::: Golden Week, Part San (3)

Dinner began pretty um...quietly...that would change.

While we are at dinner at the aforementioned "rooftop" the place was swarming with college students who were drinking lots of beer and basically getting wasted. As time went on, it got louder and louder outside on that quiet little retreat we like to call the best meal in town for $2.

It seemed that just after we finished eating Gua Bao Ro (the best sweet and sour pork you could ever find in the entire planet) and Gambien Sujido (yeah, no idea how that one is spelled...5 Spice Green Beans) they all got up to do the pee pee dance right behind us by the bathroom door. It took until then for them to realize that there were three whiteys among them dining. One of them a redhead....and the weirder part was two of them spoke Chinese!

That is when the beer goes down and everyone is suddenly an ambassador for Xiamen and for China. We are then surrounded by super nice drunk Chinese college students who pour us a few shots of Coca-Cola. Albeit in their previously beer-laden glasses while they try and communicate in drunken Chinglish. It really was quite a gesture.

The students then went to playing a game they play during this holiday week that isn't played anywhere else called BoBing. A little obnoxious game that sounds like bells going off all around town.



It is a dice game thrown in a ceramic bowl and they all chip in to purchase prizes for the players to win. They have small prizes and large prizes. Tissues may be one small gift, and a rice steamer a large gift. As we were leaving, one of the students reached over and gave me one of his prizes, a cup of fruit custard. Sounds cheesy, but it was really humbling looking back on it. He just gave me, a complete stranger, a gift. Something he could have really enjoyed. And you wonder why I love this place so much?

Again, that thought hits me about the whole dinner experience...You just don't see that everyday!

J, J, and I head back to their place and the redhead and I head out to our favorite coffee-shop over looking Gu Lang Yu Island, which at this time of night is all lit up and beautiful! A couple of coffees, some Haagen Dazs, and a good deep convo and its night night sleepytime.

Little did I know the night would be whispering through the cool air a warning message for me,..."silly boys – rest well...you are going to need it!"