The Bravo Blog: Travel

Thailand Photos done

Mon, 05 May 2008 08:16:52 GMT

I have finished all 3, yes 3, photo albums from our Thailand trip this spring. I have not forgotten about the recap of our take in the adventure, or the mishaps along the way. The past week was Labor Day holiday in China, 3 days including Saturday, and I took an additional day off as Coco brought our daughter up for a few weeks visit. There are things I would like to discuss, but the reason I have not is the same one why the postings have been scant, time. My project management role at work has expanded 3 fold. My MPLS implementation role has went from Asia Pacific to now include Europe and Americas too, a new total of 44 orders to track (up from 9) and monitor on a daily basis. My Benefits tracking role was extended by a minimum of 1 month, with them trying to fund me until the end of the summer, and guess what... I am now tracking the Americas in addition to Asia Pacific (yes Canada to Argentina). Add this to cleaning the home and toddler proofing the home, getting ready for a mid-month move to a new location in Shanghai, and you can see why time has been scant.

I think I have some photo quota left so I will get pictures of the much taller Sophia out, last weekend was rainy, and we wanted her to settle in and relax for a few days. There are ideas brewing on topics ranging from gas prices, to housing markets, to food inventories, to Detroit's sports teams (the two best being in playoffs right now, go Wings and Pistons!) and my thoughts on raising bi-lingual children (right now Sophia understands Mandarin but only speaks Cantonese and has no clue what I am saying if I speak English) and the state of world health care that Mr. Moore did not mention in his movie Sicko, and no, I did not see it.

Monthly photo quota reached again

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 19:08:13 GMT

As you can tell from my 2 Thailand photo albums, I have exceeded my photo quota for the month, 500 pictures uploaded. We visited 3 areas of Thailand, Chiang Mai, in the north, Phuket in the south, and finally Bangkok in the middle. I will have to wait for next month to finish my photo albums as I did take too many pictiures yet again. I will try to blog about the trip as many interesting things happened in each locatin. Enjoy the photos I have posted and know I am not finished just yet. Also I have pictures from Shanghai's Forest Park, the only natural wooded park in the city, well just outside the city but a nice park to go to none the less.

Back to the old rat race

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:05:46 GMT

It is always a shame when your vacation time comes to an end, this time was especially so. We are back in Shanghai, tanner, healthier, and more relaxed but going through sun, sand, surf, clear air, amazing sunsets, and friendly people withdrawals, not to mention currency shock. After 9 days, 3 cities, over 2,000 photos, and many mini adventures I hope to find the time to share these along with insights into Thailand from both an American and Chinese perspective (care of my wife's observations).

We were in Chiang Mai, a northern city close to the border with Myanmar (Burma) and not too far from Laos, for 3 days enjoying the jungle tours, seeing the old temples, or wat in Thai language, and enjoying the relaxed and laid back atmosphere of the north. Next we spent 4 days on Phuket Island, the largest island in Thailand, located on the southwestern side of the country, and sandwiched between the Andaman Sea to the west and the Gulf of Phuket on the north and the Phang-nga Bay on the east. Due to the location this is a prime tourist spot with all the charm and trappings of such.

We rounded up our adventure with a full day and night in Bangkok, the capital, and took in what we could in just less than 20 hours, minus 6 hours for sleep of course. The capital offers a much different view of Thailand as the city is a major Asia Pacific hub for finance, commerce, and trade and this is reflected in its views, attitudes, and atmosphere. We did the tourists thing, seeing the Royal Palace and shopping in one of Thailand's larger shopping malls, can't remember which one right now, and was able to get all the VAT (variable allowance tax) back from the mall shopping we did. We did hit the Patong Bar scene and after an hour and a half were pretty much board and did get out of being ripped off, well only ripped off slightly, before returning to our hotel only to be kept up most of the night by unruly Koreans screaming at each other most of the night and morning.

Back in Shanghai we were shocked by the cool, damp, and smoggy conditions, hence the withdrawals, but we did get a day and a half to decompress, unpack, and watch something besides Star Movies or BBC. I will be getting the photos converted and uploaded over the week as well as highlights of the trip. Thailand was a great place to visit and one I am wanting to visit again, and if the US dollar can improve, as well as the Chinese RMB, will definitely go back to again and soon.

Thailand

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:48:47 GMT

We arrived at the Bangkok airport this morning and are waiting on our connecting flight to the north part of the country, then the sounth. It is hot here, 90F and no idea in C. Looking forward to a few days downtime, only got 1.5 hours of sleep last night due to last minute work items and bankning issues. Will be posting pictures and stories upon my return to Shangahi around the 4th. Did not register with the US Embassy, don't know if I will for such a short trip. Any way, enjoying the airport lounge and duty free shopping which you can do AFTER you land, not just before you leave!

Shanghai Subway Expansions

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 01:28:01 GMT

For those living in Shanghai this is not new news. Some new lines are headed our way by the end of the year, some are now semi-operational, and some expansion is continuing as well. As a resource that goes into all the new activities, as well a good resource for the Shanghai Metro system please follow this link: http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/community/index.php?blog=23

As long time readers will know, I love taking the train system to get around, its fast, convenient, and very affordable. The expansion of the system will make many more places in and around Shanghai more accessible and hopefully relieve the stress on the surface streets. Busses here mostly run on diesel fuel, there are a few electric but mostly just in the inner loop of the city, and with over a 1,000 buss lines and gross overcrowding on the busses they are no longer able to be part of the solution for future population growth. I applaud the subway growth and look forward to riding new lines as they open and see what interesting place they take me.

SuZhou and NanJing day trips

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 18:29:56 GMT

November is a wonderful time to travel. Autumn in one of my favorite times of the year. Cool enough to wear a jacket but not too cold, the smell of leaves in the air, cool enough to really enjoy soups and hot foods, and of course leafs changing colors. Last weekend, the 10 to 11th, a small group of us planned 2 short day trips to SuZhou and NanJing, both old cities close to ShangHai.

This was a perfect opportunity to try out my new Nikon D40x with both lenses, standard 18mm to 55mm and 55mm to 200mm. I still used my trusty Cannon A620 for quick snapshots as it has proved itself capable for a few years now. I must admit I love digital photography. Don't get me wrong, I love my old Pentax K1000, but getting good quality prints back (developers save money by recycling the baths) and then getting them into the PC for sharing is a large hassle. I am still learning with the Nikon, all the settings and differences between DSLR and SLR and the simple free software that is quite limited in its editing features.

We took a standard train, known locally as the "iron rooster" by many foreigners here, to SuZhou where we had a local style lunch, went to see the mountain and near by monastery/temple and then boarded the much better Chinese "bullet train" for a nighttime arrival to NanJing. I uploaded as many pictures as I can, the monthly limit has been exceeded, for the second or third month in a row now... I will get the NanJing pictures up in December, and hopefully can catch up photo wise without backlogging any more photos.

Chicago Visit

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 06:15:15 GMT

The company I work for, based out of Chicago, is now in a new fiscal year. The project I am working on, starting year 3 now, is in full deployment swing. All the key project people and leads from across the globe are headed back to the mother ship for a week long workshop and to work on project specific stuff. I love fall in the Mid-West! Granted it is too early to see leaves changing it is the time of year when the day is not too hot and the night is not freezing.

I have an extra treat up my sleeve, thanks to all the travel I have a free round trip plane ticket so I am bringing my Coco to see and explore Chicago. There is a large Chinese community there, and she has friends in the area as well, so I am sure she will not get too home sick for the week. We will take in as much as we can the weekend we arrive, one of my friends from Milwaukee is confirmed to be coming down, and then on evenings I don't have group dinners or activities to attend. Coco is really excited to see the sites of Chicago, Sears tower, Fire tower, magnificent mile, millennium park, museums, Navy pier, river front, etc. So hopefully she can book some tours and have fun while I'm stuck in the workshop.

We are going to do a little logistic juggling due to my airline's mile program restrictions but it is still a good deal for one person to fly for free. I wish we could have an extra 2 days to explore and see the sites but workshops are called workshops for a reason. The best part of the trip is upon our return we only have to wait for 2 weeks to get a full 1 week off for China's golden week for National Day (October holiday). This week we will spend with Sophia at Coco's parent's place in Guangzhou. It would be nice to bring her to Chicago but all the flights and everything would most likely be too stressful for her. As usual there will be many pictures to share and hopefully some interesting stories as well.

