We woke up and checked out fairly early, said goodbye to the Australians and Julia and then subwayed it to the train station. We hadn't pre-bought our tickets and walking into the ticket office it looked like it would be absolute hell to get them, as you'd have to go to the correct ticket booth for the train you wanted. We didn't know which we wanted so we just went up to a booth thinking, if nothing else, they can direct us where to go. In fact we were quickly sold a ticket and about half an hour later, we were on an aerotrain to Tianjin. This train is just like an aeroplane in the interior, but it's a train. We coined the term ourselves, before y'all check Wikipedia : )
A couple of hours later we arrived in Tianjin, which to be honest looked like any other Chinese city mid-gentrification. We got a cab to our hostel. Outside the train we were hassled by drivers trying to get us into our taxis and so walked along until we came across the first driver that didn't shout, and took his taxi. I had heard that Tianjin is famed for having China's chattiest people, and hearing the driver I wouldn't be at all surprised if this was actually factually true. He was utterly incomprehensible though, because of his crazily strong retroflex (a weird north-eastern Chinese sound where they put an 'er' on the end of like every syllable, which to be frank makes them sound like barking seals.).
The hostel room was very clean and sparse, but we didn't stick around. Instead, we were straight out to see some Tianjin. Our first stop was the Old Cultural Street. This street was manufactured specifically to preserve Tianjin's cultural heritage amidst all the contemporary development, and is absolutely brilliant for souvenir shoppng. At Master Zhang's, I bought four niren - these are heavy clay figurines that Master Zhang's family have been famous for over several generations. We found a stall selling candy floss so I got a pink ghost called Cecil and Liam also decided to try candy floss again after having been sworn off it for several years. He of course liked it, for who could not like candy floss?!
We wandered in and out of the shops and Liam bought the jade rabbit on red string that he's been after. When we reached the end of the street it was quite strange to look in on direction and see a lively, beautifully decorated and preserved stereotypically Chinese street decked out for the Chinese New Year, and turn 180 degrees and see murky grey streets and construction sights of dusty concrete. We went back up the street munching our candy floss (can candy floss be munched?) and stopped by a temple on the street. A guard came over to us and started talking with us in Chinese which created a bit of an audience. He said he thought we were American and a little old lady said, no of course we're not, we clearly look European; she would guess British or French. Which made a nice change. "Look how white our skin is!" she said, clearly meaning: they have to be British, they've obviously never seen a day of sun." He asked what city I was from but of course didn't know the place. He then asked what football team (as foreign men are wont to do) and he didn't know them either. He was clearly expecting me to say London and then Manchester United, because all foreign people think all British people are from London and support United. Not that I make generalizations or anything...
Next we went on to find the famed Tianjin food street. Liam had decided where he thought it was and I had no time to orient myself before he'd already started heading the wrong way. We hailed a taxi to right ourselves and soon we were there. It was actually more like an indoor mall than a street. I was feeling pretty fatigued and so we plumped for the first restaurant we saw. We ate baicai and goubuli dumplings, which were nice with vinegar but not that spectacular really. We saw tea soup and Tianjin twisty things but neither looked in the slightest appealing so we left it. We wanted to find the famed doughnut covered with pancake contraption but couldn't see it anywhere. Sounds like a heart attack in a mouthful anyway.
I was absolutely knackered. The morning had been pleasant; we'd strolled down the Old Cultural Street from our hostel, passed by the river, and seen lots of street food and stalls. (I bought some of the squidgy throw things that splat on flat surfaces.) And that had been our entire day, yet I could barely stand from the tiredness. Fortunately it transpired that Liam felt the same, so a cab ride later we were standing back outside the Old Cultural Street, where it was barely a stone's throw to Starbucks. I had hot milk and cheesecake and then feeling greedy had a chocolate volcano cake. The said they'd heat it up but they gave it back stone cold. I don't normally return food but I wanted it gooey, and sure enough the next time they gave it back it was like a volcano of hot gooey chocolate ooze. Because of buying the promotion cake, I got to enter a competition. I had to pick a cake's name. To this date, I'm not sure if I was supposed to pick a name of a cake that I'd like the sound of, and then they'd interpret and make it, or if I had to name my cake. And I don't have a clue what I'd win. I entered anyway with the name Dark Mistress (don't ask, I don't know why) but I don't think I've won somehow...
After this we went straight back to the hostel and were in bed for 8pm. Walking to the communal bathroom in our pyjamas at that hour brought some funny looks from the American couple in the common room, but no matter. We'd be getting up EARLY the next day. Alarms set for 4am and all that.
View down the Cultural Street.
Wheel round 180 degrees and this is what you see! Not so traditional.
My Niren! Tacky but oh so kyoot.
Me on the Food Street, which as you can see is most definitely not a street but a mall.
Big monument to Tianjin's famous dough twists.
Tea soup! All the ingredients in the plastic boxes in front of the woman are put into a bowl and then hot water is poured in from the giant teapot contraption. I was disappointed to see that McDonalds was granted a place in the traditional food street mall.
My reason for existence. Starbucks! Sell these in Britain, please!!!
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