Shenyang: Picnic North of the City
One fine day, I conspired with fellow teachers Peter and his wife Amy to have a picnic north of town. The location was a lake surrounded by decrepit resorts overgrown with thorns. The Mad Max apocalyptic feel of these run down buildings was reinforced by the chain gangs that were repairing the roads around the lake. Inmates stopped to stare ominously as we walked by. In short, it was a brilliant place for a memorable outing.
The irony of these expensive resorts was complete with the unemployed who swarmed around us in hopes of giving us a ride in their taxi or on their donkey cart. One driver followed us half way around the lake, convinced that our desire to walk was part of an elaborate haggling scheme.
Amy and Peter had secondary employment bench testing reading glasses at the local bank.
