Beijing

[Tim]

In honor of those who recently participated in the "CUF ride around Lake Tahoe" event, tonight YOhio and I held the first "CUF ride around Beijing in a taxi" event. The program started out with us walking through the Donghuamen Night Market, and me almost buying a scorpion to eat, but chickening out. Phase two of the event consisted of me sitting in the back of taxi while YOhio negotiated the fare down with a greedy son-of-a-bitch taxi driver. Then the taxi driver ranked his favorite US presidents as follows:

1. George HW Bush
2. Clinton
3. Obama
4. George W Bush

He specifically didn't like Obama because "he's black," and GWB because he started the war. Interesting.

After the nervewracking ride in the taxi (stop signs are basically just suggestions in China, apparently), phase three of tonight's event consisted of two grown Mormon men sitting by a lily pad-covered man-made lake drinking mocktails. It was quite the moment, if you ask me! At one point one of the girls at the next table over asked if she could take her picture with each of us so she could put them on her MySpace (or whatever they have here) and make everyone think she was hanging out with Americans all night. I should've charged her a ten-second frencher for the photo, but I sadly didn't think of it until afterward.

All-in-all the event was a success.

[beefytee]

Our thirteen month old was a big hit with the locals in China.

It felt like we were being surrounded by paparazzi.

[JohnnyLingo]

I should've charged her a ten-second frencher for the photo...

Eh?

[Tim]

Our thirteen month old was a big hit with the locals in China.

It felt like we were being surrounded by paparazzi.

I've literally been photographed six times (that I saw) since arriving in Beijing roughly ten hours ago.

[Colly Wolly]

How will Utestar feel about this?

[JohnnyLingo]

Our thirteen month old was a big hit with the locals in China.

It felt like we were being surrounded by paparazzi.

My aunt lives in Beijing with her family... I'll bet they're fairly sick of this kind of thing by now.

[YOhio]

How will Utestar feel about this?

Who cares what HE thinks of this I know I don't. I doubt he even notices anyway.

[FN Phat]

pics?

[Indy Coug]

I've literally been photographed six times (that I saw) since arriving in Beijing roughly ten hours ago.

When my family and I were in Chang Mai, Thailand, we used to get stopped by all sorts of Asians, allegedly because of all of the blond-haired people in the family. At least, that's what my parents told me (I was 12 or so at the time). In any event, it was weird being in Thailand and having to repeatedly pose for total strangers.

[falafel]

pics?

Yeah, I want photographic evidence that you really hung out with some asian chick next to a lily-padded lake drinking mocktails.

[Colly Wolly]

When we lived in Shanghai in 1988, our family took a Saturday trip to the Shanghai Zoo. I remember two moments from this trip. The first was I accidentally stepped in a puddle of vomit in the middle of the sidewalk because I was not watching where I was going.

The second memory is of a grounds keeper seeing my 2 year old curly red haired sister, running over, picking her up, and jogging away with her while talking baby talk to her in Chinese. She had a hack saw in her other hand the whole time. My parents freaked out.

[beefytee]

When we lived in Shanghai in 1988, our family took a Saturday trip to the Shanghai Zoo. I remember two moments from this trip. The first was I accidentally stepped in a puddle of vomit in the middle of the sidewalk because I was not watching where I was going.

The second memory is of a grounds keeper seeing my 2 year old curly red haired sister, running over, picking her up, and jogging away with her while talking baby talk to her in Chinese. She had a hack saw in her other hand the whole time. My parents freaked out.

Yep, there was a crazy old lady janitor in the Shanghai airport who wouldn't leave our baby alone. Luckily she never pick him up.

[FN Phat]

Yeah, I want photographic evidence that you really hung out with some asian chick next to a lily-padded lake drinking mocktails.

exact-ree