How to write about a bad trip without sounding like a whiny, nincompoop expat with too-high expectations? I’ve always tried to present an accurate picture of our travels in China and elsewhere and for the most part our experiences have been positive. I don’t like to complain and denigrate, although I am sure I have [...]
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I love my gypsy cab lady! Everyday she waits outside of my apartment complex for potential customers. She drives a little red four door Chevy Spark, which in my opinion says a lot about her personality. Every time she sees me, she starts waving and laughing and I can’t help but accept her offer of [...]
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Wordless Wednesday #35 Market Day sellers in front of our apartment complex Every five days a moving market sets up in the street in front of our apartment complex. You can buy books, shoes, toys, clothes, small tools, fruit, plants and household items such as brooms, dustpans, dishes, etc. I snapped this quick pic as [...]
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This is what trouble looks like – pilots not flying… Friends at Julia’s Cafe
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Happy Women’s Day! How come we don’t celebrate this in the US? The DH & I decided to eat hot pot and then go to our friend Julia’s cafe. She was holding a promotion to get a free cocktail just by wearing a qipao. Yes, I did spend the evening in a cafe/bar wearing a [...]
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Wordless Wednesday #34 Flat Stanley likes Harbin Beer Is it subversive to pose an elementary school project with a ginormous bottle of beer?! We struggled to pose Stanley so it appeared he was embracing the bottle, but there’s only so much you can do at -20C! This is just a sneak peek of more Harbin [...]
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Spotted in a Linyi supermarket, I am seriously tempted to buy a bottle of this: I mean, I am the target market here, right? This wine is meant for me? The foreign girl? The DH scoffed at the idea of paying money for what is surely shite, but I am very, very curious! Wouldn’t you [...]
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What a day, what a day. I don’t even really know where to start. The DH and I woke up at six this morning in order to try to get a train to Yabuli, China’s biggest ski resort, located about two hours southeast of Harbin. We did make the train, but with standing only seats. [...]
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Happy Chinese New Year! May your new year be prosperous! Every where we went today in Harbin, everyone told us “you know today is Chinese New Year…” How could we not know with all the fireworks? haha… I think most people wanted to share their tradition, but also excuse all the closed shops and restaurants. [...]
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Happy Valentine’s Day! Happy Chinese New Year! If only you could see me rolling my eyes… I hate to be a grump, but I’ve had a harrowing evening – way too much cold and dealing with evil taxi drivers. I can put a check mark next to Harbin in my China travel book. I’m done with [...]
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I'm an American expat living on the fringe of Chinese society. Thanks to a lifetime spent moving around, I often feel like an outsider. This blog explores life in Beijing, China, the occasional aviation topic, expat issues, random travel experiences and interesting things I see, read and hear. If you want to know more about my latest hobby, visit Sewing on the Fringe, where I blog about learning to sew in Beijing. And for daily documentation of Beijing's ever changing air quality, visit My Beijing Window. And, yes, I do wear my santa hat year-round. ;)
