Well...Its kind of fun to know I am writing this on the 31st while all of you are sleeping during August 1st. Its like I am some ghost from your past! Ohhh spoooookkkkkyyyyy noises!!
Ok, enough of that. I wish I could post pics on here. This must be kind of boring to read without something to see with my wonderful words. But I will post a ton of photos and some fun descriptions on them when I get back. I will probably include a section titled: "What Matt and KC would have said to each other upon seeing this". Hopefully Matt P. is reading this. So Matt....and NH folks you have had to suffer/gotten to enjoy a running dialogue between Matt and KC (and Kenny too) about skit ideas for a comedy show....let me tell you Matt and Kenny, we could have a whole season of shows just based on things in Shanghai. We could probably do at least three shows on the gross mistranslations of english that are everywhere. There are some t-shirts I have seen that I just had to do a double take on. Inspirational shirts about going out and seizing the dog....again, hopefully just bad translations. (that being said, I did see a place today that I am pretty sure sold dog meat. It had a few pics of dogs on its menu...and was next to a pet store shack-you do the math)
Today's adventure in Shanghai was "Places you can't take pictures of". I probably could, but I chose not to. Today, in my effort to find the temple of books and its big book market (i found it-didnt want to pay admission to go in and every book was in chinese of course) I found myself down some back streets of Shanghai. INcredibly poor streets. The kind the government is not going to put on a flyer any time soon. I am talking about just open tiolets, over flowing sewers, community bathrooms (it looked that way-I could be wrong) and of course the restaurant that I think sells dog meat. It was an amazing place to walk through. I got a lot of laughs and stares, but I didnt mind today. Today I was pretty sure I was one of few westerns to make my way down that part of the road. I just thought that taking pics of it (and from an artistic standpoint there were some AMAZING shots) would have felt wrong. I know I probably would not like it if someone came into my neighborhood and starting taking pictures of how I live, because its bad or that different then their style. I paused a few times and started to reach into my bag, but I just couldnt do it. The experience was enough for me. Unfortunately for you, words will probably not be able to describe it. Also, at certain points, one could see the skyscarpers of Pudong looming in the distance. Kind of an interesting contrasting pictures. When the government decides they want the land (and they will-today i was on a street that on one side was what we would describe as shanties, and on the other side was construction on luxury condos) these people will probably just be cast off into the abyss. You can say its a violation of their human rights. ANd you could probably say that sometimes you have to look at the big pictures. I dont know. I have an opinion of course, but I am sure the woman at the business center is watching me type, and is probably reporting me to the government censors as you read this.
Tomorrow I am off on my flight to Chongqing, the so called furnace of china. Ug. This sadly might be my last blog until next Tuesday or Wednesday. I know my hotel Wednesday night has a business center, but I am note sure about the one in Chongqing and the one on tuesday night in Shanghai. I am positive when I am on the boat I will not be able to post on the blog. So to keep you on the edge of your seat, here is the agenda for the next few days:
Aug 1st-Fly to Chongqing, find me a hot pot! (and watch the line dancing at night in the People's Square)
Aug. 2nd- more Chongqing
Aug. 3rd- Board the boat, go down the Ynagzi river
August 4th-Yangzi
August 5th-Yangzi/Yichang/fly to Shanghai-that night is time for the night market! ( I had some street food today-some kind of pork on a stick, it rocked! I can not wait for the night market! Fried dumplings and questionable meat here I come!)
August 6th-Pudong exploration-then checking into both the most expensive hotel I have ever stayed at, and the talled hotel in the world. Today when I was DRIPPING sweat I was dreaming about the pool in this hotel, the highest pool in the world...
August 7th-8th: Fly to Vancouver, Seattle, red eye to Richmond, then sleep for about 25 hours.
Well, hopefully I will get to post again. At the very least, I have a 4 hour layover in Vancouver and a 5 hour layover in Seattle. I will try to post then at the latest. Then once I get back to Richmond I will post some nice pics on here. Namaste
Kevin
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
July 30th-Turnaround is fairplay
Well, the highlight of the day had to be getting hit by a bus. Well, ok. It was more like clipped by a bus but still! I was standing on the corner of Hanou and Hong Kong, like everyone does. Waiting for the little green man so I can cross the street. When all of a sudden I get hip checked by a little green bus. His bumber, my hip, they became friends. Fortuntely he hit my bag first, which probably helped to soften the blow. The two german tourists on the other side of the street found it very funny.
Lots of fellow westerners today. Mostly eastern European and a few brits. I saw most of them in the Shanghai Planning Expo which is just incredible. They have a to scale model of the city that takes up an entire floor and is awesome. The best part is the video the show about the dvelopment along the river. The plan is to build these beautiful halls for the World Expo in 2010. All of a sudden the music gets very sad. It shows the poor and hard working folks of Shanghai doing their jobs, and coming home to their very small and dirty apartments. QUick flash, the music changes, and all the hard workers are shown entering into their brand new and clean apartments! I guess you had to be there, or maybe once you see the conditions some of the people here live in, and understand how the government handles moving people for construction (see Beijing for the Olympic venues) you will find the dark humor in it. On a bright note, the buildings they are going to construct for the world expo will put the Bird Nest's in Beijing to shame!
