Mama Lois' Family Goes to China

All the photos you could ever possibly want to see

2009-07-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

It has taken me two weeks, but I've finally uploaded all my China photos to Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopeokeeffe/collections/72157621476893786/. Please feel free to tag, name, comment, and of course print. I may keep organizing and editing a bit.

Last Morning (Hong Kong)

2009-07-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

I woke in time for the last bit of sunrise, and repacked the suitcase that got knocked over in the wee hours on Aaron’s return. It was still only 6:30, so I dressed for another session in the gym… and took the elevator downstairs instead.

I wandered back to Victoria Park. As I’d anticipated, all through the park, people were exercising – and in some instances, dancing. There were at least three calisthenics groups and probably a dozen tai chi practices of varying difficulty.

I joined a morning calisthenics class of older women, which of course left me in the dust. I hung out on the edge trying to follow, when a passing woman took pity on me and coached me through some of the moves. It was gentler than the calisthenics I know (although we did do jumping jacks) – more stretching and balancing, and some influence of tai chi. Plus there was a point where we all rubbed our eye sockets and foreheads, and then the back of our heads, that felt simply wonderful.

Then I got even braver and stood on the outskirts of a tai chi practice opposite the Library, trying to follow that; I did recognize parts of the forms from the four morning sessions on the cruise, but I’m sure I was the source of much amusement. People were very polite, with encouraging smiles. [I felt very intrusive taking pictures, and only did it at a distance. Oh for a telephoto!]

Havana Next Year, Baby/The Final Night (Hong Kong) [by Aaron]

2009-07-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

The night began when we left the group and rode on a doubledecker tram. It was two HK$, or about a quarter. We took it until we found the stop we wanted to be at, somewhere off the map. On the tram, we discussed that we wanted to find some Latin music, and it became our quest. We had to use the bathroom, so we walked into a random 5 star hotel. They showed us where they were and we then went to the hotel bar, the Admiralty Club. It was navy-themed. There was a band of four performing Lady Gaga songs and jazz standards. Interesting combination. I had a beer called Diamond Black, which was basically cranberry soda. It was gross. Remind me to never get it again. I shared Tom’s Tetley, (beer, not tea), which was mild and aromatic, with a full head and an amber color.

After the band set, we asked the band if they knew where we could find Latin music. An older member thought for a minute and revealed to us that the Havana Club would be good, but we might have to request Latin songs. He gave us the name and area, Tsim Sha Tsui, in English; we got the Chinese from the hotel reception. They were really nice to us, it was really weird. We realized we were getting closer to our goal, and took a taxi to the Star Ferry. The ferry was also HK$2, and offered a spectacular view of the bay at night. It was the lights; it wouldn’t have been anything during the day. When we touched down, we began walking in Kowloon. We had a map from the hotel reception revealing the exact location of the club. We went into another 5 star hotel and got directions for the fastest way to the club, a 15 minute walk. We enjoyed the night of Hong Kong as we walked to Knutsford Terrace. Tom and I sat down to rest our worn legs. We were on the brink of sleep, but we kept our quest in mind and continued.
We walked up many stairs, asked for directions again, and walked into a small building with an elevator: the Havana Club at last. We were directed to a very comfortable couch and the band began a song by Eric Clapton. We were mildly confused, as we sipped our Cuba libres and listened to songs such as “band on the Run,” “Imagine,” and bad 80s tunes. On the suggestions card, Tom wrote “Porque hay no musica Cubana?”, meaning “Why don’t you have any Cuban music?” Tom requested one Latin song using the request card we were given. We ordered San Miguels and Havana cigars (Habana Punch cigars). We enjoyed our request promptly and the set finished, leaving a dj playing mediocre Latin music. We toasted to the success of our quest and to our ancestors, some of which manufactured cigars. We spoke of how Cuba will probably be open to Americans soon and hoped we can do the same thing in Havana. We toasted again, to “Havana next year, baby!” We walked around for a little bit after we leave, and eventually just taxied home. The taxi only cost HK$50 to get us from island to island. We high-fived to the end of our China trip.

Last Night (Hong Kong)

2009-07-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

Last Night

We went out for a traditional Chinese banquet to commemorate the end of our journey. There we encountered what would be the last of the incomprehensible Chinese bathroom signs.

Then, Jeff and I went back to the room and read a bit of Inkheart together; after he fell asleep I blogged a bit for later posting when I have web access. Lois & Marty and Ed & Abby’s family all went to pack. The Langellos didn’t even make dinner – they were squeezing out the last possible shopping opportunities.

Tom and Aaron took the Star Ferry to Kowloon in search of Latin music. They found the Havana Club ,where they had fat Cuban cigars, Cuba libres, and San Miguels to round out their excellent adventures. [I’d proposed a Star Ferry ride earlier, but both boys said they’d had plenty of boat rides, thank you very much. I slightly regret not having forced the issue – Aaron reports it was wonderful under the full moon.]

Home Again

2009-07-09T01:56:00.000-07:00

Last post, for the moment [Hong Kong]

2009-07-07T06:32:00.000-07:00

We set off for home tomorrow at the crack of dawn, and I'm too cheap to fork over the HK$120 for another day's internet service. So watch this space, because we'll probably keep catching up on stories, photos, and especially videos for another month. [try the RSS feed....]

And thanks for virtually joining us!

down and out [Hong Kong]

2009-07-06T21:24:00.000-07:00

Just got hit up by a panhandler, Anglo, filthy skater shirt, maybe 20, shaking from withdrawal, saying he was busted and starving. I walked by; Aaron convinced me to turn back, and we hit a fruit stand, bought him an apple and a kiwi (his choice) and gave him a bottle of water.

Aaron promised me that if he's ever junked out in Hong Kong, he'll call me and I'll send a ticket home, no questions asked.

MUCH better now, thanks [Hong Kong]

2009-07-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

A number of us (especially Edward (the first), Amanda, and Marty) were hit by a 24 hour bug; Edward (the first) even stayed home from yesterday's sightseeing. Cumulative effects, I think, of a mad schedule finally relaxed and a suspicious double cheeseburger and/or caesar salad. (Those of us who did not eat at McDonald's are fine, but we didn't eat the salad, either.) But today everyone's back on track.