Talking about The 'New' New York - MSN Travel Articles

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 02:59:33 GMT

Quote : "The city also has lost some of the edginess that gave it character. In the erstwhile Meatpacking District, you’re more likely to find vegan menus and cruelty-free handbags than to slip on entrails. And in SoHo, lofts have gotten too expensive for starving artists; these high-ceilinged spaces are increasingly occupied by investment bankers and white-shoe lawyers."

The 'New' New York - MSN Travel Articles

As you know I just returned from New York and stated that the city was not the same as I had remembered it (having traveled there many times pre 9/11). The author of this article, John Rosenthal is listed as having lived in New York for 30 years until 2003 when he moved to California, returning to the city annually. There are some inconsistencies and subliminal messages I found in this piece and wish to share them with you.

From the beginning of the article he is drumming up the excessive salaries and money flowing through the city from the financial district. It sounds like an endorsement for 'trickle down economics' and anyone from the Regan era will know that this never benefits the bartenders and waitresses as much as he claims in the article (yes the bar tabs may be triple figures but does that mean the tips are 25% of that?). He praises the rebirth of the money making machine while solemnly describing the displacement of local 'mom and pop' shops for banks, luxury apartments and office spaces. He admits the Big Apple is losing its identity in the obsession with low cost goods and services in the likes of Best Buy and Home Depot and other 'big box' retailers.

He continues with the absurd references to New York always looking to the Europeans for its identity and flavor??? New York IS the quintessential American city. It IS the example of America that is why it was singled out to be attacked, not because it was all starry eyed over London, Paris, Barcelona, and Venice. New York is the original melting pot of our country and the place many people still get their indoctrination to American lifestyle and values. Yes you can hear a hundred different languages on the sidewalks going from here to there, see faces from across the globe, smell food you have never smelled before, see thousands of different styles, but they all still have the same thing in common, they came to New York to see and be part of America at its best. New York has never looked to the east for its identity, it has always exuded its identity from deep within, from its Puritan, Italian, Irish, Polish, and Latino roots to create a unique spirit and independence that was purely American. New York is not trying to be another Paris or London by any means and to suggest so is not being a New Yorker by any stretch of the imagination.

He points to the same thing I did, the city is different, slightly deflated, like a week old helium balloon after that birthday party. It is still shinny and still floats, just not as high and looks a bit worn out. The city used to have an electricity that was tactile everywhere in the city. Going to Broadway you could be caught up in the excitement along the way. People were projecting this from everywhere, sidewalk cafes, small city parks, stoops, you name it, the energy could be felt. The bar scenes were incredible in the 1990's, now they are stale and hollow. It is not the 'no smoking' ban in most places that he mentions being the culprit, but it does add to the oddness of the atmosphere. The air of New York seems different because the attitude of the people has changed. People have become detached from the city more then they were. From the bars and discos to the coffee shops and art studios. The politicians are pumping new growth and ideas into the city (a good thing) but they can not pump in the old attitude, that is left to the citizens themselves.

I think it is perfect Rosenthal uses an example of Soho having its art sector apartments gobbled up by the rich investment tycoons and financial lawyers. This shows the example of how the city is losing its atmosphere and uniqueness. As the real-estate prices skyrocket to meet the money people have in their pockets (its not about demand as much as it is people are willing to pay 5 figures a month for an apartment now) the real characters and backbone of the city is forced off the island. While the rich devour every square inch of Manhattan those who have to cook their food, waitress their tables, serve their drinks, clean their homes, walk their dogs, bag their groceries, wash their cars, dry clean their clothes, deliver their flowers, and hundreds of other jobs now have to all be imported from further away. The raising prices makes long time residence flee to the shores of the other 4 boroughs as well as New York's larges suburb, New Jersey. Renting an apartment there is not cheap either, and as people displaced by the new rich in Manhattan flood into the surrounding areas the wave in increased housing will follow like a storm serge ahead of a hurricane. This serge floods out the local shop owners as the business cases for the 'big box' retailers mentioned gobble up the market share and price dump the local shops out of business. This is how a community looses its identity and flavor.

The inconsistency I mentioned in the beginning is that praise of the return of the high spending times on the lower east side and how that makes the community feel better while at the same time complaining the starving artists can no longer afford the run down lofts and the common man and homeless have disappeared from Columbus Circle. He can identify the same missing element I did, but he tries to cover it up by stating New York has a new swagger and bounce in its step. He touts the rich and their 'trickle down' benefits to the community while sadly stating the bank outlets and chain stores and "dime a dozen food chains" are replacing the unique shops and cafes the city had for generations. He claims New York is the Paris of America, when in actually, New York is the New York of the world. New York is not an imitator, it is an originator, and an example of how to get hundreds of different cultures to live in coexistence and harmony no other region of the planet can claim, even London and Pairs. He knows New York is different, but instead of honestly trying to place a real finger on the problem he does what the rest of America has become addicted to, he distracts us from the real issue by painting too many pictures to divert our attention away from the ugly truth. New York is a deflated helium balloon, its spark and shine are not the same but she has endured worse in the past and always come back. I hope the rebirth of New York is sparked by the influx of projects the government promised as well as the unique attitude that was always New York, and not a continuation of the hollow and empty artificial Christmas tree feeling the city has now.

Back in Shanghai

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 06:11:02 GMT

The largest problem with making trips to the US is the return. Flying west causes you to miss a day, so I left JFK Friday morning 8:30 am and arrived in Shanghai 5:30 pm Saturday night. Add that to the security checks, air plane food, etc and the feeling of being stuck on a plane for 13 hours waiting to get home again and you can tell its not that much fun.

New York was New York, the city has changed quite a bit though since my last visit. I have been to New York 5 or 6 times prior to this trip, all of those times were before 1998. I remember New York as a different place and having a much different mood and feel to it, since 9/11 the city's mood and feeling has changed. Every city has a feel to it. This is very hard to explain.

This week, thus far, has been catching up on lost work from Friday, plugging into my new role in our NTP program, attending numerous conference calls at all times of the day and night and writing more then my share of reports. I still have to finish up documenting my US trip with Coco and Sophia, go over the anguish of sending her off to her grandparents the following week, the adventure of getting my new cell phone, backing up all my personal files, rediscovering PC gaming, and getting a new work PC, and then we can go over the NYC trip. Highlights will include; navigating New York's subway, visiting 'ground zero', shopping madness, and of course the air port nightmares (including special appearance by one very famous basketball player)! Stay tuned because as I am trying to get all this out of the way we will be having a mini family reunion for 2 weeks while Sophia comes for a brief visit.

Going to the Big Apple

Sun, 10 Jun 2007 22:33:53 GMT

This weeks sees me making a 3 day trip to New York, for work. This trip was planned in about 3 days prior to last Friday so it was pretty stressful getting tickets, hotel reservation, new PC from work, etc. This weekend was also hectic as clothes had to go to the cleaners, bags packed, etc. Coco is a little upset as this will be her first week alone in Shanghai since I moved here two Marches ago, the last time I left for business she was in Guangzhou with her parents in the last trimester of her pregnancy. She is being a trooper about the whole thing so I hope it is not too stressful for her. She is much stronger then she gives herself credit for and I know she will do well.

I have to go for two reasons. One is the internal client I represent will have minimal representation due to an internal workforce shift, and I am replacing a previous team mate who was promoted in the client organization. The second is my ever expanding roles and responsibilities in the project. I have become a victim of my own success, as stated in earlier posts, and the stress of the workload is beginning to build a bit. I have not reached critical mass yet, but we are skirting it pretty close now. I will be attending the 3 day conference as well as attending training on my new regional role as APA MPLS order lead. I will be responsible for gathering, verifying, submitting, tracking, ensuring validation and acceptance of our new MPLS circuits in the APA region. I am working in the Planning and Roll Out teams already so most of the information, contact, and roles I know... now I will have the ability to better track what is going on and why it is as it is.

