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trip path


shanghai skyline	pearl tower	fake market	year of rooster	tea house


old exercises	bliss, jill, dan	dan's photographer	walking tour	dan, jill, brian


jill browsing meat	bird flu market	shanghai market	jade buddha temple	jade buddha temple


jade buddha temple	mogul house	all fake	"antique" source	beijing guest house


good advice	dan jill hutong pub	forbidden city	forbidden city	forbidden city


forbidden city	important sign	important sign	forbidden city	forbidden city


jill in forbidden city	forbidden city	jill brian forbidden city	mao	tiananmen square


forbidden city	forbidden city	forbidden city	jill brian city	forbidden city


beijing bike	mao underground city	beijing tea for two	summer palace	summer palace


summer palace	summer palace	summer palace	summer palace	summer palace sign


jill brian cafe	mao and pal	jill brian art district	jill brian simon	brian


3 star toilet	jill brian summer palace	jill summer palace	long corridor	marble boat


wall sign	brian wall	great wall	brian wall	dan wall


jill dan great wall	great wall	great wall	dan great wall	brian jill dan great wall


brian dan wall	brian wall	"vendor"	"guide"	jill wall


great wall	great wall	great wall	great wall	great wall


dan great wall	great wall	great wall	dan great wall	great wall


great wall	jill wall	locals great wall	great wall	dan great wall


great wall	brian jill dan great wall	great wall	great wall	great wall


wall smooch	jill brian wall	door to wall	brian dan market	village view


thankfully	kunming guesthouse	greenlake dancing	greenlake dancing	greenlake dancing


greenlake	greenlake dancing	greenlake dancing	jill in tree	brian brian dan jill shannon


jill brian greenlake	bird/flower market	shannon kunming	speakeasy warning	breakfast kunming


lijiang guesthouse	lijiang guesthouse	lijiang guesthouse	lijiang oldtown	lijiang oldtown


lijiang oldtown	naxi dance oldtown	naxi band	jade mountain	yufeng monastery


jill 10,000 camellia	jill blessed	baisha dancing	baisha dancing	jade mountain


dr. ho	dan @ naxi house	baisha market	baisha market	baisha market


dr. ho	baisha dancing	baisha dancing	jade mountain	baisha temple


baisha market	lijiang oldtown	lijiang serenade	kunming dentist office	mekong river


temple on trek	village woman	jill trek	dan jill trek	dan sarah trek


trek village	trek lunch	trek lunch	hut kitchen	trek trail


trek lunch	our host	trek brian dan	trek view	trek journal


trek view	trek worker	dan in hut	jill dan trek	trek making yarn


trek trail	trek break	break host	sarah jill trek	building new house


trek puppies	jill narrow path	pineapple grove	pineapple grove	trek pig


trek pineapples	trek pineapples	sarah our guide	allergic to smoke	whatever


character art shop	sleeping in	rumplejillskin

2.19.05

This has been an amazing, life-changing trip. Well, maybe not yet, since it's 8:15am and we are just at Atlanta's Hartsfield airport. Haven't really gone anywhere, but Jill and I are having a good laugh about what the nurse said to us after we got our shots for this trip.

"Your lives will never be the same after this trip" (nurse)

"Right" (slightly confused Brian)

"Aren't you just overwhelmed with excitement?" (nurse)

Silence

"You and your wife are not going to China to adopt a child are you? (hesitant, now embarrassed nurse)

"Ah, no, but we are looking forward to the trip!" (Brian)

Up at 5:30am this morning, finished packing and called the credit card companies in the hopes that I could stop my cards from being canceled when an over-eager fraud detection analyst thinks it would be impossible for me to travel to Asia.

Carolyn and Sandy picked us up at 6:30 and we headed out. Stopped by the office to grab the two-way pagers I had used for work -- which might be a total waste on the trip -- but then again, might come in handy. About 45 minutes to get through check-in and now we are patiently waiting to go to Chicago -- then a quick little hop -- direct to Shanghai.

Today begins our 11 flights in 14 days and this time tomorrow it will be two days from now.

2.20.05

Uneventful 14.5 hour flight. Finished Malcolm Gladwell's book: Blink, watched 3 movies (Sideways, Engine 49, and Mr. 3000) and a couple below-average meals. Not much leg room in coach, can't imagine what it would be like for someone bigger than a hobbit. Thankfully the map progress report icon was not on a big screen, since that can be pretty frustrating on a long flight. Chatted with some nice folks who were a bit more accustomed to this "commute" than I am. And there was only one violently ill Chinese man on the plane helping my imagination stay active.

Dan and Bliss picked us up at Shanghai Pudong airport. Apparently, it was uncharacteristically busy, which meant we had an extra hour through customs. Thankfully, Dan spotted us in the masses. Although Yao has over a foot on him, it doesn't hurt that at 6' 3'', Dan towers over most Chinese. Bliss was also serving as a spotter on the upper deck of the terminal. Caught a bus into Shanghai and dropped our gear off at the apartment. They have a perfect two bedroom deal in a fairly metropolitan part of the city -- kept tidy by their maid who I believe swings by 5 times a week (she also cooks and shops for them) and scores the equivalent of 60 bucks a month. Seems about right. No central heat -- because their apartment is too far south according to the Chinese government to have a central system.

Grabbed dinner in Xintiandi, an upscale complex that is Chinesey -- meaning comfortable enough for foreigners to stumble around in -- without getting outside their western comfort zone. Certainly you can break out the chopsticks, but there were many familiar sights -- including a place to order a grande frappamochachinesechino if you really needed one. The walk to the restaurant included a tour by some interesting store fronts -- including a tiny, one-room store that only repaired remote controls.

Dinner for four was 233 yuan, about 40 bucks, which Dan said was pricey. I certainly didn't recognize everything I was eating and the "relaxing" drink I ordered put a smile on everyone's face at the table -- some Shirley Temple concoction of soupy Jello, tapioca pellets (with a wide-enough straw to suck them through), lime, and whatever juice. Tasted like ground-up wintergreen lifesavers and pepto. It was fun, a nice "transition dinner" place to practice the very awkward Chinese we pretended to brush up on during the flight over -- butchering all the tones and pronunciation to the delight of just about everyone. As a sort of punch line to our dinner, Jill tested out her way of finding the restroom, by walking up to several folks near the front of the restaurant and saying "toilet, toilet, toilet"... in English. I didn't get to witness this performance, but her recounting of the story had me struggling to keep my delightful drink in my mouth.