[nb: picture is from Guilin]

Plop! [Hong Kong]

2009-07-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

Those who know me know what I like to do on vacation: plop, preferably near water and with a book. This whole if it's Tuesday it must be Guilin experience, as awesome as it has been, is way out of character.

So I am taking it as a signal from the universe that I deleted my guidebook (since Tom has my Lonely Planet) and I'm spending a few hours here on the rooftop:

If I'm feeling especially ambitious I might look at the view from the other side or spy down on the neighbors:

Better than Battlestar Galactica [Hong Kong]

2009-07-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

This morning's view, while listening to Springsteen.

kindling [Hong Kong]

2009-07-06T16:09:00.000-07:00

My Kindle has been great -- exactly what I'd hoped for, an easy way to carry around a very large library. I most enthusiastically recommend that anyone who travels a lot buy one. You'll make up the cost in chiropractor fees and overweight baggage penalties in no time.

This morning, however, I discovered exactly how easy it is to delete something when you're half asleep and have clumsy morning fingers that keep pressing a button instead of waiting for the Kindle to process a request. Not a problem in the States, where Amazon has everything backed up -- but here, of course, the wireless doesn't work.

Unfortunately, what I deleted was the one book I'd paid full price for (everything else is public domain) -- my excellent China Adventure Guide, where I was trying to plan out this last, unscheduled day.

Better today, I suppose, than earlier in the trip....

Slainte {Hong Kong]

2009-07-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Tom, Aaron, Jeff & I had a grand lunch today: Guinness/Erdlinger/ginger beer, fish&chips, and hamburgers.

H1N1 Fashion [Hong Kong]

2009-07-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

The only way to travel [Baidicheng, Yangtze cruise]

2009-07-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

600-plus steps up to the temple at Baidicheng, so Tom climbed in style.

CRASH! [Hong Kong]

2009-07-06T08:06:00.001-07:00

I think this is the first evening that the entire group simply crashed from exhaustion. Ruth found a very good pizza joint a few blocks away, we contributed some beer from the 7-Eleven, ate in Ed and Abby’s room, and fell asleep early.

Lost! [Hong Kong}

2009-07-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

We couldn’t entirely find ourselves on the map and Tom’s leg was acting up, so we hailed a cab back to the hotel. The cab drove on the wrong side of the street and was mysteriously configured.

We drove around in circles for a bit and even went up on the highway for an exit or two; I suspected we may have only been a few blocks away, and snapped a picture of the cab ID, but Aaron pointed out that our fare was only 33 HK$, or about $4.00, so it seems more likely we’d just wandered into a warren of unnavigable one-way streets.

Better than Buffy (Hong Kong)

2009-07-06T07:58:00.001-07:00

Despite hauling all my gear, this is the first tme I’ve made it to a hotel gym (ok, so I’ve walked into a few gyms, but not actually onto any machines). I spent the 44 ellipticalling minutes that I usually spend in front of a DVD tv show watching the night Hong Kong skyline, and listening to the Fenians on Jeffrey’s pod because mine was out of juice.

Unprogrammed (Hong Kong)

2009-07-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

It was raining hard when we arrived in Hong Kong, so we postponed the scheduled sightseeing for the day and just checked into the hotel. Tom, Aaron, Jeffrey and I had an excellent late Vietnamese lunch (pho, cha gio, soft shell crab garden rolls, beer for me; pho ba for Aaron, spicy curry for Tom, more soft shell crab garden rolls and an adzuki bean milkshake for Jeffrey). Then we just wandered about. We found an amazing park, Victoria Park,

where hundreds of young women in head scarves, some perhaps praying, and others just practicing their music

or lounging about on blankets

Tom speculated that they were domestic servants enjoying their Sunday off, which our local guide later confirmed.

Jeffrey found an excellent playground

and we watched lawn bowlers and toy boats skimming around the properly labeled “motor boat pool.”

We did not feed any birds.

Then we just wandered about the streets, more or less window shopping.
We considered a movie.

Scott, is it ok if we come home with a few more pets?

The Benefits of Rainy Season Travel (Yangtze Cruise)

2009-07-06T07:10:00.001-07:00

It doesn’t really dampen anyone’s spirits,

Plus it keeps the ducks happy

and affords fabulous fashion opportunities

And did I mention the waterfalls?

Feng Du [Yangtze Cruise]

2009-07-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

The village of Feng Du is now completely inundated, but the tourist-attraction Ghost City Temple still remains. It’s a series of temples and shrines on the mountainside. Because of all the steps, they’ve installed a cablecar,
but only the bravest dare it because of all the dangers.

There’s a fertility temple with 1000 babies above the entrance.
Lois lit a prayer candle – I think she wants more grandchildren!

Wonderful demons guard the entrance to an upper temple, the Ghostly Gate Pass,

but you can only enter if you can balance for three seconds on a slippery stone to prove your worthiness.

If you’re as uncoordinated as some of us, the prospects are not good.

Hanging Coffins [Yangtze cruise]

2009-07-06T06:33:00.000-07:00

By some means not yet understood, very early villagers during the Ba period suspended coffins in high caves 1700 years ago. Many have been robbed over the years and many are now inundated by the rising waters, some saved in museums

but a few remain in situ.

Riki time (Hong Kong)

2009-07-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

While wandering about in Kowloon, I found a fabulous dance store! Riki was kind enough to model my purchases:

and then she and I went out for a most excellent dinner of tortellini

and seafood linguini.

The real monkeys

2009-07-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

Here's the image that was supposed to go with the post on monkeys in the mini gorges:

Museum field Trip (Hong Kong)

2009-07-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

Aaron and I successfully navigated the Hong Kong subway this afternoon, across the strait to Kowloon.

We then successfully located the Hong Kong Museum of History, which had all sorts of very cool exhibits on both the land

and the culture of Hong Kong.