Had my first Chinese restuarant experience today. (the one from yesterday doesnt count...dont ask me why, it just doesnt feel right to count it) But of course, after finishing my meal i find out that its a Japanese fast food restaurant i just ate in. Good, but not quite the same. And on the way back to the hotel, the woman who has been selling bowls of noodles with some green stuff in it, wasnt there! I think tomorrow I am going to dedicate to food! For now, I am going to the restaurant across the corner from my hotel for a dumpling or two, with some supermarket bought chinese junk food for desert. I have no clue what I will be eating, but the cookies had what looks to be a boy band on the front of it so really, how can I go wrong?
I tried to go to the Shanghai museum but since they apparently give out free tickets, the line was massive. So that will have to wait until another day. Instead I wander Nanjing Road, the commercial center of Shanghai, and strolled through a few of the many parks here. Once again, someone stopped and asked if they could take my picture. It was very funny, as while he was aiming, he kept saying "very handsome, very handsome" So if a billion chinese think i am handsome, then it most be true! I am just going to go ahead and extend his statement to all chinese and leave it at that! I did turn the tables a bit, hence the title of this post, and took a few pics of the chinese. Under my breath I muttered "very handsome" so its totally cool. No seriously, I was a little afraid someone was going to come and arrest me. But I was very discreet about it, and only got a dirty look once from a guy passing by who saw what I was doing. But really, I have gotten a lot of different kinds of looks, so who knows, maybe he didnt see me. Anyway, I think they might be amongest the best pics I have taken here so far!
Tomorrow I am going to explore the French Concession a bit, and maybe take a river cruise at dusk to see the sights. Then Friday, off to Chongqing where the hot pot is calling my name!
Namaste
Kevin
Lots of fellow westerners today. Mostly eastern European and a few brits. I saw most of them in the Shanghai Planning Expo which is just incredible. They have a to scale model of the city that takes up an entire floor and is awesome. The best part is the video the show about the dvelopment along the river. The plan is to build these beautiful halls for the World Expo in 2010. All of a sudden the music gets very sad. It shows the poor and hard working folks of Shanghai doing their jobs, and coming home to their very small and dirty apartments. QUick flash, the music changes, and all the hard workers are shown entering into their brand new and clean apartments! I guess you had to be there, or maybe once you see the conditions some of the people here live in, and understand how the government handles moving people for construction (see Beijing for the Olympic venues) you will find the dark humor in it. On a bright note, the buildings they are going to construct for the world expo will put the Bird Nest's in Beijing to shame!
Had my first Chinese restuarant experience today. (the one from yesterday doesnt count...dont ask me why, it just doesnt feel right to count it) But of course, after finishing my meal i find out that its a Japanese fast food restaurant i just ate in. Good, but not quite the same. And on the way back to the hotel, the woman who has been selling bowls of noodles with some green stuff in it, wasnt there! I think tomorrow I am going to dedicate to food! For now, I am going to the restaurant across the corner from my hotel for a dumpling or two, with some supermarket bought chinese junk food for desert. I have no clue what I will be eating, but the cookies had what looks to be a boy band on the front of it so really, how can I go wrong?
I tried to go to the Shanghai museum but since they apparently give out free tickets, the line was massive. So that will have to wait until another day. Instead I wander Nanjing Road, the commercial center of Shanghai, and strolled through a few of the many parks here. Once again, someone stopped and asked if they could take my picture. It was very funny, as while he was aiming, he kept saying "very handsome, very handsome" So if a billion chinese think i am handsome, then it most be true! I am just going to go ahead and extend his statement to all chinese and leave it at that! I did turn the tables a bit, hence the title of this post, and took a few pics of the chinese. Under my breath I muttered "very handsome" so its totally cool. No seriously, I was a little afraid someone was going to come and arrest me. But I was very discreet about it, and only got a dirty look once from a guy passing by who saw what I was doing. But really, I have gotten a lot of different kinds of looks, so who knows, maybe he didnt see me. Anyway, I think they might be amongest the best pics I have taken here so far!
Tomorrow I am going to explore the French Concession a bit, and maybe take a river cruise at dusk to see the sights. Then Friday, off to Chongqing where the hot pot is calling my name!
Namaste
Kevin
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tuesday July 29th-Sensory Overload
I have to admit that Shanghai is a bit overwhelming. I think my tolerance per day of it is about 5 or 6 hours, and then I just have to retreat to the safety of my hotel, where I feel ok being a tourist again.
