Avi's Asian Adventure

Going Overseas

2011-01-24T17:06:00.001-08:00

I've been back in the states for about five months. It's been boring. I'm going back to China tomorrow. I may start up the blogging again...we'll see

Hot Sticky Mess

2010-06-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

It's fair to describe Kolkata as a hot, sticky mess. During the monsoon, it will be a flooded mess, after that, a steaming hot mess. In any case, you get the picture, the city is a mess. It's a place of over 15 million with the infrastructure totally insufficient for a city a quarter of the size. There are people living in dilapidated apartment blocks, decrepit slums and at various places on the street. By one estimate there are more than 50,000 street dwellers. I should say that I was horrified by what I saw, but I was prepared for much worse. The child beggars were more cute than pathetic, and the mutilated cripples had no affect. I guess the compassion has faded over the months, maybe it just wasn't really there to begin with. For however troubling the poverty is in the city, at least the people have made it there, conditions and services are improving.

There's a structure and order to the poverty. It's tied up in the political system that is so corrupt it is the real horror of the city. Places in apartments blocks and slums are partially dependent on votes. Even sidewalk space is political. Apparently living on the street isn't completely free after all. If this was an ordering, progressive system, the party politics would be tolerable (Chicago, I'm looking at you) as it stands right now, it's just sad.

For many years Kolkata was the capital of Raj India. the British left many impressive buildings behind and some nice boulevards. Unfortunately both are often in disrepair. The interesting part of the city are the rows of alleys and non stop bazaar throughout. Once everything gets worked out and cleaned up, I think it will be pretty attractive here. I would give it another 50 years though, 100 at least if the communists stay in power.

Kissing Queen
One of the most attractive monuments in the city is the Victoria Memorial. Built to commemorate the awesome evil empire of the UK. It's strange that the nicest attraction is a monument to a foreign queen. Prior to entering I found a shady spot to cool down ever so slightly. Several minutes past and I was joined by a group of chattering teenage boys. There was the obligatory first round of questions. Excuse what country? What is your good name? etc. I asked why they were skipping school (it was a weekday afternoon), they changed the subject by pointing out the profanity of a nearby couple. Being a private park and in the middle of the day, it was an opportunity for couples to get some intimate moments together. The grounds were filled with couples holding each other, cooing softly but never any kissing (that would be obscene). Funnier than the PG affection was the numerous single men spying on the action. Some staring through bushes, others stalking from afar. All hoping to somehow get a vicarious taste of affection through their voyeuristic means.

The boys were snickering at a couple about 100 feet away for being inappropriate. they may have rolled around once on the ground, again PG stuff, and certainly nothing to get into a tiff about. I decided to explore their conservatism. When I asked who was their favorite actress, they were unanimous in proclaiming Mallika Sherawa. In one movie she was apparently on screen kissing 50 times. Wow wee! With such a choice in thespian talent, I thought there was too much hypocrisy to let them off without some shame. So I asked them if they had ever seen pornography on the internet. If they can look at naked ladies on the net, what's wrong with a little rolling around on the grass? After sheepishly admitting they all had, they suggested we go look at the monument now.

Digestive Waddle
The bellies out here are impressive and totally unexpected. It's even more a contrast coming from SE Asia where the people tend to have slighter builds. Excessive eating is such a part of the culture here that the men (and women) proudly show off their bellies. There's even a Bengali word for the waddle which takes place after meals as an aid for digestion.

Pickin Gals
Through friends of friends, I ended up spending time with several Fulbright scholars here. This isn't the first time I've come across these type of folk on my trip, and I have to admit I always love it The people are always so nice and interesting and the research is typically esoteric, I really enjoy these meetings. It's especially nice to have an intelligent conversation that doesn't begin with, 'So where have you been?' Plus it makes me feel like an academic dork again, albeit for a fleeing instance.

I was invited to join a group of about ten people for drinks on a Friday night. In addition to my new Fulbright friends we were joined by a couple of Indian American girls who were back in Kolkata revisiting their roots. The two of them in particular were looking good that night, think dressing for a night out in NY, and it attracted a bit of attention, mostly in the not so casual glances thrown their way by all the guys in the house. As I went to relieve myself I was approached midstream with the following question, "Excuse me, where did you pick those girls?" I was a bit confused by question, since I didn't recall a lining up earlier in the night. When I explained they were from American and there are many beautiful Indian girls there, he just shook his head and denied the truth. Clearly they were prostitutes and I was holding out where to get them.

Incredible India

2010-05-29T03:47:00.000-07:00

I'm in India, had I mentioned that? I've been here for a little more than two weeks now. Being in the far North, it feels more like India Light, I'll get to that a bit later.

When I finally decided to quit and go traveling, the two places that I was most excited to visit were China and India. Both countries are so large, so populated, so geographically diverse, so dynamic, so different, that I knew that whatever time I spent traveling, it would be mere glimpses, the slightest of introductions. China did not disappoint, and I have high hopes for India as well.

When I applied for my India visa last summer, I had the option of a one, two and ten year visa. Ten years didn't make sense (my passport will have long expired by then) and two years just felt too long. I wanted to put a time constraint on myself lest I get seduced into traveling for too long. Every couple of weeks I meet someone on a megatrip; two years out of three, five months while planning for five years, etc. There's something that feels wrong about being 'away' for so long. I love what I've been doing the past year, but it's not a normal life. So last August, I decided that one year was more than enough time, and it would force me to come home at a somewhat certain date. A month ago, I realized in horror that August is not that far off and I need to get my ass to India. I had planned on going back into Cambodia, but India was calling and time's a ticking.

After a night in the KL airport, I arrived in Kolkatta, home to over 15 million people and an airport suitable for a large town. They have two passport gates for all flights, fortunately, we were the only plane otherwise it would have been a quite the wait.

After scrupulously checking my passport and visa for five minutes, I was granted entry by a man with an impressive mustaches. Perhaps he got this all important position because of his manly upper lip. I quickly learned that Bengali men exude masculinity, which is apparent from their hairiness and ample mid-sections. Both features would put the SE Asians that I've been around the past five months to shame. If only they were constantly dancing in the street like in the movies, that would truly be incredible.

Battles in Bureaucracy

I knew that India is home to paper pushing and some serious bureaucracy. It took me about five minutes of being in the country to see this firsthand.

There's a fixed priced taxi from the airport into the City. For some reason this is located just five feet from a security gate and for arrival passengers only. After talking to the cabbies outside, I wanted to go back to the taxi agency and ask a quick question. But getting back into the airport was apparently not allowed. As I atempted to enter, the security guard asked to see my ticket. When I told him that I just arrived in Kolkatta and that I wanted to talk to the taxi stand, he looked very confused. I persisted. Finally he resolved that if he checked my boarding pass, no one could complain that he was delinquint in his search. Once past him I still had to navigate my way through three bored, mustachioed guards carrying flint stock riffles, past a two foot high fence and another five feet to the stand. As I approached the guards stood at attention looking to block my way. I pointed towards the taxi stand, slowed my roll and walked right past them. My time in SE taught me to ignore authority whom are typically incapable based on the twin traits of laziness and ineptitude. No harm on this occasion, as the guards twirled their mustache and watched me closely.

Since I'll be here for a couple of months, I wanted to get a sim card right away. I've done this in most of countries I've visited and usually the process takes a total of five minutes at a cost of a couple dollars. Ah technology. In India it's just not that simple. I had been forewarned and showed up with the required documents; copies of passport and visa, several passport photos, bill verifying current residence, signed recommendation from a respected member of the community indicating I am a good person, first locks of my hair, and my original birth certificate. After two plus hours we were just at the point when I would hand the gentlemen three dollars and I would again be connected to the 21st century. Just as I was to taste this freedom, I was denied. Apparently, my hotel bill was not sufficient and they needed to 'verify' my residence. Verification meant calling the number on the bill and asking if in fact I was sleeping there. After three attempts no one answered the telephone. Without voice verification of the hotel manager how could Vodafone ensure that I was staying there? I explained my situation to the phone store. I'm not really living at the hotel (it's gross, I would never live on Sudder street, yuck!), I'm just a traveler. Today I'm in Kolkatta, tomorrow I'll be in Darjeeling, the week after that Delhi, etc. The point is, I'm clearly not living anywhere, just give me the stupid sim card. This approach did not work. With a saddened expression the clerk explained that he understood my itinerant ways, I was both very lucky (to be traveling) and odd (for wanting to), but still he needed to talk with someone. At this point I sheepishly looked at him and asked, "Can't you just say that someone picked up the phone? What difference does it make?" This was quickly rebuffed with a head wave and the following, "I'm sorry sir, but I am not a liar." Oy.

I ran back to my hotel and tried to figure out why no one was answering the stupid phone. The reason being that it was passed six and the only person there was the porter, who in addition to barely knowing English is likely unable to 'operate' a phone. Exasperated, I asked why he wasn't picking up. He just smiled and gave me the Indian Head Nod- think shrugging to one side while smiling and looking vapid. Apparently the Manager would be in the following morning at 11, but maybe later. By this time Vodafone had closed and I had to wait a bit longer for my connection.

I spent the next morning waiting in the dingy lobby of my 'guesthouse' (it really wasn't that accommodating). At eleven one of the staff walked in. When I explained my mobile phone situation he gave me the nod and explained that the manager would be around in an hour, or so. Two hours later, the Manager arrived. I quickly explained the situation that Vodafone needed to verify my address, and that I needed someone to pick up the phone when they called. No problem he said, we're here all day. Great!

I ran back to the store and looked to conclude the transaction. This store is pretty modern and it's located in the nice walking street area of the city. It's also big, with maybe twenty employees working there at a time. They have a nice little queuing arrangement so everything is conducted in a non-Indian, orderly fashion. As I walked in, I noticed two people working and eighteen people loitering. Naturally one of the two was the guy I was working with the evening previous, and I was unable to finish up with another staff member. After waiting for a long, long time, he finally apologized and approached me. "I have the number, let's call this place right now. I WANT MY SIM CARD," I said. No problem he said and dialed the hotel, on the second attempt someone picked up. When asked if I was staying at the hotel, the Manager correctly answered that I had checked out this morning, which was true since I had a night train scheduled. With a pained expression, the staff member looked at me and said he would be unable to complete my request. NO!!!!! I would just have to get my sim card in the next city that I visit. I begged and pleaded but to no avail. After seeing me close to tears, he resolved to ask the store manager what to do. She was engrossed in a telephone conversation that was certainly unrelated to my issue and likely all other business and was deaf to the staff member's queries. After twenty minutes of waiting she finally pointed to some other form, clicked some buttons on the computer, and I was back on track. An hour later, I had a number. Such an ordeal. All in all I think I spent about six hours dealing with this phone nonsense and all for the minor expense of less than five dollars. Apparently, time is not at a premium in this country.

Hacking At Mountains

2010-05-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Hacking At Mountains
One of the pleasures of traveling in Northern Laos is appreciating the rows and rows of lush hills. Unfortunately, the greenery is interspersed with desolate mountains whose slopes have been ravaged by cross cutting lumber practices. the blame is shared between the government and the minority hill tribes people.The government is chopping and selling their forests to neighboring China, always hungry for natural resources. The hill tribes are just continuing their age-old farming practices. Preventing the decimation of the forest is probably harder than it seems. Traditionally, hill tribe farming involves a long cycle; slash and burn mountainsides, grow rice, wait 12-15 years for the soil and vegetation to recover and repeat. As the population in Laos has doubled over the past two generations the hill people have less and less available land. Plus the wood is used for many different functions; house building, cooking, farming (clearing the land), purifying water, heat, light and also as a source of income. Much will have to change to slow the destruction, electricity and clean water must be available, likely not possible without the villagers moving out of the hills and into towns, plus farming practices must be modernized. Changes like this will not come easily. As 'progress' comes in small steps it will make prospects worse in the short term. New roads will encourage more trade, meaning more opportunity for earning money. This is great, but combined with new tools such as chainsaws replacing axes, hacking down the forest will be easier and more profitable than before. All in all not a great picture.

Idiot Traveler
Being on the road for so long, I have the opportunity to meet all types of travelers. Some of them more equipped for a journey than others. A couple weeks ago, I met a lady who was making some of the stupidest decisions I've seen. She finished her trek the day after I did, but was panicking due to lack of local funds. Someone told her change all her money to US dollars since they are the most widely acceded currency. In fact, Lao Kip is the most useful- who would have guessed?! Finding herself with less than a dollar of Kip she freaked out. I can imagine this was an uncomfortable situation, but she had two very reasonable options. Go to the tour agency, where she just spent $100 to change some money or catch a ride to the nearest town with an ATM, only 90 minutes away. Instead she hitch-hiked a ride back to the border town where she entered some six hours away, all the time in the bed of a Chinese pick-up truck filled with loose metal. Idiot!

Two weeks alter on the other side of the country, I saw her again. This time in a travel agency trying to buy a ticket to Hanoi. She was having difficulty because she didn't have a Vietnamese visa. The agency was explaining this to her, but she just didn't get it. Again there were two options; back to the capital and apply for a visa in person or have the travel agency take care of it for a small fee. Convinced there was a third option, she tromped off determined to find a ticket to Vietnam. I can only imagine her getting turned back at the border. Idiot!

Sam the Bookseller
Vientiane doesn't have too much to offer in terms of sites, but on my second visit there I stumbled across a very entertaining bookseller. The following day, I was scheduled to fly to India and I planned to spend my last day in Laos running some errands. My hope was to swap my growing supply of books (current count being four) for a single, fat, India guidebook. Anton had found a shop that was willing to trade books and had a copy of the India one. Perfect!

Not only did I accomplish my goal, but I was thoroughly entertained in the process. After quickly conducting our business, we began discussing our time traveling in Laos. We related our experience of being offered Laos girls and Sam the bookseller was very interested. "Oh, you want a Laos girl? I can get you one no problem. In fact we can go together." Not this again, we chuckled, and this time coming from a man who had just finished proudly describing his family- he has something like ten kids. After we declined, Sam began to tell us about how he was trained by the CIA in the seventies. This intrigued us and we were eager to hear about his experiences.

Sam chose to focus on the lighter side and told us about a wonderful trip he took to Hong Kong. While there, he was wined and dined along with his colleagues and eventually found himself in one of the many redlight areas of the city. Incidentally, this is easier to do than it sounds. As the night proceeded Sam got the courage to ask one of the ladies to sample her expertise. In Sam's words, "WOW! WOW!!!" followed by hysterical laughter on both sides. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to learn exactly what was so incredible about this night, only that it was nothing that he had ever experienced before. He was so enthused that he went back the following night. Naturally we assumed he would go back to the same girl, seeing how he had such an amazing time. But Sam is a true adventurer and was interested in trying out another girl and "WOW!!!! I mean Wow!" again followed by hysterical laughter on both sides.

As if this wasn't enough to prove the sexual proclivities of this man, he then motioned for us to come over and look at some pictures on his phone. Picture 1: Smiling Laos girl, Pictures 2-5 same Laos girl is very states of undress with certain body parts being the particular focus of the frame. Once again this was followed by boyish laughter and exclamations of delight on his side, we merely smirked.

At this point, we were ready to leave. I got my book, shared some laughs, saw a naked girl.... all in all, a positive bookshop experience. But Sam wasn't having it. Before we left we HAD to see a special magazine that he had stashed somewhere in his shop. Like a teenage boy foraging for his naughty delights Sam was giggling in anticipation of finding this special publication. He hid it so well that he was convinced that one of his boys had taken it from him. Just moments before we were set to leave, Sam arose, victoriously holding a Thai porn magazine from some past decade. I'm not familiar enough with this literature to assess which decade, but suffice it to say it was pre-mellenial. As we were politely flipping the pages (I mean who in there right mind would take pleasure looking at a Thai pornography magazine?), two local (older German) customers entered. Sam motioned us to hide the magazine (apparently he didn't feel these old timers were worthy of such fruits) as he exchanged pleasantries with his guests. We took this opportunity to duck out of the shop. For sure the next time I'm in Vientiane, I'm going straight back to this shop.

Laosing Around

2010-05-07T04:54:00.000-07:00

Disappointment At First

After a nice couple of weeks in Thailand, I was ready to finally make it into Laos. I say finally because when I left home, I was fairly sure I would travel overland from China and this was likely to happen sometime at the end of last year. Plans change, oh well

I've heard so much about Laos from those that have been here, and I have to admit it was hard not to enter here without some high expectations, which unfortunately were not quite met. The people more than anything are supposed to stand out, but in my first week here I didn't feel that at all. In addition, this supposedly remote country was filled with tourists. A number of whom seemed to be either on their first trip away from home on a break from uni (think annoying British kids) or sunbleached, tank-top wearing travelers straight from Thailand. I found nothing interesting in Vientiane, the baguettes and pastries were meh.

Floating on the River

One of the suppose highlights of Laos is Vang Vien, which is famous for its scenery and partying ways. I was excited to sample both and especially curious about tubing, which is supposedly a SE Asian backpackers right of passage. It involves floating down the river in a large inter tube periodically taking breaks to buy alcohol (or 'happy drinks') jump off rope swings, and maybe look at the impressive mountains, assuming you can pull your eyes off the girls in bikinis. It's a real mystery how this tradition started. I've got nothing against booze, ropes, or mountains, but the whole experience has an unfitting home in the traditionally conservative Laos.

I thought it was ok; maybe worth a look, but definitely not spending weeks in the area. I spent the day with a pair of cheery, Aussie guys, who had their eyes on a couple dainty English gals. While they were hard at work, I was left floating next to a strange young American lady. At the age of twenty she was affianced, traveling the world on her own and planning on conquering the world...that is just after she gets here Ba in a couple of years. It's hard to say exactly what was weird about her. It could be that she would never make eye contact and her lazy eye didn't help.

Highlights of the day included volleyball in a giant mudpit, which was more like playing try not to fall while getting the ball, and sliding down a giant water slide that wouldn't pass safety standards anywhere. I survived both, but not without some bruises.

The whole tubing event was just an excuse to drink profusely. I would have been disappointed if I hadn't met up with a German couple I traveled with in Burma. The town is filled with half naked travelers looking a bit like zombies, needing a fresh dose of a pancake and an episode of Friends or Family Guy before downing another beer. We tried to avoid the kids and spent the day kidding around, climbing in caves, swimming in lagoons, eating good food, enjoying both the company and the surrounding mountains (which look very similar to the mountains of Yangshuo I saw six months ago). With the tubing off the list, I was set to do some trekking, that is after a short stop in Luang Prabang. Luang Prabang, didn't strike me as anything magical. I had seen monks and temples before, some even next to rivers, so no biggy for me. Plus traveling was both easier and more expensive than I expected.

Chinese Invasion

I planned on visiting the NW of Laos and spent the day bussing to Luang Nam Tha located an hour or two from the Chinese border. I was immediately struck by the overwhelming Chinese influence there. Nestled in a high valley, this little town (city by Laos standards) is currently in the process of being developed by the Chinese, meaning there were plenty of Chinese there including the guys who owned the hotel I stayed in. Since I arrived with a Chinese gal (along with two Western dudes) we got some great treatment from owners, who promptly served a banquet in our honor (not really). But we did have mounds of food and like most Chinese men, these guys were doing their best trying to get us drunk. A couple gan beis later, my Chinese was flowing (as best it can flow) and merriment was spread all around.

Many in Northern Laos are unhappy with the Chinese workers and businesses coming south. A typical complaint being that the Chinese are taking Laotian job, but I bet the Chinese are creating more than taking. Laos is extremely laid back, probably to a fault. I've never been to restaurants that constantly warm you to be patient about service. I've been told that 'Hammock ' is an official field of study. Spend any time walking here and you'll see passed out people all around town, tuk-tuks, shops, offices...this nation loves to sleep.

Do you Like Laos Girls?

On my friends suggestion, we (I say we because I have been traveling with an American named Anton for the past two weeks) arranged our trekking from the quaint town (more like village) of Vien Phouka. We had an afternoon to kill before starting the next day, and decided to walk to a nearby village. We didn't' make it, because just outside town we were summoned over to join a small celebration. It turned out to the be the local high school teaching staff having a couple (lots) of drinks. I don't blame them, as their school has about ten teachers for over 700 students, that must be hard.

We proceeded to join them from some beer and struggled to communicate, the English teachers could speak a little, but everyone was really drunk. On a number of occasions, we were asked, "Do you like Laos girls?" to which we replied, "Laos girls are great, we love Laos people!" which was then followed by the "Do you want one?" We just laughed and shrugged. Around this time girls started popping out of nowhere and the proprietor came to introduce himself to us. He was a guide with the local tourist ministry, and opened this restaurants just four months ago. By the time he asked us if we like Laos girls, we had figured out why the 'restaurant' was located outside of town. He was disappointed to learn that we had a guide for a trek, weren't hungry and not interested in sampling the local flavor. shortly thereafter, the mayor came, complete with a little entourage. He shook hands with everyone, including us and then went to examine the evenings special dishes. Clearly, he likes Laos girls.

