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Odyssey 23 - A working holiday in Jianshui

Jump directly to....

October 13th - Wanderlust strikes and I make a plan

October 22nd - Jianshui or bust in one week

October 26th - Most careful planning and packing

October 28th - I love checklists

October 29th - Jianshui is waiting for me (the weather is great)!

October 30th - The unexpected hiccups

October 31st - My new hotel and location even better

November 1st - First working day on my working holiday

November 2nd - A slower day, but some interesting photos

November 3rd - Come visit with the milk-tea girls

November 4th - Sleuthing for an interpreter

November 5th - Walmart, Yesteryear glories, and Banquet of a 100 insects

November 6th - My favorite elevator music (and more!)

November 7th - It's caption day for you the reader

November 8th - Cold snap! What to do?

November 9th - Things and people that make me curious

November 10th - (coming soon)

November 11th - (coming soon)

November 12th- (coming soon)

November 13th - (coming soon)

November 14th - (coming soon)

November 15th - (coming soon)

November 16th - (coming soon)

November 17th - (coming soon)

November 18th - (coming soon)

November 19th - (coming soon)

November 20th - (coming soon)

November 21st - (coming soon)

October 13th, 2021: Wanderlust kept whispering in my ear

It was 2017 or 2018. I was busy planning a six-month working holiday, jumping from city to city, village to village, averaging 50-to-100 kilometers day always going south, starting in Kunming and ending up in Jakarta, Indonesia. I was going to traverse several countries, including Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and finally Indonesia. When I reached Jakarta, I would fly back to Kunming.

Daily "routines"

Packing my Mac Mini and taking with me as many other supplies and clothes as feasibly possible, I would stay in each city or village just a day or two, until I headed on south a bit more. I would continue to coach my clients each morning through the wifi Internet connection of each hotel I stayed in. In the afternoons and early evenings I would walk the streets and byways, mingling with people and shops and surprises as they appeared before me. Since I would just be hopping 50-100 kilometers per day, that might take up two hours of travel adventures every day or so.

Heidi would work from home

I thought I would have enough work to keep Heidi busy full time from her home. We would have some wechat video conversations most days. She would find and book my hotels ahead and help me navigate visa issues as I entered new countries. She would work with me to curate and broadcast a weekly photo travelogue. As well as many other things.

But I gave up the idea

I love and need stability. Eating for the best health. Taking my supplements daily. I loved so much the ease of access and reliability provided to me by the environment that I had created in my home. Also, being away from my girlfriend for so long! Although we could have arranged for her to fly to be with me when I was passing through a major city. So many important things I would have to give up or put on hold for six months!

I put my wanderlust on the back burner.

The Phoenix rises again...

I'm not sure why. But on Friday, September 17th (2021), feeling a tinge of wanderlust, I resurrected the "working holiday" idea in an afternoon conversation with Heidi.

"Heidi, let's explore that idea again, but a different way. Let me identify all the things I think I would have to give up or would suffer if I went on a working holiday similar to the one I was thinking about before. Then, for each of those issues, let's brainstorm to see if there might be a way where I wouldn't have to give them up or, at least, I could still maintain some of the value."

How to "have it all"

First thing I did was to reduce the duration of the holiday to 40-42 days and to keep it inside of China, especially given the current COVID situation. A few days later I decided that my first go at it would be just three weeks. A shorter journey will make it possible to pack enough important supplies like supplements and foodstuffs that would be impossible to take with me on a six-month journey.

Supplements

Currently I take over 30 different supplements at least five days a week. These range from magnesium to boron to vitamin B12 to Ashwaganhda to powdered spirulina. I can easily pack a 21-day supply. 

Eating well

Eating unprocessed whole plants foods is the best eating program. Currently, one important component of this program is for me to eat three servings of groats and three servings of beans each day. I calculated that if I pack two kilograms of dried groats (sorghum, barley, and quinoa) along with two kilograms of dried beans (I have a ten-bean mix which I complement with red and brown lentils), that will be enough to fulfill by my daily groats-beans requirements. I'll take my induction cooker with me along with a few bowls and other kitchenware for all my cooking needs. 

I'll also pack a three-week supply of dried nuts, currants, apricots, goji berries, cranberries, and longans, along with soy milk powder and liquid stevia. 

