HOTPOT

At last I got possibility to experience the famous hotpot of Chongqing yesterday evening. Our table had stronger and milder version of hotpot soup where to cook all the ingredients served. Chinese people like to eat all parts of the animal as my translator was telling. You can eat cow stomack, liver, chicken feet, intestines, etc. I didn't feel like eating that kind of stuff so I took only vegetables and enjoyed my hotpot very much. The stronger hotpot soup was much better and it was not too hot for me.

Tired after long day I took taxi home and it went well ... I found taxi easily, the taxi driver was not complaining or shouting too much or refusing to take me were I wanted to go. Taxidrivers seems to be quite rude people many times in Chongqing and even Beijing. Many stories have been told about this rude 'house of chinese taxidrivers' here among us foreigners.

Next week will be National day holidays and we have some travelling plans but we'll see if we get our passports back in time so that we can take our flight friday morning to Nanjing with chinese student and meet her mother at airport, drive to Hefei where we will stay for couple of nights and visit Yellow mountain and stay over one night in that area. Lot of confusion, difficulties in communication and frustration has been involved around planning this trip but I hope that everything turns out to be fine in the end so that we can travel.

This is China ... and everything has it's own kind of timeframe and ways to accomplish things. It's just to accept that and try to make best of the situation.

Mid-Autumn-Day

Today people in China wishes Happy Mid-Autumn-Day to each other
and probably eating lot of Moon cakes.

I was doing some sightseeing on mountain area here nearby with a
new friend from US and we also got nice good food, interesting photos and
met some excited girls who were so happy to be able to talk to
foreigners ... something they had never done before. We also got
massage during about 2 hours for 70 yuan. It was also the best massage so far
here in China.

Now we have also booked flight to Nanjing in the beginning of october
during National Day holidays. We are invited as guests to visit chinese
family and travel with them on Yellow mountain area and AnHui province
in southeast China. It's so exciting ... to be able to see and learn more about China.

Yesterday evening we were checking out salsa night at Cotton club and it was fun
except that many people were smoking in the club and the smoke started hurting my eyes.
They were playing not just latin music but kind of funny mix of pop, rock, latin, etc.
Live music wasn't latin either but kind of pop-rock but I enjoyed listening them.

I also enjoyed dancing. I became a salsa teacher for a while showing some basic steps for one
chinese woman who wanted to learn salsa. My friend told me that there is
dancing school with salsa courses near by my 'home' so next month when
they will open again I hope to be able to join them .. at least I just must
go and see how the place looks like. I love salsa! ... even in China.

We also did some research of other local clubs ... lot of dancing, loud hip-hop/techno music,
drinks, young chinese people, decorations and ornaments in interior design of these clubs were
kind of baroque and crowded ... interesting to see anyway.

Tomorrow some sightseeing to Shanpingpa district i Chongqing. Maybe some shopping as well.
It's cooler now so one don't have to sweat all the time when going out.

Hot hot hot ...

It's very hot here now. One afternoon we went to downtown by bus and it was an experience ...
Busstop was noisy and busses stopped beside each other so it was
quite of dangerous business to try to get into our buss that stopped
behind another buss. No airconditioning in that buss and we had to stand
quite a while before we could get seats. It was hot, hot, hot ...

I had nice dinner with one friend and her collagues working for US Peace Corp
in restaurant in downtown that had mexican evening that night.
Mexican food in Irish pub in China ... :-)

This evening we have plans to go to Cotton club to Salsa night. I miss dancing
and I hope to be able to dance to nice music tonight. Salsa in Chongqing ... :-)
I heard that chinese people like dancing salsa ... we'll see.

Some photos ...

Walking down the hill to nearest Supermarket etc.

Bridge over Yangtse river in downtown area of Chongqing.

This chinese beer is quite good!

Sign at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting court yard at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting court yard at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting court yard at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting court yard at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting court yard at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting court yard at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting court yard at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting court yard at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting court yard at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting court yard at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting court yard at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting court yard at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting court yard at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Sweet things ... at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Noodles for lunch at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting buddhist temple at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting buddhist temple at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting buddhist temple at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting buddhist temple at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting buddhist temple at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting buddhist temple at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting buddhist temple at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting buddhist temple at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting buddhist temple at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting buddhist temple at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting buddhist temple at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting buddhist temple at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting buddhist temple at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Visiting buddhist temple at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Pictures in one shop at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

Cotton candy at Ciqikou, Ancient town of Chongqing.

MIADA, Modern art and design academy at CTBU, Chongqing.

View from office at MIADA, Modern art and design academy at CTBU, Chongqing.

Office at MIADA, Modern art and design academy at CTBU, Chongqing.

Office at MIADA, Modern art and design academy at CTBU, Chongqing.

Flags represent home countries of all foreign teachers teaching at MIADA, Modern art and design academy at CTBU, Chongqing.

Art and design works of students at MIADA.

Art and design works of students at MIADA.

Art and design works of students at MIADA.

Art and design works of students at MIADA.

Typical chinese toilet.

Art and design works of students at MIADA.

MIADA, Modern Art and Design Academy at CTBU, Chongqing, China.

Poster, Art and design works of students at MIADA.

Art and design works of students at MIADA.

MIADA

Art and design works of students at MIADA.

Art and design works of students at MIADA.

MIADA

Art and design works of students at MIADA.

Art and design works of students at MIADA.

Art and design works of students at MIADA.

MIADA

Main entrance at campus area.

Street, outside campus area.

Street nearby MIADA campus area.

"The Supermarket" ... the one and only Ren Ren Le

View from the terrace of our house.

Blue sky and some clouds ... it doesn't happen every day. View from the terrace of our house.

Blue sky and some clouds ... it doesn't happen every day. View from the terrace of our house.

Sunset. View from the terrace of our house.

Sunny day with play of light and shadow ... doesn't happen every day in Chongqing!

Road outside our house.

Gate to our house.

Hillside behind our house.

Sunshine and beautiful nature.

Beautiful teahouse near our house.

Beautiful teahouse near our house.

Beautiful teahouse near our house.

Bambu at beautiful teahouse near our house.

Sculpture of Confucius at teahouse near our house.

At teahouse near our house.

At teahouse near our house.

At teahouse near our house.

At teahouse near our house.

At teahouse near our house.

At teahouse near our house.

At teahouse near our house.

At teahouse near our house.

Some photos from Ancient town of Chongqing, MIADA and students works, Chongqing view and sunset from our terrace, Chrysanthemum tea at beautiful teahouse near my 'home', etc ...

It's hot ... +37 degrees and I feel that it is so nice to have air conditioning.
I just love to see blue sky and play of light and shadow ... have not seen too much of that here.

Today I went to METRO, supermarket that sell products from western countries as well and
and managed to take a taxi there and back 'home' ... alone ... it was just great ... kind of new feeling
of victory and independence. Taxidrivers don't speak usually english ... nobody usually can english here it seems
and almost everything is written only with chinese characters.
Anyway ... I found penne rigate, pesto, feta cheese, olives, salami and bought also first time red wine here in China.
It was nice surprice ... "Great Wall" was quite nice wine I think. My dinner was so tasty ... very nice for a change ...
instead of noodles, woked vegetables and chinese beer or bottle water that I have used to eat and drink
during couple of weeks now.