Solo Adventure

Every city that we go to, there is always someone that pops up out of nowhere that speaks English. Today, Irene (Or it could have been Ilene. The whole R/L pronunciation thing really came into play here.) appeared. She was a very smiley woman in her early thirties. She took a few us of down to a DVD store and the selection was superb. The hot item was Robin Hood. I’m not sure what kind of shady business goes down in order to get movies on DVD that just came out in the theater, but we all wanted one. I spent about fifteen bucks and walked away with just as many DVDs. Irene/Ilene took us over to an upscale mall, which was reminiscent of Lennox in Buckhead, for you ATLiens. Another artery clogging stop at McDonalds, then we headed back to the hotel to prepare for the third and final game against the Tianjin Golden Lions. Or so we thought…

After a light pre-game meal, both teams were in the lobby waiting for the bus to pick us and take us to the next arena that was about an hour away. Tianjin loaded the bus first, while we waited in the lobby for a few of the guys to come down (a common theme throughout the trip). I could tell something was up, as Boss Man and a few random Chinese guys (Another common theme; there is always a bunch of random Chinese guys with us in every city we go to. Boss Man is connected. His nickname is close to being change to the God Father.) were going back and forth in loud Chinese tones. All the Tianjin players got off the bus and headed back to their rooms. I asked Robert what the deal was, and he said he wasn’t sure and to go back to our rooms and they would come get us when it was time to go. I needed a bit more of an explanation then that and tried to ask Catherine, and Boss Man what was going on, but failed. I felt like a little kid trying to ask his parents “why?” and only hearing, “because I said so.” Back to the room I went. Robert never questions Boss Man. He is a loyal guy. Either that, or he is deathly afraid of be whacked by the God Father, or one of his hit men.

All the guys were looking at me, their fearless leader, for answers. “I don’t know what to tell ya.” I explained to them that I was in the same boat and wasn’t sure what was going on. After sitting in my room for the next hour, I started getting real impatient and was thinking the game was probably going to be cancelled. I finally hunted Robert down and he confirmed my suspicion. There was never a reason as to why, but at this point I just wanted to get out of the hotel. I told the guys to do whatever they wanted, as I was prepared to go explore the city of Zhongshan on a solo mission. Sunwen Road West was going to be my first stop. During my timeout in my room, I researched the city a bit more and found that Zhongshan had some cool things to offer. I saw Irene, or it still could be Ilene, in the lobby of the hotel and she gave the okay to my plan. I hailed a cab and gave him my piece of paper explaining where I wanted to go. All I got back was a blank stare, followed by a bunch of Chinese mumbo-jumbo. I got back out and grabbed Irene and she explained my ambitions to the cabi, and off we went. The cab ride was surprisingly quiet (little horn was used) and I made it to my destination unscathed. Sunwen Road West had a very European vibe to it, minus all the Chinese people. The narrow cobble stone street, lined with shops, reminded me of Grafton Street, one of my favorite parts of Dublin, Ireland. I walked the street curiously, being stared at the entire time. Weaving in and out of most of the stores seeing what they all had to offer, I stumbled across a little shop that had a bunch of nice watches for sale. I was prepared to put my negotiating skills to the test. There were several Rolexes that caught my eye, who cares if they were fake, and I got the lady down from 350 Yuan to 200 Yuan. I felt pretty good about that, but I think I could have done better.

While researching Sunwen Road and the surrounding areas back at the Seasons, I noticed there was a seven-story pagoda that I really wanted to see. Built in 1608, The Fufeng Pagoda, which translated means ‘whales vagina’ (I’m kidding, it’s from Anchorman for all you non Will Farrell fans) sat at the top of a hill that overlooked the city at the adjacent Zhongshan Park. The short hike up all the stairs was more of a workout than I bargained for, especially in the southern China humidity. The short, sweaty trek was worth it though. The pagoda was all lit up and made for a nice experience. I captured a few praiseworthy pics and headed back to Sunwen Road to finish my exploration. My last stop was at a retail store called, Johnson International, where I found some nice Ray-Ban sunglasses for cheap. The girls working in the store seemed pretty stoked on me being in there and I tried some clothes that were way too small. I even did a little modeling shoot with a few of them for some good laughs, and even more peace signs. Next, I ventured out past Sunwen Road West to some bridges that were lit up like a Vegas casino and snapped a few more pictures. It was getting late so I flagged down a taxi and made my way back to the hotel. I opted for another massage in preparation for another nights sleep on a hard mattress. Tomorrow is supposed to be an off day. We’ll wait and see what surprises arise…