I get to meet Hermill

[Kazzer]

My wife and I got to spend our first evening in Hangzhou today with Hermill and his family. We had a few beers, my first burger in over two weeks, and in the most beautiful place in China. This city is on a wonderful lake, with mountains as a backdrop, beautiful Chinese women everywhere and well- I am simply stunned with it all.

I'll post some photos tomorrow. Thanks Chuck for your kind offer to show us the real China, and not the touristy stuff!

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Chuck's no fool. Seems he planted himself in a target-rich environment. Smart boy.

Sounds like you're coming down with yellow-fever, Mike. Get those eye-balls back in your head or Carol will smack you one.

Have fun, enjoy the sights, eat well ... and get back here and hold my hand -- I think the guys in the front office are passing the hat, and when they have enough dough are going to hire a hit-man to deal with me and my tardy order fills.

Help!

David

[trout]

I look forward to the photos...... I hope and pray you are having fun!

[Kazzer]

A view along the lake shore toward our hotel.

Below - Taken from the 'broadwalk' alongside the lake, right outside our hotel. There's a haze on the lake and it's about 80 F and around 4pm.
We'll try the boats today.

[Kazzer]

... and get back here and hold my hand -- I think the guys in the front office are passing the hat, and when they have enough dough are going to hire a hit-man to deal with me and my tardy order fills.

Help!

David

Hah! You're on your own pal! I'm just going to stand out of the way when the 'man' strikes! Like my granny always said, "You shouldn't have joined if you can't take a joke!"

[herrmill]

It was a great pleasure to meet you & Carol at the end of your Grand Asian Tour & once again I'm sorry we didn't have the time to see all we wanted due to my hectic schedule this week. Am sure we'll have that chance again sometime in the future.

You missed one hellava fireworks show last night outside of your hotel but its probably best that you left when you did after seeing 47 spectators were injured when one of the mortars landed in the crowd!

http://www.hangzhouexpat.com/index.php?/topic/21450-firework-explodes-after-droppong-on-the-ground/page__pid__161959

[herrmill]

And next time no weaseling out of the spicy frog hotpot when we visit Green Tea, y'all! I really had my sights set on that dish but wasn't about to eat it on my own! :wink:

Get some rest & remember, a few G&T always help when it comes to adjusting to the jet lag.

[Kazzer]

And next time no weaseling out of the spicy frog hotpot when we visit Green Tea, y'all! I really had my sights set on that dish but wasn't about to eat it on my own! :wink:

Get some rest & remember, a few G&T always help when it comes to adjusting to the jet lag.

Hah! I spotted that on the menu, but after the 'little fish from the river with green beans' that tasted like 2000 year old toenails I'm pretty much done with China grub! My god, there's some nasty, nasty s h * t served up here. Just after we said our good byes ----
Here's Chuck and me doing just that - (but some of us just have to f' about!)

I think the black fried duck heads that folks scrunch up for breakfast does it for me. But then there's duck eggs with baby duck embryos inside, all soaked in cold tea, that is enough to make the toughest Western stomach revolt.

Well, that was this morning, Sunday, and now I'm in LA and it's Saturday. What a crumby ride on AA, compared to our ride outward bound on Qantas. The food was awful, and we tried to upgrade our seats, but couldn't. "Rules" was the excuse. We're just about to depart for Chicago and it's 9pm Saturday. When we get to Chicago it will be Sunday, and finally Rochester will be - ummm hell! I give up! I need a bed! I'm tired!

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Welcome back, round-eye.

David

[herrmill]

Bummer we didn't get that flower-bedecked Jag behind us in the photo...

For anyone else who happens to be passing through the neighborhood, we'll leave the light on for 'ya.

[Albion]

spicy frog hotpot .

Nice.

I did a BS management course this year, one of the modules they encouraged us to "eat the frog first", meaning first job you do each day should be the one you are not looking forward to doing. So I told them I did eat the frog first, then the vegetables didnt seem quite so bad!

[Kazzer]

We did notice, very quickly, when we arrived back in LA, that the great majority of Round-Eyes were horrendously overweight, whereas the Chinese weren't. And we've discovered why. If you're forced to eat tons of cabbage and rice, or noodles in a salty broth for breakfast with a tea soaked boiled egg on the side, then your taste-buds and appetite have got to be shot to hell. Add to that the local wine tastes like sewer water, and you've got the answer to why The Chinese are so annoyingly skinny.



The twirly things are snakes with heads on, eyes staring! The brown crispy looking sausage things are silkworm grubs. Top center are spiders

You can imagine these in McDonalds! "I'll have a snake sandwich with large fries, that is, large fried spiders please!"

Anyhow, we had a wonderful, wonderful time, and I would not have missed this for anything. But, I'm damned glad to be home, in the Good Ol' US of A!

I forgot - the yellow things, top left, are starfish! The gods and Chinese men only know what to do with them. Did I mention the dog testicles? I forgot to photograph them! Perhaps Chuck could get a picture? And you wondered what the Vets in the USA did with them after Rover had been for The Snip. There's an underground movement, trading in dog testicles! Yes folks, we've actually found something home grown that The Chinese Government will allow into the country! I knew we'd find a niche market over there. We've got bugga all else going on!

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Eeeeeeeyuck!

David

[herrmill]

We did notice, very quickly, when we arrived back in LA, that the great majority of Round-Eyes were horrendously overweight, whereas the Chinese weren't.

But, I'm damned glad to be home, in the Good Ol' US of A!

I, along with several other American expats here, remark that we are about to leave the land of the little people whenever we head back home. Its always been one hellava culture shock to step off that plane & see the size of the folks back in the U.S. of A.

Of course, its been changing for the worse here over the past decade with incomes rising & bad habits taking root. I saw the Chinese version of Mike & Molly just the other day while walking through MIXc., our local hi-end Über priced shopping mall.

[herrmill]

See what you missed Saturday night?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/fireworks-explode-crowd-china-article-1.1183617