I remember back in the Philippines, beaches are always crowded during the first three days of May. Families flock to the beach to celebrate the Feast of the Sea (Pista’y Dayat) and Labor Day. It’s a time when everybody is just happy that he/she does not have to go to work or school.

Marcus has 3 days free (unfortunately, he has to work on Sunday) and we decided to spend these three days here in Changchun. Most of the foreigners we know went somewhere like Shanghai, Dalian or Beijing but we agreed to stay in Changchun and help each other pack our things for the big move.

We are not finished packing yet. Infact, we haven’t started. We went downtown this morning to look for some camera lenses (because his is broken) and a cellphone because we believe that we can get these cheaper here and tomorrow, we will do the same just in another electronic store (sheesh!).

The wall, furniture and decorations are all of Mexican theme which gives the restaurant a vibrant feel. I’ve been there twice and was amazed both times. The place is neat, food is fantastic, and the service is great plus it is not expensive. I also like the fact that they have a wireless internet connection free for their costumers. One of these days, I’ll definitely go there again for a cup of coffee.

I particularly love their pineapple cake, enchiladas, Maya soup and other Mexican pastries and drinks. I also like the fact that it is not crowded. I should enjoy it now before word of mouth spreads making people crowd this restaurant.

Sol Latino will be the first on our list from now on. Steak king comes in second, the Thai Restaurant third, and the Shangrila fourth. It is not difficult to please me, I can go to any restaurant and eat there just as long as it’s clean but I have to say that a lot of westerners (including my husband and his friends) are very particular when it comes to dining out. The restaurant being clean is not enough, most westerners also insist that they get the value for their money. So if the steak is not rare enough or not cooked the way they like it, you can be sure that they will complain. I don’t think Asians complain just as much.

Anyway, I personally like Sol Latino and one of these days, I will go there alone for a coffee (since they serve a very good cappuccino). It is quiet there and they have a wireless internet there. (*wink) It’s perfect. I can spend the whole day there.

Because it was still too cold that day, Rene didn’t open the window that much. It was just a tiny tiny opening… but the amount of dust that came in was too much! I know that the air in Changchun is polluted but I never thought it was that polluted!

After a few days we learned that it was not Changchun’s polluted air that caused it. It was a sandstorm in some desert near China. Strong winds carried the fine sand grains all the way to Changchun. Anyway, I should be thankful that it was just in the bathroom. I needed not a long time to vacuum clean it. Poor Birgit and Rene. They left all their windows open so I am pretty much sure that they spent their weekend cleaning their whole flat.

Let me start with last Saturday’s Asian Winter Games. Before we went there we have read and decided to follow the rules that were printed on the ticket thus we headed there with no bags, no food, and not even anything to drink so we were surprised when we learned that the rules were not that much observed by most of the people in the audience. Man, I could have at least gone there with something—like a bomb for instance.

Nevertheless, it was great. I was able to do something for the first time again with Marcus and that is watching an actual ice skating competition. But what really made my day was the fact that I have witnessed two Filipino contestants in this competition. Well they were not the greatest but they’re not bad considering that snow is not natural in the Philippines and that it was supposedly already “the finals”. So they made it to the finals. Not bad at all for tropical people.

Anyway, here are two pictures of us taken by the nice girl sitting behind us.