What a cracking day today in Tianjin. The pollution is the lowest it has been here since our arrival over a year ago. It was -9 at 9am though!
Perfect day for a walk…
No mask needed!
Category: China
Smoki & Co
We often venture down to Wu Da Dao for dinner and drinks with Kitchen Igosso, In and Out and Oscar House being our regular haunts.
Last night Plan A was to try the sushi place above Igosso but it was booked so Plan B was to walk 10 minutes to Geba Geba which is next to Bed Bar, Cafe Sambel etc. Also full!
Plan C was to head back to the old stadium in Wu Da Dao and try one of the new restaurants. It was the first time we had actually been there and to be honest we were pleasantly surprised by the options.There is an English style restaurant and also a place called ‘The Pressroom’ with live music.
We selected a rather rustic looking place called Smoki & Co and it was fantastic! It is also the partner restaurant of Pizza Bianca which can be found on the inside of the stadium.
We ordered a farmers salad to start which was delicious followed by a pulled pork sandwich and steak! The steak was easily one of the best I have had in China and the chips were just like home! You must also try the Apple Pie!!!
The drinks menu is also very good with a huge range of whiskeys and cocktails, with prices average compared to the area. There is also a lovely selection of US and international ales and lagers.
The thing that stood out to us was the service. Coco (I assume is the manager) was on hand to greet us and she provided us with free chocolates and a Kentucky Mule cocktail (in a copper mug!). This was a lovely touch.
We would definitely recommend this place and in fact will be going back again tonight with friends!
Having a baby in China: The big reveal
As starting a family was something I have wanted for as long as I could remember, there was no waiting to find out if my dream had come true as soon as we started trying. It was a Sunday morning the day my cycle should have began and I didn’t wait a moment to open up the home pregnancy test (Watson’s own brand) and have a go. When a faint second line came up we couldn’t believe our eyes. I was straight on the phone to AmCare and had an appointment for that afternoon. One more home test before we left and there it was again, that faint pink line.
The service at AmCare was fantastic. I was greeted at the desk by the translator, my weight, blood pressure and temperature were taken and then my blood work was done. It would be a few hours before any results so we headed home and got a bite to eat. It was an exciting afternoon with a mix of excitement and disbelief. Whilst out for lunch we had a phone call from our translator, she said the levels were quite low and I needed to come in for another blood test in two days. I got off the phone feeling deflated and a bit confused. Were we really pregnant? Was there something wrong? Needless to say the rest of lunch was quite quiet. I had to call her back and ask, “Am I actually pregnant?” She said yes, the hormone levels were just quite low.
Not exactly the, “Congratulations! You’re pregnant!” you see in the movies.
We went home and with a little bit of research we found the hormone she was talking about was HCG, my levels on that first test were less than 200. If when I went back two days later it had increased by at least double we could be sure of the pregnancy.
Two days later I was back on my own for more blood work. Again service was good and I was in and out very quickly, straight back home to wait for a phone call. My HCG levels had increased to 713; we were definitely pregnant! But again it was no big deal to the translator; she was just reporting a number. Next step would be to come in for an ultrasound in two weeks.
That first appointment was paid for out of our pockets: 755 rmb (£81/$123). And the second was the same. Bear in mind that we had paid 1510 rmb for two 10 minute appointments.
Our pregnancy journey had begun!
-Mrs T
Turners Abroad 