Monday, December 12, 2011

Morning

We went to the medical center across town. It took us an hour to get there—the traffic is really tough. Once there, we had our medical check for about an hour, as part of the requirements for our work/resident visas. It was a typical physical, with blood, x-rays, and the usual poking and prodding. Oh, and an ECG. But it went pretty fast, and after the hour ride back to the hotel, we let our driver go for the day, and walked down the street to the shopping center around the corner to grab some lunch. We ended up at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, and took a chance by pointing at a few pictures. The fried rice and egg drop soup (with corn!) was good, but Tracy didn’t like the beef and potatoes dish I ordered, because it was too spicy. Ah, live and learn, I guess. On our way back, we stopped in at a local bakery, because Tracy’s gotta have her bread. We selected a few pastries, as you can see in the photo.

Afternoon

More apartment hunting. We went and revisited a couple of apartments that we visited yesterday—the ones (that’s just for you, Jas!) we liked best—and then one new one. We discarded the first of the three today because the apartments are not being kept up that well, and the layout is poor. Also, the furniture is bare minimum (all the apartments here seem to come furnished—we can bring our own stuff, but we have to figure out what to do with the apartment owner’s furniture until we move out). We still have the second apartment on the list, because the owner actually lived in the apartment for several years, and has made some fairly nice upgrades to the fixtures and furniture. (Most apartment owners own only for the investment, so to keep their costs down, they only spend what they have to). But the layout is a bit funny, and it’s north facing, so not as much sun, and it’s a ten minute taxi ride to work—not bad, but not on the subway line, either. Finally, the new one is right across the street from the American Embassy, and about a five minute walk from my work. The apartments are the largest we’ve seen, and the closest to the western standard. But the big problem, and the reason we’ve crossed it off the list, is because the heat is insufficient in the building. The apartments are overlarge for the heating system, and there’s no backup heat. The backup heat issue is a big deal, because the government only allows the primary heat to run from November 15 to March 15. If it gets cold early, or stays cold late, then you have to have some sort of backup heat. In addition, this had marble floors, which were flat out gorgeous, and exude nothing but cold. Good in summer, terrible in winter. <sigh>

So, we floated the idea to our agents, about paying a bit more out of pocket to get a bit more apartment. They said that we’d end up with what they call a “service” apartment, meaning that the rent is a bit more, but the apartment complex is better maintained, and the amenities are first rate. Even though we sprung the idea on them late in the day, they took us to one about an eight minute walk away from work with about a half hour notice. Even though the building was older (2003, I think), there was a noticeable difference right away. The elevators weren’t all scratched up. The lobby was more betterly maintained. The gym was amazing, and the pool was okay, as well. Sauna, spa, restaurants, coffee house, maid service twice a week . . . well, you get the idea. I’m not excited about the extra $1,000 a month, but it was very nice.