Steph's Visit

Hey Guys! I'm so sorry that I have been lagging on the writing. Blog has been down, plus i've been enjoying my nothing-ness. This past week my best friend Steph from high school visited. I haven't seen her since we hugged goodbye in the Sweden airport in 2004 after we traveled together post-graduation. Our reunited-ness was really good. We partied a lot - it was tiring! Above is a picture of her first night in Beijing. We went to a bar called Rickshaw and hung out and played pool, well I played pool. Won 2 games and almost won 1 except I called the eight ball in a different pocket than I hit it in.
Also, as you can see above, Anna had a lengthy conversation with my breasts. They really seem to like talking to her for some reason! They respond to her and no one else. Very odd...
Above and Below: On Wednesday Steph and I had our wildest night out. We went to numerous bars, but the craziest was ending up at this place called China Doll where we discovered that ALL DRINKS WERE FREE for ladies. We were elated, then we were VERY drunk. We ended up eating breakfast at The Great Wall Sheraton with these guys that worked there who we met in the bar and drank whiskey with. It was crazy, but I won't go into detail! It's between Steph and I. :) Thursday was lost to our hangovers. These incredibly potent drinks called Mamasitas and a lot of tequila really did us in!
Below: On Friday we went to this rockin' Japanese restaurant called Hatsune for lunch, then decided that we had better DO SOMETHING other than go to bars while she was here and went to Houhi Park and rented these nifty little boats that you operate by paddling with your feet. It was really a good time despite the sweat and our achy thighs and asses.
Below: However, we thought the lake went in a circle and we could just keep going and end up back where we started, which much to our dismay was not true. So, we started at the furthest point of the lake and paddles as far as we could go then, we had to turn back and do it all over again! At this point, we were really tired and Steph wanted to give our boat to anyone that would take it, but it wasn't an option. So, we paddled our achy little asses to the other side of the lake. Notice that these pictures were taken in the first hour before we figured out what dummies we both were. It was still fun and we were really proud for doing something interesting and culturally relevant with ourselves!
Below: That night was Friday, so we went out on the town yet again! We went to a place called Kai where lots of strange men touched my tattoo and a big scary fight broke out between a group of Korean young men. At one point a guy was on the ground in the fetal position and people were kicking him. When they kicked him in the head I freaked out and tried to step in, but my friends held me back, which was wise because I woulda gotten killed for sure! It was a good night, but we were already tired from a long week of partying!
Below: On Saturday was Josh, Andy, and Kate's BBQ. It was really fun. We started drinking super early though! On the right you can see Steph and I on this awesome swing chair that we tried to keep dibs on for most of the night. I am making a funny face and Stephanie's breasts are showing!

Below and Above: The BBQ was on the roof of their building and it was really cool because there was a ladder that led to a higher up roof, and then another ladder to an ever higher up roof. So, we could see the whole city despite the gray haze that seems always to hang. We spoke to all sorts of people and ate lots of food. Good times all around. Steph was a trooper even though she wasn't feeling so awesome that day. Later that night the party moved out to a bar called Nanjie, then to Rickshaw. Unfortunately for me, my fever hit at Nanjie and I ended up being very ill for the following days. :(

Luckily I got sick on Steph's last day, so I didn't ruin her trip. I think it was my body's charming way of telling me to slow down. I had a bad fever and slept and sweated for a few days. I'm better now, thank God! Anyways, I leave for Europe on Monday. Very exciting. I'll keep you posted. Love, Soph