Day Eight: Celebrity Treatments

Day Eight

The next day, we seriously got the full celebrity treatment. That morning, we went out for dim sum with nearly 40 of our relatives! My dad comes from a huge huge family, so my grandma invited a bunch of the elderly relatives to come out and join us for dim sum. It was really nice, actually, to be able to talk to them and hear stories about their childhoods, experiences traveling, and more.

It's always been strange to walk into a room and have everyone stare at you and scrutinize every part of your body...I've had to get used to it over the years though, and just accept it as it is. You basically smile, nod, and address them in the right way, and everybody's happy. This was a very heightened example of the situation since there were so many people; it was fun though, since everyone really just wanted to know everything about your American life. 

We ate some high-quality dim sum that included sweet egg tarts, pig-shaped buns, and freshly boiled tea prepared by one of my relatives (who also happens to have the absolute cutest smile ever). During dim sum, I also was able to hear some great stories about my grandma as a little girl, and about how my distant uncle was able to learn English on his own, just by using an English radio program. After we had conversed with everybody and eaten our fill, we left and returned to the house. 

In a few minutes, my dad's friend from high school and college came over and talked with my dad for a while. He works for GAC Engineering, a car company in Guangzhou, and brought us a model of an awesome car they were designing! He also brought his son with him, who is a college grad and is working in Guangzhou as well. After sitting for awhile, we headed back out for lunch with them (even though I was still full from breakfast). Ah, the symbolic, societal need to go out for meals can be both a blessing and a curse! 

We went out to another restaurant for lunch, and ate some interesting things, like SNAKE, for starters! It tasted pretty good actually, once you ignore the whole creepy crawly thing. So we stuffed ourselves a second time (you can see how I gained so much weight on this trip) and chatted with my dad's friend and his son. His son and I actually had some really interesting conversations in English (his dad encouraged him, very strongly, so that he could get in some good practice). He chose "Boeing" as his English name, because he wanted a name that no one else had! So strange! Well, he certainly got what he wanted...it was cool to hear that he also watches House of Cards, Friends, and the Big Bang Theory. I love talking to people here that are around my age, so that I can understand their lifestyle better. We finished up, said goodbye, and then went home. 

That afternoon was one of relaxation! My dad had wanted to get a haircut here, since they're way cheaper and include a great massage, so I went with him and my aunt to a salon nearby. My aunt and I just got a shampoo and massage treatment, but it ended up being really great, because I was able to chat with all of the hairdressers! There were three who took turns with my head, and once each of them found out I was from America, they asked plenty of questions about my life there. Again, I loved being able to socialize with young people here! It's fascinating and very meaningful to learn more about our similarities and differences, in my opinion. 

All of us walked out feeling like a million bucks...the massage was so relaxing, and my hair was now on point too! The three of our hair treatments only cost 90 yuan, which would be the price for one person in the States, for maybe one simple haircut. Good deal, right?

We went back home and I read my book in my room for a few hours for going out again for dinner (a marathon of eating, I know...) with an uncle and his family. We went to this really famous restaurant in Shunde that had won a lot of awards for it's cooking and dishes; when we walked into the restaurant, the biggest moon cake I've ever seen was on display. It was the size of a round table, and was one of hundreds of moon cakes around the lobby, which were for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. 

We had another great meal in a private room, with lots of dishes that our uncle ordered and an enlightening conversation with my cousin. She's younger than me, going into high school soon, and we spent the whole night comparing our school and life schedules to see how different they were...and they were truly very different. I felt really guilty listening to her describe the endless hours of academic practice and work, without any opportunities for other hobbies or interests. You were a student, and that was that. She was so envious when I described my incredible experiences with sports, volunteer work, friends, and much more. I truly am a lucky girl...

We drove back shortly after 9 pm, having spent the night enjoying each other's company and stuffing ourselves once more with the never ending supply of amazing food. After a great stroll around the city, it was bedtime once more! 

Dim sum dishes

The piggies!!! 

Aaand more food pics. Lunch!

