into our city

April 21, 2008

I awoke early and enjoyed reading the book... I ate more "beans and black fungus" and enjoyed several servings of yoghurt. We boarded the bus for our tour of the city and settled in for a two hour ride.

Arriving in the late morning, we checked into our hotel. d and i are rooming together now. i wouldn't describe it as elegant... pragmatic and utilitarian seem to fit better. that said, each room has a mini water cooler with a heated tap for making "cha" in the mornings... plus, the cold water is safe to drink without having to boil it.

after checking in, we went to lunch with our local host. the restaurant is about a 10 minute walk away. the shoping promenade reminds me of "one main place" in santa monica, california. nevertheless, i was never acosted by anyone trying to sell me a "Rolex" and a "Gucci" bag in santa monica!

lunch was a collection of dishes again served on a lazy susan. the most interesting dish was a fried fish presented with head and tail, turned inside out, and diced... the best way to describe it without a picture would be to think of one of those deep-fried onions at chili's where you pull pieces of fried onion off piece by piece. the only difference here is there is a fish head at one end!

our host gave a nice lesson...

we scheduled some meetings and appointments...

i am having dinner tonight with some friends of ours here and they are bringing those who are interested in learning more... our host has also set up a meeting with me and two others in our group to meet with the a professional cohort. this is perhaps what i am most excited about. i am really looking foreward to "talking shop" with another shrink in the far east!

we ate dinner at a "hot pot" restaurant. this is the type of restaurant LG back home and i have looked for in our city to no avail! they place a large two-sided pot in the center of the table. each side is filled with broth and spices. one side is mild-hot and the other is spicy-hot. they bring the pot to a boil with a gas burner below the pot. they then bring various foods (cooked and uncooked) to the table and put them in the pot... after taking the food out of the boiling pot with chopsticks or a ladel (sp?), you place it in a bowl in front of you which can be filled with different flavored and spiced oils. i think it is the best meal i have had on the whole trip!

there was a great jockying for position to pay for the bill and i don't want to brag, (and you who know me know i must!!!) but i was able to "give the heisman" and get myself to the front of the line... i thought i was so clever (also typical of me) until i learned they didn't take any credit cards!!! my friend bailed me out and i got to pay him back without losing any face before our hosts (a very important thing here!)

after dinner, one of our friends here in country, accompanied by two of her seeking friends, escorted me to a bank where i could use my ATM card and withdraw the local currency. I still find it amazing that i can put my debit card into a machine in a foreign country and get money out!

after getting a bit of cash, i retired to my room and went to bed.