Wedding.
Today was long. Got up at 4 am, caught a flight to Hong Kong at 7:30 ish. While at Hong Kong I managed to buy a novel at one of the bookstores, a W.H.Smith no less, and only had a minor heart-attack when I flipped over to look at the price and it said $750.00. Got to Nanjing/Nanking whatever is your preference at around 1:30ish. Nanjing is every bit as hot as Taipei was, but since it's inland, it's far far less humid which is a big relief. So, I get to the hotel, and drag out my very bedraggled dress. Poor thing, it had suffered greatly from being crammed in my very full suitcase. Went to the "wedding" and here I am at the bride and groom's place mooching their internet. The wedding was...interesting to say the very least. It was more like a three ring circus at times, heh. I think it's very unfair. Nobody told me that they'd already been married at the City Hall earlier, so I kept expecting Cathedral, Priest, Rings, etc. etc. but NO! We arrive at a fancy seafood restaurant and there's this loud comedian and people were dressed much much more casually than the American group was. Well, I guess I should be happy I made it to a fancy reception? =)
As per usual, there was too much food, all of it tasty, most of it unidentifiable, and I'm stuck wondering how I'm going to survive three more weeks of this without running out of clothes that I can fit into. =(
But on to Nanjing!
The Nanjing airport was way out in the middle of nowhere. There was a cool breeze, the grass was green, that sky the soft china blue that you see in anime films. It is very very empty, at least out by the airport. It was even creepy in a way, because Nanjing is apparently growing and there are condos being built out closer to the airport. It's so strange, seeing these 20 story tall half finished buildings all clustered together with huuuuge cranes by them. Kind of intimidating too. I was strongly reminded of the city that Shinji lives in in Evangelion, it was so...sparce, and threatening kind of. The actual city is much better. The condos are painted easter egg colors and are rarely more than ten to fifteen stories tall. The stores are small and quaint and the streets are lined with trees (at least, in all the places I've been so far is that way). It was all very dusty too, and I was wondering if the place got very much rain at all, because almost every apartment/condo building had washing hanging out and there was a fine layer of dust everywhere. I think the dust must be from all the construction going on, because as soon as we got to the hotel, it started to sprinkle, and by after the "wedding" it was drizzling in a nice Pittsburgh-ian kind of way. =)
Unfortunately, after the wedding I was horribly tired, and wanted nothing more to sleep, and I entertained the false hope that we'd be going back to the hotel so I could crawl into bed and pass out. NOPE! Chinese to the meddling again, we piled into the van and crashed the bride and groom's new apartment. Why? To check it out of course! Oh, look, they have a TV too. And tea! And one of those water machines that makes hot water! We're in luck, and oh, sorry, we're probably not leaving until around 3 in the morning. So, I'm kind of peeved, I'm tired of being likened to a "doll", I'm tired of people commenting on my Chinese and how it's "improved" when I string more than two words together, and I'm tired of Chinese social protocols.
Well, I'm waxing maudlin, so I'm signing off. Later, folks.
As per usual, there was too much food, all of it tasty, most of it unidentifiable, and I'm stuck wondering how I'm going to survive three more weeks of this without running out of clothes that I can fit into. =(
But on to Nanjing!
The Nanjing airport was way out in the middle of nowhere. There was a cool breeze, the grass was green, that sky the soft china blue that you see in anime films. It is very very empty, at least out by the airport. It was even creepy in a way, because Nanjing is apparently growing and there are condos being built out closer to the airport. It's so strange, seeing these 20 story tall half finished buildings all clustered together with huuuuge cranes by them. Kind of intimidating too. I was strongly reminded of the city that Shinji lives in in Evangelion, it was so...sparce, and threatening kind of. The actual city is much better. The condos are painted easter egg colors and are rarely more than ten to fifteen stories tall. The stores are small and quaint and the streets are lined with trees (at least, in all the places I've been so far is that way). It was all very dusty too, and I was wondering if the place got very much rain at all, because almost every apartment/condo building had washing hanging out and there was a fine layer of dust everywhere. I think the dust must be from all the construction going on, because as soon as we got to the hotel, it started to sprinkle, and by after the "wedding" it was drizzling in a nice Pittsburgh-ian kind of way. =)
Unfortunately, after the wedding I was horribly tired, and wanted nothing more to sleep, and I entertained the false hope that we'd be going back to the hotel so I could crawl into bed and pass out. NOPE! Chinese to the meddling again, we piled into the van and crashed the bride and groom's new apartment. Why? To check it out of course! Oh, look, they have a TV too. And tea! And one of those water machines that makes hot water! We're in luck, and oh, sorry, we're probably not leaving until around 3 in the morning. So, I'm kind of peeved, I'm tired of being likened to a "doll", I'm tired of people commenting on my Chinese and how it's "improved" when I string more than two words together, and I'm tired of Chinese social protocols.
Well, I'm waxing maudlin, so I'm signing off. Later, folks.