Ancient Culture Street

One of Tianjin's tourist spots is Ancient Culture Street... an outdoor market area selling lots of crafts and souvenirs. Some of these things are semi-genuine, and some just cheap knick-knacks. Either way... it's a nice way to spend the afternoon when the weather cooperates. And today, it did.

Gary and I stepped out of the cab and saw a big arched entrance to the market. A few people were crowded around to take pictures, so we stood to the side to stay out of their way. When the Chinese people saw us, we got a couple of stares which we're pretty used to. Then one girl came up to us with a big smile, and asked to take a picture with us. We were more of a tourist attraction than the market. After she got her photo, 5 other people did the same. So we stood, smiled, gave our best peace signs, and were thanked profusely by the Chinese people. We made their day.

As for shopping... it's always fun to check out local markets. We didn't end up with any big purchases today... but now we know where to go to get "ancient" cultural knick-knacks. And Chinese paparazzi.

Chinese Brews

I think there is no end to what Asians have been produce from rice. I've heard just about every type of food... noodles, cakes, ice cream, oil, and a variety of snacks and crackers. It's used for paper, soap, and cosmetics. It's even used as building insulation.

But of course, kudos to the Asians for turning the little white grain into alcohol. In Korea, there was soju. A very drinkable liquor, easy to mix into Coke or Sprite... not dissimilar to vodka.

But in China... it's Baijiu. And baijiu is a horrible, violently disgusting 100-proof liquor you wouldn't want to touch on a bet.

On first smell, I thought it might be do-able. People had terrible things to say about soju, but I ended up liking it. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. Beside the turpentine stench that accompanies it, the minute I choked it down, my tongue and lips felt a little tingly and numb. Not exactly what you hope for from a cocktail.

I couldn't do more than the mini-shot I took to taste it. And I'm happy to say that's where my encounter with baijiu ends. According to some well-versed in the beverage, baijiu hangovers seem to be in a category of their own. Most people have told me the hangover lasts for days, and it takes quite a while to stop smelling it on your clothes and your skin.

So, while I won't be enjoying the local booze (which is really disappointing, because the bottle it comes in is pretty cool), I will be taking some home for everyone to try. Get ready, folks.

Money, Money, Money

It's been a slow few days in Tianjin... not too much going on for the New Year holiday. Hopefully things will pick up once we're back at school and starting to teach some of our own classes.

A quick lesson in Chinese money... the currency is yuan, and the bills come in 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100. The 100 is their biggest bill and only equal to about $15 US (0r £10 for my British fans :)

The other day, we got reimbursements for our visa fees and pre-arrival medical exams. The school handed over an enormous wad of cash...well over $1000 all in $10 bills. It definitely looked like some shady drug deal... but hey, I'm not complaining. Cash is cash, and I'll take whatever they want to give me.