Snake fo' lunch

Our dinner destination! (feat. Jason)

The biggest moon cake ever made

Our private room...we so fancy!

You could watch the chefs at work! Stalker mode to the max

Day Seven: Leaving & Getting Lost

Day Seven

Today was our last day in Hong Kong! I woke up before my aunts again that day and packed up everything, preparing to leave. Once I'd put on my backpack and drawstring bag, I quietly left the apartment and headed out to go to the Panda Hotel. Our plan was that we'd all meet at 11 for an early lunch before our bus at noon. We weren't planning on eating much until then and the aunts weren't planning on leaving the apartment until then; since I was antsy and couldn't spend that much time inside, I headed over first to hang out with Jason and my dad. 

Before I got there, I stopped at a little stand and used a bunch of the HK coins my dad had given us to spend to buy three soy milk drinks. Then, 
l actually ran into my dad on the walkway right outside the hotel! He was going to pick up some food for is because Jason was complaining that he was hungry (typical), so the two of us set out to find food. We bought some sweet and savory pastries from a bakery, and then ate it together in their room. 

After chilling for a whole longer in their room and packing everything ip, we checked out, met our aunts at one of the busier points of the walkway, and went to lunch at the restaurant we'd gone to on the first day. This time, I ordered a bowl of noodles with soup, and was positively stuffed by the time we finished. We all got on a bus (my HK aunt was staying in Guangzhou with us for a few days), went through customs much more painlessly, and were back in Guangzhou around the late afternoon.

Going to Hong Kong was awesome and I'm really glad we did, since it was incredibly eye opening...however, I know for a fact that I'd never be able to live in such a cramped, skyscraper-dominated place. It was simply too overwhelming all the time and as much as I love how efficient and smart the systems are there, I need at least a little tiny taste of nature, suburbia, and the country. I'm definitely not a full-blown city mouse! That's for sure. 

Once back in Guangzhou, we went out to dinner with our relatives. Like always, we walked to the restaurant since it was close and parking was difficult.

This actually ended up being a truly terrible experience for me, because I got lost. In a foreign country. That had many sketchy people. Where I barely understood the main language (Cantonese). FUN!!

It's a very long story so I'll summarize and basically just say that there was a huge miscommunication that resulted in an accident: my aunt and Jason took off really quickly because they wanted to get there and order our meal, while I'd been walking between them and the much slower group that was my dad, grandma, and HK aunt. They'd thought that I'd just be able to hang back with those three, so they booked it and left me in the dust, while the other group decided to take a DIFFERENT route to the restaurant. 

As a result, when I turned around to wait for them, they'd already crossed the street and disappeared somewhere else. I walked up and down that particular street for maybe 15 min trying to locate them, then went back to the house to wait, since they'd have to eventually go back! After getting so so many stares and weird looks, hanging outside the house door for 30 min like I was homeless, and trying to desperately contact them with a phone that couldn't call internationally, my aunt finally showed up in a rickshaw and brought me to the restaurant area. Everyone had been out on the streets looking for me and my dad yelled and screamed at me, while everyone else patronized me and said it was so lucky that I remembered the way back to the house. Yeah. Apparently my powers of observation are that bad. 

Anyways, dinner was pretty miserable after that nightmare. I was feeling down and completely useless, but things got better bit by bit. We ate steamed veggies, fish, pork, these snail things, and most importantly, pumpkin pancakes （南瓜饼). They're delicious, thin slices of pumpkin and other ingredients, and not too sweet but very tasty. These were another one of the main dishes we had been craving since last time. 

Once back at the house after a walk, I  went up to my room and just read my book the rest of the night. I'd been reading a lot of the main book I'd brought: Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami). I'll take about it later, once I blog about the point when I finished it! A really excellent read. After that, I hit the hay...back in my familiar bed here in Guangzhou. 

A shot of my aunts kitchen...note the washing machine in place of an oven!

I was just a bit fascinated by the new currency

Last meal in Hong Kong! Gotta love those noodles

A candy we got on the bus ride...seems more like the name of a new invention or machine, no?

