Another walk, this time to OCT (a stop on the Metro) and beyond!

     The Metro is the subway system in Shenzhen, China.  I have decided to get out and just plain walk more, and I found it was easier to get the pictures off the camera then it was to get them off the phone.  This was my walk this week.  I went past the Overseas Chinese Town (OCT), which is a tourist village (think Williamsburg) and a very nice area.  I did not set out to get there, I just started walking and took it where the wind blew me.  I took the 66 bus to the Window of the World (WOTW) stop and head out from there.  WOTW is another tourist stop that reminds me of Disneyworld.  I am not quite sure what all they have, but they have an overhead tram.  I am not really interested in doing the family friendly tourist thing, so I have not even looked into what it would cost to get in.

This is the entrance to the Metro stop.

From here, I headed West and went past OCT.

There were a large number of amazing sculptures along the path I took.

This one reminded me of Mike!

A tall ship?  On land?  Pray tell, what is this madness?

I believe this is an art gallery?  I did not bring money with me so I did not attempt to see if I could get in.

Apparently this is connected to the Intercontinental Hotel.

You can barely tell, but even in the stifling heat, it appears a few leaves are turning yellow.

The entrance to OCT.  It cost 180rmb and I had no cash, so this is for another day.

Looking down from the entrance to OCT.

This is typical of the "sidewalks" in Shenzhen.  They tend to be very wide, to allow bike, motorbike, and pedestrian traffic, and tend to be tree lined.

They have footbridges over most of the main roads that are all amazing to look at and very handy.

These are amazing and huge pink flowers that are in the trees all over the place.  The skies tend to be pink above our heads.

My walks.

     In China, there are tons of little "villages" or neighborhoods and each one, while similar, has its own unique personality.  My new BFF Sherrie was convinced we could walk everywhere and did not understand that walking is exercise, while shopping is a sport.  You do NOT cross the streams and try to mingle the two worlds.  You are either exercising or shopping, but you cannot walk the last 2 miles home carrying all of your purchases!
     So, I have found it best to try and walk or shop on my own.  My hard learned lesson is to do either of those on Wednesday, when I have a half day off, instead of trying to do it all on the weekend, when every other Chinese person is out and about doing the same thing!  The food court at Ikea is a prime example.  I just go for the 5rmb cup of espresso with free refills.  For an extra 8rmb, you can buy a little container of milk.  For 13rmb I can sit and have 2 cups of real coffee.  BUT, and there is always a big but, if you try this on Saturday or Sunday, the place is beyond packed and the cafeteria is worse.  The locals will literally stand over you and ask repeatedly if you are finished yet.
     When I was having dental work done, Sherrie convinced me we could walk.  "It isn't that far."  So I put my faith in her hands, and her map, and took off for the dentist.  What I did not know, and Sherrie apparently did not know either, was that there was no real walkable path from point A to point B.  We wound up walking on the drainage path for a roadway and crossing a 6 lane highway.  Fortunately, there was a toll-booth like structure between us and the other side so we were able to play frogger and cross one lane at a time.  Not that far, turned out to be over 3 miles when I google mapped it.
     After dentist, we were going to walk home and wound up walking in a huge circle before I was able to convince her to just get a cab.  These are the pics from what I saw.

This is a ficus.  They grow to trees here.

No clue.

Sherrie and the huge round fountain.

Map of the most amazing park I have ever seen!

Small sitting space in an "alcove" off the main path.

     These are some of the things I see when I hike to Ikea.

You have to read the signs to actually appreciate the translations....LOL

My new "home".

  My "home" is about 15'x15' plus "kitchen" and "bath".  I was told the place was supposed to be, "...fully furnished", but it was not even close.  I specifically asked if I needed to bring sheets, towels, dishes, etc.  My room contained, a bed (queen sized and hard as a rock, apparently "firm" means rock in Chinese), one set of hideous sheets, a bookshelf, a wardrobe, a desk (no chair), a mini-fridge, and a washing machine.  The good news is; a) it possessed a Western toilet, b) there were silver curtains (see bottom pic far right side) that block the room from the bath/kitchen, and block the light in the morning, c) each room has its own water heater (above toilet) that controls the hot water for the shower (so if you run out of hot, it is your own damned fault!), and finally, d) the desk is big enough to function as a desk.  But the BEST part of everything was that the building was brand new so I did not have to clean up after the last tenant, just sweep and mop the dust!

     Now for the downsides, a) it is small as hell, but that means less to clean, b) there is NO hot water anywhere but in the shower, so washing dishes is a chore and a half, c) the bathroom and its shower position mean taking a shower is a delicate dance to make sure you do not hurt yourself on the water spigot (for filling large pots, cooking, and filling mop buckets) or any of the handles for said spigots, d) it is on the 5th floor and there is no elevator, making shopping and carrying a double chore (thank all that is wonderful that the water delivery guys carry the big jugs up the stairs for you!!!), and finally, e) the bathroom floor and drain were poorly constructed so I have to push the water into the drain every night when I take a shower.

     With the help of Ikea, I have managed to make this place into a cozy home.  Keeping Robert's mantra of "minimal" in my head, I did not buy everything I wanted, just the stuff I needed to make this place a home.  Below are pictures taken from the moment you walk into the room until your gaze comes back to the door.  Starting at the left of the entry, facing in, it looks like this:

 You walk into the room and immediately, you are next to my bed.  The lamp in the corner provides great lighting for when I read or do crafts.

 Walking in, my "sitting area" is to your left.  I bought the folding table and two chairs so if anyone came in to chat, eat, drink, etc., they were not sitting on my bed.  The couch provides me a place to sit and watch "tv" on the computer, and folds out into a bed for company.  I can sit on the couch near the bed and use the light on my nightstand to see by.  The small lamp dims so I can lower it gradually before going to sleep.

