SHOEMAKER & THE BLIND MUSICIAN

GET YOUR SHOES FIXED
WHILE YOU WAIT.


I walked the long way home from teaching english at the college, on Thursday and saw some new things.

First I came upon a man having his shoe repaired by a street shoemaker. He was sitting on the sidewalk and fixing shoes for people while they waited.

I was intrigued by his sewing machine which is clearly hand powered. FYI: My Uncle Joseph Thelin was shoemaker and a leather worker. He made ornate, gorgeous and expensive saddles too.

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS FOR LARGER VIEW...


I next walked by a blind musician playing for tips. He was very good on the instrument he played with a bow, like a violin, but it sounded very chinese. He looked up at me and there was no iris or pupil in his eyes. I put some money in his box. He played like an angel.
I stopped by a couple of fruit carts. They looked spectacular and delicious. Notice the little crab apple looking fruits, which are actually dates, and eat and taste pretty good, but with texture much like a bland crab apple. The giant grapefruit looking fruit are pumalos. They actually taste like large, powerfully strong grapefruit, but to peel them....their skin is about one inch thick when you peel them and is sort of like taking off a tire.

These people were playing a chinese game...sort of a gambling game I think. An unknown visitor to our blog indicates that it is called Mah-jongg. Thank you Linda! The players enjoyed this game very much and when one lost another took his place... They play with great emotion and it is fun to watch.

Dana and I found a place that has sweet and sour pork and cashew chicken to die for. Or course we have to use chop sticks to eat these. Dana is still working on that... I got it down! Steamed bread was on the side with rice.

Below: These are the cooks and some other customers who thought we were interesting customers who could only order with a note and by pointing at what other's were eating.

As I passed the girls college dorms, I saw them all coming back from the central hot water tank, where they filled their large, colorful thermoses with hot water to drink for that night and throughout the next day.

We have discovered that they do not drink ice water in China, or even cold water. They drink "HOT WATER" and hot teas.

I asked some of them why? They told me that hot water is best for their bodies and it is the most healthy to drink.