Locally I'll have no problem buying fresh vegetables and fruits wherever I am. In general, I plan to eat out only once a day for my early evening meal. Although that meal will likely be cooked with refined oil, where all the micronutrients have been removed, otherwise those meals will be mostly unprocessed whole plants foods.

Important conversations: clients, friends, Heidi, and Riki

Of course, with my Mac Mini in tow, along with a new 13-inch computer monitor that I purchased (no way was I going to take my 53-inch TV with me that I currently use as a monitor), along with the hotel's wifi (I even confirmed with the prospective hotel that I can hook directly to their Internet with an Ethernet cord), my coaching calls and talking with friends in the USA will continue seamlessly. 

Monday through Friday I often converse with Heidi for up to an hour to address or discuss various issues. For some of those conversations we need to be looking together at my computer screen. We downloaded and tested a mobile/computer app called VooV that works great for this (similar to Zoom).

Also, quite important, is another practice I've implemented with Riki. Each day, Monday through Friday, she arrives at my home at 7.00am and she is my listener and watcher as I do longevity research on my computer until 8.00am. We also will be able to continue this seamlessly using VooV.

Launch city and date

I love the city of Jianshui, a 2.5-hour train ride from Kunming. I've been there four times before. It's a city of 500,000, a podunk city by China standards. There's something special about the people who live there...even other Chinese have given me this feedback. I may stay there for the full three weeks or I could decide to take in another city or two.  I'll leave that open. 

I'll take the train on Friday afternoon on October 29, just 16 days from now, so that I can start my 21 days on Saturday morning the 30th. Oh, I just realized! If I stay through until Sunday, November 21st, it will be 23 days, not 21!

My AskDwightHow daily writing

Especially, once I'm on the ground in Jianshui, my daily AskDwightHow writing will be in this "Come along with me" section. You will be able to read exciting and interesting updates daily. If you respond to my sharing, I will reply to you from Jianshui.

General daily schedule plan

I expect to keep the same general sleep schedule, arising at 2.00am and into bed by 7.00-8.00pm, with an hour's nap around noon time. I may adjust it and get up as late as 3.00am.

I expect to be able to get all my writing, eating breakfast and lunch, supplement taking, reading, talking with clients and friends in the USA, my Monday-Friday hours with Riki, napping, and talking with Heidi done before 1.30pm Monday through Friday. Then I'll be out and about to explore the city and talk with strangers. I'll finish up my day with an early dinner in a local restaurant, starting around 6.00pm. On Saturdays and Sundays I'll be galavanting around even more.

To be continued (a lot)...

Come join with me on this odyssey together...

Friday, October 22nd, 2021: just one week from today!

Hotel or Airbnb?

I was going to stay in the great boutique hotel I stayed in before. In fact, if I book it for a full week, it will cost me less than $100 for the week! We checked with the hotel, however, that they don't provide a refrigerator, which will be pretty important to eat healthfully and conveniently while I am in Jianshui.

I started thinking about an Airbnb option. They often have full kitchen facilities which can include a refrigerator. Also, they generally will provide more living space room than a hotel. I may organize some "English Corners for the Curious" while I am there and having a bigger space to host them would be helpful. 

Airbnbs in Jianshui

Jianshui is host to over 300 Airbnbs. After entering my price range and other filters, I narrowed down the selections to four options. The prices, based upon booking for one week, range from $131 to $181 for the week.

Questions for the hosts

This morning I already sent out four "contact the host" messages, which Heidi had translated into Chinese for me. I asked two questions.

 

First, I confirmed that a refrigerator was provided (or not). Second, for whatever reason, the wifi signal in my home cannot be picked up by my Mac mini. I suspect that this is just a fluke with the particular Chinese wifi router that I have. But, to ensure that I can connect to the Internet, I asked each of the four Airbnbs if they can provide corded Ethernet connection to their Internet.

After looking at the Airbnb photos, I noticed three other issues that may sway my decision somewhat.

 

  • It seems that one of the Airbnbs only had a squat toilet. I can handle that type of toilet for a day or two...but it may be a deal breaker when thinking about 23 days. 

  • All the Airbnbs provide a clothes washer, but only one seems to provide a clothes dryer. That is a nice extra. 

  • Jianshui has the same basic weather as Kunming (the Spring City of China). I am used to lack of heat during the winter. I just bundle up more. But it might be nice to have heating in the Airbnb. Some of them seem to.