It is loud first of all. The horns never stop. And there are people everywhere. As an american, and perhaps as an American traveling alone, there are many offers of watches and t-shirts, and women who start shining your shoes before you even realize what they are doing. "No" doesnt matter. They follow you down the street. One guy I am pretty sure made overtures of hitting me on the head with my own water bottle, or at least thats what I gathered when he grabbed my waterbottle and had his arm around me.
I was worried at first that I would fall into the tourist routine here and would be surrounded by other westerners. Well, for two reasons I am no longer worried about that.
-I am pretty sure most of Shanghai is geared to tourists, albeit the chinese kind. Most of the stores seem to sell tourist knick knacks and all of it looks bad.
-Secondly, I was pretty much the only westerner anywhere I went. In fact, when I went back to the Bund this morning to explore more, I had people whispering and laughing, and a few taking pictures of me. Even better, I had a young boy and girl come up to me and ask to take their picture with me. Its like I am a celebrity.
After walking for a few hours and several miles, I am not sure I found that many areas that were authentic Shanghai and not just created for the tourist. I did see a bunch of americans near the Yu Yuan gardens, which essentially seems to be a tea house and a bunch of stalls selling souveniers. They were with a Disney Adventure cruise apparently. Weird.
There were a few alleys though were one could glimpse the real shanghai and it wasnt pretty. It was dirty and crowded and veyr poor. But on a bright spot, its smelled just as bad as the rest of city.
Well I am off to explore the city some more. Today I am taking the easy way out and going to the Shanghai museum. It will get me out of the heat and away from the starring eyes and the people asking if i want to buy a watch. I am having a great time and enjoying the experience, so dont get confused. Its just overwhelming to say the least. Chongqing, where I am sure there are less westerns and less English spoken, will be even more overwhelming I am sure.
On the plus side, finding good and different food does not seem to be a problem. There are a lot of restuarants selling food that I am sure I can not get at the Chinese food place in Richmod for sure. Right now, before the Musuem, I am going to a place I saw down the road that serves dumplings, to give that a shot. Until later, Goodbye!
It is loud first of all. The horns never stop. And there are people everywhere. As an american, and perhaps as an American traveling alone, there are many offers of watches and t-shirts, and women who start shining your shoes before you even realize what they are doing. "No" doesnt matter. They follow you down the street. One guy I am pretty sure made overtures of hitting me on the head with my own water bottle, or at least thats what I gathered when he grabbed my waterbottle and had his arm around me.
I was worried at first that I would fall into the tourist routine here and would be surrounded by other westerners. Well, for two reasons I am no longer worried about that.
-I am pretty sure most of Shanghai is geared to tourists, albeit the chinese kind. Most of the stores seem to sell tourist knick knacks and all of it looks bad.
-Secondly, I was pretty much the only westerner anywhere I went. In fact, when I went back to the Bund this morning to explore more, I had people whispering and laughing, and a few taking pictures of me. Even better, I had a young boy and girl come up to me and ask to take their picture with me. Its like I am a celebrity.
After walking for a few hours and several miles, I am not sure I found that many areas that were authentic Shanghai and not just created for the tourist. I did see a bunch of americans near the Yu Yuan gardens, which essentially seems to be a tea house and a bunch of stalls selling souveniers. They were with a Disney Adventure cruise apparently. Weird.
There were a few alleys though were one could glimpse the real shanghai and it wasnt pretty. It was dirty and crowded and veyr poor. But on a bright spot, its smelled just as bad as the rest of city.
Well I am off to explore the city some more. Today I am taking the easy way out and going to the Shanghai museum. It will get me out of the heat and away from the starring eyes and the people asking if i want to buy a watch. I am having a great time and enjoying the experience, so dont get confused. Its just overwhelming to say the least. Chongqing, where I am sure there are less westerns and less English spoken, will be even more overwhelming I am sure.
On the plus side, finding good and different food does not seem to be a problem. There are a lot of restuarants selling food that I am sure I can not get at the Chinese food place in Richmod for sure. Right now, before the Musuem, I am going to a place I saw down the road that serves dumplings, to give that a shot. Until later, Goodbye!
Monday July 28th-New meaning of hot and muggy
Ok, So for the second time I tried to publish a post and the computer decided that was a bad idea and erased it. This time it happened when I tried to upload a photo. So needless to say, I will not be doing that again. I have lots of photos and will take even more. And I will try to get some on here when I return to the states. But for now, you will just have to take my word for it. Literally.
Landing in Shanghai and stepping off that plane, I finally knew what hell felt like, temperature wise. It is hot and humid here beyond description. It rains, and its really windy, and you would think that would help, but it really doesnt. The lens on my cameras continually fog up.
