The flight was also not full and I had an aisle seat in the middle with no one sitting next to me. I was able to sleep a bit on the flight and we made it to Beijing right on time. I got my bags, and met dandan from my school and the drivers who were going to take me back to Shijiahzuang. I decided that since I was getting in so early and had sooo much baggage that I didn’t want to hassle with the train. Normally taking the train home winds up being 6-7 hours from the time you leave the airport. Taking a car made the trip a much more comfortable 3 hour ordeal, with no baggage lugging at all

I got back to Shijiazhuang and saw Shenqi after nearly a month and a half apart. It was the longest we had been apart since we met back in December 05, and we had a lot of catching up to do. My maid Wu Jie came by and cooked us a big lunch including my favorite shrimp dish. Being in the states, I didn’t get Chinese food anywhere near as good as the stuff she cooks.

I was shocked at how quickly I feel back into the Chinese language groove. During the first hour speaking was tough, but within a day I felt I was roughly at the same level as when I left. Sweet.

Since then, I have been busy catching up with everyone and getting back into my routine.  I am trying to get started doing some business out here, which has kept me REALLY busy. Things are just begining, and I am thus not going to post details here yet, but I will be sure to do a full write up with all the details once things get locked down

The problem was that the train times were not ideal. There was a 2:20 PM train that got to Beijing around 5:10 PM, but I was worried that with Beijing’s horrendous rush hour traffic that I wouldn’t make my flight. The next earlier train was at 11:00 AM, getting to Beijing at around 2:00 PM. This meant that I would have 6 hours in Beijing before my flight left. I would be safe, but have some time to kill. This made the most sense to me.

My teacher Mary and my maid Wu Jie met me at my house around 10:00 AM. Wu Jie brought some jian bing for breakfast, which we ate before leaving for the train station at around 10:40 AM. Getting into the train station was, as usual, fun. There were 200 people trying to fit through the only door out of 3 that was open. Mary and I found our seats on the train without problem, but when I moved the bag of the guy sitting next to make room for mine on the overhead rack, he through a big fit and got all pissed….ahhhh yes…..this is why I need some time in the states. Instead of moving his bag 6 inches to the left, he prefered that I crush it under mine. Go figure.
The train was completely full, and there were people standing in the aisles. I have still not understood why tickets without seats cost the same price as those with seats. I managed to sleep a bit on the train, and the 3 hours to Beijing passed quickly.

Getting a cab from the Beijing train station took 30 minutes. The system there is even worse than the one at the Shanghai airport. There is an actual line, but only 1 exit from the line. The cabs pull up, 3 people walk back to the first 3 cabs, load them, and then another 3 people from the line of hundreds take their turn.  It takes 20 seconds for the first cab to leave, 40 seconds for the second one to leave, and 60 seconds for the third one to leave.  Lather, rinse, repeat as my patience wears thin.
From the train station, we went to a hotel that had a restaurant recommended by my friend Leo. When we got there, however, they had closed for the afternoon. DOH! We walked across the street and managed to find a REALLY good restaurant. I can’t remember the name of it though.

After lunch, we headed for the airport bus which ran every 15 minutes. It cost 16 RMB a person ($2 US) and took just over an hour to get to the airport. I arrived at the airport with plenty of time, but once again found myself in a grossly understaffed area. The line to check in for my flight had over 100 people waiting, and 2 agents working. There was a first class area with 3 agents and no clients, a group area with 2 agents and 1 client, and a special services area with 4 agents and no customers. The kicker, however, was that behind the 2 agents checking in my flight, there were about 9 employees just watching and chatting. GREAT PRODUCTIVITY china airlines!  For each person in the line, it took about 8 minutes once it was their turn.  I couldn’t believe how slowly it went.  That is probably why the flight eventually left late.
When I finally got to the front of the line, the agent spoke such poor English that I couldn’t even follow what she was trying to tell me, let alone convey anything to her. I finally just started speaking in Chinese, and things got done right away.  Very strange for someone working a flight headed to Los Angeles, consisting almost entirely of Americans.
Security wasn’t bad and about an hour and a half later, I boarded the plane. The first thing I noticed when I stepped onto the plane, however, was that it was EXTREMELY hot. The 747 was full (300+ people) and didn’t have an air conditioner that they could use on the ground. Now for those of you that don’t know, the temperature in Beijing can reach nearly 100 Fahrenheit during the summer, which is not comfortable at all. The flight got started late, which meant I sweated profusely for over an hour in that metal tube. Grrrr. My clothing was dripping wet by the time we got airborne, and in no time, the cabin had cooled to about the temperature of a meat locker (the perfect climate for my now wet clothing).

