TJ also stands for Tianjin

Separation anxiety from the driver

Djorf's old stomping grounds were located in the clean, modern, smaller (only 10 million people) city of Tianjin. We took a fast train, 35 minutes from Beijing and a quick taxi ride to our much improved living quarters, Modena Service Apartments in the heart of Tianjin. The taxi was scary as I felt I was in jail. It was fairly late and I was exhausted after our day in Beijing so I went to bed.
The place we stayed was amazing after the run-down nasty place we stayed in Beijing. The beds had actual mattresses, springy, forgiving, soft, bouncy, fluffy, blissful, I could go on. I slept like a baby.

Patriotic beer on the Train

One of the first things I noticed about the people is that they seem even more angry when they talk then people in Shanghai. Every tone and syllable out of their mouths cuts like a knife. Every word seems to be yelled at you. Djorf assures me they aren't screaming and this is just the way of TJ's inhabitants. I don't know if I believe him because I already bungle the few Mandarin words I do know, and if the situation was reversed, I might also be frustrated with the laowai who continuously butchers every language she tries to speak, even her own. Oh how I wish I was multilingual like my wonderful fiancé.

Our day in TJ was uneventful. We slept in, ate a nice buffet breakfast which was included with our room, and wandered around. Djorf and I spent an hour at the bank trying to close his account and retrieve about $150 but a passport was not considered good enough documentation for the bureaucratic nightmare of banking in China. Djorf needed his "little red book" or his ATM card, neither of which he had and it takes seven days to get those replaced. He could only get all this done at this specific branch of ICBC in Tianjin, nowhere else. All attempts were futile, and we left dejected failures.

Earlier that day, I noticed that some fraudulent activity was taking place with my PayPal account. Payments were being made to people I didn't know without my permission. I called PayPal customer service using Skype to clear everything up. I proceeded to have one of the best conversations with someone who truly cared about my satisfaction. I used to get so frustrated with customer service when I lived in the States but after being on the receiving end of some of the worst customer service in the world, ICBC Bank in Tianjin, I have a whole new appreciation of those lovely people on the other end of the line. They speak to you nicely, they help you, they wish you well, and hope you have a wonderful evening. Many people take these do-gooders for granted. Never again, I say! If only knew how lucky they were to have a number to call.

After the bank we went to the lounge of the Tangla Hotel. It was very nice and I felt brave enough to order a Bloody Mary. This was a mistake, as it usually is in China at any bar that is not owned by an expat. The Chinese just cannot create a Bloody Mary. Mine tasted like nothing I have ever had before. It was similar to salad dressing, sweetish, sourish, slimy. I should know better but I had to try. The Singapore Sling I had next hit the spot. This was the beginning of a long evening bar hopping around TJ.

Special drink offered at Bar Pepper

Helen's is a well-known and popular bar near several universities in China. We met Djorf's friends from his previous school here for some cheap beer and snacks. Afterwards we went to AJO which is a bar owned by a group of expat men who started a fraternity not unlike the men in the movie Old School. In order to get there we followed some interesting directions: make your first left past the police station, turn right at the first intersection, then right again past the 7-11 when you see the rhino. A rhino? We saw two rhinos and almost turned at the wrong rhino. We made it safe and sound and I had a good laugh that some of Djorf's students were in the bar with other kids who could not have been more than 15 years old. Where were their parents?
The next place was a bar named Sitong where Djorf went almost every weekend. It was nicely decorated, full of Chinese people, and a Philippino cover band which serenaded us with local favorites like Waiting for You by Richard Marxx and Hero by Enrique Iglesias. I was having a grand time but the others decided the music and atmosphere were not to their liking.

Djorf asked the taxi driver to take us to another bar, his choice, so we ended up at Bar Pepper and some girlie bar named Jack's Jack's. All played a hilarious selection of music ranging from Leonard Cohen to Celine Dion. Our final stop of the night was Procope where we decided after a beer was accidentally poured on the table and then into our plate of fries, we should probably go home.

Just a hot pocket

The airport was another adventure. We decided to stop for a beer and a snack before our plane ride home. I think I will miss the funny English translations on menus the most. In the photo you will see a menu item "According to Burn Bacon Bag." What in the world is that? We had to order it and find out. See other photo of what ended up just being a boring meat pie. And finally, the waitress warned us it was hot, but hot enough to melt our plastic fork?!?! Help!

Melted fork

I now sit on a plane awaiting takeoff returning to Shanghai. I look forward to seeing my little dog and going out for dinner with him to Piro. Zaijian Beijing and Tianjin.