Dinner in Guangzhou with the pumpkin pancakes!

Day Six: A Full Day in the Crazy City

Day Six

Possibly because I was sleeping in a new environment, I woke up really early and just laid in bed on my iPhone, making sure I was all caught up with social media, talking to friends, etc. I then took a shower, using the sad excuse for a towel that my aunt had given me last night. When I was packing, my mom told me that I wouldn't need to bring a towel, soap, shampoo, or conditioner. After all, we'd be staying with family, and they'd obviously provide those essentials! 

This turned out to be false. Soap is very hard to find here; I had a conversation with my aunt about it the other day because only one of her bathrooms had soap, and the shower didn't have any body wash or soap. She laughed and said that she usually just rinsed her hands with water to clean them and never really used soap! She found it STRANGE that I needed to wash my hands with it before eating and after using the bathroom!! TELL ME THATS RIDICULOUS. I'm not a huge germaphobe, but soap is essential. It just is. Ugh...I'm shuddering just picturing a life of simply using water to wash your hands. 

Similarly, the towel I got from my aunt in HK made me want to laugh. It was only a foot by like, half a foot. It didn't cover ANYTHING, and was a sixth the size of a normal-sized towel. Regardless, I had to get used to it, and the whole thing was soaking wet after I toweled off last night. 

This morning, the shower heating system failed to turn on, so I manned up and took an ice cold shower. It truly brought me back to the days in rural China where we showered without hot water for a month. It was hard, but with friends, the hardships turned into great memories and laughs. Those were the days...

Around 9ish, we walked over to the Panda Hotel to grab Jason and my dad for breakfast. Again, my aunt took us to a very local place that was smaller than a two-car garage. There wasn't enough room for the 5 of us, so we went up a set of rickety stairs to another floor with a few tables, chairs, and fans. 

My aunt immediately ordered us each a bowl of plain rice congee (known as zhouk in Cantonese), some fried dough sticks (you tiao), noodle things stuffed with pork (chang fun), and rice vermicelli cooked with scallions and soy sauce (mian tiao). I wasn't excited that this was our breakfast, to be honest...I was all too used to my western-style breakfasts to be having NOODLES first thing in the morning. It was a weird experience...but I shouldn't complain. It's definitely a first world problem. 

Once we had finished, we shopped around in the nearby mall. Correction: my aunts and I perused the sales on clothes there while my dad and brother stood there using the free wifi inside. I got two shirts there for 90 HK dollars (around 11 or 12 American bucks) and my aunts also claimed a bunch of clothing articles. We then took a subway ride to this place known as the Ladies' Market. It was basically a huge outdoor shopping place where you could bargain at most of the booths. My aunt knew that I liked to bargain, and that I was looking for legit-looking knockoffs, so we came here. Not that I'm a great haggler by any stretch, but I think it's a really interesting shopping experience, and it gives you the chance to set your own prices. Who doesn't want that? 

We decided to go there, because apparently there wasn't much else to really see or do in Hong Kong besides eat and shop (unless you count the new Disneyland there, but we didn't have time to go there 😢. Plus, my dad would've never allowed that kind of foolishness). 

In terms of things to do here, my dad and brother didn't really have any wishes or desires. They said they were basically fine accompanying me around while I shopped and got gifts for friends back home. At least that's what they SAID. 

After maybe an hour in the sweltering heat looking at different goods and trinkets, we were all drenched in sweat and the guys were very unhappy campers. To my credit, I'd spent the time well- I got some more jewelry, a whole bunch of adorable USB drives, and an awesome iPhone case for myself. I've been wanting another case for my new phone (that came the day before we left...ha!) and I had been waiting to get one until we came here because I knew they'd be super cheap and unique here. The one I ended up getting (after meticulously fingering through rows and rows of cases) was unlike any case I had seen. It's a clear case, which I like (it's classy and elegant), but on the back, there's a protruding hourglass with little blue grains inside that move every which way when you shake your phone. I love it; it's different, simple, and entertaining (for my easily entertained little brain). 