Calling it a night (or day), whatever.

2.21.05

8am in Shanghai -- had a fantastic breakfast that we picked up from a sidewalk vendor (which Dan claims is an actual restaurant) outside the apartment. Lots of smiles and good smells coming out from a garage-like store front. The women taking the order either really liked Jill's skin or hat, making several waving motions at her face. Smooth, pale skin is a sign of beauty/wealth in China -- unlike the US where it seems exactly the opposite. In the US, if you have a nice tan you can afford time off and a holiday in the sun (and skin cancer). Whereas in China if you have a tan, you've been hauling rice around in a field. Either way, the women at the shop were enamored -- or who knows, maybe they had heard about the toilet scene from last night.

We had dumplings filled with beans, sticky rice (which are awesome sweet rice dumplings -- only a couple bites, very filling and dirt cheap), vegetables and probably some meat. Vegetarian is mostly a confusing concept to the Chinese and even the vegetarian meals have "just a little" meat in them. I mean, who wouldn't want meat, right? So, we said hello and thank you and again, everyone got a good chuckle out of the silly Americans.

Another memory, in what I hope continues to be a string of funny things on this trip, was the professional photographer who followed us around on our tour of Shanghai today. Dan is a journalist and has a growing reputation -- voted best Asia blog, has had feature stories written about him, and my personal favorite -- has played the part of "tall white man" in a few TV commercials. Apparently, this has led to today's photographer seeking a series of pictures about what Dan's everyday life is like -- which of course, is nothing like what we did today, but worth a good laugh nonetheless.

I was not impressed by the way the city of Shanghai (or at least Pudong) is laid out -- the radical changes from rural to "the new Paris" in such a short period of time could have led to some smart urban planning -- pedestrian friendly, etc. Nope. Pretty much a domino cluster of people brushing into bicycles, brushing into taxis, brushing right back into the masses of shoving/spitting/coughing (yes, even post SARS) people. Most taxis incidentally have English signs on the inside with a number to call to complain -- and assign drivers an animal and number -- like Crane 77. Pretty funny combinations, I thought a couple would be good names for bands.

We had a very nice walking tour of the city, including a few stops in the picture-friendly skyline buildings. I dragged a reluctant Dan, Bliss, and Jill to the top of the Oriental Pearl Tower, which did have a nice view -- and was 100 yuan a pop (12 bucks). The wax museum inside the tower was a bit much on the way out, and maybe not worth it, but at least the rest of the group got in a few good jabs at me for doing a tourist thing -- and of course, each stop along the way, the photographer was snapping tons of photos of Dan doing what he would normally not do.

Did hit one museum, the Urban Planning Museum in People's Square, which had many pictures of the city 20 years ago and it really was a remarkable contrast to today's landscape. Strolled through People's Square "park" which has little tufts of grass (not for walking on of course -- that would just be strange) and saw a few of the stations of exercise equipment for older folks. These contraptions are quite a scene. Imagine a dozen older Chinese people churning butter or grabbing apples high above their heads on elaborate new-age looking outdoor exercise equipment. Good stuff. And of course the occasional tai chi, I want to say "performance." Tai chi is relaxing and peaceful to watch, even if it is without breaking stride walking through a park with no grass between exercise contraptions.

An entertaining highlight with the photographer was stopping in a store to grab water and a snack in the subway. The photographer had a field day, snapping photos of the famous Dan Washburn carefully choosing his crackers -- then the vendors went nuts -- screaming at the photographer to stop taking pictures -- as if there was some top secret stuff going on here between the soft drinks and pork jerky. The photographer turned the camera on the women, snapped several pictures backing his way out the store (seemingly like a gunman would do making his exit with a spray of bullets for cover) and the women finally calmed down. Good stuff.

Hit Dan's old stomping grounds in Zhabei District where he used to teach English at Shanghai University. Browsed the DVD, CD stores, where a few bucks goes a LONG way -- thanks to ignoring international copyright laws. Grabbed some lunch -- a nice variety of dumplings -- including pork and carrot. We got 24 each (which was too much food for me) plus drinks -- for what would be $3.50 US. Not a bad meal for 4 people and less than I would pay for parking just to meet someone for lunch in Atlanta.

Visited the Jade Buddha temple, which was gorgeous. Chanting going on, visitors praying and lighting incense, extremely ornate woodwork and a beautiful Buddha.

Definitely hit a wall around 4pm Shanghai time. The hint to the rest of the group was that I couldn't keep my eyes open in cabs. As long as we were walking or talking I was fine, but the instant we grabbed a cab, I was snoozing. I can muscle through most jet-lag, but 13 hours ahead was a bit much.

Strolled through Ruijin Guesthouse, a huge estate in the middle of the city -- orginally owned by a newspaper mogul, where there is now, among other things, an overpriced bar named Face. Grabbed a few drinks during a happy hour and met Dan's Chinese friend Johnson -- who also joined us for dinner. I was happy to pick up the tab -- until my credit card was declined. Over-zealous fraud-detection that I straightened out later. Whatever.

Dinner was at an ethnic minority (Xinjiang) restaurant, known for lamb. Very colorful -- plenty of smokers which I'm learning is very common and an interesting pick-pocket jacket protection deal that had to be explained to me. When we draped our jackets over the back of our chairs, the staff came by with a cover -- to keep sticky fingers out of our pockets.

We didn't come close to knocking back the pounds of lamb that came to the table, some of which was quite good, just have to be careful how you gnaw into things, since plenty of bones still in there to test Americans' dental work. Also enjoyed the tea being poured -- from several feet away through a spout that would come whizzing over our shoulders and a guy (who I would not have asked to do this had I been given a choice) would sling hot water into our glasses. He didn't miss, thankfully. Then the dancing started -- a belly-dancing like deal which was colorful and entertaining. I was quite comfortable where I was and didn't feel the need to join some of the patrons who started dancing along. I was content to enjoy a decent dark beer, a Xingiang Black Beer, which Dan tells me is hard to find in China.

