M-whY

I woke up tired, as if jetlagged, though I've been on this side of the world for over half a year. "[When'd you get back,]" exclaimed Cherry, the girl who worked at the hostel's travel service desk.

"[Last night,]" I yawned, then explained my unfortunate sleeping arrangement. "[I don't think I'll do much today. Maybe just go check out the Houhai night scene later.]"

"[Houhai? Can I come? I'll bring a friend, the three of us can go together?]"

"[Sure, invite as many people as you like. It'll be more fun with more people.]"

I had a strong urge to return to bed, but as we all know, the best cure for 'jetlag' is to force oneself through the day. I wandered down the hutong to a Hanzhou steamed bun place. In places I spend any amount of time in, I inevitably develop some sort of routine. A favorite internet cafe, a favorite place to eat, etc. Whenever schedule permits, this is where I like to have the day's first meal. It's a cozy shop, with four tables and a maximum capacity of 16. The location is excellent; Facing south, it receives the sun's rays from sunrise to sundown. Few cars come this way, but enough pedestrian traffic passes by for good business, and there's always a couple customers inside.

A husband and wife run the joint. She's usually in the back, cooking up wontons and noodle soup. He stands at the entrance, in the sunshine, creating the shop's signature dish. The rolling pin is like an extension of his arm, flattening the dough into identical circles. Chopsticks place just the right amount of ground pork, and the entire thing is folded into a meat bun. Each one looks the same, there are never any deformities. Into a bamboo steamer they go, and stacked in columns of three or four, they cook. A timer in his head alerts him when they're done.

A kid about 16 or 17 rides up in his bike and cart to make a delivery.

"[Have you eaten yet?]"

"[Not yet,]" replies the kid. A steamer is deftly removed, it contents dumped into a plastic bag. "[I don't have any money.]"

"[Don't worry about it.]"

"[Thank you," the kid says gratefully, then adds, "Please don't tell boss.]"

"[Of course not.]"

A serving of ten costs three yuan. Today I have two. He holds my 100 yuan note to the light, looking for Mao's watermark. Satisfied it's genuine, he rummages through the drawer for change. The bills come back with bits of ground meat on them. He smiles, then returns to his daily routine. Making flawless steamed buns.

Cherry and her friend were waiting for me in the lobby at 8:30pm. "[Ready to go?]" "[Let's go,]" and we caught a cab to one of Beijing's lakeside bar/pub districts. Cherry's friend didn't have an english name - I sure as hell couldn't remember her chinese one - so for the purposes of this blog, I gave her one.

I had intended to come to Houhai the last time I was in Beijing. My friend Tim had recommended it as a cool place to visit at night. For whatever reason, I never got around to it, and so I made it a point to come today. I asked the two girls if they had been here before.

"[I have. Once. It was late though and I didn't stay long,]" said Cherry.

"[This is my first time,]" said Peach.

"[So what do you do in your free time?]"

"[Stay at home, watch TV.]" Hmm, sounds like what one of my college roommates used to do. None of us were in a drinking mood tonight, so we simply strolled along the sidewalk lit with red lanterns and neatly arranged Absolut bottles. Live entertainment in bars belted out western beats. In less frequented avenues, owners desperate for business hired touts to fill the seats. We ignored them all. Cherry and Peach bought cotton candy from a hawker who operated what must be the crudest cotton candy machine on earth. As far as bar scenes went, it was fairly typical, but the display of lights reflected on the water made it worthwhile.

"It's still early," we concluded after completing the circuit, and decided to head to the shopping district of Wanfujing. There's not much to see here at night - most of the action occurs during business hours - but as it was only a few blocks from the hostel, it wasn't too much of a detour. And actually, I hoped the extra walking would tire me out, so I'd fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. But no such luck... that damn snoring had me up all night again.

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!