Still wanting to put 2012 on everything, it will take time not unlike other years. Today was an outing day for me. Yesterday Nate and I stayed at home gladly because it is cold outside, but we were waiting on our bottled water delivery. Today after I emailed my friend Ellen, HI ELLEN, I hopped on my bike and went to the Gongren Lu (Road) Market. (The boys went in another direction, I'll let them blog and tell you about their day) I have yet to find hair oil in the form that I used in the states but I did get a larger bottle of body lotion and some green peas, yup freeze dried peas are a snack over here and I love them. They come in all kinds of flavors my favorite being garlic, but there is a wasabi flavor that is like horseradish sauce, kind of like Arby’s Horsey Sauce. The peas I got today are all mystery flavored, sure if I read Chinese better I could read what flavor but since I don’t it is another round of ‘GUESS THAT FLAVOR’ I keep a bottle of water nearby just incase of a hot attack. I tried to find a candy that we got one day, it was tasty and I’ve kept the wrapper in hopes of finding where it is. I got some candy, but so far it doesn’t seem like it at all, it is good, but just not the taste I was looking for. Oh well, onward with my search I guess. I also got a bowl of ‘tofu soup’ It had the same color as a bean soup, but it had bits of tofu floating in it and some clear noodles and cabbage pieces as well. It was spicy and I learned from the last time Chuck and I were there that bringing my own drink is a good thing. I brought my thermos with water in it from home. It is easy to remember to keep hydrated and drink plenty of water when the food is spicy and your mouth needs to be cooled down. Of course after eating and drinking you do need to use the bathroom and the ones that we pay for at the market are very clean but they are also cold. I try hard to not have to use toilets away from home right now simply because they are cold and it is a hassle to remove the layers of clothes to keep you warm so that you can use the toilet. Believe me my need to go was greater than my desire to keep myself warm the last thing I wanted was wet clothing because I couldn’t make it back home. I was wishing for a super market that has an inside toilet, but you live with what you’ve got. In order to get the prices of the street market, some things have to be given up. I’d also say that the majority of the public toilets we go to are free, but sometimes free means differing levels of clean, here the restrooms are always clean (the attendant mops after each customer)for that I am willing to pay. And really it is just the price of life. We don’t have gas for a car to buy, nor do we have car insurance so those costs that we have in the states we don’t have here. We pay something to parking attendants whose job is to watch the bikes and scooters that are parked and locked outside of the various businesses, but if you walk, there is no such thing as paying a parking attendant. I took a picture of an ice patch today’s temp was 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Kind of cold to be riding a bike by US standards, but if this is your mode of transportation what are you to do sit around and wait for spring? We go grocery shopping on bikes and to most places that we want to go to we do it on bikes. Walking will get you in the neighborhood but if you want to explore someplace further from home the bike will get you there. I also took some pictures and they will be posted to the pictures for January section.
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