A Weekend in Taiyuan

Time is flying by as life in China continues to teach me unforgettable and valuable lessons about life and people. Two weekends ago, I went to Taiyuan to visit some friends. That Friday, I took a long distance bus from Beijing at 1:45pm and arrived in Taiyuan about 9:00pm. After I arrived, my friends and I sang our hearts out at a karaoke (KTV) suite, for one of their birthdays. Saturday was a fun filled day with friends, and I was able to eat at a restaurant I’d visited in 2003. They have some delicious breaded-fried mushrooms and a great sweet-and-sour entrée! I’ve been craving those two dishes since I was there over two years ago! (Yeah, I know…that’s really sad…) Sunday was also a great day with friends, but I had to leave Sunday night in order to be back in time for classes on Monday. But, before I left, I had to go to a grocery store with a friend and pick up some famous Shanxi Province “cu” (pronounced “tsoo” - vinegar – I just used it on some “jiao zi” dumplings the other day, and it is fantastic!).

I got on the bus about 10:00pm Sunday night. There was a cheap VCD copy of Jackie Chan’s latest hit “Shen Hua” (“The Myth”) playing on the bus; I think it was from a video camera in the movie theatre, especially since the picture was lopsided and all the colors were unusually red-toned. We stopped briefly at a gas station-rest stop around 2:00am, and we arrived back in Beijing about 5:20am Monday morning. I took a taxi back to my dorm and got totally ripped off by the driver, which is rare these days in Beijing. (Next time, I will definitely be more cautious and bargain with the driver first.) Arriving back at my dorm around 6:00am, I had enough time to do my homework, eat some breakfast, and make it to class before 8:00am! Whew!