Day 9 - China. In the embassy district in Beijing, I stopped in for lunch at a restaurant that lacked a certain something that was easy to find in town: people. So empty was it that I had four waiters exclusively at my service and the chef himself came by to practice his English and offer suggestions that would suit my spicier palate. He was from Guangdong which is why the restaurant, even though it was in a posh location on Ritan Lu, was not not faring well. The meal strted with a delightful appetizer and two main courses that played off of each other. One was a green vegetable cai, with a lovely texture and a delicate sauce, the other a hearty but tender spicy beef with an aroma to die for. It was quite overwhelming to experience such a warm-weather delight on a -8 degree Celsius day. I had a miserable camera phone otherwise a pic of the feast would be included but I'll let your sensory imagination run wild. The meal was that good.

Day 8 - China. As President Hu is in the news today, I thought I'd write a story of one of my last visits to Beijing. No, this does not relate to the Falung Gong, but to the rather pleasant practice of foot massage enjoyed by all walks of life at the end of a long day in the capital. For less than 100 RMB, a weary customer will walk out after ninety minutes of refloxology feeling refreshed and invigorated. In my case, I had the double benefit of a skillful masseuse who also knew enough English to help me practice my Chinese. She laughed and giggled to her friends as I used my broken Chinese to answer her probing questions. With little embarassment, and an unhealthy dose of orgeuil, I beamed with delight every time I was able to carry on a conversation entirely in Chinese for more than two exchanges. My colleagues grew tired of my ya ya papaya behaviour and eventually suggested that the second-half of our massage be conducted in blissful silence.

Day 7 - Laos. Luang Prabang is the most charming city I've ever visited in Asia. There are a multitude of reasons why but somewhere on that list are its spring rolls. They're made of rice paper and they're deep fried and they usually have chicken and some fiery combination of chilies and vegetables and if you eat them while they're hot (but not scalding), you might be tempted to say that they're the best fried food you've ever tasted. Move over Belgian fries. Here's a recipe that's missing the final frying step.