Fun Day

This is a day of many firsts for the Wallace's. Todd went to the gym and then I did. Cameron watched Tomb Raiders 2. We hit breakfast and then began our new Beijing experiences.

We started off with Star Trooper Laser Tag. We weren't sure if it was open because there were no people around. We made our way to the basement where it is and found 2 girls working. They asked if we wanted to make a reservation. I asked if we could play now. They laughed but said ok and then asked if it was just the 3 of us. I told them we didn't have any other friends. They laughed. One girl said they usually have at least 4. I ran out and got Mr. Xue and we had him play. He had no idea what he was getting himself into. He put his 'murse' in a locker but kept his coat on. The girls explained everything and got us suited up. Inside we went. It was a big place with a lot of barricades to hide behind...unless your Todd and too tall and not very flexible.

We are ready for a battle.

The first game started and we were running around shooting at each other. Cameron and I didn't think our guns were working very well but it was still fun. The game got over and they gave us score cards. I only shot 6 people with my 329 shots. But I sure got shot a lot. We were laughing and decided to play again. Mr. Xue agreed to play again too.

Second game Cameron and I got the guns Todd and Mr. Xue used in the first game. Cameron and I became silent partners running around getting Todd and Mr. Xue. At one point I saw Mr. Xue checking his phone so it was only right of me to shoot him. The second game got over and we were all sweating. The guys were sweating terribly. It was so much fun. They gave free pop but only Mr. Xue took one. He completely downed it. Good thing we were staying in Beijing because he was exhausted. We bought a couple Star Trooper shirts and headed out the door. FUN!

Fun place.

Next stop was Chaoyang Park to go to the Sony Explorascience Museum. But as we were looking at the park map a girl approached us about tubing. We decided to try it. We paid for 2 tickets because only Cameron and I were going to do it. They loaded us up in a rickety old van and drove us way in the back of the park. This park is HUGE. We got out and realized that the tickets were the entrance fee only. Todd just walked in. Oops. There was skiing, sledding, tubing, little slides, and a maze. Who knew that was there? We finally figured out how to get a tube for Cameron. We paid 300 rmb but after the 30 minutes and returning of the tube we got 200 rmb back. So about $15 for 30 minutes of tubing. Cameron had fun. He was wishing he had friends with him but he still enjoyed it.

Cameron rode this really cool horse.

Pretty.  It wasn't too cold either.

Up the steps.

Down he goes.

He hit the end and it brought him around towards me.

Cute kid.

Cameron figured out he could go up the steps on the left side.
No one was using that side.

Back in the van and they drove us back out towards the front of the park. We had him stop where we thought the science museum was so we didn't have to walk. We entered the museum. Very helpful, cheery girl at the door. Once we got our badges (which run the exhibits) we had to take pictures and then we were free to explore.

This kind of stuff is right up Todd and Cameron's alley. I did some things but those two checked everything out and were talking about them. It was great watching those two interact. In a couple spots they would come across an annoying worker who wouldn't let them do it but other than that this place was great for a couple hours.

This was the beginning of the museum.

So many Cameron's.

If you look close Todd and Cameron's face are
merged together.

Experiment with spinning wheels.

Making shadows.  Then they would come to
life and move across the screen.  Cool.

Cameron is filming his actions here.

The actions were put into a little movie.  Here he is
about to be eaten by a giant chicken.

The spider is coming...RUN!

In a sound booth making different levels of sound.

Good place to go for a couple hours of fun.

Since we were right there we decided we needed to go into the Lego Store.  Expensive.

Cameron shaking hands with a mini 13 year old Lego boy.

Back to the van. As we were driving down the road Cameron gasped and then said "Look at the name of that shop". It said sex shop. He then said in the strangest voice "I wonder what they sell in there." It was everything Todd and I had not to laugh. All I could say was "Hmm, I don't know."

We went over by Yashow Market. We had Mr. Xue find try to find the restaurant where we were eating. We thought if it was close we would have him go do whatever and we would just walk there from the market. It was difficult to find. Mr. Xue was even on the phone with a worker. Finally found the street it was on but not the exact location because it was a narrow street with a lot of cars. We didn't want to get stuck down there. This was not walking distance. Back over by Yashow. We hit Union Grill for a snack and drink. Cameron had a Mango Daiquiri...alcohol free of course. He said it was good. They also had some wings.

Mango Daiquri.

The boys enjoying the wings.

This sign was in the bathroom.  Funny.

We hit Yashow Market next. First stop was the DVD store. It was so jammed packed with people that we couldn't even look for DVD's. We decided to get out of there. Into the market. Very crowded. We walked around all the floors. We didn't need anything but we just wanted to browse. Todd bought a Great Wall picture made out of feathers. It is really cool. He was excited because he got it cheaper than he thought he would. He didn't even have to bust out his great bargaining skills.

We went to the next level and we saw some Simpson t-shirts. Cameron has been wanting one. We found one he liked then the girl showed him another one. He liked them both but only wanted the one. We asked how much. The girl said 150 rmb ($24)for one or 300 for 2. We all 3 started to laugh. She then said 260 rmb for both. Um, not even close. Cameron and I walked away. Todd ended up getting one shirt for 40 rmb ($6.50). There is where good bargaining skills come into play. That is what it was worth though. Not high quality contrary to what they tell you. Cameron was so excited. He couldn't wait to wear it. It was hard to find a Simpson shirt that is not bad but luckily we found  that was fine.

Back in the van and off to the restaurant at 4:45. We were on the road where Big Smoke Bistro was suppose to be but couldn't find it. Todd jumped out of the van and ran into Uncle Otis which is there sister company. A guy walked Todd down there. Not very far at all but the sign wasn't very big or obvious. It is in kind of a not so nice area so I was a little worried. Inside though is big and really nice.

We ordered ribs, empanadas, pork, vegetables, chorizo sausage, and scallops. Everything was delicious. Our only complaint was some of the things, the veggies for sure, had too much salt on them. If you are on a low sodium diet this place wouldn't be for you. Todd said the ribs were by far the best he has had in China. After dinner we walked through the inside to the sister company (Uncle Otis) and ordered 2 chickens and 2 cinnamon rolls to take to the hotel. We dealt with the same guy that helped us find the Big Smoke. He is a really nice guy.

Some of our delicious dinner.

Back to the hotel. We watched Time Bandits. This is a movie that is along the same lines as Monty Python which means it was dumb. Just a ridiculous movie. We never did try the chicken but Cameron and I will eat it for dinner when we get home tomorrow. Off to bed.