We went back to the subway after countless complaints from the men. I also felt rushed because my aunts weren't really looking to shop either; they were merely keeping us company. The only one was genuinely interesting in finding cool things to get was me. So I decided to save the rest of my money for Shanghai, where hopefully, my aunts and cousins would be more interested in these endeavors. 

My aunt brought us to Li Hao's noodle stand for lunch. It served an assortment of noodle flavors in these little blue cups and apparently, the founders of this stand had been really innovative with their noodle options. For example, the cup that my aunt handed me had cold noodles in a pink soup, topped with cold lychees, sliced carrots, cucumbers, and other vegetables. It was sweet and savory and very different, but pretty tasty. We clutched out cups and stood eating on the burning sidewalk. It was a very eye-opening experience being here in Hong Kong, as this is literally so common for the locals to do, but a weird concept for me to accept. I mean, I enjoy sitting down and slowly enjoying a meal, but people were rapidly sucking down their meals wherever I looked. Interesting! 

Once we'd finished, we continued walking around in the city and observing the hectic, cramped pace that dominated the city. After trying these surprisingly satisfying bowls of chilled, sweet tofu dessert (mine also had red beans mixed into it), my aunt took us to this seafood stand where you could buy jars of tiny little, flavored fish that were apparently delicious. Since you could only buy them here in HK and my aunt swore that they were amazing and really versatile for cooking, my aunt from Guangzhou and dad both went HAM and bought around ten jars each of this stuff. Jason and I were pooped from all the walking around and the unforgiving heat, and we were glad to return to the apartment for a few hours before dinner. 

Everybody napped while I blogged until around 6:30, when my aunt urged us all out of the apartment. We were going to this sushi place for dinner, and like every place here, you'd have to wait extra long if you got there during the peak hours. Even so, we waited for around a half hour before being seated at a sushi bar, in front of an extensive conveyer belt that looped in and out of the tables and booths. 

Eating sushi at Sushi Express was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. We hadn't tried the conveyer belt-style sushi back home and since the sushi here was much much cheaper than the sushi in America, we were encouraged to go crazy! It was only $8 a plate, which meant that each plate was a little over one buck in the US! Jason and I shared lots of laughs while we tried different types of sushi and dessert. We found the dessert options to be especially good, since the Cantonese and HK meals we'd been eating so far featured very few sweet dishes (and we most definitely have a sweet tooth). There were cream puffs, mango jellies, and the most amazing thing we'd ever tried: this little flour cake with an inner, sweet filling that was all neatly wrapped in a bamboo leaf. Jason and I each tried one and were instantly in heaven. However, no matter how long we stared the conveyer belt, there weren't any more of them that came down the belt. Finally, after waiting and waiting, right when we got up to leave, we saw another plate of them and nearly caused a scene due to the cruel, cruel irony. It was truly one of the best things I've ever eaten. 

We returned once again to the Panda Hotel, where my aunt and I both enjoyed the large, normal-sized shower they had there, and then went back. I was very reluctant to leave the comfy living situation they had there, but I had no choice. Once back in my cousin's bed, I promptly fell asleep, exhausted. What a day! 

A new environment

Strange breakfasts in an unusual city 

Roaming dem streets 

The ladies market- calling all da ladiesss

The interesting cup of noodles with lychees, ham slices, and other shtuff

Sushi Express!!

The most amazing dessert! 

My aunts apartment, currently in reconstruction

Day Five: Hellooo, Hong Kong!

Day Five

The next day, we were off for another adventure: we were going to Hong Kong! The group traveling there was going to visit my other aunt and cousin, as well as sightsee. I'd gone to Hong Kong once when I was four, and Jason hadn't been at all. Thus, this would essentially be our first experience there. The group consisted of me, Jason, my dad, and my aunt. We woke up early to catch our bus to HK and drove back to the Golden Hotel where the bus was departing. 