Definitely enjoyed Johnson's stories about Shanghai, about Shanghai women, about what we should eat, see, etc. Also enjoyed toasting to Gambay (definitely not how you spell that) -- which means dry the glass -- a new "cheers" to add to the arsenal. There were some children clamoring around at the table next to us who started playing with Jill and it was very hard to tell who was having more fun -- or the source of the giggling.

2.22.05

Sort of hard to remember not to use the tap water when you brush your teeth -- hopefully I'll live. I even filled the cup Dan gave me with the water that he told me to use. Clearly something happened during that long complicated process of brushing my teeth... I forgot and used the tap water anyway. Dirty habit I guess.

Was about 30 degrees in Shanghai yesterday, but relatively clear, which I am very thankful for. Today, kicked up closer to 50 degrees, which was fantastic. Rain gear is tucked away somewhere in the monster pack I have (someone asked if I was climbing Everest), but I'm hoping that the fact I lugged it to China will mean I won't need to use it. The Northface gear we bought in Chicago when we realized Atlanta "winter" coats wouldn't cut it has managed just fine in Shanghai. In my defense, part of the size of my pack is the bag in the bag that I use to toss my pack in for flights and the down coat takes up a lot of room as well. It weighs in just under 30 pounds, but really hasn't been a problem.

WAY too much shopping for me today. Did hit the "fake" market, which was a highlight. Nothing should sell at the first price, bargaining is customary (and necessary) in a market where everything is a knock-off imitation of a popular brand name. Got a "Northface" hip pack for $6 bucks and a Tag watch that my cousin wanted. As an example, the watch started at 720 Yuan, about $90 bucks. This is the sort of watch that could go for $1000s in the US if it was real. After walking away and looking reluctant (and a few cues from Dan) I paid 250 Yuan, or a little over $30 US. Jill was having a field day -- fake Pumas, a fake Coach purse, some other brand of purse I don't know and a pile of other loot we spread out/admired later at an amazing vegetarian restaurant. All reasonable deals, but I'm also very confident that we wouldn't have walked away with anything if the sellers were taking a loss. The vegetarian lunch, incidentally, was the first time I had (and enjoyed) vegetarian sweet and sour pork. Seriously, it was very good.

After we broke free from the "Hello, watch?" and "Hello DVD?" (read "Hello sucker American") calls from the fake market vendors, we walked to a neighboring park outside a Japanese hotel. This was an actual park with actual grass (named Le Circle Sportif) that actual people were enjoying. It seems that folks think it's a private park and attached to the Garden Hotel so it is a bit of a secret. Nice breath of fresh air in a city with a shortage of it.

Then... more shopping. Ugh. Pearls, jade, paper cuttings.... all bargained down to less than half the starting offer, all seemingly reasonable deals. Jill got her Chinese "name" carved in a marble stamp (her name "Duo Ji Li" essentially means lucky). I picked up a fortune telling game -- a wooden cylinder where you shake out a stick with a number and your fortune. I first tried to buy this in a wholesale-sort of building. The woman offered it at 100 yuan, so I said it's worth 60 yuan. "Offended," she said no. I began the slow walk out of the store, with ample time for her to make a concession and cave a bit. No cave. Hmm. So I just kept walking -- didn't think this was a one-of-a-kind thing. Found another one outside, where the opening price was 380. I offered 80. Aghast, they said the lowest they could go was 100. Loitered there a bit while the rest of the crew was shopping at other places. Not budging, I figured it was reasonable to pay $12 bucks to get something I actually wanted. Again, reasonable means I would've paid 10 or more times that price in the US and likely paid way too much in China. So, we're set for gifts for a while.

Showered and went to a nice Sichuan restaurant -- met up with another one of Dan's Shanghai buddies, Cecil. I was grateful that Cecil ordered the food a little less spicy -- since any spicier might've knocked someone at the table out. We got a spread of noodles, lotus root (with sprinkles), roast smoked duck (which was fantastic), crab, lamb, pork and a few Chinese "beers" to wash down the grub with bit of a kick. No dog on the menu and as far as I know I haven't eaten any since I've been here. Some Chinese do of course, and some don't -- if I don't that will be just fine.

The crab ordering was pretty fun -- or at least through the eyes of our table. First I ordered the king crab -- which was for the table to share. The server told us that it was too expensive and too much food for our table -- suggesting a smaller, less expensive dish. I wasn't really dressed that well, but didn't think that warranted a "you might not be able to afford that" warning. Who knows what really was communicated, but that's what we understood. A few minutes later, the server came out with the live crab in a plastic bag to seek my approval. I approved.

Clearly, the highlight of dinner for me was being presented with a plate of marshmallow-looking teardrops with pinkish tips... while the wait staff sang Happy Birthday to me -- in both Chinese and Chinglish. That certainly hasn't happened every year. The treats were actually bread with a bean filling. Definitely the thought that counts.

2.23.05

Up early to the sound of firecrackers -- pretty much adjusted to the time zone, but didn't need to get up at 6 this morning. Everything is a reason to light off a few firecrackers, and it doesn't really matter what hour. Skipped the sticky rice dumplings and gnawed on a power bar from my pack in the taxi to the airport -- about a 30 mile haul which racked up the exorbitant fare of 125 yuan (around 16 bucks -- no tipping). Taxis, pretty consistently, drive with their thumb on the horn and every time a thought enters their head, they honk.

Again, the airport was eerily quite -- not for lack of people -- just lack of overweight Americans belching cackles at each other I guess. Security is a bit different as well, much more lax than the post-911 pat-downs in major US cities.

Boarding an airplane is certainly different in China. Don't expect the "now boarding zone # 2" type deal you might hear in an American gate. It's more like a megaphone barking something and best of luck from there. I remember hearing the bell ring in second grade and racing to line up at the door. It was sort of a mad scramble, shoulder jockeying for the best spot near the front and only backing down when I lost my balance, got shoved out of the way, or established position... that's boarding in China. Hurry-up and wait.