I had the aisle seat of the middle section, and sat next to a cute Chinese kid. Before I knew it, he was joking with me and helping me with my homework. We watched 1 movie during the roughly 13 hour flight.  It was called Firewall and stared Harrison Ford.

The movie wasn’t too bad, my homework wasn’t too tough, and before I knew it, we were making our approach to Los Angeles …….

They’re waiting for me in the hotel lobby. Andy’s in a state of shock, and Shenqi is shy and curious. “You’re the first of my family or friends to visit,” Andy says. He’s the first foreigner Shenqi ever spoke to, and now she’s meeting the foreigner’s mother.

It doesn’t take long, though, for us to get comfortable with each other and we spend 10 magical days. The shock, for me, is seeing Andy with Shenqi. They’re beautiful together, and so in love–constantly huddling and whispering, holding hands and kissing, even though Chinese don’t generally show affection in public. This is an Andy I haven’t seen before. China–and Shenqi–have changed him.

I’m in awe of what Andy’s accomplished in 6 months. At his school, they say he’s their most advanced student and he learns Chinese “very fast.” The first night I arrive, we embark on a series of dinners with Andy’s friends. The theme that emerges is: “Andy is very smart.” I hear this countless times. I also hear that I am so tall, and I look like Andy. When we meet Leo, his wife, Johna, and son, “Junior,” Johna thrusts a gorgeous bouquet of pink roses wrapped in pink paper and ribbons in my arms and exclaims, “Pleased to meet you!” This, I learn, is a greeting gift. Johna has the most adorable face, teaches kindergarten and plays piano, and the whole family is warm and expansive. I feel like a queen. We eat in a private room with its own bathroom attached and a personal waitress who stands at attention the entire time. The food, during my entire visit, in exquisite. One of my favorite meals is hot pot, where you cook your own meat, noodles and vegetables– including something called “white gourd” that tastes like giant radish–in a pot in the center of the table. For some reason, I start craving Italian food and at the end of the meal, they bring out a tomato-egg noodle dish that totally satisfies the craving.

My hotel room, which Andy secured through a friend, is a suite looking out on the central square. There’s fresh fruit they replenish twice a day, and any dirty clothes are picked up, laundered and returned in 2 hours — all for $60 a night. The buffet breakfast in the morning is lavish and unending, dozens of tables filled with Chinese, American, Japanese and European delicacies.

What’s interesting is to see the “one child” policy in action. Every family in China can only have one child, so everywhere you go, you’ll see a mother and father with a child between them, whom they dote on. A woman I meet says, “We’re raising a generation of little emperors. The kids get used to being the center of attention, and everyone their age has the same experience.” When they marry, the two of them will have to take care of 4 parents, and their children will have no cousins, aunts or uncles. Leo’s son, Junior, is an example. He’s adorable, but they bring him everywhere and basically let him do whatever he wants. When a fish is served, he gets the most prized part, the head, and his favorite thing is the white eyeballs. He picks them out with his fingers and pops them into his mouth with joy.

