Foo - Well, that sucked.

After a dispiriting week of unsuccessful apartment and job hunting, I was really looking forward to my first group ride today. I decided to join a group of mountain bikers on a 56km ride through the mountains to the North of Beijing. I got up at 5:30, after a terrible sleep, to get to the rendezvous point on time (it's selected for its convenience for people who live in the city, I'm sort of in the 'burbs).

I don't have a mountain bike, but was told I could rent one from the club for the day -- I gave them my height, and they assured me they had a bike that would fit. We got out to the start of the ride, about 50km out of the city, and I realised that all the rental bikes were in fact too small. Still, I figured I might as well give it a shot.

A pathetic paved 7km in, and I had developed a massive blister inside my prosthetic leg. I had to stop and wait for the club bus to take me to a bus stop so I could get a ride back into the city. Now I'm stuck at home because it hurts to walk. This sucks.

Fortunately, there is Foo: anyone else with bad group ride experiences? You can help me stop feeling sorry for myself by making me (laugh/sympathise) (at/with) your misfortune! I know this is more of a General Cycling thing, but I'm putting it in Foo. So there. :p

Man, you have got to post some pictures...!

Yes.

The first time I ride with a pack of fast roadies, I take the fixed gear, and I was drinking beer earlier.

The temp rose, and I would up on the side of the road getting water poured on me by a fellow rider.

Heatstroke. I hit my wall...hard.

Note to self: Do NOT drink before a ride. Especially 20 or so wild roadies hell bent on flying across town at high speeds!

Man, you have got to post some pictures...!


Of the ride, the blister, or the apartments I've been looking at? ;)

Yes.

The first time I ride with a pack of fast roadies, I take the fixed gear, and I was drinking beer earlier.

The temp rose, and I would up on the side of the road getting water poured on me by a fellow rider.

Heatstroke. I hit my wall...hard.

Note to self: Do NOT drink before a ride. Especially 20 or so wild roadies hell bent on flying across town at high speeds!

Jeez -- did you pass out or what?

Post pics of the neighborhood.:D We likey faraway strange places. You know how they say the grass is greener on the other side? Yup. Bejing, I imagine, is a fascinating place.

Jeez -- did you pass out or what?

Almost. I have to watch it, because I will pass out on a second. Its the steep fall of my blood pressure that does me in.:(

I have to put ice packs in my jersey to ride in the summer. And NO alcohol, that stuff would kill me!

After a dispiriting week of unsuccessful apartment and job hunting, I was really looking forward to my first group ride today. I decided to join a group of mountain bikers on a 56km ride through the mountains to the North of Beijing. I got up at 5:30, after a terrible sleep, to get to the rendezvous point on time (it's selected for its convenience for people who live in the city, I'm sort of in the 'burbs).

I don't have a mountain bike, but was told I could rent one from the club for the day -- I gave them my height, and they assured me they had a bike that would fit. We got out to the start of the ride, about 50km out of the city, and I realised that all the rental bikes were in fact too small. Still, I figured I might as well give it a shot.

A pathetic paved 7km in, and I had developed a massive blister inside my prosthetic leg. I had to stop and wait for the club bus to take me to a bus stop so I could get a ride back into the city. Now I'm stuck at home because it hurts to walk. This sucks.

Fortunately, there is Foo: anyone else with bad group ride experiences? You can help me stop feeling sorry for myself by making me (laugh/sympathise) (at/with) your misfortune! I know this is more of a General Cycling thing, but I'm putting it in Foo. So there. :p
If it helps, many Kudos for riding with a prosthetic leg! Good for you!http://www.planet-smilies.de/a_smilies/award_1.gif

Unfortunatly (or maybe fortunatly?) I don't have a misadventure to share with you. Just my sympathy, and perhaps later when I'm more awake, a good yuk-yuk joke.

Post pics of the neighborhood. We likey faraway strange places. You know how they say the grass is greener on the other side? Yup. Bejing, I imagine, is a fascinating place.

Ok, here you go. Not sure what you want to see, so I took pictures of everything.

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04532.jpg

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04544.jpg

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04546.jpg

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04551.jpg

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04558.jpg

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04561.jpg

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04564.jpg

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04565.jpg
"We won't go" -- the whole neighbourhood will be demolished either shortly before or after the Olympics. Residents are given next to nothing in compensation.

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04566.jpg
Street-side food stalls. Kebabs, shaved noodles from Shanxi province, and steamed buns.

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04571.jpg
LBS

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04575.jpg
Vegetables for sale on the street, just before dinner time

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04578.jpg
Fruit in a flatbed trike.

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04586.jpg

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04588.jpg
My choice for dinner.

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04589.jpg
Inside the restaurant.

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04590.jpg
My dinner!

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04591.jpg
Outside my supermarket.

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04596.jpg
New buildings.

