Cool, Cloudy Day

Friday, June 11, 2010--Haerbin (Continued)   It took me several hours on the computer today to catch up with things.  I had kept a long list of things I needed to do such as checking train schedules, considering hotels for reservations, writing e-mails, updating the blog, etc.  The afternoon was hot, so it was probably best to be inside in the air conditioning anyway.   In the evening, I went to the Pedestrian Street downtown.  The temperature had gotten more comfortable, and the crowds were out.  I mainly wandered among the places where there was street music.  There was a great singer/guitarist drawing a big crowd.  A quartet was playing nice classical music.  A Malaysian female singer and her partner performed pop songs on a balcony above the crowd.  And there was an area where couples were doing ballroom dancing to recorded music.    Saturday, June 12, 2010—Haerbin   The forecast was for light showers today.  When I got up, it was cooler and cloudy, but there was no rain yet.  I decided I would head out to do things and just plan to return when the rain came.  I felt a sprinkle or two at times, but the rain never came.  Therefore, I spent most of the day out on the town.   I began by going to the temple area, a part of town with a huge Buddhist Temple complex with multiple temples and a pagoda.  Many people were there praying, chanting, etc.    Returning to the center of town, I stopped at Wal-mart and bought some snacks—a diet cola, some chips, some yogurt, and a small package of cookies.  I decided to treat myself, since the store had a scale inside that I could use to weigh myself.  Since leaving 5 weeks ago, I have lost 20 lbs (9 kg).  I would like to lose that much more again before I return to Texas.  That would take me back to the size I was when I was in junior high school.  Losing half that much again would take me back to the size I was when I graduated from college.  It should be doable if I don't treat myself everyday as I have done today.   With my book and my snacks, I walked along Stalin Park (yes, they have retained the name even though everyone else is embarrassed to use it anymore), a linear park along the riverfront.  Many people were out—fishing, flying kites, singing, playing instruments, strolling, swimming, practicing rowing long boats, etc.  It was fun to see all the activity.  I couldn't believe how many people were swimming as cool as it was, but they were mostly older men who probably do it even in the winter!   I sat on the river wall and ate some snacks and wrote in my diary.  I was approached twice.  First, a man about my age bicycled up and started speaking in Russian to me.  He didn't know any English, so he left quickly when he learned I was not Russian.  Then two young men came up and spoke in limited English.  They were both Chinese language teachers who are here on vacation.  After they left, I found a quieter place and read my book while continuing to occasionally watch the crowds.   In the evening, I returned to the Pedestrian Street.  There is a big square with a monument at the end of the Pedestrian Street where it meets the river.  It has been barricaded up to now as part of the building of a new metro system which also involved rebuilding the square.  Well, the barricades were down and they were having a grand opening celebration on a stage.  I stayed to watch with a large crowd of locals.  They had dragons, they had exercising women, they had dancers, they had kung fu performers, etc.  It lasted 1 1/2 hours and was lots of fun to see.   From there, I went to listen to the Malaysian singer for about 30 minutes.  Then I realized I needed to return to the room to finish my snacks.