The meal on the flight from Shanghai to Beijing was a treat as well. Squid slice, pork jerky, peanuts, bean muffin, and a Kit-Kat. That's livin'. Looking at a map on the flight, I leaned over and confirmed with Dan that Shanghai and Beijing were in the same time zone. He looked at me and paused saying, "Yup." "As is all of China... for obvious reasons," he said. That certainly jibes with the other China principles I'm learning. He said there are parts of China where the sun rises around 10am. Which again makes sense... for obvious reasons.

Had some trouble with cabs today. Unlike metro US cities, where a driver would be more than willing to drive the meter up and pad their wallet, we got in and out of several Beijing cabs who were unwilling to take us in a direction opposite of the way they were facing. I'm sure you could imagine a US cabbie driving endlessly for a bigger fare -- but we weren't so lucky. Have to believe there was some communication barrier going on -- since it happened several times. We were probably asking them to drive into oncoming traffic instead of turning around -- all because of the inflection of the words we were using.

First big stop in Beijing today was the Forbidden City. Massive complex. Doesn't take much to imagine what this place was like in its prime. Also not hard to see how an enclosed city could be blind-sided by the outside world that may not simply accept that rulers are divine. Regardless, snapped many pics of the stunning city and filed away many images that will never leave my mind.

Walked through the city, under the famed and enormous picture of Mao and out into Tiananmen Square. Will have to see Mao's formaldehyde-flushed body some other time, we got to the Square after his mausoleum had closed for the day. No big loss as far as I'm concerned. We did go to Mao's underground tunnel world -- which isn't as well publicized.

Mao built an underground "world" for his "world" to live in during the "war" with the Soviet Union. I remember many specific stats that our tour guide shared, but readily admit they could all be communist smoke and mirrors. The mold-infested hallways that we sloshed through had alcoves with signs (like "schools" and "armories") to which the guide would add remarkable color commentary. She would point down a hallway and say that it led to a neighboring city, or some other area of Beijing -- really all we could see was a puddle of water in a soaked carpet. Dan asked how far it was to one city the guide mentioned and she said it was a secret. But all of these things would be necessary if the 300,000 people the guide mentioned were all living somewhere between 8 and 20 meters underground in this complex. No pictures were allowed and the couple I snuck in anyway turned out very poorly. A fairly odd portion of the tour was a silk lesson that included a walk-though of a store where we could buy silk -- bags and countless other items. Of course, Jill did pick up some things, but honestly things were ridiculously inexpensive.

Had difficulty finding the place we had selected for dinner, since it was in a slightly older neighborhood, which are frequently being knocked down. Settled on an Indian/Thai place which was really good, and a nice breather from the weather that had turned quite cold with snow. Incidentally, cold weather means the babies/toddlers are wrapped in an absurd amount of clothes -- like the younger brother character in the movie 'A Christmas Story', they bobble around like mummies -- except for their butts, which are exposed to the cold by the splits in their snow pants for easy access to go to the "bathroom" any/everywhere (read "middle of a busy sidewalk"). I think the younger brother character in the movie had a complete set of pants.

The restaurant service was good, not really spectacular -- until the check had been paid. We were talking about grabbing a cab and asked the server if she could get one for us. A few minutes later, she was nowhere to be found so we started rolling outside. Got our gear on, walked out into the snow and started scoping the alleys for a cab. Just then, a cab pulled up, but had someone in it who didn't appear to be getting out -- then we saw our server get out of the cab and motion for us to come over. So the server had left the restaurant (with no coat), ran out to a busy intersection, hailed a cab, then brought it back for us... in the snow. That's decent service.

2.24.05

Absolutely no trouble sleeping last night. Our guest house is 70 yuan/night for a room with three single (rock-hard) beds side-by-side. Guess that's OK for less than 10 bucks. The Hutong neighborhood has tremendous character -- authentic Chinese feel. Still a couple neon signs, but definitely an ancient vibe. Thankful there was a sign on the bathroom door in our room recommending that we not drink the toilet water -- those are the kind of signs that really save me -- otherwise I would've gone in head first for some fresh toilet water. Breakfast was a choice between "Western" or "Chinese." Would've pulled the trigger on Chinese if Dan didn't recommend against it. Have to listen to your Sherpa.

Headed back to Tiananmen -- by cab. Got in line to see Mao and someone started belting Chinese at us. I said the standard bu yao xie xie or "booyao shay shay," meaning don't want, thank you. That had been working relatively well -- and we've been using it very frequently as vendors approached us. Didn't work so well on this guy -- who was very persistent, then started pointing at the police standing near by. We figured out that we needed to check our packs and cameras across the street before getting in line -- and before causing an international incident.

Our line was ushered into the enormous mausoleum, pausing for folks to buy flowers and place them in a cart near Mao, which was efficiently set up to wheel back to the flower stand for a nice little cycle. We were cattle-prodded by the body and Mao's frightening pumpkin head (rest of his body was covered). Then we had plenty of time in the flea market of crap (had I only been in need of an oversized Mao pencil or shaving kit) set up outside the building. Thankfully we didn't pay for that little side trip.

Grabbed another taxi (30 minute ride, 40 Yuan which was about 5 bucks -- I keep noting these prices because I continue to be stunned at how cheap things are) to the Summer Palace, which was remarkable. Snowed for part of today and probably around 20 degrees. Spent several hours at the Palace. Walked the long corridor -- rumored if lovers began the walk on the long corridor they would be married by the end. Saw the marble boat folly -- the Empress built a boat made of marble, depleting funds from the navy -- smart move...one might say smart "strah-teee-gery."

Very beautiful landscape with the light dusting of snow on the trees. While we were walking the path, Jill decided to commence the scampering -- bolting up the side of a hill. We all scrambled up, only to find another path at the top -- and an amazing set of views. The lake was frozen -- which led many Chinese to walk around on the ice for no particular reason. Dan said another common sight -- besides young men in American Army camo-gear, and the young Chinese girls striking ridiculous, over-exaggerated model poses for pictures -- is that at the top of a hill or large open space, many Chinese let out a yell...because they can. Wish we had seen/heard that.

Snagged a pack of traditional Chinese Oreos while we were strolling and felt the glare of the Chinese -- tossing snack-food junkie American generalizations my way. The Oreos were good.

