Party bus...

When a bunch of Ultimate Frisbee players get together to celebrate not one, not two, but three birthdays, this is what you get.

The picture to the right was our "party bus," which we hired -- for the price of 20 RMB per head -- to shuttle us from a restaurant to three (3.5, really) different bars. We'd originally planned to hit five, but our pacing as a little off.

That's okay...


The name of our first bar escapes me, but I had a terrible beer there called Mountain Water. Actually, I had two because they were free.

The next few pictures are from the same place.







Back on the bus...

The sign here prompted a talk with the girl whose head is turned around in the next picture on the subject of irony. We debated who was better at recognizing it, and it became a geographical battle, i.e. Canadians are better at being ironic, etc. And though my style of irony is completely lost on people who are drunk -- it requires too much subtlety -- I thought I played my trump card when I told her, "I'm an Asian from Kansas." That didn't sway her, which I believe means I win.

(Example of irony: the guy double-fisting those beers on a bus with a "No eating or drinking" sign...)


Not nearly as many pictures of the next three bars, and it's probably better that way.

At bar No. 2, NanJie.


Outside NanJie. Birthday girl Sandy is in front of the camera.


We were walking out of NanJie when this guy to the left, Chris, decided to strike up a conversation with a couple of the security guards/policemen at a toll window. It was a little surreal. I really wish I could remember some of what was said, because everyone was cracking up.

The characters on that yellow visor say "Safety." Ugliest hat ever.


Inside Black Sun, which had foosball and pool.


Irony!

A quick story involving the guy on the right: after Sunday's pick-up Ultimate, I was crammed into the back of a van seating 13 of us and Jim was in front of me. We were both gazing out the window when we passed a bus also packed with people. We noticed a girl sitting by a window, looking out as if in search for something. He smiled and waved. And wouldn't you know, she waved back, flashing the prettiest smile. "This is why I love China," Jim said.


Fourth and final bar, Club China Doll.

One of the last things I noticed before passing out was how light the sky seemed, as if photons were trapped inside the ever-present clouds of smog hanging over the city. I snapped a high-ISO picture from my apartment's balcony...