The Lucky Indian

2009-07-06T05:56:00.001-07:00

This is where he decided to stay.

This post is by JEFFREY AND NO ONE ELSE

2009-07-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I failed at making videos, so I've decided to start actually blogging instead and let Aaron say anything he wants. SO, you've all probably heard about Lucky Indian, correct? Well, your guide was talking about how so many people wanted to retire in Guilin. So did Lucky. Before he decided to leave, he said to me this:
Surrender Speech of Chief Joseph
WebText by Mary Lou McCloskey, Ph.D.

Chief Joseph's Land, by David Manuel

I Will Fight No More Forever

Surrender Speech by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce

I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohulhulsote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led the young men is dead.
It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are--perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead.
Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.
He was born in China, and now took a one way ticket back.

Hong Kong

2009-07-05T17:46:00.001-07:00

Hong Kong feels much more like a western city than any of the other megatropolises we've visited in China -- all skyscrapers and rush, not as much green. So far, the prices seem to be fairly Western as well.

We are going semi-guideless; we left Gloria in Shanghai, where she will return to her husband in Beijing and sleep for a week. [There are travel restrictions for mainland citizens coming to Hong Kong.] Our local guide Pattie met us at the airport and was supposed to give us a half-day tour yesterday and a half day today; we postponed because of the rain, and today we're scheduled for a full day of the standard tour sights -- Victoria Peak, Stanley Market, Aberdeen. Then tonight and tomorrow are completely unscheduled; I'm hoping to make it to a museum or two. Then Pattie will bring us back to the airport day after tomorrow.

It's hard to blog without pictures. I'll probably report this tonight with all the pictures that are only on the laptop and in my head...

out from the Great Firewall!! [Hong Kong]

2009-07-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

On a whim I tried -- and here in Hong Kong, I'm out from behind the Great Firewall! So now I can read your comments, and release our trusty SA and tech god Scott from his duties -- which probably means that tonight I have to enter all those pesky things I have backed up...

So far I have Web access just on the lobby PC, though, so I can't load pictures -- just the opportunity to blather in the ten minutes until the group assembles for our day's tour.

Wakeup Call [Shanghai]

2009-07-05T07:12:00.001-07:00

One of the less popular features of this trip has been the morning wake-up call. Gloria announces the night before when or mandatory wakeup call will come. The latest — and this only happened once — has been 8:00.

I'm a morning person, so I'm usually up anyway, but arm-wrestling the guys out of bed has been entertaining. Aaron has a sticker on his door that says "I like to wake up at the crack of noon" — and last night he and Tom came in a bt after 3. And he's the easy one.

This morning, the wakeup call came at 5:00.

This close to the equinox, the sun's already up. So how do you tell it's 5 am in Shanghai?

No cars.

Neighbors [Shanghai]

2009-07-04T07:46:00.001-07:00

We had a fabulous fourth of July celebration with our Lincoln Street neighbors, Bea and Dave, who are currently stationed in Shanghai and generously invited all 15 of us over for a picnic.

Complete with fireworks!

Mini Three Gorges

2009-07-04T07:45:00.001-07:00

In Wushan, we got off the cruise liner to explore a Yangtze tributary, the Daning River, first by ferry,

and then by a convoy of sampans,

down an even smaller tributary.

We saw monkeys clambering around a cave,

gorgeous waterfalls,

goats,

several hanging coffin caves (one occupied), and locals serenading the tourists.

Lois reports that this river was only a few meters wide and the entire thing had to be traversed by sampan when they were here 7 years ago. I wonder where the monkeys moved?

The Peace Hotel [Shanghai]

2009-07-04T05:25:00.001-07:00

Here's the hotel where Tom & Aaron did not hear jazz last night

— it's under renovation as part of the general overhaul for Shanghai's 2010 World Expo. The blue mascot is everywhere,

and all road roads are torn up because they're putting in an underground transportation system;

not sure which is more annoying.

The Peace Hotel is on the Bund, the old International Quarter & financial district from colonial days.

Because of the construction, we were only able to see it from the bus. Unfortunately, we spent too much time in post-lunch silk shopping and so were unable to see the Shanghai Art Museum except from the bus too.

Acrobats [Shanghai]

2009-07-03T19:08:00.001-07:00

Every bit as extraordinary as advertised. Our guide said they start training at 3.

The Ballinest Hotel Yet [Pullman Shanghai Skyway]

2009-07-03T19:04:00.001-07:00

I believe this to be some sort of encomium. Here’s the lobby

and the view from our 26th floor room

And here’s the bathroom, which kind of scares me — since this is the view from the room through the glass wall.

Like all the hotel rooms in China, this one includes for 50 RMB an “emergency kit.” This one’s especially deluxe, with two international standard condoms, something called “the passions lasting,” and two kinds of Yirenbao special bath gel, one for men and one for women.

Edward Makes Friends Everywhere [Wushan]

2009-07-03T19:03:00.001-07:00

The Weather [Wushan, Yangtze cruise]

2009-07-03T19:01:00.001-07:00

We’ve had a spot of rain here in the South, what with traveling in the rainy season and all. So we’ve been modeling the local rain gear:

Lonely Planet [Shanghai]

2009-07-03T17:39:00.001-07:00

I brought two guidebooks — Lonely Planet China (2008 ed.), in hard copy, and China Adventure Guide, on Kindle. Both have been terrific, providing additional background and allowing us to depart from the scheduled itineraries.

Until last night. Tom & Aaron set out for the Peace Hotel Bar to see the Peace Hotel Jazz Band, where “Two of the old-timers — including the band’s founder and trumpet player Zhou Wanrong, — are former members of China’s first all-Chinese jazz band fronted by Jimmy King in the 1940’s, which had a regular slot at the Paramount.” [LP p. 271] The Adventure guide describes the Peace Hotel as “still one of the places to stay in Shanghai” and mentions the “lively jazz bar.” [Location 7409-19)

It was demolished two years ago.