Outside the Summer Palace on the way out had our first encounter of what I was expecting more of -- a scam. Or, I guess if you can't spot the sucker... then you are the sucker -- so I had been scammed the entire trip until this point? Anyway, ran into some fake cabs. In fact, Jill had already gotten in, and I had one leg in, when Dan asked where the meter was. The driver said, "yeah, yeah, meter, meter" and pointed to a black piece of plastic -- very doubtful it was a legit meter. Dan walked around the cab looking for some sign that it was a legit cab -- then nodded for us to get out. Yes Sherpa.

Cab ride to an art warehouse district called Dashanzi. Modern art and a few exhibitions of eclectic stuff -- including the kind of abstract displays where I couldn't tell if the garbage on the floor was part of the exhibit, just garbage, or me looking at the garbage was the art. I was generally dumbfounded -- this Chinese abstract stuff left my noggin numb and was pretty much lost on me.

Met Dan's friend Simon for dinner at a Beijing duck restaurant. Brought the duck out to carve in front of us and I tried the neck. Reminded me of what the old-school southern cook from my undergrad fraternity house might make, "deep-fried (indecipherable)." Essentially it was deep fried fat -- or "fried frayied frahed" as the cook would say. Also tried the famous bi-joe (again, excuse the spelling). This is 150 proof rice fire. Terrible, but probably decent paint thinner.

After dinner, hit a club to hear some music. Sat for a while and it seemed only part of the band showed up, or they invited some folks from the audience to play -- or who knows what was actually happening. Had a drink, smoked 18 packs of second-hand cigs, and split. Enough for one day.

2.25.05

Probably top 3 hikes in my life today -- The Great Wall of China from Jinshanling to Simatai. Dropped off at a remote village with dozens of "guides" waiting for us. Guides = local folks who walk along the Great Wall with tourists and sell things. Turns out that given the prior day's snowfall, the Wall was quite slippery in places and certainly not well maintained where we were, so Jill found it helpful to have the guides help her balance in some areas -- so we bought/bartered some of their junk.

Had just a little too much gear -- pretty cold when we started, but you work up decent lather hiking some of the steeper places. The day was absolutely stunning with a remarkable blue sky and snapped well over 30 pics -- a few of which I hope to blow up to a larger size. The weather was bad enough to scare away other tourists, so we basically had the place to ourselves (+ guides). One of the more odd encounters was after stumbling up a rough part of the wall, we ran into an old man crouched in a corner of a room -- I say "room" but it was more a watch tower with no roof. About 200 years old, with hat perched high on his head, he yelled out "cokewaterbeer, cokewaterbeer!" 10 Yuan for a drink and Dan decided to barter for one -- essentially in exchange for taking his picture. Who knows where this guy came from, but at a minimum, it was a 45 minute hike to sit on the floor in that room with virtually no people coming through -- made quite a picture. Dan offered him 5 Yuan and the man pointed to his missing teeth -- I guess he either wanted more because he was missing teeth or was putting a curse on the 5 Yuan Coke so that Dan would lose his teeth.

Half way through the stretch of the wall, our "guides" handed us off to another guide -- this one a Mongolian farmer -- who told us many, many times that he worked very hard, had two "childrens" who were at school and showed us his hands multiple times after acting out wild charades about the work he did on the farm. It was a 30 kilometer walk for him back to his village -- but he wanted to "guide" us. Again, Jill found it helpful, so we gave him 30 Yuan and refused his trinkets -- confusing him, but got a few nice pics out of it.

Only a handful of places in my life where I have been floored by the beauty of the landscape -- the kind of place I just say over and over in my head how lucky I am to see what I'm seeing. Hiking in Montana, mountains in Switzerland, Hawaii, lake districts in Chile, Tasmania -- and without question, the Great Wall of China. World is a big place, but I have to believe the Great Wall will stay in the highlight film for a while.

Grabbed dinner at an out-of-the-way dumpling place that we had a bit of trouble finding. It seems that it is common practice for a Chinese person to confidently point to some far-away place if they don't know where something is -- rather than admit they don't know. This came out in full force as we were wandering around looking for this place that we had read about. First the cab driver dropped us off and pointed knowingly to the top of a neighboring building. We later found out that the restaurant was neither in that building (nor the top of any building) nor anywhere near where he had just pointed. We only learned this after being turned around 4 other times by people we asked ("Oh sure, it's right over there.") Good stuff -- not really worth the trouble, but more a sense of victory in finding what we were looking for.

2.26.05

Stumbled out of bed at 5:15 this morning, packed up the goods, grabbed a taxi to the airport. Vegetable dumplings and a muffin for breakfast and a coffee -- that cost $5.00 strangely enough. Whatever, needed a little high octane juice to get the motor started.

Can't really think of anything I really wish I had on the trip -- the packing turned out pretty well. Dan (whose Chinese name is "Dan" meaning either "red" or "egg" depending on the tones) certainly shot us a few odd looks when he learned some of the stuff we had with us -- Jill's pharmacy, the water purification tablets I had, etc. Dan said his favorite thing in Jill's pack was the chopsticks she brought.

We've been traveling for one week now -- and I'm pretty sure I could do this for months. Channeling energy into seeing amazing things is well worth it. Plus it's been remarkably easy with Dan along to help with cultural/language barriers. Mobile phones help as well --there have been a couple times when we've been in a cab, called the place where we wanted to go -- and handed the phone to the driver. Beats waving/pointing hopelessly.

Before we left for the trip to China, I asked Dan if there is something American we should bring along to share with our hosts or folks we meet along the way. He recommended we bring a carton of Marlboros -- which was a good call, but we haven't given any away yet. Definitely a funny story Jill told when she went to pick them up in the convenience store. She was embarrassed as if she was ordering something obscene rather than a carton of cigs.

Also haven't shaved in a week -- which doesn't really mean much, but the goatee watch is on. Stay tuned for future updates.

Can't really say my Chinese is improving much: Yes, No, Hello, Excuse Me, Beer.

3-hour flight to Kunming. Pulled out 4,000 Yuan from an ATM to pay for 2 round-trip tickets for 3 people. Now that's cheap -- and takes care of our travels in SW China. Going to meet some of Dan's American friends for lunch -- but picked up something jerky and frozen whatever snacks to tide us over.

