We returned from Jiuzhaigou yesterday and I was ready to set out on our next excursion today, but luckily Ryoko vetoed me. For had we set out, I would have not had such a wonderful experience as I did today. one of the best to date in on my entire trip.

Qi Yu told me the night before that Eva (Xiang Wen)would be taking care of me for the day.I slept until around 1100AM, when Eva and Feng Yao Feng arrived at the apartment. Eva had tried to call Ryoko’s mobile, but it was out of minutes. We got ready, and were off in the hands of Eva.

Let me tell you all a little about her. If you can’t love Eva, then you can’t love yourself. She’s short, of the petite sorts, with a smile that would melt even the coldest of hearts, and a style that is all her own. But she’s so sweet, like your favorite candy, and pure, like water from Jozhaigou. Besides, a girl who uses a chop stick to tie up her hair is okay in my book anyday. Oh yeah, and she always asks why I wear two t-shirts at a time.

We set off and, at my request, we took a bus to our destination. It was a double decker, my first time riding on such a bus. We made our way to the top of the overcrowded, A/C-less vehicle. After 10 minutes or so we came to our stop and I accidentally hit a small girl in the head when I was getting off. No worries, people here are not so sensitive.

Ryoko bought a phone card as we waited for Eva’s friend Stella, a 19 year old student with superb English skills. We continued to Chunxi Lu (road), a fashionable strip with many restaurants and shops, where we ate lunch. I wasn’t hungry, so I had very little, but Eva bought me two bottles of cold water to keep me hydrated in the heat.

We walked Chunxi and talked about various topics. I asked Stella the standard, “What does your average Chinese think about Americans?” After opining, she asked me the reverse, and I gave her a “clever” response, saying, “The average American doesn’t think about Chinese”.

When the window shopping was done, we decided to go to a nail shop. The shop, located in a small space in a market that sells very cheap goods, was occupied by young (22 and under) ChengDu girls getting hair, nails, and makeup done. Ryoko and Eva got there nails done with stylish patterns, while Stella declined, claiming the equipment was too dirty. As for me? Well, I just enjoyed the sites.

When they were finished, we headed to McDonald’s for ice cream. Somehow I brought up Taiwan and Tibet, and the heat would have melted my cone had I not inhaled it so quickly. The manager yelled at Ryoko for drinking bottled water that wasn’t sold in McDonald’s. Nazi!

Then we headed to a dinner arranged by Qi Yu’s childhood friend, Yu Fang, now a police officer/inquisitor, preparing to be a part of the forensics unit. The setting was beautiful. He arranged for a private room with traditional, beautiful Chinese decor. We were having Hot Pot, of course. Yu Fang’s cousin, a young, handsome guy, around my age joined us, along with Summer, Chuna Hao, and later, Li Yan.

Yu Fang started by toasting with me. Qi Yu said it is a challenge that is done when you first meet someone. You must drink the whole glass. I did, and we kept toasting, and toasting, and toasting. I was toasted. The dishes served with hot pot do not include any bread, rice, or other absorbent dishes. Qi Yu warned me after the first couple of toasts that I should take it easy because we were going to a bar later.

So, realizing that a bar meant whisky, I knew this was going to be a long night. I ordered a bowl of rice and tried to drink as much tea as possible to dilute the alcohol. Qi Yu had to leave early but Yu Fang told me not to worry because him being there is just the same as Qi Yu being there. It was a kind thing to say.

The problem was, we were sitting the whole time, just drinking. So when we stood up, I really got hit. I fought it off and we piled into Yu Fang’s SUV and headed to Munchen 1810, a German bar that didn’t exactly feel German. We took a booth and some of Yu Fang’s friends, colleagues joined us. After taking a long (1 minute plus) piss, I felt better and had confidence that I could continue the night with some drinking.

But some is not what I met. There was lots. Thankfully for me, the Chinese mix their whiskey with tea, so the shots aren’t pure. Nonetheless, the quantity of drinking catches up and it all balances out in the long run.

I don’t know if it was the all historic drug and alcohol abuse in my family that provided some built in resistance or if it was all the drinking that I did before leaving NYC, but I can state, categorically, that I have never drank more in my life than I did on this night. And I didn’t erl.

Anyway, we talked money, communism, and the likes. I had beautiful looking after me, so I was not worried. I traded shots of tea/whiskey with gulps of hot water (same ol’ Jesse, baby!) and when I finally said I couldn’t drink anymore, my comrades were understanding. I did it my way and, in the process of doing so, did it their way.

We headed outside, where little kids were selling roses. Seeing there were four beautiful women in our party, could not resist. As the young girl (10 or less) started to walk away, I ran after her and asked how much for a rose. 3RMB she said. I gave her a Benjamin, well I guess it’s Mao here (but all the notes here are Mao’s ,even the 1RMBs). I mean I gave her a 100RMBs and took all the flowers out of the bucket and divided them between the beauties.

Call it irrational exuberance or Ohio charm, your boy J. Sestito gets down like that!!!!

Anyway, this was just the beginning of the night. We headed home and met one car accident. Sometimes, in China, there is no formal means of resolving such an incident. You just pay the guy to hit and go on your way. No police, no claims adjuster, just you and him. Just as we arrived at our apartment, we met a second car accident.

When we arrived home, we were met by an army of roaches (”GokiBuri” for my J friends). We fought vigorously, like the Red Army against infidels. 10, 20, 30, the body count was rising exponentially. It was late. Ryoko retired, our roach killing MVP. Wu Feng and I stayed up and had a serious chat. We talked freedom, opportunity, dissatisfaction, and living the life we want - our own life, not someone else’s.  I didn’t sleep.