in China

Flying with companions is much more enjoyable than flying alone. The last time I went on an international trip I went solo; this time, flying with my sister Ki-Ki and Alvina was definitely preferable. But still tiring. When we got into Beijing and met our other friend Jen (who flew in from San Francisco) the fatigue had transformed me into an unattractive life form barely able to speak coherent sentences in English, much less my non-existent Chinese.

But we hoped a good dinner would be the remedy. We went to a place called "Little Fat Lamb", a Mongolian hot pot restaurant. There, our presence fascinated the waiter. Who were these Chinese-looking girls that could not speak Chinese? And speak English so well? He was mesmerized by us, insisting that we wear the special aprons to eat (we noticed these aprons were not pushed upon any of the locals). We humored him, especially as it was quite amusing that the aprons were embroidered with cute, plaintive sheep (lamb is the specialty there) and the words "please keep me." I hear they have restaurants in San Francisco and Montreal, I wonder if the aprons there say the same thing.


However, even "Fat Little Lamb" could not help the exhaustion. So we decided on a quiet walk home and an indoor evening, adventures to begin in the morning.

But I am in China.