Friday is Day of Relax

For now, we're trying to make Fridays a day of not running errands. Instead, just a day to rest, perhaps adventure around the city aimlessly a bit, and enjoy time together. So, on Friday, after a morning of catching up with some friends and family on Skype, and then a quick lunch of yummy, spicy cold noodles from a nearby restaurant, we ventured out on our bikes to find a place to sit and pass the time for a bit.

About 20 minutes away on bike, we came to a small lake with an interesting bridge and platform built into it.





It turned out to be a little fishing/restaurant/bar business. There are tables lined up all around the side, and people sit at the tables with fishing poles over the edge. Meanwhile, they can order cold beers or grilled meats from the lao-ban (老板 = boss/owner) in the middle of the platform who runs the place. We asked if we could just sit for awhile and relax
(not ordering any beer or food), and they said that'd be fine. So, that's what we did.



We sat for maybe about an hour and a half. Bethany was drawing, while I was taking some pictures. We were both just relaxing under the shade and waiting to see if any fish would be caught.



All in all, we saw 2 fish get hooked, and one of them got away. But, when you catch a fish, the 老板 comes by, takes it, and goes and cleans it for you. They may even grill it right then and there for you to eat, but we left before we saw that part.

After stopping at the market, we biked home and got ready for date night. Date night, we've decided, consists of finding a restaurant with doors (thanks, es, for the great idea!). That means not going to a restaurant whose opening is made of a rubberized plastic curtain meant to keep bugs out. So, for Friday night... we decided to go... to KFC. It was delicious. Someday in the future, we'll probably shoot some pictures of KFC food and write another blog entry on it.

Then (and here's my favorite part), we walked through the night market, where the street is lined with people selling various things, including clothes. For awhile now, I've been wanting to get some shirts that would help me to blend in a bit more. We've noticed that all the shirts here have English on them. Well, kinda.

I bought these two shirts for the equivalent of $6 USD. Don't they rock?



I love how this shirt says "Engineered" and has a not-quite-the-peace-sign and not-quite-the-mercedes-emblem for a logo.