Well, I just got back from two weeks with family and friends. We didn't do much tourist stuff, just visited and had fun together, and ate, ate, ate.
Everyone wants to have dinner with us when I'm there. A typical day goes something like this: eat breakfast, eat fresh dried peanuts (we even helped harvest peanuts this time), lunch, then someone shows up to visit and they insist on buying the foreigner one, two or three beers with food, then more peanuts with tea, then supper and a few more beer. It's funny. I don't even drink beer at home. I've told my wife I don't want to drink, but everyone wants to buy me a beer. The older brothers compete to see who can get me to drink more, and they don't drink at all. hah
So, you do need a drivers license to drive in China as a foreigner, right? My wife didn't seem too concerned, and convinced me to take her brother's new car for a spin, right past the police station through town. That was fun. Then she convinced me to drive the scooter. 3 days in a row, just the two of us. That's when I realized just how amazing life is. Riding a scooter on the mountain roads, under the hot sun with my wife at my back, on the other side of the planet. Not a care in the world. Paradise.
On the third scooter trip, a car passed us which turned out to be a police car. I was pretty worried, but they never looked twice. We were on the way to my wife's uncle's house. After lunch, when we were ready to head home, my wife told me that that police car was parked behind our scooter. She's always playing little pranks so I didn't think much of it until I looked out the window. Sure enough. But, as I watched, her cousin was backing the police car out of the driveway and away we went, scott free.
We got to see the house that my wife's father was born in. It's across the valley from her uncle's home in a little valley, surrounded by thick forest and rice fields. I'll try and post some pictures soon. The house is no longer occupied and is overgrown and fading into the forest.
My wife's friend's husband works for a mining company based in Vancouver. I jokingly mentioned that he should hire me as an electrician, so he's going to look into it. Haha. My wife's pretty excited, but I can't see them hiring a western electrician with little Chinese skill when they can hire Chinese electricians, but who knows.
I picked up a couple immitation swords and brought them home as gifts (my boss was stoked). I had no problem shipping them back as my second bag. They scanned them twice and called for instructions, but away they went. They even put fragile stickers on the package. Back in Canada, I filled out the arrival card (or whatever it's called) and checked NO to bringing back weapons. While waiting for my bags, one of the officers asked what I was bringing back, and I mentioned swords. She asked why I didn't check the box for weapons and I told her I didn't consider them weapons, just display items. She didn't disagree, and changed the entry for me. No problem.
It always sucks coming home to an empty house, but it's also nice to sleep in a soft bed. I hope she can come home soon. She's miserable without me, and I need her here.
