Inverted World: T in China

I'm moving...

2010-03-21T15:42:00.001+08:00

... to a new website!

Come visit me at:
www.myinvertedworld.com

Cheers,
Trent

Having a blast in NZ!

2010-02-14T18:02:00.001+08:00

Having a blast in NZ!, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Alone in Beijing

2010-01-31T22:37:00.002+08:00

Nothing gets the blood flowing like a taxi ride through a rural western district of Beijing on a dark, frigid night. My driver fails to catch the outer reaches of the glow cast by his blood red Hyundai Sonata's headlights ... but I suppose he can't be faulted for not trying.

A weekend that began welcoming a friend back to the city on Friday gave way to farewells to others on Saturday. The rotating door of Shanghai is always in motion.

Now I find myself alone in Beijing on Sunday. Taxis and airports. Room keys and business cards.

The city that flashes by the windows of my taxi is both mysterious and exciting. Lyrics from Andrew Bird's concert on Friday float through my mind...

being alone it can be quite romantic
like jacques cousteau underneath the atlantic
a fantastic voyage to parts unknown
going to depths where the sun’s never shone
and i fascinate myself when i’m alone

I stare ahead through the windshield and silently cheer on the driver. Maybe we can outrun the headlights!

Roots

2010-01-23T09:06:00.006+08:00

Martin was a judge. Jacob was a doctor. Abigail was the mother of 16 kids and Homer worked on the railroad.

No, this isn't the cast the newest reality TV show. Its my family.

I have chipped away at my family tree over the years, collecting bits and pieces online and filling in the gaps with stories from Grandma. I have never met these people, but their lives fascinate me. Every puzzle piece I put in place brings more questions...

What kind of leader was Colonel Strong on the Revolutionary War battlefield?

How hard was the decision to leave Germany in the mid-nineteenth century?

What went through their minds the first time they caught sight of America?

I get a laugh out of some of the names that fill the tree.

Adonijah

Asenath

Grover

Jedediah

Hedwig

There is even a branch of the tree with names like "Freedom" and "Preserved". Were they seventeenth century patriots or merely hippies of that day? I have no doubt that my ancestors will share a laugh at my expense a couple hundred years down the road ("Trent and Harmony? Who WERE those people??")

Looking back this far into my family's past makes me realize how incredibly unlikely it is that each of us come to exist. For instance, what if Colonel Strong had not made it off that battlefield?

My eight-times-great grandfather John Strong set sail from Plymouth, England for America in 1630 with his wife and two sons. At some point during the two month crossing his wife and one son passed away, leaving him and his remaining son to establish themselves in the New Land on their own. He eventually remarried and went on to have 16 children with his new wife.

Had his first wife not passed on that trip across the Atlantic, the family tree would have grown in a completely different direction. And I certainly wouldn't be here in Shanghai typing this on my laptop. Is it wrong for me to admit that I am grateful for that tragic turn of events?

I think Bill Bryson puts it best:

Not only have you been lucky enough to be attached since time immemorial to a favored evolutionary line, but you have also been extremely- make that miraculously- fortunate in your personal ancestry. Consider the fact that for 3.8 billion years, a period of time older than the Earth's mountains and rivers and oceans, everyone of your forbears on both sides has been attractive enough to find a mate, healthy enough to reproduce, and sufficiently blessed by fate and circumstances to live long enough to do so. Not one of your pertinent ancestors was squashed, devoured, drowned, starved, stranded, stuck fast, untimely wounded, or otherwise deflected from it's life quest of delivering a tiny charge of genetic material to the right partner at the right moment in order to perpetuate the only possible sequence of hereditary combinations that could result - evetually, astoundingly, and all to briefly- in you.

2010-01-21T21:59:00.000+08:00

“A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner.”

~ English Proverb

Christmas

2009-12-20T08:58:00.001+08:00

"Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!"

~ Charles Dickens

Manly men doing manly things ... with allen wrenches

2009-12-13T21:07:00.000+08:00

The Huixin Orphanage recently received some donated Ikea furnture so they needed some experienced Ikea assemblers to come take care of business. So it was that four of us were called to duty on this grey Sunday afternoon.

Rule #1: No instructions allowed

Rule #2: Prove your manliness by showing how fast you could wield an allen wrench

Mission accomplished

Bean @ Sunshine Home

2009-12-13T20:48:00.000+08:00

Who cares that we had no idea what we were doing ... we had a fun afternoon of helping the disabled residents of Sunshine Home do calligraphy. After we finished, they gave us bags of cookies for Christmas!

Bean Environmental Education Day @ ZhenHua School

2009-12-06T09:52:00.001+08:00

We had a great time yesterday teaching children of migrant workers about the environment and things we can do to protect it. After a short presentation, we broke out the paint and helped the kids decorate environmental awareness posters and decorate trash bins. Good times!

Wheels & Heels (TM)

2009-11-29T18:17:00.002+08:00

What do you get when you combine sheet metal, sequins, rubber, palm trees, overpriced food and thousands of camera-toting people? You get the Guangzhou Auto Show

I spent a day this week visiting the 7th annual event held in China's southern Guangdong province. Thankfully, unlike the shows I have visited in Shanghai and Beijing, Guangzhou's crowd was surprisingly light. My colleague and I wandered from hall to hall kicking tires and checking out the latest from both Chinese and global manufacturers. I continue to be encouraged by the amount of effort being poured into battery technology and new energy solutions.

As with other shows, the Guangzhou show was as much about hype as it is about substance. The female models always seem to attract more attention than the car variety ... and my theory continues to hold true that the amount of clothing the model wears is inversely proportional to the quality of the car they are draped across.

And speaking of Guangzhou, I was pretty impressed with city itself. Though we didn't get any time to play tourist, the view from taxi window was pretty impressive ... new buildings everywhere, relatively uncongested streets and palm trees dotting the landscape. Its food is known throughout the country as being among the best, so I was glad to sample what it had to offer before we returned to Shanghai.

Thankful

2009-11-28T10:04:00.003+08:00

On this Thanksgiving, I am thankful to my wife for agreeing to host a big Shanghai "family" meal ... just like I always wanted!

And with over 30 people here for the celebration, I am also thankful for our ayi coming to clean up on Friday

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Visitors

2009-11-22T09:24:00.005+08:00

It is an exciting event here when visitors come to town. It is an opportunity for us to show off the city and our way of life in a strange place. It also gives us a chance to introduce them to our friends here ... and for our friends to hear about what things are like "back home".

My parents' time in Shanghai has come and gone all too quickly, but was it was filled with good times and high-adventure. Here's hoping that we can lure them back again next year!

At the local Bird, Fish & Insect Market

Mom & Dad meeting Mao

Snowy day on the Great Wall

Trip Report: India

2009-10-11T13:42:00.009+08:00

Remember the first time you peeked under the hood of a car? You found a perplexing mix of steaming pipes, colorful wires and gleaming chrome. It was confusing and fascinating all at the same time.

Such is India.

With over one billion people and hundreds of regional dialects, perplexing doesn't even begin to describe the country. Add to it a religion of the majority -- Hinduism -- that features literally millions of gods and a geography that spans Himalayan peaks to palm-lined beaches, you get a sense of the vastness that is the sub-continent.

We had less than two weeks for our Indian appetizer so we had to be very selective. We chose to focus our time in the northern part of the country, stretching from the northeastern region of Rajasthan to the holy town of Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh. What we found was a country rich in history and steeped in tradition while, at the same time, dealing with globalization and an increasing divide between rich and poor.

We arrived in New Delhi in the middle of the night and were happy to find our ride into the city waiting for us outside the airport. Under the soft yellow glow of Delhi's street lights, two things became clear on our 30 minute drive into the city: it is a place in transition and there exists a large gap between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. Construction cranes were in motion in the pre-dawn hours, while shiny new cars cruised under highway overpasses that gave shelter to Delhi's homeless.

After a few hours of sleep, we set off to explore the Old Town. The narrow lanes surrounding the Jama Masjid mosque were jammed with people, bicycles, cows and produce. A tangled web of spliced power lines seemed to tie the buildings together overhead. We watched people go about their daily routine from the back of a pedal rickshaw.

At Raj Ghat, we stood at the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated after being assassinated in 1948. A small group of men sat at the foot of the simple black marble memorial and sang quiet songs in his memory

The next morning, we were on the train platform before dawn to catch our train to Agra. The rail station was full of people at such an early hour ... we tiptoed around sleeping bodies and bundled packages, waiting for their ride home. Rats scurried about on the tracks and darted back into sewer pipes at the first sound of our approaching train.

From our carriage, we watched the rising sun dance across the city's rooftops as they flashed past the window. The seemingly endless slums on the outskirts of Delhi finally gave way to open green fields dotted with palm trees. As the train attendant came by with hot milk for my corn flakes, I turned my attention to the newspaper. The matrimonial section was particularly interesting, with ads such as...

"Well qualified working soul mate required for very handsome Sikh Khatri boy. 30 yrs, 5'-9", MBA, working as Manager in MNC at Chandigarh. Contact with snap, date, place, time of birth."

Nothing can really prepare you for seeing something like the Taj Mahal in person. No matter how many photos you have seen before, to see the Taj with your own eyes is something else altogether.

The building almost glowed in the morning sun, helped by its unique translucent marble inlayed with semi-precious stones ... something you don't notice until you see it up close.

The Taj was built over a period of 22 years with the help of some 20,000 laborers and has been described as the ultimate testament to love. Our guide led us through the dark interior, pointing out the only non-symmetrical part of the monument -- the tomb of Emperor Shah Jahan lays to the side of his wife for whom he had the Taj constructed. In another room, he holds his pen flashlight against the wall to demonstrate its translucence. An inlayed flower made of carnelian glowed a brilliant red against the soft white marble wall.

We were pleasantly surprised that Agra was not a one-hit wonder. The nearby Agra Fort towers over banks of the Yamuna River was once a military structure but was eventually transformed into a palace. Further down the river, the Itimad-Ud-Daulah, or Baby Taj, was the first Mughal structure made entirely from marble and featured extensive inlay work.

The tradition of dramatic demonstration of love and devotion is still alive in this city. On the way back to the train station, our taxi driver described for us how we spent his free time during the day ... he was in the process of writing the divine name "Sita Ram" 100,000 times in classical Sanskrit to honor his wife.

