So the title doesn't necessarily go together but I figured I'd report on two things in one posting. By the way, it's interesting to note that I can post and edit on blogspot but I am actually blocked from reading my own blog. Apparently it has only been recently that China has warmed up to bloggers. I guess they are still not keen on this site - perhaps it's too many sites to monitor.
Anyway, Monday morning Beijing woke up to snow! I guess this is a rarity for Beijing considering it is very dry in the winter. It made for horrible visibility and thus things were uncharacteristically chaotic at the airport where we were to travel to Sichuan today. Finally after several gate changes: our boarding pass said one gate, the monitors said another gate, but in the end our flight was posted at still a different gate. Other than that it was a very smooth trip. We flew three hours to Chengdu where we met up with the director of the Yi Center who we work with and flew with him 1 hr to Xichang. We are staying in a rather posh hotel which I guess is cheap in price though while doing some exercises on the floor, there was a fairly heavy sewage stench floating along the ground. For dinner we went to a traditional bbq hole-in-the-wall. It was interesting while driving through the streets to the hotel at night, the street scenes could have been many places in the Asian world with lots of motorbikes parked in front of stores and restaurant fronts that rolled up during the day and down at night.
The bbq was really good. A perpetually hot middle (see photo next week) section with a bowl of soup on top and they bring plate after plate of meat, tofu and vegetables to cook on it. Sort of hibachi style but not directly on a flame. After your piece of food is cooked you lightly coat it in a small bowl in front of you filled with soy meal and added chili. Hidden in one of the bbq dishes was an interesting spice used in this region. I bought some dried beans at the airport coated with sugar and this spice. Fan Fan had warned me about it and I have to say I'm not a fan. The spiciness I don't mind. It's the part where it numbs your mouth which is rather disturbing. And then there's that omnipresent MSG flavor which has yet to grow on me.
Thoroughly stuffed and tired we parted ways with promises of buckwheat steamed buns at tomorrow's breakfast meeting. After which we will hop in cars for a windy 3 hr drive to the remote village where our Yi minority girl's education program is located. Stay tuned!
Anyway, Monday morning Beijing woke up to snow! I guess this is a rarity for Beijing considering it is very dry in the winter. It made for horrible visibility and thus things were uncharacteristically chaotic at the airport where we were to travel to Sichuan today. Finally after several gate changes: our boarding pass said one gate, the monitors said another gate, but in the end our flight was posted at still a different gate. Other than that it was a very smooth trip. We flew three hours to Chengdu where we met up with the director of the Yi Center who we work with and flew with him 1 hr to Xichang. We are staying in a rather posh hotel which I guess is cheap in price though while doing some exercises on the floor, there was a fairly heavy sewage stench floating along the ground. For dinner we went to a traditional bbq hole-in-the-wall. It was interesting while driving through the streets to the hotel at night, the street scenes could have been many places in the Asian world with lots of motorbikes parked in front of stores and restaurant fronts that rolled up during the day and down at night.
The bbq was really good. A perpetually hot middle (see photo next week) section with a bowl of soup on top and they bring plate after plate of meat, tofu and vegetables to cook on it. Sort of hibachi style but not directly on a flame. After your piece of food is cooked you lightly coat it in a small bowl in front of you filled with soy meal and added chili. Hidden in one of the bbq dishes was an interesting spice used in this region. I bought some dried beans at the airport coated with sugar and this spice. Fan Fan had warned me about it and I have to say I'm not a fan. The spiciness I don't mind. It's the part where it numbs your mouth which is rather disturbing. And then there's that omnipresent MSG flavor which has yet to grow on me.Thoroughly stuffed and tired we parted ways with promises of buckwheat steamed buns at tomorrow's breakfast meeting. After which we will hop in cars for a windy 3 hr drive to the remote village where our Yi minority girl's education program is located. Stay tuned!
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