A weekend of firsts

What an incredibly busy weekend we have had! Usually, weekends are pretty quiet around here - Ajey's working hours are absolutely crazy, and he wants to do nothing more than chill at home - or maybe go have dinner with a few friends! But then once in a while, there comes along a weekend which moves along at a frenetic pace - every minute crammed with a different activity...

It all began Friday night with Quiz Night at Dulwich! I don't remember the last time I was in a quiz contest - it has to be way back when I was in St. Helena's school - so I'm going to count this quiz as a 'first'! It was pretty exciting - teams of 6, bring your own food and drinks, and answer questions about what seemed like everything under the sun! The categories were a mixed bag - movie trailers, famous faces, sports, geography, paintings, music, books - and the most of the questions were real head-scratchers! A really diverse team would be needed to do well - diverse in age, background and interests too! We finished 11th of 21 teams - not bad considering we had named ourselves 'Dead Last'!

Saturday was a big day for Manasi! Another first - she was going to participate in an Inter-school swim meet in Shanghai! It was hard to tell who was more anxious - after all, it was my very first swim meet too! Not to mention that a couple of days before the event, I discovered that Manasi had been accidentally entered in the wrong age-group for her events - she would be swimming with kids a couple of years older than her. Goes without saying that I over-reacted completely and hysterically - my nerves refusing to calm down even after the problem had been sorted! It didn't help that our school coach was totally unsympathetic - I expected better support from the staff at one of the most prestigious schools here!

The swim meet took place at the Shanghai American School (SAS), a good 3 hour drive from Suzhou. The school bus left at 5:30 am to make it in time for the first event - luckily, Manasi's first race was at 11am, so we could leave a little later! The SAS campus made me surprisingly homesick for Peoria - the school is set in a gated enclosure along with a golf course and an expat neighborhood. The houses were totally American in style - down to the siding and the picket fences! I could almost imagine I was in Weaver Ridge!!! The school is huge, a lot like the American school in Chennai! That was really weird - imagine AISCH relocated to a fancy neighborhood in Peoria - best of both worlds?? The meet too, was a much bigger deal than what I was expecting - over 700 students from about a dozen International schools were participating - not helping my nerves here!!

Although, after the initial furor had faded, what followed was an profoundly boring day! Manasi was to swim in 4 events - the actual race lasted barely a minute in each case - but the wait between events was interminable! Swimmers, parents and coaches had all been corralled into the gym - about half hour before the actual event, the swimmers were led down to the pool and assigned lanes. Manasi's name was printed in the wrong place in the program, which led to a confused discussion every single time her event was called! To her credit, she handled herself beautifully - it must have been quite intimidating for her! The huge pool, the lanes, the whistle start, the diving in - just so much to process! Ajey and I are so proud of her!

So Friday was for me, Saturday was all about Manasi - Sunday was totally Ajey's day!! A first - not for him, but for Manasi and me - we actually went to see a F1 race!!! Now, apologies to all racing enthusiasts, but I just don't get F1 racing. Grown men driving around in souped-up cars for an eternity - can there be anything more monotonous?? So why did I agree to go - I admit my motive was purely to check it off the list - F1 race, been there, done that! Besides, it was right here in Shanghai, the tickets - albeit expensive - were available, and we had friends who were ready to go with us!

How was the experience? In one word, LOUD!!! The drivers - are they called athletes, I wonder - took a couple of test drives around the circuit, but it was only when the race actually started that the force of the sound was felt! Our stand reverberated as the cars surged past, the roar of the engines completely drowning out the cheering spectators! And then they were gone - reappearing a few minutes later for the next lap! It was odd, seeing the race in split seconds like this - and with all the pit stops and other things, it was also really hard to keep track of who's leading! Few laps later, I sat down, earplugs firmly in place - cheering desultorily when what I thought was a Ferrari passed by.