Touched down and grabbed a cab through a very interesting part of town -- absolutely beautiful in Kunming and 80 degrees with a nice breeze -- will be delighted to get the long-johns off. Packed crowds, umbrellas to shade the skin from the sun -- picturesque China.

Checked into our hotel near a university district -- a hip part of town. Ditched the water I had been lugging around in the camel in my pack -- really no reason, plenty of places to get bottled water (although if you order water and aren't specific you'll likely get a glass of hot water -- not quite as refreshing, but probably has less bugs and "helps digestion"). Plenty of street vendors slinging and frying a variety of stuff outside our hotel. Snagged a meat pie and fried-bread inside of a tortilla with peanut sauce just for fun -- awesome. And about 2 yuan.

Caught up with Dan's friends Brian and Shannon and went to Green Lake -- a real park with people enjoying the cherry blossoms and sunshine. The faint sewage dumpster stench that has been plaguing us in many parts of China was a little less prevalent in the park. Street performers not performing for money -- just for fun. Older retired folks dancing and singing -- many groups with song sheets and everything.

Green Lake led us to an open market where we found many of the images of China I was expecting. Very crowded. Leathery, old, weathered faces burdened with a heavy load in the form of a sack -- or two sacks hanging from a stick over their shoulders. Tried some "stinky tofu" which really didn't smell or taste that bad to me -- but I did douse it in some crazy red pepper stuff.

Stopped in a tea shop where the vendor had us sit down and performed an elaborate deal -- washing the tea cups, trying teas and had us smell a variety of things. Jill grabbed some Jasmine tea -- I thought the tea "cakes" were more interesting -- hadn't really seen those before, but wouldn't travel well. Kind of compressed leaves in the form of a biscuit that I guess would make a large pot, or you would break off some to make a cup. Of course all the tea we had was unstrained -- so we joined the crowds of spitters, which I didn't think I would do for all the tea in China.

Had lunch at the Wicker Basket -- a western place owned by Canadians. It was a welcomed break from Chinese food for Dan's friends -- not really something I was dying to eat, but certainly could've been worse. Headed back to the hotel for a shower -- which are fitting nicely in my schedule every couple days. Also in the hotel was an electronic console between the beds -- something that was probably high tech in 1960 -- to control lights and the TV. I twisted a knob and the light fell out of the wall -- probably not exactly what was supposed to happen, but the maintenance person got a kick out of it. Silly Americans

Next on the agenda -- Chinese massages. Of course, I got a reasonable amount of grief because I didn't want one -- "you don't know what you're missing, you really should, blah blah blah." I think massages are kind of like opera -- if you don't appreciate it, you probably don't need to go.

My opera was at the bar around the corner of the massage parlor, which was pretty comical. I was the only one in the bar and the 6 servers all decided to wait on me -- by standing behind me and smiling. Some might consider that uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as a Chinese massage (according to me). After an hour of this, headed back to the massage place (a dry-cleaner looking store front with tables next to each other in the open) and they were still getting rubbed. The funniest part, I learned later, was that when Dan was face down, there was little hope of blowing his nose -- and his cold wasn't quite gone. Glad I didn't see that. 20 Yuan per person to get a massage for over an hour -- that's less than three bucks -- total. Amazing -- on par with our $30 flight from Kunming to Lijiang.

Dinner was at a fish place -- where several items were unavailable, but more expensive ones were conveniently in stock. Wrapped up the evening at the Speakeasy -- a dance club where we played some pool, broke out some of my amazing dance moves reppin' the dirty south to some A-town hip hop, and called it a night.

2.27.05

Quick plane from Kunming to Lijiang.

Absolutely gorgeous day in Lijiang, with the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the distance -- over 4,500 meters high. Spent several hours wandering old town, the colorful shops, the smells, the people bustling -- women washing clothes in the running streams near the stone sidewalks. Lots of Naxi people in their ornate traditional/beaded garb, some dancing in squares just for fun. Had my name carved in a marble stamp which I know will be collecting dust in a drawer in 5 years -- but still fun. My Chinese name, Duo Lai En, translates into "many thanks coming." Not quite as good as Jill's name, Duo Ji Li or "lucky" but I did pay less for my stamp -- everything is up for negotiation.

Got to hike a bit with Jill and took some pictures overlooking Old Town. Dan spent much of the afternoon in an internet bar taking care of his site -- and we stopped in and out during our wandering to check on his progress, grab a snack of popcorn (which was an interesting combination of sweet/kettle corn) and break up our exploration.

Relatively calm dinner on the water front in Old Town -- like lemmings we followed the calls of "Hello, OK, menu English" and ended in an overpriced place. Was nice that our outside table was near lanterns that lit at dusk. Also fun to watch the constant stream of Chinese get their pictures taken by our table -- guess we landed a hot spot.

After dinner we hit a traditional 13th century Naxi music performance -- and some of the performers were actually from the 13th century. 100 Yuan and we had to leave. It wasn't the music -- it was the 20 minute explanations of the lyrics in Chinese prior to each song. We heard 2 songs in the 40 minutes we were there and it was just too painful. The conductor/master explained (in English) that it was essential to have these lectures prior to the performance -- but he did not look over his shoulder to see that several of the musicians were also dozing off. Life is too short. Headed back to our guesthouse to relax -- because it was not essential for us to be bored out of our gourds by that Chinese music torture.

Our room was comfortable -- another 3 single-beds side by side. The room is a little on a slant, doesn't seem unsafe, but not the sort of thing that looks like it will be standing in 10 years. Slippers were laid out for us, which was a nice gesture (even though they happened to be used and nasty). We did relax a bit -- despite my crazy sneezing fits from the Yak hair or whatever is in the blankets on our beds.

2.28.05

Up to explore more of stone-cobbled Old Town --a maze of narrow streets where no cars can fit. Haven't seen many large SUVs, the Chinese seem to have stuck to smaller efficient cars. Of course, horses can fit in Old Town and there were a couple of Naxi men dressed to the nines (full headgear) in their traditional dress leading horses through the town. Grabbed some grub from a vendor who we later learned charged us twice what a local would pay -- meaning breakfast cost us 2 bucks. Well worth it -- thick dough-like pie with peppers and a few other curious morsels in it. Also got some sort of molasses cake -- which wasn't as good.