The city of Udaipur lies about 200 miles east of the Pakistan border and is in the heart of the region known as Rajasthan. Though I don't agree with those who call it the 'Venice of the East', the city is truly beautiful. The whitewashed buildings of the Old Town line the banks of Lake Pichola. The narrow, twisting roads leading away from the lake were filled with tiny craft and jewelry shops. The town might be most famous for the scenes from the classic Bond film 'Octopussy' that were filmed there.

The lake sparkled at night, reflecting the soft white lights of the Old Town off its oil black surface. We sat atop our guest house eating a meal of tikka, dhal and naan under a star-filled sky and just took it all in.

As Harmony slept off her shopping hangover, I was out the door at dawn to explore town a little more. Up the street from the Hindu temple, motorbikes converged at the grade school in a cloud of exhaust fumes. Stray dogs still slept on the cool pavement, unfazed by the activity around them.

The lake is the center point of daily life in the city, providing water for bathing and cleaning. Before departing on our way east, we took a boat ride on the lake to see the city from a different perspective. Women in brilliantly-colored saris lined the lakeshore steps going about their morning routine.

We hired a car and driver to take us to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan in the eastern end of the region. The drive would take over eight hours, so we decided to break it up with a stop in the countryside town of Shahpura. We stayed at Shahpura Bagh, a 120 year old garden estate that was formerly the summer home of the rulers of Shahpura. Today, the estate has been converted into a guest house surrounded by a nature preserve. The descendants of the regional royalty still live on the estate and we enjoyed talking with them about the way things were back in the day. A tiger that the family hunted in the surrounding area over 50 years ago was mounted to the wall of the living room.

We hurtled down the narrow, single-lane dirt road as the fading sun hung low in front us us. I held the door of the Mahindra jeep closed with my arm as the driver swerved to avoid cows in the road. The dry, flat Rajasthani countryside spread out on either side of us, with the only splashes of color coming from the dress of women walking down the side of the road carrying water on their heads. While Harmony cleaned off another day's dirt and sweat before dinner, I joined one of the men from the house on a ride out to a nearby village and old fort. He drove the jeep like he was being chased by the devil. When cows blocked the road completely, he would give them a long honk of the horn and a gentle nudge from the front bumper.

When we arrived in the village, a group of children ran up to me yelling "hello! hello!". Each wanted to shake my hand. The boys touched my feet as a sign of respect, as they would do to a village elder. I was honored!

We climbed the crumbling steps of what was once an impressive fort that towered over the neighboring farmland. Today, the fort is nothing but an empty shell that is now filled with vegetation. Regardless, we clamored to the top to take in the view of the area from the the lookout tower. We sat there and drank a cup of tea from his thermos as the sun was replaced in the sky by a full moon. The only sound came from the swallows and bats circling overhead. As darkness settled in, we felt our way down the steps and back to the car.

The next morning, I watched peacocks, wild pigs and owls in the nature preserve before taking a walk through the village. The town is small but was full of activity. Kids walked to school and farmers set up baskets of produce in the market. The local (camel) leather craftsman wanted me to take a photo of his sons. They laughed when I showed it to them.

It was about a five hour drive to Jaipur, the so-called 'Pink City'. The streets were congested with traffic ... bikes fought for room with pedestrians, mopeds fought for room with bikes, cars with mopeds, etc ... in the middle of it all, camels pulled large wooden carts down the middle of the street. The five-story Hawa Mahal is probably the city's most distinctive landmark. It was built in 1799 to enable ladies of the royal household to watch the life and processions of the city go by while they remained concealed, per the protocol of the day.

Though Jaipur wasn't our favorite stop of the trip, it offered some really worthwhile stops. For instance, our ride up to the top of the Amber Fort was via elephant. The fort itself was pretty spectacular.

After a week in near 100-degree heat, though, the biggest attraction for us was the little pool along-side our guest house. Heaven! Our second night in Jaipur wrapped up with henna, traditional Indian music, great food and a palm reader.

Our last and final stop of trip took us from Rajasthan to the eastern state of Uttar Pradesh and the banks of the Ganges River. Varanasi is known as the "city of Shiva" and is thought to be one of the holiest places in India. Mark Twain once wrote that Varanasi "is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together". After arriving in town, we made our way to the river to watch the nightly Ganga Aarti ceremony ... holy men put the river to sleep with prayers, bells, drums and fire. Hundreds of pilgrims flock here by foot and boat to attend.

The next morning, we woke before dawn and made our way to river for a boat ride.

Varanasi is the heart of the Hindu universe and is a crossing place between the physical and spiritual worlds. For Hindus, to die here and have your ashes spread in the Ganges is to break the cycle of life and death. We both lit candles and set them on the river in memory of lost loved ones.

The boatman dipped his oars into the water and we glided quietly along the riverside ghats. Hindu pilgrims bathed in the river as sky began to brighten. Holy men struck yoga poses. Smoke rose from the burning ghats that perform public cremations on the river. Later in the morning we wandered the narrow streets of the old town, stopping in shops along the way.

On our second morning in Varanasi, the sun shine was brilliant at dawn as I crept along the ghats. Ankle-deep silt left by the high monsoon waters was only partially cleared, so I pressed into the throng of pilgrims as we snaked our way through the narrow open walkway.

I made my way to Kedar Ghat, took a seat on the steps, and just watched the morning activity around me. People bathed, prayed, washed clothes, sang and did yoga as they have been doing there for centuries. Some purchased water containers so they could bring a bit of the holy Ganges back to their homes.

Varanasi exemplified this sort of timelessness that seemed permeate each place we visited in India. True, its economy continues to grow at a heady pace; however, it is clear that the country is still deeply rooted in tradition.

India is a passionate country. The same spirit that led to the creation of the Taj Mahal and guided our taxi driver in Agra to put pen to paper 100,000 times can also be found everywhere in modern life in the country. Even cricket is less a sport and more a religion in India.

Before stepping foot in India, we were not sure what we would find when we arrived. After looking under the hood for the first time, we were pleasantly surprised with what we found. Sure, it can be confusing or challenging at times, but we both came away with the feeling that we want to see more of the country.

We will return again ... maybe to the south. We still need to kick the tires

Show me that smile again ...

2009-09-11T20:13:00.003+08:00

My morning routine at the office goes something like this ... I get in around 7:00, boot up my computer and make a bee-line for my morning coffee. One of the only other people there at that time is our office administrator, Joe Chen. Every day when I say hi to him on my way by, he asks ... "going for coffee?" ... and then he laughs. Always. And I will say "no ... maybe a beer this morning" ... or ... "do you want me to bring you one?". He never does.

When I go for lunch, Joe wants to know if I will have a hamburger.

Funny when you think about cultural stereotypes going back the other way. While Americans envision Chinese as 4ft tall Karate Kids, the Chinese also have a distinct stereotype of Americans. When we're not drinking coffee and eating hamburgers, we are busy being gun-toting party people. Oh yeah ... and we have sex in the streets and have AIDS.

Surprisingly, many of the stereotypes modern Chinese (and specifically Shanghainese) have of Americans comes from TV. One of the first American TV shows to be dubbed in Chinese and aired here in the late 80s was Growing Pains. It was an immediate smash hit. It was called 成长的烦恼 or "Chéngzhǎng de Fánnǎo" (the literal translation being "The Frustrations of Growing Up"). Mr. & Mrs Seaver provided a glimpse of how parents befriended their children in the U.S. while Mike was the personification of America's confident cool.

The process of peeling away stereotypes and truly understanding people take time. My understanding of the Chinese people and culture has come a long ways in two years. One of these days I will take Joe out for lunch and help him understand that not all American's carry a gun.

We'll go for a hamburger.

Fountain of Youth

2009-09-09T22:01:00.002+08:00

“It takes a long time to become young.”

~ Pablo Picasso

Two Cups

2009-09-03T21:30:00.002+08:00

“The autumn leaves are falling like rain / Although my neighbors are all barbarians / And you, you are a thousand miles away / There are always two cups at my table.”

~ Tang dynasty poem

Trip Report: Hong Kong

2009-08-25T21:52:00.004+08:00

It is hard to fault any city that has an entire street devoted to fish & aquarium stores. So it is that I came to like Hong Kong.

Our weekend in the city was planned on a whim. Though Harmony had been twice, I had yet to visit. How could I live in China and not see their most prized Special Administrative Region?

We spent two days wandering the markets in Kowloon, gawking at the lights of Hong Kong Island from the deck of the Star Ferry, and riding the escalators in 15-story shopping malls.

We were only a short boat ride from China's mainland, but the differences in freedoms was astonishing to me. We actually were able to watch a Tarantino film at the theater ... at the theater! And it wasn't edited beyond recognition ... recognition!

I came to like Hong Kong, but I didn't fall in love with it. Its the city that Shanghai aspires to be. Its clean. Its orderly. Its shiny metal and polished glass. I have never seen a city with more shopping malls per capita than Hong Kong and each tries to pack in more Western luxury brand names than the one down the street. Its hard to love a city if it doesn't stand for something unique ... something compelling. The 'sameness' that pervades Hong Kong is the very thing that brings in the tourists from China's mainland and abroad.

I'm not saying we can't be friends. Besides ... they do have an entire street devoted to goldfish ... goldfish!

Journey

2009-08-19T22:38:00.001+08:00

Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

“A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” ~ John Steinbeck

My wife is famous!

2009-08-13T23:00:00.002+08:00

So will she still love me now that she is part of the Shanghai glitterati? ;)

Huixin Infant Orphanage

2009-08-12T20:05:00.005+08:00

Harmony and I joined our friends at Bean (shanghai.beanonline.org) for our monthly visit to Huixin Orphanage on Sunday. The kids were really happy to see us. We had a great afternoon playing outside, making balloon animals and eating cake!

Trip Journal: Tibet

2009-08-11T20:27:00.011+08:00

Lhasa, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

The question came to mind while we joined hundreds of prayer wheel-swinging Buddhist pilgrims in circumnavigation around the Jokhang Temple. It also came to mind standing at the foot of Mt. Everest ... and when seeing military patrols cut through the streets and back lanes of Lhasa.

What really defines a place?

Is it history? People? Its politics and religion? How about its customs and culture? Or its geography?

It only took the trip from Lhasa's airport to old town to understand that Tibet was not only extreme in each one of these dimensions, but took them all ... threw them in a blender with some yak butter ... and mixed them all together into something entirely new to me.

