Eighteenth day in China [October 18]

[aadler]

I got up a little after 8:30, and was shocked to realize how close we are to the end of our stay. We fly out on the 20th — before noon on the 20th — so we have only two full days left. It does feel like we’ve been here a while, but nearly three weeks? doesn’t feel like that.

I went down to McDonald’s to get a small breakfast for Susan and me, and we had barely finished when Kevin texted to ask when they should pick us up. It was actually 11:00 before they arrived, Kevin and Mei-li and Laura, and Laura drove us to the Coastal City Mall. We had lunch at a Japanese restaurant — I suppose even Chinese want a change of pace every now and then — and then went on to the Yins’.

Like last Sunday, I had dressed for later attendance at Mass, but again the decision had been made to skip it this time. Well, darn. Susan and I napped for a bit, and afterward spent the normal time visiting with our in-laws and our son and our granddaughter. (She’s making syllables now; today I heard her say distinctly, “Wa, wa.” Very talented.)

Again we were taken out to eat, this time in the same restaurant where we had been treated to a magnificent meal on the second day of our previous China trip in 2013. This one was comparable, but perhaps scaled down a bit … or, maybe experience has readjusted my understanding of just how good food can be in China, so that what was a ravishment then just registers as really good now. (Either way, still better than anything else I’ve ever had.)

Susan and I were taken back to our home base after the meal, and settled in to do a bit of laundry and general catching-up. Susan watched some more Chinese ‘historical’ television (lots and lots of World War 2 stuff, that’s basically yesterday for them), and I went on to bed a bit before 11:00 PM.

Next day

Comments

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

That meal sounds marvelous!


Gabrielle

[aadler]

There simply is no describing (though I took a shot at it, two years ago). Now that I think on it, maybe the baijiu in 2013 gave me that little extra glow that makes me think of that meal as being slightly better. No dry-mouth this morning, though, so it evens out.

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

The sheer weight of Chinese history is a bit staggering, isn't it? It's always a bit difficult to fit church services into a vacation. My husband and I have had intentions to go to church numerous times when on vacation out of the country and somehow it never seems to actually happen. Which is odd since we're very faithful attenders at home.

[aadler]

It pinched a bit more since this was the second Sunday in a row I had thought we’d be going to Mass (and even dressed for it) and then found plans changed. I guess those are the breaks.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you had a meal you enjoyed so much.

Amazing how time flies as well.

[aadler]

The comparison to the first time was interesting. A shame that something so near-transcendent should begin to approach … routine. Yet so it goes.