Chapter 181

After a tough start due to errant mosquitoes in the tent, I fell into a deep slumber and woke up around 9. My friends were already up, except the Caboverdian, who was completely passed out still. We sat around for a bit, discussing sci-fi novels and the dystopian reality we live in among other topics, then we packed up and hiked down the mountain. Lunch plans were discussed, we drove in a convoy to the Belarusian’s apartment complex. I parked and we went to a tiny restaurant across the street and ate fish in a spicy sauce, with cold beers. It hit the spot.

The Caboverdian left, I went with the Amazonian to the Belarusian’s apartment where I took a shower and buzzed my hair with his clipper. We hung out for a bit longer, watched a Rick And Morty, and then the Amazonian and I got in the car. The sky had become an ominous dark grey and the wind was throwing dead leaves and litter around, seems like a storm was brewing.

By the time we made it out of the apartment complex, it was clear this was no ordinary storm. Entire rows of bicycles and scooters were knocked down, and whole lanes were blocked by thick branches that fell. And it was getting worse! Some entire trees got uprooted and crushed cars, and now there were traffic jams everywhere. The both of us were not that affected, in fact we thought it was kind of cool, and I slowly and prudently drove around while my jungle-dwellingg pal was taking pictures and videos. Grave’s masterful death metal was blaring through the speakers, a perfect soundtrack for the occasion.

The gate to his university was blocked after a large temporary police building got knocked over, smashing an electric car with a Pokemon painted on it and obstructing the entire way. So we drove around all the way to the back gate and walked the rest, by that time it was raining but most of the wind had calmed down. We had a victory beer in his pad, watching the carnage outside.

I watched some UFC fights from a few weeks ago in a vain attempt to catch up, took a nap, then we watched the movie Moon together, about a guy who works in a remote lunar station. It was pretty good, with an interesting premise and ethical questions, but I thought the ending was a bit rushed. Dinner was chicken legs, potatoes and zucchini that the Amazonian’s wife prepared, then he stayed in, tired from his long week, and I rode his e-bike to a bar. Jinan’s coolest bar used to be located in a hutong, a small artsy place with good vibes and a bohemian couple running it, but as the old town was getting gentrified the rents rose astronomically and now they moved by a university. I found the new place and walked in, the bosses immediately recognized me and we had a bit of a chat. The new place was a bit different, with a much more modern look compared to the old slummy place with paintings and graffiti all over the walls, and the extensive record collection was on display. I got a craft beer from a Sichuan brewery, made with honeydew melon, and sat with the Caboverdian outside. One of his pals, a guy with dreadlocks from Detroit, joined us. The Caboverdian mentioned that he played a small role in a movie I directed six years ago, pulled out his iPad to show his friend a scene, and we ended up watching the whole 56-minute movie. It’s about an alcoholic PTSD-ridden Eastern European criminal on a revenge mission, and features ninjas, a transgender Triad boss, a sexually predatory psychiatrist, and a teleportation portal. It’s awesome. The movie is called Pocketsand Jesus and you can watch it in its entirety on YouTube.

Then we discussed hip-hop, a topic all three of us had a lot of expertise in. We played a few tracks on a Bluetooth speaker, vibing on this beautiful night. It was almost long sleeves weather, and it felt good to be outside.