When Heidi comes into work today and we go over the replies that I hopefully get back from the four different hosts, I'll probably be able to decide and go ahead and book my first week in Jianshui with one of the Airbnbs.

Princess and Mystery

I am fortunate that my friend and assistant Riki has agreed to take care of Princess and Mystery at her home while I am gone. After she finishes work here next Friday, I'll help her get them in the carrying cages along with all the supplies she'll need (food and cat litter) and see her off in a taxi.

Since my house will be empty for the 23 days (Heidi will be working from her home), Riki will come in once or twice during my Odyssey 23 to water some of my plants.

PS. Now 2.16pm. I booked the Airbnb. Just $149 for the first week!

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October 26th - Careful planning for 23 days

Never took a "working and staying-health holiday" before

I've taken some longer holidays before.

  • In 1997 I flew into Osaka and stayed in 18 different home-stays (two days each) in 18 different cities, from Yokohama down to Nagasaki, taking a total of 40 days.

  • In 1998 I rented a house in Hiroshima for three months.

  • Since moving to Asia, I've taken scores of nine-day holidays to locations that include

    • Taipei, Taiwan (Feb 2000) - from Tokyo

    • Shanghai, China (Aug 2000)

    • Bangkok, Thailand (Oct 2001) -from Shanghai

    • Chongqing, China (Apr 2005)

    • Brisbane, Australia (Jul 2005)

    • Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Jan 2006)

    • Mumbai, India (Mar 2006)

    • Shanghai>Japan>Korea>Shanghai cruise (Oct 2006)

    • Manila, Philippines (Jan 2007)

    • Kaohsiung, Taiwan (Apr 2007)

    • Seoul, South Korea (Jul 2007)

    • Phnom Penh, Cambodia (Feb 2008)

    • Fukuoka, Japan (Apr 2008)

    • Harbin, China (Jul 2008)

    • Dongguan, China (Apr 2009)

    • Hangzhou, China (July 2009)

    • Kunming, China (Oct 2009)

    • Vientiane, Laos (Apr 2010) -from Kunming

    • Qujing, China (Jul 2010)

    • Hanoi, Vietnam (Jan 2011)

    • Nanjing, China (Apr 2011)

    • Xundian, China countryside villages (Jul 2011)

    • Chengdu, China (Apr 2012)

    • Guiyang, China (Jul 2012)

    • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Apr 2013)

    • Yangon, Myanmar (Jan 2014)

    • Singapore (Mar 2014)

    • Medan, Indonesia (Oct 2014)

    • Qingdao, China (Apr 2015)

    • Chiangmai, China (Jun 2015)

    • Lao Cai, Vietnam (Mar 2016)

    • Hanoi, Vietname (Jun 2016)

    • Kathmandu, Nepal (Dec 2016, Feb 2017, Jul 2017, Nov 2017)

    • Osaka, Japan (May 2018)

    • Lao Cai, Vietnam (Jul 2018)

    • Bangkok, Thailand (Jan 2019)

None of these holidays were "working holidays"

I was able to plan and re-schedule all my coaching clients around these holiday times. Consequently, I didn't need to bring my computer and everything else I needed to ensure that I continued to service my clients as if I weren't on holiday. Come Monday morning, November 1st, I need to be Johnny-on-the-spot in keeping my scheduled telephone appointments with my clients and friends, as well as maintain my weekday working sessions with Heidi and Riki. Seamlessly.

None of these holidays were "super-healthy holidays"

Although I may have brought a few supplements with me on these previous holidays, I generally allowed myself to have all my meals out and eat without too much concern for my weight and health.

Not so this time. I want to maintain just as healthy a diet (or even better) as I normally do when not on holiday. And currently my diet is much healthier than it has ever been before, including taking my daily 30+ supplements.

Paying extra attention to packing all I need (and anticipating 23 days)

I've decided to take two mid-sized luggages instead of one big one. I may also have to take a backpack to include all the "essentials" for this 23-day odyssey. Clothes are going to occupy relatively little space compared to other things. The biggest category is food, supplements, and cooking/eating stuff. Here I have containerized and packed three kilograms of mixed dried beans and three kilograms of mixed groats. Also, I've packed dried goji berries, cranberries, longans, and black currants, along with powered soy milk and liquid stevia. 

Today, I'll ask Heidi to text the Airbnb host to see if the Airbnb kitchen has an induction cooker. Cooking beans/groats takes three hours and it's more difficult to do without a timed cooking device. If the host does not provide one, I'll pack my own.