Careful of the Lychees

The next day we set out on our three day two night trek. it's the end of the dry season so conditions were hot and humid during the day with a relief coming every night in the form of towering thunderstorms. Fortunately, the rain came only at night, but it did make conditions muddy and slippery during the walk. This added a bit more challenge to a trail that had it's shares of ups and downs but wasn't too long. The negative is that the moisture brought out the leaches, who wanted to suck our blood. I didn't get bit too bad, but I found a couple under my socks but luckily before they could do much damage. Anton was not so lucky, a leach attached to his foot causing him to bleed through his sock and a ravenous one some how made it's way to his hip, feasting past the point of exhaustion leaving him with a huge bruise. It was a bit annoying to be on leach patrol constantly taking off our socks and heeding our guides suggestion of checking for lychees (apparently the plural of leach).

I've finished a couple treks so far and this was was my favorite, mainly because we were so isolated. Aside from a couple villagers tending their cows, we were the only ones walking and the 'villages' we visited were indifferent and unimpressed by our presence- as they should be. The first night we stayed in a mixed Muzar, Hmong, and Lahu village with probably about fifty homes and 200 people each. We had the pleasure to stay with the chief, and had a lovely plywood mattress. The elder of his two daughters, who was probably 16, gave the impression of wanting us to leave right away. I think this had less to do with us and more to do with the fact that she probably just wanted some privacy for the first time in her life and we weren't helping.

After a small meal, we wandered the village, and discovered a shaman conducting a ritual. Apparently a woman in the village had miscarried three consecutive times and the shaman was attempting a cure. We learned the miscarriages were the work of spirits who were apparently hungry and eating the babies. So the shaman had to appease the spirits. This was done by offering the spirits three tasty treats, a goat, dog and chicken. These were first passed over the head of the woman thus transferring her essence to the animals and then sacrificed. Finally small bamboo mats were sprinkled with the blood and placed around her house. Hopefully it worked, if she's still not successful in caring a baby to term, maybe she's the next to be sacrificed.

The next day we walked to a small village (maybe twenty houses) where all the babies started screaming when they saw us. I especially like this feeling of being a monster, it's always flattering to know that I'm so scary. The older children and villages just stared at us with mouths gaping open. After a couple of false starts I got them to teach me to count to ten, which is the same for both the Muzar and Lahu language.

dey ma
nee ma
seh lah
la leh
nga mah
koh mah
su mah
ei mah
go mah
de chi

I reciprocated the knowledge exchange by sharing 1-10 with them, then I sparked a fire, recited Hamlet's famous speech and gave a short lecture on modern macroeconomic theory. I expect a new Atlantis will blossom there shortly.

That night we stayed in a really small 'village' of three house and ten people. I've never been to a place so remote, which was interesting to see up close. They are subsidence slash/burn farmers who also keep some livestock. Meaning when they're not cutting down the beautiful forest, they are living amongst shit, lots and lots of cow, pig, goat and chicken poop. Not very sanitary. It started poring just after we were done hiking for the day. Two ladies were not so lucky as they were caught gathering wood in the storm. The older grandmother was already half undressed by the time she made it back into her house. I'm likely to be fantasizing about her for years to come.

After a couple of days in the great outdoors it was nice to return to an actual village. Unfortunately the village had neither electricity nor hot water, in fact my room didn't have water at all, which meant I got to bathe in the river. I didn't have soap so i rinsed myself downstream of where others were showering, that way I could utilize their suds. Just kidding, well sort of since I was definitely downstream of others showering. It was really refreshing dipping into the river in just my skivvies, something I've now had the opportunity to do a couple times. Didn't Jacob meet his wife while bathing in the river? I could totally see happening. I would think the town bath is a total pick up joint.

Anyways, it was a couple days of firsts, I saw a live shaman show, ate dog, was offered opium, saw a baby making a fire, foraged for bamboo, learned to speak Muzar, all around a good trip.

Bus Will be Here by 12

I heard a lot of stories about the terrible Laos buses, but never really experienced problems myself. The worst that happened was when i was trying to get from Vien Phouka to Nong Khiaw. By car, it should probably take five or six, but I anticipated a full day at least. I expected the bus to come at 12 since that's what i was told and arrive some time in the late evening. In fact the bus didn't come until 8 and i got dropped off at 4 in the morning. This after being charged three times the local price- there's a two tiered pricing system in Laos that's not fair. It wasn't that bad because we spent the afternoon drinking Lao whiskey (add some honey to kill the heat) with our guides, eating fried bananas and laughing as they accused each other of visiting the Laos Girl Restaurants often. It all added to my theory of SE Asian men, which is this: they like to get drunk and go to prostitutes. I found this true in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Burma. It's a bit icky, but whiskey is really cheap and the girls are pretty so it's easy to see how it happens.

Watch the Flow

The next stop was Nong Khiaw, which was like Vang Vein, but prettier, and without all the kids. The main activity here was just watching the river float by. I found it very meditative and I'm sure it would have somehow been meaningful had a tried one of the many drugs offered to me. I wasn't interested, but after a couple days of reading and relaxing it was time to be active again. We opted to take a canoe out on the river and paddle around a bit. The villagers seemed to think that the river was moving pretty fast and that we needed to rent a guide along to be able to actually go anywhere. But that would have cost $25 each, which is just a crazy number for Laos so we refused and challenged the river ourselves. After five minutes of struggling to go up stream, but floating downstream, we began thinking that maybe the river is going really fast. We resolved to float a bit more and then just beach and hang out. At the same time we saw two ladies making their way up river. This was perplexing, they were eighty pounds and weak and we were beefy Americans. After studying their technique we finally figured out how, use the motor! That would have been good but we didn't have one, so instead we just hugged the shore and slowly made our way back. That was enough exertion for us and we spent the rest of the afternoon drinking Lao Lao and admiring our muscles.

Back Door to Jars

My last stop in Laos was Phonsovan and the Plain of Jars. I was excited to go here since it's one of the few older historical places in the country and will shortly be on the list of World Heritage Sites, that is once they clear all the mines in the are. The ride there was more interesting than the site itself. This was true for the mammoth travel on the back road, and for the plains themselves. Phonsovan isn't that far from Nong Khiaw but it took a day and a half to get there. At eight one night we got dropped at a junction with two little guesthouses that clearly aren't seeing many tourists. let's put it this way, my Lao pasa (speech) was as good as their English talk, and mine is non-existence. When we asked for food, the mother of the guesthouse pointed to some instant noodles. Thinking there must be some better option we strolled the streets, where we asked a couple different groups of people. When we asked for a place to eat, they all said, 'oh we don't have.' That night we feasted on instant noodles. At this time it was dark. They don't have electricity, so we just went to bed. Honestly, I'm not really a fan of going to bed at seven or eight, it just doesn't work for me.

Finally getting to Phonsovan was nice, since after two weeks we once again had such amenities as running water, electricity and milkshakes. Mmmmm electricity. The jars were exciting as they sound, but the time traveling there was nice since we rented some motorbikes and got around that way. I'm happy to say that I'm finally getting comfortable with the bikes. Maybe I'll get a Harley when I get back, yeah right.

Thai New Years

2010-04-20T05:05:00.000-07:00

Let's Get Wet
It's the middle of the hot season here. The oppressing heat and humidity generally sucks the will out of you. A reprieve is found in the Thai New Year, called Songkran, which is also known as the Water Splashing Festival. After asking around a bit, I decided to head to the central Isan city of Khon Kaen. Isan is not so busy with tourists and as a poorer more rural province, I figured if I wanted to party Thai style, this would be a good place to do so. How right I was, it's got to be one of the best parties in the country.

The official festivities lasted three days, but the water throwing (or playing as they say here) went on for about five. I spent the holiday wandering the streets making friends with Thai and expats alike. There were three main activities to partake in, and I certainly experienced them all.

The craziest by far involves circling the city in the back of a pick up truck. The beds of the truck are filled to the brim with both people and giant buckets of water. The goal is to get as many people wet without severely injuring yourself by doing something silly like falling out. It sounds easy enough, but I counted at least three time when i almost fell out, and all before i had one beer. While I managed to stay in the truck, I did not leave unscathed. By the end of the festival, all my fingers were nicked up, not too much damage. The water throwing was great, and since I was in a truck full of Americans we got lots of attention, especially when we were crawling through traffic, which was always.

Since it's so hot outside it generally feels pretty good being wet the whole time. But some malicious folk (in this case the truck of Americans) go to the ice factory to ensure their water is frigid. All in the hope of getting the maximum reaction possible. The result is always funny, as people scream and yelp once soaked with this water. It was much less funny when it happened to me, and once the sun was down, it was just mean.

Khon Kaen closed off a several block stretch of their main road, which was filled with stages for live, yet mediocre music, in addition to numerous street vendors. Strolling up and down the street was always a good time. When I was tired of walking, i would sit and watch the crappy bands, and the associated bouncing teenagers, or go to a large barrel of water located at the side of the street and get passersby wet. The highpoint of the walking street was the celebration at dusk. Everyday for a couple of minutes, the whole street, probably somewhere in the vicinity of ten to twenty thousand people did the wave. And then fireworks were launched.

Basically, it was a giant street party where everyone participates. As the trucks cost down the street they would be attacked and attacking those on the street, where hoards of people set up little party stations with food, music and barrels of water. It was all great, but I especially loved dropping in and playing with the various groups on the streets. It was great eating BBQ chicken and drinking whisky with some older redshirt supporter, and i also loved dancing on the street to a combination of traditional Isan music (think very bouncy) and American hip hop with some teenage kids, or just having water fights with little kids (I usually let them win).

What made this holiday so great was the festive spirit showed by all. I was approached to eat, drink and play by all walks of life; older protesters, middle-aged women with children, ladyboys, high school kids. The later in particular were in full force, it seems the total population of 10-20 year olds were on the street dancing and drinking. For a reason that I'm not quite sure, another tradition of the holiday is to put baby powder on your hands to pad other's cheeks with. It is an honor to have the powder applied to you in this manner and many were quite pleased to convey this honor to a bearded white person. Surely many of whom had previously touched neither. The biggest powder purveyors were once again the teenage boys who were clearly using it as an excuse to touch pretty girls. On more than one occasion, I saw a lovely young women descended upon by a group of giggling guys. All she could do in her defense was smile and thank them for the honor.

I'm really glad that i chose to stick around for Songkran. It was awesome to be part of such a festive celebration and definitely a highlight of my time in Thailand.

Attacked by Boars, Chased by Elephants
With Songkran over, I planned on heading over to Laos (I'm currently writing in Vang Vien), but since time is not at a premium, I figured I would head to one more national park before making my move. Phu Krudeung, is only three hours away and sort of on the way north, so it wasn't so much of a detour, plus after several days jumping up and down in the street, I needed some spiritual cleansing.

It sounded like a good plan, but I found myself questioning the decision during the first hour of my five hour ascent to the plateau. It's probably because I was a bit hungover, hadn't eaten for the day, started my hike at 2 and was walking in some major hot, humid stickiness. Let's just say the first hour was really tough. In no time I sweated out the toxins (my shirt was completely drenched) and once I got some food in me, I trudged up the mountain in reasonable time, actually feeling pretty good. Apparently, hiking in heat is a good cure for a hangover.

The camping site is huge, with tents and cabins setup, easily able to hold a thousand people. Once I settled down, I was greeted by a thunderstorm. I scampered off to eat and was finally ready for bed. Just as I was turning off my flashlight, i noticed a large shadow creeping around my tent. Two seconds later, that shadow, a several hundred pound boar was running into my tent trying to get in. I'm not sure what he wanted, I didn't have any food with me, but I was glad when he stalked away after his failed entry.

The next day I decided to head out towards one of the many waterfalls on the plateau, but I was blocked at the entrance of the trail by a sign which read, danger wild elephants. I was skeptical of claim and proceeded to make my way down the trail. About fifteen minutes later, I heard some major rustling in the trees nearby, then I heard some angry (i think it was angry) pacing. At this point, I turned tail and headed straight back for the trail head. There were wild elephants, and I didn't want to see them. By this time the thunderstorm returned just in time to completely drench me. Fortunately the heat had me dried off in no time.

Even though I struggled on the hike, was attacked by a boar, almost annihilated by an elephant, I'm very glad I went to the park, it was nice.

More Protests

2010-04-11T05:36:00.000-07:00

I continue my slow ascent into Isan awaiting Songkran. This afternoon I spent two hours going north to Khon Khen while traveling in a completely full bus. It was so full that they threw me and my closest nine friends in the baggage compartment. Half the guys passed out along the bags, three more held the door slightly open so we wouldn't suffocate. The ninth guy (a full sized man) sat on my lap for over an hour. It was not comfortable.

The Water Festival doesn't officially start until Tuesday so in the meantime I thought I would amuse myself with the other festivities currently taking place, the protests. I expected to completely miss them as initially it seemed they would be localized to Bangkok, but they appear to be spreading, or at least preparing to spread. As I'm in the capital of the province it only makes sense that this is where mobilization is taking place.

An estimated 25,000 registered with the local redshirts in the central park today. There's currently a long line of people turning in simple information sheets with their mobile numbers and email addresses in preparation for a call for demonstration. They're also getting their picture taken, not exactly sure why. I spent the evening mulling around and trying to get some local commentary on what's going on. While there's a peaceful demonstration in the park. A stage has been setup for local leaders to talk (unfortunately, I have no idea what they're saying), and maybe a thousand people are around listening to the speeches and just hanging out. Honestly it has a bit of a carnival atmosphere as there are lots of food booths and the kids are playing on the exercise equipment. There was an odd age distribution in the park. I would say 95% were over 45 with the remainder being unaccompanied kids. Who knew it was the middle-aged and elderly that would be the source of dissension.

I quickly exceeded my knowledge of Thai (first I asked where the bus station was, and then I asked how much x cost) and found a couple separate people to chat with regarding the demonstrations and their opinion of what's going on. Here's a quick summary of what I heard tonight.

The coup four years ago was illegal and unnecessary, it was a power grab by the Democratic Party who don't like Thaksin. The following election was falsified. With the People's Party disbanded twice and eventually winning the majority and yet not being able to form the government. Half of the People's party tricked the voting populace and left to join a coalition led by the current Prime Minister Abhisit. The recent court case and corruption charges against Thaksin are totally ridiculous. He was grossly wealthy before he was the PM, and didn't use his office to further his wealth. That's just silly, why would he do such a thing? The charges were trumped up to kick him out of government and keep the people down. Finally the people have had enough and want their true democratically elected leader back. The Democratic Party knows that previous elections were valid and if they ordered elections today, they know they would lose. So, the Democratic Party will do everything to prevent the coalition from falling apart and ordering new elections. Including purposely shooting at and killing unarmed civilians. The protests have been completely nonviolent, the military is trying to intimidate the people and will go to all causes to keep them down. Protests will escalate, and we expect a change.

With a number of people already dead, I don't think this is going the right direction. While the holiday is set to begin, I think that's not going to stop the demonstrations, if anything I expect an increase in fury as holiday= free time+ alcohol. Not exactly the recipe for quelling dissension. We'll see. I'll try to post some photos soon.

Thai Demonstrations

2010-04-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

Isn't it ironic that I leave a country like Burma and come back to this political mess in Thailand? Part of me wanted to stay in Bangkok and try to see the protests firsthand. But Bangkok is very hot, and I didn't feel like getting stuck in that city any longer. Plus, I'm not exactly impressed with the redshirt cause. The demonstrations seem to be a show of power and unrelated to their stated concern, an election two years ago. They're trying to bring back a political leader who defrauded the people of several billions of dollars, not exactly a good guy. About six weeks ago he was convicted by the highest court, and belongs in jail. But what do I know? Power to the people, right?

I did have a discussion with a redshirt taxi driver on my way out of Bangkok. He was much more interested in talking about women and trying to convince me to go to a strip club (it was 9 in the morning) than about politics. After a long debate we resolved that Thai women are often beautiful but I will not be going to a prostitute, and he should drive me to the bus station.

Out here in Isan, it's life as usual. Last night there was a ladyboy pageant in the public square. Like the protests, I did not participate.

Back From Burma

2010-04-10T03:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
The last several months in SE Asia have seen my acquire new skills; learning to scuba diving on a Thai island filled with half naked Swedes, motor biking on dirt roads in the dirty Delta of Vietnam and massaging (professionally trained at Wat Po) in the stickiness that is Bangkok. When I had enough of such activities, I decided to go to Burma; not for some idealistic reason of uncovering some great evil, or the fantasy of communing with a more simplistic life, just because I heard it was a fun place to visit where the people are very nice.

My plans were met with an equal amount of intrigue and horror. Intrigue from those interested in hearing first hand what life was like in this secretive country, horror from those who saw Rambo 4 (the bad guys in the movie are Burmese, and they're really really bad).

There were many arguments not to go, issues of safety, the fact that some of my funds would go towards supporting the regime, the boycott pronounced by Aung San Suu Kyi. But none of these reasons troubled me. I figured I wouldn't be allowed to travel any place unsafe. The leader appears to have renounced the boycott, and I calculated that the regime got no more than a couple hundred bucks from my trip. A tiny amount in comparison to the trade with China and India. The real dollars supporting the government come from natural resources like gems, gas or timber If you ever bought a ruby or something made of teak, the likely source was Burma. In any case, I came little scared and left well rewarded.

Facts of Life
Before I get to what I liked about Burma, a couple facts of local life. The poverty of the country (per capita GDP is less than $1,200) combined with a ruling junta, who attempt to rule in iconic junta fashion (corruption, oppression, and idiocy) make day to day life here a bit different. Not shockingly so, but enough to notice. What do I mean? In every town I visited, electricity is spotty. Blackouts are such a normal occurrence, I saw more generators than refrigerators. Mobile phones are rare and very expensive, with a number costing somewhere between $1,000 -$2,000. Home phones are also rare outside of main cities and telephone booths (girls on the street with a couple phones and convoluted wire connections) are the primary, although expensive form of communications. Internet connectivity, while more present then I expected, is very slow. This is due in part to the government taking screen shots every five minutes. Cars are old and uncommon, gas is expensive and transportation costs are higher than reasonable. To have a car here is a real luxury and the prices are ridiculous. A twenty year old corolla is priced somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000. New cars, meaning anything manufactured in the past twenty years are nonexistent. Several years ago gas prices quadrupled, which in part led to riots.

The real kicker for me s the banking system, maybe this is because of my dorky economics background and avaricious, capitalistic nature. In fact there are two separate sectors here. The local Burmese banks, which offer such revolutionary services as atms and backed deposits (although the depositor's interest rate is negative- you have to pay the bank to take your money) and the international banking system, which doesn't exist.Transactions between the two systems are costly. This forces any medium or large scale operation or middle income family to have banking accounts outside of Burma. I guess one advantage of a nascent banking sector means no financial crises; you can't have financial crisis without a financial system (actually that's probably not completely true). All of this culminates in a cash based society. One where the official and unofficial exchange rate aren't so close. Officially it's $1 to 6 kyat, unofficially it's about $1 to 1,000 kyat. I can proudly say that I have illegally changed money on the black market with the assistance of of sketchy, Indian man with red teeth, wearing a dress (more about that momentarily). I was happy to check that one off the list.

The Face of Oppression
I laughed at Rambo, but I was still hesitant regarding the government. Aside from one night in Rangoon, when we encountered checkpoints every couple of blocks, the presence of soldiers was much less than expected. For the most part they were completely unintimidating. Mostly older men, in uniform, flip flops, and more likely to be drinking whiskey (which is cheaper than beer) than carrying a weapon. The other defining feature was their lack of smile. in a country filled with people grinning ear to ear, a smile from a solder was not a common sight. It seemed the biggest component of the people's dislike for their government was the total and complete corruption of all it's members. Police checkpoints are setup to extract bribes. Businesses cannot operate without paying local tips. Government lifestyle is clearly a step above because of this taxation. The capital was recently moved to a newly constructed city, complete with a replica of the country's most famous pagoda. At some point on this trip, I was likely followed, but I didnt' sense it. Many locals reflected a similar mantra, 'Burmese people good, Burmese government very bad,' the second half always in a whisper. On several occasions when I disclosed my nationality I was asked the prospects of an American invasion. None I said. If we were in the business of toppling corrupt governments there would be no end to our work, and would have to turn our eyes on some of our own. Incidentally, am I glad I missed the whole health care debate!

