Best Western

“I have wet hair, no bra, a dinosaur foot, and I’m sipping a damn red bean milkshake.” Just another evening in Hangzhou….

That was Alex, she finally joined me in my nightly ritual of getting a mystery milk-tea type drink after dinner. We went to our favorite stop, where the Chinese college students love practicing their “thank you!” and “Goodbye!” on us.

The menu is completely in Chinese except for the “series” titles. There is the “Milk-tea series,” “Organic nourishment series,” and the “Nutrition series,” and five or six others. We were post-workout, so we thought the nutrition series would suit us best.

I ordered #504 and Alex ordered #509. Mine came first, it was a milky, seafoam green color and had a sweet flavor, though I have no idea what it was or what was nutritional about it.  As I was enjoying the first few sips, we watched the show of Alex’s drink.

A shot of something, white powder, ice, and red beans in a blender, yes red beans. You know, the kind you make chili with.  Nothing like a fiber-laden, cold refreshing bean smoothie to end the night on a high note.

We bought gym memberships over the weekend at the Best Western down the street. I think we inadvertently got ourselves VIP status. The gym has a few cardio machines, free weights, and a lot of classes.

There is also a steam room, sauna, and hot showers with awesome water pressure. We enjoy using our complementary arch-supported slip-on sandals and clean, fluffy towels to shower with after working out.

Once our shower is finished, we nosh on the spread of fresh fruits and veggies. And by “nosh” I actually mean eat two or three platefuls because we might as well get what we can out of our membership.

The gym will probably be what keeps us sane in Hangzhou. Nevermind the extra tall, buff Chinese trainer who lingers wherever we happen to be lifting weights. Or the middle-age women in the locker room who eagerly say things to us that we can’t understand.

“Wo ting bu dong!” I don’t understand!

“Wo ting bu dong, wo ting bu dong,” they sarcastically say back to us. Most times with a smile.

It’s easy to disregard the comments when we have post-workout endorphins flowing and a hot sauna to sweat away our troubles in.