You'll see I'm packing a dish tub. I'll use it to soda-soak vegetables and fruits to de-pesticide them. It's not so essential to take, but it doesn't take much room or weight since I can pack things inside it. One thing I'll pack inside it is my Mac mini computer. 

By the way, the "black" object in the luggage on the left is my new 13-inch computer screen that I recently bought, wrapped in a heavy pullover shirt. At home I use a 53-inch TV screen as my computer monitor. I couldn't take that with me! 

Testing out the Airbnb

Even though the Airbnb looks great, I booked it just for one week. I'll check in this Friday. By Sunday I'll know if I'll want to extend my booking through for the full 23 days. Although I am taking some risk that someone else might book ahead of me, I think that risk is small. Chinese don't tend to book things very far in advance.

The host of this Airbnb runs Airbnbs for a business (he has several in Jianshui). I can tell that this one is newly opened and I may be the first guest to book it.

 

 

 

 

Train ticket ready!

Heidi bought my one-way, high-speed train ticket leaving the Kunming Train Station this Friday at 2:03pm, arriving in Jianshui, 220 kilometers south of Kunming, at 4:01pm. Price 59 rmb ($9.25 USD).

Sightseeing? Maybe a little...

Generally, I don't like sightseeing. But it's okay if I can combine it with talking with strangers. So I may take in some of these "sights." 

 

Jianshui Confucius Temple, Zhu Family Garden, Double Dragon Bridge and the National Examination Site of Xuezheng (the National Education Ministry) of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Apart from these attractions, there are the surrounding sights of Swallow Cave and Zhang Family Garden in Tuanshan Village.

  • Jianshui Confucius Temple was a very special attraction. It was built in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and was the biggest Confucius Temple at that time.

  • Chaoyang Tower (the tower facing the sun) is the landmark of Jianshui Ancient Town. It was built as the eastern gate of the ancient town in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

  • Zhu Family Garden, the so-called 'Grand View Garden' of South Yunnan Province, is a representative of Chinese residential houses of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

  • Double Dragon Bridge is located 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) west of Jianshui, at the confluence of Lushui River and Tacun River, which are like double winding dragons crossing the land. It is the biggest and has the most artistic value of the ancient bridges in Yunnan Province. This ancient bridge was built in the years of the Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799), and in the years of the Emperor Guangxu (1871-1908).

To be continued (a lot)...

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Thursday, October 28th - I love checklists

The following Excel checklist (in progress) helps ensure that the infrastructure of my 23-day Odyssey in Jianshui is as strong as possible to start with.

The "s" items at the beginning are the items that I will take "on my person" when I am out the door tomorrow and in the taxi to Kunming Train Station. 

All the other items are either packed items, the ones with an "x," or the other following items which are yet to be packed.

Rough calculations are that I will be able to get everything in the two pieces of luggage plus a backpack.

Do I overpack?

Most people think I overpack. My logic is this: As long as I've got space in my luggage(s) and I can easily carry or pull things on wheels for relatively short distances, like from my apartment to the taxi, why not pack things that I might not use, but if I end up needing or wanting, would be nice to have? Many times I've been happy I brought something on holiday that I was surprised in wanting/needing and happy that I had packed it. 

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Friday, October 29th - Jianshui is waiting for me!

I'm 95% sure I'm going to stay in Jianshui for the full 23 days. I'm also 90% sure I'm going to be happy with the Airbnb that I have already booked for the first week. 

Guaranteeing my Airbnb

Although I could move to another place in Jianshui after the first week, if I like my Airbnb and its location, I would much prefer to stay put. Although I could probably have waited to the beginning of next week to make the decision about whether to continue with the same Airbnb, there could be some risk that another potential guest might book this Airbnb before then for sometime in the period of November 5th to November 21st.

Since I'm able to cancel a second reservation as late as November 5th with only a nominal charge against a full refund, I decided that was a small price/risk to pay in order to guarantee an uninterrupted stay through to November 21st. 

Now I'm confirmed for the full 23 days!

The weather's great!

Kunming's elevation is 1900 meters (6234 feet). This, combined with the fact that it's more south than Miami, Florida, helps account for its good weather all year around. 

Jianshui's elevation is 1308 meters (4291 feet). So, in general, it's a bit warmer than Kunming. At this time of year, since Kunming can be a bit chilly, that's a plus.

