Once Upon a Tokyo

Prague Spokesmen

Looking through my cell phone for pictures to share, and I forgot to share this one, snapped up while walking a random street in Prague this summer.

It features two unlikely spokespeople-- One is the head of the world's largest organized religion, the other is the head of the leading national superpower. Together, they fight crime! I mean, together they endorse green tea!

The funny thing was, I REALLY wanted green tea while in Germany (especially when I was feeling ill) and I couldn't ever find it. So, in "old Europe" Czech, green tea's no problem. In modern-day big-city Munich? Not so much. Maybe the Pope and the President need to reach out more...

Thinking of Vacations Already(?)

Just got the calendar for the 2009 - 2010 school year. In case you were thinking of vacations already (and who isn't?) here's the following no-school days for me:

October 29 - 30
November 23
December 21 - January 5
February 18 - 19
March 22 - 26
April 2
May 5
May 10
and I'm done on June 4

I say this just in case you want to plan a trip to Japan, and then I can join you for a couple of days! (Keep in mind that just because *I* am working, doesn't mean I can't host and/or join you when appropriate!) As of right now, I am 85% sure I will be in the Philippines on spring break (March 22 - 26) and I'm 100% sure I will return to LA for Christmas, but other than that, let's talk! (Keep in mind winter is cold here!)

And not to put pressure on you or anything, but I'm 75% sure that this is my last year in Japan. So if you want a free place to crash while you visit, you'd better hurry over here.

Plus, if you have other questions about where/when to go, etc....

Last Days in Hong Kong

I have a couple of days left in Hong Kong, but there was still much to do.
First up, exploring the city. I spend breakfast with my roommate, Bert, which helps get me my bearings, because he was more prepared than I with ideas, guidebooks, and so on. I really had NO idea about where or what to do while I was there. It's the travel junkie in me, I guess-- just plop me down in the middle of Somewhere and see what I do. So with his help and the internet café, I orientate myself pretty quickly.

I'm in walking distance to Mong Kok, so I start there-- Kowloon's busy shopping/market district. It's more fun for people watching than actual shopping. From there, I walk to the Flower Market (pretty much like any flower district in a downtown area) and then to the Bird Garden. That's just a small strip of a park where old men gather to talk about, share, and buy pet birds. Probably the best people watching of all.

This takes about half a day, and the other half is spent in Stanley, on the other side of Hong Kong. It's like the Malibu of Hong Kong-- which reminds me that I really really miss the beach. I should have just spent the day beach-hopping around Stanley!

The real adventure was trying to get there. In order to hop on the bus, I needed exact change, which was nowhere to be found. I needed some specific denominations that even the fast food places across the street didn't have. I had to resort to asking everyone passing me for change-- and no, I'm not a panhandler. Yes, I have the cash I'm just asking for ever-smaller change. This little side-adventure took nearly an hour in itself! Sheesh! It's just small change, people! As it was, I ended up just throwing slightly more money than I needed. The bus driver didn't worry that I had too MUCH money.

After spending the next half of the day in Stanley, I walk through the central mall in Hong Kong-- appreciating the air conditioning most of all. Then, I make my way to the Peninsula Hotel, meeting with a few of my travel buddies who are left. Instead of high tea at the Peninsula, we go to the docks across the street to watch the Symphony of Lights-- a daily night show featuring a dazzling display of lights playing across the skyscrapers of Hong Kong. Impressive. One more farewell drink in the trendy district, and it's time to turn in.

Hong Kong-- Day 13!

I slept less than anyone, but no time to worry about that-- we have to go through customs/ immigration and several commutes to get into the city proper. Already, everything around us is different than anything we've seen-- the vibe of a modern, ultra-urban, Big City.

Settling in, then farewell-lunching with our guide for the last time, we take off for downtown Hong Kong  (from Kowloon, where we are staying). We take a ferry and go through the "world's largest people mover"-- a series of escalators that seem to take us through nearly half the city! Then a park, a little zoo, and a shuttle, and we arrive at The Peak. (Hm. Kind of funny-- Even without a guide, we STILL end up hiking for half a day.)