How Much for Your Camel? [Guilin]

2009-07-03T17:35:00.001-07:00

Outside the Reed Flute Cave was an excellent market, where the children acquired all sorts of fine weaponry to add to their collections. There was also a camel, tethered by his nose, in the bus parking lot.

The guide informed us that this was a mountain camel, much softer and healthier, but smaller than its desert brethren, but not local.

Smart-ass Aaron tried to negotiate with the owner, who did not speak English beyond “ten yuan,” for purchase of the camel. Jeffrey and Riki, however, had the right idea.

Shanghai Skyline

2009-07-03T17:34:00.001-07:00

It’s amazing. Skyscraper after skyscraper, but few of them glass boxes, and all surrounded by green, so I don’t get that claustrophobic canyon feeling. Here’s a random sample from the bus ride into town. [I’ve been doing a lot of shooting from buses, and as a result have a lot of blurs, window flares, and pavement shots, because my PHD (push here dummy) camera has a very slow shutter speed and my reaction time is pitiful.]

Three Gorges Dam [Yangtze]

2009-07-02T17:20:00.001-07:00

This was one of the two subjects which have generated the most defensiveness among the people we’ve talked with – the other being the one child policy. In both cases, they’ve been extraordinary frank – but plainly have talking points to cover.

The cost is roughly $25 billion to date – reportedly half to compensate and resettle the over 1.4 million people who were displaced from 13 cities, 140 towns, 1352 villages, and 657 factories. It started in 1992 and will be completed, in most part, this year. The ship elevator is still under construction,; now traffic moves through 5 ship locks

The positives: flood control, purportedly reducing flooding by 90%; 84 million annual kw/hours of hydroelectric power initially projected to cover 15% of China’s needs and replace 50M tons of coal; and more than tripling navigation to 10,000 ships.

The negatives? Enormous environmental and cultural impacts. 1.4 million people have lost their homes, hundreds of ancient temples and cultural sites are now underwater, and at least three species are threatened with extinction. The glory of the gorges –while still astounding – is diminished. And, were the dam to fail, millions of people would die- and the dam is in an area of earthquakes and landslides. And it’s just heartbreaking to see all the signs of where the water level will be.

We talked to one man who said his village had been displaced. He, his brother, and his father – like 10,000 other displaced locals -- were all hired to work on the dam, as part of the landscaping crew.

He says that he learned English drinking beer with the American, English, and Australian foreign dam workers. As a result, he reports, he was the only one of the 10,000 blue collar workers to be promoted to white collar. The blue collar workers live on the left bank of the river in dorms with no ac; the white collar workers, in nicer dorms with AC on the right bank.

He says that every night his father, who plants trees, walks across the river to stay in his room.

Was there a choice? Probably. China could have built a series of smaller dams that might have generated as much power with fewer population and environmental impacts. Indeed, that’s the next step – given power demands, the government is now planning several more dams further upstream, nearer to Nepal and the headwaters.

Traditional Chinese Medicine [Yangtze Cruise]

2009-07-02T17:16:00.001-07:00

One of the more interesting educational sessions was a demonstration of traditional Chinese treatments. Dr. Xu (who also led morning tai chi sessions) asked for a male volunteer with back or shoulder pain.

Then he asked the volunteer to take off his shirt and proceeded to demonstrate

Acupuncture

Cupping

Scraping

Acupressure

Chris reports that he has more shoulder mobility than he’s had in years.

Emperors & Empresses [Yangtze]

2009-07-02T17:14:00.001-07:00

Last night of the cruise, a bit of dress-up…

Talent Show [Yangtze Cruise]

2009-07-02T17:06:00.001-07:00

The evening cabaret featured the crew orchestra playing music, including that traditional Chinese tune Red River Valley,

plus traditional Chinese dances

plus the occasional random fusion of step dance and break dance…

Porne Houses [Beijing]

2009-07-02T17:04:00.001-07:00

Along the Sacred Way outside the Temple of Heaven is a wonderful path with stone statues to either side, matched people and animals.

Each of the animal pairs appeared both standing and lying down/prone, quite perfect for kids to climb around.

Hence the best Chinglish of the trip thus far: the porne houses:

And at the end, a giant turtle. If you touch the head, you get wealth; if the tail, heath/longevity. Which would you pick?

Don’t Tell Iggy! [Yangshuo]

2009-07-02T17:02:00.001-07:00

Tom, Aaron & I slipped away from the group today while we were in yet another tourist street market, and found a local farmer’s market.

An amazing place – vegetables fresh from the field

and meat so fresh it was still quacking

– or, in some cases, barking.

Tom reports it was delicious.

For Eric

2009-07-02T17:00:00.001-07:00

I lit this candle for Eric Underwood, in a 400 A.D. Buddhist temple in Feng Du.

Xi'an

2009-07-02T16:59:00.001-07:00

It’s bigger than New York, with about 9 million people, with what is becoming the familiar Chinese contrast of skyscraper

and street market.

It was the capitol of at least three dynasties, the Chin, Han, and Tang, with a history going way, way back to pre-Stone Age times.

It feels like a saner pace than Beijing, yet still has plenty of the national bird around: the construction crane.

Thinking of H.B. in Bejing

2009-07-01T19:35:00.001-07:00

Riki, Jeff, and Aaron insisted on a picture of this wall in a teen hangout in the hutong because it reminded them of H.B.

The Dynamic Duo

2009-07-01T19:34:00.001-07:00

Tom and Aaron have had a blast together, going out clubbing in every city after the rest of us go to sleep. What happens in Beijing — or Xi'an, or Chongqing, or Guilin — stays in China — but my understanding is that they have been thrown out of at least one bar, Tom has taught Aaron how to deal with bar girls, Chinese students love to practice their English, there's been a certain amount of karaoke, and people keep buying them drinks. (Aaron is legal drinking age here.)

