See Ya Later, Suzhou . . .

Three days in Suzhou and we ended our visit with mani pedi's.

This place didn't use water, like in the States.  And no OPI.  Only Dior and Chanel polish.

In the nail salon, Rena told the ladies I'm American and the response was a long, collective,"Ahhhhh..."  They thought I was from India.  I’m proud to show everybody here that African American beauty comes in all shades and shapes.

I had a full conversation with the Chinese ladies in the nail shop.  Rena was our translator.

Maybe that explains why I'm noticing now, that people have stopped starring at me so much.  When hubby was here, everywhere we went, people would gawk and stare, and some would actually point at him and yell, “Basketball!" because he's tall.

And then by default, they would turn and stare at me. LOL

But um, our relaxing mani/pedi kinda ruined the rest of my day. 

The nail technicians took too long, and I missed my train back to Shanghai.  Which meant I was going to miss my flight to Beijing, and lose a night at a hotel that I pre-booked. Triple UGH.

But Rena’s sweet, demure, traditional Chinese mother PUT THE PEDAL TO THE METAL and we made it to another Suzhou train station with a few minutes to spare.

She was driving like a race car driver.

These self-service machines at the rail station are for people with Chinese ID's.  People like me, with passports from other countries, have to stand in long lines.  

I made the flight (barely) and stepped out of the Beijing metro at 10PM, with NO IDEA which way to go, and there were no taxis in sight. Don't you hate when that happens?

Helooooooo, Beijing!

I walked forever, unsure if I was going the right direction.  And then there it was — shining in BRIGHT RED, high in the sky - a sign for a Marriott (not my hotel) but I knew they would speak English.

Alas, I made it to my own room. My hotel was just a 10 minute walk away.

Rough start, Beijing; rough start.  But hey, at least my nails are cute.

I like this summer color.  Thanks, Suzhou.

~SS