A visit to Tibet takes your understanding of the world and flips it on its side. Like rolling down a hill in a truck tire, its at once exhilarating and disorienting.

People who know me would agree that I generally keep a pretty even keel. This all ends when I step foot in a Chinese airport. People dart in every direction without reason or regard for others while I suppress the urge to slip sleeping pills into their green tea. Newton famously said that no two bodies can occupy the same space at the same time. The check in "line" for a China Eastern flight is basically a bunch of people trying to prove him wrong.

So it came as a pleasant surprise when we arrived in Lhasa to a scene of general order and relaxed people. Picture people moving calmly toward baggage claim as if they were walking underwater. Then it dawned on us ... what we were witnessing was not so much an improved, more considerate Chinese airport but rather an intense fear among Chinese travelers of altitude sickness.

Oh well. I will take the sight of people walking around as if they were on cracking ice over the chaos of the alternative any day.

The first things that strike you about Tibet is the cobalt blue sky, intense sun and mountains ... everywhere. The capital, Lhasa, sits at an altitude of 3,200 meters (or about 10,500 feet) and is surrounded by a rim of tan, treeless mountains. The city was quite starkly divided between the old town and the much more modern, "Chinese" side. The distinction was pretty clear ... the old town is made up of narrow lanes, old temples, and fruit vendors while the newer side of town was full of generic shop facades and karaoke bars. We were happy to find our hotel in the heart of the old town.

We spent our first couple days exploring the spiritual heart of Lhasa. The Jokhang Temple is the most revered structure in all of Tibet and was only a few steps from our hotel. Every day, hundreds of Buddhist pilgrims join in a kora (pilgrimage circuit) around the temple. Dozens of vendors line the the path that meanders through narrow streets filled with the smells of incense, yak butter and more unpleasant things. You can't help but get swept up in the procession around the temple ... we made a point of joining the kora a couple of times each day

The Potala Palace is probably the most recognizable building in all of Tibet, and for good reason. Not only is it visible from most points in Lhasa but the structure is so imposing that it is hard to take your eyes from it. By our third day in Lhasa, we were acclimatized to the point where we were able to make the climb up its hundreds of steps. For a building that was home to the 5th to 14th Dalai Lamas and the center of its government, the palace today is merely an empty shell. Regardless, to climb its steps while imagining how it appeared during its time of prominence was an awe-inspiring experience. The views from the top were as breath-taking as the climb to get there

After three days in Lhasa, it was time to head west. Being that there were 11 of us traveling together, we hired a van and driver for the week. Upon seeing the green 20-passenger van for the first time, we affectionately named her "Jade Lightening". Stocked with snacks and people and on the lonesome road, we quickly realized that lightening probably wasn't the best choice in names. Had Miss Daisy been traveling with us, she would have told the driver to "pick it up!". The driver was no younger than 6o years old and he kept a stash of Red Bull in a box behind his seat. This was going to be interesting.

The Friendship Highway crosses Tibet from east to west and would be our main route for the next several days. We quickly gained altitude on our way out of Lhasa and enjoyed views over fields of yellow rapeseed to soaring mountains in the distance. From time to time we passed through small villages where the locals would always return our waves. Niko would throw candy out the window to the kids we passed.

The first day of driving took us over three high mountain passes ... each higher that the last and up to 5,000 meters (16,500 ft). We caught view of Yamdrok Tso (lake) from the pass over Kamba-la. The lake is an intense color of blue and is set among soaring mountain peaks. For Tibetans, it is one of the four holy lakes.

Our destination for the night was the town of Gyantse. What was formerly a center of trade in the region up to the 15th century is now a village of 15,000. Signs of its former prominence make the town an attraction today. The Pelkor Chode Monastery is quite active and is surrounded by tall hills topped by an ancient red wall. A cliff-hanging 14th century fort stands tall over the middle of town.

We explored the monastery and later wandered through the outdoor market in town. For 1 yuan (15 cents) per game, we played snooker in the market. It was quite a sight for the young kids hanging around. Everywhere we traveled in Tibet, kids were quite happy and quick to smile. We taught the market kids how to limbo under our outstretched pool sticks.

Like most days at such high altitudes, our energy waned quickly and we were asleep early. The next morning, we were up early and on the road heading west again. The city of Shigatse is the second largest in Tibet and the nearest jump-off point for the Everest region of the Himalayas. The town itself lacked any real character but the real attraction in the area is Tashilhunpo Monastery. Founded in the mid-15th century, the monastery was one of the few in Tibet to survive the Cultural Revolution. It is best known as the traditional home to Panchen ('great scholar') Lamas and is the most active monastery in Tibet. We spent a couple of hours merely wandering the narrow, cobbled lanes through the sprawling complex. The afternoon call to prayer brought the monks together in the assembly hall. We stood among them as they began to sing.

We up again early the next morning to start the long trip to the foot of Mt. Everest ...

The trip from Shigatse to the tent camp at the base of Mt. Everest took 12 hours ... 4 of which were over rough roads & switchbacks. Jade Lightening was huffing and puffing her way along with us staring in awe out her windows. With each climb over another pass we would spot a snow covered peak off in the distance and say "that must be it!" ... but it never was ... Jade Lightening would chug along up another pass or around another narrow ridge

We finally approached the end of the road at the end of the afternoon as the rain clouds filled the sky. We pulled into an open area the size of a football field and parked the van along a row of boxy tents. It was frustrating to arrive at the foot of Everest and not be able to see the mountain, though we held out hope for morning.

Tent camp sat at just over 5,000m (16,500 ft) and we felt every bit of it. Walking off on flat ground to find a rock 'toilet' left us stopping to catch our breath.

The tents had a square footprint, with sitting surface around the inside edge of the perimeter. This would be our bed for the night. Each tent had room for four people, so we had three tents between us. We gathered in one tent around the yak dung-fired stove as light rain began to fall. Our host prepared garlic soup for us, which was said to help us with the altitude.

As night approached, the temperature began to fall toward freezing. We layered up with jackets and hats and made beds with blankets our hosts provided. The stove in our tent was fired up one last time but lasted no more than an hour. We all struggled with the altitude to some degree but tried to catch any sleep that we could. Morning would come early, as we planned to be on the trail to Base Camp before sunrise. Not long after we had all drifted off, three men carrying flashlights barged into our tent saying something we couldn't understand. Our only response was to yell "no!" and point outside. The best we could tell, they were looking for a tent with room for more people. It was hard enough trying to sleep at altitude without strange men interrupting it. It was a long night to be sure and one I will never forget. It has always been a dream of mine to see Mt. Everest in person. So as I lay in the tent trying to ignore my pounding headache, I thought about the day ahead and listened to the silence of the Himalayas.

The hike from tent camp to base camp covers 3km (2mi) with an elevation gain of 200m. Between the time, elevation, stomach ailments, temperature, lack of sleep and lack of breakfast, the 3km hike felt like we were truly going for the summit. We were on the trail at 6:00 and well before the sun was up. We could already tell, though, that the previous night's rain had helped clear the sky. As we started up the trail, we began to see the outline of Everest take form out of the darkness.

To see Everest in front of me was truly a surreal and amazing experience. Visions of legends like Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay flashed in my memory ... it was as if I could see moments in the climbing history play out before my eyes. On our calm morning hike to base camp, I could still picture the storms that whipped the mountain in May 1996 when Rob Hall and others perished near the summit.

Everything was quiet on the mountain when we arrived at Base Camp. The peak of climbing season had passed two months before, so the site was simply a bare flat area dotted with rock cairns built to memorialize fallen climbers. We could picture how the site must look at the height of climbing season. The morning clouds had almost completely burned off as the sun lit the sky.

The clear views of the mountain lasted after we had returned to tent camp. Apparently, many visitors will come to Everest for an entire week and do not have the clear views of the mountain that we had. We all left on a high as we began our return trip to Lhasa via Shigatse.

Compared to the thin air of Everest, we almost needed a spoon to take in that thick Lhasa air. We had a only a couple days left in the city and we were determined to make the most of them. Dirk and I got up before dawn on the first morning to explore the old town and watch the city come to life. Kids walked to school, butchers opened shop and pilgrims gravitated toward Jokhang Temple.

The afternoon was spent relaxing and exploring the markets. Lhasa is a great town for wandering. Narrow alleyways splinter out from the central square and they are filled with interesting people and activity. If you get turned around, all you have to do is find some pilgrims swinging prayer wheels and they will inevitably lead you back to the Barkhor.

Our dance-off with the Tibetan kids started in the most innocent of ways. Walking through an alley, we stopped to say "hi" to a group of children that were playing after school. As we continued on our way, one of them playfully pushed Niko and, when he turned, showed him some of his home-grown break dance moves. Niko "got served" and the dance-off was on. The kids were good and had obviously been working on their moves with the help of bootleg American movies.

We countered any way we could. We came at them with the "Roger Rabbit" ...

... the tango ...

... and the Waltz.

The kids were tough and we quickly emptied our limited repertoire. So we graciously conceded defeat and waved our goodbyes.

We were almost back to the square when a few of the kids caught up with us and made it clear they were not quite through with us yet. They wanted a Barkhor Square dance-off and they would not take "bu yao" for an answer. They grabbed Dirk and pulled him off to the square. We had no choice but to follow.

I have to mention here that having a dance-off with a group of Tibetan kids in Lhasa's main square and in front of the holiest Temple in all of Tibet is not something that we had on our itinerary.

But the challenge was on and we couldn't back out now. Rule one in a fight (so I have read) is to always leave something in reserve. With that, Dirk came out strong with his best Michael Jackson (RIP) impression ...

We were quickly reminded that nothing attracts a crowd in Tibet like a crowd.

Especially a crowd of local kids cheering on a Dutch guy doing a Michael Jackson impression in Barkhor Square.

I should also point out that the Chinese military in Tibet are not big fans of crowds forming in Barkhor Square. The crowd quickly got very big and the military patrols in the area started converging on the crowd. Niko saw the opportunity and took advantage of his last chance to wow the crowd. He jumped into the middle of the circle and gave them his best "party boy" dance. He had his 20 seconds to do his thing before the patrols broke up the crowd.

After a full day of walking and dancing, we were quickly running out of time in Tibet. We had one day left and time for one last adventure...

