Everyday China #2 - Day to Day Life

Hello Steemians!

Today I am going to continue my Everyday China series with a second entry about my daily life as a foreigner in China. Everyday brings a new set of challenges for me but as the months pass it all gets easier and easier for me to navigate through life in China. One thing that I still have not gotten used to the stares I get when out walking or running on my own, it is mostly from old men but it is still quite uncomfortable for me. I suppose there are people in every country that will stare so it is not unique to China but I definitely miss being able to just blend into a crowd and just move through the city without anyone taking a second glance.

There are many things I love about China but the one that stands head and shoulders above the rest is the local breakfast foods. Between dumplings, rice roll, congee, fried bread and steamed buns I can not get enough of breakfast everyday, I usually prefer to cook but the local breakfast places are so cheap and good I almost always go out for the first meal of the day. Although, I occasionally get a craving for some western food in the morning but have no fear, there is a WALMART in this city! I couldn't believe it when I saw it, I am no fan of Walmart but I was shocked to see one in China as there are so many local markets and in general the goods here are already very cheap but there it was. They sell mainly Chinese goods but they do have a pretty good international section where I can get a few choice products from time to time.

My girlfriend and I rented an apartment here in Zhuhai that happens to be right between a small mountain and a small copy of the forbidden city. I spend a little bit of each day either hiking the stairs to the top of the small mountain or taking a quiet walk around the lake in the park which is really ideal for me. I can sometimes go a bit stir crazy working from home so being able to walk 10 minutes in either direction and getting to a quiet beautiful place is fantastic.

This is my favorite place to get breakfast in Zhuhai, it usually costs about $2USD for the 2 of us

This is my favorite thing in the restaurant, xiao long bao, small pork dumplings in a steamed bread with a small amount of soup in them (different from the type in Shanghai)

A little bit of street food at night

These street vendors make the best fried noodles and super cheap!

On our first trip to McDonald's in China I discovered these beauties!

One of the local markets we shop at daily

One of the things that impresses me the most about China is the use of bamboo in construction, it is mind boggling to me that it holds in such massive buildings as scaffolding

The view to Macau from the top of the mountain by our house

The park next door is really beautiful and its free admission!

My beautiful girlfriend

I love the buildings that line the lake

There are a few paths like this that wind throughout the park

There is a section of the lake that is cordoned off and filled with massive koi fish!

Thanks for reading!