It took about two or three hours to get to the China customs area, where we got off the bus and went through the craziness that was customs...there were so many people there, so it took absolutely forever. It was a Wednesday, so I'm not sure why it was so busy. All I know is that it was NOT fun filling in various paperwork since we were Americans, waiting in line for hours, and watching the Hong Kong nationals go through a virtually nonexistent line. 

On top of that, my dad has had a continuous hate-hate relationship with immigration forms throughout the trip so far (he'd already switched the signatures on our forms when we were flying into china) and that problem just continued when he tried to fill out Jason's and his forms this time...we made a deal that I would handle everything next time. Joy. 

Once we had all finally gone through, it was time to get on another bus to get into Hong Kong. We got off in the middle of the city and found our aunts apartment (which was currently covered in sheets because it was undergoing construction) in the many, many apartment buildings there. Her apartment, like all of them, was small; it had two bedrooms, a minuscule kitchen and family room, and a bathroom. That was basically it. 

Since we clearly wouldn't all fit, my brother and my dad would be staying at a hotel about ten minutes away walking, while the two aunts and I would live here (my cousin would be staying at a friend of his). We first rested for a beat in her home and had some fruit and water. Next, we headed over to check out the hotel. Upon arriving, I immediately became jealous. They were staying in the Panda Hotel, and their room was actually really nice. Small as well, but clean, cozy, and most importantly, panda-themed! Yeah, I shot my brother some nasty looks while he smirked back at me. 

It was already two, and we were starving. Apparently in Hong Kong, their entire lifestyle differs in that the regular schedule is pushed back by a few hours. Breakfast is usually eaten at 9 or 10, lunch is at 2, and dinner is between 7 and 10. It took some getting used to....I'm a morning person, so I don't really like having everything pushed back like that. 

My aunt here (the oldest one in comparison to my dad and Guangzhou aunt) took us to a TINY restaurant for lunch. It was no different than any of the other microscopic eateries in Hong Kong....land was incredibly expensive here, so only small plots of land were bought, and turned into businesses. In fact, a large majority of food places were mere stands, where no places to sit and eat were provided. At this particular place, there were all of two booths and two tables. Our large group and hungry expressions  basically strong armed a man at a booth seat into moving, so that we could all fit in one area...if we squeezed. 

Since everything here was written with traditional Chinese characters (I was raised learning simplified Chinese), I had a hard time getting things in Hong Kong. We had to rely on my aunt, who told us a few choices and then choosing one of them. I ordered a cold milk tea with a plate of chow he fun (apparently it was really good here). It also came with steamed veggies, two slices of toast, and a fried egg with ham inside. 

Our bellies stuffed, we then decided to take the subway to some popular destinations here. The subway took us from Tsuen Wan Station to the Victoria Harbor area in around half an hour. First, we went to the Hong Kong Space Museum and went through the exhibits. Then, we visited the Hong Kong Art Museum, where there were some great galleries of antique ceramics, contemporary art, and older paintings. Yeah, my dad loves museums, which is why we were spending so much time in them. Jason and I enjoy them too, but we have our limits. Like any normal person! 

There were some incredible views of the harbor from the museum, and when it finally stopped raining and the sun came out, we went outside to walk on the Avenue of Stars. It was a path along the water where various Asian stars had left their handprints on the pavement. Among the names we saw, the most popular ones (not surprisingly) were Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. 

It was a really amazing view from the harbor. Boats were going back and forth, and the never ending stretch of glittering, colorful buildings on the other side of the water was mesmerizing. I took so many pictures of the intriguing shapes and structures of the buildings and towers. Walking around and taking it all in was probably my fave part of the Hong Kong trip. It was beautiful...a really romantic place (if you were taken 😣, of course). 

Later, we returned to the Tsuen Wan area, where we wandered around a mall and shopping center. What I think is really cool about Hong Kong is the transportation system they've set up there. All over the place are these elevated walkways, covered with roofs. They're above roads, sidewalks, plazas, etc. and connect many of the buildings to each other. Thus, you can easily get from Point A to Point B without having to call a cab or get on a bus...walking can get you many places! 

