Chapter 36 – Iris's Journal: Shang SimlaI can't believe that Uncle Ethan gave me the password! I am taking over this blog! Bwa-ha-ha!
Nah, not really, but I was given permission to keep a diary here while we're on vacation. The Landgraab family is going to China! Something about Mom and a mid-life crisis or something like that...?
I'm not about to question why though. We leave tomorrow for Shang Simla. How awesome is that?
Day 1: Base Camp, Shang SimlaStuff I've Learned Today:
Thing #1: Dad gets airsick
Not much I want to say about this one, other than the fact that I'm grateful that we were only a few rows back from the lavatory. He still felt pretty lousy when we got to base camp, though I imagine that the bumpy ride from the airport probably didn't help.
Thing #2: Jet-lag stinks
All of us were dead tired when we finally arrived. It was a seventeen hour flight from Sunset Valley, which was miserable enough as it was (see Thing #1). Once we had settled in at base camp all of us crawled into bed and slept for most of the rest of the day. We were up and moving around by three, but there isn't too much to do in only a few hours before sunset, so we just headed to the Forbidden City marketplace to browse.
The locals seemed pretty nice, at any rate. I got to chatting with one of the merchants, but I can't for the life of me remember his name.
Thing #3: Chopsticks are tricky,
but Dim Sum is delicious. Devon and I were dropping things all over the place but finally got the hang of it enough to actually eat. Mom finally just gave up and used her fingers.
I so need to learn the recipe for this before we leave.
I'm still tired, so I think I'll hit the sack early. Tomorrow I'm heading to the Academy to try my hand at Sim-fu. I can't wait!
Day 2: Phoenix Academy, Shang SimlaHiy-yah!
Stuff I've Learned Today:
Thing #1: My brother is boring.
Seriously. We're in China. There are literally a ton of things to see and do...and he has his eyes glued to the
telescope?
Thing #2: Tomb raiding is a must.
I think it must be in the travel brochure. Also in said travel brochure are coupons for goofy tomb exploration gear.
Yeah, like that. My parents look like something out of
Simdiana Jones. It looks like they had one heck of an adventure though.
And a very profitable one, from the artifacts they managed to uncover. Can I keep that lapis that you found, Mom?
Thing #3: Tomb raiding brings out my parents' romantic side.
Dude, really? In a stone
sarcophagus?!
Thing #4: Getting hit in the head with a training dummy hurts.
Just ask Mrs. Pei. So far I haven't had the displeasure of hitting the dummy head first...
...I'm still having a heck of a time hitting the dummy at
all. Sim-fu is not as easy as the masters make it look. Mr. Pei told me that I need to be patient with myself and focus. “Discipline your mind and your body will surely follow.”
I trained for most of the day and was exhausted by late-afternoon, but I managed to earn my yellow belt in the process. Go me!
Once I had said goodbye to the Pei family I took a quick shower, gathered up my brother (his eyes were
still glued to the telescope) and headed back to camp to meet my parents and have some dinner.
Thing #5: There is a time difference between Shang Simla and Sunset Valley
I managed to forget that small detail when I called Timothy and woke him up out of a sound sleep. He didn't seem to mind too much, even if he was a bit incoherent for a lot of the conversation.
He was awake enough to tell me about the formal dance that will be happening a few weeks after we get back and asked me if I wanted to go with him. I figured hey, why not go with my best friend? He's not seeing anyone and neither am I, so we might as well go and have fun, right?
Ugh...but that means I will have to go dress shopping, doesn't it? I hate dresses. Oh well...prom is a once in a lifetime thing. I
guess I can manage.
Day #3: Shang Simla Airport, Terminal A, Gate 2.I'm on my laptop at the gate, waiting anxiously for our flight back home. The security line wasn't as long this time around so we have a couple of hours to kill before we board the plane. Thank goodness for free wi-fi.
Stuff I've Learned Today:
Thing #1: Three days is not long enough to properly explore a place.
I didn't get to see much beyond the marketplace and the Academy, and Mom and Dad only managed to explore a single tomb. We need at least a week to really experience Shang Simla. (Hint, hint?)
Since we only had a few hours left to enjoy ourselves before heading to the airport, Mom and Dad decided to join me and Devon at the Academy instead of wander off into some random tomb. I think they were a bit disappointed that they couldn't do more exploring, but they really enjoyed the gardens.
Oh good grief...more mushy junk. What are you, hopeless romantics?
Thing #2: Practice really does make perfect.
And Mr. Pei is an amazing mentor. With his guidance I was able to earn my green belt shortly before lunch.
That oak board didn't stand a chance! Oh yeah!
While I was busy working on my kicks, my little brother was practicing his chess moves—and finally managed to beat Dad for the first time!
Trust me, that's no small accomplishment. Dad is insanely good at the game; he and Uncle Ethan play at least twice a week at home and he teaches logic classes at the school. And well, he's a doctor. Of
course he's a brainiac.
Thing #3: I like it here.
We ARE coming back sometime...right?
Drat, my battery is running low. I'd better sign off before it dies completely. Wish us luck for a safe and uneventful trip. Dad is already half asleep from the motion sickness meds so it should at least be more pleasant flight. Catch you all on the flip side!
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(A/N: For some odd reason Malcolm came to Shang Simla with the nauseous moodlet. No idea why.
Thanks for reading!)
