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Yesterday Johann and I slept in a bit. We had big plans for the day. The weather wasn't fantastic but wasn't raining. We took that as a good sign. Our big plans got cut into by coffee, Cheerios, and bacon. We may have taken a bit to much time for that. And by this I mean pretty much our plans just got destroyed by a lazy morning.
We met Brian for lunch at the cafeteria on site. The point of the lunch was to plan out our next couple days. He, fortunately for us, had offered to advise us for the weekend. The site mostly clears out for the weekend. We could stay but it would become a bit more difficult and not as much fun. Brian began to throw out plans anywhere from international trips to getting a hotel room and lounging by the pool. We still honestly didn't have a plan when the lunch ended. We are all fans of the concept of just going with it. But we decided we needed to get out of the site for the night. So we all seperated to pack and get ready for the weekend.
Brian's driver drove us to Ningbo for the night. It is about a two hour drive. At least that's what I've been told. However, I am quite convinced the driver cut it down to maybe a bit over an hour. That or my sense of time is seriously askew.
We checked into the hotel, dropped off our bags, and took off. We continued out onto the area of Laowaitan. Brian informed us that this is main nightlife spot for Ningbo. Bars, clubs, and restaurants cover the streets. Music leaking from every doorway funnels into the main area causing for an interesting mix. It also made for an interesting mix of people.
We walked down the streets for a bit. Just soaking it in. We would peek into places for a bit, then step back out onto the street to keep exploring. I honestly am not to sure of the order. Fortunately for everyone... maybe unfortunately for you, Brian and Johann aren't writing this so you will never know. Anyway, the highlights:
-One spot was overtaken by Russian girls at a birthday party. Johann and Brian liked this one because they could stare at beautiful girls. I eventually got Johann out on the dancefloor. Where we did swing dancing to salsa music. And he also completely dropped me on my face mid dip. Who's fault that was is still up for debate.
-One bar had a live jazz band playing. They were lit in bright green light. The black lady singing had a top hat that was fit for the Mad Hatter. Her hoop earrings hung lower than her shoulders. The outfit was perfected by her trench coat like dress/coat thing. She totally sold the New Orleans soul feel. At one point she asked the audience to sing along. I applaud the Chinese for how well they sang along with an all English song. But she brought the microphone over to our group. I can proudly say we all sang our parts perfectly. Keep an eye out for the Brian, Becca and Johann group. Coming to your area soon.
-Our final stop was a place called The Pit. It is owned by an Italian guy, who came and talked with us for a bit. All the employees are Indian. Despite all this, it is themed in an American design. It's a clear ex-pat hang out because it's easy to fit into such a wide range of people. The owner's white fluffy dog, Bella, greets you at the door. I love this dog. It is beautiful and so sweet. I later snuggled up on a couch with her for a bit. While we hung out there I noticed a guy sitting alone at a table. He had a hood on. We all joked that he looked a little like a bomber. I mean... we were joking but we kind of weren't at the same time. I decided that I would go make friends with him. His name is Alex and he is from Russia. We talked for a bit exchanging traveling stories and such. And as we left a man from Boston came and introduced himself to me. We talked about Alaska, Boston, and Colorado. On the walk back to the hotel I couldn't help but be amazed at the places and situations that bring people together.
The next day the three musketeers of this weekend were not feeling super expeditious. So we had a late breakfast, relaxed for a while, then decided to venture out into the town for lunch. We wandered in the park for a bit. The sun was shining so it was full of people excited for the spring.
We made our next plan. The three of us are all dangerously okay with just going minute by minute. Our next small plan was to get to Hangzhou. A hop skip and a jump - also known as a train ride- later we arrived.
We checked into the hotel then went to the lounge to talk. We ended up staying there chatting much past our original intent. Personally, I will take great friends and conversations anyday. But we eventually left. After the longest taxi ride due to traffic, we arrived at a fish market. It reminded me alot of the markets in Madrid and Barcelona. The difference is that this is only fish, and some of those fish are alive. We waited for one of Brian's friends in order to become the four musketeers.
Brian and Stylus worked on ordering the right fish for us. Johann and I poked around while they did that. Because frankly Johann and I know nothing of ordering live fish. It would be a lot of guessing. Once Brian and Stylus had decided, the men behind the counters killed the crabs and fish. Honestly pretty entertaining. Depending on the fish, they either take a mallet and WHAP. Or they just take the fish to the ground in an epic and equally anticlimatic collision. WHAP. Then the men out front take the fish to women in the kitchen in the back. The guest sits in the restaurant while this happens. Then you dine on the fish or whatever you ordered. Alright. Time to be frank. It was very good, don't get me wrong. But not the best I've ever had. Brian said it wasn't as good that day. Maybe I'll have to come back. But as of now, that is my conclusion.
(I have one of those pictures without Brian photobombing. But this one is clearly much better.)
We walked around for a bit but decided to head back to the hotel. We wound up sitting in Brian's room talking until the wee hours of the morning. We covered every topic possible, from trivial to tragic, from hilarious to hideous. Johann and I joked as we walked away that Brian probably thinks we are certifiably crazy now. But it was the perfect evening. Here's why...
I've been feeling a bit bummed about the fact I feel no emotional connection to China. So far everywhere I've been I've had a moment of "Holy crap, this is beyond spectacular." And don't get me wrong, I am blown away by China. It is amazing. But I have no emotional connection to it... yet. I am still convinced I'm gonna get it by the end of this trip. But I realized last night why. Because the world only matters because of the people who live in it. On this trip, I don't know why, the topic of life passions has come up a lot. I've been asked numerous times "What are you passionate about?" And honestly I struggle with that question. I LIKE a lot of things. But passion? That's a whole other thing. Maybe I just put to much impact into that word, but I view it as a big deal. And I've spent way to much time thinking about this. I realized the one thing I'm passionate about: people. When I was little, I wanted to be a politician because I loved the idea of being able to help people. I grew up a bit with that idea, unfortunately. But the concept remains the same. I thought when I was little being a therapist was one of the most powerful things. The concept that saying the right thing, that listening, that WORDS can change someone's entire life is beyond powerful. WORDS! Do you understand that?! Words can destroy you or recreate you. How incredible. I guess my point is I don't believe the most powerful emotional connections come from nature or amazing scenery. I'm not saying you can't feel powerful emotions in nature. If you know anything about me, you know I strongly believe nature can create powerful powerful moments. But people. People will always create passion. It's not even about staying best friends with these people. It's about the experience and moments of connections you find. So here's to Italian bar owners. Here's to jack asses you have to shoot down. Here's to Unabomber look-alike Russian kids. Here's to Jazz singers. And here's to the experiences we get from them.
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