My second day, we go to Andy’s apt and I meet his maid, Sister Wu, another warm, sweet woman who tells me he’s a “good boy,” and she feels like he’s her own son. Andy’s kitchen has greenhouse windows that let in streams of light, but Andy never sets foot in there except to eat. Sister Wu buys the food each day and prepares it simply but deliciously. She’s learned that Andy like his shrimp peeled (in restaurants they’re served in the shell) so she peels them before sautéing them with red and green peppers. She makes 4 or 5 dishes for each meal, plus rice, all wonderful. After lunch, Andy teaches me to play mah jong, which requires me to learn the Chinese characters for numbers 1-9. They come surprisingly fast, and it’s a fun way to learn. Later Andy and Shenqi take me through the city, riding their electric bikes. (I ride behind Shenqi) Shijiazhuang reminds me of a European city, with wide, tree-lined streets and special lanes for the bikes so they don’t have to weave among the cars. Unlike India, the streets aren’t full of garbage and beggars, they’re relatively clean and traffic is orderly. I love riding on the bike because you get a better view and feel for the place.

Most of all, it’s worth coming to China just to be with Andy and Shenqi. They glow, and it feels good being with them. I told Andy, “I’ve never seen you with a girlfriend like this.”
“I’ve never had a girlfriend like this,” he says.
Shenqi looks like a super model and dresses with flair. She loves to shop and Andy goes along and waits patiently! She moves like a gazelle, graceful and feminine, and she’s also smart and strong and gets things done. Her personality is delightful–enthusiastic and bubbly–and she’s always laughing. She and Andy dote on each other and gaze at each other adoringly. He likes her silken hair, and she likes his eyes and eyelashes. She thinks “foreign men are more handsome than Chinese.” (It is odd: the Chinese women are gorgeous, and the men I don’t find attractive at all.) Shenqi feeds Andy cherries, then fishes the pit out of his mouth and throws it away.
“She’s feeding you like a baby,” I say.
Andy smiles. “Don’t tell her that. I like it.”
Andy has the fortune to have a girlfriend who massages him and doesn’t like to be massaged, who holds the glass for him to drink and takes cherry pits from his mouth. And he’s protective and sweet with her. I think you’re getting the picture.

We drop by his school, which is a cheerful, fun place. A young teacher gives me a sample private lesson, while Andy writes a story on the blackboard, filling it with Chinese characters! I can’t believe he can understand what to me look like hieroglyphics.

No visit to Shijiazhuang would be complete with sampling Andy’s beloved bath houses. The city is famous for them. They’re palatial, with names like Caesar’s palace and Fantasy Land, and here’s what happens on the women’s side. Andy’s ordered a body scrub and aloe treatment for me. After storing my clothes in a locker, I lie down on a blue table covered with plastic. A female attendant rubs my skin –everywhere–with rough mitts until I’m pink as a lobster. Then she hoses me off and prepares the aloe. I’d expected it to be some kind of aloe cream, but she chops up leaves from the plant, extracts the gooey liquid and fills a bucket with it. Then she smears it all over me until I’m slipping and sliding around the table. She puts me in the sauna to let it “cook in,” then hoses me off again. I shower and wash my hair in a stall beside Shenqi–who doesn’t want treatments herself but never leaves my side, thank God. (she speaks competent English; without her, I’d be lost)

Then they give us pink and white puffy pajamas to put on before we go upstairs to join the men. Of course, the pj’s are way too small for me and they have to bring out a pair they save for the occasional fat Chinese woman. The second floor is filled with beds lined up side by side, and everyone’s wearing pajamas! It’s like a bizarre pj party. Andy wears navy plaid pjs with short legs, and is propped up in bed, having a “foot repair,” drinking tea and watching a plasma screen TV show in the dim light. He’s learned to yell, “Foo-yar! Kwai do!” which means, Waiter, hurry up! The masseur scurries over, and I make the mistake of asking for an acupressure massage. The guy is not subtle or precise, he just mashes and pounds and punches and I’m afraid he’s crippling me.

On a Saturday night, the place is filled with families, who’ve brought their regulation only child and are playing games, eating and drinking. When we leave, the bill for 3 of us with massages and drinks is under $10!

After 4 days, we fly to Shanghai and then Guilin and Yangshuo, and I’ll let Andy tell you about those amazing and mysterious places.

