Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride

A minor drama storm has been weathering our small outpost in Shenzhen over the past few days. Two girls who came together to China decided to go back home. While I have lucked out on almost everything related to my job, they were running into bad luck every step of the way and blamed it all on the company.

An echo chamber of bad vibes and griping erupted. Previously frustrated teachers became incensed as they trades stories back and forth and complained. I pitched in a few of my annoyances [which I had corrected today], I also offered wisdom from the good doctor: "buy the ticket, take the ride." Were here. We signed up for a year, ride out the year and make things work.

I remembered reading it in a Thompson book and being reminded of it when Steve Sykes explained why he plucked a fishing hook out of a sharks mouth instead of just cutting the line. It's something I've reminded myself every time things get a bit too Chinese for me. This is what I signed up for, this is what I get.

I had to eat those words today. Buy the ticket, take the ride, right? Here I literally had a ticket in my hand and there, right there in front of me, were very real and very literal rides - metaphor be damned.

The teachers were originally scheduled to have a tour of the city, but somehow that got turned into a tour of an amusement park. Four teachers show up along with a former teachers girlfriend and two of her friends. Two teachers bolt when they see the price of admission, but I go...

Happy Valley - gotta love the subtly in that name - is a small Busch Gardens. I hate amusement parks. Hate, hate, hate. I hate the lines, I had the crowdedness, and I hate the rides. Yes, your fearless writer who plunges into the eye of hurricanes for a good story and some photos hates roller coasters and machinations of that ilk.

USA Trey would have gone home even though I spent the money. American Trey would have called it a day and opted out. China Trey did no such thing. I got in line with everyone else and we spun around on one of those weird 180 degree under-arch spinner things and you know what?

It was fun!

I also did a miniature tower-of-terror thing where the shoot a line of seats up and then drop it straight down and all those shenanigans. I did it. I enjoyed it. I even got to play high speed Chinese laser bumper cars and got my driving fix in [I miss my Miata and driving more than I miss any food right now]. I also met some really cool new Chinese friends. I'll write up about some of our conversations on national identity and religion a bit later... I really needed to get a post out.

Photos from Happy Valley amusement park.


Happy Valley with Shenzhen and hills in the background.




Meet Diamond Geezer [geezer is cockney slang for a street-type guy] and his friend Boozy Baby. Have I told you there's a toothpaste brand who's logo is a black guy with a top hat and pearly whites? Politically correct what? I should mention our Chinese friends saw nothing offensive in this at all and picked them up to giggle at their bobbling heads.



On that note, here is the line of tourist waiting to have their photo taken with Adrian. He's black! Get a picture! You think I'm kidding...




Lisa, Ting [1], me, and Ting [2]



E.v.i.l.