The other thought that came to mind when I landed was how big and empty the airport is. As far as i could tell, my flight was only one of two international flights landing at that time. The terminal was empty beyond belief. I am going there again on friday for a domestic flight to Chongqing. (which worries me already, because Chongqing is known as one of the three furnaces of China it is so hot. Shanghai is not one of those three. oh man) It will be interesting to see if the domestic terminal is as empty.
I took the maglev into Shanghai. It got up to 431 kilometers. I am not sure how fast that is in Miles, but i know its really really really fast. faster then any train I have ever been on
After figuring out how to by a subway ticket, I rode from the outskirts of the city where the Maglev gets off into Nanjing road, the commercial center of Shanghai. Here I learend that everyone seems to know the english words for watch,t-shirt, and luggage. I am basing that on how many times those words were yelled at me with a question mark afterward. Lots of fakes everywhere. After navigating this madness, I found the Bund, which is another kind of madness. From here I got my first view of the Shanghai World Financial Center, the skyscraper that looks like a bottle opener. But at the moment, if you go by ceiling height, it is the largest building in the world. Pudong, the new city that is the business center of China, looks like something out of Blade Runner, especially when compared to the other side of the river (the Bund) which is filled with colonial architecture.
I found my hotel by following the bund until it reaches the creek. Once in my hotel room i literally pased out. I put my head down on the hardest bed in the world (seriously, its like sleeping on wood) and next thing I knew it was 8pm at night. I took off the contacts and went right to sleep, ready to explore Shanghai on Tuesday!
Landing in Shanghai and stepping off that plane, I finally knew what hell felt like, temperature wise. It is hot and humid here beyond description. It rains, and its really windy, and you would think that would help, but it really doesnt. The lens on my cameras continually fog up.
The other thought that came to mind when I landed was how big and empty the airport is. As far as i could tell, my flight was only one of two international flights landing at that time. The terminal was empty beyond belief. I am going there again on friday for a domestic flight to Chongqing. (which worries me already, because Chongqing is known as one of the three furnaces of China it is so hot. Shanghai is not one of those three. oh man) It will be interesting to see if the domestic terminal is as empty.
I took the maglev into Shanghai. It got up to 431 kilometers. I am not sure how fast that is in Miles, but i know its really really really fast. faster then any train I have ever been on
After figuring out how to by a subway ticket, I rode from the outskirts of the city where the Maglev gets off into Nanjing road, the commercial center of Shanghai. Here I learend that everyone seems to know the english words for watch,t-shirt, and luggage. I am basing that on how many times those words were yelled at me with a question mark afterward. Lots of fakes everywhere. After navigating this madness, I found the Bund, which is another kind of madness. From here I got my first view of the Shanghai World Financial Center, the skyscraper that looks like a bottle opener. But at the moment, if you go by ceiling height, it is the largest building in the world. Pudong, the new city that is the business center of China, looks like something out of Blade Runner, especially when compared to the other side of the river (the Bund) which is filled with colonial architecture.
I found my hotel by following the bund until it reaches the creek. Once in my hotel room i literally pased out. I put my head down on the hardest bed in the world (seriously, its like sleeping on wood) and next thing I knew it was 8pm at night. I took off the contacts and went right to sleep, ready to explore Shanghai on Tuesday!
Sunday July 28th-The flights begin
Well this post will be short because it is my second attempt to write it. The first attempt was a bit longer and included words of wisdom, but the computer I am working on decided to erase it when I tried to publish it. So I will keep this relatively short. I havent been able to post in a few days because I could not for the life of me find an internet cafe anywhere. I assumed that being a city with a lot of travelers passing through it, that these cafes would be everywhere. Of course I forgot that along with this being a Communist country worried about censorship, this is also a country where addiction to internet chat rooms is a serious problem. Seriously. There are support groups and everything. Good times.
So here is all you really need to know about my 12 hour flight from Vancouver to Shanghai:
-12 hours in an airplane sucks as much as you think it does
-I took a lot of drugs but still just couldnt fall asleep
-This non sleeping was partly made up for by the fact that I had two seats to myself. It wasnt a very full flight. So to be able to stretch out for a bit was wonderful.
-The food rocked. Well, it was airline food and still sucked, but it was kind of good chinese food. More importantly it came with a chili sauce that was just amazing. Seriously, it made the burnt rice seem like fine dining. I am going to have to see if I can grab a handful on my trip home.
I will talk about landing in Shanghai on the next post since technically it didnt happen until Monday.
So here is all you really need to know about my 12 hour flight from Vancouver to Shanghai:
-12 hours in an airplane sucks as much as you think it does
-I took a lot of drugs but still just couldnt fall asleep
-This non sleeping was partly made up for by the fact that I had two seats to myself. It wasnt a very full flight. So to be able to stretch out for a bit was wonderful.
-The food rocked. Well, it was airline food and still sucked, but it was kind of good chinese food. More importantly it came with a chili sauce that was just amazing. Seriously, it made the burnt rice seem like fine dining. I am going to have to see if I can grab a handful on my trip home.