In Ajey's words, F1 racing is the ultimate combination of the best in man and machine. Sadly, I remain untouched by this exalted sentiment. I still don't get it. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I went! Now I know that a live F1 race is just as - hmm, well, it's just like watching it on TV at home - and at home, you can actually have a conversation, and maybe even change the channel! OK, I'm going to stop talking now! Oh, by the way, Alonso won the Shanghai F1 - see, I wasn't completely tuned out! At the end of the day, I did get what I wanted - F1 race, been there, done that!!! And if Ajey wants to go next year - which I'm sure he will - he can go with my blessing and without me!!!

What a weekend! Exhilarating, but equally exhausting! Looking forward to some quiet times ahead - the adrenalin rush from this weekend of firsts is sure to last for a while to come!!

The Emperor's Terracotta Army

The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, was obsessed with immortality. It is said that he spend the last few years of his life in the elusive quest for the magical elixir of everlasting life! He was also very concerned about the after-life - and to protect himself and his capital, Xi'an, even after his death - he commissioned this gigantic army made of terracotta warriors and horses!

About 700,000 artisans labored for over 37 years to create this army of life-sized terracotta figures. In the tradition of many a despotic monarch, the First Emperor had most of these artisans put to death - to protect the secret of his immortal army! And a secret it remained for over 2000 years!!! Generations passed, farming their lands, burying their dead - totally unaware of this wonder that lay buried deep under! Until 1974, when a farmer digging a water well unearthed some pieces of terracotta pottery - further investigations revealed this astounding creation!

Buried almost 5 meters under the ground, the terracotta army has been found in 4 main pits, about 2kms away from the emperor's tomb - which was discovered in the 1950s, but has not been excavated to date due to fear of damage to the contents because of oxidation, and also the possible risk of mercury contamination. Archaeologists now estimate the army to consist of 8000 warriors, 160 chariots and 600 horses - majority of which still remain buried! The warriors have been found in less than pristine conditions - shattered to pieces in some cases - probably because of a massive earthquake which hit Xi'an area in the 16th century. What can be seen today is the result of an elaborate piecing together of the fragments - a giant clay jigsaw puzzle! Work still continues on the site, and there doesn't really seem to be an end in sight!

OK, that's my history lesson for the day! Back to present day Xi'an - the Terracotta Army is now located about 40 miles from the city. City buses are available to make it to the site - but after our earlier experiences, we decided to opt for a private van and tour guide - about 700 RMB for both together. The ride takes about an hour- have I mentioned that traffic in Xi'an is horrendous? From the entrance gates where you buy the tickets to the actual pits - you can walk, or take a little shuttle for 5RMB. It is actually quite a pleasant walk, and it gave the guide a chance to tell us a little bit more about the history of Xi'an and the Army! The first stop on the tour was a bit of a gimmick, in my opinion! Our guide took us into a shop, ostensibly to meet one of the original farmers who discovered the site! For a mere 200 RMB, get a picture with this discoverer and also an autographed book about Xi'an! Now, I don't know this person from Adam - I would most certainly like to give him the benefit of doubt - but when the attendant said, 'No buy book, no picture' - I really wasn't interested anymore!

One more thing that makes this place so unique - the museum has actually been built on the original site! The first glimpse inside Pit 1 - totally taken aback by the sheer size! Gaze upon the warriors in the pit - China at its best 2000 years ago, and then lift your eyes to the dome above - modern China, all in one place! All the figures are incredibly life-like - from the expressions on the faces to the lines on open palms! The dress and hairstyles indicate rank and also, age - our guide said that the warriors range from 16 to 60 years of age! They are taller than the average Chinese man in those days, and proud moustaches are meant to demonstrate aggressive masculinity! At the rear of Pit 1, work still continues to reconstruct these figures - too bad, it was a holiday! It would have been something else to actually see the archaeology team on site!

Kneeling archer

Martial arts expert

A general!