As I traveled around the country, and saw the local economic conditions, it's hard not to make comparisons. Is the poverty here worse than it's neighbors? Are Burmese worse off than those in rural China, the Delta region of Vietnam or the NE Thai region of Isan from where I'm currently writing? I doubt it, if so, then not by much. Burma like the rest of the region has a serious urban/rural divide. Is their government worse than it's neighbors? For sure, but it's not like the region is bustling with success stories. Just look at the most 'stable' country in SE Asian, Thailand, which is in the midst of some major demonstrations to bring back the former PM who happened to be deposed several years ago in a coup and was recently convicted of defrauding and embezzling several billion dollars from his country.

It's hard not to feel sorry for the people here, maybe a tad more than elsewhere I've been. The main way to improve your stock here is to sell out your people and work for the government. At least in other countries there's some hope of pulling yourself out of poverty. If that doesn't work, you can go with the every popular failsafe of marrying a white guy.

It's the People
I thought there were only several sites here of much interest. The Schwedegon Pagoda in Rangoon is spectacular and the ancient temples of Bagan are interesting, although nothing compared to the magnificence of the Angkor ones, but the real fun comes from the kind and inviting nature of the Burmese. For a people that have so little, they are extremely generous. Everywhere I went I was met with big smiles, shouts of hello and hospitable invitations.

The food and the people felt like a combination between India and China. I alternated between Indian curries and Chinese dishes, both of which were yummy. The people had a very unique, traditional style. Both men and women wore traditional sarongs called longyi. Women and children would also wear a face cream called thanaka made from the bark of local trees. This cream is a natural sun block, thought to be a skin moisturizer and is also applied in attractive designs (see my pictures for examples). The men, while wearing the longyi(think dress), would constantly be chewing betel nut. The result was a red staining of teeth and gums and the everpresense of little pools of red spittle, not so pleasant.

It's hard to exactly translate what was so enjoyable about traveling here. I think I can reduce it to the fact that people were extremely friendly and welcoming, excited to meet and greet foreigners and wanting to share their country and experiences with us. In some cases this was shared with families over food, watching soccer games or WWF wrestling at local tea shops, making faces at children or playing a game of Burmese hacky-sack. Everyone was constantly smiling, and quick to laugh. Who wouldnt' want to go to places where you feel honored and adored? In summary, see Rambo 4, it's laughable and go to Burma, the people will make you laugh, either way it's smiles all around.

I'm trying to continue my positive rural experience here in Thailand. After a couple of days, I've moved quickly to the drier, poorer, more celebratory Isan region. The traditional Songkran Water Festival begins on the thirteenth. Hopefully my training in shaving cream warfare will have properly prepared me for water battle. Over the next couple of days, I'll try to be filling in some stories from the past three months, in between having water fights and flirting with local women. Should the updates not come, I'll leave it up to you to decide which of the two is preventing. I've posted some pictures of my trip to give you a glimpse of my experience http://picasaweb.google.com/avinagel/Burma#

Pictures from Burma

2010-04-10T01:24:00.000-07:00

Reports of follow shortly.

http://picasaweb.google.com/avinagel/Burma#

Burma - 3/16/2010 (posted by M)

2010-03-16T22:16:00.000-07:00

I've arrived in Inle Lake after a three day trek. I only had to carry
my small backpack so it was no problem for me. The trip was nice,
mostly because of the company, I traveled with a very nice German
couple and our guide was a really sweet interesting lady. We passed
through little villages, the kids would shout and laugh at us, we took
their pictures. The scenery wasn't extraordinary and unfortunately
visibility is not very good because people are constantly burning
trash. I may do more trekking, I haven't decided yet.

The Inle Lake area is pretty interesting. Its like a big village where
there are plenty of backpackers, but it doesn't affect the area in a
negative way. Yesterday, we had a really nice bike ride through more
villages, plus a boat ride on the lake, it was a really pleasant day.
They're doing everything on the lake. I went to one toilet that was
basically a hole in the floorboard. I looked below and saw the lake
about ten feet below. ha, pretty funny. That night I had fish. I try
not to think of where it's coming from.

The comfort is much less here. Electricity is spotty, and most places
have generators but are reluctant to use them. The people here are
very nice, always smiling, happy to greet you, excited about
traveling. The backpackers I'm meeting are also a nice breed. All in
all, the first week here has been really great, and fairly
interesting. The food is good as well. Half the time I'm eating
curries the other half it's more Asian style. Truly it's the nexus of
china and India.

The plan is to leave for Mandalay in a day or two, spend some time up
there, maybe head a bit north of there before swinging back to Bagan
and back to Rangoon for Pesach. I met with the head of the synagogue
association and it sounds like I'll be having the seder with the
Israeli ambassador and probably a group of twenty or thirty people,
should be nice.

Today I went to a big local market, it's coming here every five days.
It was great because it's a true local market and it was really
crowded. I'm sitting here with some bananas, peanut brittle and some
cute shoulder bags, a fairly good haul. I may just spent the rest of
the day hanging around and reading my kindle. I haven't tried to
upload books here, but that's no problem since I have about twenty
loaded already.

Vietnam Wrapup

2010-02-24T05:15:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been over a month. Clearly I've been negligent. Why the sparse posting? There probably a couple reasons, but the biggest is my parents visit. When I travel with people, there's less down time which means there's less time to ruminate, less time to write and little interest in actually blogging. I have some fun stories from their visit (which ended about five days ago) and I'll try to come up with something in the next couple of days.

I'm currently in Bangkok, where I've been for the past couple of days waiting to get a visa from Burma- success! I thought I would make this time productive so I took a traditional Thai Massage course at Wat Pho. Five days and many many massages later, I now have a certificate claiming that I have some knowledge of Thai Massage. I need to keep practicing so if I'm in the area, I'm more than happy to get in some free practice (it's cool if you want to buy me a drink or something also though).

Vietnam seems like so long ago. I traveled there for about three weeks but I didn't leave with the strongest impression. I had a good time there, but of the five countries that I've visited so far on this trip, I found it the least interesting. I'm not saying that I wouldn't want to go back, but let's just say there are no immediate plans. The following is something that I wrote more than four weeks ago and never got around to inputting on the site. Let's just assume the narrative continues wherever I left off.

Delta, Delta, Delta
My travels got more interesting as I moved south into the Delta. Gone were the persistent tuts and motorcycles ladies constantly offering their services. In exchange, I got a much slower pace of life, endless dirt canals and a doubling of the mosquito population. A good trade off in my book.

For whatever reason, Vietnam never really struck y fancy. There were no incredible sites, compelling geography or terribly exciting adventures in my time there. I had a nice time, but so far it ranks the lowest my visited list. I enjoyed the Delta, the people were certainly friendly down here and I was happiest either on a boat, floating/zooming along canals or on a motorcycle trying my best not to fall off the bumpy dirt roads. It's funny, I spent an equal period of time in Japan and felt that I saw so much and was constantly intrigued by the culture. Nowhere near the same feeling here.

On my bus trip down to Can Tho I met a young English teacher keen on practicing with a native. Seeing how it was her home town, when she offered to walk me to a hotel, I jumped at the chance. The place was good value for the money and located in the center of town, rather than the small tourist district. Once again, I received the stares and status awarded to the awkwardly tall, hairy, traveler like myself.

Life is at a totally different speed in the Delta. While Can Tho is the regional capital, filled with motorbikes and coffee shops there really is not much happening here. Mostly shop owners sleeping in their stores. The attraction are the numerous canals and just sampling a bit of the life here. One of the oddities of an area filled with water are the floating markets, which take place on a daily basis. Farmers come from up and down the river to display their fruits, vegetables and other perishables. Since the waterways are more convenient to travel on than roads (lack of bridges makes this an obvious fact), it's faster to just meet somewhere in the middle of the river. I would find it weird to have your local grower physically bump his boat into yours and the market as a whole is a bit bizarre in general. Then again having melons floated over does sound kind of nice. These people live off the rivers/canals but they pollute them as if there are no consequences.

During the evenings, I was escorted around town by my new English teacher friend and two of her girlfriends. It was nice to get some local perspective and it's fun to hop on motorbikes of strangers and eat some random food. It added to the amusement that the combined weight of these three was likely below 300 pounds. Vietnamese women are quite dainty (apparently some 35% of VC were women) and I felt like quite the giant among these three.

Eat a Tire
The four of us went to eat on several evenings, and I had the fortune of being introduced to some local dishes. Ban Xao (sp?) literally means tire and it's like a do it yourself spring roll. An omelet like dish is prepared with meat, fish, and whatever else. This is to be wrapped between various leafy greens in your hand before dipping the roll into various sauces, fishy, soy, hot, whatever you want. The greens were all new and I wondered if the strong cinnamon flavor wasn't just some vestige of Agent Orange. The next night we had Vietnamese hotpot. Not bad, similar to other hotpots I've sampled in China, but it was great when I saw that to feed all four of us it cost about $4.

The food here has been so-so. Spring rolls and Pho Bo are definitely keepers. The pho is never quite the same in any two places. The broth is typically delicious , but I'm often disappointed with the noodles which seem to be of the store bought variety, and sometimes I don't want soup when it's over 30 c outside. I've come to really enjoy the slightly thicker meatier, Pho Bo Kho. the soups are usually pretty good, but I've had some not so pleasant encounters. Like when I ordered snails at a night market stand. I had three options, they each looked non discript, so I just chose one. It took some time to figure out exactly what it was that was in my soup. The grainy, sandy flavor isn't exactly a familiar one to me. The light bulb went off, when the the soup ladies started laughing hysterically and kept offering me more creepy crawlies. The Vietnamese will eat anything, and I have no doubt y snails were of the finest quality, surely scrapped from the bottom of their many 'clean' canals.

I could only chuckle when several days later I discovered that what I thought I ordered (grilled fish) turned out to be a plate of small unsightly clams. My misfortune turned to delight once I figured out how to eat the little suckers. It involved praying them open in the messiest way possible. Clearly, I'm getting a bit more adventurous, but every couple of days I hit a limit. Yesterday (like four weeks ago) on my snorkeling trip, one of the guides collected and subsequently served sea urchin. This was after they spent ample time, dethorning and scooping out the various muck that was deemed inedible. What was left was a dull, brown, goopy paste that resembled dog diarrhea. I gave it a pass this time, we'll see how I feel on my next encounter.

It's hard to mention Vietnam or any other place here in SE Asia without at least touchy on the women. The sexual relations out here are front in center both because of rampant prostitution and the presence of mixed raced couples. There's lots to say about this issue, I just want to briefly mention one of my experiences.

I spent my last couple days in Vietnam on Phu Quoc, a small island closer to Cambodia than the mainland. It was relaxing. I had a great day learning how to motorcycle on the deserted side of the island, alternating between open stretches of dirt road and mud puddles (too much fun). As I often do, I sought out the staff and tried to befriend them. There was a young woman (18? 19?) who worked at the resort who started acting very funny towards me in my last couple of days there. She would send nonsensical text messages, start blushing when I came around, it was kind of cute. I was happy to share her company for a couple of minutes and try to teach her some English, but in no way was I actually interested in her- she's just a kid, and was careful to set boundaries. She didn't actually know my name, and it was such a struggle to communicate with her in the most superficial way. How could she generate a legitimate interest? On my last day when I was leaving she looked as if she was about to start crying. She wanted to know when I was coming back, that I had an invitation to visit her village on the mainland, etc. It was if a love affair was ending, but the truth is we barely exchanged any words!

I don't mention this because I'm gloating that I won over the heart of some hapless 19 year old (it's not like it was a first), but to illustrate how ridiculous her feelings and expectations were. And that these feelings and expectations are the norm around here. Every time I see an interracial couple here, I can't help but think what they must talk about, and how much they actually know and understand each other.

Hello Vietnam

2010-01-15T22:14:00.000-08:00

After spending several months in China getting to know the country, trying to learn the language, it's strange to be back at square one. Like Chinese, Vietnamese is a tonal language. Rather than five tones, it has seven, plus the pronunciation is totally different. Fortunately, the scrip is Latin based, so it's possible to 'read' street signs, menus, hotel names, etc. More important is that the tourist industry here is very built up so English is widely spoken by touts and locals in tourist cities are well acquainted with the ghost face.

My first week here was a series of meetings with new and old friends. It was great to see familiar faces, and it's always different to experience the pace of other travelers. I had friends from LA who only had a limited time in the country, so after landing in Saigon, I found the first bus possible to meet them in the mountain town of Dalat. It was pleasant enough, and a good introduction to a new country. Nothing too crazy, just nice scenery and it's share of coffee shops. It was my first experience of Vietnamese markets, which believe it or not was very similar to other markets except with Vietnamese people and slightly different food. I sampled a variety of local fruits, made eyes with cute vendors....typical backpacker stuff. The coffee here is widely touted as being excellent, at least that's what the shopkeepers kept saying. I think this is hard to determine since it is often served with more milk/water than actual coffee, meaning the taste is usually diluted. It's watered down to a greater extent if you happen to be of the fairer sex. In many shops the ratio of coffee to milk will be adjusted based upon the gender of the customer. Us men, apparently like a stronger coffee flavor, while ladies just can't handle it.

From Dalat it was a sticky, bumpy bus ride over to the beach in Mui Ne. I imagine Mui Ne to be a pretty typical Vietnamese tourist beach town. Beaches, resorts, restaurants, and lots of tourists. For whatever reason this town was mostly traveled by Russians, no idea why. The beach was nice, nothing to get overly excited about, but it was good to chill for a couple of days with some friends. We spent a day going to some local sand dunes and walking along the 'Fairy Stream,' which I think is a bit of a joke. The only reason I can think why people go on this walk is because it's something different to do after spending days lounging. It's a tiny stream, that's populated by an equal amount of cows and hustling kids, both annoying. The cows because they pollute the stream with their waste. The kids because they're constantly harassing you to serve as your guide- naturally in the hope of earning a dollar. On our way back from this little thirty minute walk, multiple kids came up to us asking for money. I explained to them that I also wanted money, but they looked perplexed. My friend took pity on them and offered some anti-bacterial soap, which had them jumping up and down with joy, strange.

Biker Crazy
From the beach it was back to Saigon for a couple of days, where I met a friend visiting from China. My Angeleno friends went back home and I tagged along with my Chinese buddy and her friends. She and her friends are actually American of Caucasian descent but since I met them in China (Shanghai), they're my China friends. We spent a day going to a Cao Dai temple and to the Cu Ci Tunnels. I generally dislike tours. It seems the tour operates have a knack for finding the worst restaurants in the whole country, and chartering particularly bad drivers. It was no different in this case but still worth going to. I can't say that I heard of the Cao Dai religion before coming out here. It seems to be a strange agglomeration of multiple religions, but mostly rooted in Buddhism. Watching them pray was interesting, if not strangely voyeuristic and their temple was right out of a fairy tale. With very bright colors, a painted blue sky on the ceiling, and kitsch galore, I really wonder about their artistic influences. Perhaps it's inspired by a dream, or maybe designed by a third grader. In either case, it's not the typical temple. The tunnels were fascinating for their ingenuity and simple perseverance. i couldn't imagine living and fighting in those conditions (I probably couldn't fit in most of the tunnels also) or being a GI trying to find them out (must have been nearly impossible). How could we have expected to win a war where thousands of people where willing to live for years underground and wage war from there. If that's not dedication, what is? In the evening we went to a funny bar/club called Apocalypse Now. It was weird mix of travelers, western locals, prostitutes, and Anglophiles. Watching the tourist/local interaction was hilarious and stomach turning at the same time. Surely true love was found that night, amidst the pumping beats, dim lights and general humidity.

I spent a couple of days on my own checking out the other sites, like Reconciliation Palace and the War Crimes Museum. The War Crimes museum isn't the easiest place to visit. It's always difficult to see acts of such extreme violence, even harder when they were propagated by your country. It's funny that being here I haven't been too challenged with issues of the War. It's understandable since it's two generations ago. But by simple word association, when I (and this is probably true with most Americans) think of Vietnam, it conjures up images of the war, but I haven't had much discussions about it. Now that I've been here I want to revisit some of my favorite Vietnam War movies (Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now) and McNamara's great commentary in the Fog of War.

Saigon is a pretty active city and the most fun I had was simply walking around and stopping into random bakeries. I think my most exciting times were anytime I wanted to cross the street. I swear this is an adventure sport here, as motorbikes whiz by from every direction. When I finally learn how to drive a bike, I'm going to come back and test my ability, since Saigon is the major leagues of careless biking. But that will just have to wait.

I've met a fair number of travelers who did not have a good experience here. Largely that's because they perceived the locals were just trying to make a buck off them. I totally understand where this feeling comes from. When I explained to a local tour operator that a $60 bike day trip was just too much, she oscillated between being very upset for me that I wasn't going to experience this wonderful tour and upset for her that she wasn't going to make money off me. It's a little bit unsettling when you think that ever person is talking to you in the effort to make a dollar, but I think this is to be expected in a poor country, especially one with so many travelers. I've found that it's not so hard to get beyond this feeling, by avoiding tourist thrift markets, and getting out of the main tourist areas I find the reaction of the locals to be totally different.

So I'm going South again, spending the last couple of weeks in the Mekong Delta.

Pictures

2010-01-10T07:20:00.000-08:00

I finally posted some pictures. Lots of pictures actually, check them out on my picasa site. http://picasaweb.google.com/avinagel

Golden Triangle

2010-01-10T07:16:00.000-08:00

Golden Triangle
It was much the same on Christmas day. Although by this time, Charles and I were better equipped having brought face masks and adorned hoods. For sure, there are kids in Dali having nightmares of me jumping up and down spraying them with shaving cream. The plan was to go to warmer weather, so we night bussed down to Jinghong. After a very bumpy ride, we arrived at our tropical destination half exhausted.

Fortunately, for us we were in the most laid back city in the most laid back province. Located at the Northern end of the notorious Golden Triangle, the pace of Jinghong was barely a crawl. And we loved it. Over the next four days we chilled at a local cafes, ate great Pad Thai (offered up by some adorable Thai girls) got a pair of blind massages(they let their fingers do the walking), and downed our fair share of fruit shakes and beers. This was my first taste of the lotus fruit known as SE Asia, and I liked it.

We had a particularly fun night at a bar/club where we were again treated like 'B' list celebrities. People bought us drinks, girls blew us kisses, we dj'd some songs, the owner offered us partial ownership, etc. normal royal treatment. The men, I should say boys at this club were a bit odd. Halfway through the night a contingent of them had taken off their shirts and dancing topless. It was hot, but not that hot. And at multiple points there would highly encourage us to dance with some of the girls. At points, they even forcibly grabbed our hands and tried to get us to touch the ladies. Pretty uncomfortable. I'll sexually harass women when I'm good and ready, thank you very much.

We went back up to Kunming for New Year's, which was a bit anti climatic, and I spent my last day in China wandering around eating street food and watching Avatar (very cool). Charles went to Shanghai, I was set to leave for Vietnam.

Personal China Highlights
With over three months in the country, I got to experience more than most. I saw enough cities and places to have some favorites. Beijing and Hong Kong really stood out for me. Beijing mainly because of it's many interesting expats, and dynamic vibe. There are a lot of changes taking place in China and those decisions are being made in the Capital. HK is a colonialists dream; comforts of the West, prices of the East. It's an interesting mix of two very different worlds. You can spend the day shopping in the craziness that is Mong Kok and go to the track at night. Plus the city is near some great hiking and beaches.

Xiahe, Dunhuang and Yangshou all stand out for their geographic beauty. On the Tibean plateau, Xiahe has the look and people of a different world. I met some interesting people (Chinese, Tibetans, Travelers) there and had a couple really great experience, including playing basketball with monks, being invited for tea at a locals home. All around good stuff.

Dunhuang is on the border of the Gobi and formerly past the point of known civilization (at least according to the Chinese). This was as far West as I made it in China and while it felt a bit out there, it had a lot more charm than other cities of it's size. The desert was screen saver perfect. A one-night camel trek and the following days were enough time for me to get my fill of crawling up the dunes (some of the highest in the world) and sprinting back down. Making it out there (and all the stops along the way) was a nice little accomplishment for me. Since getting around along the Silk Road was a test to my non-existent Chinese.

The only thing that Yangshou challenged was my ability to leave. The scenery there was bucolic, filled with Karst mountains. Rivers, mountains, discos, what more could you want? Wandering the countryside by day, floating down the rivers, biking on small roads, drinking cheap cheap beer (or oreo shakes) by night, it was such a great place to visit. So great in fact that the city is filled with it's share of backpacker burnouts (not for me) and it was important that I got out of there before I spent my last thirty day entry in that one little town.

