Be careful! Landslide

I think I have enough material now, that I will be able to keep blogging for about a month after I get home – but for starters I will make a few comments on English signs here.

As you can see from the photos, there were some interesting warnings in our Chinese hotel. The “Take care of your head” sign was found on the circuitous route to our room, is open to various interpretations, some of which might apply to mental or emotional states. From the height of this sign, we assume that it’s true purpose might be to warn people who are over 6’5” to be careful not to bang their heads on the sign.

“Be careful! Landslide” found above our toilet in the bathroom was a little unnerving. Were we in a geologically unsound area, much like California or Taiwan?
After having a shower this morning, the true meaning became apparent. The shower is designed to spill out water by splashing on the tiled area at the foot of the tub and onto the floor in copious amounts. If you are not forewarned about the “landslide” – you might slide onto the “land” (floor) and bonk your head on the slippery marble floor. I decided that the “Take care of your head” sign might really belong in the bathroom.

Of course this is clearly explained in: “The Sweet Hint.” In case you can’t read the smaller writing (since I can’t check to see how it looks on the blog) it says: “In order not to the water splashes please pull up the bath curtain.” There was another “sweet hint” downstairs that had to do with making sure that all your bills were facing the same way when you go to make your money exchange. Sorry – I didn’t copy that one down.

One of my favorites is the highway sign “Rear End Collision….Keep Space…200 meters” Hahahahahaha!!

One of the restaurants down a side street near our hotel had this written on their front window: “Welcome to Beijing! We wish you have A good holiday and journey. Welcome to my home. We will offer the best dishes and services. Absolutely our menu price is as same as chinese’s. please come in, our beautiful smile and honest is waiting For you!” How can you not love these people?

We decided to take them up on it and they made good on their word. Above you see the delicious sweet and sour pork and yo mai tsai (kinda like spinach, but less intense) stir-fried with garlic that you see in the photos. Yum!

Apparently there is an effort being made to correct all the English errors before the big event: the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Fortunately there are so many of them that they will never manage it.