Red Eye Recovery, Random Thoughts

Thursday, February 18, 2010

It seems to be much warmer today, judging by the temperature of the kitchen this morning.

We're not going out, though. Today we'll do laundry and relax.

I'm hoping the red has gone from my eyes. Beijing's air kept them red-rimmed. The dust from the fast-encroaching Gobi Desert, barely 150 miles away now, and pollution in the city have an effect on breathing (my cough returned)as well.

We're happy to be back at our Dalian home. It's bright, with lots of light from the large windows and the sliding glass doors leading to the kitchen and the balcony. We have hard floors-much cleaner than carpet. And the space heaters in the living room and bedroom help keep it comfortable no matter what the outside temperature.

One of the first things we learned from Shannon was that the radiator heat in the apartment is turned on by the government in November and turned off again in March. The grid is owned by the government, and they control it.

Our drinking water supply is a water cooler, like those we have in offices back home. Aiye arranges for new bottles when she comes in to clean. We put the empty bottle on the table in the dining room along with 15 RMB. Aiye calls someone on her cell phone, and soon a new bottle is delivered (up five flights of stairs).

Aiye wasn't here this Tuesday while we were gone. We think she was off for the holiday. We still have an unopened water bottle, but it occurred to me today that, should something happen to prevent Aiye from being here for a week or so, we'd be without drinking water.

We could boil water, of course, but since Shannon told us it's safe for brushing our teeth, I don't think it's bacteria we have to worry about. Chemicals are the more likely cause for concern.

There is virtually no place in China where the water is safe.

Of course my mind's logic says that if no water is safe and yet we're buying bottled water, where does that water come from?

Sometimes, when you're thirsty, it's best not to think too hard on these things. Bottoms up.

Our mattress is a palm husk mattress, about four inches thick, atop box springs. All mattresses we've seen in China are hard, except for the one at the Hilton in Beijing, and we expected to find western stuff there.

Today's the last day I can loaf around, though one of our goals is to get in the remaining episodes of Lost, which will really require some marathon watching.

But I also need to do more laundry, buy gifts(along with another suitcase to take them home-we're permitted two pieces of checked luggage and we each only have one now), and replenish any grocery staples we've used here.

So tomorrow, it's off to An Sheng Mall.