There's so much more to say about China and my impressions there. Without a doubt the best thing about the country is the populace, which I have to admit came as a surprise to me. The warm reception that I received almost everywhere was really what kept me in the country longer. I do have more profound things to say about my experience. But that will just have to wait (maybe next time...we'll see) especially since I now find myself in a different country- Vietnam! Where the clock is ticking.

Shaving Cream Fight

2010-01-04T18:47:00.000-08:00

When I last wrote some two months ago, I was just getting my feet wet in China. My language skills have greatly improved in the meantime. Before, I wrote that I figured out how to order chicken- flapping my arms and constantly repeating the word ji (chicken). Since then, I've learned that jiji is a slang word for prostitute. So while I thought I was being clever in getting myself understood, I was likely just ordering a flying prostitute. Many such funny occurrences continue to take place here. Old men tell me that I'm beautiful because I have a beard, while children are just as likely to cower in fear at my appearance. China's great.

In Beijing, I got a phone. While I was reluctant to reenter the 20th century, I'm glad that I did. It's made meeting people and staying in touch much easier. I'm no longer strictly confined to the social scene provided by the hostels. After a couple moths here, I've met many people and made lots of friends- some of them even keepers.

I'm coming up on almost 100 days in this country. It sounds like a long time, but there's so much that I haven't seen and would love to explore. China being such a big country, it has pretty much everything a traveller could want. Fantastic scenery, ranging from rice terraces here in the South, the desert up North, the Tibetan plateau to the West and mountains all in between, interesting dynamic cities like Beijing and Hong Kong (I guess it's China), long proud history, colorful people, and of course many great foods.What's best is that it's all out in the open to see and experience, from hair cuts on the street, to morning tai-chi in the park. SE Asia is calling me, and I expect to continue my great time there. Although I wouldn't be surprised to return here when my travels are over.

Chinese Enthusiasm
It doesn't take a genius to notice the rapid changes taking place in China. This is clearly a very exciting time for the country and fascinating to watch. Some of the development is pulling the populace out of poverty and pushing the country into the 21st century, a remarkable accomplishment.

The next World Expo is taking place this Spring in Shanghai. I have no doubtt that it will be the biggest and most impressive of all time. They've estimated 70 million attendees, and as a planner for the Belgian exhibit said, if the people aren't showing up, the country will bus them in. If China says there will be 70million, then that's what there will be. The physical changes taking place in Shanghai are extraordinary, the number of subway lines doubled in five years and will double again in the next ten. Thr skyline which already boasts some of the largest buildings has plans for many more.

The ever present enthusiasm here scares me. Not because of the blustering nationalism, but because it stinks of hubris. The recent collapse of Dubai and our own problems are a reminder of what happens when the economic engine slows. Talk here of constant 10% growth and new forms of government/capitalism seem extremely naive.

Shaving Cream Fight!
During my last two weeks in China, I've been joined by my good friend Charles. As if that weren't present enough, he came bringing gift- my very own kindle. I've often lamented the difficulty of finding good books on the road. Hostels have a very limited book selection usually consisting of Dan Brown, Danielle Steele and War and Peace (not interested, no way, and already read it). Now I'm free from the random book exchanges. It's a great toy and it already holds a place in my heart.

Charles and I are doing a quick Yunan loop.We started in Kunming, went up to Lijiang to hike the Tiger Leaping Gorge and our now in Dali for Christmas. Like many Jews, I often spend Christmas eve in a Chinese restaurant, which is exactly what I did last night. From there, I entered uncharted traditional territory. Usually the food is followed by a movie, but that's not what happened last night. The street had a militant, festive atmosphere. Since it doesn't snow in Dali (still chilly though), the Chinese people create their own with shaving cream. In a giving spirit, it is appropriate to share some of this snow with your neighbor. Basically the streets turn into a giant shaving cream fight. Charles and I were unawares of this, fortunately you can purchase bottles at the side of the road. Between the two of us we must have unloaded more than 20 cans. While that may seem sufficient to ward off would be attackers, it was not. Upon seeing us, young and old would shout Laowei (foreigner) and a hoard would converge on us. We were often short of breath from chasing and being chased and more than once we found ourselves doubled over in laughter, doused in cream. Having battles with the little kids was the most fun, since they would giggle hysterically and never a threat for serious damage. Spraying teenage boys was often a disastrous decisions, as others would quickly come together to attack as one unit. It was all good fun, but by the time we tasted so much shaving cream our tongues became numb, we knew it was time to call it a night. Hopefully your holidays are filled with such joy and laughter.

Next Plans
Charles and I are headed to Xueshanbanna, the southern most (and warm) region of China. It's known for it's tropical scenery and laid back atmosphere. Being close to the Thai and Burmese border it's also home to a fair amount of illicit activity. We met a local the other day who stressed how cheap the prostitutes are ("cheaper than having a girlfriend"), but I think we'll leave the seedy the activities to other travelers. Next week I'll be flying to Vietnam, where in the South I'll be meeting some friends. From there I'll meet my parents in Thailand, and we'll go over to Cambodia together. So that's my plan for the next couple of months. After that I'll hopefully see some other country in SE before heading over to India, where I expect to find both spiritual enlightenment and stomach problems. Ah traveling.

Happy holidays and best wishes for a exciting, joy-filled 2010. I would love to hear from you and don't hesitate to fly out here and join me for some adventures.

Hong Kong - written Dec. 11

2009-12-19T13:29:00.000-08:00

I would like the Curry Mansion Please

An easy sleeper train dropped me off in Hong Kong and for a week I was free. Free from the cold, free from the language barriers, and even free from the silly China censor. Ah freedom, how I missed thee. What am I saying, I'm back in China now, where it's chilly, still Chinese and I'm without my blog. Shackled, yet happy. I'm not exactly sure what Hong Kong is. It's not really China. It's certainly no longer a British colony. It's the financial hub of the region. Doesn't Jackie Chan live here or something?

To answer some of these questions, I started my HK adventure in the Chongking Mansions. I've heard much about this place and I was hoping it would leave me shaking my head and screaming for mommy. It didn't exactly happen that way, but it was still bizarre. The Mansions are a set of buildings located right in the smack center of downtown Kowloon (think Brooklyn to NY's Manhattan, which is HK Island). Real estate here is at a super premium. Down the street is a Four Seasons, right next to a fancy Marriot, attached to more fancy hotels and bars. You would almost think you were in an upper class neighborhood, except for the Mansions. Not only are these buildings an eyesore, but they really do their best to offend all your senses. They're ugly, soon to get a facelift though, but as they say, 'you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig'. It smells, mostly like curry from the numerous Indian restaurants located in it's bowels- some find the smell of curry offensive, but I rather like it (we'll see if I'm still saying this a couple months from now when I'm in India). It is damn noisy- from cell phone vendors during the day, prostitutes at night and room hawkers in between. It tastes pretty strange- I licked the building....not tasty. And it can be uncomfortable to say the best- my room was about seven feet by four feet, more like a cell than a room actually. So why in the world would I stay in such a place? It's a real mix of the not so hidden underbelly of HK. From the illegal black market electronic sales, to trafficking in drugs. I would never expect to see so many Indians and Africans concentrated in such a small area...and I got a taste of that. I didn't see anything too strange, but I did get a thoroughly weird vibe from the place. This was augmented by a visit to the local park one late afternoon. What I saw there was a colorful dance party (at five in the afternoon). Normally I shrug, but in this case, it seemed like the participants were prostitutes of multiple nationalities being admired by pimps and would be customers. Wait, I was watching.... Let's just say I got out of there fairly quickly and I was more than happy to stay with a friend of mine on the good side of the river.

Stuck in the Middle

HK isn't China, but it's no longer part of the UK either. It has a strange colonial vibe, yet there's no colonist. We went out one night in a district filled with white people. In Chicago this is normal. In China, not so much. I take it back, there were Asian ladies about, in fact they were out at night, which would make them Asian Night Ladies, which is exactly what they were. Aside from the prostitutes and the service employees you could have mistaken the place for being a part of the West. This was even more apparent when I went to the track. The arcades and stands were filled with Westerners having a couple of brews, laughing at the idea of betting on races and in general having a great time. Inside, actually gambling, you would see the Cantonese. Silly gamblers. Actually, I put down a bet. I picked the long shot in the second to last race, I heard he was due. He wasn't, I was out $20 hk dollars. To think, that's three ice-creams, oh how foolish I was.

The whole colonial dynamic is interesting. More interesting is the way that HK is or isn't assimilating into China. This is of particular concern to Hong Kongers, who unlike their track-watching Western tourists, have a life to lead. It should be great considering that HK is a really cool city, but they have a real struggle on their hands. With China doing it's best to promote Shanghai in the hopes that it overtakes HK as a financial center, will HK lose it's edge? How can Hong Kongers compete on cost with mainland China located just over the Delta? We're all experiencing this outsourcing problem, but it's not at our doorstep. Imagine if Northern Mexico spoke English, had skills good enough to send high paying jobs there and would be willing to work for one fourth of our cost. We would not be happy. Well this is just the dilemma for a Hong Konger. A Shenzen person can do the same work (not as well) for a fourth of the cost. Anything that's really sophisticated runs the risk of being relocated to Shanghai. I don't expect that banks will be relocating out of the area any time soon, but all the back office work that was here, certainly won't be as English improves in the mainland.

Island Hopping

Politics and history aside, the place is just beautiful. How many world-class cities have tropical parks located off subway lines? Or islands begging to be hopped? It's vibrate, active, steamy, there's great shopping (not that I care), awesome food (probably my favorite in China so far), you can get by with English (I felt a bit guilty) and people with funny hats (ok I made that up). The first island that I visited was Lamma island, known for it's stock of Western tourists that never left (think hippies). With a chilly port and some nice beaches, this little island has everything you need to sit back and forget life for the next forty years. In the event you're an I-banker, no worries you can take the local ferry to HK Island to do your deeds. I chose to spend my day hiking along one of the island trails with a destination of a beach. It's not that I wanted to go to the beach, I simply had to. The thing is, I hadn't used my bathing suit yet, and it's a travesty to be traveling for three months out of a little bag and have an article of clothing that hasn't been used. No problem, had a little beach to myself for an hour (check!), then on to more interesting things. Like walking back to the port, not along the trail but along the cliffs. I figured, I bought the tevas for a reason and my mom wasn't around to tell me not to climb the rock walls, so I did it. It was great, but I think all the rock hopping tweaked my ankle a bit.

On my second island tour, I went to Cheung Chao, Long Island. Unfortunately, by this time my ankle started to hurt and blisters were forming. Luckily, like most islands, Cheung Chao had beaches, so that's where I spent my afternoon reading and relaxing. That was until a gaggle of kids (I would guess from some international school) broke my peace. In no time a group of boys were constructing castles in the sand. Actually in this case, they were building a graveyard. After I inquired why, they said it was so they could kill and bury Nazi's. I didn't have a huge issue with that, but it was odd seeing an eight year old drawing swastikas in the sand, even if there were for the purpose of tricking the Nazi's to their death. I found this all a bit morbid, so I asked if they knew about Godzilla. They didn't, so I happily shared with them the essentials of the city smashing lizard. In no time the graveyard was forgotten and instead the focus was on constructing and smashing little cities (much more appropriate for little boys, IMHO). My ankle began to ache so I figured it was time to go back. During this trip, whenever I'm down, or have a bit of adversity, or otherwise bored, I try to treat myself, in many cases with ice-cream. And that's exactly what I did on this occasion, enjoying a double chocolate bar on the boat ride home. Mmmm chocolate.

Back in China

It would be very easy to allow HK to suck you in. It has both the intensity and grandeur of a true international city with the proximity of islands and tropical forests. But I was not to be enchanted. Plus I don't own a hunting riffle, pipe or safari hat, gear requisite for a true colonial experience. There are more adventures to be had, and I still hadn't seen the south. I am planning to use my next thirty day visa to explore this area a bit (I say a bit since Southern China is roughly the same size as Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Burma, places I expect to visit over a series months), and then leave China (for the time being at least). Naturally this was to begin with a series of buses and trains that ended up getting me to my next destination at four thirty in the morning. Boo hoo. Then again, I found myself in backpacker paradise, the Southern China city of Yangshou. More about that next time (depending on computer accessibility). But now it's time for bed. So I'll say goodnight from the autonomous Dong minority region in NW Guagxi province, which coincidentally is also colloquially known as ADMRN WGP.

Shanghai - written Dec. 6

2009-12-19T12:58:00.000-08:00

Shanghai

The plan was to take a sleeper to Shanghai, but I found a cheaper ticket to Hangzhou and it was a flight. Same price, ten hours faster, yes please! A quick hour plus flight was not without entertainment. Several of the passengers looked totally confused on the plane. Many of them needing personal assistance to find their seats. An old man in front of me struggled for ten minutes trying to figure out how to use is headphones before a flight attendant spent an additional five minutes instructing him. I'm not trying to laugh at my fellow passengers as taking occasion for many. Certainly familiarity with air travel is something I take for granted. A flight must have been a special

Going south, I was hopeful that I would avoid the snow and be in a more comfortable climate. This was only partially the case. The temperature was barely enough that there was no snow. Instead I had the pleasure of freezing rain for a couple of days. Out of self pity, I checked the temp in Chicago, where I thought for sure it would be colder, but I was wrong.

As I've mentioned on several occasions, my super time in Beijing was a direct result of the great people I was spending time with. As I went south, I was worried that I would be completely on my own again. It took me all of two minutes in the Hangzhou hostel before I met Ofer. We were quickly drawn to each other and spent the next week together. I tend to have warm feeling to the Israelis that I've met. Fortunately China is not plagued with the hordes of Sabras known to haunt India and other cheap parts of the backpacker world. Plus Ofer was extremely patient with my Hebrew and our Chinese was on a similar level. We had a great time laughing at newly created sayings in Chinglish, Hebrish, and Ivru. It was nice to work a bit on my very rusty and limited Hebrew skills. Now that I've checked the Great Wall off the list, I'm thinking it can be replaced with studying yoga at an Indian Ashram either filled with Israelis or conducted in Hebrew. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Hangzhou is famous for West Lake, which is surrounded by gardens and hills. This city, with over six million people was a former retreat for royalty and aristocracy. The west, leisure and scenery sprouted an artistic tradition that still thrives today. Despite the superlatives, it is very pretty. Unfortunately this fact is hard to appreciate when huddled under an umbrella and shivering from the cold. The area is also known for it's teas, which is properly sampled and enjoyed in a traditional teahouse.

I'm not sure if this concept exists in the states, but if it doesn't someone needs to import it. Imagine an elegant restaurant or country club where you can spend the morning or afternoon/evening sitting back enjoying tea while munching on a never ending supply of food. Sounds heavenly right? Initially, Ofer and I were resistant on whether to stay. The listed price was about ten dollars and it appeared that it would double if we stayed for longer than an hour, which seemed pricey to us. How foolish we were. After some confusion, we determined the price was actually $10 and the food, atmosphere and company was so pleasant, we stayed there almost four hours. The teahouse's buffet was filled with at least twenty dishes, mostly delicious, and others (like chicken feet) not. In no time we had a table filled with small plates of everything. Our favorites were the fresh fruit. We happily spent the evening munching kumquats Asian pears, lychee while sipping our various teas out of cups that would not have looked out of place in a dollhouse. I think if they had a hot tub and massages, we would still be there. Alas they didn't, so we went to Shanghai the next day.

What's an Expo?

Did you know that the next world expo is taking place in about six month in Shanghai? Neither did I until I came here. The city/country is making such a big deal of the event, it's impossible not to be excited. They claim it will be attended by seventy million people. I still don't really understand what the Expo is. I have no idea which cities have hosted in previous year.s If you told me that the last expo occurred whichever year Edison unveiled the lightbulb, I would have had no reason not to believe you. As a result, much of the City is experiencing a face lift. Too bad for anyone planning to visit in the next six months, great for visitors after.

The city has a major chip on it's shoulder. It's competing with Beijing for political importance, fighting Hong Kong to be the financial hub of the East, and want to challenge the likes of New York and others for the title of World's Greatest City. All the outward focus seems to have created a soulless, commercial hub, albeit a populous one with some nice infrastructure. I'm not exactly sure what I mean when I say the city has no soul, but it doesn' t have the synergy of some of the other places I visited. It maybe a result of the population running after money, but I think you can say the same thing about Hong Kong and that city's just great. Whatever the reason is, foreigners really enjoy it and you can see the Western influence here like no other city in China (HK doesn't count). I get the appeal. Shanghia is definitely Chinese, there's the people, the food, etc, but it's not in your face China. It's clean, there are Western places, great shopping. I can picture a Western tourist coming here and no where else and regaling their friends back home about how different the East is. All the while never having to learn a lick of the language or straying too far from their four style hotel and lifestyle.

For it's size Shanghia doesn't have the types of sights one might expect. It is home to one of the coolest museums that I've been to- the urban planning museum, and some pretty interesting Jewish history. That being said, I had a great time in Shanghai, again it was because of meeting Ofer and I. We had a 'meeting' at least once a day for almost a week. We crashed a surprise birthday party, had our first KTY/Kareoke experience, and practiced our minimal Arabic with a shockingly fluent Chinese gal. It was all great. Who knew we were so popular? We were also entertained by the strange people we kept meeting in the hostels. Hostels have some bizarre people, and for sure these are some of the most interesting sights to see when traveling. We shared a room with a Frenchman who would spend his days drinking baijo (think rice vodka) and playing arcade games and in the evening at clubs cavorting with Chinese ladies. A recent college grad who was trying to establish himself as a club promoter from the hostel. A Chinese guy named Lyon who spoke excellent English but with a bizarre British-Australian accent (for the record his teachers were either Chinese or American) who was writing a book about his personal wacky philosophy/spiritualism, which I believe centered around him being a prophet. Ofer and I had numerous discussion trying to psycho-analyze the local patients.

OREO SHAKE PLEASE

2009-12-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

Oreo Shake Please

Yangshuo was the first true backpacker town that I stayed at. I rolled in around four thirty in the morning and was whisked away to an IHA hostel, that was really more like a hotel. The price seemed reasonable and I had no qualms stealing a few hours of sleep before I started my day. When the sun came up I learned that contrary to my hawkers proclamation, I was not in the center of town and in an effort to save money on electricity the heater in my room was turned off. When I complained to the owner, he said I should find a girl to keep me warm. Black girls are the best, and he could help me meet a Chinese girl. I was tempted, but I thought he would likely set me up with a prostitute. I passed and moved locations the next day. The next place was staffed by underground Christians, they were nice.

Aside from the cheap rooms, ample eating options, and many loud bars, Yangshuo has a lot to offer. Let me rephrase. Even in if you don't want to indulge in the backpacker lifestyle, it's still worth visiting. Mainly because the scenery is amazing. Giant Karst mounds pop right out of the valley and the city is located by two very picturesque rivers. The area is so pretty, it's been enshrined on the back of the 20 kuai bill. I did my best to sample the scenery.

I spent a day floating down the river, another biking by the mountains and a third wandering through neighboring villages. Each had their own special highlights/memories. On the river cruise I won't forget stopping at a little island where villagers had pairs of very sick looking birds. I'm still not sure why someone would pay to have their picture taken with them. While biking, I had to cross the river several times via bamboo rafts. On one occasion, I slipped and stepped right into the river, whoops. Later that day while trying to stop before a rock, I fell over in what must have been the slowest crash in mountain bike history. Laughter was had on both occasions. After wandering for a couple hours, I decided to stop for a nap by a river. I was accidentally awoken by three local twenty somethings. Apparently, I had stumbled upon their spot. Naturally, I was obligated to share a small feast with them including more than a few beers.

Being in a backpacker town, I got access to some backpacker amenities, like fun courses or ways to test your adventureness. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go rock climbing-too wet, but I did take a coking course. Five dishes and half a day later, here's what I've learned. Use lots of oil, put oyster sauce in everything and water is your friend. The food was yummy. In fact, the local dish we made was better than when I ordered it several days prior.

A Walk in the Clouds

Staying in backpacker central was fun, but after several days in the touristy part of town, I was ready to get back on the road. How many interesting discussions can you have with travelers who are completely lost and staying here because it's cheap? The solution was to go north and west traveling through minority areas in the less visited spots of NW Guangxi and Guizhou.

A quick word about minorities in China. Ethnically, China is pretty homogeneous, boasting a Han population of around 90%. Of the remaining ten, I think the Uigher, Hui and Tibetans make up the balance and those folk are mostly out west. Here in the South, there are some twenty to thirty minorities. I've visited towns of the Dong and Yao, two of the larger groups consisting of three to four million people. In recent years, China has showcased their minorities to a greater extent. There's currently a touristification of many of these groups. Chinese will pay good money to see bizarre cultural shows ( think traditional dances with a disco bent) and many minority towns are living museums where after paying an admission fee you get to look at the locals. Which is pretty much what I've been doing, although hopefully less obtrusively. Plus the scenery is gorgeous and it allows me the opportunity to get my fill of ass massaging bus rides.