I prefer cloudy over sunny

Although too much rain could interfere a bit with "talking with strangers on the street," unlike most people, I prefer cloudy over sunny. Given the same air temperature and assuming it's warm enough, a cloudy day is:

 

  • more comfortable on my eyes (I dislike wearing sunglasses),

  • easier for taking photos (you don't have to get the sun at your back),

  • I don't have look for the shade to stay out of the sun if the sun makes it too warm or bright (since it's "shady" everywhere!)

  • and it's easier to check things on my mobile phone (the sun will obscure the screen).

Out the door by 11:30 am!

It's earlier than I would normally need. My train doesn't leave until 2:03 pm. I'll be at the station by noon. I'm allowing extra time since I may have some delays going through security with all my luggage. I want adequate buffer to handle that, if it occurs. If not, no problem. I like watching people. I can strike up conversations. I can always find interesting/valuable things to do if I have extra time. 

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Saturday, October 30th - The unexpected hiccups

                        11:40 am yesterday in Kunming                                                5:05 am today in Jianshui 

               on the way to the Kunming Train Station                        in Airbnb with stand-up jerry-rigged desk

                                                                                                                                     (shades of Apollo 13)

Getting to Jianshui without a hitch (posted 7:17am)

I was a bit concerned about getting through ID and luggage security yesterday because I was carrying three "over weight" bags. No problems. Even though a weight limit of 20kg was posted on the website, nothing was checked. I had an extra hour to relax in the train station. However, I did almost miss getting off the train in time in Jianshui because of the difficulty of getting the backpack on. Whew!

And, once the taxi dropped me off at my Airbnb location in Jianshui, it took me 15+ minutes to find my building because there were TWO buildings # 15 in the general area! A helpful Chinese man finally found the right building for me.

Passcode works great

Once inside the RIGHT building, the passcode provided by the host worked perfectly to get into the 15th-floor unit. It seems that many Chinese Airbnb hosts use a standard wechat mini-app to provide the guest with the passcode (only available after 2pm), along with other information. I also found the wifi password through this mini-app.

Big changes, but let me tell you about the hiccups first (posted 3:53pm)

Hiccup #1

Although I very intentionally packed an HDMI cable to attach my Mac Mini to my new 13-inch computer monitor that I packed, somehow I didn't remember that the monitor required a separate power cord.

Bottom line: my computer is useless without a monitor.

I called Heidi last night, just to share about it and brainstorm what I might do. Heidi is amazing. She came up with an idea that was simple, yet hadn't occurred to me. She asked, "Does the TV in the Airbnb have an HDMI port?" Duh!?

Using the flashlight feature on my mobile phone, I was able to locate the connector and plug in one end of the HDMI cable. 

But still a problem. I needed to find the menu item for HDMI input on the big Konka TV. I know how to do it on my MI TV at home, but not on the Konka. Using video wechat, Heidi was able to direct me through all the Chinese menu items on the screen until we were able to find the HDMI set input button. 

And then God spoke! My Mac Mini had a monitor and I was able to get everything going pretty much like back in Kunming. And God bless Heidi.

Hiccup #2 

I packed a USB hub because I needed at least three USB ports for operating my computer in Jianshui. I also packed the power cord for the hub. But I didn't pack the USB to USB connector cord to the computer.  

Today I went into 10+ stores this morning and, after telling them what I was looking for, they replied, "meiyou." The Chinese word meiyou means, "haven't, hasn't, doesn't exist, to not have, and to not be." It's a catch-all word for "conversation is ended." When I asked further if they knew of any store that might have it, they replied "meiyou." Finally, I walked into a small little electronics shop. He pulled out exactly what I wanted from an unmarked box of miscellaneous connectors. He overcharged me at 50 rmb ($7.81), but I wasn't going to quibble.

Hiccup #3

The Airbnb I booked is nice enough, but this part of Jianshui is so different from the cobbled-street area on Linan street that I fell in love with when visiting Jianshui before. And, although I could take a taxi every day to do my people exploring, it's just not the same as living there. It takes an hour to walk from my Airbnb to the Linan area. 

This morning I visited the manager of the hotel I stayed in before on Linan street. With Heidi's help over the telephone, he agreed to provide an induction cooker and assured me the TV in the room had an HDMI port (I'm not going to try to find a power cord for my 13-inch monitor). I'll probably buy an ice chest as a make-do refrigerator. 