When I leave Andy and Shenqi, I spend 5 days on my own in Beijing, and by the time I fly home, I understand why Andy loves China. It grows on you. I get in the swing of life here, relishing my pork buns and won ton soup for breakfast. The people have a joie de vivre. There’s little pressure, and any way of behaving or dressing seems to be tolerated. I saw a man wearing pajamas in the park one day, and a new friend said, “A lot of people wear sleeping clothes in the park.” Nobody cares.

Since I injured my knee before the trip, I called a Chi Gong master healer that a friend had recommended, but he spoke no English. He came to my hotel with a “translator,” an 80 year old woman whose husband had been the Chinese consul general in Washington, San Francisco, London and Ghana. She insisted I leave the hotel and come stay in her apartment so I could have treatments and lessons every day from the Master, who lives next to her building. They adopted me, and I spent 3 intense days with people I’d never met before. They gave me a Chinese name, Shi Jin Yi, which means “modern history number one.” i.e., best journalist/historian of present time. It suits me fine.

Then I found the only yoga retreat center in China and spent my last day in a 500-year-old Buddhist Temple in the hills north of Beijing. Again, someone I’d never met picked me up, drove me there, gave me a calligraphy lesson and superb vegetarian meals and the next day drove me to the airport, after giving me presents.

Bottom line is: Y’all come and visit Andy. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.

After the cave, we ate lunch at a restaurant by the river which specialized in 啤酒鱼 (pí jiǔ yú) (beer fish), a local delicacy. It was EXCELLENT! We all decided that before leaving, we wanted to come back and eat it again.

After lunch, we went to ride a bamboo boat down the river. It was very romantic and quite relaxing, except for the water falls that we periodically went over. The boats were made from 10 sticks of bamboo bound together, and accommodated 2 people plus the guide. We took 2 boats down the river for about an hour an a half. It ran 200 RMB ($25 US) out the door. I particularly liked the floating barges that sold drinks, snacks, and meat to the people floating down the river. They were quite amusing.

After the boat tour, we headed home. We had dinner at the same restaurant we ate at the first night, and then went to bed.

On our second day in 阳朔 (yáng shuò), we took it easy for the most part. We did some more shopping on west street, ate lunch at a new western restaurant, took pictures, and watched a movie before eating 啤酒鱼 (pí jiǔ yú) (beer fish) again.

After dinner, we went to see a show put on by the director 张艺谋 (zhāng yì móu) (Zhang Yimou) called the 桂林山水实景演出《印象刘三姐》 (guìlín shānshuǐ shí jǐng yǎnchū 《yìnxiàng liú sān jiě 》) (Impression: Liu San Jie). It was amazing. They used the mountains of 阳朔 (yáng shuò) and the river as their stage. The cast must have consisted of at least 300 performers, and quite a few animals. It was a great spectacle, that I would recommend to anyone visiting 阳朔 (yáng shuò).

The next day, we woke up late and headed back to 桂林 (guìlín) to spend the night as we had an early morning (8:00 AM) flight. We stayed at the Daewoo Sheraton hotel which I would also highly recommend. It is a 5 star hotel that cost us 500RMB a night ($62 US). It is in a good location, and the facilities are great. We strolled around 桂林 (guìlín) a bit, did some more shopping, ate a few meals, and called it an early night.

On our flight from 桂林 (guìlín) to 北京 (běijīng), 申琦 (shēn qí) spent most of the time sleeping, which was quite good as it was a bit turbulent. We accompanied my mom to her hotel, said our goodbyes, and then took a train back home to 石家庄 (shíjiāzhuāng).

Ahhh…..home sweet home

申琦 (shēn qí) actually did quite well.  She was visibly nervous as we waited in the lobby of the 世贸皇冠酒店 (shìmàohuáng guān jiǔdiàn) hotel for my mom to arrive.  A teacher from my school, Michael, had gone to 北京 (běijīng) to meet my mom at her hotel, help her buy train tickets, get down to 石家庄 (shíjiāzhuāng), and find the hotel.  We were all then supposed to meet at the hotel.  申琦 (shēn qí) and I arrived well in advance as to be sure we were there before my mom arrived.  As the time of her arrival drew closer and closer, we found ourselves closely watching every cab that pulled up to see if she got out.  When she finally arrived, it wasn’t that strange at all, and everything went fine.  We said our hellos, made introductions, and got her checked in.

