If you happen to view this blog when you googled keywords
like "Cedar Rapids", "Holiday", "Leisure
Sightseeing" and "Boozing", I am sorry to
disappoint. Apart from a couple of visits to Super Target
(the local supermarket), the local microbrewery and a photo
stop ay Quaker Oats, that's about it.
I
was on duty. So there is really nothing to complain about.
During
one of the evenings, I found a petrol kiosk that sells canned
beers. Went in and got a couple of drinks. As I was walking
back to my hotel, I opened a can to quench my thirst. A
nice (believe me, he was really nice) Yank told me that
it was actually illegal to get publicly intoxicated. Technically,
this means you can't drink in public locations: in a park,
along a street, outside a petrol kiosk. One can only drink
at home, in pubs or places designated for drinking. I pondered.
This is really strange for a place so famously known as
the Land of Freedom.
As
I was blessed in having wireless broadband connection in
my room, I was able to clear emails while watching during
the evenings. Apart from the endless paid TV commercials
(there was one selling holy water!!!), I also watched the
news channel (i.e. FOX, CNN). Not that I can't watch these
in Sillypore, but it simply amazes me when there were hourly
updates (or repeats) of some US general giving an address
to a bunch of hungry journalists beside the portrait of
the slain Iraqi Al Qaeda leader Musab al-Zarqawi.
Welcome
to the United States of America, where the mass media roam
wild and free!
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During
the last evening in Cedar Rapids, the poor Asians were so
deprived of rice that we went to eat Thai food at a local
restaurant called Thai Flavors Cedar Rapids restaurant.
Pretty homely with spicy food. I had a bowl of Thai beef
rice noodles soup. It wasn't the real thing, but it was
at least better than nothing.
We tried something called "The
Hell Dish", which was stirred fried bamboo shoots,
prawns and lots of hot devilish chills. Oh boy, was it
hot!
*It must be really hot because
one of my colleague who loves taking Sambal thinks that
it's too spicy.
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