 The wardrobe houses my hanging clothes, my boxes of meds and vitamins, etc.  I was easier to put my folded clothes in storage bins on the outside as it is a bit tight to get into the wardrobe next to the couch.

 These are the infamous silver curtains.  It keeps the cooling bill lower as I don't have to cool the kitchen/bath area when I am home and the air con is running.  It killed me to have to buy yet more metal storage racks, but it had to be hella cheaper then shipping them.  I STILL have not figured out how to mail or receive mail.  The wooden crates are my "pantry".

 As you can see, the light is very bright so the curtains help block that for sleeping.  In addition, there were no curtains on the exterior window (and they are constructing offices across the way) so one of the very first things I did was buy curtain rods and curtains for the "kitchen".

 MUCH SMALLER THAN IT APPEARS!  The blue scrunchy hangs on one of the protruding knobs.  I just have to remember to turn slowly and carefully.

 This is my dish drying rack.  Counter space is at a premium so I put it on the washer to dry.  I put it away when I need to do laundry and take it out on the weekends for cooking dishes.  If you look closely, you will see my "kitchen curtains".  Not my first choice, but the Chinese seem to have very few options and their taste is not that great...LOL

 This is my kitchen shelf unit.  I put the hot plate up when not using it and store my dishes and spices here.  In a place this small, the only way to go is up!

 My kettle is on the top shelf with my oils and liquid kitchen needs.  Basalmic vinegar, oil, soy sauce, etc.  I have learned to drink instant coffee because the cost and process of making coffee in China is prohibitively expensive and tedious.  Anyone who knows me, and loves me anyways, will know that I just do not do life without coffee, so instant is the quickest fix!

This is my "office".  The shelves on either side of my computer house my office and art supplies.  I set up the top shelf so the hammies are eye level when I am at the desk.  I think of it as money well spent every time I look at them.  It gives me someone/something to nurture that is relatively easy to upkeep and maintain and doesn't demand very much.

My bookcase provides extra storage and not many books are kept here.  I find a bunch of folks who swap English language books so I am passing mine along as soon as I finish them.

     That is my new home for the next 9 months.  I invite anyone who would like to visit to please let me know when and keep in mind that I have been told I snore.

The food!

     Rice.  Rice is eaten with every meal in the form of noodles or just plain rice.  It is hard to imagine, but fried rice or stir fry noodles are sold on the streets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Breakfast time also sees the proliferation of warm soy juice.  One of my favorite things to eat for breakfast, other than a PBJ sandwich (cold, easy, portable), consists of a tiny amount of ground pork(?), a thin layer of rice flour batter (think very thin crepe) mixed with a raw egg, lettuce, and green onions.  They mix the pork, egg and batter, and then top with lettuce and green onions and then steam the thin layer.  When it is finished, it is scooped up and put into a container.  You are given a small plastic bag of brown sauce to pour over it.  It is like eating the Chinese version of a smothered omelette and it is very satisfying for breakfast, if I am in the mood for something hot.  By the time I am writing this, I have already eaten a large peach and two small egg custards for "breakfast", or I would have gone out and ordered one in order to take a pic.

 I promise to take more food pics!
     Now let's talk about street food.  "Street food" comes in all shapes, sizes, forms and stages of life.  Sometimes it comes in cages, sometimes it is simply tied up, and sometimes it just surprises you.

When I bought this chicken at the grocer, the feet and head were tucked into the carcass, so this was NOT what I expected.  The feet and head are in a ziplock in the freezer until Sherrie wants them for a soup, or I decide to feed them to the guard dogs next door.

The left side of the street is a part of the row of open air, outdoor, "dining establishments" that line my back street.  You sit at tables on plastic stools to eat what you have selected and they have cooked.  You can get your meal stir fried, boiled, steamed, or something to eat cold that is already cooked.  I have been warned repeatedly about eating anything raw from these places, and I tend to heed their warnings.  I am also extremely leery of raw veggies and I take care to wash them at home before I eat them.
     People ask me all the time if it is true they really eat dog.  I have to say, that based on the picture that a co-worker showed me of the carcass, yes, it is true.  I will NOT post the pic, but trust me, that animal barked in its former life.  There are allegedly signs on shops advertising dog meat, but it is all Chinese to me :')
     Like I said before, they eat rice or rice noodles with all three meals.  White rice tends to back me up, so I generally steer clear of it.  They make these delicious sweet potato noodles that are transparent, but I thought I heard those were worse for you...who cares, I am eating them in China.  A number of people back home warned me I would grow sick of Chinese food and would switch to a Western diet.  I disagree!  While I do not care for hot rice, noodles, and steamed veggies for breakfast, I love my lunches at school.  I eat there every day except the days I need to run errands or I am just too tired to hike to the cafeteria.
     I find that authentic Chinese food is high in starch with very little in the way of veggies and almost no protein.  I cook with a lot of the local veggies at home, but I tend to put mostly veggies with a little bit of noodles running through it.  I bought a toaster oven so I can do some baking, but it also works for open faced grilled cheese sandwiches and mini pizzas.  Cheese is very hard to find and extremely expensive, but a world without cheese is not one I care to live in.  The biggest reason I don't eat much "actual Chinese food" is because I would rather control my calories and fat.  In addition, all the Western people I meet agree that the Chinese have taken the concept of "mystery meat" to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL!  Their "hot dogs" and "sausages" tend to take on  really weird colors that don't usually appear in nature.
     I thought I would be living in a land free from processed foods and artificial crap.  I was very wrong on that note as well.

I have seen some weird ass flavors here, and trust me, there is nothing "natural" about it.  I would say they take processed foods to a whole new level as well.