6/19
Lunch with both families. Walked around Wangfujing after.
Xiao chi jie. Woman carrying the saddest-looking kitten in a tiny cage, swinging it around and bumping into things.
Wangfujing bookstore. People playing Warhammer.
Booked hotels for Tokyo.
6/20
Late start. Tried laying out the biggest Carcassonne city.
Went to maternal grandpa's house. Saw his photos, carvings, and harmonicas. Ate zhou at a zhou place. Sweet zhou, and clld [cold?] varieties. The rice was in the half nubbly style. Combined to make a pretty disturbing mouthfeel. Grandpa played the Astro Boy theme song. carvings. Pictures of grandma. Ridiculously healthy for 90. [He's not that old...late 70's I think]
Xidan - Beijing Tushu Dasha. More Warhammer, though people weren't playing. Workers watching TV and playing DDR. Post-graduate exam books?
Yonghui supermarket when we got back. Apparently people eat goldfish? Or else they sell pets in the meat section. Upstairs they sell clothes and electronics and toys...it really is a supermarket.
KFC and Pizza Hut for dinner.
Bored. Played a game of Words with Friends with my brother while SC read Game of Thrones. Kyle is pretty bored. We went to bed really early.
6/21
Got up early (7am), going to see a Chinese doctor today for our skin isssues.
8:50. Motorcade on Changan jie. Police blocked off the left 2 lanes. Once the cars (black Audis) passed, police took down the cones and left.
Waiting for doctor. Went to art museum, which had an exhibit on Hungarian art. Unfolding exhibit by ... Need to see if supposed to be dynamic, since that's where all the value is . Focusing on images from a dream. Very relaxing headspace.
Chinese girls and transparent shirts, or short shorts. So different than before. Also tall and weightier than I remember. Maybe a regional thing tho. Also streets less garish, possibly because of the Olympics. Residential areas for the first time. Very large apartments, compared to HK. Weird layouts tho. Kevin's grandma makes lots of little dishes instead of large ones. Raw tomatoes and cucumbers, unthinkable!
Grandpa says the tomatoes are 0.20 USD / pound.
Went to the Chinese doctor. Am told she is 80-something, but has really good skin. Appropriate for a skin specialist. From a family of Chinese doctors. Also, had assistants and everything. My aunt says she's seen her on TV and stuff.
At one point, took my pulse and looked at my tongue. Don't know what that was supposed to accomplish (SC says tongue is for iron deficiency). It was pretty cursory.
Am told we are both too wet. I have niu pi xuan (cow skin xuan). Perhaps a fungal infection? Supposedly persistent (cannot be eradicated) but not communicable. But my case is pretty marginal, it can cover one's entire body. The nurse checked my elbow - maybe that's next?
Sze has shi (wet) zhen. We were both prescribed medicine to reduce wetness (qu shi)
More suggestions from people:
1. Hong dou and yi mi soup/zhou
2. Cilantro (with roots) and salt for soaking hands
3. Mint and huo xiang (like in huo xiang zheng qi)
4. Eat less spicy food, alcohol, fatty foods. Seafood can also aggravate.
Giant squat buildings covered in pinkish beige bathroom tiles.
Xiu shui. We must look poor. Sketchy purse-seller whispering as we went by. Bought a 20rmb wallet for 35
6:45. Haidilao. Waitress using the double-spoon style to scoop and sieve soup
Guy stretching noodles. Whipping it in people's faces.
Halfway through the dinner, they gave out glasses cleaning cloths.
Kevin's mothers family. An uncle who is quick to laugh, esp at himself. A pretty cousin. All the older women look like old women, which I suppose is unsurprising, but is disconcerting when you see them next to the pretty cousin and you see the family resemblance.
6/22
Hydroxyproline. On an advertisement for Ajisen Ramen.
6/23
Huge rain! Parents got caught in it picking up my film. Why doesn't Beijing have a better drainage system? Water up to their knees. As bad as Agra. Less muddy, I suppose.
Played 2-player bridge w/ Kyle
No water. Intermittent trickle. Took shower using a bucket and a ladle (actually a giant cup).
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