on the move (End of Summer IV)

8/27/2008

[Part 4 in an ongoing travelogue of my trip to Beijing,
last day in Seoul, and return trip to the States, all
during the last week of my summer in East Asia.]

Wednesday8.27.2008:

My last day with the Bust Out crew dawned hazy and
gray. Yuelang, Paco, and I roused ourselves gradually
from slumber, doing some last bits of work online and
getting fresh before heading out to the store one last time.








As Yuelang and I waited for Paco at the car, we
observed a group of young kids playing in and around
an unmanned guardhouse on the perimeter of the
compound. They frolicked freely, darting in and out,
banging at the door; an impertinent little girl dashed
around using a long viney weed, torn up from the
fence, as a makeshift whip, chasing the boys around
and making imperious demands of them.


100% 中国制造的。

Cruising down the highway near Paco's house.

The famous Beijing 自行车，still ubiquitous even in an increasingly
modernized and engine-powered city.

北京 city center - the famous Xidan bookstore （西单书院）. Paco's old
store was just a block down, in the 77 Street (77街) shopping center.

Xidan friendship store - 中友百货商店, another mainstay of Xidan.
As we drove through the city center, signs of the Beijing 2008
Olympic mania still remained evident on every corner, intersection,
store, and pedestrian. I wondered idly - and still do - what it will be
that replaces this national passion and focus.




In Paco's words: "I love this clothing. No belt, no
choosing t-shirt and pants, just zip it up and I'm ready
to roll."





A scant few hours after hitting the store one last time, we packed up
my Bust Out goods and hit the streets again. Bidding farewell to the rest
of the crew, Paco, Yuelang, and I headed out in Paco's car - Yuelang to
a concert his rock band (摇滚乐队) was having that night, and Paco and
me to 东直门， where I was to catch the bus out to 顺义, where I would
spend the night at my friend Carrie's work dorm.




Waiting for the bus... heading the wrong way, as I later
found out (before paying for my ticket and being carted
off back into the city).


The city has really been stepping its game up for the
Olympics (and hopefully, staying on the grind/level
for the foreseeable future)... a year ago exactly, I had
caught a bus from this bus station and it was an out-
right mess of confusion. One of the few public brawls
that I have seen in 中国 was in a line at this bus stop.

This year? A police officer politely and efficiently
guided tourists and citydwellers alike to the proper,
neatly aligned gate at which to await the next arriving
bus.




915快, express to 顺义 suburbs.


All the bustout goods to date: something along the lines
of 17 tees, 4 hats, jeans, and a pair of visvim Christos for
good measure.


Goodbye, Beijing/北京再见！









Carrie was waiting at the bus station upon my arrival
in Shunyi (顺义), a bit of an explicit mercy given my
phoneless state (our last contact had been ~65 minutes
before, courtesy of Paco's phone before he dropped me
at 东直门). We dropped my bags at her workplace guest
suite and headed immediately off to a work dinner, me
tagging along at the behest of her employer, a 老朋友 of
mine from the previous summer (a result of my unfore-
seeably extended stay in 顺义).

After dinner, Carrie and I hung around for a little bit in
the room, talking about the past year and our hopes for
the next.


Both of the last times I've come to China, my exit
strategy was via this room.




The goods.


Carrie 姐姐.


很像亲人，对吗？



[Next up: Back in Seoul! One last day at work, kicking
it with Mike.]