Four Posts from Lois

2009-07-01T19:32:00.001-07:00

Mama Lois on shopping, 7 years later

Before there used to be hawkers, surrounding your bus, and everywhere you would go. They’re not there, even in the cities, very little. Now they’ve put them in shops and stalls, and it looks like they’re not allowed to run after the tourists, they just have to shout and hope you come over. Before it was fun, sometime annoying but fun. I don’t know how those people who lived off tourists are doing, I don’t think as well. To me that’s a huge difference. I think a lot of people could make a living selling things like silk scarves, now you have to go to a stall, and it’s harder to stop when the guide is rushing you along. It has to be hurting their livelihood.

Mama Lois on Changes in Cities

When we were here last, it was before the Olympics. It was in chaos, everything was being built. The highway rings around Beijing were still being built. If it wasn’t being built it was being renovated. Half of the hotel was being renovated while we were staying in the other half. Now, it’s not the same cities. None of them are the same cities, they’re magnificent. They rival any in the world. But we didn’t see that, we only saw the construction.

The flowers and trees are everywhere now. Everything’s so lush. They’ve put in drip systems. That didn’t exist either.

Everyone was warning about pollution, I didn’t sense it, nothing to what I was expecting. It’s not any more polluted than any of our cities. I think it’s the press.

There are more Western toilets for women now, not just the squat toilet. The trick is to go to the handicapped stall.

I’m not criticizing China. It’s breathtaking how much they’ve progressed in 7 years. The infrastructure, the roads, the gardens. The people are well fed. It’s a different country.

Mama Lois on changes in people

I think the people are more open & friendly than 7 years ago. They were very closed up and afraid to talk to us, very conservative. Now I think they’d answer anything. Very pro-West. I think the government has changed, and the capitalism has come out so strongly. They’ll never go back to what we think of as communism, they’ve tasted it now.

The few temples I saw were more historical, little sense of belief. I think that’s true now too. I saw a few monks in the Forbidden City, that’s it.

There were more soldiers then. The cities were like armed camps. They were around the hotels, they were everywhere. Now they just guard the sites.

Last time, October, we saw a lot of poor peasants in the fields. They didn’t have oxen; they were just pulling the plow with the yoke on the man, and the woman walking alongside.

Mama Lois on Dazu changes

Dazu is a world Heritage site, 800 years old, with Buddhas carved into the cliff, from small to huge lying down. The site itself hasn’t changed, just the approach to the site. The road to the site now is smooth paved, stone walls to either side. Before, a windy unpaved road with pretty steep drops, no protection, so narrow that two buses couldn’t pass; someone would have to give way and get off to the side as best they could. Now, on either side, they’re building beautiful buildings. It used to be just farmers and huts, now you see buildings going up and towns coming up. New housing, new roads. People here look prosperous now, they didn’t before .

I don’t remember the plaza at all. When we went into Dazu, the big fancy plaza wasn’t there, just a big dirt & gravel area with lots of vendors. Now, nicely paved wide plaza, big statues, computerized entrance gate, no vendors. No fancy turnstiles, today there were two. The lower plaza was also just dirt, and full of vendors. The change is unbelievable. Once you started down the ancient stairs, it was the same. There were never any vendors downstairs, but the above was loaded with them. It was fun. I don’t know why they got rid of all the vendors; maybe they thought it was too third world.

The Guides

2009-07-01T19:24:00.001-07:00

Our local guides have been uniformly excellent.

As we were leaving Chongqing today, our local guide there, whose English name is Kevin, gave us a quote from Confucius:

"A friend comes from afar, brings a distant land closer." -

Kevin (chonqing)

Anna (Xi'an)

Summer (Guilin)

MamaLois on the Changing Yangtze

2009-07-01T19:20:00.001-07:00

Seven years ago, when we took the Yangtze River cruise, it was far more primitive and colorful. The dam had not been completed; that’s why we took the trip when we did. The mountains were steep but terraced down to the water; the last 100 feet were flat beaches. All the way up, both on the beaches and paths winding up, were market stalls with colorful umbrellas and people selling vegetables, food, clothing – everything, really. It wasn’t for the tourists – we were on the boats – this was their society. A lot of fishermen were on either side, fishing. There were sandbars that the children would run out on. They would get very close to the boat. They were barefoot, and dressed in underwear. I remember one enterprising young boy, maybe 8-10, running along the sandbar holding out a basket, and people were tossing him money.

We did stop on one long beach and buy souvenirs and whatever you buy on beaches. It wasn’t just markets. All along the road winding up, you would see small temples and graveyards. Also, along the road here and there were the signs that would show the meters to measure water level, all the way up to 175, which was way up the cliff. The beaches were all below the 25 meter mark. It seemed like the villagers didn’t climb to the top; there were maybe a mile between villages. Only the lower part was terraced.

When we came to a big town that was going to be inundated, it looked like a war zone. They were building big apartment buildings up the top and people were demolishing their homes, trying to take as much as they could to the top. I don’t know how much help they were going to get from the government.

I can’t describe the war zone, it was what it was. We were appalled at the disarray people were in, and still living there.

The river was wild, yellow, turbulent water. There were fishing boats all over the place. The river was very narrow, channeled between the gorges.

Now, you go down, and you really don’t see many people on either side. I assume they’re all at the top. Now it’s all green. The little villages are gone. The temples are gone. It seemed like we were going in gorges with forests, not vibrant villages or communities.

The temples were lower, where people could visit them. The temples were gone, the graves were gone, the people were gone. The terraces were gone, except some higher up where the guide said the soldiers had built them.

I was shocked because I was wondering where all the people were, where were all those thriving communities that had been there for hundreds and thousands of years?

Lucky Indian

2009-07-01T19:19:00.001-07:00

He gets around.

Our Four Legged Friends

2009-07-01T19:17:00.001-07:00

This one's for Mollie & Iggy:

and Ramon

And this is for the girls

Note that the dogs pose and the cat disdainfully turns her head away....

Keeping in Touch

2009-07-01T19:14:00.001-07:00

Our local guide in Chongqing noted that there are 450 million cellphones in China. Unlike the US, though, they still have a fine supply of groovy phone booths.

This One's for Jax (Guilin)

2009-07-01T19:12:00.001-07:00

We spent the afternoon in the most extraordinary caverns, the Reed Flute Caves.

