One of the staff memembers Anna has a friend getting married last Sunday, to which we were invited.
Arriving at the grooms appartment block to see a massive long line of fire crackers, a couple of guests casually having a smoke next to them. After someone broke one off and set it off for a loud bang and a laugh, we all wondered what the whole row would sound like.
It sounded spectacular! And looked it as well, even in bright early morning sunshine with bits of shrapnel flying off all over the place. Then off to the brides house, the groom leaving in a car dressed up very cooly in its own rows of flowers.
At the brides house, after the mandatory firecrackers are let off, the groom (well mostly his friends) literally break into the place. I only heard it from the bottom of the stairs but once in the brides house, they find her cousin/brother guarding the door to her bedroom. After some shouting at each other and laughter, they then proceed to try and drag the cousin away from the door and he puts up a real fight. Once out the way its, Yi Ar San and break through the door to find the bride sitting up on her bed with her pristine dress around her.
There is an eat the egg gloopy mixture ceremony for the husband and wife before he carrys her away all the way to the car downstairs, being hounded at the door by the wifes auntie who they first try to pay off with a red envelope, then literally push her aside (all in good humour).
Around to the new appartment, bang go firecrackers and a quick look around. Then off to the hotel for a meal and ceremony.
The ceremony seems to be conducted more like a stand up comedy gig. After the couple walk to the stage with the famous music playing in the background, and speaches by every family member going; random games insue. The couple try to bow to each other but are pushed forward by the friends, the couple have to adress their parents like little children. And then we are invited up on stage to say a few words? It seemed to be greatly appreciated however.
And after a short speach in English it fell to me to try and copy the garbled local dialect that was said to me, which got a loud laugh from the 100 or so people gathered there. Followed by someone from another part of china giving me something else to try and say - apparently both times it was "from my home town" but who knows.
Straight after the meal, middayish... everyone packs up and leaves, and that was it.
Xi'an to Kunming (warm sunshine, stone forest)
And I haven't yet mentioned you can get a big plate of pork or beef dumplings for 66pence here.
Or that the hostel is 2pounds a night for a bed, or 4 pounds for your own room.
One of the staff memembers Anna has a friend getting married last Sunday, to which we were invited.
At the brides house, after the mandatory firecrackers are let off, the groom (well mostly his friends) literally break into the place. I only heard it from the bottom of the stairs but once in the brides house, they find her cousin/brother guarding the door to her bedroom. After some shouting at each other and laughter, they then proceed to try and drag the cousin away from the door and he puts up a real fight. Once out the way its, Yi Ar San and break through the door to find the bride sitting up on her bed with her pristine dress around her.
There is an eat the egg gloopy mixture ceremony for the husband and wife before he carrys her away all the way to the car downstairs, being hounded at the door by the wifes auntie who they first try to pay off with a red envelope, then literally push her aside (all in good humour).
And after a short speach in English it fell to me to try and copy the garbled local dialect that was said to me, which got a loud laugh from the 100 or so people gathered there. Followed by someone from another part of china giving me something else to try and say - apparently both times it was "from my home town" but who knows.
Our evening meal, after it was suggested to us that we try hot pot at some point in China and especially at its home - Chengdu was the weirdest meal anyone in our group had ever had. A huge vat of bubbling liquid was placed in the middle of our table on a bunsen burner, while three waitresses fought over who was going to sell us a beer. We were then talked loudly at for five minutes to choose items from the menu, which were then brought and put into the bubbling pot of hot liquid. On our return we found it was more usual to cook on piece at a time while holding it with your chopsticks; but I think they had become a little impatient with us.
The rest of the meal consisted on laughing, fending off waiters and fishing for the bits of meat doing laps to the bottom of the pool spurred on by the convection currents in the cauldron.
The next day started early to catch the Pandas at the largest breeding vacility in China (and presumably the world) having their breakfast. Feel free to say "awww" (oh and I think the Panda in the second Photo suits the name John).