It was our last day in Tibet, so we had to go out on a high note. A local outfitter offered a whitewater rafting trip that would take us an hour outside of Lhasa to the Holung Chu River, so off we went. The river was swollen with rain water collected from the surrounding mountains and topped off with some glacial run-off. It moved at a pretty good clip and was cold enough that we had to wear wet suits. We spent several hours padding through whitewater, sailing past grazing yaks and gliding through canyons sliced through the ancient Himalaya. We took turns kayaking and, at the end of the afternoon, a few of us jumped in the river for an icy swim.

(Rafting photos taken by a local photographer affiliated with the rafting company)

It really was a fitting end to a great trip. It left us completely exhausted but we wouldn't have wanted it any other way ... short of breath is how it is on the rooftop of the world!

It was sad to say goodbye to our travel parters ... some of which we just met for the first time. We all traveled together really well, which was good since we were stuck in the same van together for hours and hours. It was also a really great experience for Harmony and I to travel with her brother Niko. In what seems like no time at all, he has gone from an ankle grabbing toddler to a really great guy with a bright future ahead of him.

It certainly wouldn't be a trip report of mine without mention of the food. So what of it? We were pleasantly surprised with how good the food was. Yak meat was a staple of our diet and was quite good ... picture a slightly tougher version of beef. A popular dish was yak momos, which were basically yak meat-filled dumplings. Food quality on the road was mediocre at best and few of us avoided the random stomach bug.

The question that came to my mind throughout the trip was no easier to answer as we departed Lhasa as it was when we first arrived.

Tibet is a truly unique corner of this world, but one in the midst of great transition (willed or not). Its people boldly face an uncertain future though its its economy is soaring. Its culture is anchored in deep-rooted traditions though the arrival of modern city life and new arrivals from east threaten to erode it.

What really defines a place?

I don't think I know the answer, but I will keep on doing my research

What a Month

2009-07-29T21:42:00.001+08:00

Scorpion on a Stick, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

July has come and gone in what seemed like the blink of an eye. I knew it would.

Niko's visit was definitely action packed: attending Dirk & Sheila's wedding in the bamboo forest of Moganshan ... touring Tibet from Lhasa to Everest Base Camp ... seeing the historic sites around Beijing. In between was peppered with nights of karaoke, river cruises, steamed dumplings and Filipino cover bands.

Now that he has left, its time to get back into the swing of the Shanghai routine and catch up on everything that has been neglected for the past 30 days (including my writing).

Zai jian, Niko ... you will be missed around here!

Wandering

2009-06-30T22:05:00.001+08:00

Zhujiajiao, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe”

~ Anatole France

2009-06-23T21:20:00.002+08:00

Bean

The Huixin Infant Orphanage is set back on a dusty, tree-shaded lane on the north side of downtown Shanghai. I finally took the opportunity to join the volunteer group 'Bean' for one of their weekly events. Spending a few hours with these kids was the highlight of my weekend. The orphanage was swelteringly hot, but the kids didn't care ... we had a great time coloring, singing songs and playing music.

Most of the kids at the orphanage had mental and physical disabilities, which only compounds the the need for more caretakers ... the several women working at the home clearly had their hands full. The conditions at the home were better than I expected, though I really wonder what lies ahead for most of these kids as they grow older.

Bean is an international service organization that combines social networking with service in the community. I look forward to becoming a part of the group and finding more time in my schedule to volunteer ... it really helps me put things into better perspective

Doors

2009-06-11T21:49:00.001+08:00

59, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

"When one door is closed, don't you know, another is open. "

~ Bob Marley

Trip Report: Sipalay, Philippines

2009-06-03T21:47:00.001+08:00

Paradise Found, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

"Do you want to hold him?" he asked, though he didn't wait for my response. With a wide spacy grin on his face, he thrust a frog into my hands. "Doesn't he look beautiful?"

Two huge frog eyes stared back at me from my cupped fingers. "He looks terrified," I replied, handing it back to him.

The frog must have caught a whiff of Mark's island rum-soaked breath, because he made a heroic leap for freedom and did a bee-line for the beach. He stumbled after it, attempting to call it back like a family dog. Harmony and I turned to each other and laughed.

Funny the people you meet on a remote island beach in the Philippines. Our brief stay at Taka-Tuka Lodge was filled with a potpourri of people. A Canadian TV commercial director living in Manilla. A German of Korean descent living in Bangalore. The widow of a sugar plantation owner from Bocolod. An older British man with his Philippine wife ... about half his age. A labor rights lawyer from Lancaster, Pennsylvania working in Vietnam.

The allure of a secluded beach and pristine waters clearly does not discriminate.

===================

We touched down in Manila shortly after 4am on Thursday after a three and a half hour flight from Shanghai. We groggily stepped off the plane in search of our bag and a cup of coffee. The Manila airport is truly a crossroads. We stood in line at the check in counter behind a man hauling boxes of live chickens. It seemed only appropriate that rooster calls were echoing out of the breathing holes in their makeshift mobile homes. It was just prior to sunrise, after all.

"Will this require us to admit to'close contact with live chickens' on the health declaration form?" I wondered aloud to Harmony.

Having re-checked our bag for the onward flight, we went off in search of a free bench on which to while away our four-hour layover. Almost immediately after leaving the rooster calls behind at check-in do you encounter the other side of the spectrum. The smell of poultry feathers is quickly replaced by the sweet aroma of espresso beans and fresh donuts.

"Is that a Cinnabon?" I asked rhetorically.

A crossroads, indeed.

We both managed to catch some fried dough-incuded sleep waiting for our plane to arrive. I drifted off while reflecting on the Cebu Pacific Air tagline printed on a wall poster: 'Its time every Juan flies'. Pretty clever.

===================

Our taxi driver hurtled down the new two lane road with one had on the wheel and the other poised on the horn, just waiting for opportunities to use it. He found plenty.

Leaving the dusty city of Bocolod behind, the scenery outside transitioned into a vibrant green.

"All of this here," gesturing to the head-high slender plants rising on both sides of the road, "is sugar cane."

The images passed by the window like a silent movie. Water buffalo being used to plow fields. Homes made of bamboo walls and thatch roofs. Colorful laundry left to dry in the sun. Jeepneys so packed with people that some stand on the back bumper.

The three hour drive from Bacolod to Sipalay followed a repeating pattern: the driver would approach the back bumper of a slower moving three-wheel trike, give a polite honk of the horn, then whip his Isuzu truck into oncoming traffic while throttling the diesel engine. He thankfully would get back in his lane at the last possible moment before a head-on collision. We decided it was best to just keep our heads down.

Sugar Beach cannot be reached by road, so the driver left us in a little waterfront village where we were to catch a longtail boat. The day was already getting hot and the sea was calm. The village was quiet, except for some chickens pecking around in the sand and a few kids playing in the water. The driver sat down with us while we waited for our boat.

"All of the men in the village are out fishing," he explained. "Many of these families will have eight, nine or ten children. Thats just the way it is here in the Philippines!"

Indeed, a young boy walked over to us and curiously poked at our backpack. The taxi driver asked him how many siblings he had. Eight brothers and four sisters was the reply.

We waved goodbye to the driver and the boy as we left on our 20 minute boat ride to our final destination.

===================

Taka-Tuka Lodge is a collection of eight rooms set back from the beautiful crescent of sand that is Sugar Beach. Swiss brothers Kalle and Marc opened the lodge eight years ago and have really poured their hearts and souls into its design. 'Taka-Tuka' is a reference to the story of Pippi Longstocking -- the girl who lived in a whimsically-designed house with her pet monkey while her father was away at sea. Pippi ends up traveling to the island of Taka-Tuka to rescue her father from pirates.

Each room is designed around a theme and is completely unique. Our room was called 'Mad Mix' and featured an eclectic mix of random objects attached to the walls, an upside down toilet on the ceiling of the shower out of which the water came out, and windows installed at 45-degree angles. We paid US$18 per night.

Sugar Beach is about 300 yards long and is pure sand sloping at a perfect angle to the crystal blue water. There were only a handful of small lodges on the beach, but most seemed empty. We practically had the beach to ourselves. Luckily we weren't there for the nightlife.

A day to relax, get some sun and catch up on sleep was just what the doctor ordered. The food at Taka-Tuka was a lot better than expected -- fresh mango juice, coconut shakes and a lot of vegetable-infused dishes. The Swiss owners of the place even had some of their comfort foods on the menu like rösti and hand-made sausage.

===================

Back-rolling over the edge of the long-tail dive boat, we were suddenly submerged in a world of deep blue water and colorful coral. The sea felt warmer than did the air. The benefit of diving in the off-season is that you have dive sites to yourself. The two of us, alone with Marc, explored underwater worlds with names like "Sunken Island" and "Disneyland".

Descending no deeper than 60 feet, the diving was quite easy and incredibly peaceful. Marc knew the reefs intimately and guided us around them like someone proudly showing off their home. He would gather us at a coral head to show us a seahorse the size of a thumbnail. Later he would shine his flashlight on a rock to reveal it as a well-camouflaged frogfish.

Currents on the side of one reef turned our dive into a 'drift', sending us floating above the coral shelf as if we were flying.

With rain coming down above the surface, we chose a great day to spend beneath it.

===================

As I dove beneath the surface of the water, a trail of light followed my fingers through the water. A type of luminescent plankton reacted to every stroke by giving off a flash of light, like underwater lightning bugs. Laying in the water and staring up the sky on our last night, I couldn't help but think how special a place the Philippines is. What it lacks in historical and cultural significance, it more than makes up for in natural beauty, solitude and friendly people.

The fact that it is relatively inexpensive only guarantees that we will return.

Day Trip: Xitang

2009-05-24T16:29:00.001+08:00

Xitang, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Less than two hours by car from Shanghai, the ancient village of Xitang makes a for a great day trip. Located in Zhejiang province, the town's history dates back to the eighth century and doesn't appear to have changed much since then ... apart from the hordes of tourists following the amplified voices of their tour guides.

The numerous canals that divide the town and small bridges that span them lend the town a quaint feel. I traveled there with a couple friends and was glad to get there well before the tour groups poured in. We didn't mind the light rain that fell throughout the day

Keeping it Un-real

2009-05-19T23:04:00.001+08:00

Lake Ritchie, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Much of the urban development in modern day China appears to be a declaration of victory ... a celebration of man overcoming nature. Every square meter of poured concrete or kilometer of underground tunnel is a testament to the hard work and ingenuity of the Chinese people.

