sometimes you can even stand in the doorway of one and see the other right down the street. So in true American spirit Terri and I decided to see if the rumor of egg rolls being on the menu was true and ventured in. The menu for the most part was identical to that which we have at home. I only noticed 2 differences and no egg rolls are not on the menu. Instead of chicken strips (not nuggets but those fancy strips they sell) they had chicken wings and in perhaps instead of the breakfast burrito they had something that looked like the traditional McD's apple pie but filled with egg? It was on a sign next to a McCafe so it had to be something breakfast related. Probably should have taken a picture but we looked like tourists enough, and there is already something very cliche about 2 Americans in a McDonalds in China. :) 

After feasting on Big Macs and french fries (which both tasted the same as at home) we headed back out into the rain and over to the Tianjin Department store. I have to say, for all that the guide book said about it I was slightly disappointed. But it's probably one of the older if not first "malls" in the area so the new stuff we had already seen in the shopping district out shone this one. That didn't matter to us though, we had to go in and experience it for ourselves. One thing Terri and I have learned about department stores here though is that the Chinese organize goods by type and then by floor. For example when you enter in a store it seems to be all jewelry, watches, cosmetics and perfumes. Go down one floor and it's all shoes. Mens' shoes, womens' shoes, teen shoes, all shoes shoes shoes (or as I like to call it, heaven, lol). Go up a couple floors and it's all womens clothes, then the floor above that is all mens. Another floor or 2 up is all housewares, then a whole athletic floor, so on and so forth. The Tianjin Dept. Store had in total 8 floors, but only 7 of those were currently open. The 8th was closed off. The other difference we noticed is that unlike, say, Macy's where you can wonder from department to department and see various brands, the sets up here are almost like each vendor has it's own space on the floor, with its own 2 employees and its own cashier. They all dress differently and seem not to work for the entire store, but for that specific brand. A little different than we're used to but a system I guess that works for them.

Once we were done shopping, and yes we did buy something (Terri purchased a really beautiful umbrella - embellished ones are all the rage here and you could really see that today with the rain) we decided to walk back to our hotel. Even though cab rides here are cheap, and we're talking maybe 13 yuan which is like $2.50 USD, walking lets us see more of the city and burn off some of the calories we're taking in due to the lack of availability of things like Diet Coke. We got to our room with just enough time to relax a little, use the hair dryer to help speed the laundry drying process along (yes, we've both done laundry in the sink a couple times now) and change for dinner. We met Ming in the lobby and attempted to catch a cab over to the Muslim area of town. The rain made it very difficult to find a free cab since most people who would walk during rush hour were now taking cabs. Eventually we did catch one though and made it to the restaurant in good time.

Dinner tonight was fantastic!!! Terri and I were both curious as to what Muslim food with a Chinese spin would be like, and yummy would be the answer. We had a cumin covered lamb, lamb kabobs with chili powder, a yogurt soup and a very yummy (and spicy) chicken noodle vegetable dish. This was probably the first night not only were we full, but we were stuffed. Dinner was also accompanied by a show. As our first course came the front of the restaurant became almost like a karaoke bar. The atmosphere was one of fun and excitement with music filling the room and people getting up and dancing. We found out, thanks to Ming, that there was a group having a reunion dinner of sorts, the group gathering was celebrating their journey to the Muslim part of China (the west) in 1965. I took some video of the festivities but unfortunately since YouTube and Facebook are blocked here in China, and I really don't have access to my blog, you'll have to wait until I get back to see it. As we were trying to leave we were noticed by a few members of the party who instantly started to say "hello" as best they could to us. Yup, there is no doubt in my mind that Terri and I totally stand out in a group. You can tell we're not from around here. Ming was able to talk to who seemed to be the ringleader who was very excited to meet us and so happy to learn that Terri was a teacher. He told us to go ahead and take pictures, tried to get us to dance with them and then made me shake almost everyone's hands. He was so happy to meet us and wanted everyone too. I tried to say hello in Chinese to everyone which thankfully came off as a cute attempt and not an insult. They all smiled, laughed and returned my gesture with an actual "hello". After about 10 minutes we were finally able to make our way out the door where Ming told us that they don't get many foreigners around these parts, especially in restaurants like these, so they were happy to have us. Couldn't have guessed. :)

Leaving the restaurant we walked across the street to Food Street, a giant indoor, well, place to eat. The name pretty much says it all. There are shops, cafes, bars and restaurants all up and down the 2 stories of the building. It's a really cool site, neon and all. Inside Terri and I were able to purchase a few local treats that will be making it back to the States with us to share so I'm not going to spoil the surprise and tell you what we bought. I will tell you though that it's taking some restraint NOT to open the packages and dive in as I sit here and type this. Mmmm, goodies. Being that it was later in the evening Food Street was a little empty but it was the last of the things Terri and I had on our list of things to do here in Tianjin so we're happy we got to see it. Ming then helped us catch a cab back to the hotel where we retired to our room for the evening.

It was a fun day, even if the rain made it kind of blah at times. A good way to end our time here in Tianjin. Tomorrow after Terri finishes her class we'll return to the hotel, check out and then head with one of the student ambassadors to the bullet train station where we'll board a train for Beijing. It's hard to believe our time here is already over. The week has flown by. Tomorrow is already Thursday. Wow. I can't wait to see what Beijing has in store for us. If we thought this week was fun already, I bet we're in for a big surprise.

And with that I'm signing off for the evening. The next time you'll hear from me, from us, we'll be in Beijing. Night everyone!