Friday at work was my first English class, yes William you can tell Mrs. Becky I am officially teaching English now. The class seemed to go well, we covered some basics, terms, examples, and had open discussion in the form of debates for practice. I do feel a bit intimidated as I have never taken a teaching class in college and the training I conducted in the Navy was all related to my job so I knew if intimately and teaching it was second nature. We will have these classes twice per month and I hope I can meet expectations as well and improve everyone's level of communication.

I have not been to New York since 1998 when I accompanied some friends there on weekend leave a few time while in the Navy. As we all know New York is a much changed city since then, ground zero, various plots, political landscape shifts, so it will be interesting to see what has changed and what hasn't. I have been to New York many times over my Naval career, once officially for Fleet Week and the rest for personal visits so I know my way around the major sites (not as well as Chicago unfortunately). I do have some side tasks of picking us some things for my wife and friends here in Shanghai so I hope to find the time to do so.

I was hoping to get more work on this blog done here or there but it seems that will have to wait for at least a week. My new work PC has much longer battery life so maybe I can get the time on the plane or on lay overs, I am avoiding Chicago and getting to New York via my birth place... San Francisco (its a shame I won't be there more then 1 hour, just like when we were in DC on the way home last month). Flying always makes me nervous, part of growing up in the 1970's with all the disaster movies at theaters and on TV, and I am trying to hide this from Coco as much as I can. I look forward to getting to New York and attending the conference, getting trained up, and getting some more US supplies but at the same time I can't wait to be back here with Coco... and one week after I get back Sophia is coming for a week and a half long visit (just in time for father's day!!!).

State Side Visits, Day One

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 14:33:54 GMT

As time has not been kind, for some reasons I have lauded here, and others I have not, I now have a few hours to catch everyone up on our jouneys.

Our journey started with packing everything into 3 large suitcases. It turned out babies require much more then I would have thought. Our flight was not until early afternoon so we booked out taxi (having to hire a van due to the amount of luggage) and went through the apartment to make sure the gas, water, and all electronic devices were off and all windows closed and locked. We were not too rushed getting to the airport, a little unusual for me. Sophia was pretty good not getting too upset at the exit point, security point, or shopping in the duty free shops before we borded the plane. The United flight we took was an older plane, evident by the lack of video screens and no basenett mounting points on the bulkhead. We were able to change our seats by requesting a basenett which was nice as it offered my much greater leg room. Sophia did have a few hour meltdown on the beginning of the flight but after two hours of crying she setteled in and the other 11 hours were event free, from her anyway. I did not pull out the laptop, but relayed on my Creative Zen and sleep to pass the time, taking a peak at the movies they offered from time to time.

Landing at O'hare offered Coco her first impressions of America. We took differnt immigration lines, I still don't know if we had to as there were 2 Americans in our party, and I went to gather the luggage and wait for her and the baby to show up. Luckly we had a baby carrier for going throgh the airports as the stroller was always added to the checked luggage at the gate. I got a cart, foung all the bags, and then gathered my wife, but we could not find the stroller. They did not have it available at the gate as promised, so I had to ask the good old American airport workers at the luggage handling area and they were as useless as always, finally the stroller showed up and we rushed on our way to the connecting flight. As we checkin in for the next flight (something we did not have to do) I was reminded about a Chinese bottle of wine I had forgotten on the plane. The check in people found the bottle, and we added it to one of our cary-ons and had it checked. Then we rushed off to terminal C via the tram. Getting in the terminal Coco looked at the duty free shops, and was dissapointed by the lack of choices they had to offer, Chicago's O'Hare duty free shops are tiny compared to what you find in the Far East airports. We were hungry, it was the same time we had left Shanghai, on the same day, but after 14 hours on an airplane any food looks good. Coco got a nice salad and yogart at some store I had not heard of. I wanted to stop off at Quiznones but because of the stroller finding and missing wine I had to resort to McDonald's. I had forgotten how different Chinese and American McDonald's are.

We barely had time to get to the gate (thanks to American fast food not being so fast) when the plane was bording. Coco was amazed by the size of the plane, we had just gotten off of a 747 and now we're on a 707, a huge difference (she had never seen a jet so small before). We got headed south and Sophia again decided it was time if fuss, only this time she could only last about 45 minutes of the 4 hour flight. Traveling this long really takes a lot out of a person as I slept most of the flight. When we landed in Birmingham it was just getting dark. We walked off the plane and onto the tarmac, not unusual for Chinese air flights, and the first thing I noticed was the sent of honeysickle on the warm southern night air. The smell was soon overpowered by the smell of jet fuel exhust once a small breeze lazily blew. For the fist time in well over a year I could look up and see the stars in the same place as they were when I was growing up. We gathered the baby stroller and made sure the baby was ok and went into the small concorse to find my mom almost imeadeatly. We had a wonderful 'welcome' hug from my mom as I introduced her to her grandchild and my wife. Luckly we found a porter and due to the number of bags, and the condition of two of them, we needed his help to get them to my mom's truck. I was unusally chatty as I made small talk with the porter and he was quite interested in China.

After re-arranging some things in the bed of my mom's truck we headed south out of Birmingham, I got to drive for the first time in over a year! Leaving on the interstate I immeadeatly remembered the way and we got out of Birmingham headed towards Montgomery. We got off the interstate around Montevello and again journeyed south, avoiding deer and slow drivers. Around Maplesville Sophia decided to have a fit and we luckly found an open McDonald's. After a changing and stretching out legs we got the baby calmed down and headed to Selma for some supplies. Coco was shocked I was leaving the truck in the parking lot with out putting the luggage in the cab of the truck. I did put the small bags, holding the cameras and laptop, in the cab but explained to her we were parked under a light, at the main entrance to the store and there was a police car very close by and the security guard was there eating chips and chatting on his cell phone.

Coco's first impression of an American grocery store was the Super Wal-Mart in Selma. It is about the size of the Carefore's in Shanghai (a European superstore with food on one level and retail items on the second) so she was not so taken back by its size, just its selections. We have canned foods here in China, just not that many of them as well as boxed cerials, pastas, and chips are mere fractions to what you find in America. We got food for the week and even an outfit for Sophia as well as a University of Alalbama hat for me (remember I am a huge football fan and grew up in Alalbama). They were renovating the store so 1/4 of it was closed off or under construction so she only got to see the garden department through the chain link fense. We paid for our things, packed them in the truck, topped of the tank at one of the 24 hour gas stations and went down the highway toward the farm.

We were lucky in that few deer were out this night, they are a large problem on dark southern roads at night all times of the year. We got onto the dirt rodes and finally pulled up to the front yard of the house just after 1 AM. We unpacked the truck and settled the little one in and called it a day.

Post vacation blues

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 08:40:31 GMT

I find a saying about vacations a little odd, 'I need a vacation from my vacation'. In our modern, instant everything world we seem to try to cram as much experiences into as little time as possible. From on-demand video to pod casting we all want to fast forward through commercials and skip the previews and credits. We all try to fit as much enjoyment, excitement, and stimulation into as short a time as possible. Recently I returned from a two week long vacation to the US and I can totally identify with this saying now.

I am not a person who historically has had the opportunity to enjoy vacations. As a young child I did enjoy my vacations with my grandparents to their cabin on Lake Huron in Harrisville Michigan. I can't remember how long we would be there, kids have a much different perspective of time then adults do. When we moved to Alabama the year I started 3rd grade vacations became a part of the past. Running a farm and later a small business my family could not afford the time or expenses of taking a week or two off outside of days that most business were closed, and farm chores were never done. I worked my way through college until I dropped out and then worked full time, even working during the week long factory shutdown to help pay off my car and save up for college. After joining the Navy taking leave was not an easy thing to do. When I finally got out of the Navy I had over 90 days (three years) of leave saved up. I took my 30 days of terminal leave, sold back the rest and found a job in 2 weeks. I finished college in 3 years Magna Cum Laude so we all know I took classes even during spring and winter breaks. Back in the job force the only vacation time I took in three years was my first and second trips to China. Of these years without taking a vacation I have come to believe they were more trouble then they were worth.