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04599.jpg
Zhongguancun - the "Silicon Valley of China".

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04603.jpg
Beer at the supermarket, always stored upside-down. Note presence of "pineapple beer". Do not drink pineapple beer, ever.

If it helps, many Kudos for riding with a prosthetic leg! Good for you!http://www.planet-smilies.de/a_smilies/award_1.gif

Not sure if it helps, but thanks anyway :D

Unfortunatly (or maybe fortunatly?) I don't have a misadventure to share with you. Just my sympathy, and perhaps later when I'm more awake, a good yuk-yuk joke.

How disappointing that you can't contribute ;)

Almost. I have to watch it, because I will pass out on a second. Its the steep fall of my blood pressure that does me in.:(

I have to put ice packs in my jersey to ride in the summer. And NO alcohol, that stuff would kill me!

Ouch -- take care, dude.


Post pics of the neighborhood. We likey faraway strange places. You know how they say the grass is greener on the other side? Yup. Bejing, I imagine, is a fascinating place.

Almost forgot -- more photos here (http://www.brezhnev.net/2006/04/10/62.html)

Your turn now :D

How disappointing that you can't contribute ;)

It's not even my yuk-yuk joke, and I'm not even really sure that it's a joke, but Jack Handy always makes me smile after a crappy day of...well...crappy proportions.

If I lived back in the wild west days, instead of carrying a six-gun in my holster, I'd carry a soldering iron. That way, if some smart-aleck cowboy said something like "Hey, look. He's carrying a soldering iron!" and started laughing, and everybody else started laughing, I could just say, "That's right, it's a soldering iron. The soldering iron of justice." Then everybody would get real quiet and ashamed, because they had made fun of the soldering iron of justice, and I could probably hit them up for a free drink.

Also...I'm jealous of your dinner.

Ah, so many worker bikes! Hard to find them where I come from.

We have all them bike boom frames though :lol:

Do not drink pineapple beer

Duly noted.

Beer at the supermarket, always stored upside-down. Note presence of "pineapple beer". Do not drink pineapple beer, ever.

:lol: Thanks for the fascinating thread! I'm sorry to hear about your misadventures, but I'm sure it's quite an adventure over all! I've traveled outside of the US several times before, and I have always enjoyed it. I've even contemplated getting a job overseas for a few years. If you don't mind me asking, are you from the US originally? What type of work are you doing? And as has been said before, it's impressive that you're still riding with a prosthetic leg. It's obvious that you have a lot of determination - keep fighting the good fight against boredom and mediocrity! :) :beer: (Note: not pineapple beer.)

Duly noted.

Can't be that bad

Ok Im going to sound like Merton.. keep in mind Im from a very small city and NH!
why are the beers stored upside down?
wow, did you see the load this man carried on his bike? talk about effort.
It was nice how you really captured what really goes on over there as compare to some "postcard shots"
Thank you so much for the pics! and Im so sorry you've been having a bad time, but you're right, there is always foo to make things look a bit brighter :) big hug!

Because it's lite beer BDG, very lite beer. So lite that if it was stored right side up, it would float out of the can.


Ask a MERTON question, get a MERTON answer, ;)

Because it's lite beer BDG, very lite beer. So lite that if it was stored right side up, it would float out of the can.


Ask a MERTON question, get a MERTON answer, ;)

yeah... stick it to 'er, stacey!

hey, that's not very nice! I just dont know, excuse me for not knowing all you do oh master! is it cause the experation dates are under the can? I mean I simply dont know, take it easy there killer!

ahahahahhahaaaaaaaaa!!!

I was obviously allready embaressed to ask, but I never thought Id get laughed at :(
Im sure gbcb will be more receptive of people having intesrests in where he lives and maybe he will have a decent answer.

The reason they're stored upside down is cuz they're on the other side of the world. :)

I have no idea and the OP is probably asleep now.

Ty JY! I guess Im not the only one who doesnt know after all!

we should get catatonic in here, he always has good answers, Id say it's either something to do with the yeast or the experation date

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04575.jpg
Vegetables for sale on the street, just before dinner time

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04578.jpg
Fruit in a flatbed trike.

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04586.jpg

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04588.jpg
My choice for dinner.

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04589.jpg
Inside the restaurant.

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04590.jpg
My dinner!

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04591.jpg
Outside my supermarket.

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04596.jpg
New buildings.

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04599.jpg
Zhongguancun - the "Silicon Valley of China".

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/hood/DSC04603.jpg
Beer at the supermarket, always stored upside-down. Note presence of "pineapple beer". Do not drink pineapple beer, ever.
AAAAH, my all time favorite beer....Tsing Tao!

It's not even my yuk-yuk joke, and I'm not even really sure that it's a joke, but Jack Handy always makes me smile after a crappy day of...well...crappy proportions.