While a 100-story skyscraper is indeed impressive, I would find much more value in the preservation of something natural ... something real ... in such a sprawling urban environment. "Do not walk on the grass" signs seem to be multiplying. Each one I pass makes me think about home in northern Michigan ... fresh air and water ... protected land and areas reserved for endangered species of plants & animals. Isn't its preservation much more of an accomplishment than another bank building or shopping mall?

2009-05-13T22:17:00.003+08:00

Nanjing, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Trip Journal: Nanjing

Funny how perceptions get skewed after living in a city the likes of Shanghai for a couple of years. We took a 2 1/2 hour train ride to the former capital of Nanjing to "get away" for the weekend. Apparently, "getting away" these days refers to going from a city of 20 million people to one of 3 million. Small town, indeed

Traveling with friends Jean & Veronica, we found Nanjing to be a fascinating place to visit ... ancient history, natural beauty, political heritage and somber reminders of WWII atrocities. The city is just far enough away from Shanghai ensure a unique character. Foreigners even seemed to be a little more of a rarity in Nanjing, based on the number of stares and paparazzi-style photographs.

We stayed in the area around Confucius Temple on the south side of town and found a lot to see within walking distance of the hotel. The weather was hot (33C / 90F), so we were thankful it was so easy to flag down one of the numerous green VW Santana taxis zipping around town.

A leisure weekend it was not. We were up and out early to take advantage of the cooler morning weather. A visit to the Nanjing Massacre Museum provided a vivid reminder of the evils man is capable of. The museum detailed the events leading up to the mass killing of 300,000 city residents by the Japanese in WWII ... events that leave a bitter taste in the mouths of many Chinese to this day.

The somber mood of the massacre museum was counterbalanced by the natural beauty of Zijin Shan (Purple Mountain) on the city's upper east side. Parks, lakes and cultural points of interest are sprinkled about the area which made for a great day of exploration. The shade and higher altitude also helped to break the heat. A walk around Xuanwu Lake takes in views of the surrounding hills as well as the ancient city walls. Exploring further into the park, the area around the Ming Xiaoling mausoleum was lined with large animal sculptures which are intended to protect the former Hongwu emperor from the the Ming Dynasty.

Back in town, a climb to the top of the Zhonghua Gate provided commanding views of the city as the sun went down. The old city walls are in great condition and quite amazing in size and scope. The walls took 21 years to complete and involved the work of over 200,000 laborers. If there is one thing that China has always been good at, it is mobilizing workers in support of an important project.

Before we knew it, it was time to jump back on the train to Shanghai on Sunday evening. I was glad we decided to make the trip ... always interesting to soak up the culture and history of a new place. And besides ... sometimes you just need to escape the big city and catch your breath

Pigs on the Wing

2009-05-02T10:15:00.001+08:00

Temple Monkey, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Pig flu. Monkey pox. Mad cow. Bird flu

They all have a nice ring to them ... making great graphics on the lower left corner of the TV screen

... especially when you add "CRISIS" or "EPIDEMIC" in bold red text after them

I hate to be so cynical, but it all seems so contrived and alarmist. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are old news. Economic worries appear to have bottomed out. The presidential election is over and Obama has been in office for over three months now. How else can the news networks expect to keep up viewership? Fear mongering, of course

All indications are that the Pig Flu is no more dangerous than the common flu that we deal with every year ... but add an animal name, red font ... hey, and even a more scary alphanumeric moniker ... and even I am second-guessing my Moo Shu pork order

News this morning out of Hong Kong is that an entire group of hotel guests have been quarantined after being exposed to an infected Mexican tourist.

I think I will avoid CNN coverage even more than usual this weekend ... though I may ask that my bacon be extra crispy at brunch tomorrow

The Look

2009-04-30T22:54:00.001+08:00

The Look, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

"The camera can photograph thought."

~ Dirk Bogarde

Shanghai Sound Board

2009-04-26T19:48:00.001+08:00

Sound Board, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Shanghai's music scene leaves a lot to be desired. Admittedly, there are a few great jazz clubs in town, but my hunger for great, live indie-rock has gone unfed during my two years here. Every few months the authorities will 'allow' a big-name music act to play a show here, though its usually nothing to get excited about. And then Bjork comes to town and screams about a certain province in west China, which pretty much guarantees that we won't get any music-of-interest any time soon.

A friend of mine in town just got turned on to a internet radio station that streams music from local bands. He passed on one of the bands he came across that actually sounded ... good. They are from Beijing but were coming to Shanghai to launch their first album, so we (and our wives) agreed to meet for the show.

A bill of five bands took part in the show at Zhijiang Dream Factory, a medium-sized club in the Jing An district. Not all the bands 'did it' for me, but it was great to take in a live show for the first time in a while. Our newly-found band, 'Gar', came on last, following sets by local Shanghai groups and got a mixed reception from the Shanghai crowd as they ripped through a loud set. Its been a while since I went to bed with ringing in my ears...

Auto Shanghi 2009

2009-04-25T11:17:00.001+08:00

Auto Shanghi 2009, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

To say that Shanghai is car-crazy is an understatement of the highest order. Consider this ... to drive a car in Shanghai requires a license plate ... a license plate with a price tag in the range of RMB 40,000 (or about US$6,000). Despite this, the streets of the city are choked with cars of all shapes, sizes and brands. People here like their cars ... the freedom they represent and how they reflect their social status.

So it is no surprise that when the Auto Show opens in town, there are more than a few people who come out to have a look. So it was that I paid a visit myself this week ... purchased a ticket for the so-called "professional" day. I arrived about 30 minutes before the doors opened and found a huge mass of people already waiting outside. Lets just say that I was surprised to see so many groups of "professionals" under the age of 10, over the age of 70, wearing 4-inch high heels and trying to sell me a Rolex.

The show hall was massive. It took me the better part of the day to snake my way through the 700,000 people that reportedly visited the show that day. It really is quite a sight ... everywhere you look you see beautiful show cars gleaming under bright lights, bracketed by unbelievably tall models and surrounded by dozens of camera-toting men. Quite a sight indeed

Something Old, Something New

2009-04-21T20:32:00.001+08:00

Something Old, Something New, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Living in China at this moment in its history is really an amazing experience ... it truly is an inflection point, in which opportunities that never existed in the past are now open to hundreds of millions of people. I often think about the older generations that lived through the Cultural Revolution ... what an amazing sight Shanghai's skyline must be to someone from the countryside.

When I am out in the morning, sometimes I will see something that really drives home that contrast between old and new. For instance, this morning I passed by the park on my way to work, as I do every day. As usual, the older folks in the neighborhood were out doing their calisthenics. One man in particular that I watched going through the slow, graceful moves of tai chi suddenly broke his pose, reached into his pocket and answered his mobile phone! Its this kind of juxtaposition that I find really interesting

You can also find some interesting mash-ups of old and new in the Chinese language itself. One of my favorites is the Chinese word for elevator ...

'dian ti' ... or ... 电梯

the word literally translates as 'electric ladder'

Its not only a great mnemonic for remembering the meaning of the word, but it also exemplifies well the way China meshes the old with new

2009-04-18T21:19:00.002+08:00

gorgeous day today ... sunny and warm ... streets packed with people ... including us. walked down to the Taikang Lu neighborhood, found a great cafe to sit at, and people watched for a while.

we noticed the disturbing trend toward people dressing up their lap dogs in clothes, shoes, etc continues. c'mon ... shoes? ... seriously???

2009-04-16T20:50:00.002+08:00

"Restlessness and discontent are the first necessities of progress" ~ Thomas Edison

Awakening

2009-04-11T21:27:00.001+08:00

Smile, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

With brighter mornings, warmer weather and longer afternoons, the city is finally springing to life after a long winter. Walking through Fuxing Park over the weekend, I found it full of families flying kites, kids fishing for goldfish and couples dancing to country western music being blasted out of a boom box.

Not surprisingly, the people I come across share a smile much quicker now than during the cold months. A "nong hao" shared with one older women turned into an exchange where she wanted me to hold her lap dog. nice. Wandering down a small lane in the Old Town, a woman quickly rushed inside her house to bring her son outside for a photo with me. My complementing his English brought a huge smile to her face.

Just as spring follows winter, there is certain to be growth & prosperity to come after this long recession ... and that will bring a smile to all of our faces

Shanghai Spring

2009-04-11T19:57:00.001+08:00

Spring is Here, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Spring is sooner recognized by plants than by men

~ Chinese Proverb

2009-04-04T10:58:00.002+08:00

Temple Cat, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Another weekend ... of cold, rainy weather. I am ready to throw on my flip flops, grab my camera and explore Shanghai this spring ... but Mother Nature is not cooperating.

So the first day of my three-day weekend is going to be a lazy one ... start a book, make some coffee and crawl under a blanket. banana pancakes will make for a good lunch

2009-03-28T12:04:00.000+08:00

The excitment of the NCAA Tournament just isn't the same when you can't watch the actual game. Instead, I find myself watching the numbers change on the computer screen every time the screen refreshes in 30 second intervals.

At least they make helpful descriptions of the way in which the score changed ... i.e., "Jones dunks the ball". An exclamation point would have been nice, though. "Jones dunks the ball" conjures up an image of a nice, gentlemanly throw down ... like what Barry Sanders would have done if he played basketball. Exciting but anti-climatic. Now ... "Jones dunks the ball!" allows me to picture a huge, from-the-free-throw-line jam ... breaking the backboard, covering the cheering crowd in shards of glass

Anyway. It was all working well until this point ... at the end of the game ... with the score tied ... and the internet froze. I mean ... the internet froze! Madness indeed

Wandering

2009-03-06T21:50:00.001+08:00

White Beach, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

“Not all those who wander are lost.” ~ J. R. R. Tolkien

2009-03-04T19:52:00.002+08:00

Ubud, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Today was the day ... THAT day ... the one where I wake up and can sense an end to winter ... I look forward to THAT day every year. Its not that it was particularly warm ... it wasn't. But the sun was out this morning and it was out earlier ... didn't have to turn the light on in the kitchen when I got my bowl of corn flakes.