Recently I have secured a job with excellent benefits, one of those being generous vacation time, and in a country that allows for 3 weeks of government paid vacation a year (all taken in 3 week long installments). Vacations are encouraged by the Chinese government and this is a good thing, as nearly the entire country is on vacation at the same time. In America we aren't as lucky as our longest government sanctioned vacation period are the two 3 day weekends marking the beginning and ending of summer each year (for many people the Friday after Thanksgiving is a work day as it is the largest retail day of the year). In the US taking a week off means you have to leave work and your job behind. While you are off your work is just accumulating, waiting, building into a heap of long work days and working weekends for the next month.

Upon returning from my vacation I talked with one of my Chinese friends who took his wife to Paris for May holiday. We talked about each other's vacations and both of us had the same thoughts. Not only did we both need vacations from our vacations, we both needed a month to catch up on our work (him not so long as he now has 2 assistants to help him out). The most troubling part of this is that it is not isolated to just America anymore. Our dependency on work and employment to define our worthiness and inclusion into modern society is very troubling. As my long time readers know I have often discussed that we need to define ourselves outside of our chosen professions and incomes. Work is encroaching into more and more of our lives. There are two phenomenon here to discuss; 1) the need to take a vacation from your vacation and 2) trying to cope from all the work that builds up when you take a vacation.

When you look at he typical year, 52 weeks, taking two weeks off does not seem like a huge impact on the overall scheme of life. In the US a work year is based off of 50 weeks, or 2000 hours (this is how you determine your hourly wage or annual income if you are an hourly wage earner), taking an additional two weeks knocks this down to 48 weeks of work, still a very small fraction of time in the overall calculation. So why is it our grandparents knew how to take a vacation and we don't? How have I come to this conclusion I can hear you ask... well let's look at how my grandparents vacationed compared to how my family did this past month.

My grandparent's cabin had no telephone, was on a dirt road at the end of another dirt road, and the closet town was the size of the town I went to high school in (about 2,000 population). The cabin was isolated, peaceful, in the middle of scenery I will remember my whole life, and was a place you could unwind and relax. Our two weeks in the US was jammed packed with an itinerary that was impossible to maintain. By the end I was exhausted and wished I had more time to relax and recharge for the coming work I knew was waiting for me. My parents generation tried to be different from their parents generations by going on 'fun' vacations. They were bored at going to cabins on the lake, sea side resorts, camping in the great parks and they did not want to subject their children to that. This spawned the rise of the amusement parks, theme vacations, and over stimulating affairs where people were non-stop entertained. My generation, not one for sitting by and being defined by our parent's lack of imagination, have taken the vacation to the next level, the extreme vacation. Rapid shooting, mountain summit storming, mountain biking, racing schools, Vegas gambling fests, all designed to wear out the mind and body in ways our parents could not match in the late '70's and early '80's. We have lost the ability to visit a cabin devoid of telephone, cell phone coverage, satellite TV, laser light show discos, and adrenaline pumping adventures. We now work twice as hard on our vacations then we do at work, all in the name of relaxing and recharging. The whole point of having vacation time is to take time off so you don't burn out, or over stress yourself on work related activities. By taking stress filled vacations we defeat the purpose of taking time off.

In our interconnected and instant fulfillment global society our work lives keep encroaching into our free time. While our employers emphasis quality of life, they demand our personal ownership and involvement to a degree we feel guilty for things we really should not. Anyone who works in an office can fully relate to this, others are made to feel guilty for taking a vacation and leaving the employer shorthanded for the time they are off, (I saw this at Quad Graphics, a printer in Wisconsin, and other laborer jobs I have worked). While I was in Virginia Beach, working on my friend's PC, I could not resist the urge to check my work email. Upon seeing I had over 120 emails I felt I had to begin reviewing the major ones, all for the major global project I am working on now and IS my life at the moment. I was compelled to catch up to speed on what I had missed out on over the week and a half I at this point. When I got back to work I knew what awaited me, partially. For two days before getting back to work all I could think of was work, not enjoying my last two remaining days with my family. While this is internal pressure I place on myself and know that, the nature of our modern work place environment helps to foster this. I have filled in on a major work stream while one of my Australian colleagues took his two weeks off, starting the day I returned! I have had to call him and have noticed he has send email while on his time off. We can no longer resist the urge to stay in touch with our work lives as they have come to define our being and validate our worthiness and place in society.

I did enjoy my trip home and showing my wife where I grew up and was stationed two of my three duty stations in the Navy. My friend enjoyed his Paris trip with his wife. We both felt regret for not having enough time to see more and fully relax. Neither of us were non-stop, 100 mile-an-hour style vacations, yet we both felt a little cheated with our lack of time to enjoy these trips we spent so much time planning and money on. This feeling prevented us from enjoying our trips to the degree we should have. When you go to Paris you should have the time and freedom to see and explore what interests you and make memories that are 100% yours, not those of the tour group's itinerary. While I knew I could not show Coco everything I wanted to, I still tried, too hard at times, and this led to a vacation that was not enjoyable to us both. I think we, as a generation, has fallen into the trap of filling out time with quantity of quality. I see this in more then just vacations, evident by people in the blog world comparing their Xbox 360 premium to their new Xbox 360 extreme and their new PS3. We feel we have to try and see more and more to gain satisfaction. We all grew up in a new prosperous age, we witnessed the fall of the Soviet Union, the Berlin Wall, the rise of the PC, cell phone, internet, email, globalism and a new economy allowing us to gain equal wealth to our parents in mere months and not decades. We have become accustomed to outdoing each and every past memory and experience we have lost sight of what really matters. Life is for enjoyment not collecting experiences and memories to compare to the old person next to us in the nursing home. I truly hope this one legacy I can break and not pass on to my daughter, that she can enjoy time off as my grandparents did. In the days before PC's, cell phones, email, satellite DVR programming, and 60GB MP3 players, there is a world that still exists, one where you can sit back, let the world pass you by and enjoy the freedom of not being part of the rat race.

Back in Shanghai, again

Mon, 21 May 2007 10:25:02 GMT

First and foremost I apologize for not posting sooner, I seem to sound like a broken record when it comes to that line (in the next 5 years will we have to switch the phrase, or more accurately idiom, to 'scratched CD' as people will not have heard how a scratched record skips and repeats itself constantly). Finally, an appropriate tangent that is relevant and meaningful.

Obviously our vacation is over, and yes, it went well. We had a good flight over to the US with little fuss or trouble. Alabama was beautiful and when stepping off the airplane and onto the tarmac in Birmingham the first thing I noticed was the sent of honeysuckle in the air. Visiting my mom was refreshing and peaceful, Coco enjoyed the farm and visiting the town I grew up in, Camden, as well as seeing Selma, Greensboro, and Montgomery. Too bad we did not get a chance to see Birmingham or the Gulf Coast but time was limited. Sophia got to see horses and more green and blue skies then she will see for many years to come. She loved the break evidenced by her return to laid back self and her skin completely clearing up as it had gotten bad before we left. I will detail the visits later on as more time becomes available.

Virginia was pretty exciting, even if I didn't get to see my best friend as he was at the time (no longer) deployed on a ship in the Persian Gulf. Coco was amazed at all Hampton Rhodes has to offer, from Asian grocery stores to strip malls to the beach and even the neighborhoods (something that is a high priced luxury in China). My god daughter was very excited to see me and we got to spend one full day together, unfortunately we didn't get to go see Spider Man or have a tea party with her. Virginia Beach has changed a lot since I was stationed there nearly 10 years ago now.

Leaving the states was hard, so hard that my laziness caused us to miss our departing flight and resulted in us having to stay an extra day. I didn't want to inconvenience my friends wife and kids any more so we stayed in a hotel, an adventure in its own rights, and arrange a marathon set of connections to make it back to Shanghai the next day. We made it back, minus our stroller (thanks you United and I AM lodging a very scathing and lengthy complaint for the flights over and back as well as the missing stroller {said to take 3 months to be returned}). We made it back and adjusted to the time well but only had one day to relax before the grind of daily life picked back up.

I got to work and waded through the 180 emails that had built up, had to deal with one of my project leaders taking vacation the day I returned by assuming his duties on top of my 2 others... that is what I get paid the big bucks for... yea right, speaking of which, I DID NOT get paid. Checking with HR to make sure I still have a job and my co-workers are just too nice to tell me I had been fired. I did bring back some goodies, like Jade Empire for PC, some movies, as well as software Amazon can't ship to China (all of it basically).