We chatted in her hotel room for a while, which I must say was quite nice.  I would HIGHLY recommend the 世贸皇冠酒店 (shìmàohuáng guān jiǔdiàn) hotel to anyone who comes to visit 石家庄 (shíjiāzhuāng).  The staff is helpful and it seems as though everyone who works there has a decent understanding of English.  The rooms are spacious and well equipped.  The dinning facilities are quite good and the atmosphere is warm.

After about an hour of chatting, we exchanged gifts, and my mom gave me all the stuff she had brought me from the states, including:
•    10 pounds of peanut butter
•    10 bags of jelly beans
•    5 HUGE bags of red vines
•    2 bags of Milano cookies
•    1 4gb SD card
•    2 8gb CF cards
•    2 sets of ski goggles to use when I ride my electric bicycle (so I don’t get dirt in my eyes)

I was very happy about the Milano cookies, and couldn’t wait to get home and try the 8gb CF card in my main digital camera (a Canon EOS 5D Digital SLR).  It worked fine, but the 4gb SD card didn’t work in my cell phone (a Motorola E680I).  It did, however, work in my Canon Powershot S2-IS digital camera, and my Canon Powershot SD450 digital camera, which will be fine.

We had dinner with Aaron, Ivy, Michael, and Willa from my school at a restaurant that resembled a fashion show.  It was quite good and enjoyed by all.  I was glad that my mom could meet everyone that I see daily at school, and that they all enjoyed meeting her.

Day 1 done!

Of course the day after I got better and was finally feeling alright, Shenqi got into an accident on a bus. She was standing in the back of the bus and the driver stopped suddenly and she fell head over heals and was slammed into the back door. She now can’t walk, laugh, or cough without pain. Nothing is broken or anything, she just needs to rest up and heal.

Some happy/sad news came from the states. Back in September I had put my airplane, a 1982 Mooney M20J 201, up for sale, but hadn’t gotten any serious buyers on the line. When I left for China, my friend Chuck McGill of Safe Flight Intl. offered to help me sell the plane, and finally sold it a few days ago. The buyer is a student pilot from San Diego who wants to get his private pilot’s license in the plane, even though getting it in a Mooney will be significantly more difficult than doing it in a Cessna 152/172. I am sad to sell the airplane. It was like my baby. I loved flying it, working on it, and everything about it. I purchased the airplane in July of 2002 which means that over the 3.5 years of ownership and 700 hours of flight time, I averaged 200 hours a year, not factoring in the fact that I spent 6 months in Italy and 5 months in China. Not too shabby. Selling the airplane was a good move for many reasons, but I am still sad to see it go (and a bit excited about what the next one will be when I get back to the states).

Since it has been so cold in Shijiazhuang (石家庄) during the winter, I had stopped riding my bicycle and been almost exclusively taking taxi cabs. Taxis out here are much cheaper than in the states. I can get almost anywhere I want to go for the 5 kuai initial flat rate ($0.63), so I didn’t mind it too much, but taxi cabs can be tough to find and are always dirty. I decided that an electric bicycle would be a good investment and started shopping around. I bought a REALLY nice one from some little factory where I got it really cheap. It wound up costing me 1450 kuai ($181) but is really a lot more than a bicycle. It is most similar to a little motorcycle. It has head lights, turn signals, a horn, brake lights, two seats, an under-seat storage compartment, a rear locking storage compartment, and pedals in case you have an emergency and run out of juice. It will go about 30km (19 miles) on a battery and has 2 batteries (38 miles total distance). During that time, it will maintain a constant 30km/h (19mph) which is faster than almost every other bicycle out there. The only problem is that it is a little too fast. I have already hit two people with it (although both times it wasn’t my fault….Chinese people like to suddenly start going through red lights without even looking at the oncoming traffic). Fun stuff.