I will talk about landing in Shanghai on the next post since technically it didnt happen until Monday.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Saturday July 26th-Getting Ready
Today was a day spent farting around Tacoma with my Aunt and her partner Chuck. We got to see the new house they are moving into, and see what they believe is everyday life in Tacoma. This, combined with our trip on Friday to the Tacoma Lawn and Tennis Club has convinced me that the rich live very different lifes then the rest of us.
And they all are beautiful.
Tacoma, despite its rampant gang life and apparent connection to the LA drug trade, fits a lot of stereotypes about the life of the rich and the Pacific Northwest.
-There are about four starbucks on the street outside of our hotel.
-Gardening shops are apparently the rage and all people do
-Old ugly guys marry young good looking girls a lot
-Tennis is not a hobby, but a lifestyle
-The local native american images are used everywhere, and not by the natives
Well, off to the wedding reception to eat very expensive food. Tomorrow I go on a very long flight to end up in Shanghai.
And they all are beautiful.
Tacoma, despite its rampant gang life and apparent connection to the LA drug trade, fits a lot of stereotypes about the life of the rich and the Pacific Northwest.
-There are about four starbucks on the street outside of our hotel.
-Gardening shops are apparently the rage and all people do
-Old ugly guys marry young good looking girls a lot
-Tennis is not a hobby, but a lifestyle
-The local native american images are used everywhere, and not by the natives
Well, off to the wedding reception to eat very expensive food. Tomorrow I go on a very long flight to end up in Shanghai.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Friday July 25th-Meeting Uncle Skip
Well my cousin got married today. And while any who know me, know that I am a romantic at heart. So I could tell a story about the power of love, of two souls finding each other, of the groom crying as he read his vows, or of how my cousin who never really seemed to care about anyone at all found the one person she could love forever.
But instead I am going to write about Uncle Skip.
Skip is the stuff of legend in my family. Although he is not related to me, he always seems to come up. He is the brother of my cousin's father. So their uncle, but an uncle to me in, well, not even in name only.
But oh how I have waited to meet Skip.
Let's see if I can do a brief history of Skip. He went to work one summer after graduating law school for a judge in Chicago. That judge happened by chance to move to DC that fall to serve on the most powerful court in the land. You and I know him as Justice Stevens from the Supreme Court. Yeah. That guy. After doing this, Skip could pretty much write his own ticket anywhere in the world. Where he eventually went was Atari. Remember them? He was there when they were the biggest thing in the world. Then he went to Universal. He was there when that company got sold and he made a ton of money. Skip now "freelances" as he calls it. Let's put it this way: I was talking to him today about Shanghai, as he used to live in China and knows it well. He starts the advice by saying "well last time I was there I was a guest of the government..." Yes, the government of China was tyring to wine and dine him to get him to open a factory outside of Hong Kong.
Yeah.
Skip used to give my cousin's $100 to be quiet in car rides. I would not be surprised at all if the card he gave my cousin today contained a check for over $100,000. Seriously, I would not even blink. Think of people who bought Snapple or IBM stock before they took off. He is probably that rich, tens of millions in the bank.
He is one of "those guys." Ever watch the news, and here them talk about big ticket democratic fund raisers, the ones who do the collecting from their friends and raise millions? Skip is one of those guys. Barack Obama was told that Skip is someone good to know if you want to be a national politician. So it was Obama who called Skip THE DAY AFTER his big speech at the 2004 Convention. Obama called him, wanted to get on Skip's good side. Skip was the chair of the Edwards 2008 and 2004 campaigns. He oversaw the WHOLE state. He knows Bill and Hillary Clinton personally. Again, he is a MASSIVE fundraiser for the democrats. He used to say hello to Madonna in the morning when she would drive by his house. He takes my cousins to movie premieres and to Sun Valley Idaho to ski with Bruce Willis.
And once again, if Obama wins, Skip will be thanked. If Obama wins, I will always remember Skip telling the story about how he saw the big speech in 2004, and checked his messages after ward to see that Obama had called him after the speech. The next day they went out to lunch, just Obama and Uncle Skip. I just missed hitting the "related through marriage" jackpot on this one.
He is of course, I must say, a wonderful person. If he gave my cousin a lot of money, it was certainly not to because it means so little to him. I am sure the thought of being able to give my cousin life changing money so that she and her husband can start their life together makes him feel great inside. He also just got married to his partner of 30 years last month. They wanted to get married before the same sex marriage ban proposal goes on the ballot in California. Seriously. Listening to him tell the story about getting married when they first offered them in San Fran, only to have his government take it away was sad. Even better, was the story of wonderful it felt to stand in line last month and get married again. As his partner Van put it, its a wonderful thing to be treated the same as everyone else in the world.
Uncle Skip...worth the girl puking of sure.