If I lived back in the wild west days, instead of carrying a six-gun in my holster, I'd carry a soldering iron. That way, if some smart-aleck cowboy said something like "Hey, look. He's carrying a soldering iron!" and started laughing, and everybody else started laughing, I could just say, "That's right, it's a soldering iron. The soldering iron of justice." Then everybody would get real quiet and ashamed, because they had made fun of the soldering iron of justice, and I could probably hit them up for a free drink.

Also...I'm jealous of your dinner.

Jack Handy is always good -- I quoted this one for my senior yearbook back in high school:

"I can still recall old Mister Barnslow getting out every morning and nailing a fresh load of tadpoles to the old board of his. Then he'd spin it round and round, like a wheel of fortune, and no matter where it stopped he'd yell out, 'Tadpoles! Tadpoles is a winner!' We all thought he was crazy. But then we had some growing up to do."

Edit: And my dinner was very good indeed :). Dumplings with pork, shrimp, and chives, and a sort of side salad with tomatoes, celery, and cabbage. Juice to drink. Total: US$2.60. But the real story was my lunch: Cold noodles with cucumbers, bean sprouts, tofu, chili and sesame sauce, a little pork and cabbage bun, and a Tsingtao beer for 80 US cents.

:lol: Thanks for the fascinating thread! I'm sorry to hear about your misadventures, but I'm sure it's quite an adventure over all! I've traveled outside of the US several times before, and I have always enjoyed it. I've even contemplated getting a job overseas for a few years. If you don't mind me asking, are you from the US originally? What type of work are you doing? And as has been said before, it's impressive that you're still riding with a prosthetic leg. It's obvious that you have a lot of determination - keep fighting the good fight against boredom and mediocrity! :) :beer: (Note: not pineapple beer.)

Glad you enjoyed it! I'm Canadian, but was actually born in Tokyo. I've lived about half of my life in Canada and half outside. I don't actually have a job now. I've been studying Chinese for the last two years (which I've read takes "a kind of mindless doggedness and lack of sensible overall perspective (http://www.pinyin.info/readings/texts/moser.html)"), and have been trying to find a job to stay here for another year or two. So if any of you Foosters are planning a trip to China, better make it soon :D

Can't be that bad

I would argue that it can. But other people say it's not as bad as it could be...

http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer/yanjing-pineapple-beer/45141/

Ok Im going to sound like Merton.. keep in mind Im from a very small city and NH!
why are the beers stored upside down?
wow, did you see the load this man carried on his bike? talk about effort.
It was nice how you really captured what really goes on over there as compare to some "postcard shots"
Thank you so much for the pics! and Im so sorry you've been having a bad time, but you're right, there is always foo to make things look a bit brighter :) big hug!
...
Im sure gbcb will be more receptive of people having intesrests in where he lives and maybe he will have a decent answer.


Thanks for the hug, much appreciated :)

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I really have no idea why they store the cans upside-down. It's one of those weird things in China that just IS. It's like the bike-locked doors (http://www.beijingtraveltips.com/sights/bike_locked_door/bike_locked_door.htm).

It's also next to impossible to get cold beer in the winter at restaurants. At least I understand the logic -- it's cold outside, why would you drink a cold beverage? -- but Chinese beer is AWFUL when it's not cold. The conventional wisdom also says it's not healthy to drink really cold drinks at any time of year. Bad for digestion, apparently. Fortunately, in Beijing at least, cold drinks are not hard to find in the summer.

AAAAH, my all time favorite beer....Tsing Tao!

Tsing Tao (particularly Tsingtao Draft -- the one with the white label next to the normal Tsingtao) is my favourite of the Chinese beers. The other big beers in Beijing -- Yanjing and Beijing -- always make me feel queasy. Tsingtao outside of China is quite different from the Tsingtao here. I would say the international stuff is better.

Interestingly, a lot of restaurants here promote Budweiser. Not sure if it's for that all-American taste, but it seems very popular. I drink it on occasion (it's better than Yanjing), but I find it hard to think of it as an American beer. I've seen many more Chinese people drinking it than Americans. To me, it's the official beer of low-ranking communist party officials :D

hey, that's not very nice! I just dont know, excuse me for not knowing all you do oh master! is it cause the experation dates are under the can? I mean I simply dont know, take it easy there killer!
I wasn't trying to be mean , dear blonde goddess. I din't know either and thought it was a funny answer, (I was smiling after all) and you went and took it all serious like :cry:

OK, the only thing Ill take serious from you, is that Im a blonde goddess:p
jokes on the side, you're right, I did take this comment way too seriously!:o

I'm really sorry if it offended you, I was really only just joshin' around.

(Really, I was bustin' on Mert) ;)

awww ty.. I know you were, I was having a very sensitive day. I could blame this all on pms but that's not the case, so I only have myself to blame.
I was actually waiting for merton's answer on that one, I can only imagine what his take on this would be.:p