Today we have a driver to explore a few of the neighboring towns. He was waiting for us with a small van -- perfect for the three of us. We have him for five hours and he is charging 70 Yuan or about 9 bucks total. I was thinking on the drive to our first stop that something I drank last night must've been stronger than I had anticipated -- until I looked at my GPS to see we were driving around at an altitude of over 9,000 feet -- so it was the altitude not a hangover that was producing the dull pain in my noggin.

First stop was Yufeng Monastery. Yufeng is where the Camellia tree of 10,000 blossoms grows. Walked around a bit, dodging a Chinese tour group (many of whom bought 4-foot incense sticks for offerings and crowded around the large pot to pray/chant).

A highlight of this stop was when Jill decided she needed to have her jade ring blessed by a monk. Dan and I had a good laugh about how exactly to ask this favor -- imagining that Jill would take off the ring and try to explain her request, only to be interpreted as a gift to the monk -- then imagining her trying to get it back!

A 700 year-old plain clothes (undercover) monk was peacefully rocking away in a chair in a remote corner of the monastery. There were pictures of him as a younger man and in full monk garb hanging on the wall next to the rocking chair. Jill got on her hands and knees and was blessed - then she walked over to us beaming with pride/satisfaction. The Chinese tourists who had witnessed (and taken pictures) of this were also beaming. Jill explained that the monk had blessed her whole body so the ring had to have been blessed as well. Dan wondered how the ring could be passed on to future generations if the blessing was on Jill and not the ring specifically.... so Jill walked back and bowed and smiled and pointed to the ring -- which led the monk to shake his hands and nod and smile -- so all is good in the world and Jill has her blessed ring.

Plenty of tapestry/junk being peddled by vendors on the way out. Some biological thing with Jill drives her to look (and don't you just love this, I really think we should get this) at every stinking stand, whereas I roll by virtually oblivious to the Chinese honey, the silver bracelets, the once-in-a-lifetime bargains. Managed to extract Jill without buying anything of the things she was drooling over.

Next stop was Baisha. Another temple -- but even better, we stumbled on a festival! Dancing, music, milk taffy, tapioca drinks, and cotton candy being manually spun by a small cart/bicycle wheel. A local woman grinning ear to ear (with few teeth between) came by to offer us small cups of water. I took one, but Jill was on Dan's shoulders trying to get a better view of the dancing. The folks standing near us seemed to be equally entertained by the dancing and this giant of a man who had a short-haired blond woman on his shoulders. Meanwhile, I brought the cup of water to my lips and immediately understood the smile on the woman's face who gave it to me. Before the liquid fire hit my lips, I smelled the bi-joe -- essentially grain alcohol. Decided to pass (vs. pass out) and dumped the moonshine.

Weather is spectacular, with crystal clear blue skies providing the backdrop for the mountains -- and then all the colorful Naxi garb and weathered faces making what I bet will be amazing pictures.

We wandered into the "Hello, lookie" streets and another market. We muscled through these streets with our boo-yahs (well at least I did, Jill bought a tapestry) and landed on the door of Dr. Ho. I was first to be greeted (in English) by Dr. Ho, 82 years old, with a white wispy beard, no teeth, and white lab coat. He asked where I was from and as soon as he heard the United States, he scampered back into his office to retrieve articles written about him by US newspapers. It turns out, that no matter where you are from, the famous Dr. Ho has an article written about him and he loves to share. He learned English from the Flying Tigers in WW 2 and had a lot of things on his mind, most of which he shared with us during the "appointment."

Jill and Dan came in and then we all got to enjoy the Dr. Ho show. He wanted to make sure we knew he was 82, "very strong" (which he proved by shaking his arms), and sometimes takes naps -- but not every day -- in fact sometimes he works right through lunch. He pumped our hands full of articles from Readers Digest, NY Times and pointed to others hanging on the walls or behind cases. I started reading part of the article he gave me out loud to Dan, "Dr. Ho's wife has the face of dried apple core and after greeting you, will sneak away and return with a welcoming cup of herbal tea." Just as I had finished saying the word "tea" -- there was Dr. Ho's wife, with three cups of tea for us.

Then, thanks to Jill, we kicked the show up a notch. She wanted to be cured of asthma. "Oh yes, I know asthma," Dr. Ho assured us and handed us an article about how he cured someone who had leukemia.

He asked a few (diagnostic?) questions of Jill and continued to dart around the office/press room/clinic -- talking to other folks and distracted by just about anything. After several minutes of this, he led us in to his mixing room -- hundreds of buckets of herbs, as far as I could tell not labeled. The herb dust started flying as he began mixing Jill's cure -- scooping some greenish powder, tossing it in a mixing bowl with a cloud of herbs flooding the air, consulting one notebook of handwritten notes, flipping some pages, looking at another notebook, then seemingly going back to the same bucket for more powder. Maybe there was some logic to what he was doing, but it looked like he was randomly (but with a look of seasoned wisdom) mixing herbs. He wrote down some dosing instructions and gave them to Jill. Dan asked what the name of this cure was and Dr. Ho responded by recounting the dosing instructions -- and said his English is much better when he has his teeth in. Dan also asked how many herbs were in the tea. Dr. Ho thoughtfully looked at one of his pads, tapped a few lines with the mixing spoon, looked up at Dan and said, "Many."

Dr. Ho didn't want us to pay him for the herbal concoction, but would accept a donation to the poor if we would like to give one. Then if the tea works, we can send him more money. Savvy. Snapped a few photos of the famous Dr. Ho and started back through a winding maze of markets.

Had lunch at a Naxi family house. 52 Yuan for the 3 of us to enjoy tea, fried rice, potatoes with hot peppers, egg and tomato. Perfect. The stroll through the crowded market outside the Dr. Ho show was quite an extravaganza. These markets seemed more authentic -- no one barking at us, no westerners and flush with shoppers -- inspecting the dried whatever, sniffing the who-knows-what for freshness, frying the "?" and going about their busy lives. One woman came up to Jill, smiling and excitedly pointing at the tapestry that Jill had purchased. No idea what she was saying, but the Chinglish and charades seemed to indicate that the woman had made the tapestry Jill bought -- so we snapped a few pics of her and all smiled a lot.