Last weekend we all went to Century Park to enjoy a day out of the city, we have not been able to find any practical day care for the little one so this weekend we are having to send her to her grandparents in Guangzhou. It is really really really hard for me to send my infant daughter away knowing I will miss her first words, steps, all the moments that happen in the first year that you can never recover and always regret missing. Part of living in a culture that is so different from your own is moments like this. Some culture shock is ok and expected, ones like this just plain suck. Missing my child growing up was one of the reasons for me exiting the military in the first place, well more realistically about reason #8 or 9 on the list, but still it was there on the list.

Coco is insistent we can still find a day care in Shanghai that accepts infants under 14 months of age and does not require us to have a person living with us or handing over my paycheck each month. Still, if we have not found by now I doubt we will. Time will tell and cheap air fares will make it easier as we will get an opportunity to visit once a month without sacrificing all her college fund or our retirement savings. She may have to go to a public university and we may have to settle for different property or city then we planned but I can't stand being separated completely from my daughter for 1 year after the past 3 months with her.

In the news, StarCraft 2 was announced at the WWI in Seoul, Michael Moore takes on the healthcare system and it turns out the Cuban issue with him was because of his stunt taking a 9/11 ground zero worker, who was denied medical care in the US, to Cuba for treatment and it cost like a 1/3500 of the price. Chinese food ingredients are still causing problems, Spider Man 3 was so far off the mark by the end of the movie I had lost interest, about the time Spidey begged Harry (Green Goblin 2) to help him for MJ's sake and the politics of the presidency seems to have died down, thank goodness, as it is being replaced by actual congressional stuff and world politics... France's first conservative leader is many years! We have a new office (and a new department), for 2 months anyway, then who knows. I am busy at work and counting down the days to September when the two main projects I am working on will be over, then I will have time to make up all the training I have missed as well as some of the really great projects I have had to pass on due to being overloaded as it is. More to come in June, as there will be a little more time on weekends to do things.

Bags are packed!

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 05:19:30 GMT

Well, its that time once again. The suit cases have been dusted off, packed with clothes, gifts, and what not and we are nearly ready to try day one of our biological clock rests to US time. Sophia has been stressed out and upset over the construction on the 34th floor (they are finally repairing the condo burned out by the fireworks fire I mentioned a few months back) and is not getting her regular sleep making for a very upset and cranky baby. Coco is very excieted for her first visit to the US, and even to meet my mother and friends. I of course am looking forward to this in the best of ways, after 8 STRAIGHT days of work, thanks to May Labour Day holiday here in ShanghHai, I really want to unwind and relax without the constant noise, air, people polution I have had in the past 14 months. Clean air, blue skies, person density replaced by tree density, and mom's cooking... just what the body and soul needs.

The itinerary has been sent out to those concerned, and of the 15 days off we are enjoying I hope we get a day or two to just relax. Unfortunately because of the time difference the time we are spending in the US is only 9 days and of that 1.5 will be in airports and the coming and going to of them. 5 days in Alabama, 2 days in Virginia Beach, 2 days in Shanghai to relax, recoop, and readjust before work begins again. For my readers, well these two weeks off will be marked by silence on the blogshpere. I may get a bit of time to jot down something but I would bet against it, just not enough time.

Upon our return we will post pictures, adventure logs, observations along the way, as well as the whole adventure of taking a baby across the planet and keeping ones sanity at the same time. Thanks for the well wishes. We look forward to the next two weeks and all the new things to see along the way.

Going Home

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:00:09 GMT

Our spring trip home is just a day over a week away now, too bad I have to work 8 straight days non stop to get to it! Visas are in hand all the way around, pictures and gifts are bought and packed, all that is left now is for the packing of ours and baby's clothes and getting enough baby supplies for the 16+ hours on 2 different air planes in 1 long day ready.

Coco is excited to see my home town sites, all 8 to 10 of them, as well as other interesting places in Alabama. My mom is pretty excited to met her and her grand daughter as well. I hope the blue skies of Alabama are there and the days don't get too hot. Then it will be off to Virginia Beach for a few days to visit my best friend's family and god daughter and her little brother.

I am really looking forward to the trip as well, as it has been over a year since I last set foot in Bama. I am afraid I will be sick as I am feeling the beginnings of a sore throat AGAIN coming on, I got over one just last week! For the two weeks I am state side I doubt I will get the opportunity to make any posts, but then again I might if I find internet service along the way.

Go Red Wings and Pistons!

Update from the windy city

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 04:30:51 GMT

Chicago is cold. Up until today I did not think it was really all that cold. This week I have been in Chicago. The company I work for had a global workshop for a major network upgrade they are rolling out over the next 2 years, this week they brought together a majority of the major players to discuss all aspects of the project, from funding to benefits to regional implementation schedules. Needless to say it was a very busy week, well 3 days to be exact. This is not to say it was all work.

We put in our 8 to 10 hours of work a day, going over presentations, breakout sessions, negotiating points where there was dissagreement from Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and the US, etc. At night they made sure we played hard too! The first night we went to see a Bulls game. We got to use a huge and very nice luxary box, although it was a bit too high up. The United Center is designed for maximum attendenance. I have been in a luxary box at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee for a Buck's game, and while United's is far better in every way, including an in-house bartender, the view at the Bradley is much better. Oh, Chicago lost to Toronto in the final 2.1 seconds on a foul and free throw shots. The next night we enjoyed a large pizza dinner at a restautant next to the hotel, its famous but I can't remember the name of it right now. The pizza was excellent and all of us had a great time. Tonight, well... most of the people left so I was free to go out and about town, hense my saying it was really cold tonight. I had lost the felling in my right had even though it WAS in a glove the whole time!

It was really nice to see one of my friends from high school here, he is living and working in Chicago and has been here for a few years now. I slipped away at lunch one day and we had lunch together at a near by local sandwich chain place. His office was really close to the hotel we were staying and having the coference at. We caught up on things, I showed him a video I made of the baby's firtst few days, it was really nice just to sit back and talk with him and be in a fimilar environment. I forgot how many things I had taken for granted living here before. Another friend from Milwaukee emailed me today but that is so far away and I have to leave the hotel at 6:15 in the morning to catch my flight, thats to the long security checks and such.

In my roaming around I was able to take some pictures and video, Chicago got slammed by a blizzard just as I got here (will share those after I get back to Shanghai in a week). I had to find some gifts for Coco and Sophia while I was here, and I did! I got Sophia a little hooded sweat shirt and a ton a baby items, I got Coco some things from the Body Shop, it is hard to get in Shanghai, and I went to Walgreen's and got $150 worth of things I can't find in China that I have been missing. I also got plenty of baby items that are hard to get in China as well. I went from Lasalle to Michigan and from the river to the park, filming and taking pictures. It was here that I noticed how cold it really was. I had on my lite wool long coat and a sweater and scarf and gloves, but after an hour out in the cold, well... it just did not work and by the time I got back to the hotel my hands, ears, and head were all numb. Thanks to the scarf I don't have a sore throat.

Being here as made me realize how home sick and how much I miss many things here in the states, little things. Here in Chicago you can walk down the side walk, into a mall, get into an elevator, and even go to a reastaurant and not be crowded by hundreds of people constantly. Walking into a drug store and being able to get a bottle of asprin, cold medine, or some candy bars that aren't in China. I can read the labels, price, and talk to the cashiers. I even found myself making small talk with complete strangers, something I rearly would do with people I knew in other jobs. Some of the people in the conference got sick of me, I know this because I talked to them too much. I could see them becoming uncomfortable, checking their watches and cell phones, so I took the cues and made a graceful exit, hopefully I did. Don't get me wrong, there are many things in China, just not what I am used to, and I can't ask for many things on my own nor will I be able to read Chinese in the next 5 years even if I studied it every day.

