campfire

On Friday, our camping trip turned into a day trip when we learned of regulations preventing us from spending the night outside of the school.  But we still had a great time.  It's really beautiful up here.  You can find a great camping spot/day spot really easily.

fall colors in the background!  Only yellow, but we'll take them.

We went with a family that owns a few cafes in the city

campfire.  roasting corn on sticks.
i loved the way i smelled after this.

a little embarrassed to be acting macho....or just embarrassed by his company

Quick way to a bad day

There's a lot going on behind the scenes that makes this exponentially worse than it may appear at first brush.

Those things aside, having the handle break off your favorite mug (a North Carolina mug, at that) is certainly a quick way to a bad day.

David and Victoria

Apparently every October the students at our university have a soccer tournament, with a 5,000RMB prize for the winning team. In years past there has not been a team of foreign students.  But this year is different.

They played four games for qualification, but didn't actually make it into the tournament.  But to be fair, there were a number of factors that led to their demise.  Like the average age on our team was about 6 or 7 years older than the other students.  The other students could all speak the same language.  The other students had played together already for a long time.  The other students are from this area, so their bodies have no problem running around for 60 minutes at 12,000ft.  The refs were biased.  Etc.

Aaron hasn't played soccer since he was about 9 years old.  He did a great job though.

intimidating the corner kick

Some of the foreign students kept saying that Aaron looks like Beckham.
They decided I could be Posh (though not because I look like her, just because I'm married to Beckham)
halloween costume idea???

on the soccer field

What the girls were doing during the game

the team

I'm sorry, waiter...

When I ordered a Coke, I meant to say "real Coke," not "imitation Coke." That's my bad.

Hiking with Justin

One of my new friends here in town is a teacher named Justin. He has lived up here for a few years and loves to hike, so he knows all the best places to go. This past weekend, he invited me to join him on a summit attempt of Gambo Mountain, which towers over our town at 17,200 ft.

Justin and I before the hike

The sun was just rising when we started

The sky was nice and blue

Taking a break with the city as a backdrop

I'll be honest, the hike killed me. I had played an hour-long soccer match the day before and my legs were jelly from the get-go, but Justin was patient and we summited. The view was fantastic, but I'll let the pictures do the talking.

The moon sat over the summit of Gambo until well past lunchtime

This is what Justin calls the "Gambo Highway," the last push to the summit, which is marked with stones

Me standing at the summit, which was covered in mantra flags

The view over the valley was not too shabby!

The brilliance of the blue sky was pretty incredible

Thanks, Justin!

Celebrating the Middle of Autumn.

This past week was China's National Holiday during which most offices and schools get a week off for vacation.  It just so happened that right at the beginning of the week long holiday (of which our school got 3 days - Saturday, Sunday, and Monday), the fullest the moon will ever be during the year happened (also known as Mid-Autumn Festival).  To celebrate Mid-Autumn festival the foreign students at our university decided to throw a little party, potluck style.  It turns out more than 50% of the students are vegetarians.

Our teachers, snacking first....the one on the right is really into it
(she's our favorite, by the way)

The students jumping in.  There are 27 foreign students.  Most are from Japan.
The left side and center tables are vegetarian, the right side - meat.

Marie (German student) and me

Aaron and Stowe, one of the English teachers at our "Uni,"
as the aussies and kiwis say

The Greak Yak Jerky Experiment (Round 1)

I like to make my own beef jerky. It's a handy snack when traveling, which we do a lot of; it is also a great pack stuffer for hiking trips, which I always try to do a lot of. Plus, I'm not sure if you've heard, but buying jerky costs more than a black market kidney these days, and I'm trying to cut my overhead...

So, now that I'm settled in, I figured it was time to try my first batch of "high elevation jerky." Caveat: they only eat yak meat here, and I am less than familiar with the ins-and-outs of yak cuisine essentials.

Here it goes:


First, I went and bought 3 pounds of yak meat - 2 pounds frozen and 1 pound fresh. I divided each in half, so that I had 4 test groups (to see whether fresh or frozen meat works better for jerky).

Defrosting the frozen yak meat

Preparing to wash the meat

A handful of fresh yak meat, in desperate need of a washing

Trimming and slicing the meat

Next, I mixed two marinades: a new one I called "Mango Fire," from mango concentrate and mix of zesty spices, and my old stand-by - a flavor I call "The French & Indian War." Trust me, you'll enjoy the battling flavors.

Mixing up a cup of "Mango Fire" marinade

Adding marinade to each of the 4 batches

Give the flavor time to set in overnight

2 batches of Mango Fire, 2 of French & Indian War

Time for a taste test...

Verdict: Mango Fire was a fail on all counts. Both batches were less than desirable, with one being so fetid that I gave it away immediately. The French & Indian War was, as always, reliable and delicious, though this time a little gamier than I like.

Back into the lab with a pen and a pad...

Little House on the Prairie?

I was at a tea house the other day, and this is what they served my tea in. It's a thermos. Apparently from sometime between the days of Little House on the Prairie and the Industrial Revolution.

A glass gallbladder? Really? Is that even sanitary?



I guess as the old saying goes, "when in Rome, Jinbang."

Peppermint (I can guaran-dang-tee it)

My wife is a bit of a beverage-artisan. Give her a frother and a bottle of some exotic flavor-enhancing syrup, and magic happens.

When we came home for the summer, my mom surprised Stacy with a bottle of Starbucks peppermint syrup, which made the long trip back to Asia and up the mountain with us.

Yesterday, like a perfect storm of peppermint perfection, my wife's passion for elaborate libations and my mother's generous gift of "delicious in a bottle" came together in what may now forever be known as: a peppermint hot chocolate.

It. Was. Incredible.


Was my experience enhanced by the North Carolina mug? I can guaran-dang-tee it.

The Dream Team

Recent discovery: The SMJ (one of the two "big" supermarkets in town) has added a pretty stellar line-up to its roster. See below.

That's right people, we can now get A&W ROOT BEER AND CREAM SODA! Not to mention the good Doctor and his assistant Cherry.

This place is in-credible!!!



[NOTE: the reason this is so incredible is that we moved from a fairly cosmopolitan big city to what may colloquially be known as "the stix," and yet somehow we are able to get a much finer selection of canned happiness out here in No-wheres-ville]