Back in Old Town, Jill and I grabbed a couple drinks on a third floor balcony overlooking a square. Dan worked online a bit while we enjoyed the sights -- the sun going down, more Naxi dancing and plenty of locals entertained by the westerners on the third floor balcony. A few groups of Chinese tossed their English our way, "Hello, OK!" A few groups of tourists had their pictures taken near a bridge we were high above, and a few more groups of tourists turned their cameras toward us to snap a pic of young Americans having a brew. Wonder where our pictures will end up?

This place, like many we've been in, does not have a water closet in-house, so we had to walk the three flights of stairs and a couple blocks to the pay and public one (.5 yuan). One of the trips our server made up the rickety stairs to deliver either our beer or cookies or exploded rice (popcorn on the menu), I asked him if he smoked. He said yes, and I finally gave away a pack of the Marlboros we brought! Initially confused, he was very grateful. He came back and asked Jill if she played the guitar -- Jill said no. Only slightly dismayed, he said he would like to sing a song for her anyway (guess he meant to ask if she "liked" the guitar, not "played"). So, as the only patrons in the bar, on this third floor patio overlooking a beautiful scene -- dancers to the left - rows of houses lining the foothills of the Himalayas to the right, we got serenaded. Life is good.

3.1.05

Nice escort out of Old Town by an extremely persistent woman insisting she had the best taxi ride to the airport. I'm sure she did, which is why no one wanted to use her and she walked with us for the half mile to the area where other cabs were. She must have had a safe, inexpensive efficient ride and it was simply that no one knew about it. In fact, the reason she caved by several dozen yuan during our walk out was simply so that she could begin to spread some good word of mouth about how amazing a service she offered -- not that she was trying to rip us off. We passed on her generous offer.

A little time on the plane to jot down the 11-flight itinerary:

Atlanta - Chicago
Chicago - Shanghai
Shanghai - Beijing
Beijing - Kunming
Kunming - Lijiang
Lijiang - Kunming
Kunming - Xishuangbanna
Xishuangbanna - Kunming
Kunming - Shanghai
Shanghai - Chicago
Chicago - Atlanta

Still not really missing anything on our trip. A western toilet will be a nice thing to return to, but I'll live. Glad I have sneakers, even though I've mostly been sticking with my Timberland hiking boots -- which are fantastic and I've been grateful the several times my ankles have rolled on stone cobbles or uneven paths.

Also pretty pleased with the dry-fit gear I brought. Haven't really had/worn it for any extended period of time, but love the shirts -- and they layer well with the fleece and outer shells if necessary. Can't really say it blends in well with the Chinese -- but maybe if I got a Marlboro cowboy hat it would be harder to pick me out of a line-up.

I have a working-list theory on how Chinese stay fit and thin:

Eat with chopsticks (can't shovel too much in)
Asian Toilets (don't want to eat much and have to use one)
Restrooms not in bars (don't drink much, because you have to leave building to use W.C.)
Food that is spicy as hell (so you don't eat much)
Smoking = appetite suppressant
Bicycles (work off the meal)
Spitting and snotting everywhere (lose water weight)
Shivering (no central heat below a certain point south)
Remarkably bad dental hygiene (too few teeth to eat much)

Subtropical climate in Xishuangbanna, good thing I left the long johns off this time -- roasting as is. Also found it helpful that the flight was listed incorrectly on the kiosk -- makes it easy for foreigners to travel. A European couple was equally confused, so we managed together. Almost our first glitch in the trip, but we made it.

Couldn't get a taxi to drive us into Jinghong, very very confusing. Obviously foreigners weighted down by packs, clearly willing to pay for transportation aren't ripe enough for the picking for taxis just lounging in the shade. Jill and I walked outside the airport to a busy street and tried to hail one, while Dan tried to explain to a line of waiting taxis that we were a fare. The wait outside the airport was pretty comical -- a motorbike stopped and was trying to be helpful, pointing and smiling -- saying things that would've been extremely valuable had we understood Chinese. Then, we realized that we were standing outside a school and several dozens kids were hanging out the window like crazed animals yelling "hello, hello, hello" -- until we turned around and yelled hello back...then the building erupted in cheers.

Meanwhile, we got the word from Dan (on the 2-way pagers that we actually have been using regularly) that he broke through the communication barrier and a cab was on its way. The guest house we had selected was either really out of business -- or our driver had decided we shouldn't go there, because he wasn't going to drop us off where we asked. Dan suggested a backpacker cafe and that seemed to meet the driver's approval.

At the cafe, Dan struck up a conversation with a server who had some suggestions for a place to stay -- validated by an older Irish gentlemen who had just checked out of the place. So, we walked the couple blocks to the hotel and checked in. Just as nice as any Red Roof Inn, for 70 Yuan a night (about 9 bucks). Dropped off our gear and headed to the Forest Cafe to meet Jenny -- an absolutely delightful woman -- her family owns a rubber farm here a couple hours from here. She is also dating Brian, who we had met in Kunming. We chatted for a while and she told some fun tales of the impression the famous Dan Washburn had left on her village when he stayed there last year. We all agreed Dan is an international celebrity/playboy.

School let out during our second beer at the cafe (which also proudly advertises tours and laundry service), so the outdoor table where we were sitting was soon bombarded by elementary-aged children who were equally delighted to be out of school and to find Americans hanging out near their school -- "hello, hello, giggle, giggle, giggle." We threw our Chinese language grenades back their way to enjoy their display of more explosive giggles. Not much different than an American after-school gig I guess -- enjoying an after-school treat, skipping, pushing, etc. -- except maybe for the ducklings that many of the kids were carrying/swinging in plastic bags.

Met Sarah, a short, bald Chinese woman probably in her mid-30s at the cafe. Incidentally, we later learned that Sarah shaved her head at Dr. Ho's recommendation -- to help with her thinning hair. Anyway, I'm bad about guessing American ages, so being Chinese probably doesn't help my guess on her age. She was the server, cook, and apparently owned the place as well. We asked about some of the treks she guided and she offered to take us on a trek -- 2 days, 1 night -- through several minority villages and stay with families. Sure, why not.

Her English was excellent and she recognized several key things about Americans -- such as I m

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