Tomorow morning I take the 14 hour flight back home, early in the morning only to rush to yet another airport and try to make my flight to GuangZhou to be home with my family for Chinese New Year. I will feel a little more sadness this time when I leave. After nearly 1 year away from my home country, in spite of all the reasons I left and even in light of all the reasons and things I still dispise about the conditions here, it is home, it is what I know and am comfortable with. I will miss it, the clearer air, familarity of anyplace, the predictibility of the people, the sights and smells. The only way to really realize how much you take for granted all you have to do is seperate yourself from it for a year and then go back. I can't wait to see my wife and finally met my daughter and hold her for the first time. These things are the most important things in the world to me. They are home to me know, I just hope that I never begin to over look the simple things with them as I did with the US. Maybe this is a lesson in perspective to show me real humility and what really matters in life, or maybe I just think too much.

Chicago was a blast. I had fun, got a lot of work done, and was even able to get out and see some old friends and sight see a bit. Next I go home and begin a new year, a pig year. Happy New Year and I'll get some new content, and pictures of the little one out there when I get back to Shanghai the end of next week.

Xi'An China Trip - Day 2

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 12:05:34 GMT

The second day of the Xi’an adventure began with a rather lack luster breakfast, just one step above the American hotel’s ‘continental breakfast’. The director of the tour company came by to apologize for the hotel mix-up the previous evening, however one of the families in the tour was not satisfied and kept making more and more demands for compensation, this was not their first nor last demand of this adventure.

We headed out on the bus early for our long drive to see the Famen Temple, more on this below. As we headed out of the city we passed by the beginning/end (depending on your perspective) of the fabled Silk Road. There is a large stone monument there now and it is just a small park in a median in the road. Xi’an was the most important city in all of eastern Asia for a long time because of this point.

Leaving Xi’an we entered the surrounding countryside. Just with any ancient city the countryside is filled with farms and fields all to feed the ruling classes and tradesmen of the centuries of rule Xi’an held. The bus traveled for nearly 4 hours to our first stop was at the tomb of Xian hui Li, who became the Princess Yongtai shortly after her death in 706 AD. For those wanting to know something about this soap opera of a family all you need to do is watch the upcoming Chinese film The Banquet. While the film is not based on fact it does illustrate the events of the first two tombs we visited. The facts of this are that the Queen, or Empress Wu Zetian (China’s first and only female emperor) took the crown after marrying the Emperor Shi Ming Li, the first emperor of the Tang Dynasty, when she was 16 and upon his death she then married his son Zhi Li to cement her importance and place in the court, she was in her mid 30’s now. She ran the Chinese empire from behind the scenes and upon his death she became empress by default, as she did have 3 sons with her second husband, the first died young… under suspicion of poison, the second committed suicide under the pressure and influence of her, and the third being too young she stated she would run the empire until he became old enough to assume the responsibility.

The princess, the 16 year old Xianhui, was the 7^th grand daughter of Zetian, and was married to Yanji Wu the grand nephew of the Empress, meaning they were distant cousins. Only 1 year after her marriage her grandmother had her, her husband, and her brother executed, all caned to death by the royal guards. So if you see the movie you will see many scenes that have all these real life parts in them, just out of sequence and with different people and situations attached to them, but it is chillingly close to the actual history.

Her tomb is a little smaller then the others we have seen, and quite far underground too, but the paintings, the most famous one being the 16 maids of honor. On the way down there is also a new section of roof that is placed at the entrance of grave robbers, who looted the tomb and were not discovered until after the 1980’s when the tomb was opened and explored. One of the grave robbers learned the lesson of ‘no honor among thieves’ the hard way, at the base of the hole in the ceiling was dirt, rock, and a body of one of the grave robbers. Many of the larger and richer items were gone, but there were many small pits along the corridor that the robbers did not find, today they are excavated and behind glass showing all the miniature carvings and pottery left behind.

The actual tomb chamber holds a huge stone sarcophagus that is black and beautifully etched and crowned. It is huge, large enough to hold 3 or 4 people. The sarcophagus is empty as the government took the body, the robbers got her jewelry and any other artifacts that were left with her for her afterlife. We left the tomb and walked back up the steep ramp to the surface. There is a museum showcasing copies of the actual murals and artwork of the tomb, and also discussing the tombs and history of them in the area and around Xi’an. There are 18 Tang Dynasty tombs, and 19 emperors, the woman emperor is entombed with her second husband. There are also are work copies showing that western peoples not only visited but were respected and used for council by the Tang Dynasty. One of the murals shows a man wearing what looks to be a Franciscan robe and bowl hair cut. We then climbed back onto the bus and headed off again, this time to the Qian Mausoleum.

This site is 50 miles (80 Km) west of Xi’an and in the rugged country side. On the way we went through several smaller towns. There were many farmers who had just brought in their crops and were drying the corn, wheat, and grains on their roofs, roads, streets, sidewalks, everywhere they could. I noticed both Christian and Moslem roofs and religious places on the way. In some of the fields you could see small obelisks and tombs, some even on small hills which were carved out leaving only the tomb tops. On the way I also noticed a new farming technique I have never seen before. Large sections of fields were carved out of the existing hill side into a patchwork placements of pastures at different elevations. Sometimes a farm would have 3 or 4 levels of fields, all separated by a mere 40 or 50 feet. As the country side is rugged it makes some sense for this but I found another explanation for this which makes better sense. In the US we are concerned with soil erosion, so we take steps to prevent it, here they seem to allow it to erode in a more controllable and beneficial way. The main layer is slowly eroded into the below layers, which are all carved squarely into the hillside making them man made water sheds for the top soil and nutrients to drain into the one, two, sometimes three fields below it. This also lessons the momentum of water run of and takes hill side farming out of the equation. One thing in particular I noticed though were that some of these fields held small man make caves in the walls. Some were storage places for the tools, but others were much larger and looked as if they were used for living quarters. As all these pits are carved out of hills, and most run 10 feet below the field above them, they do not have access to equipment like tractors and machinery so all the work of planting, tilling, and gathering are hand done jobs.

The bus pulled into a small country road and went up in elevation past a few of the farming villages employing the multilevel farm fields. We stopped at the gates to the Qian Mausoleum. Entering the site you walk out onto a massive stone walkway lined with stone soldiers and animals, including some not found in China. There are a total of 124 of these that include ostriches, winged horses, and statues with Grecian looks. The long stone way runs south to north, with one massive man made hill on the north end, holding the tomb, and two smaller man made hills to the south, discussed later. As with all major tombs it replicates Xian down to the positions of each building and road. Nearly all of the 378 buildings have disappeared or fallen apart and are not readily identifiable.

Walking north up the walkway, past all the stone guards and animals, the tomb hill is clearly visible in the distance. Next are two towering obelisks outlining the achievements of the emperor, his being the Tablet of Seven Elements because on the top are carvings representing the sun, moon, metal, wood, water, earth, and fire. However the one to the right is very important as it is called the Wordless Tablet, which is rare as these types of stone are always carved with the achievements and exploits of the emperors. The one for the Emperor is filled in, while the one to the right is not. It is the one for the Empress, and is thought her achievements would be filled in later after her death, however that never happened as one side is still blank to this day. The other sides were filled in during the Song and Jin periods according to the information tablet at its base. Next at the base of this man made mountain there are two platforms holding 30 and 31 statues. These statues represent the foreign representatives who visited the funeral of her husband, their names and countries carved on their backs. Oddly enough all are missing their heads now, decapitated over the years. From here you step up and are greeted by the two huge stone lions and the path to the top.

Turning around you can see a good view of the countryside, and here our tour guide tells us the formations were made to represent a woman, as the man made mountain is the head, and the two smaller hills now in the distance are the breasts, and the stone walk way the breast bone and neck. Along the base of the path are numerous vendors selling all sorts of souvenirs and items. I let Coco have her fun bargaining for things, and I contently take pictures, mind you it is bad luck to take pictures of the mountain so I am avoiding that now. You can look at the mountain through a telescope, hike up yourself, or take a horse back ride up. These horses are not like the ones in the Grand Canyon, they are lively and fast! I did not go up the mountain as there was not enough time to go and Coco needed to stay back as the path was too rock and steep. Through the telescope you can see the white X marking the entrance to the tomb. This tomb holds the distinction as the only one not looted by grace robbers.

