Baptism by Vomit

Today, I believe I passed a real rite of passage in traveling through China. I got puked on. No joke. I was sitting on a bus, going from Huangshan to Hangzhou, in order to catch a plane to Xi'an, when suddenly, out of nowhere, my right ankle and foot got splattered with some nice warm vomit being expelled from the kid across the aisle. I had been warned by other travelers that it would happen eventually that somewhere, somehow, it would happen. I didn't believe; well, I've officially been converted through my own baptism by vomit. It was pretty disgusting, I was not pleased, but the poor kid looked so miserable and had vomit all over his pants, I actually felt bad for him.

I'm now in Xi'an, which is a former capital of China. It's best known as the Terracotta Warriors site, which was only discovered sometime in the later 20th century. I spent the evening walking around the Muslim Quarter, which is really just one giant food stand. It was interesting, lots to see, lots to eat. If any of you brilliant folk happen to know what the difference is between mutton and lamb, let me know....I'd look it up, but since wikipedia, my source for all information, is blocked in China, I'm feeling incapable of doing a good old fashioned e-search. On the topic of food, let me just say that China is a watermelon lover's paradise. It must be watermelon season, because on every street corner, freh watermelon is on sale. In the countryside, along the road, there are dozens of stands selling watermelon from the fields behind the road. As most of you already know, I love watermelon. LOVE it. I live on the stuff during the summer time. I'm thinking of eschewing a career in the foreign service or elsewhere, and just moving to China to become a watermelon farmer.