The Walk

The walk 步行者（bu xing zhe）

You know you live in China when your conversations with your friends go like this:

“Man it takes forever for my water to heat up – I start running the water then go do some things around the house and come back when it is starting to get warm.” –M.B.

“Yea I stand there brushing my teeth at the sink and hold my foot in the shower until it starts to feel warm.” –Rachel

“Well, our hot water has been shut off for two days, I’m starting to get used to it, but my wife hasn’t showered…” –The Gongs

“Hey Rachel, I have dinner plans tonight and my apartment doesn’t have running water right now, instead of going for a run, can we go for a walk today?” –Anna

On the walk we found a great street with some shops and restaurants we had not discovered before. Amongst the dark haired mountain and sea of people (人山人海) all walking along the sidewalks and selling cds, dvds, and sweet potatoes, we noticed a blond elderly couple looking at a map, more than a little perplexed. Offering to help, they were Canadian tourists who had passed the street they meant to turn on several blocks before. Deciding not to turn back, they instead asked if we could point them in the right direction of a “non-Chinesey (for a change)” place to eat. We walked alongside them, Anna discussing with the Mr. about past skiing and hiking trips as they were quite the adventurers, and I with the Mrs. talking about, well, talking about what I am planning for my post-expo adventures…Once we arrived, the Mr. looked us in the eye and said. “You have two extreme times in your life: one is where you are at now – young and adventurous and free, and the other is when you are where we are – retired and free to travel with the money you’ve earned. Enjoy every moment of this magnificent city.”

I’m glad the circumstances caused us to walk today, or else we might have run right past this inspiring couple.

今天我的朋友告诉我，小笼包是点心。 Jin tian wo de pengyou gaosu wo, xiao long bao shi dian xin.