With some shopping done, many pictures taken, and time running out Coco and I made our way back to the bus. On the way to the parking lot we found another shopping area, in all Coco got many things for the baby to help commemorate its early journey through China’s historical sites. We left and went through some winding and steep road ways on the way to Famen Temple. Along the way we say many more villages with farmers drying their crops on the roads. There were even some orchards along the way with huge piles of apples along the roadside waiting to be gathered.

We arrived at Famen Temple, which is 75 miles (120 Km) west of Xi’an, by noon and soon had lunch right outside the actual temple grounds. This temple is important for a number of reasons, the first being its age, it was founded in the Han Dynasty 25 AD or so and is where Buddhism was carried into all of China. Just outside the lunch hall is a huge golden statue with each Buddha represented on it (45 total I believe). After the lunch we entered the temple grounds and took the tour. In 1981 there was an earthquake, and in 1987 while reconstruction was being done an artifact room was discovered. This room confirmed a long held belief that one of the finger bones of the Sakyamuni Buddha was buried under the temple. They found in the room the cases and the actual finger bone along with jewelry and more the 2,000 other artifacts from the Tang and later dynasties.

Coco was tired so she rested, and me not being able to understand Chinese went along just to take pictures of what I was allowed to and of the grounds and sites around the complex. The most famous of which is the 13 tiered pagoda. This structure was damaged heavily during the earthquake and years of neglect. Only about 1/3 original tower remains, the rest is renovation and rework over the years to preserve what is left.

The compound is covered with numerous buildings and temples. Monks appear everywhere and among the carnival like atmosphere they say and do little among all the tourists. One good rule of thumb to observe is this. If a monk is selling something they will not tell you they are selling anything, if you ask they will just say yes and how much. If they call you over or say anything about what they have then they are not monks, and the real monks are too pacifistic to throw them out or to say anything to them. Coco and I walked to many of the building and explored much of the area. We left and went across the huge square to the main side walk way, filled with street merchants selling the same things we have seen all day yesterday and today. There is a rather large and impressive 4 Buddha statue on the other side of the gate, each facing one of the primary directions. We shopped a little, came back to sit on the grass until the tour group assembled to leave. Soon after that we were back on the bus and headed east back to Xi’an.

On the trip back we ran into an thick field of smoke. Having lived in the south I am used to seeing controlled burns of forests by paper and lumbar companies of the pine forests of Alabama. This was different in that the farmers had assembled all the plant waste from the harvest and piled it in their fields and set them ablaze. For nearly an hour it was nothing but burning filed after burning field. Visibility was down to 100 yards at best and you could smell the smoke everywhere. Every field and hedge row was a smoky and smoldering or ablaze pile. The sun had disappeared and it was more like flying through a cloud or sailing in the fog.

We got back to Xi’an at dark and had dinner at the same restaurant we did the previous night. At the end of dinner the lady and her family who caused such a fuss the last evening and breakfast were at it again, this time stating the meal was unacceptable, despite eating it all, and demanded compensation, in the form of plane tickets back to Shanghai or else she would not leave the restaurant. Well, we left her at the restaurant. To our surprise we changed hotels again, this time to the Sheridan, at this was for the best. The room was beautiful and comfortable the everything was truly 5 star.

Coco surprised me by luring me outside where we headed out to downtown Xi’an. We visited the Drum tower, where I got to beat the drum, take a quick tour, and take pictures of the tower at night when it was bathed in golden light. The huge plaza outside had many people in it, some practicing Kung Fu, some playing with Chinese yo-yo’s (think of a top with a whip, not a yo-yo like we know it), and just relaxing. We did not go to the Bell Tower as it was late at this point and the shopping district was just outside the wall. We went thought the tunnel and into the Middle Eastern style bazaar under these red tents were virtually anything you could wish to buy. We got some fruits and eastern style pastries for our co-workers and ourselves. After this we went to the actual street which is lined with Middle Eastern style cookeries and open air restaurants. We sampled some of the local foods and made our way down the strip. There are so many shops, restaurants, museums, massage parlors, and winding alley ways it could take hours to see it all. We walked down one side and at the end turned around. At this point we picked up a couple of pick pockets interested in my camera, as I was not carrying a wallet and Coco did not have a hand bag. Foolishly I engaged in a slight game of cat and mouse with the pair, frustrating Coco and probably encouraging them to a little. I finally took their picture and despite Coco’s protests continued up the strip. We had no real trouble from them as I had expected and we got a taxi and headed back to the Sheridan.

Xi'An China Trip - Day 1

Sat, 07 Oct 2006 10:13:03 GMT

The trip to Xi’An began like the one for Beijing, with a train ride. Unfortunately we had to settle for a tour group to get a ride their as all the train tickets were booked. Air travel would have allowed an extra day their along with more convenience but with Coco being 5 months pregnant I felt it was much safer to take the train. On the trip to Beijing we had 2^nd class tickets, meaning there were 4 beds in 1 room, and we could close the door of the room. On Chinese long distance trains there are 5 classes. 1^st class, or VIP rooms, these rooms are very plush and nice, they sleep 4 but have couches and their own bathrooms. 2^nd class rooms, being as I just described above. 3^rd class, more like my living conditions were in the Navy, sleeping 3 high 6 in a compartment, no door so you hear everything going on around you. 4^th class, with no bed at all, just seats but comfortable seats. Finally the 5^th class, you guessed it just small seats that are no bigger then a phone book and fold into the walls.

We left from the Shanghai Railway Station, the one close by to our home. We left on the first day of golden week, one of 3 weeks of vacation a year. The first day is the worst to travel as every travel outlet is jam packed with vacationers. We did make our train on time and were off to Xi’An on our 14 hour train ride. The train ride was not too bad. We had plenty of snacks and sleep the night before so it was not too bad. We also played some poker, it was Coco’s first time, but she did pretty good, check out the last photo of the Xi’An Trip album for a tally of who won and lost the most hands.

We awoke on the train and pulled into Xi’An in the morning. The train station is right in front of the main gate entrance, so when you exit the train station all you see is the main gate entering the city. Our tour group assembled and we hiked to our bus, a long hike too. The bus took off straight for our first stop on our tour, one of the emperor’s concubine’s palaces, 18.6 miles (30 Km) east of the city.

The Huaqing Hot Springs Palace has a very old history going back nearly 6,000 years, including the hot springs inside the palace. The palace is built at the base of the Lishan Mountain, and is often surrounded by mist and fog. The palace was originally built in its first carnation in 711 BC by King You in the Western Zhou Dynasty, then added to China’s first Emperor, Qing in the early 200’s BC, again by Emperor Wu in the 100’s BC and finally Emperor Xuanzong who placed the palace in its current configuration during the mid 700’s AD. He spent a great deal of resources on its completion for his favorite concubine, Yang Guifei.

The palace boasted the first heater in China in its main living quarters and many smaller buildings, including a private bath exclusively for Yang. As with all Chinese stories this one has a tragic ending as Xuanzong was forced to have Yang executed then after grieving he committed suicide over the matter.

We only had an hour and a half to see the palace, so we actually only saw ½ of it. The bathroom was very lavish and beyond any public museum’s bathroom I have ever seen. One must be careful when visiting because the old brick and stone pathways and sidewalks are covered with a green moss due to the constant mist and cool temperatures at the mountain’s base. There are many gardens, old trees, and hedges in nearly every corner. They also have a period dress re-enactment of a royal court visit that is a treat to see, even if you can’t understand what is being said. The palace was packed, with both Chinese nationals taking advantage of golden week and foreigners who must not have been informed of this type of event.

We left the hot springs and headed off to lunch. This is one of the advantages to a tour group, your room, meals, and entrance fee into all places is covered so all you have to worry about is snacks and souvenirs, of which for the gardens there weren’t any specific ones so Coco just got an apron. Lunch was pretty good as it was my first experience with Xi’An food. The food is more bland then that of Shanghai, the tea is also not as flavorful. Our guide later explained Xi’An people are easily satisfied and happy with all the common and ordinary flavors of their local foods.