Lastly, a little while before I got sick, I took a step class with Shenqi. We went over to Baily’s and noticed there was a class about to start. I decided to give it a try and see how it was trying to follow a Chinese class. It was really funny. I couldn’t understand a single thing they were saying so I just did my own thing. Everyone thought I was really funny. The instructor kept trying to count in English and would say “1,2,3,4,5,7,6,8,” mixing up 6 and 7 every time. I guess I was the only one who caught it

Bullet Train

• I expected the bullet train to be an amazing experience, but it left me slightly unsatisfied. The train didn’t look that cool, and there was no sense of “wow….we are going as fast as a speeding bullet”, but for the most part it felt as though we were not even moving. I guess this is a good thing as it was very smooth and comfortable….but meh……they should call it the “rocking chair that you don’t realize is moving fast”
• It took just over 3 hours to get to Tokyo
• The Tokyo station was even bigger than the Kyoto station, and we managed to get lost trying to find the train to our hostel
• We wound up taking a JR train to another part of Tokyo, and then a subway to our hostel in Roppongi
• The hostel was not that great–12 people to a room, musty smell, one bathroom, etc–but we intended to be there only for a short period of time to sleep
• We left the hostel with the intention of going to a club, but were so exhausted that after a mos burger and some wandering around Shibuya, we decided to come home and sleep so we could hit it big time the next day
• Yeah….I know…..we are getting too old

Akihabara Electrical Town

• We woke up early and started to make our way to Akihabara Electrical Town, the nerd capital of Tokyo famous for electronics and cartoon porn shops
• We wanted to take 2 JR trains so that we wouldn’t have to pay for a Tokyo subway (different system). After the first train, we left the system to find a place for lunch
• We turned down a little side street into a small residential area and ate at a random noodle house with a few Japanese business men inside. The noodles were good, and the guy running the stand was happy to have us there
• We got to Akihaba and started to look for a store to buy an electronic dictionary. Some of you may remember that I wanted to find an English-Chinese dictionary that would allow input/output of pinyin. I looked all over Shijiazhuang and couldn’t find one. Well, Justin’s Japanese-English electronic dictionary had a supplemental mode that did just that in Chinese (as well as pronouncing words, showing stroke order of characters, and all sorts of other things). I couldn’t believe that a dictionary that wasn’t even designed for Chinese could do more than all the dictionaries I found in China……gotta love Japanese electronics
• Anyway, we looked up the place with the cheapest price on-line and started to try and find it. On the way, however, we had to stop in a bunch of the cartoon sex shops. They were filled with all the nerds who like electronics (of course) and contained some of the filthiest cartoons I have ever seen. They also had a huge selection of used women’s underwear, pictures of naked kids, and every niche fetish you could think of. It is shocking how a culture can be so polite and closed at times, and then have shops with stuff like this.
• We found the shop after a little while and bought the dictionary. It RULES!
• Next stop was a 7 story “toy store for nerds” that had a floor with the crazy anime models / figurines, a floor with model airplanes, a floor with RC cars, a floor with electronic trains, a floor with EXTREMELY realistic fake guns, a floor with a shooting gallery, and a floor with boats
• We then had lunch at a tempura place before checking out the mega electronics plaza
• The mega electronics plaza was a building bigger than most football fields with 6 stories of different kinds of electronics, cameras, computers, gadgets, sporting equipment, toilets, and massagers. We spent at least an hour trying out the various massage chairs and laughing at the Japanese business men who fell asleep in them. Then we must have spent an hour looking at the toilets that contained LCD screens, controls for heating, butt washing strength, various types of washing nozzles, hot air regulation, lid and seat raising and closing, and of course massaging
• After spending nearly the entire day in Akihabara, we grabbed a quick burger and went back to the hostel to change
• We then went to a small all you can drink club in Roppongi call Lexington Queen that Nick knew of. It wasn’t the greatest club, but we had some good times until the club closed at 6am