The first stop was Pingan and the Dragon Backbone Rice Terraces. I'm not sure how much you know about rice, but apparently, this is not the time of year to see 'jaw-dropping' (LP's words, not mine) views. What exactly does 'jaw dropping' mean anyway? Talk about hyperbole. Could you imagine going somewhere so intense it actually caused you seizures? I wouldn't want that. I saw Raider of the Lost Ark. I know my limits. I'll stick with amazing, beautiful, lovely, pleasant, austere, moving, special, etc. Anyplace 'jaw-dropping' I want nothing to do with. Where was I?

I like terraces, I think they're fun to look at. Small villages can be cool too, especially when they're filled with women who never cut their hair. Apparently the Yao believe beauty has much to do with the length of a woman's hair. So from teenage years onwards they don't cut it. Incidentally the men have no such prohibitions and just look like poor villages. Surely there are some special hair washing festivals when the women let their hair down (normally it's wrapped and covered), but as a balding man, I can't say this does much to pique my interest.

Right off the bus I was harassed (followed) by a woman offering me room accommodations. After strolling and bargaining, we finally reached a price for a room plus dinner. I thought I made a good deal. Little did I know that her place was at the top of the village, normally a positive, but with daytime visibility at 100 feet, not so important. I probably needed the exercise walking up... Her room was freezing and she stiffed me on dinner. By the time this fact became apparent it was pitch black outside and with visibility down to ten feet, I was convinced I would never find my room again. I buckled down and supped on Chinese Twinkies and sunflower seed.

Sleep came easily and after a hearty breakfast, I embarked on a half day hike that more than compensated for the poor hospitality. In the five hour hike between two villages, I was walking above and through rice terraces. Unfortunately, visibility was pretty poor and the terraces were just dry remains of the previous harvest. Not exactly the glistening rice fields in the pictures. I'm not complaining, i do still have my jaw.

Dong Da Dong Dong

From there it was onwards to several Dong villages, first Chenyang and then Zhaoxing. Getting around the villages was pretty tough because of the very poor condition of the roads. The one bright side is that many were in the process of (re)construction. So at some point getting around out here will be easier. For now, it can be a back-breaking, butt-bouncing affair. I do not have fond memories of the road between Conjiang and Kaili. Supposedly separated by 120 km, the ride took almost eight hours. Visibility in these parts has been pretty poor. So while there are many pretty mountains and terraces, most cannot be viewed. Boo. On country roads, there are usually country travelers. This is fine except some get motion sickness and end up spending the majority of the bus ride, pucking. Lovely.

The Lonely Planet mentions that several of these places are overrun with tourists and lost their rustic charm. I didn't find this to be the case at all and I haven't seen a white face for over a week. I'm sure it's partially because of the time of the year. I don't mind travelers that much. Without them(us) it's harder to find places to stay, where to eat, find companionship, etc. In China, this is not to be belittled, especially since hotels here need a special permit to house foreigners. In less visited areas it's often very tough to find budget accommodations. The other day I wandered around needlessly for two hours before I found a suitable (not crazy expensive) place. I've spent the past week with a Korean fellow, and I've been very happy to have the company, plus he can read a little Chinese.

Dong villages have two primary characteristics. They're dirty, filled with muck and mud and they are under constant construction. They also tend to have lots of drum towers and naturally are filled with Dong people. The amazing thing about Dong construction is that they don't use any nails or bolts. All the pieces fit together like giant log legos. Part of me is amazed by the quality as they build three and four story buildings this way. The other part of me, wants to encourage them to get into the twenty first century. Their architects and woodsman must be real craftsmen. But spending hours planning wood, or figuring out exactly how many divots to fit into a particular log seems like a very inefficient use of time. I can only imagine what would happen if a woodworker found himself in a Home Depot. He would faint for sure, with sudden death being a remote possibility.

The past couple of days have been spent walking and biking in these random villages. Basically, we wander around hiking in the surrounding mountainsides, bike where we can ogle at villagers and sit down inside the drum towers. Drum towers seem to be where the older men of the village congregate so it's generally fun to hang out with the old timers for a bit. Usually they just sit around a fire, burning anything to keep warm. When I say anything I mean it. Wood, trash, clothing, animals (ok I didn't see that), even random mechanical equipment. The guys are quite a sight. The Dong people are small and the old men are always smoking. Often then don't bother to deal with matches or lighters and simply stick their pipes or most often their whole hands in the fire. I've seen enough charred hands and fingers for the time being. In one little mountain village we were pleasantly sitting, minding our own business, when a popping noise starts coming from the fire. Next thing we know a large metal projectile flies out of the fire. It was at that point that we decided to leave. It was great strolling around the country side. The weather didn't exactly cooperate since it's been cloudy, misty and rainy most of the past week. I saw the largest waterfall in Asia. I'm not sure I believe it's the biggest fall since while it's nice, it wasn't overpoweringly large. Yesterday we tried to visit one of the largest caves in China. Five hours into our three hour bus ride we realized we didn't have time to actually go to the cave. Instead we stopped at a Chinese version of a KFC, Home Cooked Chicken and turned right around. The food was surprisingly good. I'm not that upset about missing the cave, I would have been pissed if I missed my train that night, which I didn't.

I'm currently in Kunming, the capital of Yunan and home to many exciting outdoor adventures. Hopefully winter won't blow me away and I'll spend the next couple weeks enjoying the interesting scenery. Plus I'll be joined by my good friend Charles who is visiting from the states for a couple of weeks. Should be great!

Way Behind

2009-12-01T03:33:00.001-08:00

I'm way behind in updating this and for that I apologize. I'm not trying to make excuses, but I have a couple good reasons for the delay, (1) I haven't had/sought consistent computer access, (2) I'm having too much fun to take the time and (3) for the better part of the past month, I've been traveling or staying with people and they're much more interesting for me to interact with than a silly computer.

Here's a quick update of where I've been. I spend a week plus in Beijing, flew down to Hangzhou, spent a week in Shanghai and now I'm in Hong Kong. And it's finally warm, woohoo! I even went to the beach today. There's no way I'm going to do justice to my experiences of the past couple weeks, but I'll try to give some highlights/impressions.

Beijing
Did I mention how much I enjoyed this city? I think I did, in any case, let me say it again. This place is teeming with life, past present, future, it's all here. Xian is the ancient capital and it's got some great history, but I think the sites are way more compelling in Beijing. In a similar way that the elegance and beauty of the temples in Kyoto draw you in, the magnitude and grandeur of the Forbidden City and the Great Wall blow you away. Beijing was pretty close (it's not the north capital for no reason) hovering around freezing the whole time and snowing on multiple occasions. The one positive being that there were less travelers and I didn't get hastled too much, oh and I got to throw snowballs at random Beijingers from time to time. I was fortunate to walk the 10k on the Greet Wall on a crisp, clear, yet cold day. I must have been one amount fifteen tourists that morning. We all got a good workout and I was fortunate not having been more sore from the previously mentioned exercise routines.

I also really enjoyed the 798 art district, admittedly as much for the real estate as for the art. Several years ago the government decided to transform a district of old warehouse building into galleries and a walking area. I'm not sure if this area is economically viable, meaning is enough art being sold to allow the galleries to afford the rent that must be required to justify the cost of rehabilitating the area? And in general is the art at a reasonably high quality or are the galleries fishing for tourist dollars (i went back and forth on this one)? From a public works/space perspective, I just love the idea. I know my Chicago peeps are still smarting from last months' Olympic rejection. But imagine if the City invested the cost of just one of the temporary stadiums (let's say $400 mil) into an area like this. What would you rather have, a stadium for three weeks or a lasting area for creativity and tourism? Seems like an obvious choice to me.

The one disappointing attraction I experience was going to Chaoyang Theatre to see some acrobats. I'm clearly spoiled, since I was left unastounded by the show. Let's just say that I was impressed but hoping for jaw-dropping stuff, which I didn't see. Plus there was no narrative and little artistry. Just gals and dudes in ugly leotards.

The food on the other had was very good. The night we went out for duck was probably the best meal of my trip. Since it was only $20, I'm' craving it again just thinking about it. Wait, Cantonese food is delicious....mmmm Chinese food. The duck was awesome, the best part being the crisply skin, which would melt in your moth after the application of some sugar. The show stopper though were sauteed bamboo shoots, with a great soy marinade and a satisfying crispiness.

Aside from the pollution, the City was totally great...sites, food and best of all the people.

Super Hospitality

2009-11-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

Super Hospitality I was fortunate to have an invitation to stay with some people in Beijing. Considering that they were friends of a friend of a friend I was lucky indeed. In fact, I hit the jackpot. My hosts Taylor and MCK weren't just generous they were all around great guys; really interesting, fun to hang out with, extremely creative, nice friends, plus handsome to boot. I have no problem admitting a small man crush on my hosts, and it was difficult to finally leave their place. It was great because I got to experience Beijing from an ex-pats prospective and I felt like I actually got to sample life in the city. Not only did I travel around and see the sites, I also had the pleasure of dinner parties and meeting many great people. This is just the second capital I visited on this trip so far-Tokyo being the other, and I've loved them both, but for different reasons. Tokyo is the epitome of a metropolis and since it's Japanese it has all the craziness and excitement of that culture. These are just two of several reasons why it's great. What I loved about Beijing was totally different. The history of the city is interesting, but it's the dynamic nature of the place that I loved. China is going through a revolution unlike anything we know. It's a simultaneous industrial and information revolution taking place in the twenty first century. Beijing is the nexus of this development- some say Shanghai but Beijing is the political capital in any case. And it seems to be attracting people interested in benefiting and shaping the development of the country. The people I met in the capital were all doing some very interesting things from running their own non-profits to working for embassies. My hosts were no exception. Taylor has a number of interesting consulting gigs including helping Chinese companies list on the German market. MCK runs his own strategic marketing company called Khaki Creative. There is an entrepreneurial bent to expat life in China that's very exciting at the moment. I loved that I got to see this life close, even if it was just for a week.

Pumping it Up
So the guys I stayed with are real go getters. In go getter fashion they would start their days with an early morning workout. This was first introduced to them by a guy named Matt, who also happened to be staying there. Matt is a former army captain who was in China to follow Mao's Long March. He's currently applying for a Fulbright to come back here for research on the subject (see what I'm talking about when i say interesting people). Aside from being a great guy, the man is huge! Matt used a set of workout tapes called P 90x during his service, and passed along his wisdom to MCK and Taylor when he saw that they were interested in intense workouts. The boys asked me if I was interested in joining them for a killer morning workout. This never really crossed my mind, but when in Rome.... I think I'll always associate Beijing with this routine because for a week plus this became an important part of my daily routine, starting everyday at 6:30. P 90x (this and other tapes can be found on www.beachbody.com) is a ninety day fitness challenge that is supposed to transform the fit and healthy to ass-kicking super-specimens. The tapes are led by an overly energetic fitness guru named Tony Horton. The man could probably kick Sergeant Slaughter's ass and is very likely on speed (he's way too energetic not to be). Without going into too much detail, there are about ten routines, that alternate through the three months, jumping, lunging, stretching, and lifting, using nothing more than weight bands and a pull-up bar. This man will destroy you! Even though it was only one week, I think I could feel results. I'm certainly not cut now, but I am fitter than when I started. There was something really great about starting my days with this intense activity and although I was constantly sore, hopefully it's something that will be part of my life when returning to some degree of normalcy. Since my situation was so comfortable , I was in no hurry to see all the sites, although I saw plenty. Instead, I focused on hanging with my new friends, and eating some yummy food. I spent a day in the old hutong neighborhoods of the city. Another wandering in open markets and pretending to be interested in the mounds of cheap knockoffs and 'antiques'. It's fun to bargain especially when there's nothing you fear not getting. Before I knew it, I was in Beijing a number of days without having seen the obligatory sites.

TRAINING EAST

2009-11-18T14:22:00.000-08:00

Training East

The last flight to Beijing left Dunhuang at the end of October. It sucked that I missed it by a couple of weeks, but it meant I would have the pleasure of taking my first sleeper train, a nice easy 30 hour ride. Dunhaung is not on the main east-west transit line so it meant that I had to first get to Liuyang, some hour or two north, and since my train was to leave at five in the morning I figured I might as well sleep in the station.

After help from the hostel, I found myself in a shared cab at about nine in the evening. After running a few errands, including picking up more passengers to squeeze into the back, we were on our way, weaving along an unlit desert highway. It was a bit scary, so I dozed off. By one we were in the station and within five minutes I had picked out my very own spot amid the grime and cigarette butts to sleep on the floor. At five, I stumbled into the train and in no time I was asleep again nestled in my own little sleeper bed.

By eight thirty the cabin was alive with activity. I fought the urge to get up mainly because there was no where to go. I was stuck for a day plus; sleep seemed like my best option. The next day was spent alternating between reading, writing and sleeping, kind of like my trip from Japan. This time though all the characters were front and center (sometimes on my bed) for me to observe. I think I turned out to be more interesting for them, then vice versa. As the only foreigner I had to struggle with some major language issues. I had an initial conversation with my neighbors for about an hour. That sounds impressive, but in fact, I only understood the first minute or two and thereafter I was just nodding politely. Most of my interlocutors peeled off as they lost interest, but one guy kept me sitting there for a while. Where was I to go? If I scampered off to the bathroom, he would just be there when I got back. I just had to wait until he decided to shut up.

A number of people on the train thought I was Chinese. They would approach me and ask, "Are you from Xinjiang?" This question is only slight less ridiculous after you learn that this is the home of the Muslim Uigher population. Some of them have beards, I have a beard. I guess it makes sense.

Two observations from the train. Chinese travelers are terrible packers for train journeys. This is apparent in their selection of food, and bizarre attire. It seemed that the average traveler brought a quantity of food equal to or greater than a fifth of their body weight. As if they are prepared to spend not one day, but possibly one week with this stock. As if this weren't enough, several bought additional boxes of fruit. Many of the male travelers wore cheap sport coats, which I found odd because they weren't warm, didn't' look good and there was no place to hang the jacket. Odder still was the amount of pant layers worn by the guy in the bunk next to me. After the trousers came off, he removed his sweatpants, after which he had thinner pants, which were over long johns. This made no sense to me since the cabin was totally temperature controlled and rather pleasant.

The toilet was also stranger. Rather than keeping the waste to be drained at the station. The toilet opened upon flushing and seemed to let everything fly. I'll have to have a closer look the next time I pass some tracks. The trip passed without any major discomfort and I arrived in El Capital without any problem.

Rockets A Flying
Before I get to my wonderful time in Beijing. I wanted to discuss a couple recent events. Prior to my visit, I learned that Beijing experienced one of the largest snowfall in the past thirty years. Apparently the city is having some water problems so the government tried to induce rainfall. This was done by shooting a rocket into the sky to seed the clouds. Unfortunately, the dosage was mistakenly too large and the weather was colder than expected. The result, snow, lots and lots of snow. Ooops. No biggy, as it melted a few days later, and fortunately, it snowed two more times in the week plus I spent there.

The other event that caught my attention was the opening of a new stock exchange. I believe it's called the GEM market. On it's first day of trading all the stocks were up twenty percent, such that trading temporarily suspended. The excitement of the opening I think is common here when discussing the economic situation. The euphoria together with the massive level of development and lack of the true oversight (read rampant corruption) worried me. Stocks don't go up forever, companies don't effectively /police themselves , tax dollars get misappropriated. Everything is all good right now, but what happens if there's a problem

Caravaning West

2009-11-10T00:07:00.000-08:00

Caravaning West

After a week of abdicating most minor decisions to my new Chinese speaking friends, I was once again on my own and totally lost in translation. I shouldn't say totally since I've picked up a bit of Chinese. I can now ask for directions. Unfortunately, I won't understand the answer. I don't actually mind the helplessness, it's funny at times and a good lesson in trust. But at times it does lead to adventures.

The goal for my first day on my own was to visit the mountainside monastery some two hours from where I stayed. It was a struggle from the get go as the tax driver charged three times the actual price to get me to the bus station. Fortunately, I knew the price and when he said 12, I paid four, we were both happy. The next bus, supposedly every half hour, wasn't to leave for an hour and when it did we went five minutes before stopping for an additional hour to find more passengers. From the book, I learned to take the bus to a small town, some seven km from the monastery where frequent minibuses shuttle back and forth to. Small town was an understatement as this village didn't have more than twenty houses by Chinese standards this place is nonexistent, there was no minibus to be found and it turned out to be twenty km away. There didn't seem to be anything around. Yet with little hesitation I hoped off as the bus driver gesticulated this as my destination. By this time it was already mid-afternoon and I didn't want to be stranded here. So I walked through the neighboring hills. Accompanied only by the buzzing of cicadas and the distant howling of dogs, I was by myself in the middle of the high desert, totally lost. It was great, much more enjoyable than the monastery for sure. Surrounded by dirt fields, a blue blue sky, snow capped mountains, I really enjoyed this time of being in the middle of nowhere.

That experience was replicated a few days later in Jayaguan. the only reason to visit this dusty little desert town is to see the fort, which was located at the western point of the Chinese Empire. It was nice, but like many of the other sites here, too much theme park, not enough history. I was tempted to pay the dollar to defend the fort from attackers by shooting arrows down from the wall at a straw man. And I was really hooping that a tourist would try their luck firing a cannon juts outside the fort's gate. Who owns a cannon? And how did they get it? Once I was down with the fort, I spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering along the Great Wall. This was my first experience with the wall and rather than the dramatic twists and turns in the mountainside, this section just flowed into the barren desert. It was fun to do, but not the amazing experience I'm hoping for outside of Beijing.

Riding Off Into the Sunset, On A Camel

My last stop out West turned out to be one of my favorites. The Great Wall is supposedly the border, but Dunhuang really is at the edge of civilization. My hostel literally backed into sand dunes. I had previously been convinced of the pleasure of an overnight stay in the desert and the camel trek sounded fun. I was prepared to go by myself, but I was grateful when I found the other two guests in my hostel were equally keen on spending the night among the freezing elements.

Before riding off into the sunset on my camel, I first visited the Magao Caves, the largest complex of Buddhist Grottoes in China. As you can probably guess from my two previous experiences, I had an interesting visit here. Louyang and Tianshui have impressive carvings, Magao has that, plus some very unique artwork throughout the site. Think Buddhist art meets Arabic art. Flying Buddhas, dramatic colors, something unlike anything I've previously seen. I think this site along would justify coming all the way out here. The desert is an added bonus.

Dunhuang is home to some of the tallest sand dunes in the world, and the desert here looks like it does in the movies. It's no coincidence since they actually film movies out here. We could see their trucks in the distance. I was hoping to be an extra in a Chinese Kung Fu desert movie (how cool would that have been?), but it didn't happen. The camel trek was nice, nothing to blow my mind since I've been in the desert before, unlike my Chinese companions. It's always peaceful to be in the middle of nowhere. Since there was a full moon, midnight felt like dusk and while the stars were out in full force, it wasn't one of those nights where they blanket the sky.

It was very cold, certainly less than freezing and even with my warmest clothes on, I still felt chilly. The camel guide was fortunately well prepared bringing along old army jackets. Unfortunately he didn't have the matching maozi (hat) since that would have had the double benefit of warming the ears and making for a funny picture. His other technique to battle the cold was to light dried camel dung on fire and bury the embers under the tent. He clams to have discovered this technique himself. Which is a shame, since this is a well-known strategy for adding warmth when needed. Let me tell you, nuzzling into your sleeping bag in the freezing desert is much easier when you're on top of some smouldering poop.

The next day, we got up to watch the sunrise. But since china doesn't 'believe' in time zones, this was easier than it sounds. Sunrise was at 8:30 or so, kind of weird. What I enjoyed most about the desert was climbing up the sizable dunes and tromping back down. Invariably the dune peaks seemed closer than they were and it was tough, yet rewarding work. Some times the sand was nice and compact and no problem to walk in, at other points, I would sink in to my knees. The climbing up was nice and the view from the dunes was really great, but my favorite part of the whole trip was finding my way down the dunes. This was best done by running as fast as I could through the powdery sand. The inclination was very steep and the only way to prevent tumbling down was to keep running. Oh, what great fun. It was with great satisfaction that I would take off my shoes and empty the ample quantities of sand.

So that was Dunhuang and the desert. Really pleasurable, if the temperature was a little bit more accommodating I would stay longer. It was certainly time for me to see the capital and after a thirty hour train trip that would finally happen.