But instead I am going to write about Uncle Skip.
Skip is the stuff of legend in my family. Although he is not related to me, he always seems to come up. He is the brother of my cousin's father. So their uncle, but an uncle to me in, well, not even in name only.
But oh how I have waited to meet Skip.
Let's see if I can do a brief history of Skip. He went to work one summer after graduating law school for a judge in Chicago. That judge happened by chance to move to DC that fall to serve on the most powerful court in the land. You and I know him as Justice Stevens from the Supreme Court. Yeah. That guy. After doing this, Skip could pretty much write his own ticket anywhere in the world. Where he eventually went was Atari. Remember them? He was there when they were the biggest thing in the world. Then he went to Universal. He was there when that company got sold and he made a ton of money. Skip now "freelances" as he calls it. Let's put it this way: I was talking to him today about Shanghai, as he used to live in China and knows it well. He starts the advice by saying "well last time I was there I was a guest of the government..." Yes, the government of China was tyring to wine and dine him to get him to open a factory outside of Hong Kong.
Yeah.
Skip used to give my cousin's $100 to be quiet in car rides. I would not be surprised at all if the card he gave my cousin today contained a check for over $100,000. Seriously, I would not even blink. Think of people who bought Snapple or IBM stock before they took off. He is probably that rich, tens of millions in the bank.
He is one of "those guys." Ever watch the news, and here them talk about big ticket democratic fund raisers, the ones who do the collecting from their friends and raise millions? Skip is one of those guys. Barack Obama was told that Skip is someone good to know if you want to be a national politician. So it was Obama who called Skip THE DAY AFTER his big speech at the 2004 Convention. Obama called him, wanted to get on Skip's good side. Skip was the chair of the Edwards 2008 and 2004 campaigns. He oversaw the WHOLE state. He knows Bill and Hillary Clinton personally. Again, he is a MASSIVE fundraiser for the democrats. He used to say hello to Madonna in the morning when she would drive by his house. He takes my cousins to movie premieres and to Sun Valley Idaho to ski with Bruce Willis.
And once again, if Obama wins, Skip will be thanked. If Obama wins, I will always remember Skip telling the story about how he saw the big speech in 2004, and checked his messages after ward to see that Obama had called him after the speech. The next day they went out to lunch, just Obama and Uncle Skip. I just missed hitting the "related through marriage" jackpot on this one.
He is of course, I must say, a wonderful person. If he gave my cousin a lot of money, it was certainly not to because it means so little to him. I am sure the thought of being able to give my cousin life changing money so that she and her husband can start their life together makes him feel great inside. He also just got married to his partner of 30 years last month. They wanted to get married before the same sex marriage ban proposal goes on the ballot in California. Seriously. Listening to him tell the story about getting married when they first offered them in San Fran, only to have his government take it away was sad. Even better, was the story of wonderful it felt to stand in line last month and get married again. As his partner Van put it, its a wonderful thing to be treated the same as everyone else in the world.
Uncle Skip...worth the girl puking of sure.
Thursday July 24
Well I wont tell another horrible travel story here, since I am sure everyone has been through some rough times at airports and on planes. This one involved a minimum delay, the most uncomfortable seat ever, a little girl who insisted on sleeping on my shoulder despite the fact that her mother was next to her, and that same little girl puking into a bag while her mother slept.
But after all this I arrived in Seattle and was instantly reminded of why I love this area, and why when I do a job search again next year this while be on my short list of dream areas. Since I didn't get in until Friday in reality, I don't have much to say about this day.
But I must comment on the fact that I do love to travel. I really do. Even after uncomfortable seats and not being able to sleep on that five hour flight, I still love traveling. I love going someplace new or someplace that just smells of the familiar. I love getting into a cab and telling the driver to take you to your next destination. I love the littler interactions with people you have along the way, the little songs you right together. Sometimes they are long drawn out epic rock songs, sometimes they are short little 2 minute pop songs. There is always in the course of my travels at least one moment where I pop into someones life, instead of simply being a face in the mosaic. Last night sadly, it was when I switched seats so that a young newlywed couple could sit together. They enjoyed their flight, and fell asleep during the first of the two movies on the flights. I, well, I got to sleep next to the puking girl. They saw this. They laughed as she threw up, rather loudly, in a bag next to me. So if they repeat that story to anyone, they will mention that they avoided sitting next to her by switching seats with me. In the credits I would be "Man on plane #1" A small role but a mentioned on none the less!
But after all this I arrived in Seattle and was instantly reminded of why I love this area, and why when I do a job search again next year this while be on my short list of dream areas. Since I didn't get in until Friday in reality, I don't have much to say about this day.