So I was munching on my corn flakes ... basking in the almost-spring sun coming through the window ... and i started thinking about bugs. don't ask me why ... I don't know ... it was early. anyway ... I started thinking about how FEW bugs I actually come across in Shanghai. Not that I expect it to be like 'Temple of Doom' or anything, but its a pretty warm climate without deep winter freezes ... so I would expect there to be the usual spiders in the corners, centipedes on the sidewalk, etc. Now ... we do get our fair-share of summer mosquitoes around here, but 'buggy' Shanghai is not.

It made me think back to my college days. We rented a house in Flint ... it was a typical college house ... pizza boxes left on the table, good layer of grime on the floor, etc. For some reason, though, we never had bugs in the house. Weird. There must have been something deadly in the paint.

Enough has been said about the pollution here in Shanghai ... and most of it is true. Perhaps Shanghai's air is like the deadly paint on my old house in Flint. Are bugs like little canaries in the coal mine? Scary when you think about it. Spring is a great time of year in Shanghai ... I really look forward to breathing in the fresh spring air ... just not too deeply!

2009-02-22T22:34:00.002+08:00

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” ~ Lin Yutang

2009-02-14T20:08:00.002+08:00

Harmony and I don't necessarily do anything to celebrate Valentine's Day (well ... we do try to find the cheesiest e-card to send each other ... then maybe order in and pop in the cheesiest of romantic comedies ... thats as far as we'll go) ... but it seems the people of Shanghai are increasingly so. The holiday is on a Saturday this year, so there were a lot of couples getting hitched today ... the older Shanghainese will tell you they have no intention to celebrate the holiday, but the younger of them are much more in-tune with holiday traditions abroad. Restaurants around town are wooing young lovers with candle-lit tables while the city's flower sellers are taking to the streets and staking out key sidewalk space ... you can feel the love in Shanghai today!

2009-02-12T22:13:00.003+08:00

“People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home.” ~ Dagobert D. Runes

2009-02-11T19:25:00.003+08:00

Needed: New Member for Poker Group

Though the current financial crisis began in the West, its impact is becoming increasingly global. With companies struggling to survive in their home markets and demand for Chinese goods dropping around the world, it is no surprise that things are changing here in Shanghai ... nothing drives that home for me more than the increasing number of foreign expats being 'recalled' earlier than expected ... the calendar is quickly filling up with going-away parties ... emails coming in offering up 220 volt appliances that will not function in a 110 volt future.

over the past four years living abroad, we have gotten used to the comings and goings of colleagues and neighbors ... it is just part of the transient nature of expat life ... though its never fun to say good-bye to the friends you have made along the way

Make Voyages!

2009-02-05T23:01:00.001+08:00

Boracay Sunset, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

“Make voyages! — Attempt them! — there's nothing else…” ~Tennessee Williams

2009-02-04T22:11:00.006+08:00

Trip Journal: Chinese New Year in Bali

26-Jan-09
Arrived at 4am after a long flight from Seoul ... got up early to watch sun rise over Ubud's rice fields ... back to sleep til 9. Can already tell that Bali is a special place ... can't wait to expore it! I sat outside our room while Harmony slept a while longer ... could sit here watching the stream pass by the rice fields all day and be happy. Hot & hazy today ... must be 30-something already

out in the afternoon to explore town ... in and out of shops ... had lunch overlooking a rice paddy ... and the the rain came. its been a while since i have seen such hard rain ... amazing! put on our rain coats after it died down and walked home through the Monkey Forest ... home to a large population of grey-haired macaques ... were fun to watch

At night, when the rain stopped, we took in a show by local dancers ... this one was considered 'kecak' and involved a 'choir' of men imitating a troupe of monkeys, fire, a kidnapped princess and a white monkey god ... a fitting end to our first day in Ubud!

27-Jan-09
In a word Bali can be described as 'lush'. If it is possible for something to grow somwhere here, you cann be sure that something is. if it is not possible, you can be sure that something is trying. everywhere you look ... green. we hired a car today and headed to the east coast. explored the amazing terraced rice paddies around Sideman before taking a narrow, broken 'road' down to the coast. I tested the driver by giving him the name of a tiny beach to find ... he asked around and finally found it! it was called Pasir Putih or 'Land White'. it was a beautiful crescent of white sand backed by coconut trees ... a cliff on one end and a row of boldly colored fishing boats on the other. a few 'warung' or small thatch-roofed cafes dotted the beach. enjoyed a great afternoon of swimming and walking the beach ... fish for lunch was delicious!

the road back to town took us past villages that specialized in silver & batik. in the evening, while harmony washed up, i had a balinese coffee at the hotel 'office' and spoke with one of the young guys that works here ... told me about growing up here in Ubud and playing in the rice fields where the hotel now stands ... talked about the changes to the area over time ... both good & bad. went in to town for dinner ... ate at a place next to the Ubud Water Temple ... beautifully lit at night ... more great fish (and a Balinese micro brew!) while watching a performance at the temple ... an all-female percussion orchestra and some beautiful dancing. we fell asleep early listening to the rain tonight

28-Jan-09
Up before sunrise this morning as i had intended on going for a hike before breakfast ... the rain changed my plans ... watched the sun rise behind the morning clouds as the farmer across the way came to let the ducks out of their pen. i don't understand duck behaviour all that well, so i find it interesting how they are 'herded' by their owners here ... farmer leads them out of the pen, puts up a flag, the ducks feed in a flooded rice paddy all day and then gather back at the flag at sunset to be led back to their pen ... fascinating!

Views of Gunung Agung, Bali's highest mountain, this morning ... can easily see the top missing from the 1963 eruption!

Visited a well-known silversmith's workshop today ... beautiful bamboo architecture ... lazy afternoon at the hotel ... went for a swim and read while watching the rain fall. ate at a place on the north side of town tonight ... served many dishes from Bali ... really good ... homemade rice wine to top it off!

29-Jan-09
While Ubud is made up of artisans, cafes, art & temples, Kuta and the resort towns to the south are full of 24-hour McDonald's drive-thrus, big-box hotels ... and famous surf breaks. We hired a car again today to head down in that direction ... spent some time relaxing at 'Dreamland' where we expected to see some surfing, but there was nothing! Apparently the rainy season isn't peak time for surfing these breaks. A big storm hit and everyone headed for cover ...

... time for lunch at a beach-side warung ... sun came back out afterwards. the beach ws pretty, but after a few hours of old women approaching us and asking "you want massage?" it was time to move on. Further down the Bukit Peninsula, we stopped at Pedang Pedang Beach ... another famous surf break ... you climb down a narrow set of stairs carved into a rock face to get to the beach ... was nice, but once again no surfing to be found at low tide. bummer. the south side of Bali isn't all about tubes & tans ... there are points of cultural interest, as well ... we stopped at Ulu Watu temple to catch the sunset and found bus-loads of tour groups had the same idea. the temple is dramatically perched on top of a cliff overlooking the sea and is overrun by monkeys ... one of which grabbed Harmony's hair tie right off her head! no sunset tonite, but we stayed to watch the Kecak dance ... was a good performance, with the stage backed by views of the temple and sea ... highlight of the show came when they went to light the white monkey god on fire and the wind blew the flaming grass into the audience ... nearly caused a stampede of people trying to escape the flames!

nobody was hurt, so its ok to laugh ;) it was about an hour drive back to Ubud ... stopped in town to get something to eat at Three Monkeys cafe (again) ... was a good day, but both of us agree that we don't need to go back to the south coast again any time soon

30-Jan-09
last day of relaxation on our trip ... slept in today while it rained outside ... rain cleared by mid morning so we decided we would spend some time at the pool ... perfect morning of swimming and reading ... finished a book about Theodore Roosevelt's exploration of Brazil's River of Doubt ... fascinating. Waited to go into town until late afternoon when the heat had broken a little ... explored some of the shops around Ubud ... Harmony bought some batik ... rain started to fall again when we walked past Three Monkeys cafe ... it was meant to be! enjoyed a relaxing night back home listening to sounds of nature outside ... couldn't imagine a more relaxing place.

31-Jan-09
it has taken us a week, but we finally found the Bali that we had imagined! up early today for our last adventure on the island ... hired a car so we could explore the north central highlands. from Ubud we first cut over to the southwest to stop at Pura Taman Ayun temple before heading north ... the road narrowed and climbed up to Jitulwih ... an area of centuries old rice fields terraced in the hillsides ... vibrant green as far as our eyes could see ... just amazing.

headed further north to the 'three lakes' area and the Pura Ulun Danu Bratan temple ... striking temple set in the lake surrounded by mist covered mountains. the road turned west from here and climbed into the mountains ... views of Bali's north coast on the right and lakes on the left. stopped before reaching munduk to have lunch and see how coffee is grown and processed ... the cafe had its own coffee trees and was happy to show us how the beans are harvested, roasted and ground ... then we enjoyed the final product!

after lunch, we took a walk into the jungle to explore a waterfall just outside of Munduk ... passed coffee, cocao and jack fruit trees along the way ... the falls were impressive and worth the walk down. took a small, rough road back toward Ubud that passed more rice fields, villages and markets ... stopped at a fruit market in Candikungin where Harmony bought local vanilla. back in Ubud in time to back our bags and head into town one last time for dinner before our flight.

Bali is truly a unique spot in this world ... geographically and culturally ... we are so fortunate to have the chance to see places like this. time to head back to the city ... duty calls

2009-01-21T21:07:00.003+08:00

新年快樂 ... Xīnnián kuàilè ... Happy New Year!

Known as the Spring Festival here in China, the lunar or Chinese New Year falls on January 26th this year. No matter what you call it, millions of people will be traveling home to spend this oldest and most important festival with their families.

The Spring Festival celebrates the Earth coming back to life after winter and marks the beginning of spring plowing and planting. The Chinese lunar calendar follows a 12 year cycle, with each named after an animal. The year 2009 (or 4707 in the Chinese calendar) represents the year of the ox.

It is an exciting time in China as everyone prepares to celebrate with family. People in town are busy decorating their homes with messages of peace and good fortune in the coming year ... symbols such as peach blossoms and koi are used to symbolise luck and prosperity. Many people have shopped for new clothes to wear when bringing in the new year.

