Just finished reading: The Three Musketeers by Dumas. This book is great as long as you love action movies or are a guy. I think the Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas is better though.
Starting to read: The Long Walk, true story about two Polish men who escaped from a Soviet labor camp in Siberia and walked all the way to India across the Himalayas. So far so good, but last night it made me dream that I was a French POW in WWII.
Anyway, back to life;
The weather has been spectacular here for the past three days...I had forgotten what the sun looked like when it was not obscured by a layer of smog. Although to be fair, I have had it pretty easy the past month because of the Olympics: In August this year there were 16 days of "excellent" air quality, last year there was 1.
I finally made it to the llama temple on Sunday, but only lasted there an hour or so because it was so hot outside. Llama temple is a fully functional Buddhist temple, so it was packed with chinese people praying and burning incense. It was really cool to see them pray because it was much more interesting that watching catholics sit in their pews, but I felt very awkward being there since it was so obvious I did not fit in. Since I am atheist I am a tourist to all religions, but I felt much more like a disrespectful foreigner here than in the cathedrals in europe.
It was such a nice day out that I asked Alicia, who grew up in Beijing, where a good swimming pool was. I guess I probably should have specified a good tanning pool. She gave me the name of one and I set off on the subway to find it. I had no idea where I was when I got off the subway so I asked a woman on the street, and luckily enough she was going there with her daughter, so I just waled with them. I payed my 30 kuai, changed, and then armed with my tanning oil, sunglasses and a book went to to what I thought was an outdoor pool. I was sadly mistaken... It was a indoor, lap swim pool. I must have looked so funny standing there dejectedly in my sunglasses and bikini while everyone else was in swim caps and goggles.
Came back to the apt very hot, sweaty and not tan, and crashed on my bed for a while until Adam came home and I could grill him about his third date with the chinese girl he's been seeing (I am living vicariously through him since there are no men in beijing). Apparently he agreed to work at her school teaching english on the weekends.... its really ridiculous the things guys will do for girls, like one time when someone created an entire pool party just because he wanted to hang out with a girl..... it was an awesome pool party though.
Anyyyyway... i'm already getting excited to eat in-n-out over xmas break.... its going to be a long three months of anticipation.
Caio
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