They served as an air raid shelter during the Japanese occupation in WW II; the central cavern (the Crystal Palace of the Dragon King) holds 1000 people, plus three.

Ok, so there were a fair number of rock-concert colored lights,

and the floors were (horrors) paved stone rather than natural, but the boys allowed as Jackie would have liked the caves anyway.

Here's Jeff's shout-out to our favorite spelunker:

or maybe it was this one:

What I Don't Miss (Yangtze)

2009-06-30T20:14:00.001-07:00

For a news and blog junkie, I have been astoundingly disconnected. Oddly, there are two bits of news that have electrified China: the Washington Metro accident, and Michael Jackson's death. But I accidentally caught a glimpse of the TV in the bar...

White Trash (Chongqing)

2009-06-30T20:11:00.001-07:00

We have been staying in very flashy hotels. The one here in Chongqing is especially nicely appointed, with a bathroom to die for, with marble tub with jacuzzi, marble floor, and a double-sized separate shower. But you cant take some people anywhere.

The Fine Print

2009-06-30T20:09:00.001-07:00

And in a dusty corner of the museum of the terra-cotta warriors, rhetoric of a sort I expected to see far more:

Eyebrows (Xi'an)

2009-06-30T20:06:00.001-07:00

This may be one of the more intriguingly ridiculous museum notes I've ever seen: a helpful poster of the different eyebrow fashions during the Ming dynasty.

Paradise (Yangtze)

2009-06-30T20:04:00.001-07:00

Daddy, won’t you take me, back to Muhlenberg County
Down by the green river, where Paradise lay?
Well, I’m sorry, my son, but you’re too late in asking
Mr. Peabody’s coal train has hauled it away.

-John Prine

The Yangtze is full of coal barges – loaded going upstream, empty on the return. The Three Gorges Dam was projected to produce 15 % of China’s energy requirements; present estimate is 1%, not because the hydroelectric generation has fallen below projections, but because demand has so exploded. So there will be more dams built, further upstream near Tibet, where the population, if not the ecological, effects will be lesser.

In the meantime, the mountains keep filling the coal barges.

Terra-cotta Warriors (Xi'an)

2009-06-30T20:01:00.001-07:00

They are, of course, amazing. We were all entranced.

We were there at the same time as the farmer who discovered them while digging a well back in the 70s, who apparently now signs books full time. (I didn't see the "no photographs sign" and was roundly reprimanded by an appalled British lady.)

More unusually, we were also there at the same time as a team of archeologists.

According to our guide, they are deliberately not digging up some of the sites because they don't yet have the technology to preserve the paint and other materials on the terra-cotta, and they're safer underground.

But the archeologists revealed the secret of where he warriors REALLY come from:

Muslim Quarter (Xi’an)

2009-06-30T19:56:00.001-07:00

It wasn’t on our original schedule, but after reading Lonely Planet, I asked that we shift things around to permit a trip to the Muslim quarter. Muslims are the third largest religious group in China, and as the end of the Silk Road,

Xi’an is a major center, with many descendants of Arab traders. We were able to spend a few hours in the street market of the Muslim Quarter,

and also to visit the Great Mosque at the time of early evening prayer, listening to the iman call the faithful to prayer from what looked like a pagoda, in Arabic with a Chinese lilt.

Tom was sufficiently entranced that he ditched the group and stayed in the Quarter for dinner.

Your Kind of Place (Yichang)

2009-06-30T19:55:00.001-07:00

Children's Village

2009-06-30T19:53:00.001-07:00

Another unscheduled stop – we were supposed to go to the Museum of Science and Technology – but we have one of those at home. So Gloria was able to arrange a visit to the provincial Children’s Village, a bit over an hour from Xi’an.

The children, who range from 3 to 17 – just like our group – are mostly not orphans, but the children of prisoners.

They live in one-story dorms, eight to a brightly painted room,

with the older kids segregated by sex and the older girls’ dorm festooned with pop star posters.

The younger children performed a little dance for us

– so, with the impression that they probably were made to feel like performing seals for visitors, we reciprocated

Tom garnered a fan club by using the universal communication tool of a notebook and dinosaur sketches.

The girls posed with our girls

and compared notes on pop stars, and the boys played with the five balls we brought as a gift for the kids

We ended, of course, leaving chunks of cash as donations – and Aaron kicked in an extra $50 from his savings. I don’t know how much of it will reach the children, or even the Children’s Village. But they have so little, and we have so much.

Big Goose Pagoda (Xi'an)

2009-06-30T19:47:00.001-07:00

This Buddhist pagoda, from AD 642,

is wonderful. Full of statues

and paintings of the life of the Buddha

and an amazing, tranquil garden full of birds,

it feels like a holy place rather than a palace or museum like the sites in Beijing. It is once again a practicing monastery; the monks returned after the Cultural Revolution.

Here’s the monk who founded it, Xuan Zang, who also inspired the classic novel of the Monkey King, Journey To the West, which I’ve been reading on the Kindle, and which has proven vaguely reminiscent of our present adventure ”Monkeys are born naughty ad they could not keep quiet for a single moment until they had work themselves out moving thing around.”

We're Baaack

2009-06-30T19:43:00.001-07:00

We're off the river and in the amazing, huge city of Chongqing.

We sailed in at midnight last night, and left the boat this morning. After a full day to touring, now I have a nice fat broadband pipe until 8:30 tomorrow morning. Let the blogging recommence.

A Note for the Blog About Videos

2009-06-25T19:58:00.001-07:00

Aaron has been a demon with the Flip. He'd much prefer, however, to get these videos home and properly edited — and, of course, to post them in their proper uncompressed form. So you are seeing the raw footage...

A note from your friendly human web proxy, instead of loading a pile of videos here I've provided a widget showing selected videos on my YouTube channel on the right sidebar here. You can go look at them here or head on over to http://www.youtube.com/user/spottybones to see them all.