But I must comment on the fact that I do love to travel. I really do. Even after uncomfortable seats and not being able to sleep on that five hour flight, I still love traveling. I love going someplace new or someplace that just smells of the familiar. I love getting into a cab and telling the driver to take you to your next destination. I love the littler interactions with people you have along the way, the little songs you right together. Sometimes they are long drawn out epic rock songs, sometimes they are short little 2 minute pop songs. There is always in the course of my travels at least one moment where I pop into someones life, instead of simply being a face in the mosaic. Last night sadly, it was when I switched seats so that a young newlywed couple could sit together. They enjoyed their flight, and fell asleep during the first of the two movies on the flights. I, well, I got to sleep next to the puking girl. They saw this. They laughed as she threw up, rather loudly, in a bag next to me. So if they repeat that story to anyone, they will mention that they avoided sitting next to her by switching seats with me. In the credits I would be "Man on plane #1" A small role but a mentioned on none the less!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The biggest decision of all
Well, now that I have made this blog public, or at least to the people I know, I thought I would ask the most important question I can. At least as it relates to my travel plans here. I am torn on what book to bring. The flight from Vancouver to Shanghai is roughly 15 hours. Being a fast reader, I could finish several normal sized books during that time. So I thought it would be smart to bring a big book, a classic, maybe something I wouldn't normally read sitting by the pool because of it's length. I have come down to three choices, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. And its an important decision since I probably wont be able to watch a lot of TV as I am trying to sleep since its probably all going to be in Chinese except for CNN. And I have a lot of time to spend in airports and on planes. (in total...its probably about 70 hours I will be spending in total on planes and in airports) Any ideas what to pick?
1) Atlas Shrugged-Ayn Rand
(+)I like her style of writing, its small in its size but extremely long
(-) Opinion on this book seems to be divided. Apparently it can get a little too far into her
philosophy. She did this in "The Fountainhead" and I didn't like those sections of that book
2) Harlot's Host-Norma Mailer
(+) I have read a few of his books, and love them all. Interesting topic (The CIA)
(-) Its only 1100 pages....And the print is not too small, I might be able to finish most of this
on the flight to Shanghai. The size of the book is the biggest of the three options
3) War and Peace-Leo Tolstoy
(+) Its very long. And its a classic, suppose to be one of the best books of all time. And the size
is perfect for the one backpack i am bringing on this trip
(-) It has a large cast of characters and apparently that can get confusing sometimes. I have
not read anything by Tolstoy yet. I don't know if I like his style. If i get to China and don't
like it, then I am in trouble as far as reading material goes.
1) Atlas Shrugged-Ayn Rand
(+)I like her style of writing, its small in its size but extremely long
(-) Opinion on this book seems to be divided. Apparently it can get a little too far into her
philosophy. She did this in "The Fountainhead" and I didn't like those sections of that book
2) Harlot's Host-Norma Mailer
(+) I have read a few of his books, and love them all. Interesting topic (The CIA)
(-) Its only 1100 pages....And the print is not too small, I might be able to finish most of this
on the flight to Shanghai. The size of the book is the biggest of the three options
3) War and Peace-Leo Tolstoy
(+) Its very long. And its a classic, suppose to be one of the best books of all time. And the size
is perfect for the one backpack i am bringing on this trip
(-) It has a large cast of characters and apparently that can get confusing sometimes. I have
not read anything by Tolstoy yet. I don't know if I like his style. If i get to China and don't
like it, then I am in trouble as far as reading material goes.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Well I am officially all packed at this point. I started listening to a few Mandarin Chinese lessons I downloaded for my 15 hour flight over the pacific ocean. Of course, it is all kind of a pointless venture, since in Shanghai they speak a different dialect, as well as in Chongqing. I am hoping that I learn enough to be able to say "Don't feed me fish, it will make me sick in your restaurant." That is something that would work out well for everyone.
Today, I happened to be able to re watch the episode of "Globe Trekker" that made China and the Three Gorges my destination for this year's adventure. Turns out by chance, the host of the show stays in the same hotel I am staying in for the first few nights in Shanghai. Through this show, I learned that Chongqing, where I will spend two days, has a community dance party every night in the main square. The fountains of the square play music, and the locals do a big line dance to it every night. It was kind of a cross between country/ball room. Hmm....I wonder if lack of rhythm is the same in China as it is here....
Today, I happened to be able to re watch the episode of "Globe Trekker" that made China and the Three Gorges my destination for this year's adventure. Turns out by chance, the host of the show stays in the same hotel I am staying in for the first few nights in Shanghai. Through this show, I learned that Chongqing, where I will spend two days, has a community dance party every night in the main square. The fountains of the square play music, and the locals do a big line dance to it every night. It was kind of a cross between country/ball room. Hmm....I wonder if lack of rhythm is the same in China as it is here....
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Hello from Richmond...for now
Hello to everyone out there who I remember to send the address of this blog too! For now, this blog will serve as a way for those who are interested to follow me as I travel through China for 12 days or so.