Wake up and eat dinner

• We woke up after 5pm!!!!! We went right out and grabbed a quick bite, then came back to the hostel and tried to get in contact with one of Justin’s Japanese friends who lives in Tokyo
• We met her in the subway and went out to a restaurant called “The Lockup” that Justin insisted we had to visit. I asked him what it was / what type of food they had and he refused to tell me. He only said that it was nothing like anything else and closest to Disney land
• Well….that was a pretty accurate description. The Lockup is a horror themed restaurant in Shibuya. As you walk in, there are decorations, black lights, strobes, corpses, moving ground, screaming things, and everything else you can think of. When they seat you, they lead you to your cell in handcuffs and then slam the bars so you are basically a prisoner (this would never be legal in the US with fire codes and whatnot). They periodically kill the lights and monsters run through the halls rattling the bars and sticking knives at you while strobes flash and crazy music plays. The drinks come in test tubes and beakers. The food is also themed and my favorite was a pastry dish called the revolver which I later understood. There are basically 5 bite-sized cream filled pastries. You take turns picking one and popping it into your mouth to eat whole. One, however, is not filled with cream, but filled with white wasabi. I didn’t know this when the dish came, and was shocked when Justin ate the wasabi one and started panicking. HEHEHEHE! That is what you get for not telling us that one is wasabi-filled
• After dinner, we made our way to Shinjuku to see that area and the giant underground mall. I was shocked at the price of fruit……a single apple sold for $25, and a honeydew melon for $100. It was crazy. We grabbed another Mos burger (I love those things) and stopped in an arcade to play the taiko drum game. We also looked at the guys betting on electronic horse racing….what a waste
• After a while in Shinjuku, we came back to Roppongi and entered club Vanilla at around 1am. Vanilla was a crazy club with 3 huge rooms on different floors full of crazy Japanese kids. We spent the whole night dancing and drinking, leaving the club at 7am
• We headed back to the hostel, grabbed our bags, and boarded a bullet train back to Kyoto

Back to Kyoto

• I managed to stay awake on the bullet train long enough to get some good views of Mt. Fuji, but quickly feel asleep and before I knew it, we were back in Kyoto
• A quick bus ride later and we were back at Justin’s house. I slept for 3 more hours, then packed my bags and exchanged photos from our respective digital cameras
• My flight departed the next morning at 10am, and I hadn’t done one of the things I really wanted to do in Japan so Justin offered to ride with me to Osaka and cross the last item off my list

Capsule Hotel

• Yes….you did read that right! I had seen capsule hotels on the discovery channel and didn’t believe it at all. I wanted to experience it first hand, so we boarded a train for Osaka where we hoped to find a capsule hotel for me near the airport.
• When we got to Osaka airport, however, there were no capsule hotels. We boarded a train back to Tenjiku, and found a capsule hotel right next to the station.
• The hotel cost as much as the hostel, around $40 a night, which may seem like a lot for a tiny capsule, but the facilities were VERY lavish
• My capsule had an LCD TV and full on control system with lighting controls, TV controls, radio controls, and alarm clock controls. The capsules were in a sealed room where all you could do was sleep. Outside the capsule room was a locker area and bathroom. On the next floor, there was a snack area and lounge with wireless Internet, and on the top floor was an ultra lavish spa with showers, electronic toilets, steam rooms, Jacuzzis, and grooming areas. I took a quick shower, and fell asleep in my capsule.
• I woke up the next morning to a bunch of Japanese businessmen who were very surprised to see me there. I used the spa, got dressed, and left.
• I have to say that I really liked the capsule idea and would stay there again without thinking twice. It was much nicer than the hostel, even if you don’t have a “room”

Leaving Japan

• The flight back to China went quickly. I found a girl from Shanghai to chat with, played with my new dictionary, and listened to my iPod a bit.
• When we landed in China, I cleared customs, got my bags, and found Michael waiting for me.
• It was immediately clear that I was home in China with dirty streets, people spitting everywhere, and no-one respecting the rules……ahhh….home sweet home

Next time……back to school and CHINESE NEW YEAR! 过年好!