Since we’re here on the conference rate and the conference has started, we were directed to the group dining room today for our breakfast. Offerings were a bit more Spartan than at the regular place, but quite acceptable. I had hot orange juice, tea, fried rice, cabbage, noodles with meat, and a roll. Bruce had an egg, roll, bread, and two sweet bean paste rolls. “Smashed bean bun” said the label.
At ten we met in the lobby with Sarah and her friends Tom, Gordon, and Janet from the University of Alberta. Dan’s presentation was today so he had to stay behind and be a professional rather than a tourist. Once again we took cabs into the main area of the city. We decided to rent bicycles and cycle around the beautiful West Lake (about 6 km we think). So we left a deposit of 300 Yuan each, or about $38. Our actual rental cost was about 60 cents an hour. So we set off, right into traffic— busses, bikes, cars, and all. Quite exciting, especially on the narrower stretches.
Some of the bikeways went past tranquil lake views and over gently sloping bridges; then it was back to negotiating with the masses. As Sarah noted, the locals are extremely aware of their surroundings and all manage to weave around each other rather gracefully.
We stopped at one area that looked interesting, an old home of a scholar. Next stop, at a park that looked cool, inviting, and smelled like lunch. It was a densely wooded area, with tall larch trees and lotus plants along the streams. About a hundred students were in one area seemingly on a school outing. Groups of about twenty students, dressed in red and white shirts, circled small wood fires where they were cooking kabobs. The pathway led very close to them so we couldn’t help but observe and become even hungrier.
Further along the path, we noticed a wooden archway. Inside the enticing courtyard people were enjoying a meal. We decided to investigate. At the far end of the area two cooks were serving up lunch. Through hand gestures we discovered the price: 10 Yuan or about $1.25 for a delicious repast of rice, dumplings, cabbage, and a porkchop. Delicious. So we have now eaten a porkchop with chopsticks. We got a lot of stares and friendly greetings: there really are very, very few non-Asians in this city, so we get an abundance of friendly attention. We’ve even gotten ‘hellos’ from passing cars.
After a leisurely lunch, we crossed the street to wander through a park filled with bright annual flowers in geometric patterns.
More biking, sometimes getting a little wet from the street washing trucks. The trucks play music to warn passersby of their approach. One today was playing the Brahms Lullaby. Next stop, the Leifang Pagoda. Rebuilt in 2002 with a steel structure, but it looks old. We thought we would come back another day and pay the entrance fee to the Pagoda. A pond filled with carp and turtles, all hoping for a handout, caught our attention too. Back on the bikes for a couple more miles along a tree lined boulevard, to our starting point.
Near the bike drop off point, a row of small shops lured us in. Sarah bought a couple of dresses for her small children. One traditional Chinese style, one up to date style with balloon hem. To bridge the language barrier, most shopkeepers punch out the price on a calculator so you can see the numbers. Sarah actually punched a lower number as a counteroffer, thus haggling with a talking calculator.
Back to the hotel to receive the good news from Karin that Simon the cat, who had gone missing earlier in the day, had been discovered hiding above the basement ceiling in their rowhouse. He had crawled in there after being spooked by the dog.
After a rest (first time we had biked in quite a while!) we went to a tiny restaurant in the carnival area, the place where many of the Western carnival workers eat. Sarah and Dan had discovered it the other night and struck up conversation with some of them. They have the skilled jobs of operating and maintaining the more complex rides and are all getting ready to move on to the next carnival somewhere when this one closes. In contrast to the meal we had on Sunday at the hotel restaurant, this one was delicious. We could have enjoyed anything on the menu. And it only cost 16.50 Yuan, or a bit over two dollars for the two of us!
We had encountered a few sprinkles late in our bike ride, and they returned while we were eating dinner. Weather to date has been dry, quite warm (70s - 80s), and humid.
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