Thursday, June 26, 2008

Our little expedition

Yesterday we went on a 4 hr. walk around town exploring and shopping. We went to get Justin's fixed computer from the electronics center, then to a bakery, Starbucks, an art store!, stopped in a Church bookstore, and a fruit stand. (Along the way there was a small bike stand. Katie will appreciate this photo.)


Fancy Facials:
On the way out we saw a place that looked like they gave facials. Justin and Sebrina have been looking around for a place like that, so we stopped in. It turned out to be extremely fancy. They took us to a room with marble floor tiles and red velvet chairs, served us some really sugary tea, and told Sebrina about their services. Apparently, as she explained to me later, they charge 10,000 RMB for membership, then more for each visit. One of the treatments they offer, as we saw on an enlarged photo of a woman's face under procedure on the wall, is a kind of electric shock therapy. Crazy stuff. They also had a machine they use to electrify your fat off.

Bakery:
We kept walking, arrived at the electronics center and easily picked up the fixed lap top. Then we went to the bakery where I took photos of the beautiful baked goods. A woman eventually told me to stop, for fear of losing their competitive edge in the baked goods market. (This is why I'm not posting the name of the place) Fortunately, she asked me to stop after I had taken enough pictures to satiate my interest. We bought a couple scones, and some Milk Bread...the other options included Fresh Cream Bread and Corn Bread (White bread with kernels of corn throughout.)







Art Magazine:
Then we went to the Starbucks across the road. We picked up some magazines to read from the rack. I found one about art across Asia. It has information on gallery shows in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and some other cities. Sebrina encouraged me to take the magazine, justifying the theft by how soon it will be irrelevant since it was already the 26th day of the month. I made her stuff it in my bag. I'm just not good at being discrete.

Art Store
Then we walked to the art store, which was really exciting. I haven't opened the paints yet, so I'm not sure if the quality matches that of the brands I buy in the states, but it certainly was cheaper. What I would normally pay for just a jar of gesso is about the cost of gesso, 5 small tubs of acrylic paint, 3 sheets of prepped canvas, and 4 brushes. Kind of amazing. There were some wrapped Greek busts on a shelf in the store. They were a bit disconcerting.
I didn't buy oils because they're just a hassle sometimes, but I did notice that they had a funny translation error on their Paint Retardant...





Baby Bible:
Done with that, we walked over towards the massive Church to check it out. Sebrina wanted to go inside, but the only thing open was the bookstore. She bought a child's version of the Bible complete with full color animation and both Chinese and English. I might read it, since I still don't know the stories of the Bible. This would be an easy way to learn them.

The twins:
On the way back we came across a woman with twins. They were cute and I tried taking a good photo of them, but I wasn't swift enough so I lost the perfect shot. One of them was frightened by my camera (or me) so I didn't want to persist. I did get a photo though, and I think it still translates their cuteness.




oh and by the way, it must be mosquito season, because i woke up this morning with 24 bites on my arms and hands!

1 comment:

Anastasya said...

They have tons of funny little bikes like that in Japan, too. I think my art project for this class is going to be bike related. I`m thinking bicycle film projector.

I should send you some Japanese bread. Melon-pan is pretty tasty.