The trolley-shuttle for The Peak was our first real experience with lining up, HK-style. In other words, don't queue up, just mob the door AS QUICKLY AND VIOLENTLY AS POSSIBLE. Pretend the passengers are really teenage fan-girls and the inside of the trolley was their favorite boy band. Then you get the idea.

Despite the mob mentality, we actually happened to time our trip extremely well. It was just starting to become dusk, and the lights of the city below were just starting to turn on. It was one of the best cityscapes I've ever seen.

We try to avoid the post-dusk rush with a drink to toast our adventures (and for the ladies, a bit more shopping). We head back to the hotel, stopping briefly at the Night Market, where, nightly, several streets are blocked off for stalls and stalls of cheap, bootleg, merchandise. Unfortunately, there's a reason things are so cheap, because the wares are, well, cheap. The Night Markets aren't just for shopping, as there are quite a few restaurants catering to the night owls, but before it gets insanely late, we wind our way back to the hotel. For most of the group, this is the last night, as we all have wildly different departure times. Farewell to some, and see you later for others!

Day 12-- Yangshuo

One more night train today, but before that, we get to spend the rest of the day in Yangshuo. I choose a few of the less intensive excursions, taking painting and calligraphy courses. Very zen. The painting was a little rough, and I'm disappointed that although I made my living in art for a while, I had some problems with the Chinese watercolor techniques. The calligraphy teacher was great, tho. So friendly and chatty.

Lunch was on our own, and we get our guide to teach us some local card games, like "Screw the Landlord," although I don't think that's the exact translation. We have our "final" farewell dinner, and it's onto the night train. Maybe because it's going to Hong Kong, but we had the best train so far-- as if only the newer, more modern ones get to go to Hong Kong. All of life is a popularity contest, isn't it? And we always meet great people on the trains. Our new friend was a traveller from Australia who was making is way through Asia for about four/five months now.

Still, it's hard to get to sleep, and the little kids playing rock/paper/scissors at the crack of dawn don't help matters much.

Day 11-- Yangshuo

We get three days in this city, which is a great destination for adventure-seekers. Wikipedia calls it a "backpacker paradise," and I guess that's right. I've likened it to a sleepy ski town in Colorado that suddenly became popular once everyone else "discovered" it-- with all the good and all the bad that that metaphor implies. In any event, this is our 'adventure' day in China.

It started with a hot air balloon ride, which I declined. I'm definitely not afraid of heights, but I am afraid of getting up at 5:00 in the morning. So I enjoy my sleeping while everyone else enjoys their soaring.

What I DID do was rock climbing-- and it was serious stuff! The limestone carst formations (i.e.-- the stubby mountains, and a first for me) pretty much THE reason that Yangshuo became such the tourist trap it is. And it was serious stuff! Perhaps more difficult than the climb was surviving the weather-- the humidity was pretty much unbearable.

No time for lunch, the second excursion is waiting! (Well, maybe time for some quick snacks at the market) We visit the "Water Cave," with some amazing rock formations inside and, more famously, a giant pit of mud. Yes, we got to wade around and play in it. I think I was more excited about this than the other group members.

Some random rest time/dinner, then it's off to the Light Show. I wasn't keen on seeing it, but if the girls put up with the mud pit, I could put up with the light show. Designed by Zhang Jigang, the same choreographer that directed the 2008 opening ceremonies, it featured lights on the river with dozens of boatmen helping long scrolls of red cloth simulate waves, a giant illuminated half-moon with a dancer see-sawing on it, and dozens of dozens of ancient warriors with costumes lined with lights. Not too bad, but I couldn't help but think how they could improve the sound mixing and SOP.

That night, everyone stays up late to experience the night life in Yangshuo, complete with local beer and dice games. (No one liked the local beer, so guess what the penalty in the dice game was?)

