Getting Ready To Go Home

Linda is over to TCM guys getting treatment of some sort. She is still feeling pretty good and looks good. I think we can leave on Fri of this week and get back to San Francisco on Fri of this week. We lost a day on the way over and will pick it up on the way back. I really like it here, love the people and feel right at home, but it's time to get back to our real life's.

Yesterday we wanted to pick up some souvenirs to take back home so I went to see the street vendors again. As I said before these guys are like sharks in the water and as soon as you make eye contact they smell blood. Well I saw a few things I wanted to buy and take home but how do you deal with them. So here is a plan I worked out you all can use if you ever come here. If you show any interest in an item, they say 200. No that's too much and start to walk away. They follow and start lowering the price. Now this is no secret, everyone knows that. But what did they pay. So you go to another guy and get the best deal you can on just one item from him and in your heart you know he still got to you. Now you take the one item you just bought and when the next guy comes at you, you say no and keep on walking. But they don't take no for an answer. So you take out the one you just bought and tell him you will sell him that one. He laughs and says how much, you say 200 and he laughs tells you how you just got taken. But you keep the pressure on him to buy yours and he gets mad and to show you how smart he is and how dumb you are he says he can get all he wants for 10. Than you say good, I will give you 15 each for all those. So on every transaction, there are the watchers. Well they all start to laugh at him and he gives in, making a little and you go your way while the rest of the vendors try to sell you more. But enough is enough and off you go.

Last night Diana was going to a friends house for dinner and asked Linda and me if we wanted to go along. We said sure and she called and asked if she could bring along a couple of Americans. Well OK, but not too enthused. Turns out this guy's name was also John and he was from AZ. he is 35 and has lived in China for 13 years now. He is married to a 23 year old Chinese woman. There were about 20 people there, all Chinese except Linda and I. His wife and her mother must have been cooking all week because the table had so much food of all kinds and looked mouth watering. Also, John brought out some Chinese Liqueur of some sort that looked like Kentucky moonshine and was so potent a little sip took your breath away. John explained to me that it was bad insults not to drink what your host poured for you in China. So as not to offend the host, I had my fair share. Soon as everyone else had their fair share the room became quite lively. And I found out much to my delight that although only Chinese was being spoken, I knew everything that was going on and when someone told a joke I understood the punch line and laughed just as loud as anyone in the room. This must be the stuff they pass out on the star ship Enterprise as a universal translator. When the meal is finished, no one leaves the table, they all just sit and chat for how ever long they feel like it. And pick at the food left with their chopsticks. And continual not to offend the host. All too soon it was time to go, so as we started to pack up John came with his camera for pics. He told me when Diana asked to bring a couple of friends he didn't think it was a good idea because we would feel left out and strange. But we got along so good with everyone he was glad we came. I told him I would probably never see him again, but I would never forget that night. So we left with that warm feeling only the universal translator can give.

A new patient just checked into the hospital today. Mike and Caroline from North Carolina. Mike is 68 and has the PD for years now. I don't know if I will see much of him as we have nothing in common at all. Mike likes to go to old car swap meets, collect old cars, has a few and also has a 1957 tbird. So what could we possibly talk about. But I may make an exception in case and talk a little with him. Caroline helps him pull engines under a tree. He reads the Early Bird from cover to cover.

john and linda in China