On New Year's Eve, people light up their homes with red lanterns and have a special meal with their families. Special foods are served, such as jiaozi (dumplings) and jin juzi (mandarin oranges). Most people will stay up late and send up fireworks by the car-load in an attempt to scare off evil spirits. Traditionally, hong bao (red envelopes) are given out as part of the New Year's celebrations. The envelopes usually contain money and are typically given to unmarried young adults and children ... the amount contained within should always be of an even number, of course, so as not to be unlucky ... unless it contains the number 4, as the word for 4 in Chinese sounds like the word for death and would also be very unlucky!

It is a fascinating time to be here and a good chance to learn about Chinese tradition. With the week off of work, though, many expats take the chance to travel ... us included ... we'll let the cats enjoy the fireworks for us this year

2009-01-16T21:27:00.003+08:00

Meet Haibao. Haibao is the mascot of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo that takes place in ... er ... 2010. Modeled on the Chinese character ren, meaning people or a person, its name is based on si hai zhi bao, or the treasure of the four seas. Haibao can also mean the treasure of Shanghai.

Everywhere you go in Shanghai, you will see Haibao. He is our new friend ... and hero

Explore. Dream. Discover.

2009-01-13T23:29:00.001+08:00

Jump!, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~Mark Twain

2009-01-11T15:42:00.002+08:00

In a couple weeks, we will welcome in the lunar new year ... saying goodbye to the Rat and hello to the Ox. From what I am told, the ox is a symbol of prosperity through hard work ... people born under this sign are diligent, pragmatic, sincere and honest ... they are driven not by desire for financial gain but rather to help others in need. It seems fitting given the state of things in the world today ... we need all of the oxen we can find. I just looked up Obama's birthday ... August 4, 1961 ... interestingly enough, Year of the Ox

Blowing out the Candles

2009-01-07T22:55:00.001+08:00

Catching Some Rays, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Another day, another "happy birthday" ...

To my wife on this 1st anniversary of your 29th birthday ... may the next 30 be as wonderful & full of adventure as the first!

Happy Birthday, Little Man!

2009-01-06T22:22:00.001+08:00

Go, little man!, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

You're 3 already ... how can that be??

Rainy day, dream away

2009-01-06T22:18:00.001+08:00

its 10:30 ... its raining ... and you need a papaya, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Rainy day today ... one of those days where it seemed like the sun never rose ... dark so early. This is winter in Shanghai ... no snow, but a cold rain that chills you to the bone ... Spring Festival begins soon, but it will be some time before we see leaves on the trees. Can't complain, though ... you don't have to shovel rain off the sidewalk

Into the Unknown

2009-01-03T00:21:00.001+08:00

Into the Unknown, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

There seems to be so much uncertainty in the world as we head into 2009 ... global recession, conflicts in the Middle East, what will happen in the season premier of Lost, etc ... time to grab a paddle and push on into the unknown ... enjoy the ride!

2008-12-30T21:57:00.003+08:00

Trip Journal: Christmas in Vietnam & Cambodia

Saturday, December 20
the Hanoi symphony begins around 5am in the Old Quarter ... lonely cats wail, motorbikes rev, pots bang, public address system blares and horns honk ... now THIS is southeast Asia as i imagined it. i took a stroll through town to Hoan Kiem lake ... the place was buzzing by 6am! motorbikes flow through the narrow streets like blood through the veins ... women hauling fruit to the market on shoulder or head ... the lake shore was dotted with people doing tai chi or playing badminton. you can tell a lot about a city and its people from what happens at dawn ... Hanoi is a hard-working town, steeped in tradition

after breakfast, the four of us set off to explore and spent most of the day wandering the back-streets of the old town. traditionally, the streets of Hanoi were named after the products sold there, though much of this has been lost over time. nonetheless, we walked through fruit & meat markets, past clothing stands and along streets filled with herb sellers and metal workers. Hanoi, more than any other city i have been in, is a complete assault on your senses ... the sights, sounds and smells are so intense ... fascinating

crossing Hanoi streets 101 ... stand at the side of street and face upstream ... move slowly and consistently into the flow of motorbikes ... make eye contact, if possible ... the sea of motorbikes seem to magically part around you ... as you cross the mid-point in the street, rotate head 180 degrees to face upstream in the opposite direction ... breathe when you reach the other side and thank your parents for buying you Frogger when you were a kid

harmony and i hired a cyclo to pedal us around the old quarter in the afternoon ... though we covered many of the same streets, it was a completely different experience ... no longer needing to fear becoming road kill, we could finally sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery. it came as a surprise that Christianity is the 2nd most popular religion in Vietnam and even more of a surprise the amount of Christmas-related decorations and products we saw around town ... Santa suits for the kids and little fake trees at the street side vendors

found a place for dinner where we could try some traditional Vietnamese food ... grilled fish with dill & green onion ... tasty ... early to bed as we must be up early for our trip to Halong bay in the morning. great day of exploring today ... weather cool (60) and partly cloudy

Sunday, December 21
up early to meet our ride to Halong bay ... the drive took over 3 hours and passed rice paddies and small towns along the way ... you really get a feel for the low levels of income in the country ... many dusty roads, moldy concrete houses and mangy dogs ... the country is growing economically, but has a long way to go. we arrived at Halong bay just as the clouds and light rain began to break up ... there would 8 of us setting out on the Red Dragon boat ... beautiful new replica of the junks that sailed these waters in the past ... ship mates were from Johannesburg, South Africa and Cork, Ireland ... nice folks. Halong bay is gorgeous ... hundreds of karst peaks thrusting up out of the sea ... had a great time relaxing on deck and having a drink or three with everyone. the food served on board was fantastic ... a lot of fresh sea food. had time in the afternoon to explore some caves and kayak around some of the karst islands ... amazing

the sun came out just in time to set... beautiful as it fell behind a island mountain. we found a quiet cove to anchor for the night ... so calm & quiet ... what a contrast from the constant stimulation of Hanoi. a young guy named Viet who worked on-board showed me how to fish for squid ... with a light shone on the water, he lowered a line with a simple green lure about 8 feet below the surface ... he showed me how to basically hold the line and yank it up and lower back every few seconds ... up, down, up down ... before long, a squid hit the line and he pulled it onto the boat ... he pulled the hook out as the squid shot black ink everywhere ... good times ... we ended up with 4 squid in the bowl. the only lights on the sea that night came from the fishing boats on the horizon ... they were using commercial-grade lights of their own to lure the squid into their nets

night time on the boat was peaceful ... until the staff 'MC' felt it necessary to make the staff sing for us ... we (and the staff) could have done without that. beautiful cruise today ... mild (70) and partly sunny ... nothing beats a night of sleep on the water

Monday, December 22
had a breakfast as we pulled up anchor ... visited a floating village of fishermen and their families ... an intriguing and unique way of life, with inter-connected 'house' boats, floating school and a fish farm. we pulled back into Halong town around noon for our drive back to Hanoi. stopped into a restaurant for some spring rolls before catching a 'water puppet' performance at a local theater ... the tradition dates back hundreds of years and apparently began as a form of entertainment in the rice paddies ... master puppeteers manipulate the puppets from behind a curtain over the water ... it was quite a show and well worth a visit.

stopped into 'Le Pub' for a cold Hanoi beer ... advertised as serving the 'coldest beer in Hanoi', Le Pub came through as promised. cooling down today ... cloudy and in the 50s

Tuesday, December 23
met up with a couple of local university students today who offered to show us around Hanoi and some of its history ... they were really nice and planned out a full day ... morning spent touring the Ho Chi Minh complex (including mausoleum) ... "Uncle Ho" is a hero to the Vietnamese and seeing his body frozen in time elicited a lot of emotion. after a lunch of pho ... a national dish and staple of the Vietnamese diet, we were off to Ho Lao prison ... site where countless political prisoners have been held over the years ... also where US pilot POWs were held during the Vietnam War ... including John McCain. it was a pretty chilling look into the recent past and a reminder of how much things have changed in 40 years. the tour finished up back in the old quarter ... thanks to Kim & Tao for a great day. ended up back at Le Pub for 'quiz night' ... finished a respectable 3rd and had a great time with the local expat crowd

another cool day today ... 50s and cloudy ... have been lucky with no rain so far

Wednesday, December 24
last full day in Vietnam ... decided to take a day trip 100km south to Ninh Binh province ... aptly described as the Halong bay on rice paddies ... after touring the ancient capital of Vietnam (before it moved to Hanoi 1,000 years ago), it was on to Tam Coc for a boat ride through the paddies, karst mountains and caves ... an older women took the oars and guided us on a great 2-hour tour ... amazing scenery. back to Hanoi for some last-minute shopping and a Christmas eve dinner at a great local restaurant ... local specialty of snake head fish grilled over charcoals was excellent ... a lot of excitement in town with Christmas festivities and football match between Vietnam & Thailand ... Vietnam won and there was celebrating in the streets

off to bed early tonight ... have to catch an early flight to Cambodia in the morning ... was an eventful way to spend Christmas eve, though thinking of family back home ... no white Christmas here, but feels pretty cold

Thursday, December 25
Christmas day and we were off to the airport at dawn ... flight to Siem reap went through Luang Prabang, Laos ... arrived in town by early afternoon ... stark contrast from Hanoi ... small town and very quiet ... staying at a little boutique hotel called Golden Banana ... beautiful place with rooms that hang over a small pool ... set inside a local neighborhood, as are most of the places we usually pick. Spent the afternoon wandering into town ... stopped for a beer or three ... walked through the old market. traditional 'amok' for dinner ... fish blended with Khmer curry spices steamed inside a banana leaf ... delicious!

much warmer here than in Hanoi ... partly sunny & 80 ... beautiful

Friday, December 26
off to see some of the ancient temples today ... $13 got us a tuk-tuk for the day. first stop Ta Prohm ... wonderful example of man conquering nature only to have nature re-conquer man ... tree roots snake through the ancient walls ... trees soar out of the temples ... an amazing sight ... also known as the "Tomb Raider" temple, after Angelina Jolie filmed part of her movie here.

next stop Angkor Thom ... a large area containing multiple temples and historical sights ... walked along the Terrace of the Elephants where King Jayavarman VII once viewed public ceremonies ... further down the road was Bayon temple ... an amazing structure with 200 large stone faces carved out of the walls ... very surreal ... my favorite so far.

back to town for some great Indian food at a place called Kama Sutra ... then back to the hotel to cool off after a hot afternoon of temple exploration ... the pool was chilly but felt great. Harmony & Lee were done for the day, so Chuck and i walked back to town to sample the night life ... Angkor beers at Angkor What? bar and Temple Club then split a pizza before heading home

Saturday, December 27
morning came early ... up at 4:30 in order to catch sunrise at Angkor Wat ... rather touristy but still worthwhile. we were among the first to arrive but there was eventually quite a crowd ... $1 buys you a plastic chair and a cup of coffee from a local vendor ... not a bad deal. cloudy morning with a little drizzle didn't make for a brilliant sunrise, but still was a great experience. harmony & lee crashed back at the hotel ... i walked into town to buy some music and a couple of books ... finally reading Carl Sagan's 'Contact' ... lazy day today ... ordered pizza and hung out at the hotel ... caught up on sleep.

still great weather ... 80 and sunny

Sunday, December 28
last day of real vacation ... hired a tuk-tuk again to take us further out of town off the beaten track ... was an hour ride out to Beantey Srei ... passed villages & fields along the way ... people here seem so happy, despite what we would consider a really tough way of life ... always waving & smiling to us as we ride by. Beantey Srei is a small temple, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in intricate detail ... the three dimensional carvings were just amazing. stopped by the temple of Pre Rup on our way back ... steep steps take you to the top of the temple where you can look out on the surrounding rice paddies. back to town for one last meal before we checked out of the hotel. flew to Phnom Penh for the night before heading home first thing in the morning

it has been a great trip with great friends ... good combination of city & rural life, old & new ... some tasty food & fun nightlife ... what travel is all about!

