Tanggu Surprise

Yesterday Pan Ke, Xiao Ji, and I went to Tanggu to surprise Jin Yi in her office. Tanggu is in the Tianjin municipality but it is not part of the city proper. It is acually about 60 km to the east of Tianjin on the Bohai Sea (which comes off the Pacific Ocean). Jin Yi had no idea we were coming to visit! Her expression here said it all...


Jin Yi works for a small company with a Korean boss. Her boss was back in Korea this week visiting his relatives, so we took over the office! Actually, Jin Yi still had to get some work done so we tried to stay out of her way. Her boss called her twice a day from Korea to see how things were going.


Xiao Ji pretends she is the CEO:


From the photo, you might guess it was supposed to rain yesterday. No, there was no rain predicted. These umbrellas are the Chinese version of sunscreen!


We went to visit the Dagukou Fort in Tanggu. After arriving there, we decided the fort is not worth the effort to reach it! Actually, I think the girls all decided that before we left the office! Here is Yan Yan at the fort.


Here is a boat in the port of Tanggu...


Work desk by day.. and card table by night. Yes, we played several hands of cards around this desk. Here's Pan Ke.


We hadn't planned on it, but Jin Yi convinced us to spend the night. The office is actually an apartment in a luxury apartment complex. Her office has two bedrooms. One of which is Jin Yi's. The girls all slept in one bedroom, and I slept on the couch (as the other bedroom had no bedding). Here is Jin Yi's bedroom. The 4 girls shared one bed!


Pan Ke and Ji Yingying rode the Teeter Totter (part of the senior citizen's exercise equipment in the apartment complex) as we were leaving this morning. Guess who weighs more? Poor Xiao Ji!


We came back to Tianjin today on the light rail, which was the first time Pan Ke, Yan Yan, or Xiao Ji had ever ridden it. (We had come to Tanggu by bus.)