Xi'an

2009-06-25T19:36:00.001-07:00

Leaving in a few minutes, but I can't leave without giving you a taste of our time here:

The Big Goose Pagoda is both an amazing ancient site

and, since the loosening of religious restrictions, once again a practicing monastery

Xi'an was the end of the Silk Road, and still has an amazing Muslim Quarter

and Great Mosque (no pictures, because I ran out of camera juice).

The terracotta warriors -- astounding, of course.

A Tang Dynasty performance, quite perfect for we touristy folks.

Plus lots of noodles!

Blog Hiatus

2009-06-25T19:32:00.001-07:00

We're off to the river portion of the trip, so no Internet access for the next four days. I've left Scott with a humongous backlog, though!

Here's your intrepid blogger at work:

Intellectual Property

2009-06-25T19:31:00.001-07:00

Recycling [Beijing]

2009-06-25T19:30:00.001-07:00

There's more to recycling here than just water bottles...

The Bus [Beijing]

2009-06-25T19:28:00.001-07:00

We definitely travel in style, in a full-sized air conditioned bus.

Our Beijing driver was Mr. Lee, who Gloria assured us is excellent at navigating the crazy, mostly inexperienced Beijing drivers, who do not give anyone, especially pedestrians, the right of way, regardless of such niceties as traffic lights or sidewalks.

Plus the kids have fun.

Trees [Bejing 6/21]

2009-06-25T19:25:00.001-07:00

They are magnificent, and revered. This is a 500-plus year old glory described as nine dragons twining, quite possibly in the Forbidden City

and some lovely willows in the Summer Palace.

Plus they're great for staying cool when it's over 100 degrees out.

Sun Worship [6/23]

2009-06-25T19:23:00.001-07:00

There's a small mound outside the Temple of Heaven where the Emperor made his devotions to the Sun during the winter solstice. It is, of course, a mandatory photo opp.

Sports in the Forbidden City [6/21]

2009-06-25T19:20:00.001-07:00

Mysteriously, a rusty basketball hoop:

and a couple of bored soldiers playing badminton:

Group Hug in the Forbidden City [6/21]

2009-06-25T19:18:00.001-07:00

Shade

2009-06-25T19:17:00.001-07:00

Umbrellas are the universal accessory for the Chinese tourists to stay out of the sun,

though Aaron asked me to take a picture of this alternative.

Legend of Kung Fu [6/22]

2009-06-25T19:15:00.001-07:00

Marty had arranged for us to see this martial arts extravaganza primarily for the kids. No photos of the performance, of course, but here's the venue

and cast:

My personal favorite part was the warning at the beginning, when I did feel compelled to break the no photo rule:

Quarantine [6/20]

2009-06-25T04:05:00.001-07:00

The quarantine check for H1N1 was as vigorous as reported; we filled out a long form attesting to healthiness and providing our addresses for the next 7 days, and duly took prophylactic tylenol an hour before landing. A team of masked and gloved people took all our temperatures before we left the plane.

In the airport we went through another screening and handed in the forms before going through immigration.

There were people from the plane pulled aside, and Gloria reports that on her last tour, someone was rounded up at the hotel based on the form she'd filled out.

Period Dress [Beijing]

2009-06-25T03:59:00.001-07:00

There was a Mao impersonator at the Great Wall; Aaron wanted a picture with him, but we were rushing and assumed he'd still be there when we climbed back; he was not, alas. But Aaron did meet these ladies, acting as hostesses in a restaurant:

The restaurant sent this poor woman out looking for us, hobbling along on four inch platform heels designed like boat keels to mimic bound feet:

]

The only other place so far where we've seen period dress was in one gallery of the Summer Palace, where we ran into a couple of imperial concubines.

They were separated only a few feet from these guys, who were not in costume.

God in Beijing

2009-06-25T03:54:00.001-07:00

Gloria reported with some pride that there are over 100 different churches, temples, and mosques in Beijing, demonstrating the new atmosphere of religious tolerance. For 13 million people.

There are 86 churches, on quick web count, in Arlington, Virginia, which anyone in Real Virginia will tell you is an extraordinarily godless place where all sorts of blasphemers live.

Helpful Signs

2009-06-25T03:51:00.001-07:00

Shoutout to Iggy, Mollie & Ramon

2009-06-25T03:47:00.001-07:00

Ni hao to the pups back home from Beagle, who lives in the hutong in Bejing that we visited. He reports that folks have a lot more pets now that there's more money to go around.

Gloria

2009-06-24T21:05:00.001-07:00

Our guide Gloria has been phenomenal -- patient, knowledgeable, unflappable, flexible, kind, personable. She's answered all kinds of stupid, rude, and personal, and awkward questions with a smile, taken an incessant number of group shots,

and has smoothed through all the logistical challenge of herding this family of cats.

Plus Edward adores her.

Temple of Heaven

2009-06-24T21:00:00.001-07:00

This is my favorite place in Beijing. Gorgeous temple -- but mostly, an amazing people's park that, even more than the neighborhood tour and visit to a house later in the day, felt like a glimpse into the more joyous part of everyday life here.

As we walked in, people were waltzing. Edward, of course, joined in.

A bit further in, several bands. They were playing a haunting Chinese melody when we approached -- but switched to Jingle Bells in our honor.

And further along, there was a group of at least 150 people gathered, with sheet music, in a singalong with full orchestra.

and multiple versions of tai chi, with rackets and swords and a ring toss around the recipient's neck, and ribbon dancing, and card games, and an odd sort of feathered cross between hacky-sack and badminton that of course the kids had to try...

A Temple of Heaven, indeed.

Beijing hutongs

2009-06-24T20:54:00.001-07:00

Part of the rapidly disappearing Beijing are the old residential neighborhoods, or hutong. So a decade or so ago some were saved, almost accidentally, when entrepreneurial guides began giving tours of the old neighborhoods. Now a handful of hutongs have been saved from demolition for high rise condos, sanitized, and preserved. We took what has become the classic high-end tour: a convoy of 8 pedicabs through the narrow alleyways,

capped by a visit to a hutong resident who very proudly showed off her home, where her husband's family has lived for the past 150 years: two bedrooms, an office, a living room, kitchen with gas stove, microwave, refrigerator, washer. She's a retired factory worker; her husband is an artist who happily sold us four of his small rice paper paintings.