In the shopping center, I found a bunch of cute earrings for extremely low prices. Score! I bought 6 pairs for myself and friends before leaving. Hong Kong money is interesting...their dollar is worth more than a Chinese yuan. Some of the bills also have a strange, plastic-y texture with a clear part in the bill. For me, it was another enlightening experience using a foreign currency. 

After shopping a bit, we went to dinner at another TINY restaurant that my aunt recommended. We had to wait around 45 minutes with many other hungry locals to be seated inside, and finally squeezed around a little table, sitting on plastic stools. While we were milling around outside the restaurant, I also realized that people here drive on the right side and have the steering wheels on the right side, like they do in the UK and other countries. Interesting...Hong Kong differs much more from mainland China than I thought!  

Our dinner consisted of either noodles with soup or rice with soup (I got the rice), with additives that we individually chose (meat, mainly). We also ordered little side dishes of fish, chicken wigs, and bok choy. Our cousin, Li Hao, also joined us for dinner after he arrived from work. He's in his twenties, and is currently working as a manager at one of the tiny little food stands. He graciously paid for our meal when we finished. 

We walked back to the hotel after dinner to drop off my dad and Jason, then went back to the apartment. Li Hao headed to his friends house, since I'd be staying in his room (I felt awful that I was kicking him out of his own home for two nights!). 

After a quick shower in one of the most cramped showers I've ever seen, I enjoyed the access to Facebook that Hong Kong permitted and quickly fell asleep looking at the construction materials outside the window. An interesting introduction to a very interesting city! 

Gorgeous HK, shot at Victoria Harbor

The freaking Panda Hotel! The US needs one ASAP. 

On that subway all day long

Complimentary toast and eggs with lunch! Interesting. 

Chow He Fun for lunch!

The harbor! Beautiful sights to see...

A bit of traditional elegance

Delicious dinner... in another tiny establishment

That nightlife...wish we had just a taste of it in the suburbs 

Day Four: Discovering Asian Wonderlands

Day Four

The next day, we spent the day in an Asian-style wonderland. It's known as 宝墨园 (Bao Mo Yuan) and its a huge tourist attraction in Guangzhou. We had gone there four years ago and remembered that there was a huge kiddie pool full of tiny fish that you could catch with nets and bring home. Last time we went, Jason and I had a ball running through the water, in full pursuit of little fish. We were excited to go back because other than the fish, we didn't really remember the beautiful scenery and views the park also offered. 

With my grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousin with us, we left the house and walked to the nearest bus station. We took a bus to the end of the line, and transferred buses at the station. The park was also the last stop on our new bus. All in all, it took us about an hour and a half to get there. There was a little kid on our bus that was wearing red superman pants, a blue superman shirt, and red cape! Clearly, we had been graced with the presence of the one and only Superman. 

Once at the park, we took in the gorgeous sights that it offered. There were huge pieces of art, carved out of stone, marble, and much more. Many of the other people in the park with us were young; they were there practicing to become tour guides. I was rather annoyed because they ended up photobombing a ton of our pictures. Oh well. 

There truly was a lot to see inside! They had dozens of pools of fat, hungry fish that viciously fought over the food you threw in, as well as numerous turtles that napped, basked in the sun, and excited viewers to no end with their lethargy. 

Besides the great, historical and cultural pieces that we saw, Bao Mo Yuan had an extensive collection of excruciatingly awful English translations on their signs. It was this day that I re-devoted myself to the hobby of taking photos of the worst translations that I stumbled upon. 

The architecture was my favorite part. I've always been very fond of different types of architecture and styling, and I've found Asian buildings, gardens, and statues to be truly stunning and timeless. I took tons of photos of spiritual figures, rock gardens, lotus flowers, and colorful buildings during our adventure inside. 