Cavalry officer with his horse

Pit 2 and Pit 3 are a lot smaller, and have not been excavated as much. The bronze chariots, armor, weapons along some of the warriors are located in a separate museum. Up close, the attention to detail is astounding! These figures were all lacquered and colored originally - some remnants of the color is still visible, it must have been breathtaking in the glory days! The chariot made for the emperor is bronze, and so is the armor and the weapons. The horses drawing the chariot fascinated me - the horse is a noble animal to begin with, and it has been so lovingly crafted here - you can almost imagine its hot breath and shuffling hooves!



The tour is dotted with stops at various shops where you can buy souvenirs - these are the original souvenirs, of course! But don't buy anything here - way too highly priced, plus, they won't bargain! There's plenty of opportunity to shop as you make your way to the exit! No shuttle on the way out, there's no escape from all the souvenir stalls! It is a surprisingly long walk back to the parking lot - especially after the 3 odd hours already spent on the site! There's a Subway at the very start of this 'Magnificent Mile', or for the more adventurous, there are plenty of local food stalls, where you can try the hand made noodles and soup!

The taxi brought us back to the hotel at about 4pm - money well spent I would say! I really wanted to go to the Shaanxi Cultural show - or Tang Dynasty show, as it is known - but it was too late to get tickets. Probably for the best - the kids would have been hard to handle after the long day! Instead, we made an amazing discovery - about 5 minutes walk away from the Crowne Plaza is the Cade Plaza, a newish mall. The amazing part is the restaurants it has - we went there looking for a Mexican place, but there was atleast 5 other restaurants we could have eaten at, including a really nice Indian restaurant! 5 minutes away! Why didn't this come up yesterday?!

We still had to visit the Muslim Quarter behind the Drum tower - another good place to sample the local fare, and to get the best bargains! It is a very picturesque location, little alleys with the usual souvenirs, with the Drum Tower as a backdrop! Mountains of dates were available, and so was jade! What treasure did I find? A travel mahjong set in a pretty wooden box!! I admit I'm addicted - sadly, Ajey wouldn't let me buy it - one is enough, he said! Is it really enough, Ajey, is it???

Xi'an - what treasures to be found here! I came here with the Terracotta Army as the main attraction, but I was amazed at the sense of history this place has! True, it is not as clean or shiny as Suzhou or Shanghai, the taxi drivers not as polite, the roads not as good, the metro not as well connected - but still, it has an unique charm! I look at the preservation work, the integration of history with the quotidian - how true it is that unless you understand your past, you cannot look to the future! I also have a twinge of regret - my homeland has a history that stretches back further than even ancient Xi'an, and yet, India has somewhat lost her connection to her glorious past. We have let invaders and conquerors rewrite our illustrious history, forgotten our heritage and rich traditions...

It is said that you have not been to China unless you've been to Xi'an. Whatever truth that statement might have, Xi'an should definitely be on everyone's bucket list. The Emperor's immortal Terracotta Army is waiting for you, and what you will bring back with you is certainly more than just mere souvenirs! Xi'an the ancient, Xi'an the first, Xi'an where it all began...

Xi'an...

Xi'an the ancient, Xi'an the first - Xi'an where it all began! 3000 years ago, Xi'an - or Chang'an, as it was known then, was the capital of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. The modern name for the Middle Kingdom - 'China' - is derived from this very Qin dynasty! The two characters 'xi' and 'an' literally translate as 'west' and 'prosperity' - Xi'an is indeed the western capital of prosperity!

We reached Xi'an on a Friday morning - the train station is right outside its famous city wall. The first sight you see as you walk out - apart from the crowds, of course, is the magnificent ramparts and towers! Our hotel, Crowne Plaza Xi'an, was about 15 minutes away from the station. First impression of Xi'an - common to many cities in China - construction, construction everywhere! Huge malls with name brand stores, and giving evidence to the number of tourists, all the familiar chain restaurants - McDonald's, KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Starbucks! The Crowne Plaza website says that it is the tallest building in Xi'an - it certainly is impressive, a gleaming tower of chrome and glass! No time to admire the decor, though - after quick showers we set off once again - first lunch, then the City Wall!