Heidi negotiated a reduced daily rate of 87 rmb per day ($13.58), with me agreeing to pay in advance for 21 days for room # 108 starting tomorrow. I went to the ATM at Constuction Bank of China, a 15-minute walk from the hotel, to get the additional cash that I didn't have on me. 

I canceled both my Airbnb reservations for my current Airbnb. For the second reservation, I'll get a full refund since I canceled within 48 hours of making it.

For the first booking, after cancellation fees are applied and after the refund, it will have cost me $33.24 per night for the two nights that I will have stayed here. Overall, I think the total cost will come out less than if I stayed in this Airbnb. It's a bit amazing to me that I can get that great hotel room in that prime area so inexpensively.

Oh, and I've already told you the big news

I'm moving. I'll be out of this Airbnb by 11 am tomorrow and I'll take a taxi with all my re-packed luggage to my future home for 21 days. The hotel doesn't have an English name on their business card, but my scanning translator on my mobile phone translates the Chinese name as "TaoJing System of Court." Go figure. 

The one thing I will miss about this area

They have three great buffet restaurants across the street and I have to put too much on my plate in order to spend 10 rmb ($1.56)

Steps taken yesterday: 18,654

Steps taken today: 24,404

Some people I had fun talking with today

And they asked me to take a photo with them.

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Sunday, October 31st - The new hotel and location even better

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Big Move

I slept until 5:00 am, which is late for me. But I felt rested and that was important. Checking my Huawei mobile phone app for weather, this is what it showed. I find it comical that it characterizes the weather as "dreary." I suspect that is not an official meteorological assessment, but instead they want to gain rapport with the user by indicating, "we know how you feel about the weather." Although that doesn't apply to me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm glad I have the habit of buffering my day

...because I underestimated how long it would take to get ready to leave the Airbnb and be out the door by 11:00 am, the promised check-out time. It was 10:53 am when I messaged the Airbnb host that I was out.

 

Standing in the rain and no taxis

It wasn't bad. I had an umbrella. My luggage was getting a bit wet, but it was okay. Of course, with the rain, most taxis were full. But, after 20+ minutes only two taxis were empty. However, for whatever reason, when I showed them the address of the hotel on the hotel business card, they refused to take me.

I'll have lunch now!

I realized that if I delayed lunch until after getting everything checked in at the hotel, I could be famished by then. So, with a bit of awkward effort, I lugged my luggage across the street and pulled them down the sidewalk to my favorite buffet restaurant, parking my luggage beside a table before I got my food.

 

Mr. Wen, the hotel manager, does all the special things I ask for

  • Unplugs the HDMI cable from the pay-TV box to connect with my Mac Mini

  • Shows me the port for inserting the Ethernet cable for faster Internet

  • Brings me three boxes (unopened with some things inside!) to help create a stand-up desk

  • Brings me a super-duper induction cooker, complete with pan, lid, and cooking spoons

  • Clears off the comforter and pillows from one bed to use as a place to unpack my luggage

  • Shows me a supermarket three minutes away for fruits, vegetables, and other stuff

  • Writes down the address for a laundromat for washing and drying my clothes.

  • He gave me an extra keep-the-room-power-on card so that my computer won't shut down when I leave the room.

Some room photos

 

 

Getting things unpacked and organized

 

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Four selections, plus the pickled daikon I piled on top, along with a bowl of rice all for 8 rmb ($1.25). Quite tasty, with low salt and oil. I will miss this restaurant.

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Here you can see the stand-up desk (to the right). A bedside stand is used as the base. Then three boxes are stacked on top, making it the perfect height for me to use the keyboard and the mouse. And I have an apple to eat while working on my Apple computer!

Below the induction cooker is chugging away on cooking my groats and beans.

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The cord for the electric water boiler (on the right) was so short it would not quite reach the receptacle. I propped it up with the container for the toothbrushes. Behind that you can see my waterpik all set up and working.

And then (below) is my liquid stevia. It's my way to satisfy my sweet tooth without damaging my health.

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Below, you see the special white card Mr. Wen gave me to keep the power on when I leave the room (I told him I would turn off the lights). I put the regular room card on the door handle to remind me not to leave the room without it!

Step taken today: 15,558

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Down to November 1st

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Oct 13th
Oct 22nd
Oct 26th
Oct 28
Oct 29
Oct 30th
Oct 31st
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