Lunch was also inside the park, in a large restaurant where other park-goers were also dining. It consisted of many traditional Chinese dishes, like duck, greens, tofu, and of course, more tea. We've been having hot tea with all of our meals and it's so strange to me...sure, this doesn't differ from the customs of our previous trips, but I just don't understand why you would drink so much hot liquid when it's ridiculously hot and humid already. You're sweating buckets just by standing there...add the boiling hot soups and teas, and you'd just suffer more! I've pestered my relatives here about it to no end, and they always say the same thing: they aren't used to drinking cold things and their bodies would feel uncomfortable if they eat our way. Hmmm.

After lunch, we ventured deeper into the garden and wandered through so many rooms of calligraphy, paintings, wax figures, and statues. There was this particular museum inside with thousands of ceramic, jade, stone, and porcelain artifacts: bowls, jewelry, figurines, toys, plates, etc. We were all mind blown to learn that a single family had donated the entire collection to the park. These were all thousands of years old, from China's earliest dynasties! Pretty cool family, huh?? Not only that, but the heir to all of these artifacts (one of the family members) was IN the museum at the same time that we were!! There were tons of monks taking pictures with him on the museum steps, and we learned from him that one of the bowls on display was worth over 30 million yuan. That meant that this entire collection (and it's owner) were worth....billions. So cool. 

Around 4 pm, we finished our visit to Bao Mo Yuan and took the same buses back. It was interesting of course, but after an entire day of it, we were all pretty fried from looking at painting after painting. It had been like history, art, and cultural museums all packed into one...on steroids. 

For dinner, we went to a restaurant that was known for one of our absolute favorite foods that we remembered from our last visit: Shuang Pi Nai （双皮奶）. It's a sweet dessert that's made with eggs, milk, sugar, and other good stuff. You can eat it hot or cold, and we had seriously been obsessed with it last time we came....our aunt would order it and they'd deliver it to her house. Dangerous, dangerous thing, that delivery service. 

We went directly to the restaurant this time, ordered it first for all of us, and we enjoyed it happily. I can't really describe the taste; it's dairy-based obviously, and isn't too sweet, while the texture is solid but squishy. You'll just have to try it to understand what I mean, I suppose! Other than that, we had greens, fried rice, chow he fun, a type of taro root, and more. 

It was a good day and we were thoroughly spent once we got back to the house afterwards. It was nighty night before waking up to another exciting day! 

Suuuuupermaaaan! 

The entrance to the park

The vicious fish eating our fish pellets (the fight to the death)

Gorgeous arquitecture everywhere

Shuang Pi Nai: a freaking amazing dessert

Peace be with y'all, my friends 🙏

Day Three: Dim Sum, Money Probs, & Gorgeous Views

Kicking it on a motorcycle! SO much fun.

On day three, I woke up really early; unfortunately, my jet lag had started kicking in. However, my early morning rising was rewarded because my aunt needed to go to the marketplace again! After a breakfast of chow he fun (a type of thick noodle) made by my grandmother, we got ready to leave. So, we hopped on her motorcycle and were off to shop! 

A few minutes later, I found myself in the middle of a gigantic maze of booths. Navigating through strollers, carts, and motorcycles, I peered curiously at the things each vendor was offering. There was literally everything: fruits (mainly exotic ones), veggies, meat, fish, nuts, herbs and medicine, tea leaves, flowers, clothes, and so much more. 

My aunt picked up some fruits, Asian vegetables, tea, and flowers before deciding to call it a day. While she was paying for things and choosing her groceries, I was snapping photos of the hectic, bustling crowd around me. You could seriously stand there all day, people-watching and observing, and not be bored. All of my senses were on overload.

Of course, it wouldn't have been a characteristic trip to the marketplace if I didn't see anything crazy or strange. Here are just a few things that you don't see everyday: people aelling groups of live toads tied together for cooking later on, a massive pile of dried starfish (apparently for medicinal purposes...it's a shame that they're still being consumed like this, since they're becoming more endangered), buckets full of snakes, eels, and turtles to be sold and cooked, and last but not least, dried lizard skins strung up on wooden sticks! I have NO idea what these could possibly be for, but they looked absolutely revolting. I did a major double take when I saw them. 