South gate of the City Wall

This is one of China's oldest and best preserved City Walls! The original date backs to the 14th century, built by the Ming dynasty - but now, has been extensively restored! I'm guessing the top of the wall is almost 25 feet broad, and tourists can rent a bicycle to ride along the entire perimeter of 13 or so kms! The rent for the bikes was a little high - besides how can you enjoy the view from the wall when you're trying to keep your balance?! We contented ourselves with a leisurely stroll - it was quite interesting to see the contrast between the old city with its grey-shingled roofs and narrow lanes on one side, and the busy streets and construction on the other!  

We didn't spend too much time on the wall - our next destination was beckoning - the Dayan or Big Goose Pagoda! This time, we decided to take the bus - at 0.5RMB per adult, and children free, it is certainly the most economical way to travel here! In Suzhou, we often take the bus - so it didn't seem like that big of a deal! The buses in Xi'an, however, are more similar to the PMT or BEST buses in India rather than our clean Suzhou buses! Incredibly grimy, and apparently, as ancient as the city, the buses were also crowded to the gills! We managed to squeeze in - only to have the driver hit the brakes really, really hard a few minutes later - it seemed that our bus had narrowly avoided hitting a pedestrian! The bus halted, the driver got down, and slowly one by one all the passengers got off too! Luckily, the girl was unhurt, just badly shaken! I was surprised at how calm everyone remained - in India, this would have definitely caused a mob to descend on the bus, and the driver would have been most certainly beaten up!

Dayan Pagoda - water show

The Dayan Pagoda is located at the intersection of 2 busy streets - it was really hard to walk, especially as part of the road has been closed off for construction. The pedestrian walkways have been all but taken over by peddlers and hawkers. The park we walked into was beautiful - we could see the pagoda in the background, and the musical fountains were dancing! The show was strictly ok - but still, I always enjoy watching fountains like these! We walked slowly toward the pagoda, looking for an entrance - we hit a high wall finally, and walking along the wall, we came to a market area - souvenirs of course, and food! We kept walking, by now convinced that there was no way to get a closer look at the pagoda, and trying to find an exit!

It was when we were on the other side of the street waiting for a taxi, that we finally noticed the entrance! It was getting late, but we decided to go in any way - and we were not disappointed! The pagoda is part of a Buddhist temple complex - but this is no ordinary Buddhist temple! This temple is built by the monk Xuanzang who traveled to India from China in the 1st century. He lived in India for 17 years, and came back with Buddhist scriptures. The pagoda was actually built to store all his manuscripts and the relics he brought back! Being in this temple was like finding a tiny part of India in the heartland of China! The temple guide was a student at the university, and very well-versed in the history of the temple! The pagoda itself is 7 stories high - no elevator, of course! I don't think any of us had the energy to climb all those steps - no matter how great the view from the top!

Back at the hotel, we met up with our friends from Suzhou, who were also in Xi'an on vacation.Refreshed after a short rest, we decided to go to the Bell Tower - located exactly in the center of Xi'an. The bus we took this time didn't quite take us to where we were headed - but the Bell Tower was only a couple of blocks away - so we walked! Just inside the city walls, on a walkway, we saw a curious sight - a man had setup a giant telescope, a green laser beam shooting out from the top of the scope, disappearing far into the clouds. 'Jupiter', the man said, 'Jupiter and 3 of its moons'. Now who can pass that up! We all lined up, even bargained with him, and paid 20RMB per person for a look at mighty Jupiter! In retrospect, all of us had an uneasy suspicion that something was not quite right - sure enough, it was a hoax! There's even a warning on wikitravel about it! I can't believe we fell for that! Laughed our heads off about this!!!

