swimming the emperor's lake
In Beijing. It is HOT. High 30s (90s F), not a cloud in the sky. Around midday its brutal but the evenings and mornings are great. Warm, comfortable and my hostel's all shady. (there's also a dog! a very cute golden).
It's a converted Ming courtyard so it's beautiful, right in the hutong (alley where tons of old stone houses are). Lots of little hole in the wall shops. People out in the street, living life. (Yelling, doing laundry, playing cards, wandering around partially dressed. (It's hot).
I'm sick of capitalism, shopping, people trying to get my money, so I looked up things to do in Beijing that are free and found a lake that's popular with locals, who swim in it. It's hot. I haven't been swimming in ages so, I went for it.
Turns out I've totally been there about six years ago on my undergrad China trip, but I was in a group and we didn't swim.
Today I swam. The lake has this beautiful ming pagoda on an island in the centre and you can swim over and watch the boats. People were even playing cards on the island (in their swimsuits.) Everyone was so amused that I (a foreigner) was going swimming. Also I think because I'm a woman and it was all men other than me most of the time.
It was green and warm as bathwater and maybe I'll get the plague (probably not.). But it was kind of awesome in that little kid freedom sort of way. I'm going tomorrow for the hot part of the day. It was all locals and no tourists so it was pretty darn nice. The touristy places are so full of people (and everyone wants my money).
Kunming was much easier to 'live' in.
But I found the emperor's lake. It's right by the forbidden city and it's warm and free. So I'll just alternate between that and hiding in the hostel to write fic when the weather's nice.
Speaking of fic. I'm killing this Once Upon a Time fic. I have NEVER written this fast for so long on anything. I'm going to have a 100k month and it's not even NaNoWriMo.
(it's world building femslash preg!fic, which seems to be my happy place. I'd mention regrets but Regina's just so pretty).
Posted in the mirror verse at http://oparu.dreamwidth.org/326825.html with
comments.
It's a converted Ming courtyard so it's beautiful, right in the hutong (alley where tons of old stone houses are). Lots of little hole in the wall shops. People out in the street, living life. (Yelling, doing laundry, playing cards, wandering around partially dressed. (It's hot).
I'm sick of capitalism, shopping, people trying to get my money, so I looked up things to do in Beijing that are free and found a lake that's popular with locals, who swim in it. It's hot. I haven't been swimming in ages so, I went for it.
Turns out I've totally been there about six years ago on my undergrad China trip, but I was in a group and we didn't swim.
Today I swam. The lake has this beautiful ming pagoda on an island in the centre and you can swim over and watch the boats. People were even playing cards on the island (in their swimsuits.) Everyone was so amused that I (a foreigner) was going swimming. Also I think because I'm a woman and it was all men other than me most of the time.
It was green and warm as bathwater and maybe I'll get the plague (probably not.). But it was kind of awesome in that little kid freedom sort of way. I'm going tomorrow for the hot part of the day. It was all locals and no tourists so it was pretty darn nice. The touristy places are so full of people (and everyone wants my money).
Kunming was much easier to 'live' in.
But I found the emperor's lake. It's right by the forbidden city and it's warm and free. So I'll just alternate between that and hiding in the hostel to write fic when the weather's nice.
Speaking of fic. I'm killing this Once Upon a Time fic. I have NEVER written this fast for so long on anything. I'm going to have a 100k month and it's not even NaNoWriMo.
(it's world building femslash preg!fic, which seems to be my happy place. I'd mention regrets but Regina's just so pretty).
Posted in the mirror verse at http://oparu.dreamwidth.org/326825.html with
comments.