First Day in Lanzhou

After the longest sleep in many days, nine hours, I awoke to find that Andrew (who had planned to sleep for much longer) had already ventured out into the campus and returned. We were meet at midday by a guide, Leehei, organised by Yuan Mei. Lee is a Masters student of Chinese Literature, who came to Lanzhou from West China for the experience. He has good English-speaking skills, but from time-to-time a word was encountered that neither Lee nor Andrew could translate for the other. Lee took us for our first meal at the Guest House Restaurant, helping us choose a selection of dishes and introducing us to 'Yellow River' beer. We were encouraged to eat (and drink!) heartily, but eventually we could take no more. We then sought to get a SIM card so that Andrew could use his cellphone, and along the way saw the first other European face in a while, an English teacher who has been living in Lanzhou for two-and-a-half years. She is a delightful Australian woman who welcomed us to join her for a meal sometime and promised to show us where to buy those items we may be missing ;)

We required passport-sized photos and so were taken to a small shop just outside the university. When it was explained to the shop owner what we required, we were taken up a tiny staircase to the rickety second floor where there was a set-up with lights, camera and backdrop. Our photos were taken, and minutes later (after manipulating the images on computer, printing, and cutting) we were issued eight photos for 20 Yuan -- 4NZD! We were then shown around the supermarket which is just across the road from the University, where I bought some iced tea. At the checkout, after you have paid you are issued a ticket which is presented to a guard at the exit who checks the items you hold before you are allowed past! We also ventured into the Electronics market, where crowded stalls offered all sorts of electronic equipment.
What I desired was a talking electronic dictionary, with inputs for English, Pin-yin (romanised Chinese), and Hanzi (Chinese characters). The stall-owner did not speak English, and I while the first dictionary proffered allowed English and Pinyin entry, explaining that I wanted Hanzi also was
difficult ;) Eventually I was shown another model, which allowed writing on-screen, however it's menu only came in Chinese. Third time lucky, the model performed every function that could be desired (including much more, such as MP4 player, and Li-ion battery), but was much more than the money I had available. The earlier models were also discussed, but seemed unreasonable and haggling didn't offer much joy. This time I left empty handed, but intend to return some day soon to see what I can find!

That evening we ventured for a look around a few blocks from the University. There were street sellers with many different wares: fruits, socks, mobile phone covers, books, and inevitably, DVDs. We found a Sichuan Restaurant on campus and sat down to a meal of Tomato and Egg and a Beef dish -- delicious! That brought the end of our first day in Lanzhou and left me hankering for more.