We did make it to the Bell Tower, only to find that we couldn't go in - visiting hours were over! I had to be content with a photo from across the street! Then we headed to our main destination for the night - where else, dinner at an Indian restaurant - which was right where we were a few hours ago - near the Dayan Pagoda. A metro ride, and what seemed like hours of walking later, we stumbled onto this amazing street - restaurants serving all kinds of cuisine, bars and nightclubs! Quite the happening place! Delhi Darbar, the restaurant where we ate, had been recommended highly by many people - and it did live up to the praise....initially! The food was delicious, and moderately priced, the seating was comfortable, the place was bustling like a good restaurant should be! What went wrong? Just a little thing - a roach turned up in one of our dinner plates!!!! We were almost at the end of our meal, so there was nothing much to be done! The manager made matters worse by claiming it wasn't their fault, these things happen - and he still charged us for the entire meal! What can I say? Just one of those days! Took a taxi back to the hotel - we were pretty much dead on our feet by the time we got back! Next day was the main attraction - the Terracotta Army of Xi'an! 

I had thought that I would finish writing about Xi'an in one post - but I think I'm going need one more post to do justice to the Warriors! So, a third post coming up shortly about our weekend in Xi'an! I promise, the wait won't be long!

Riding the Z train in China

Last month, my passport ran out of pages - I had to apply for a new one at the Indian consulate here in Shanghai. Surprisingly, I was told that it would take at least 45 days - isn't that absolutely crazy?? Almost anywhere these days, a week is more than enough to get a new passport! Anyway, since I was passport-less, our plans for Spring Break were suddenly on shaky ground! But, Ajey had 4 days off too, and it seemed a shame to just stay here in Suzhou...

I had had a really good experience with the CRH high-speed trains when I went to Beijing. So I started looking at trains to go to Xi'an. Unfortunately, there is no direct CRH train from Suzhou to Xi'an. The only option is the overnight sleeper train - the Z category - which even though not high-speed, still runs at a good clip of almost 160kmph! I have traveled by train tons of time when in India - both the 2 tier and 3 tier A/C compartments, and it always has been so much fun! How much worse can the trains in China be? So we decided to go ahead and make the bookings!

There were plenty of options for the tickets - hard seats, soft seats, hard sleeper or soft sleeper! Well, I definitely do not want to be sitting up all night, and the hard sleeper sounds so uncomfortable - so the soft sleeper it was! That turned out to be a pretty good choice - I don't think we could have managed in any of the other compartments! The tickets are pretty pricey too - 400RMB one way per person! Goes without saying that the hard seats are dirt cheap! Actually buying tickets is slightly more complicated than just going online and booking - the admin in Ajey's office helped us find the right trains - she then texted this information to our driver, who headed to the railway station with our passports to buy the tickets. Wait, did I say passport? Yes, you do need passports to buy train tickets in China - fortunately they are willing to accept a photo copy, so we didn't run into a problem!

So, we finally had a plan! Leave Suzhou Thursday night by the 7:45pm train, reach Xi'an Friday morning by 9:30am - stay in Xi'an 2 nights - and then on Sunday, take the 5pm train back, which would bring us to Suzhou Monday morning at 6am, in plenty of time for Ajey to still make it to a full day of work! Since we didn't have to leave for the station until almost 6:30pm, Thursday was very relaxed! There is a pantry car on the train, but I wasn't sure if we would would something suitable for us to eat - so ended up carrying a picnic hamper - everything from beer and chiwda to sandwiches and yogurt rice!

On the platform

Most stations in China have 1 big waiting area, and you can go onto the platforms only about 10 minutes before the train arrives. Platforms are for ticket-holders only, so there is none of the chaos and rabble associated with Indian platforms! There are no vendors on the platform either, so if you need to buy water or snacks, get it before you leave the waiting area! On the train, we were in for a pleasant surprise! The sleeper car had little cabins each with 4 berths. Floor was carpeted, and the sheets and pillowcases were laundry white! The berths had lacy hangings, and the little table at one end had a table cloth, with a vase and a kettle for hot water!

