Tom: Harbin (May 24)

Harbin (May 24) · May 28, 02:04 AM

I woke up at five thirty or six and went back ot sleep for an hour. My chest-cold is now a head cold. A phlegmy, phlegmy head cold. It’s noteworthy.

I walked around the university-ridden Xue Fu Lu. The side streets are lines with markets — fruit, watches, clothes, luggage, tourist trinkets, &c.. I walked in to a couple optics shops — contacts are cheap here, 20 USD for a three month supply. A post-graduate chemistry student was shopping for sunglasses when I came into one of the stores, and helped the conversation with some translation. Afterwards, we talked for a while in her university’s cafeteria over lukewarm Pepsi. We’re going to meet again tomorrow for lunch.

Next on my list — the Siberian Tiger Park. First I took a bus across the river. This strands me several kilometers from anything, and with no bargaining leverage with the sole motorcycle guy (who has probably been following the bus); I paid his full asking price (15 CNY) for a ride to the park, including a very bumpy stretch through a dusty construction zone. At the park the driver says he’ll wait for me while I tour. I bought a ticket and got on the open-air tram with protective bars, but it was the wrong one. I got off, and inexplicably, this brings me to the edge of angry tears; I’m quite mad (at this, and at the motorbike ride). As usual, everything works out and I wouldn’t want it any different. On the tour I met a group of biologists (and one friendly accountant) from Indiana — they gave me a ride back to Zhongyang Dajie. The park itself is memorable, the tigers are powerful and beautiful, but to see them pacing small cages, constrained to a handful of hectares, or clambering from met fed by tourists with tongs — I didn’t like seeing that.

At the bus stop on my way back to the hostel I meet a couple from the ride into town this morning. I’m getting used to this type of coincidence in large Chinese cities. Back at the hostel I spent a couple hours re-arranging pictures. For dinner, I walked up to the bar street, loud with student crowds drinking, eating, smoking, talking, and shopping. Smokey out-door grilled kabobs and surrounded by noisy tables where groups sit with pitches of beer. Everyone mostly throws their trash on the ground, where it accumulates into large piles. Merchants have carts set up or blankets spread selling DVDs, watches, stuffed animals, live animals, and trinkets. Clubs, restaurants, and hair-dressers are popular here. I snack my way East and then back West: fried pancakes, a veggie wrap, and spicy beef kabobs. Cheap and easy.

* * *

Fists… clenching… jealousy… rising… auuughhhh, abort settled suburban lifestyle, abort!
— Katie May 28, 04:37 PM #
Here’s what you can do. Every month ~~wire~~ paypal me 2000 USD and I will have incredible adventures through which you may live quite vicariously.
— Tom May 29, 01:38 AM #

http://tom.spacing-guild.net/2006/05/28/enroute-to-beijing-may-25

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