Adventures in Guangzhou!

After a lazy morning exploring the city, we went to a Sichuan restaurant for lunch. For a measly 35 kuai (not per person--total!) we had all you can hot pot and stuffed ourselves. For those of you unfamiliar with hot pot, it's just what it sounds like. You get a big pot of broth that gets heated (usually by a gas burner) and then you put in a bunch of raw meat and vegetables that gets cooked right there. It's messy, it's spicy, and it's delicious. The place I like to go to in Guangzhou is really good and generally costs between 50-70 kuai a person depending on how much you order. I was like a kid in a candy store at this place because you could just keep getting more plates of raw stuff to throw in the pot. I can't say it's the most sanitary thing around (raw meat just sitting out all day?) but it sure tasted good!

After lunch we accompanied Li Can to a local hairdresser so she could get her hair done. Apparently she goes to one of the few upscale places in town and she is definitely known there. We walked in and they did not seem surprised to see foreigners at all. I guess Lisa and Megan also frequent this establishment, both because it's good and because they get a ridiculous discount for being outsiders. The owners immediately sat us down, offered us hot tea, and had a couple of employees give us back massages. I figured that since I was there, I might as well take advantage so I gave them the go-ahead to give me a haircut. My 'fro needed a reduction and I had no idea when I'd see a barber again so I put myself at the mercy of some dude with long dyed hair. Eh, why not.

Well this guy was a pro. He spent a good 20 minutes just washing my hair, which seemed pretty excessive to me, but what do I know. Then he went to work on cutting it... with scissors! I didn't even know men could get a haircut without clippers! I felt like royalty but I also felt a little lazy. I mean, I am perfectly capable of washing my own hair. And my hair certainly does not warrant more than 30 minutes attention. It's a jewfro. It's not rocket science. I couldn't help thinking, shouldn't they save their energy for something else? Anyhow, since I have white skin, I also got the big discount and my 40-kuai haircut cost only 5. I'll take it. Back in GZ I joke about the foreigner's discount when people jack up the prices for foreigners, but this was just the opposite. Excellent!

After a couple more errands and a few snacks, David and I caught a bus to Feng Huang, a town about an hour away. I slept for the whole ride there so when I stepped off the minibus at around 7:30pm, I took a look around and was pleased. First impressions: Feng Huang is cleaner, smaller, quieter, older, and cozier than Jishou. We walked right to the old section of the town and wandered the narrow cobblestone streets to find a hostel. Lucky for us, it was still a few days before Spring Festival so the place was absolutely empty. We got a nice hostel with a room overlooking the river for only 50 kuai. We dropped our stuff and found a restaurant on one of the bridges that also overlooked the river. It was beautiful and the food was incredible. It's amazing how good some beef and veggies can be, especially when you're hungry. I also sampled Chang Ching, one of the local beers, which wasn't half bad. It's no Zhujiang (my local brew in GZ) but it was tasty enough. After looking around a bit more, it was back to the hostel to sleep.