quite a busy day today....

we moved out of the fancy hotel and into the residence hotel....but more on that later.

last night we went back to that restaurant in the hutong....this time with a fully charged phone battery. the quality of the photos aren't great, but I think that they tell the story.

the little white jugs are either milk or yogurt.....at room temperature.

and then about 20 steps further down the street, there's this.

the hutong is certainly another world. it's a real feast for the eyes. there are a few modern residences, but many primitive looking spots. walking through you see many public bathrooms...and initially I thought that it was great that the city provided these restrooms for the tourists.....then I saw someone walking in their pajamas into one. wow, what a wake up call....those bathrooms are there for the people who live in the hutongs....because there IS NO PLUMBING! I've decided that it's best for me to visit only at night as I think that there a plenty of things I don't need to see. ...oh, and another thing....when you catch a whiff in this neighborhood....it'll flatten you!

today was our last day in the local office...we are moving to the more permanent space this weekend. This must be the weekend for settling in as I am now writing from the residence hotel. It doesn't seem too bad and I am grateful to have some room to spread out, a kitchen to prepare some food and a washer/dryer combo for my growing pile of laundry.

On the way home from work we stopped at a small market called Jenny Lou's. I'd heard that they cater to the western expat community....and boy, howdy! do they ever! I suddenly felt a sense of calm come over me....I haven't had a PopTart in ages....and yet I bought some anyway because they are familiar to me! It's not a cheap place....but I didn't care. Walked out of there with two bags of groceries (mostly junk) and figured that I spent in the neighborhood of $75.00. Makes Whole Foods look cheap, no? ...and believe me...I'll be going back there.