The Curse of Lost Umbrellas Strikes Back

The morning after we returned from Dali, I discovered, to my great irritation, that I had once again lost my umbrella. The karmic balance of umbrella loss in this universe had evidently dictated that for saving one umbrella from oblivion, I had to pay with my own.

I decided, therefore, that I would finally pay a visit to the downtown Walmart, for everyone knows Walmart has everything and it is always open. The Walmart did not disappoint. With three stories, it had not only a vast selection of umbrellas, but also clothes clamps, which I desperately needed. For the past few weeks, my dirty clothes had been piling up because I did not have any clamps and was using hangers instead. Armed with forty new clamps, I could finally do two weeks-worth of laundry.

If there is anything distinctive about Chinese Walmarts, it is that they generally have several stories. I figure American Walmarts tend to only have one because American suburbia have much more room for sprawling buildings than packed Chinese cities. Also, Americans hate stairs. Unlike American Walmarts, Chinese Walmarts – or the one I visited, at any rate – are also very, very hot. And they sell chicken feet.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Southern Delhi and Other Bits and Pieces

Image
On my last day in Delhi, I managed to cross off the last few items on my sightseeing list. I began by packing my luggage, all the while congratulating myself on having remembered to ask the hotel to do my laundry in advance. That finished, I ordered an Uber to Akshardham, a massive Hindu temple east of the Yamuna River. The opening hours of the temple are not well advertised, and when I arrived by the front gate, I learned it was still closed. For a few minutes, I took pictures of the temple from afar, when suddenly an autorickshaw driver approached me. He reasoned with me that since the temple would not open until ten, I had better come with him and see other sights. I had to admit the soundness of his reasoning and gave him my next address.
Read more

Ireland: Day 8 – County Louth

Image
My plans for my last day in Ireland came together in a very ad hoc fashion. Having seen everything I wanted to see, I searched for interesting sights close to the highway between Dublin and Belfast. These did not include – though I found it the most interesting sight of all – the modest highway sign saying “Welcome to Northern Ireland” painted over with several streaks of dark red paint.
Read more

When the Cows Come Home: The Désalpe in Saint-Cergue

Image
Towards the end of September and beginning of October, many Swiss villages celebrate a tradition known as the Désalpe (or Alpabzug in German-speaking Switzerland and Almabtrieb in Germany and Austria). The tradition celebrates the return of the cows from their summer pastures in the mountains: the more touristy Swiss villages deck out their cows in towering flower crowns and put on shows to fill in the time between the descent of various herds. In Saint-Cergue, for example, the entertainment during these pauses was provided by alpenhorn players, yodelling choristers, an orchestra band, and a singular man cracking his long, supersonic cow whip. There were also two other processions: one composed of cart-dragging Saint Bernards, and another one of men carrying cowbells.
Read more