A TASTE of TIBET

2009-11-01T10:52:00.000-08:00

A Taste of Tibet

There is so much discussion of Tibet in the West that it's hard not to be curious and want to see it for yourself. Currently, the only way for non-Chinese to go the region is with a guided tour group, with a cost of two to three times actual travel costs. I am certainly curious to see Lahsa and it would be interesting to see what must be beautiful mountains and countryside, but I don't like the idea of seeing a Tibetan theme park. For travelers in the West, there are plenty of Tibetan towns that are open and with a short detour can be visited no problem. This past week, I've seen several of these towns in the Gansu and Qinghai Provinces. Some travelers have discussed this as a more 'authentic Tibetan experience,' since there are a higher percentage of Tibetans than in much of Tibet, with a less (but frequent) prominent police and government presence.

I'm going to leave all the politics to the side, especially since I'm waiting for a visa at the moment. I'll say only this; the post-colonial dialogue that we often hear in the West, "China bad, Tibet good," is a ridiculous oversimplification of the issue and should be rejected.

The three cities I've been to are all one-street towns of various sizes. The smallest being 3,000, the largest of about 70,000. Two things hit me immediately as I left the bus station in Xiahe. First, you can't but notice the dust, soot, exhaust that chokes you on any main street. It's enough to make one want to buy those little gas masks. At times, I was surprised not to be coughing up a dust clod. Second, the Tibetans are spitting images of the Andeans, same round face, flush checks, big smiles, layered dress, silly cowboy hats, even the scenery is similar. Of course you see monks here, and rather than little alpaca dolls you see tiny yaks,. But the similarities are uncanny and there must be some relation. This observation was shared by a Canadian and American that I spent the next couple of days with. Since the American could speak Mandarin, we had some funny discussions and good times with the Tibetans. Plus she taught me two new terms. ABC- American Born Chinese, and Sea Turtles- Chinese that live abroad but eventually make their way back to China. Funny. The first day we walked down some random street where some water system was being installed. In a short time we were in discussion with ten Tibetans ranging in age from 15 to 30. Much merriment ensued and in no time they were inviting us to their house half an hour away. Their hospitality was great as they offered the little they could, tea and an edible, yet unappetizing paste/bread called tsampa. They really enjoyed our digital cameras and took pleasure not only in looking at past pictures and seeing themselves, but also at trying their hand at photography.

Monkeying Around

Xiahe is home to one of Tibetan Buddhism most important monasteries- Labrang. This monastery and much of the city took part in riots last year. As a result, it is much less active-less monks, than in previous years. Still the monastery gives the town a special feel and you can't help but notice the presence of monks in the city. After poking out heads into various temples we climbed a stupa where we discovered a small basketball court with monks shooting some hoops. They were very excited when we walked onto their dirt court and in no time we were playing a spirited game of four on four. I chuckled when I saw one of them wearing an Iverson jersey and I was pleased to discover that I dominated the game. I think it's been five years since I've touched a basketball, but I was of course a college baller. I believe I was described in the local paper at the time as a raw talent at best. Oh Yeah! Once you start moving the altitude at 3,000 meter causes a burning in your lungs and shortness of breath.

After the game we were invited for lunch- some type of rice slop that tasted kind of like risotto. We took lots of pictures and laughed a lot, it was great. Several of the monks were excited to see my arm hair, delighted to see my hairy legs and went nuts when they discovered hair on my chest. At one point a monk grabbed my pants to sneak a peak at what lies below. He was unsuccessful, but I'll tell you, more hair. I have a rip in one of my pants and a kind monk suggested I make a patch with my leg hair. If I were easily offended, I promptly would have kicked him off the team. Instead, I've penciled him in as the starting two- I like his aggressiveness.

I spent the next week traveling with a Chinese speaking Belgian guy, and a constantly giggling Chinese lady. My favorite line from her- you look like a Bin Laden but cuter. Wow great!? We spent the first couple of days walking around. Langmusi was our favorite hiking spot and after waiting out the weather-it was snowing, something that I am completely unprepared for. We had a nice hike to the neighboring cliffs. The altitude really affected me and when we climbed three hundred meters to our peak of 3700m, I was pooped. After downing many a beer and gobbling up something called a yak burger we slipped under our electric blankets and off into sleep.

Xining was our destination since as a regional capital it was a safe bet to extend our visas. With no direct buses we were forced to stop over at Hezuo. Nothing too exciting here, and after a few days of no hot water we decided to go to a bathhouse. For five bucks we got all the hot water we would need and a massage to boot. It was an odd experience starting with the ample application of vinegar followed by a rubdown with a scouring pad normally used for pans. After scrapping us back, front and in between a balm of salt, random bag A and random bag B was applied. We were then tenderized by being whacked up and down- it really hurt. With the abuse over, we were ready to cook over low heat in the sauna. Our Chinese gal pal was equally indifferent to her massage, suggesting the masseur had more practice using her hands in a different more 'adult' way.

No problem with the visa in Xining and after a couple of uneventful days there, the highlight being learning Chinese drinking games and partying at a local club, I've headed back on my own NW along the Silk Road. Unfortunately, I'm heading the wrong direction (west) and flights back to Beijing are no longer available. This means I'll either have to detour or take a really long train back. Then again, I can always keep going until I hit Khazakstan, I heard about some event called running of the Jew. Nah, I'm excited to finally see Beijing, it's time. But first a couple last days in the wild wild West playing in the desert.

HEADING WEST written 10/25/09

2009-10-26T23:13:00.000-07:00

Heading West

I could have stayed longer in Xian seeing how there's so much history, but I wasn't feeling the city and I wanted to move on. Part of that was due to my hostel, which I didn't love. The staff was nice, but the place was too busy for my taste. With a constant flow of people, you saw all kinds from the spunky 22 year old visiting Hong Kong, Xian, Beijing and Shanghai all in one week, to a guy biking across China. It was just too much of a scene for me and not what I'm looking for at the moment. The perfect place right now would have about ten travelers- five Chinese, five other (at least one Westerner) mattresses more than an inch thick, ample hot water and staff that specializes in massage therapy. I'm sure it's out there.

The past couple destinations were easy to plan. I've just travelled directly West since I've been here, with Xian as the destination. Now I've reached a little crossroad. Should I head back north, take a week and head back to Beijing or try for something a little bit different? I needed to especially consider the climate, it's mid-October and it gets cold here soon, and my visa situation. After visiting a public security bureau, I've been told it's relatively easy to get an extension and I should have a couple weeks of reasonable weather up north. I'm up for a little bit of adventure, so I've opted for heading West.

Here's my thinking....What I've really enjoyed since I've been here are the random interactions, climbing mountains, and getting uncomfortably lost. The sights themselves have been much less interesting than just traveling and being in China. In fact many of the attractions are presented in an unappealing way and the whole hostel culture can be trying at times. I see this as a way to see a very different fact of the country, where I will expect some major language issues. I have to admit two influences. Over the summer I read Rob Gifford's very interesting book, China Road about his travels from Shanghai to Khazakstan. And over the past several Weeks have met numerous travelers coming from the silk road. It will be nice to see the country a bit. I'll experience blue skies, try different foods. Plus it will give me a chance to see Tibetan villages without actually going to Tibet, which I don't think I'll be going.

But first I had to get out of Xian, something that proved harder than I thought. The China rail site I consulted indicated hourly trains until one and then nothing until evening. I had the fortune of meeting a couple of Americans in line who happened to be living in China. One was a producer from LA, the other a student from Chicago. I asked and the guy from LA agreed to help me buy my ticket. I was delighted only to later discover that he bought the wrong ticket and I was out the cost of the ticket. I feel like the $6 was well spent since I learned an important life lesson- never trust an LA producer. I didn't so much mind the lost time, but I was not pleased that my train wouldn't arrive until 12:30. In fact, I didn't get to my destination until well past two and I had no idea where I would be sleeping.

Tianshui

I quickly made my way through the yelling taxi drivers and thought about my search. After unsuccessfully negotiating at a couple crappy places by the station, I went to town to try my luck there. I should say, other town since the major area o f Tianshui is about 15 km from the station. I grabbed a cab and practiced the little Chinese I've acquired. It was all going great until we reached the destination, where I learned the bill was four times what the book said. We had an argument and I didn't pay until after I check ou t the hotel. Reception was closed and after knocking I learned they didn't have any available rooms, or at least not for me. Great, it's three in the morning, I have no room, and a cabbie is yelling about two dollars. I took my stuff, paid him half of what he wanted and continued wandering. The taxi sped off-meaning I paid a reasonable amount and I headed for another hotel down the street. After some negotiation, I finally got into the rock hard bed around four. I was tired.

My nice experience at the Longmen Caves led me to believe I would enjoy other grottoes as well. The fourth largest carving are located outside Tianshui at MejiShan. Getting there was simple enough and I didn't bat an eye when the bus driver asked for ten kua rather than the seven described in the book. LP is rarely 100% accurate about pricing. Anything that's close seems reasonable to me. Up on th e mountain, I learned the actual price was four yuan- it seems the guidebook author got taken as well and it also explained why the conductor gave the driver three kuai at the end of the trip. No matter since it was well worth getting out to see the grottoes. I was accompanied by clear blue skies, and the tens of Chinese tourists were a significant reduction from any site in Xian.

The carvings were made directly into the mountainside in a very dramatic fashion. Catwalks have been constructed so you can get a close up view of the carvings. Climbing up is not for those with a fear of heights. At times I had to concentrate on putting one foot after another and try not to think of the sheer drop. Getting a close up view of these Buddhist wonders is really special. Some of the figures are thoughtful, reverent, relaxed and powerful. Clearly artistic reflections of what I've felt on this trip.

After a short stop in Lanzhou-the regional capital and home to over three million people, I spent the next week or so in Tibetan villages out west, which I'll be writing about shortly.

I'll take the cheap Room - written 10/19/09

2009-10-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

I'll take the Cheap Room

I took a four/ten hour bus trip from Louyang to Xian. I say four/ten because four hours was the projected travel time, ten was the actual. I'm not sure why it took an extra six hours, but I do know that we stopped at one point not moving for over two hours. Other than the fact that my elderly male neighbor had a terrible wig, there was nothing particularly interesting about the trip.

I finally rolled into my hostel around nine. Filled with good spirits, I felt like a thief when I opted for the twenty kuai room. Why pay double for the same accommodations- I ain't no sukka? I'll gladly stay in the basement. The following morning after an estimated two hours of sleep, I reconsidered my decision. The room seemed to be specially designed to circulate smoke into the room and the insulation was such that I felt I could directly participate in the conversation outside. I'm all for merriment, but these loud backpackers were up until six and wouldn't let me sleep. Then disaster struck. I noticed at some point in the middle of the night that my key disappeared. Normally this would never happen since I would keep it on my person. But this was a room where you had to put the card in the light switch to activate the electricity, which was crucial to operate a tiny fan. At around six when one of my roomies came in, I asked about the key. She was either too drunk, stupid, or foreign to understand; lIkey a combination of all three. Early in the morning I stormed to the desk and demanded satisfaction. They were sympathetic to my complaints and would gladly change my room but would have to charge me for the lost key. This amounted to a whopping $14 (what am I made of money?) and I refused to pay. I didn't lose it, your evil guests who tormented me mistakenly took it in an act of drunken negligence. After a little bit of back and forth, we reached a compromise. They would charge me 50 kuai for the key, but discount the upgraded room by 60 kuai. Fine with me, especially since I was happy to pay the higher rater, just not the key deposit. The next room was much better. I spent the next day with an English fella at the Terra cotta warriors and then co-habitating with two Danish girls and a French gal. We all nestled together at night and will be joining a Swedish commune next Fall.

Terracotta Spectacle

The Big Goose Pagoda is presented in typical Chinese fashion, totally exploited. The oldest and most famous site in Xian (the warriors don't count since they're outside the city) has been turned into a theme park. Come here to see a water show, poorly constructed statues and kitschy historical remakes. It's like someone from the tourist ministry visited Las Vegas, saw it's success and was convinced cultural sites needed to be Vegasized. Bigger and kitschier. Who needs to step back into the magical Chinese past when instead you can have your picture on a camel, buy an annoying bird whistle or overpay for ice-cream? At least Vegas has an ample supply of clean toilets.

The warriors were a similar experience. They're certainly cool, but way over-hyped. The entrance to the site calls it the eight wonder of the world. The mass of warriors is impressive, as is the fact that the tomb was begun when the emperor was just 13. Checky little guy. The tomb itself hasn't been excavated for fear that it will be destroyed during the process. The museum is disappointing, totally lacking in details. There is as much description praising the valiant nature of the construction workers who built the facility as actual history. I'm down for patriotic whooping, but why not focus it on the guy and the emperor who built the site?

More interesting than the Warriors was Emperor Jindi's Tomb. It was supposed to be an easy five minute bus ride and then a simple transfer to bus number four which would take me straight to the site. After my three attempts to board the bus were vigorously rebuffed, I became concerned. Signs that indicated buses leaving overnight- 0:30, 1:30, 3:00, etc. confused me. So, I walked to the bus station where I got similar direction as my hostel. An additional three attempts were denied before I was finally granted admittance. That wasn't that bad, tomb here I come. Well, it wasn't quite that simple. The number four drove for about twenty minutes before stopping at a random stop on the side of the road. The only distinguishing characteristic being the presence of several other buses. After gesticulating my question, I learned that I had to board another number four which was to leave from across the street. After forty minutes of waiting and a twenty minute drive I finally reached the tomb.

So, was all the hastle worth it? The fascinating archaeological site more than makes up for the pain. Plus the museum is very pleasant with interesting descriptions and fields of roses where digging once took place. I think what makes this site so interesting is that it's an active dig and you walk right over and next to the excavation pits. Jingdi's Tomb has relics that focus more on everyday life. So rather than warriors, you'll see horses, pigs and little men. It's all very interesting and if you make it to Xian I would say visiting the site is just as important and more enjoyable than the warriors.

Xian has some fascinating history, so I wanted to visit some of the cities museums. I did make it to one, but twice failed in my attempt to visit the large municipal one. On the first attempt, I discovered it's closed on Mondays and when I tried a couple days later, I found I arrived when the museum was closing 4:15. The guidebook said 7- stupid guidebook. Actually I'm not sure if it's LP's fault completely, the Chinese museums have strange hours in the afternoon. At an attached building I wandered to a small art exhibit. Where after five minutes I was approached by the artist. It was almost all calligraphy, which I have no problem admitting that I am indifferent to. It's hard to appreciate it when the language is totally lost on me and I know next to nothing about it's style and history. It was interesting to talk with the artist- now I know a little about calligraphy. His English wasn't great and when he could tell that I was not interested in purchasing pictures, nor a calligraphy aficionado, the conversation petered out.

Xian has a very active Muslim quarter (it was funny to hear travelers sometimes refer to it as the Middle Easter Quarter) with a lovely mosque and a winding maze of street vendors selling a wide range of products from 'Gucci" bags to delicious street food. I ate there a couple of nights with the highlights being grilled quail eggs and a thick lamb soup filled with chucks of bread. I should note that if you are interested in buying some low quality Chinese art there is a lady-I believe she's twenty stalls in on the northside of the street, who will give you a good price. She told me to tell my friends....

A City of the Past of One of the Future?

I have been here for a couple of weeks but Xian is my first real city (Louyang has a measly 1.5 mil) as such I've experienced a couple firsts. I saw a biker get plowed by a reckless taxi cab. I stayed there for the following argument and could only shake my head when after five minutes the cab drove off, leaving the girl in tears with only a crowd of spectators to console her. I also had the special joy of seeing multiple kids squatting in the middle of the sidewalk. There's nothing quite like walking down the street and seeing a kid give birth to a little brown snake. Especially when the delivery is a painful one accompanied by shouts of frustration and tears of pain. Oh, and I saw someone being dragged kicking and screaming into a police car, but that happens in any big city.

Equally surprising is to see the staggering amount of development. At the top of the Big Pagoda, I counted twenty cranes all in one direction. The magnitude of construction is amazing. It's not just that buildings are popping up left or right. It's that whole districts or even cities are being built. On my trip to the Tomb, I was struck by six support columns for a modern roadway located in the middle of nowhere. I could foresee ten years into the future where the fields are replaced by rows of apartments suitable of a proper suburb of Xian, right off the new interprovince roadway. This place that falls in the middle of nowhere is probably a pretty good real estate play.

I continue to have some interaction with the Chinese. I typically seek out the hostel employees and when I'm lucky, I am sometimes approached by random people when sightseeing, eating, or just generally looking lost. Usually, I'm approached by people under 30 and with varying degrees of English. During my second night while I was starting to enjoy some fried rice, I was hauled in by three guys in their late twenties. As we downed a couple of beers we had a pleasant conversation. Only one of the three had decent English, his name was David, he works for a large high-tech company headquartered in the States. At one point David extolled the virtues of Mao. "One of the world's greatest men, like your George Washington." I'm still figuring out how to deal with such provocative comments. In general, I just try to engage and ask questions. But there is often reluctance to go deeper than simple pronouncements.

Giant Buddhas carved in limestone 10/10/09

2009-10-12T20:23:00.001-07:00

Buddha photos taken 10/10/09

2009-10-12T20:16:00.001-07:00

The Buddha and ME

2009-10-10T23:07:00.000-07:00

me and the girls 10/9/09

2009-10-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

Longmen Grottoes written 10/10/09

2009-10-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

Longmen Grottoes

It's here in Louyang that I've seen my first Chinese site to really blow my mind. The Longmen Grottoes are about fifteen km from the city of Louyang and easily accessible by local city bus. Some 100,000 statues and images were carved out of the limestone mountainside on both sides of the Yi River. The bulk of the carving took place from 500 to 700 AD and the site is impressive in terms of beauty, size and simple quantity of images. Unfortunately, many of the statues were partially or completely destroyed. Some in the Cultural Revolution, others well before then. It's a real pity since this is a site that is totally inspiring.

The most impressive carving is a 35 meter Buddha surrounded by seven or so of his most trusted henchmen. Even the evil be headers were so beholden by this statue that they couldn't bring themselves to completely destroy it. Standing face to face with this enormous, I was just enraptured. A traveller I met joked that the site is so impressive, it must have led to converts on the spot- of this, I'm sure. I enjoyed the site so much, I've resolved to visit one of the other two special grottoes in China either west in Dunhuang or north in Datong- stay tuned to see where I end up.

Kung Fu- Holywood Style

The previous day I visited the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song. The word temple should be used very loosely. While Song mountain was in fact the meditation center and final resting place of one of Shaolin's most famous monks, the complex is more of an academy than a monastery. It was fun to see the kung fu performance. But the whole thing stank of showmanship, seemed to lack the spiritualism that is associated with the acrobatics and all the kitsch was a bit over the top. It actually had the feeling of many tourist sites in China. Once special places that have been exploited for their touristic possibility and stripped of their wonder.

This is exasperated by the typically high admission charges, and newish construction. Most of the buildings in the Shaolin complex were built in the past twenty years, and it's hard to think spiritually when the first two things I noticed were a gigantic projector screen spewing advertisements and various stores selling kung fu crap, some of which included Japanese swords and pieces from Lord of the Rings....very authentic. It's a common complaint of travelers I've met, and one that I agree with, that the admission charges to various cultural sites, mountains and any general tourist location seems to be very high. For example, the Shaolin Temple complex cost about $18 admissions. This does not seem like a large sum of money, but relatively speaking for China it's expensive. Consider that my food, lodging and local buses for two days were about this amount and you can see that the tourist ministry is stretching the realm of reasonability. How can locals afford to experience their country if they can't afford it?

Who Knew Stalin Read?

Ever since I've arrived, I've been on a half-hearted search for a Chinese phrasebook. Since I'll be here for a bit, I figured it's essential for me to be able to hold a one minute conversation along the lines of .... hello, my name is avi. I am from the US. Where are you from? I like China, the people are very nice and the food is delicious. Have you been to X? No I am not married. No, I don't want to meet your daughter (cousin, aunt, girlfriend, wife), etc. But I have been unsuccessful in my search. Finally, after two weeks I have a book.

I went to the big Xinhua in Louyang (1.4 mil peeps). I believe that Xinhua is the national bookstore (is there a national ice cream shop as well?), and it is well stocked with books about English. I even found about thirty books in English, but I couldn't find a simple English-mandarin phrasebook. Thirty minutes into my search, it was time to finally ask someone. After taking guidance from the hanging posters of Mao and Stalin (really?), I jumped in. I had composed several very elegant sentences to get across my message. 'Hello, I do not speak Chinese. I want to speak Chinese. Kanji, no good.' This was met by bewilderment and excitement. Naturally, the booksellers quickly ran for one of their mandarin-English books. I tried to explain that Kanji doesn't work for me. They did not understand. After five minutes, they called in the big guns, someone from the first floor. The results were the same. Finally, a local girl understood what I was saying and together we found the one, (one!) English-mandarin book in the whole store. Like all language books I've seen, I immediately wanted to rip out the pages for half of it, do I really need to know the names for Olympic sports and their associated Beijing venues? I think not. I don't need a list of area codes in the country. Who decides what goes in here? While all the other English books seemed reasonably priced (less than $5), and printed at the minimal cost, I feel I picked up the most expensive book in the store- almost $10, and the one that probably is copy written. Grumble...At least I got to see posters of babies in cameo, and full military garb (think the scene in Bruno) at the checkout line. That seemed to distract me from being ripped off.