In the train

Our little cabin

Once the train got going, we set out our snacks, and got our party going! It was such a relief to sit down with legs stretched out, rather than being cramped into a tiny airline seat! Trains are awesome! It was already dark by the time the train left, so we couldn't see much out of the huge window except passing lights. There were plenty of food and drink carts passing by - all kinds of soft drinks, beer, fruit, instant noodles or even a hot dinner was available. For those who do eat meat, there should be no problem. For vegetarians - carry your own food, and plenty of it!

The toilets are always a little dicey on trains! In the Z-train, both western and Indian style toilets are available. They were clean enough when the train left Suzhou, but totally unusable in the morning. There is a little area with just sinks, so you can brush your teeth, but hold off on using the bathroom till you reach your hotel! It wasn't too bad though - we went to the bathroom right before we turned in, and we reached our hotel by 10am - we just stayed in bed as long as we could! The berths are comfortable, and the rocking motion of the train is restful - totally satisfactory for 1 night!

Xi'an station was somewhat of a shock - living in modern Suzhou has insulated us from real China! There was a huge crowd of people outside - touts for hotels, taxis, tourist guides and the like! Strangest were the people who wanted our used train tickets in exchange for a city map! I can't imagine what they would do with them, but certainly, not a good idea to hand over your tickets to a stranger - especially since each ticket has the passenger's passport number on it! Ignore all offers for taxi - head straight to the official taxi stand. It takes a little longer because you have to wait in line, but the police in charge were very helpful - making sure that the taxi driver knew where we had to go, even calling our hotel to confirm the address!! Xi'an is a relatively small town, and the ride from Xi'an station to most hotels should not cost more than 15-20RMB.

One important thing to keep in mind when traveling by train in China - most cities have at least 2 railway stations, if not more. One is a dedicated station for the G-category CRH high-speed trains - this is usually a little farther away from the city. The others would be stations within the city - these are for all other trains, the Z, T and K categories ( for more information on different types of trains in China - go to, where else - wikipedia.org! ). A CRH train may arrive at a regular station, but the other trains will never go to a CRH station. The tickets state very clearly which station your train departs from - so make sure you know which station you need to get to!

No prizes for guessing why I'm writing these words of caution! On the way back, our concierge at the hotel directed our taxi to the Xi'an Bei station - yes, that is the CRH station. We showed our tickets to the taxi driver, and he should have known that Xi'an Bei is not where we had to go - he just decided to ignore that in favor of getting a larger fare! About 25 minutes later, we finally yelled loud enough for him to stop, and turn back to the Xi'an main station. It didn't help matters that he drove like a maniac, swerving and cutting through traffic at a very high speed! Long story short - we missed our train! The entrance hall in the Xi'an station is completely confusing - wouldn't be out of place in any station in India! We had no clue where to go, or what to do next!

Fortunately, Ajey was able to track down a railway official who not only spoke English, but was also able to help us get tickets for a later train. Surprisingly, even though our train had left, the full amount for the ticket was refunded - the downside was that the new tickets we had to buy were twice as expensive as our originals - so we still ended up shelling out a significant amount of money! Another good piece of information was that all railway stations have a special waiting room for soft-sleeper passengers. It wouldn't matter much in places like Suzhou, but anywhere else, it makes a huge difference! This waiting room even has a special entrance to go out to the platforms, so you don't have to shove your way though the crowds outside!

The person who helped us told Ajey that he tickets we had were VVIP - but we didn't know what he meant until we got on the train! This time, our compartment had cabins with just 2 berths - there was also a very comfortable armchair, a small coat closet, and wait for it - a personal toilet! VVIP alright! This little cabin was a huge boost to our by-now flagging spirits! Of course, all 3 of us could not be together for the night, but we could still sit and eat together and chat! All's well that ends well, I guess!!

Overall, the Z-train was a wonderful experience! It seemed a little daunting initially, but compared to the hassles of taking a flight - taking the train seems to be the better option! The trains run on time in China, and the rail network is very good! I'm already trying to think of the next place we can take the train to! I'll be back with an update on our time in Xi'an soon, so watch this space! Until next time!