After lunch we arrived at a geological museum where we got to see some of the stones of the region, this area is famous for its gold and jade, and also for one of our planned tour shopping sprees (yes the tour agency gets a commission). We did find some interesting tea cups and pots here, typical of the region. The cups have a pedestal in the middle with a dragon head on it. The mouth is open there is a hole at the base of the cup that also leads to a hole in the bottom. When filled half way air pressure prevents the contents from spilling out, but if you fill it to where liquid gets into the dragons mouth the air pocket is broken and all the contents spills out of the hole in the bottom. The cup is to keep people from drinking too much. The accompanying tea pot is filled through the bottom and when turned upright no liquid is spilled out of it, it also holds just enough liquid for 2 cups full.

After the museum we went out to see the Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. He ruled from the mid to late 200 BC period, and was the first Emperor to unite all the surrounding kingdoms to form China, and making Xi’An its capital. The pits are vast and took nearly all the resources of China for many years to build the army, his accompanying mausoleum (an exact duplicate of Xi’An with a man made mountain in the middle, then all were buried and all the leading workers and engineers executed so as not to replicate or share their knowledge of location or ability to duplicate for other emperors. On the way we stopped off at a site close to the emperor’s actual mausoleum, we did not see the mausoleum of the Emperor, as it is little more then a display model of what is supposed to be inside as they have not explored it yet, they do not want to open the doors and allow oxygen in as it may destroy many things inside. We just saw the model and headed out to see the warriors as going to the actual mausoleum would just be going to see a lager door underground.

Unfortunately it seems soon after his death people in the new country still knew about the location and a general manned an army to overthrow the empire. He knew he needed a well armed army and the only way to get the weapons necessary quick enough was to rob them from the tomb, so the peasant army he raised broke into the chambers and took all the weapons from the terra cotta army, smashed some of the soldiers and the rest of the site was forgotten. The farmer who discovered the army while digging for a well in 1974 is still alive and when I bought a book about the army he was there to sign it, yes he is old but a signed book is a signed book.

On the way to the museum we obtained an English speaking tour guide so I could understand what was going on, as the first two sites I had little of any ability to understand anything that was being said. Our guide was able to get a cart for us so Coco did not have to walk to the museum, it was quite a walk. We entered and our guide began her tour. We went to the place where I got my book and it signed, then to the building holding the artifacts like the bronze chariots.

We then with to pit #1, there are 3 pits, the largest, and it was immense. When you walk in the room and walls seem to go on forever as the area and a vast majority of the 7,000 total warrior army is housed in this pit. Not the entire pit is excavated as there are still some rows in different states of excavation. This is due to the Chinese governments attempts to find a way to uncover some of the statues without losing the brightly colored painting on their exterior.

As we were going to pit #2 the tour guide insisted Coco take a rest as it was warm and she said Coco was looking a bit pale. We went on to pit #2 as Coco rested outside the pit #1 entrance. We continued our tour and I learned this pit contained many of the chariots and horses, but the chariots being made of wood had long ago rotted away. This area was also holding some unexcavated areas. We then went to a gift shop and it was there the tour guides real plan took shape. I was placed in a hard sell environment with people who would not bargain. The clay warriors in this area were supposedly made with the same clay and techniques as the real ones, yea right, and after nearly 30 minutes of haggling I could not get anywhere with them. So just to get out of the area and back to the tour group before they left I broke down and bought a super high priced statue, Coco did not have her cell phone with her so I could not call her for help. But the merchants and tour guide were not satisfied with this yet. They then insisted I bought some jade, it was not nice insisting either and no was not in their vocabulary. I am not a jade expert, but Coco’s family is and so is she. I knew I was being taken for a ride, but could do little about it. After buying a very over priced piece of fake jade, about 10,000 times over priced mind you, my guide was now happy to continue on the tour, but a whirlwind one now as my bus was leaving in 15 minuets. We breezed through pit #3, the command station for the terra cotta army due to its lack of warriors, but its formations and structure and the types and warriors there all pointed to it being the command center according to experts.

I was finally rejoined to my wife and the first thing I told her was how I got ripped off with the tour guide present. My wife got a little more upset then I imagined. She said it was my own stupidity for the warrior figure, but she took the fake jade purchase as a personal insult. The jade she appraised at 5 RMB, way less then the 850 RMB it was listed at and the 667 RMB I was able to talk the merchant down to. She chewed out the tour guide in front of tourists, which did not go over well for the tour guide and insisted on her taking us to return the item. On the way the tour guide tried to ditch us several time but I told Coco of her attempts and she just yelled at her more. I was beginning to worry this would not be good for the baby for Coco to get so upset and began trying to calm her down, it didn’t work. We made it to the shop but only after the tour guide was able to sneak in a few phone calls on her cell to warn them we were coming. That did not matter as we entered the store the man who sold me both the statue and the jade did not recognize me, I took of my hat, and I told Coco it was him… that was all she wrote for him. All Coco did was ask him if he sold this jade a grade A, all he said was he was bringing our money back. The tour guide knew we were on a tight schedule and she must have tipped them off of this because they stalled for 15 minutes due to lost paper work and return procedures. By the time it was over there were 4 security guards around us, 4 sales people and the owner of the jade booth and him and Coco were arguing over his jade quality and sales staffs practices. We got our money back and left to get back to the bus. On the way Coco calmed down but still took the ruse as a personal attack on her, when it was me, the dumb foreigner, that was the target.

We did find some time to get quite a few souvenirs on the way, shopping is always a good way to calm down a woman. We were able to get nearly 15 items for less then I paid for my statue, nearly 150 RMB less (the statue cost 350 RMB, all together the 15 items cost 180 RMB). We got onto our bus, with all the bags and a camera full of pictures, and headed back to Xi’An for dinner.

We stopped for dinner in a nice place, they had plenty of bread in different forms… a rarity in China to have bread with your meal. After dinner we went off to our hotel, a 4 star one just outside of the city gate. We unloaded all out luggage, and bags full of souvenirs and waited in the lobby. Unfortunately this was not the end of the days adventure. The rooms they booked were on the first floor and in a newly renovated area. Many in the tour group complained about the smell of the new paint, carpet, and other construction items. They were right, the smell was strong and I determined Coco was not staying there, today was enough stress on her as it was. After numerous outbursts from an older lady in the group and meetings, and nearly 2 hours wait the tour organizer found us new rooms in a hotel, but it was quite a ride away. We loaded everything back onto the bus and got to our new hotel, an older one but very nice and we settled in for the night.

Pictures from Golden Week #2 2006, China

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 18:06:02 GMT

Well, I am back in Shanghai and the Moon Festival is done now, well for the most part any way. I have posted the pics from Xi'An and Pudong tonight. I hope everyone likes them and all. I will leave some stories on the Xi'An trip... as we had to go with a tour group and parts were beyond complicated! So I am off for some shut eye, more to come tomorrow.

Xi'An Adventure

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 05:01:50 GMT

Well, we don't have our bags packed yet but we have all the plans mapped out. Due to the large numbers of people traveling this October holiday we nearly did not get to make the Xi'An trip. We had to settle for a tour group package, I hate tour groups for many reasons, but it does offer many advantages. We have verified and confirmed travel and lodging arrangements. The train ride includes a sleeper car so Coco can rest comfortably and hopefully this time I can get to an electrical outlet first. All of our major meals are arranged, which is a mixed blessing. We also have an interary, not too agressive as the tour is only a 4 day tour, but I hope we can break away at least 1 day to do some solo sightseeing.

Tour groups in foreign countries tend to be corrupt in that the guides take you to places with over priced goods in return for a small share in the profits. They also attract pick pockets and the rooms are subject to being targeted more often. The sights are always the number one attractions, but seldom include the really good places that show the real character of the area. Yes all our admission is included and we will get to go to the Fumen Temple, Emperor Qin's tomb and his terra cotta army, the Bell Tower, the Big Goose Pagoda and such, but I am hoping to see the zoo there, the Neolythic village, a few meusems, the Great Mosque, and some of the country side along with just exploring the city to get some better understanding of it and its people.

Well, the trip is set and it does allow us to have 2 days to rest back here in Shanghai before our second 6 day work week, which is nice to know and a bit less stressful then doing everything on our own and on the fly like we did in Beijing. I know I will have to return to Beijing to see all I missed out on, as well to Xi'An. Time is something you are never sure if you will have or not, but while the oppertunity is here we will take advantage of it.