Chapter 2 - The trip to Tianjin

It is Tuesday afternoon, and I am flying to Tianjin on Air China.  It was
very hot and humid in Hong Kong when I left.  I am on a smaller plane (6
seats across) and the seats are very tight (no room for elbows) and I am
lucky that the seat next to me is empty or I couldn't type this message!  I
had been waitlisted for First Class, but there were no seats available and
I was in coach class.  They gave us an Air China souvenir pen in a wooden
case (it helped to fill out the health form we turn in when we arrive).
Then some mixed nuts were passed out, and then some drinks.  Then we had a
hot lunch of white rice, beef in a brown sauce, and fresh broccoli, with a
side dish of marinated mixed vegetables.  We had green tea or coffee, or
soda, and a fresh cake for dessert.  The view out the window was all clouds
and I could not see the ground.  It is pretty up here, and I remembered
that ad about the little girl who liked it up here because the sun was
always shining and the clouds are puffy white and clean.

Now about 1/2 hour to go and it has been overcast but I can see the ground
and it is all flat with lots of canals cut through the country from the
rivers to irrigate communities of cultivated areas.  As far as you can see
there are small centers of houses surrounded by farming land; some about 10
houses in a cluster, some maybe 20 houses.  The houses are very simple
structures like an apartment building that only has one story and shares
common walls.  There is no uniqueness - it is all the same and all the sa
me brown color (at least from the air).  For me it is very unusual because
there are no colors or original structures, no personality.  I hope to ask
questions in time about this... is there creativity, individual identity,
and if so, how does it express itself?

Now it is early Wednesday morning, and I am watching the sunrise splash its
light on a fairly modern city (Tianjin) but pollution hangs in the air on
the horizon (reminds me of Mexico City), and everything has a brown shade
to it.  (Took photo) As I look down on the streets, things are just
beginning to show activity and it is interesting to see that the street has
an extra lane for bicycles.  When it is busy, there are thousands of
bicyclists everywhere.  This is OK until you get to an intersection where
everyone wants to turn or go straight and there is a "me first" syndrome.
The smaller number of cars drive aggressively and many times on the way in
from the airport (15 minutes) I thought there was going to be a collision.
Today I find out what this 1 hour drive to work will be like.

Last night, K.S.  Lim (the factory manager and our host) took us to a Thai
restaurant.  It is located in another hotel 3 blocks away.  That reminds me
to tell you that there is an interesting custom here.  No matter where you
are (on a plane, in a restaurant) when a meal is served, they first pass
out hot wash cloths.  It is prepared by folding it in half and then rolling
the remaining cloth and giving it a slight twist.  It is then placed in a
steamer to heat and sterilize.  It is used to wipe your face and hands
before eating, and it feels wonderful.  The meal started with a pot of
chrysanthemum tea (sort of like chamomile), followed by a soup of curried
chicken (a sweet type of curry) to which we added some white rice (as
desired).  Then came a plate of spring roll named Vietnam Star (like an egg
roll) which we dipped in sweet sauce and then rolled in regular fresh
lettuce and ate with our fingers (very good).  Then we were brought a plate
of stir fried baby asparagus, and a large bowl of boiled rice with pieces
of pork, onions, chive, and tiny diced pieces of other vegetables.  Dinner
ended with a hot dessert that tasted like tapioca pudding except that the
tapioca were very small and the flavor was coconut instead of vanilla.
Very enjoyable, and not the kind of a meal to get fat on.

As we walked the three blocks to the hotel, I noticed that there is a film
of dirt covering everything (especially the hundreds of bicycles we had to
walk by on the sidewalk).  I noticed that only the newer looking bikes were
chained to something... most bikes were not locked.  Tomorrow, I will find
out what this 1 hour + drive to work is like.