Spring break...

So it appears that the sun is here to stay!! It still needs to warm up a little bit before I'm totally happy, but for now, I'll take the bright days! Spring is here in full force - flowers blooming everywhere, birds chirping at dawn - I'm sure Sunny misses the little baby rabbits from Peoria, though!

Set of Mahjong tiles

We kicked off the Spring break in style - by playing mahjong for a straight 4 hours! Yes, that's right - mahjong!! I've started playing not too long ago, and I must admit, I'm completely hooked! I've even bought my very own mahjong set! With all the winds, dragons, flowers and seasons, it is very, very Chinese - and the tiles are more substantial than playing cards, giving the game a real solid feel! I'm not going to try explaining the game here - it's quite complicated, you really have to play to get a hang of it - besides, wikipedia does a good job of going over the basics! Anyway, on Friday, we started playing at 3pm - very fluid, we had people leave and new people join in - until at the end, it was my good friend BH, me and our husbands - yes, we actually managed to pull in our husbands too!! What an afternoon! I don't know if it was the glass of wine I had, or if it was staring at those tiles for so long - I was distinctly woozy by the time I got home!

Saturday was swimming day for Ajey and Manasi. Usually, we have our driver on Saturday, but this weekend, we decided not to call him - it gets really stressful once he's here and waiting, it's almost like we have to go somewhere right away! So, we were all very relaxed - didn't leave for the pool till almost 2pm! Our compound does have a pool, but it's an outdoor one, and won't be open for another month. Since it was another nice day, we decided to take our e-bike! Ajey and I both have fond memories of zipping around Pune on our bikes, so one of the first things we did here was to buy an e-bike! We haven't really used it as much as we thought - let me correct that - I haven't used it as much as I thought! After being practically glued to the seat of my Kinetic Honda for 4 years of college, I am surprisingly shaky on this one! I haven't yet ventured out for a solo ride - the only times we've been out is all 3 of us together. In September, that worked out fine - but Manasi has since hit a growth spurt, and it looks like we'll be buying another bike before the summer is out!

Of course, the weather changed on the way back - so we decided to stop for coffee at the Pacific Coffee Company. Cue my rant against fancy coffee shops! Almost everyone I know - my husband included - are big fans of Starbucks and the likes! I'm sorry, but I just don't get it! First of all, all this coffee terminology is absolutely beyond me - espresso, cappucino, latte, mocha, frappucino, mochacino - the list is endless, and all I really want is a simple cup of coffee! Since I don't know any of the words, I never know what to order, and I always, always hate what I get! And the sizes - when did 'small', 'medium' and 'large' disappear from our lexicon? Starbucks has tall, grande and venti - well, 'grande' is just French for tall, and Google Translate tells me that 'venti' is Italian for twenty - am I missing something here? No offence, but I'm going to stick to my regular tea - or should I say, steaming cup of chai tea with a hint of spices and a dash of cream? Sounds better that way, doesn't it?

We stayed up late playing cards at a friend's house, so Sunday was obviously a slow-starter! Left to my devices, I would have lazed the day away - but Ajey had plans to go for a bike ride, and he managed to guilt me into going with him. I'm so glad he pushes me into these things - I always have a great time, and end up feeling really good about myself! The plan was to bike around Jinji Lake in Suzhou - this is a huge artificial lake in Suzhou, and it is pretty much the center of Suzhou Industrial Park - our compound is located on the SW corner of this lake. I had my doubts - I wasn't sure if I could make it all the way around - but, in the end, it was really easy - it took us about 70 minutes, with only 1 stop on the way! There's even a walking trail around the lake, I'm sure that's really scenic - so now that is the next thing on our to-do list!

To round off Spring break, we're heading to Xi'an Thursday night. I'm really excited - ever since we came to China, I've wanted to go to Xi'an! Also, we're taking an overnight train there and back - that should be quite the adventure too! I'll be back with that story soon! Happy Spring to all of you!