June 19th: Chinese gut potion and tent fireworks
[ posted by mcdeviltoast ]
Day 276
After writing and showering, I rode a box of my winter clothes under my arm to the post office. Once there, my box didn't measure up and they put it into a new one that I had to pay for. Anotehr little annoyance I won't miss about China. I filled out my paperwork, stood there while they did whatever they did to keep me from leaving. One of teh grey-suited police type folk came in, stood next to me and chattered about me to the clerks, laughed. I looked over at him, said "Quit talkin' shit, guy. I'm right here." I don't mind if they talk about me, they should just have the decency to wait until after I've left.
I got outside and a young woman by a motorcycle pointed and laughed. I yelled at her. "What?! What's so goddamned funny?! Raaahhhh!" I've had this stomach thing for a week now and it heightens my irritability. Heather and I went to the pharmacy next to the tree dumpling place in search of stomach remedy.
We got a combo of tablets and a glass vial of liquid which my dude opened for me with a round coarse disc. He then said to return at 10pm and he would open another dose for me. My stomach did feel better, although a side effect was an unpleasant aftertaste in the back of my throat, easily killed with the citric acid of orange juice.
After watching "Shark Tale" (a good copy this time, no people crossing in front of the screen trying to find their seats) Mike, Heather, and I went to the DVD shop, picked up some stuff, then tucked ourselves into UBC for some fries.
A gent at another table came over to test his English and take pictures with his ultra-thin Japanese camera. His daughter practically stood at the head of our table the whole time, smiling at everything we said, continually checking our order sheet or jamming an index finger in her nostril.
Afterwards we walked back and witnessed a man and his young son doing some street fishing. He had a long pole and a net, the type you use to clean a pool, and he was swiping at treetops, catching sparrows and putting them in his son's plastic bag. I knew they ate them, but it was weird to see the harvest end of it. Apparently the sparrow-eating started with Mao, who declared war on them since they ate rice, echoes of the Pope wanting to help the fishermen by declaring the idiotic "fish on Friday" rule; culinary traditions revered as "mystical" when their origin is actually practical.
sparrow catcher
We got some fireworks and discovering the pharmacy was closed, joined Rhys and Jeni at the tents. Lao Ban set off the fireworks a couple feet from diners unshielded by the tent roof. Some of the blasts were deflected by wires overhead and sent sparks and debris raining down, a rogue piece hitting Constable three inches from his package.
We had a couple beers with them, then Mike, or rather his stomach, sent him away early. The rest of us watched "The Phantom Menace" until sleep swooped in to reclaim us.
After writing and showering, I rode a box of my winter clothes under my arm to the post office. Once there, my box didn't measure up and they put it into a new one that I had to pay for. Anotehr little annoyance I won't miss about China. I filled out my paperwork, stood there while they did whatever they did to keep me from leaving. One of teh grey-suited police type folk came in, stood next to me and chattered about me to the clerks, laughed. I looked over at him, said "Quit talkin' shit, guy. I'm right here." I don't mind if they talk about me, they should just have the decency to wait until after I've left.
I got outside and a young woman by a motorcycle pointed and laughed. I yelled at her. "What?! What's so goddamned funny?! Raaahhhh!" I've had this stomach thing for a week now and it heightens my irritability. Heather and I went to the pharmacy next to the tree dumpling place in search of stomach remedy.
We got a combo of tablets and a glass vial of liquid which my dude opened for me with a round coarse disc. He then said to return at 10pm and he would open another dose for me. My stomach did feel better, although a side effect was an unpleasant aftertaste in the back of my throat, easily killed with the citric acid of orange juice.
After watching "Shark Tale" (a good copy this time, no people crossing in front of the screen trying to find their seats) Mike, Heather, and I went to the DVD shop, picked up some stuff, then tucked ourselves into UBC for some fries.
A gent at another table came over to test his English and take pictures with his ultra-thin Japanese camera. His daughter practically stood at the head of our table the whole time, smiling at everything we said, continually checking our order sheet or jamming an index finger in her nostril.
Afterwards we walked back and witnessed a man and his young son doing some street fishing. He had a long pole and a net, the type you use to clean a pool, and he was swiping at treetops, catching sparrows and putting them in his son's plastic bag. I knew they ate them, but it was weird to see the harvest end of it. Apparently the sparrow-eating started with Mao, who declared war on them since they ate rice, echoes of the Pope wanting to help the fishermen by declaring the idiotic "fish on Friday" rule; culinary traditions revered as "mystical" when their origin is actually practical.
sparrow catcher
We got some fireworks and discovering the pharmacy was closed, joined Rhys and Jeni at the tents. Lao Ban set off the fireworks a couple feet from diners unshielded by the tent roof. Some of the blasts were deflected by wires overhead and sent sparks and debris raining down, a rogue piece hitting Constable three inches from his package.
We had a couple beers with them, then Mike, or rather his stomach, sent him away early. The rest of us watched "The Phantom Menace" until sleep swooped in to reclaim us.
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[ posted by mcdeviltoast @ 6/19/2005 10:56:00 PM ]
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The dumbtronica act Montana & McDeviltoast, along with their friends, keep each other updated on their activities. Much fun having by all, and Pockys fear for their lives!