This trip is the first step. I was watching a documentary where a woman who is traveling the world was told how lucky she is to be traveling. And she replied that it wasn't luck, it was a state of mind. And while I am not going to be maxing out my credit cards to see the world in a year (not yet at least...applications being accepted for travel partners though!) I decide that really it is pointless to always say year after year how I want to travel and experience things without actually doing them. So the plan is to travel abroad at least once a year. And this trip to China is the first in that series.
Next year the work on the Three Gorges Dam will be finished next year. There was been a lot of flooding already on the Yangtze, and a lot of wonderful sights are lost forever already. But next year, the transformation of the Gorges and the Lesser Gorges will be complete. I am going this summer to make sure that at least I can see that small glimmer of what they once were, before the shine fades forever.
Here is the general outline for the trip. After spending 15 hours in a plane from Canada, I will land in Shanghai roughly 16 hours ahead of the time my body is used to. After four days in Shanghai, I will fly into the interior to Chongqing, quite possibly the biggest city in the world. (some say as high as 40 million in the metro area) After two days in Chongqing and hopefully a LOT of spicey food, I will be taking a Chinese tourist boat down the Yangtze through the Three Gorges to Yichang City, right on the edge of the dam itself. I fly to Shanghai for three more days. On my last night in Shanghai, I am going all out, and spending the night in the highest hotel in the world. I will swim in the highest hotel in the world, and take a bath in my room over 1,000 feet in the air with floor to ceiling windows showing me Pudong and the rest of Shanghai. It should be quite fun.
I will try to post on here every night. However, I have heard stories of internet cafes in China not allowing people to post photos. This might be especially true given the run up to the Olympics. I will be taking a page out of my buddy Franky's blog when he traveled, and posting after the fact if necessary. So I will miss a few days on the cruise, but when I return to Shanghai I will post separate blogs for the days I missed so everyone knows what was going on. And when I return to Richmond, and after I sleep literally all day in order to catch up on the time, I will post a lot of nice photos on here.
Then on Saturday I rest. And then on Sunday, I start planning the next trip. There are many representations of the human experience out there, none more right or wrong then mine and yours. Personally, I want to experience all of them not to say which one is est or which ones need some work, but to see how others live their days on this piece of rock circling in space.
Ok, enough poetic stuff. I leave for Seattle on Thursday the 24 for my Cousin's wedding. And then Sunday I hope on the plan to Shanghai. The first post will therefore be on Monday the 28th, so look for it then!
This trip is the first step. I was watching a documentary where a woman who is traveling the world was told how lucky she is to be traveling. And she replied that it wasn't luck, it was a state of mind. And while I am not going to be maxing out my credit cards to see the world in a year (not yet at least...applications being accepted for travel partners though!) I decide that really it is pointless to always say year after year how I want to travel and experience things without actually doing them. So the plan is to travel abroad at least once a year. And this trip to China is the first in that series.
Next year the work on the Three Gorges Dam will be finished next year. There was been a lot of flooding already on the Yangtze, and a lot of wonderful sights are lost forever already. But next year, the transformation of the Gorges and the Lesser Gorges will be complete. I am going this summer to make sure that at least I can see that small glimmer of what they once were, before the shine fades forever.
Here is the general outline for the trip. After spending 15 hours in a plane from Canada, I will land in Shanghai roughly 16 hours ahead of the time my body is used to. After four days in Shanghai, I will fly into the interior to Chongqing, quite possibly the biggest city in the world. (some say as high as 40 million in the metro area) After two days in Chongqing and hopefully a LOT of spicey food, I will be taking a Chinese tourist boat down the Yangtze through the Three Gorges to Yichang City, right on the edge of the dam itself. I fly to Shanghai for three more days. On my last night in Shanghai, I am going all out, and spending the night in the highest hotel in the world. I will swim in the highest hotel in the world, and take a bath in my room over 1,000 feet in the air with floor to ceiling windows showing me Pudong and the rest of Shanghai. It should be quite fun.
I will try to post on here every night. However, I have heard stories of internet cafes in China not allowing people to post photos. This might be especially true given the run up to the Olympics. I will be taking a page out of my buddy Franky's blog when he traveled, and posting after the fact if necessary. So I will miss a few days on the cruise, but when I return to Shanghai I will post separate blogs for the days I missed so everyone knows what was going on. And when I return to Richmond, and after I sleep literally all day in order to catch up on the time, I will post a lot of nice photos on here.
Then on Saturday I rest. And then on Sunday, I start planning the next trip. There are many representations of the human experience out there, none more right or wrong then mine and yours. Personally, I want to experience all of them not to say which one is est or which ones need some work, but to see how others live their days on this piece of rock circling in space.
Ok, enough poetic stuff. I leave for Seattle on Thursday the 24 for my Cousin's wedding. And then Sunday I hope on the plan to Shanghai. The first post will therefore be on Monday the 28th, so look for it then!
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