Once back home, I went out again with my dad and uncle to go exchange our American money for Chinese RMB at a nearby bank. I don't know if all banks in China are like this, but this one was ridiculously slow and inefficient. We waited over 45 minutes after taking a number, since each client took forever and only 2/5 of the available counters were open. 

Then, my dad couldn't even exchange the money because you had to create an account or something complicated like that. So, we went back to the house RMB-less and cranky. However, we weren't in bad moods for long, because we were now off to...

...eat dim sum!! You can't stay mad for long when delicious little treats are in your midst! Furthermore, we went to the biggest dim sum place I have ever seen...it was on one floor of this fancy hotel, and was literally a dining hall. There were hundreds of people sitting at these round 8-person tables, eating dim sum off of lazy Susan's while dozens of servers rushed about toting trays. There were chandeliers everywhere, beautiful decorations, and a stage at one end with a massive tv screen above it that was showing the World Cup on the left and pictures of dim sum on the right. 

Jason and I stood there with our mouths on the floor while our aunt found an empty table in the throng of people. Then, she invited me to go up with her to choose our dishes. Their dim sum system was unique and smart; since it was such a big place, it would've been chaos to have servers pushing carts around and navigating through everything. Instead, patrons sent "an emissary" (to quote my favorite teacher, Mr. O'Brien) to a station on the side where all the options were laid out. You'd pick what you wanted, get your card stamped, and then a server would bring everything to your table. 

We ordered some delicious sweet buns with a custardy yellow paste inside, fish and veggie soup, shu mai, chicken feet (a dim sum staple), vegetables, pot stickers, and much more. We were happy campers after our tummies had been filled, and we sat back looking at the scene before us after our meal. 

Once we were done, we returned to the bank with our grandmother to finish what we had started that morning. She had an account, so after sitting and waiting another hour, we had finally gotten our RMB! I spent a loooong time sitting on a bank bench that day. Not fun. 

Next, all of us went to our grandfather's burial site to visit him. Unfortunately, my brother and I never got to meet him because he passed away before we were born. We brought him flowers and paid our respects to him. There were two parts to the beautiful, serene cemetery area. It was on a hillside with all of the graves laid out in rows, while those who were cremated had a plaque in these large rooms. The entire place was so beautiful and consisted mainly of traditional Chinese architecture. Just stunning. 

Once we left, we then went to my uncles new apartment to take a look. It was located in this beautiful little cluster of apartment buildings, with a pool, stone walkways, and elegant shrubs/plants lining all of the buildings. 

My uncle is retired now, but he's always been an artist and mainly uses oil paints and ink for his work. Throughout the years, I've gotten the chance to see a lot of his work, and it's absolutely fantastic. Especially the ink pen pieces, because they're so ridiculously detailed since the lines are so fine. I have a few of his framed drawings in my room. 

This time, he made laser copies of his newest pieces for us to bring back. Much to my delight as a lifelong horse lover, many of them are of horses! I'll definitely be bringing some of them with me to college. He never ceases to amaze me with how good he is at drawing and painting! If only his crazy artistic talent ran in the family :( 

Finally, we returned home. I was exhausted, so I took a nap before we had a hot pot dinner! We cooked fish, dumplings, veggies, mushrooms, and shrimp in a pot of boiling water in the middle of the table, and then ladled it out into our bowls. Dinner is much more interactive with a hot pot! 

Afterwards, we sprawled out on the couches and watched some Cantonese soap operas before going to bed. It was definitely another eventful day in China! 

My grandma, preparing chow he fun for breakfast

Veggies at the marketplace

Yeah, just a bit overwhelmed...

Seriously, what are these dried lizard things for??

The marketplace with all of the parked motorcycles

A whole new level of Dim Sum....

Our delectable selections

The beautiful cemetery where my grandfather and many others are

The view from my uncle's apartment (that pool, though...)

An example of the phenomenal work that my uncle does (it's a horsieee!!) 

Hot pot for din din!