Day 10-- Yangshuo

Good morning, what a view! How did we miss being surrounding by tall, lumpy-narrow mountains with greenery spilling down their sides? They're everywhere! Oh, yeah, it was completely dark when we arrived.

Breakfast (and billiards) then... biking! We biked for the majority of the day, weaving in and around the outskirts of Yangshuo, a town that no one's really heard of but has quietly became a backpaker haven. Within seconds of getting out of the tourist-friendly town, you're in rice paddies and farms.

We stop to raft. I knew it wasn't going to be white-water, but I was looking forward to it since the tour I was on was called "hike bike and raft," but there's a little false advertising there. The bamboo raft just went up the river a few hundred meters and then back. The most exciting thing was a 2-foot drop. Whee. the most funniest thing was that after this 'drop', there was a set-up for 'official' pictures in the MIDDLE of the river, like those souvenir photos off a Disneyland ride. The computer, printer, laminator, everything under the cover of big blue tarps and powered by an extension cord that dangled near the bamboo raft floor.

Cycling to the Moon Cave, we hike a bit (after literally running to avoid more 'shadowy' vendors) and are met with an inspiring view. Yes, the scenery but also the rock climbers! This is what is making Yangshuo famous-- it's plethora of limestone mountain-things make it ideal for climbing! I make up a story of to explain the Moon Cave's origins, since it seems to be the only place in China that doesn't have a secondary meaning or story behind it, and we have lunch before we bike back to the hotel.

Everyone splits up, and I peruse the bazaar-markets. Kids in yellow shirts periodically swarm about the tourists, saying hello for homework. We all meet up for dinner, deciding on pizza (a testament to how much 'tourists' are taking over the town.) Those same yellow-clad students invite us to a party at the local English school! Apparently, it's a regular Wednesday-night thing, so that the students can practice learning English. A 14 year-old comes over to say hi. His name's Zhang (I forget his English name, how funny is that?) and his English is surprisingly good! He talks about everything from the local town to popular movies to Japan-China relations to gay rights. Some of the others in the group weren't so 'lucky'-- they got a steady stream of kids asking repeated questions like "what is your favorite color?"

Everyone heads to bed 'early' (of course!) so I hang around the town, although I admit it's more people-watching than participating. It's quite a party town, I guess, and there seemed to be new market stalls and better deals than the daytime.

Xi'an, Day 9

We get up early to make our way out of the city. Guess what? It's raining again! I thought I left this when I left Japan (altho I realize that we were pretty lucky-- this day and Day 8 were the only days of rain we got at all.)

Next up, the Terra Cotta Warriors-- and I have to admit, it's pretty amazing. Such as-- it was only recently discovered (Well, 1974); each warrior is unique in features/details; and there are whole tombs that remained sealed because the government doesn't want to risk any disturbances. Any other country would be diggin' up right now!

Lunch is at the Silk Market, the China-end of the famed Silk Road. Well, actually it's just a building, but we do a little tour that includes dead larvae, looms, and many many items available for purchase. But even "cheap" is a luxury I'm not sure I can afford.

No more time for Xi'an-- we fly Air China to our next destination. The flight may have been uneventful, but the ending was sure memorable-- in a BAD way! Worst. Landing. Ever. Well, maybe not WORSE because we did, you know, taxi to the gate okay, but it was certainly a jolt that caused everyone to either catch their breath or let it out in a scream.

We arrived SO late in the evening, that we try to keep each other up as much as possible in the long bus ride to Yangshuo, just so that we make it to the hotel room and just CRASH. Time to pull out all those road trip tricks-- puzzle stories, rhyming games, etc.-- They all end up being funnier with all our tired-ness.

We check in when it's long past dark, but already I can tell I love Yangshuo. A small-ish city with a great vibe even late at night. The real kicker? Our hotel rooms are on the 5th floor and there's no elevator!

Xi'an, Day 8

Day 8!! Where I am I again?
Darn those sleeper trains! This time, there wasn't any A/C, just a ceiling fan that came out of some 50s film noir movie, and fewer mattresses. We are in what they call a "hard sleeper," and it's true. I barely got any.