City of Bicycles

2009-06-24T20:50:00.001-07:00

In Xi'an now, but there's so much I still want to say about Beijing! It's known as the city of bicycles; they are everywhere. No telling how long this will last, given the explosion in the car population. In the meantime, though, they rule the roads, and not just the separate bike lanes. They are both the main means of transportation for people,

and a key means of transporting everything else.

Goodbye to Beijing

2009-06-24T20:32:00.001-07:00

4:30 am, and the wakeup call comes in half an hour for our early morning flight to Xi'an.

I am not a city person.

But I think I could grow fond of this one. Of course we've seen only the highlights, and through vacation-tinted glasses at that, and at an impossibly high standard of living. I love the architecture, the culture clash of skyscraper and hutong (which the hutongs are losing, of course). We're here at such a transition. I love the skyscrapers themselves, so many of which are not monolithic glass boxes.

I love the water.

I love the public art, some of which is decidedly whimsical. I especially love the greenery everywhere.

Maybe it's the feng shui...

Fwd: INTELLIGENCE REPORT attn Jeffrey

2009-06-24T16:12:00.001-07:00

From: Sarah Gaden
Date: Tue, Jun 23, 2009 at 8:09 PM

TOP SECRET INTELLIGENCE REPORT
Commander stop avoid mountains stop large volume gmn troops located melbourne 2200 hours north of staircase 1 stop regroup immed stop invasion imminent stop have already infiltrated networks and disarmed blog-posting ability stop regroup regroup

The Story of Ping

2009-06-24T05:37:00.001-07:00

We had a special request for more talk about food.

Food is good. In fact, food is excellent. The hotel breakfast buffet is a mix of Western and Chinese, but all other meals have been Chinese. Flavors are more delicate and subtle -- and also more varied -- than in the US, and there are more vegetables. Every meal ends, thus far, with watermelon. All are served family style, with a lazy susan packed with dishes that just keep coming. Here's today's lunch:

And dinner, what with being in Beijing and all, was the most fabulous Peking duck ever, although Jeff still expresses great loyalty to Mark's House of Duck back home. But does Mark wear a silly hat?

Aaron's Video : The Streets of Beijing

2009-06-22T19:41:00.001-07:00

Aaron's Video: On the Way to Tiananmem Square

2009-06-22T19:39:00.001-07:00

How's the Weather?

2009-06-22T19:15:00.001-07:00

Something over 100 degrees. Again. But the humidity's very low; it feels more or less like Arizona. And the pollution not nearly bad as folks warned about.

Here's the sunrise this morning, from the hotel room.

The Battle for the Holiday Inn Crown Plaza

2009-06-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

The 12th Infantry Division 2nd Regiment does battle with the German 26th Mauser Division.

At the beginning of the battle, Lieutenant Blake Kelly, issues a charge directly into the oncoming German Platoon.

The German Platoon leader mimics the action, and the main battle begins.

A medic rushes over to a wounded soldier.

The courageous soldier, Jonathan Bloomfield, keeps on fighting.

A German Sniper takes aim with his Kar08 sniper rifle and stand, his ammunition man by his side as he fires upon the enemy Infantry division below.

Two American sub-machine gunners and a Browning Automatic Rifleman form a firing squad.

A couple of Germans with MP40s ND German with a Mauser and three more with Mausers form another two to retaliate.

An American Soldier takes on a German enemy in hand to hand combat,

and after a long fight, takes down his assailant with his trench knife.

The two forces finally end the skirmish with the Germans retreating, swearing that they'll be back.

It was a light battle for both sides with little loses. The American forces had one injury (Bloomfield) and one casualty, a medic named Jim Harper. The Germans suffered three casualties and two injuries. They retreated into the nearby town of Sheraton, province of Xi'an, China. in the Snowy Mountains, where they are presumed to have more forces. The 12th Infantry is sent after them to try and find whereabouts of enemy supplies. They will also find out about enemy plans.

Stay Tuned for our next episode of:SUPER CRAZY ARMY MEN BATTLES OF CHINA!!! WITH PICS!!!

The Great Wall

2009-06-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

It's Great. We saw it at Badaling, the closest section to Beijing and so the most crowded.

We split into two groups; I went the with macho folks on the steeper and less crowded stretch.

Payton and Jeffrey raced to the top

I did my best to keep up

Chris was a few minutes behind us,

our marathoner Abby

and then DJ Gringo, who videographed his way up and back again.

Edward didn't quite make it to the top, going in the course of a ew steps from "I wanna go with the guys" to: "Daddy, I'm tired."

Fortunately he brought his personal bearer.

Tidiness

2009-06-22T16:36:00.001-07:00

Beijing is a remarkably clean city, at least in the touristy sections.

At the sites, there are cadres of little old ladies with brooms and plastic bags, collecting discarded water bottles for recycling.

and there are signs everywhere exhorting appropriate behavior.

The Star

2009-06-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

By far the biggest attraction in our cadre is young Edward William O'Keeffe, who will be four in October. He moves in a cloud of paparazzi, and people are always asking to hold him.

This proved to our advantage when Abby was trying to figure out whether it would be rude to take a picture of a nearby monk — and the monk asked if he could take a picture with Edward....

Small World Department

2009-06-22T16:25:00.001-07:00

So there we were, milling about at the ticket booth for the Great Wall. Chris, who works in the GSA Inspector General's office and is ordinarily pretty unflappable, suddenly became bubbly, and the cameras started clicking. Milling around with us was Chris's colleague, GSA Deputy General Counsel Lenny Loewentritt. Fellow feds will recognize Lenny as the Source of All Knowledge on the travel regs. Now we know that all that knowledge is first hand.

Soldiers

2009-06-22T04:37:00.000-07:00

There is a discrete police & military presence everywhere, colorcoded by function. Green is military, blue is police, grey is security. And there are honor guard in formal uniform at key places.

And at least one in a mysterious red uniform whose function we have been unable to translate.