I'm off to try some traditional local cuisine and tomorrow I'm headed to Xian, which is famous for it's ancient cloud of soot- I'm very excited.

Four Star Luxury

2009-10-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

Four Star Luxury

Kaifeng was my next stop and because of the holiday, I had a tough time finding accommodations. In normal circumstances I would be willing to wader around until I found a reasonable place to stay, but in this case my train was to arrive at eleven. After a four hour journey, I knew I wouldn't feel up to the hassel. After calling ten or so places, I finally found a suitable room, not too far from the old city. Unfortunately, I would be paying about ten times my previous location, but at $40 a night, I felt I could swing it no problem.

I was very impressed by the four star hotel rating, but quickly became concerned when I discovered the staff had zero English, like a small step above my Chinese. How to describe my room? Well, it kept me laughing for three nights and I would say the big bucks were worth it. Not because of the high quality, but because it provided me with the ability to experience dated, Communist luxury first-hand.

Since I was on the tenth floor I had an excellent view of the adjacent power-plant and government housing projects. This view was available through my sizable room length window and aided by the fact that the shades were in taters. The room was huge and the bathroom was just ridiculously large- bigger than the main room in my first Chicago apartment. The bathroom had a giant two person bath, bu the water came out in a trickle and the bathtub leaded. The remainder of the bathroom was a vast expanse of cheap white tile specially chosen to match the moldy ceiling tiles. The bedroom was just as elegant, complete with a mah jong table, TV and queen size bed. The room had peeling paint, electric sockets that didn't work, a badly stained carpet and torn bedspread. The bed itself was a rock- not that much of a surprise considering all the beds I've slept in here seem to be a one centimeter mattress atop plywood. The hotel was once luxury or at least designed with that in mind. Either the developer siphoned the funds to some private account or the manager just gave up trying to maintain it a long long time ago. The funniest part of the hotel was how it continue to promote itself as top-class luxury. The sticker prices on rooms were no less than $70 per person with most well over $100.

The highlight of Kaifeng was the great night market. I ate there several times and sampled a wide variety of foods from fresh squeezed sugar cane juice to odd-smelling (but interesting tasting) fermented tofu. My favorite was the grilled mutton (who can be sure what the meat was?) seasoned with copious amounts of cumin and chili powder, served by a disco-dancing (his booth rocked some solid beats) red-faced man.

Kaifeng was very crowded and I wasn't able to actually see any of the Jewish relics. I still found it interesting as it's an ancient capital with several sites of worth. The most impressive was a thousand year old pagoda. The pagoda is the oldest, best preserved in China. It's towering at around thirteen stories- try to imagine that 1,000 years ago, and constructed with a pressed clay that gives off a brownish hue, and it's name, Iron Pagoda. Plus for ten quay you can ascend to the top. That is if you can brave the dark passageways filled with steep, narrow steps and little kids. Also of note is a thousand armed Buddha. It's four-faced and took about sixty years to carve. It's attractive enough to block out the never ending supply of tourists and make up for the hypocritical trinket, selling, monks of the monastery.

Hello everybody..written 10/0/09

2009-10-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Has it been one month already? It doesn't seem like it at all. Hopefully, you've been checking my blog http://www.aviadventure.blogspot.com/ to see what I've been up to. Unfortunately, I can't actually access my blog here in China. But I've arranged for a clandestine agent to ensure that the updates keep coming. I've devised an intricate plan involving carrier pigeons, coded text and the Russians to get my message out. I won't divulge too much, lest my methods be discovered.

This past month has been great! I've met the Emperor, unleashed my inner karaoke beast, wandered around aimlessly, climbed mountains, experienced temples, been stared at constantly, photographed, filmed, smiled to, spat at, chased by dogs (even the dogs know I don't belong here), flirted with a Chinese army officer, been devoured by mosquitoes, met many people and much more.

Japan was everything it was supposed to be. Wonderful temples, crazy modern cities, beautiful countryside, great food, quirky and interesting people. I felt my three weeks there barely scratched the surface and if not for budget reasons (one thing Japan is not, is cheap) I would have been happy staying longer. Tokyo and Kyoto are a must see. Hopefully you will all have the opportunity to visit if you have yet to. I imagine just about anyplace in the country to be very enjoyable. How can you not love a country with a constant supply of supremely fresh fish and toilets that do everything short of talking to you? I wouldn't be surprised to learn of a model that thanks you for your deposit.

I'm currently writing from Keifeng, which was once home to many Jews and served as a refuge during WW II. Some have even mentioned Chinese Jews as one of the lost tribes of Israel. Between the Ethiopians, Chinese, Indians (I know they're others), I think Jacob must have been embarrassed to tell the world he had more than four wives. This is just my third city here and I've been here a little bit more than a week. China is, as you can imagine, quite different than Japan. I'm not sure the Chinese would ever admit it (since many hate the Japanese), but I think they are jealous of the cleanliness, efficiency, and transition to modernity of Japan.

As an aside, I asked a typical rural 23 girl about the Japanese. She responded by clearly expressing her adamant hatred of them. Since she works at a hostel she once met two Japanese tourists but she made a point of not talking to them and only communicating with them monosyllabic. When I asked about their particular offense she mentioned the terrible actions of the Japanese in WW II (no debate about that). When I pointed out the fact that this occurred over two lifetimes ago for someone our age and surely no 25 year old was involved in those atrocities. She simply responded with, I hate the Japanese. Hmmm

It took me awhile, but I've finally learned how to say chicken. It involved flapping my arms like wings and saying bok bok. I think I don't have the tone quite right because I only seem to be getting the worst pieces (neck, back, beak). It's still good though. Chinese is a tough language because of the tones. It's not enough to master the pronunciation, the inflections and intonation have to be right on to be understood. I'm trying and it's certainly humbling and humorous to resort to pantomiming or just accepting not being understood. It leads to many discussions with those who have some English and much laughter as I mispronounce newly taught phrases.

I've discovered that spitting (not ping pong) is the national sport. I believe there is a countrywide competition taking place at the end of the month. Assuming there is no prohibition on foreign competitors, I would like to enter the event.

I have also been made aware of a special car lease arrangement. Apparently if a car's horn is proved to be defective, the lessee is no longer obligated to make future payments while still being able to enjoy the use of the car. Naturally, this results in the ever present honking found in cities. Some consider the resulting music akin to a glorious symphony. I think it sounds more like the environment wailing or dogs playing the kazoo. In either case, while it's an intriguing idea for the sake of the greater good, I think this is an idea better left untested in the States.

China is much more of an adventure than Japan. Just getting anywhere seems like an accomplishment- this must be why Buddhism thrived here. While it's dirty and in some places filthy, I'm enjoying myself here. Much of that is due to the Chinese people, who have been just great. Being a Westerner, especially a tall, bearded, hairy, handsome one leads to many looks and much adulations (at least where I've been to at this point). Not a day has gone by without smiles from little kids, pictures with strangers and bewilderment from elderly. It's all going to my head and making traveling here really fun. The plan is to keep moving west to Xian and possibly beyond, before heading up to Beijing and then back south. I'm not sure how long I'll be here(1-3 months) and if you have any local contacts, I would greatly appreciate them.

All the best, I hope you're well, stay in touch and check the blog for more frequent updates.

Housekeeping Issues

2009-10-08T00:08:00.000-07:00

Housekeeping Issues

Before I continue with my sightseeing experiences, I think now is a good time to discuss some of my impressions from everyday interactions with the food, language, road and cleanliness here.

What No Fortune Cookie?

Like any good Jew, I've always been fond of Chinese food. Of course my experience is based upon the Americanized version of this cuisine. A big part of traveling is eating and I was particularly excited about my visit here. So far the results have been mixed, yet encouraging. Much of Chinese restaurant cuisine is communal style with several dishes ordered for everyone to dig in. One of the problems with traveling by yourself is there is less opportunity to try random food. And of course there's the problem of actually ordering. If you find yourself at a place with pictures you can simply point and say jigga. It's also acceptable to wander around and point to other people's food. If this isn't an option, it's usually a funny experience trying to communicate and always exciting to see what arrives. So those are the tough parts.

One of the great things about eating here is the ever present food stalls in night markets. You can find all sorts of fun treats. The other night I had dinner in one such market. I samples BBQ meat (mystery meat for sure), stir fried noodles, dried tofu, minced meat in pocket bread, sesame pudding and fresh sugar cane juice. Mmmmmm night markets. Plus they're really cheap, the above cost me no more than three dollars.

The couple times I've eaten in groups have been a real treat. My favorite places so far are the night stands step-up for dinner. There are a row of carts each proudly displaying the dinning possibilities. Aside from the requisite veggies, you'll see an assortment of proteins; tofu, chicken, assorted organs of various animals, live fresh fish, not so fresh fish, squirming sea creatures, random bugs and probably anything else you can possibly eat. Of course this is much easier to navigate with a Chinese speaker and since everything is cooked in one of two pans the tastes kind of run together. But so far, I've been pleased with this arrangement. And I'm proud to say I've done a pretty good job of just sticking food in my mouth. I'm sure sooner or later I'll end up eating something strange (could have happened already) like goat testicles, fermented yak spit, or dog's tail. But what's the harm if I don't know?

One last thing I have yet to see (nor do I expect to) is a fortune cookie. If you want a fortune, you need to go to a temples and pay a monk to shake some sticks, just like any other good Buddhist.

Me No Speaky Chinese

This is an understatement. In my week plus I've learned about ten phrases. But it seems that none of them are understandable. What makes Chinese so tough are the four tones. The same words can have multiple meanings based upon accent and inflection. I can barely hear this and fail miserably in my attempts to speak it. This difficulty is made harder by the reception of the Chinese people who seem to be totally unforgiving to mispronunciations and foreign accents. I feel like I can be 95% correct and still often receive blank stares. Plus it seems there are as many local dialects as people.

Hope can be found in the relatively simple grammar. There does not appear to be tense forms, nor gendered articles, or plural forms. I'm probably not correct. I have been unable to find a phrasebook (I've looked half-heatedly in several stores) and the three language pages at the back of my Lonely Planet book are barely helpful. At times I have similar ambivalence about the book in general.

They have Licenses Here?

Theoretically there are rules to the road, they appear to be followed primarily based on convenience. I've seen people drive on both sides of the street (right is standard) and it's not uncommon to see motorbike taxis on the sidewalk. The sound of honking is ever present in the city. While China has some catching up to do regarding car technology, I would be willing to bet that the next breakthrough in horn technology will originate here.

Safety is a major concern for anyone on or near the road. The street food can be intimidating at times, but it's unlikely to kill you. The same cannot be said with the roads. I joke with my family that one of three things are bound to happen while I'm here. I'll either get food poisoning, get hit jaywalking or be in a bus accident. Personally, I'm rooting for number one.

While at times the roads are dangerous when I'm able to take a step back and watch, I see some funny things. Not a day goes by where I don't see some car passing on the wrong side of a crowded two lane street honking at on-coming traffic as if to say, how dare you drive on my road. Surprisingly, I have yet to see an accident.

Naked Baby Bottoms

I love wandering the cities. Just picking a street int he general direction of where I think I'm supposed to be going and just exploring is what I'm all about. It's fun to dip in and out of the market I see. What's not so enjoyable is the general filth that's all around me. Every body of water must be passed with caution, lest the stench of the putrid green-grayish much knock me over. The Chinese people are a dirty bunch throwing trash everywhere, constantly spitting. There's no respect for the environment, which in Chinese must be synonymous with trash can. I noticed this again several days ago when I was at Tai Shan. At the top of China's most sacred peak, young and old alike were throwing plastic bottles, discarded wrappers and all other trash down the mountain. This slovenly behavior is learned at an early age. Babies and young children often wear clothing that covers neither gentiles nor bum. When there is business to be done, the parents just watches over the child as they do their thing wherever they happen to be standing.

I'm sure the lack of trash cans does not help the situations and the street cleaners seem to all be elderly citizens working with brooms fit for the tenth century. None of this explains the truly crude behaviour. Smoking in elevators, smoking in bathrooms (often while squatting and chatting with a neighbor), smoking in buses, leaving food sitting outside for days.....

The Chinese government is currently freaking out about H1N1, canceling schools, encouraging people not to travel. I know I'm just a silly Western tourist, but maybe suggesting people to wash their hands with soap, not eat from the same food trough and provide clean water would be more affective than to create hysteria.

That's what I got for now. There will be much more to say about these issues in the coming weeks for sure.

Confucius Say (written 10/4/09)

2009-10-07T23:59:00.000-07:00

Confucius Say

I didn't find anything particularly compelling about Qingdao, so I left after a couple of days. I figured while the beer is cheap, the serious drinking would have to wait until I'm further south. Plus, I think I need to experience the gritty, grimy, confusing China, before I go all fratboy.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this the other day, but it's a National holiday for the next week. This makes train tickets hard to come by, bus stations a total mess and hotel prices grossly inflated. I bought the first ticket I could and after some minor adventures, ~500 km, and eight hours I arrived in Qufu (pronounced choo-foo).

Qufu is famous as the birthplace of confucius (why we call him Confucius and not Kongtzi, like the Chinese is a mystery to me). As you may know, Confucius was a wandering sage who spent the better part of his career giving politically/moral advice to neighboring rulers (I think the rough equivalent to governors). He was periodically sacked or quit for some minor personal affront (wasn't invited to a particular dinner etc.) but always managed to land a new position. At some point, later in his life, he called it quits and returned to Qufu to impart his wisdom on eager students. These students collected his thoughts and bound them together as the Analytics.

I was not particularly impressed by the book. Much of it has to do with career and respect for hierarchy. As China struggled to stay unified (this was some 2,000 years ago) I imagine these teachings grew in importance as the major philosophy behind the cast system. Probably similar to many of the Chrisitian fatalism teaching that were to come later in Europe. But what do I know? I'm neither philosopher nor historian.

Unlike myself, the state of China is supremely impressed by Confucianism. The Confucian temples in Qufu were China's first registered World Heritage site. It's been said the current government is greatly supporting this town and encourage visitors. Surely as a nod to it's philosophy more than it's history.

The temples, traditional homes and Kong family cemetary are all worth going to.... But I think I have been spoiled a lot by the many beautiful temples in Japan and this complex just doesn't compare. I believe you will be more interested in seeing the local attraction....Me! That's right, it appears that my fame will reach new levels the further I get from the coast. No less than fifteen sets of random people came up to take their picture with me. There were young, old, couples, single men, young girls, it appears that my celebrity reaches all demographics. It's a very funny feeling to be walking down the street and have people just stare at you. We'll see how long it takes to get old.

The local street vendors are also amusing. They shout out broken English. I should say broken phrases. "hello, mister." "Helro, Prease" There are multiple booths selling stamp impressions, where you can get a phrase, or your name in Chinese. You see booths that say, "made in two minutes" "made in three minutes" but every now and then you see booths that say, "made in five minutes" these guys are either real technicians are not technologically advanced. In either case, who wants to carry around a block with your name?

Stairmaster 6000

The next day, I made my way to Tai Shan, one of the most sacred mountains in all of China. This is a typical pilgrimage during the October holiday, so I shared the mountain with many of my closest Chinese friends. Along the path I was stopped multiple times as well for some photo ops. I'm sure at one point this mountain was sacred and beautiful, but the experience has been totally changed. For one the whole path is composed of paved steps- around 6,000 of them to be exact. It's filled with people, and there are so many vendors selling crap along the way. My least favorite being imitation bird call whistles, so very annoying. But still it was a good climb, and appropriate punishment for my knees (bad knees!). Fortunately, two young students took pity on me and accompanied (along with their father) up the mountain. Without their assistance I probably would not have found a way back home- seeing how getting around here can be....interesting.

Welcome to Quingdao- Have a Beer

2009-10-03T08:25:00.000-07:00

So, I've arrived in China at the port city of Qingdao. Qingdao is famous for its beer, which I believe is exported under the name of Tsingtao. The fact that it has beaches and a brewery means that it is considered by Chinese as a beautiful party city. Instilled is a better word. I've noticed in my week here a surprising similarity in answers to some of my questions. It's not just that many people seem to have the same opinion, their exact phrasing is about verbatim. It's as if they have been programmed to memorize it from a book. Hmmmm

The beer's ok, I prefer the Japanese variety. Then again, it, like much of China, can be very cheap. The other night, I went out with seven of my closest friends to a nearby bar. For two hours, the beer was flowing pitcher after pitcher. The total bill was seventy yuan. For those of you keeping track at home, it was less than $1.50 per person. Qingdao is also known as the perfect place to take a wedding photo. Walking along the boardwalk you see huge groups preening and posing for cameras, all wearing ill fitting cream-colored getups. The coast really isn't that beautiful. I don't see what all the fuss is about. It must have something to do with the group think mentioned above. More interesting is seeing the faces and characters all dolled up in cream. I remember one particular guy. He looked about 18, had no place marrying the girl next to him. He was a complete slob (I could tell this by watching his consumption of squid on a stick) and to top it off he was wearing sneakers with the playboy emblem. Really?

Qingdao (Like I'm sure much of China) is a tale of two cities (maybe more). I stayed in the dingy old city. Where there's crap on the street, people spitting everywhere and of course ever present honking on the narrow confusing street. Then I walked north, past a couple of beaches and boom this supremely modern city. Huge impressive buildings, a gigantic promenade, large clear street. I wonder if anything was here ten years ago or if they just knocked everything down.

It is currently the golden travel week in China on behalf of the country's 60th anniversary and the mid-autumn festival. It seems the whole country is traveling, the government estimates 200 million people moving about the country the next week. One thing that I've learned about China is that travel takes about twice as long as expected. If I think it will take one hour to travel, I should expect at least twice that.

I'm on a Boat

2009-09-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

I'm on a Boat!

At some point, I'll writ e my reflections on Japan. I want to quickly mention my trip to China. I opted for a sea voyage since it saved me around $700. I was a bit apprehensive for the voyage since I imagined myself cramped in a small room with three smoking Chinese guys. That probably would have been the case if the boast wasn't almost empty. There were about fifty passengers-naturally I was the only white person. I believe this gave me an air of mystique. This was clear just ten minutes in. I was strolling on the deck when two offish looking Chinese men came up to me and asked for a picture. I was familiar with this phenomenon from my previous three weeks being assaulted (at times) by Japanese school girls. But never by grown men. Clear, I would be cooler in China that I could ever dream of in Japan. I'm sure I was noticed by all on the boat. The twenty or so men occupied their day by constantly smoking, slamming cards on the table and howling lik e monkeys. But for the smoke, I woul d have joined them. But alas, I'm a whimpy californian at heart, and smoke is icky.

There was one young woman who took pity on my situation/saw an awesome opportunity to speak to an American. We had a broken conversation in English, I got her to teach m ea coupl e o f words in Mandarin. Of course, I mispronounce everything. But I figure it's a start. There was a brie karaoke session at night. But everyone was singing these overly romantic Chinese love ballads and since I would mispronounce ever words, I chose to not participate. I spent the 27 hour journey switching between sleeping, reading, chatting with a cheese girl. Who at the end of the trip told me tha t I looked like a terrorist and that my beard was very sexy. Huh?!

Welcome to China

So or course, at the small border/customs check they asked to search my bags. There were 50 Chinese nationals on the boat and me. Clearly, I stuck out. Four soldiers proceeded to watch as I unpacke d my bag. Didn't I get search in Japan,? I was asked. Of course not, why would they search me?! I answered. The guards seems more interested in my pictures on my camera than anything else. i had to show them how to page through more quickly through my pictures, otherwise they would probably be looking at this moment as well. The questions flipped back and forth from asking why am I in China (plenty of reasons I told them) to why am I in China for so short a time (I want a longer visa). I showed them the ten pictures or so I brought from home. They were very impressed by my parents pool.

The soldiers were particularly excited to hear that I would be traveling for a year or so. I know, I said, they should all quit the army and join me. I was just lucky, must be rich an d happened to be very handsome. Huh?! I thought for sure with a comment like that I could get one of them (preferably the one with the best English) to show me around the city. No dice. Hopefully, I'll have better luck with the next soldiers I meet.

last days in Japan

2009-09-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

This was sent by AVI from China. Since he cannot post to blogs or Facebook..I am sending for him. Excuse all the typos..I am sure the keyboard must have been bad. I am supposed to edit/spellcheck. However I do not have time for this right now.
HIS MOM

Final Days in Japan

It's a bit hard to write about my finals days in Japan seeing how I just arrived in China and I'm being assaulted with differences. As a matter of note, I can't actually get into my blog (or facebook), which is a pain!

