Rm 3330 Golden Prince Hotel,

Hi Everyone,

  Yesterday was a marathon eating day!  We ate lunch at the tiny Muslim restaurant in Biajiao half way between the boat yard and the Biajio ferry.  We had noodles flavored with lamb and cilantro, fried eggs and small grilled buttery lamb sandwiches.  The noodles were made from scratch, by hand as we watched!  It was hard not to over eat.  They were wonderful.  I had never eaten there before: we’d always eaten lunch at the boat yard.  But it was Little Cook’s day off so Stella, Bill, Randal and I walked into Bijiao for lunch.  Dinner was wonderful homemade dumplings, vegetables, whole fried shrimp (with head and feet that one eats) and Chinese tacos.  They aren’t called Chinese tacos but I don’t know the name and that is a very good description.  You take a "soft taco" and spread it with a small amount of some flavored red colored sauce. Next you put some pieces of green onion and small pieces of roast duck in the center and roll it closed.  They were wonderful too.  Again we ate way too much.  I don’t think all of the walking we did to and from the boat yard; along the Yellow Ocean River Park, through the streets of Jingan, and then back from dinner to our hotel worked off even one dumpling.

    I think I will go for a long walk today and visit my "bamboo friends" at the park.  I hope they are still there.  Some parts of Jingan have changed.  There is a huge new supermarket just next to our hotel which is very convenient as we make our own breakfast in the room.  We have hotel breakfast vouchers but choose a small, simple breakfast in the room.  We have an electric kettle and a small fridge so it’s just cereal for us.  Our favorite food stall on the pedestrian mall is no longer there.  We called it the "Father and Son Restaurant" because it was owned by a father and son.  They made wonderful food and we liked them.  We’ll just have to try a different food stall maybe.  KFC and McDonald’s are still here and business is still booming! 

   Tonight we have been invited to dinner at BoBo’s home.  We will also visit with Zoey’s family and Singkey’s too, our three lovely Chinese friend whom we met when they were high school students.  Now BoBo and Zoey are about to graduate from their 3 year colleges and Singkey is finishing up her first year of her 4 year university.  All are home on the New Year break. 

   The weather alternates between comfortably brisk or almost too warm.  Definitely a nice change from HOT.  And you’re all saying, "yah right!" as you freeze through the latest snowfall.  We honestly don’t miss that weather at all. 

   So that’s it from us.

Ru