It's raining when we get off in Xi'an, which makes it hard to find a taxi. Not because there aren't any, but because it's a Chinese-style queue (read: "mob") to get one. The breakfast spread at the hotel is the best we ever got-- there's even an omelet bar!

Because it's raining, we can't cycle around the city walls, which apparently encircle the entire city. But we walk around the city walls for a while, enjoying the lack of activity as the rain washed away all the more casual tourists. It's the same with the Big Goose Pagoda and Muslim Quarter, Xi'an's more famous tourist traps. The Muslim Quarter, in particular, is known for it's bazaar stalls, and we get less hassle from the shopkeepers, I'm convinced, because of the weather and lack of bustle.

When we were going to lunch in the Muslim Quarter, I guess I had envisioned stumbling over all kinds of restaurants with all kinds of Middle Eastern food, but it wasn't to be. Either we were in the wrong area, because the Muslims in this quarter had given over to Chinese food. I was disappointed. The dried fruits were good, though, and we had this kind of ramen with small pieces of steamed bread cubes.

Walking back, the girls seek out the fancy department store restroom (finding Western-style toilets were a daily activity, bonus if the toilets had toilet paper.) I take the time out to use the internet café for a while (each computer was set up in front of an easy chair that you could get lost in!)

That night, I found myself attending the dumpling banquet and dinner show. It was SO tourist-y that I thought I was in Wisconsin (both because of the amount of white people there and the high levels of cheesiness.) I will admit the dumplings were pretty tasty.

Making our way back to the hotel, my roommate and I couldn't fit in the taxi with everyone else, and got picked up by a motorcycle/rickshaw guy. We spent some time trying to establish the price ahead of time, and we still ended up being conned, because he claimed to be off by a factor of 10. (We thought we were talking about 2, but he was talking about 20!) Rassum, frassum....

The day ended with birthday cake for one of our travel buddies-- his wife bought some beautfiul and tasty cakes from a local bakery without his noticing! The pounding on the hotel room wall signalled that we were either talking too loud or too long or both, so we called it a night.

Shaolin & Luoyang, Day 7

It's the most important meal of the day, and this time, we get to try a Chinese breakfast for the first time. It was just okay, but I agree with my fellow travelers that the steamed buns are really fun to eat.

After breakfast, it's time for our kung fu lesson. Yes, I've now been trained in kung fu in a Shaolin academy. But it's not like the boarders-- the buildings are old and the bricks walls and uneven courtyards testify to their age. The kids are going through their morning rituals-- filling their personal plastic tubs with water and using them their 'private' washrooms, scattering themselves about the sequestered common area. In the dojo, we meet our master, and I can't tell if he's out of high school or not.

No stretches to warm-up, just relays and cartwheels. Other foreigners, from Italy, we gather, are there, too, and have been long-term. They already have the skills to prove it, the show-offs! Finally, we go through some simple forms, but our time goes by too quickly.

There's just enough time for one last look around the town, and as it's Sunday there seems to be a lot more visitors (and displays of kung fu) than before. After a shower, it's time to go. Way to soon for too cool a place.

We make our way to Luoyang in the evenings, a definitely more urban place than we've been before. Although it's isn't as big as Beijing, there's a vibe, but, aside from dinner, not enough time to explore it. We're able to mix and mingle in the various parks that line the tall buildings and heavily-trafficked streets, and as before, the parks are hoppin' with activity! There's a huge pond with paddle boats, musicians warbling in their traditional Chinese style, a skate area pumping hip-hop music, skateboards and in-line obstacle courses, even a massive Tai Chi forms dozens of women strong, more kids practicing kung fu from a grumpy and grungy old master, and an area where couples practice ballroom dancing! People aren't shy in China-- more than once someone says hello. (I suppose there isn't too much opportunity to practice English!) So much to see, it's almost disappointing we have to scurry away to another sleeper train to make our next stop.