After Kyoto, I left for Okayama, I thought it would provide me with a more relaxed pace than Kyoto and it was halfway to Hiroshima (my next destination) and provided close access to Himeji-jo. Himeji is the oldest, best preserved castle in Japan. That's probably not accurate, let's call it the most impressive, old castle. Unfortunately, I was visiting in the middle of a nice day holiday. It seeme d lik e much o fJapan was traveling durin g this time, an d many of them chose the castle on this day. After an hour cure (I showed up fairly early too), I found a complimentary english guide. Joinin g me on the tour were three travelers from Hong Kong (obviously I pumped them for info re China). The cast is a great site, but the numbe r of people was a bi toverwhelming. What was supposed to take two hours was stretched into five. At one point, I was just waiting in a cue that would be more appropriate at Space mountain. I figure a day like that needed to be followed up with a couple drinks, which I found at a local Aussie bar. We watched Bruno, it's still funny the second time.

The short trip to Hiroshim ahad me arriving in the midst of a storm. Half an hour later (and with my pants fully soaked) I was in my hostel and off to start the day. Hiroshima is of course the site of the a bomb drop. I think it give the city a kin dof spooky feel. I should talk about the museum and the memorial, but I won't, save for two points. (1) The downstairs had what I thougth was the most interesting and touching exhibits-drawings and painting of survivors. For some reason, the mass of travelers left these rooms vacant, which made appreciating the exhibit possible. (2) What I also thought was interest was the Japanese explanation on why the bomb was dropped- to justify the US military expenditure on the research and production of the bomb.

For it's sad history, I felt Hiroshima was like the other Japanese cities i had visited, hoards of shops (I never knew the Japanese were such consumers) arcades, offic e buildings, fashionable people, etc. So I took this time to enjoy some o f my favorite things in Japan. I grabbed some people form the hoste ate great sushi and follwed this up with puti-cura (sp?) those little pictures taht only school kids are supposed to do. The next days was sadly my last sight-seeing day in Japan, which I chose to spend on the island of Miyajima. This is a perfect day trip from Hiroshima. You can see shrines in the morning, follow that up with a hot, sticky ascent to the top of teh island, enjoy the view and some monkeys. Cool off for a bit and catch a cable car down in time to see the sunset. I have some nice pictures and once I figure out how to upload again, I hope to share them with you. I should mention that I also walked through the shrine which means I will be granted enlightenment (as if there was any doubt!).

Better than the sceary are the pics from later that night. I met an Irish traveler named Warren a couple days earlier in Kyoto. We discussed meeting in Hiroshima to go out to Kareoke with a french girl that happend to be living there (we also met her in Kyoto). The french girl ditched us (no suprise) but in her place we were joined by an english gal named Kirsty (she was much cooler than the disaffected Frenchie) whom I spend teh day with at Miyajima. After showing up and polishing off 2 liters of sake we were good to go. I would say that the three of us were pretty god rock starts that night. We sang, danced on tables, spilled our beers, I even have a war wound (somehoe I cut my finger while playing the tamboreen). Too much fun. We rolled in around 5, and I'm happy to say that I remember teh whole night and without a hangover.

Come to Kyoto, please enjoy a temple of 2000

2009-09-22T03:33:00.000-07:00

From the mountains, I went to Kyoto to experience traditional Japan in what some would call Japan`s true capital (not sure that I would agree). The amazing, yet scary thing about Kyoto is the quantity of temples. There are Buddhist temples, Shinto temples, Imperial shrines and even a temple dedicated to crazy Japanese haircuts, the central statue here has a feathered mullet, in case you were wondering. If you like temples, this is the place for you. Fortunately, I`m open to being inspired by a temple or two now and gain and I receive a cheat sheet listing the 10-15 temples I should visit.

I tried to take my time and pace myself at a rate of two to three per day, but at the end of the week, I was saturated and fairly templed out. I had my favorites. In truth, with a couple of exceptions, each of the temples would easily stand out on its own. The proximity to all the other great sites makes comparison easy and rather unfortunate. Invariably, my favorite temples were the ones experienced in proper conditions- not surrounded by tourists or overwhelmed with distractions.

Tori Tori Tori
One of my favorite places in Kyoto was the Fushimi Inari shrine in the SE part of the city. It certainly wasn`t the nicest temples, others were more elegant, dramatic and thoughtfully constructed. This shrine had a rather blunt approach. Build as many toris (red gates) as possible along a mountain path. It seemed to work just fine for me. I planned to arrive at dusk and the shrine was nearly deserted, which meant I was free to prance along the mountain paths undisturbed.

As I walked up the path, lit only by lanterns, I could hear crickets, cicadas, the flow of a stream and even my own breath. Climbing up this dark path had an almost spooky feel to it, as the shrine was filled with very traditional cemeteries. Then out of nowhere, perhaps out of the rising mist, I heard loud, really bad Spanish pop music. Stupid Spanish kids from Majorca-it seemed they were half expecting a club at the summit. I quickly ditched them and then I was back to crickets, spirits and ghost. The next time I have a date in Kyoto we`re going here. I just have to be sure to remind her not to wear heels.

Sometimes it`s the journey that matters most, and that`s true of this shrine. At the top, after all your hard work climbing up, you are rewarded with..... more toris and cemeteries. Each tori has an inscription written in Kanji (also known as intelligible character). While I`m not exactly sure what they say, I`m pretty sure the inscriptions are names of people who miraculously disappeared at the shrine or at the very least sacrificed monks to appeased the mountain spirits. I`m sure the shrines can be visited and enjoyed during the day, but the seclusion and the quiet are really what made this place special.

Nara, by Deer
Nara, about a 45 train from Kyoto is a strange place. It has what must be one of the nicest temples in all of Japan-Todai-ji, complete with a wonderfully transcendent Buddha. But the town is also filled with over 1,000 deer. I`m not talking about cute little bambis, these deer are some of the mangiest, domesticated, rudest deer you will ever meet. The locals claim the spirits of the deer protect the temples. I guess that`s possible, but I only noticed the constant smell of shit.

At Todai-ji there were hoards of kids, tour groups and deer. Vendors were selling special deer treats, which delighted both tourist and deer alike. As you approach the temple you hear laughter, exclamations of joy and shouts of fear as the deer get a little bit too friendly. But once you cross the main gate the focus is only on the temple. The two story gate itself is a sight to see, as its a magnificent wooden structure. Of course, few people notice the structure, most are concerned only with the smelly deer. I won`t bore you with details about this impressive temple of the fantastic Buddha within. Believe when I say it`s worth a visit.

As in the Byodin temple in Uji-about twenty min from Kyoto. Maybe I was just buttered up by the other temples I had seen up to this point, but I was particularly struck by this temple. Built as a conduit to the afterlife and as a place for reincarnation, which of course would be necessary after the expected apocalypse (don`t worry, I think they were planning for some 13th century apocalypse, so I think we`re in the clear), this templed is designed to resemble a phoenix. It has a nice Buddha and a modern museum on its grounds. If all the temples in Kyoto were presented with such elegance, and equally free from the ever present crowds, the temple experiences would have been even that much more powerful.

Takayama

2009-09-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

After five days of hectic Tokyo, it was my plan to visit the countryside in the Japanese Alps- Takayama, for a change of pace. I figured this was a good opportunity to stay at a traditional Japanese Ryokan. The place I picked was perfect for what I was looking for. It was located in the center of town, had a lovely old lady as a host and best of all it was on a river, so i could hear the gentle flow of water at all times. I had the pleasure of sleeping on a tatami mat, wear a yukata, but best of all were my two meals a day, served in my room of course. Each evening I received something like 15 dishes of different goodness including; pickled veggies, steamed tofu, sashimi, salted fish, tempura and much more. Some of the dishes were delicious, others less so, but everything was different and fun to try. I twas a real feast.

On the way to Takayma, I hooked up with a young (18) year old Finish fellow traveling for the on his own. This was a his first solo trip, so as you can imagine he was quite excited. This enthusiasm was heightened by his experience in Tokyo where he picked up/or was picked up by a Japanese girl (and an older one at that!). Apparently, his mother was so shocked by the new that she didn't write to him for several days and when the response came, she simply asked, 'are we to understand that you have a girlfriend now?' Girlfriend, Ha!

I pulled my Fin away from staring at the women and we spent the next day strolling through town. Takayma is extremely charming, with historical houses and a very pleasant country feel to it. I've heard much about the natural host spring in Japan (onsen) and I decided to dip my toes it. We took a short train to an onsen town called Gero, which i believe translates to vomit. We then stumbled into the nearest onsen and after stripping down (totally) we confidently strode into the baths, holding only a small towel-big enough for the front, the back but not both. There were warm baths, hot baths, jacuzzi baths, cold baths and even a little sauna box. This place was heaven. My feet were finally happy and while i'm sure they still don't understand what they did to warrant the constant abuse, I think we've reached an understanding for the time being. Aside from soaking in the waters, I was also amused at the reaction from several children. I'm sure they repeatedly asked their fathers about teh funny looking white man, and why he has hair on his chest. Since this experience, i've been to several other public baths. They are always enjoyable, and despite the nakedness, i don't feel at all uncomfortable. There are time, like yesterday, where i catch Japanese guys staring at my junk (I can promise you it's nothing that interesting) and I don't don't really care. I've seen more naked Japanese men then i was expecting (the expectation for this trip was 1- surely a random crazy) and I hope to see more!

What's a Momosexual?

The Fin and I decided to meet up for drinks that nigh and rock the tow, as best we could before our respective curfews. The first place we went was a bizarre western bar, filed with photos of Hollywood in the 50's and blasting crappy western music. One drink and we were out, resolving to find a cooler place.

After wandering the street for 10 minutes, two random guys took pity on us/took advantage of finding two awesome companions for the night. Both were about forty, one spoke pretty good english, his name was Momo. Momo as in momosexual. I never caught the other guys' name since his english skills were weak, let's just call him Dave.

Momo quickly learned that were were clueless foreigners and had never even tried Qudo. What's qudo you ask? it's Japanese archery, old school, think sumurai style with a three foot bow and everything. momo insisted we try at his expense. I think the last time I shot a bow and arrow was about 20 years ago at camp. My goal here was three fold, not to get shot by the beginner next to me, not shoot anyone and not embarrass myself. Success on all accounts!The target was only about 20 feet away but the bow tension was pretty taught and i didn't know how to aim. The first round (10 arrows?) was a progression and everyone went nuts when I hit the target- high fives all around. By the second round, I was almost read to go pro, I got more than half the arrows on target, it makes a very nice twamp sound, and i even got a bulls eye. Clear, I advance quickly in my samurai training. Step two I believe is enslaving a village.

After shooting we went to grab a drink, isn't it usually the other way around? Naturally this went together with karaoke and since Momo is a total clown, it was fun singing with him. The best song of the night, was 'We are the World' (clearly his request). Momo and I are struggling through the lyrics and when we finally got to the chorus, Dave just erupts in full voice. Very funny, and a fun night for sure.

I've actually just finished my time in Kyoto and I'll be headed to Okayama today. Next time I sit down at a computer, I'll pull my thoughts together.

Happy Tokyo Good Time

2009-09-14T06:37:00.000-07:00

For my last night in Tokyo, Melissa arranged for us to go out at one of her favorite restaurants-Kagayawa. It's difficult to describe, but the best that I can say is that it was an experience and I laughed a lot. If ever you are in Tokyo, you should go. I promise you will go home happy with a beaming smile across your face. I came prepared for a fun evening rocking a soft mohican (Japanese slang for a faux hawk), this was made easier by my rapidly plunging hairline (I prefer to say plunging rather than receding, since plunging sounds sexy...you never hear of receding necklines do you?).

The evening started with a robot in the form of an anime character bringing us warm towels while asking us our names. The proprietor- Marksan vividly described the drink menu by pantomiming an acting out the various options. i chose sake and was rewarded with a jug filled to the brim, with the spot being a penis (naturally). After that, Mark brought out the one menu with the front cover being a flower. He then proceeded to pretend that the opening of the menu was in fact an extremely graphic sex act between his fingers and the excited flower. As if this weren't enough, the flower was constantly calling out my name (I guess the fingers were my representatives). The best line came mid-coitus- 'oh Avi, you are sexual technician.' That's right ladies, not only am I qualified where it counts, but I can push your buttons like a machine. What did I go to school for this? You'll never know. This was followed later in the evening by a monkey had puppet diving headfirst into my crotch. On the one hand, I am pleased to report my first sexual activity on the trip, then again, it did come from the hands of this very bizarre man. The food was pretty good, but the act is what really made this a great place to dine.

Ka Ka Karaoke

From there we went to sing karaoke at Hayato's bar. I can't sing and if was only at Melissa's prodding did I step to the mic for the very first time. Even though it was only the three of us, I was petrified- the result being that I howled like a wounded dog. Melissa's encouragement put me in good spirits and after bringing sexyback we ended the singing with a spot on version of Joy to the World.

At this point, it was getting a bit late and my hosts had to work in the morning. We made one final stop at an arcade in Roppongi to take these mini pictures called putikara (sp?). These pocket size prints are geared towards high school girls making peace signs and couples in love. When foreigners enter the booth (at least when I've seen my friends pics) all bets are off and comedy ensues. The three of us pretended to be Godzilla, be butt biting bugs (I'll post a link later so you know what I'm talking about) and giz in our pants (naturally). It was a great night, a great day and a great almost week in Tokyo.

I really enjoyed Tokyo, I wonder how much of it has to do with two factors. Melissa's amazing hospitality and the comfort associated with that, and my current affect. I'm in a really good state of mind right now and open to pretty much anything. Tokyo has tons to offer. It's made me very excited to see what's to come.

Ice-creamwa dokko?

2009-09-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

So I've landed in this strange and distant land. There's nothing much interesting to say about the travel except that for some reason I have not (yet?) experienced jet lag. Maybe it's because I didn't sleep on the plane and stayed up until 12 the first night. I'm not complaining, but until it hits me, I'm assuming I lucked out and it missed me. Let's hope the swine flu does the same.

I have the fortune of actually knowing someone in Tokyo, so after unceremoniously inviting myself over, I have a place to stay in Roppongi. My wonderful hosts Melissa and Hayato have been immensely helpful, and I think their warm hospitality is a large factor in my lack of culture shock/jet lag.

My first day here, Sunday, was World Hoop Day, and since Melissa is a hooper extraordinaire we headed out to the park. Melissa ensured me that hula hooping would help me overcome the jet lag- I think it has something to do with the swaying of the hips and movement of the humors in the lower intestinal tract. Like I said, I think it worked and with this empirical evidence, I believe the theory to be sound. Yoyogi is best known for it's Sunday scene, i.e. rock n roll guys and girls dressed up like dolls. But on this particular day we were actually part of the spectacle as Mellissa's friends were hula hooping in full force and certainly attracted a crowd. I bet I'm in the background of some tourist's photo, ha! Next we went to Chibuya where I was struck not just by the mass of humanity but by the fact that on this particular Sunday afternoon, everyone was under 30. It's strange enough to see so many people, but to see so many people of one demographic was odd indeed.

I wandered about yesterday, with the highlight being going to the Tsukiji fish market. I got up in time (5) to see some of the live auction, but just wandering the stalls in the early morning was quite the experience. This was faster paced, larger, crazier than any market I had seen. Mounds of odd sea life, fish butchers doin there thing, little motorized carts which threatened my safety. It was great to see. I loved the vibe, and surprisingly enough, I didn't stink like fish. I walked around the rest of the day through Tokyo and saw about four different neighborhoods, which were all very different. From my limited experience, I'm becoming a big fan of the city. Very intense, lots to offer, what other city's should aspire to.

About the food...I have had mixed results so far. My first night here we went to a tofu restaurant where they had many different ways of preparing the tofu and it was great. I went to a sushi place right outside the fish market and the fish was unbelievably fresh (I think i could feel in still writhing). But the costs are so high here, I'm a bit reluctant to try to find fine eats at every meal. For example my dinner last night consisted of a prepared salad from the local grocery (three bucks), my sushi breakfast yesterday where I had just enough to fill me up was about 35 dollars. So I'm trying to balance. There is one thing that I've fallen head of heals in love with and that's the apple pears. They're not cheap ~1-2 dollars but so refreshing that I can't help but buy myself one everyday.

My Japanese vocabulary is exploding, unfortunately this is a relative statement and I'm still totally clueless. Thanks to my hosts I've learned some very important phrases, not the least of which is 'ice-creamwa dokko?' I'll let you guess what exactly that means. (here's a hint it has to do with ice-cream and where it is). For some reason as I've asked locals girls to join me at the nearest love hotel, I don't seem to be getting a response. I think it has something to do with my pronunciation. Hopefully, I'll be able to fix that by the time I leave town.

I've started posting pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/avinagel/Japan# I hope you enjoy

To goal or not to goal

2009-09-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

In the past when I've embarked on a new adventure, prior to the trip, I usually wrote several goals of what I hoped to accomplish. For example, I wanted to be a starter on my college basketball team, I tried my hardest not to use hair gel in Israel and of course I wanted to see local Peruvians doing coke during sunrise at a lame disco club. Check, check and check.

So, I've had some successes in the past, but what exactly am I looking to do with my time in Asia? It's really too broad a question, one that I expect to be asked constantly and if not explicitly by people I meet, it's certainly something I'll be thinking about. Let me ruminate awhile and maybe I'll have an answer in the future.

In the meantime, a couple thoughts on the matter:

there are a handful of places I'm excited to see, the Great Wall in China, the Angkor Wat in Cambodia to name a couple
I want to sample the 'local flavor' of where I'm staying- take that to mean what you want
I want to get my scuba certification
Hopefully learn some new and improve on existing skills, cooking, massage, the art of sleeping on a bus, drunken boxing.

I think that's a good start. Nothing too ambitious. I don't expect to unleash some magical princess or have some profoundly, introspective, personal journey. Just simple stuff. Also, I want to write more (one of the reasons for this blog).

So I'm off tomorrow. Not sure how well I'll be sleeping tonight considering wake up time is a matter of hours away. I'm very excited, this is going to be great!

2009-09-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

I hope you have all had a great summer. I am about to embark on my Asian adventure, I leave this coming Friday to Japan. It’s all very exciting.

Life outside the labor force has been pretty good. After finishing up in Chicago, I drove back to California with my brother Ori. We spent three weeks on the road, stopping at eight national parks; lots of beautiful places. (One piece of advice, skip Rushmore and spend that time in the Badlands, you will not regret it). I’ve spent the past month hanging out by the pool, reading books and going up to San Francisco to see friends. As you can imagine, it has been very tough.

I’m not sure how much I’ll write or blog. It seems I do all my good thinking at times when I’m away from a pen or computer- car rides, showers, hikes, so I’ll just have to force it out somehow. The plan is to periodically send out emails (maybe once a month) and to update the travel blog as often as possible, which you can find at http://www.aviadventure.blogspot.com/ . I promise to start adding content in the coming days.

My tentative travel plan is to spend three weeks in Japan, take a twenty seven hour boat to China (sounds like fun, huh?) spend however long there I find enjoyable and then move overland into SE Asia where I’ll be testing the efficacy of my malaria pills. I have no idea how long I’ll be gone. It could be three months or much longer….we’ll just have to see.

A number of people have asked, why Asia? It’s different, the culture is varied and interesting, lots of great history, cool ancient sites, good weather, it will be quite a challenge (definitely a motivating factor), and it’s cheap. There are a lot of good reasons to go out East.

After reading a number of travel books this summer, I worry that I’ll fall into a similar type of analysis. It seems every travel book I’ve read follows the same general arc.
1. Travel to foreign land
2. Wow, these foreigners sure have some _ (bizarre, inspiring, primitive, etc.) ways
3. Upon further contemplation there is so much in common between our two countries/people
4. We are all beautiful humans

I’ll do my best to stray from such trite remarks. Instead, I’ll regale you with stories such as the time I defended myself from would be muggers using only King Fu acquired from Shaolin monks, or riding on the backs of dolphins in search of Atlantis and of course the time I united the yin and yang in a moment of transcendental bliss. None of which has happened yet, but I’m certain, it is all just several months away.

I look forward to periodically hearing from all of you and hope my journey serves as a small reprieve from the normal hustle and bustle. Any contacts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated (I think I have Japan pretty much figured out, but China right now is a blur) and in the event you feel like a little adventure, come and join me!