Shenyang: In a word ~ busy, colorful, cold, snowy, bustling, open and friendly.
Following a very long flight from Detroit to Beijing and then to Shenyang, Deb and I were at the baggage claim carousel merely looking to grab our stuff and head out to the wilds of Shenyang.
Instantly, it all became more than worthwhile when we saw beautiful Ca, a big bouquet of flowers and an even bigger smile welcoming us to Shenyang. Tears, laughter, hugs, kisses and smiles ensued.
We were carried away to her home at The Somerset. Following more tears, laughter, hugs and kisses, we settled in for a well-deserved coma at her lovely apartment.
Easter Sunday morning greeted us with snow. Perhaps a more accurate description would be slush, followed by puddles. Undaunted, we went for shopping, snacking, exploring and getting a feel for the city. Larger than one would imagine. Much. It's a city certainly "under construction" with cranes and new buildings at every turn. Ca explains that some of it is due to China's Olympic games held here later this summer. Other 20+ story buildings are what we'd all call "spec." Great looking, full-service, modern places, all looking for tenants. My guess is that it's a case of "If you build it, they will come."
The folks in Shenyang are very open, pleasant, helpful and friendly. Ca's command of Chinese, however, was essential throughout our sightseeing, food ordering and getting around.
We had dinner with no less than a dozen State co-workers last night. It could best be described as Sichuan ~ again, lots of great food shared by all. Spicy, varied and delicious. Great company of friends.
We lunched today at (believe it or not) at a Korean shop that Ca had recommended highly ~ even before we left for China. Korean bibimbap is an absolutely delicious culinary treasure. Simultaneously simple and complex, it's a combination of vegetables, bean sprouts, carrots and many other ingredients placed over rice in a HOT ceramic pot and an egg is cracked over the concoction. The heat of the food and the pot itself cook the egg which is then mixed into other the yummy ingredients. Comfort food extraordinaire!
Our visit to the U. S. Consulate today will surely be remembered as a highlight of the trip that we're only half-way through. We met privately with the Consul General and were then introduced to most of the staff. We're certainly proud of Ca; she and her co-workers do good things.
Deb and I went out afterward, locally, to explore on our own and had a very nice eight-story department store in mind ~ perhaps a city block away. Who knew the store we actually wanted was right next door to the store we entered? A half hour of looking for an exit and finding the entrance with very few English signs and international symbols, we found our way into the right store. Here too, very friendly, helpful folks assisting two clearly lost window-shoppers were nearly everywhere.
A KFC across the street beckoned Deb and I (believe it or not). They had coffee, fries and best of all, pictures of food! Lots of nodding, smiling, and charade-like movements, and we were happily back at Ca's who (typically polite) was very understanding of our "adventures in misadventures" this evening.
Back tonight for a delicious hot shower and (no doubt) another excellent and well-earned coma. Photos of all of the above ~ and then some ~ are sure to follow.
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