Hey, You Senators: Thanks for Nothing

2008-12-17T23:09:00.001+08:00

Auto China 2008, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Mitch Album wrote a pretty gutsy piece this week in the Detroit Free Press about the current debate surrounding the domestic auto manufacturing industry ... i'm glad to see someone fired up about this and willing to say what others won't ... I thought it was great, so I'll post it here...

==============

Hey, You Senators: Thanks for Nothing
By Mitch Albom
Detroit Free Press
Dec. 13, 2008

Do you want to watch us drown? Is that it? Do want to see the last gurgle of economic air spit from our lips? If so, senators, know this: You’ll go down with us. America isn’t America without an auto industry. You can argue whether $14 billion would have saved it, but you surely tried to kill it.

We have grease on our hands.

You have blood.

Kill the car, kill the country. History will show that when America was on its knees, a handful of lawmakers tried to cut off its feet. And blame the workers. How suddenly did the workers — a small percentage of a car’s cost — become justification for crushing an industry?

And when did Detroit become the symbol of economic dysfunction? Are you kidding? Have you looked in the mirror lately, Washington?

In a world where banks hemorrhaged trillions in a high-priced gamble called credit derivative swaps that YOU failed to regulate, how on earth do WE need to be punished? In a bailout era where you shoveled billions, with no demands, to banks and financial firms, why do WE need to be schooled on how to run a business?

Who is more dysfunctional in business than YOU? Who blows more money? Who wastes more trillions on favors, payback and pork?

At least in the auto industry, if folks don’t like what you make, they don’t have to buy it. In government, even your worst mistakes, we have to live with.

And now Detroit should die with this?

Kill the car, kill the country. Sen. Richard Shelby, Sen. Bob Corker, Sen. Mitch McConnell, your names will not be forgotten. It’s amazing how you pretend to speak for America when you are only watching out for your political party, which would love to cripple unions, and your states, which house foreign auto plants.

Corker, you’ve got Nissan there and Volkswagen coming. Shelby, you’ve got Hyundai, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and — like McConnell — Toyota. Oh, don’t kid yourself. They didn’t come because you earned their business, a subject on which you enjoy lecturing the Detroit Three. No, they came because you threw billions in state tax breaks to lure them.

And now you want those foreign companies, which you lured, and which get help from their governments, to dictate to American workers how much they should be paid? Tell you what. You’re so fond of the foreign model, why don’t you do what Japanese ministers do when they screw up the country’s finances?

They cut their salaries.

Or they resign in shame.

When was the last time a U.S. senator resigned over a failed policy?

Yet you want to fire Rick Wagoner?

Who are you people?

There ought to be a law — against the hypocrisy our government has demonstrated. The speed with which wheelbarrows of money were dumped on Wall Street versus the slow noose hung on the auto companies’ necks is reprehensible. Some of those same banks we bailed out are now saying they won’t extend credit to auto dealers. Wasn’t that why we gave them the money? To loosen credit?

Where’s your tight grip on those funds, senators? Where’s your micromanaging of the wages in banking? Or do you just enjoy having your hands around blue-collared throats?

No matter what the president does, history will not forget this: At our nation’s most uncertain hour, you senators stood ready to plunge hundreds of thousands of American families into oblivion. Leave them unemployed, with no health care, on public assistance. And you were willing to put our nation’s security at risk — by squashing the manufacturing base we must have in times of war.

And why? So you could stand on some phony principle? Crush a union? Play to your base? How is our nation better off today now that you kept $14 billion in the treasury? Are you going to balance the budget with that?

Don’t make us laugh.

Kill the car, kill the country. You tried to slam a stake into our chest; you don’t realize how close you are to the nation’s heart. Shame on your pettiness. Shame on your hypocrisy. This is how lawmakers behave two weeks before Christmas? Honestly. What has become of this country?

2008-12-16T21:32:00.002+08:00

Saved by the Tree, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

there is something about travel that consumes me. the opportunity to see something new ... to experience a different culture ... to learn a few words of a strange language ... to feel a little uncomfortable and get lost ... the more i do these things, the more i need ... its really a vicious cycle of planning, traveling, going through travel hangover and then starting the whole process over again. experiencing somewhere new doesn't necessarily satisfy me, but rather gives me a temporary fix ... temporary relief but furthering the addiction

the next dose comes next week when we take 10 days to see Northern Vietnam and Western Cambodia ... i've read the guidebooks and prepped my camera ... its a sickness ... a bug ... unfortunately one i can't get covered by our health care plan ... trust me, we've tried

2008-12-11T20:29:00.002+08:00

Florida, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Ahhh ... Christmas time in Shanghai ... there are no chestnuts roasting on open fires or grandmas getting run over by reindeer (VW Santanas are to blame for that) ... they do decorate for the holiday season, though ... almost surprisingly so. Christmas here isn't too different from back home ... its all about consumerism and getting people out to the shopping malls ... call me an idealist, but something about all that leaves me cold ... i don't necessarily want the snow to start falling, but i could go for some old fashioned Christmas cheer and some of grandma's sugar cookies. if nothing else, at least i can pop 'Christmas Vacation' into the dvd player and live vicariously through Clark W. Griswold

2008-12-09T22:43:00.002+08:00

Trike, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

well here we are ... 2008 is already coming to a close ... its a good time to reflect back on the past year and remember what it was that made this one unique ... here is my shot at doing just that and thinking back on my favorite travel moments of 2008 ... here goes!

10. After three years of not using our dive certifications, finally getting back in the water for some diving in the Philippines ... absolutely beautiful

9. Hiking through the hills around Suzhou as workers harvested tea leaves ... stopped at temples along the way ... wandered down through a small village where there was warm local beer waiting for us

8. Experiencing the glitz & glamour of the Beijing Motor Show

7. Rented a car in Melbourne and drove the Great Ocean Road for a couple days ... stopping along the way to take in the amazing views and catch glimpses of koala bears

6. The never ending hike on Laoshan outside of Qingdao ... great May holiday weekend with friends

5. Travelled back to the US during July ... spent our anniversary cruising Old Mission Peninsula ... spending time at the lake with our nephew Matthew building the fort

4. Literally freezing in Harbin (northern China) during the annual Snow & Ice Festival ... no amount of clothing layers or vodka could keep the cold out. amazing

3. Waking up before dawn to make it down to Tiananmen Square to catch the sunrise flag-raising ceremony ... was the only 'laowei' in a crowd of thousands of patriotic Chinese

2. Night swimming in the Philippines ... so dark & peaceful ... a million miles away from Shanghai

1. Climbing to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the pouring rain ... something I will never forget

2008-12-08T20:56:00.002+08:00

Just weeks after opening the new tallest building in China (World Financial Center), work has now begun on the new new tallest building in China ... the new is never new for long here! the new tower will dwarf the WFC when the building is open ... in 2012-2014. my office building ... the old new tallest building in China (that was so 1997) is across the street from the building site, so we get a birds-eye view of the progress ... should be fun to watch ... that is, until there is something new to watch

2008-12-07T22:47:00.002+08:00

Sunday Afternoon, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Spent Sunday afternoon wandering through the old town ... markets line the streets and thousands of people are crowded in ... from belts to fish, shoes to antiques, you can find most anything at the Sunday markets here. bought some dried fruit from a sweet old woman at her market stand ... she and her friend laughed and laughed when i spoke a couple sentences in Shanghainese ... they gave me an extra scoop of fruit before i moved on! its those kinds of encounters i will always remember about living here

the days are getting short and weather cool ... winter finally here, though thankfully Shanghai doesn't get too cold

2008-11-30T11:13:00.003+08:00

Back in action!

After stumbling around with another blog site when living in Germany, I think it is now time to get serious about doing this and doing it right! This website was blocked up until recently, but appears to be ok for now ... we'll see how it goes. I know, I know ... "but I am on [fill in the blank social website] ... can't you use that instead??" Well ... no ... deal with it! ;)

I hope to use this page to keep everyone up-to-date on what is going on here ... and hear from you, too. So, like in the city I now call home, it is out with the old and in with the new! T

2007-10-07T21:13:00.001+08:00

spent a great few days in Bangkok ... fantastic city with great food, wonderful people and beautiful scenery. here are a few things i learned during the short time we were there...

-- there is a fine line between massage and torture

-- the food there IS as good as you imagine it would be

-- ping pong ball shows don't necessarily involve paddles

-- no ... i DONT want to buy something

-- when they say spicy ... they mean it

-- no ... i STILL don't want to buy something

2007-09-02T21:17:00.000+08:00

we learned an important lesson this week ... check your rice closely before you stick it in the pot.

we have noticed an increasing number of moths flying around the kitchen recently ... we began to zero in on the source, as most of them were flying around the food cabinet. getting tired of constantly smashing moths everywhere, we decided to do a mass inspection of our dry food. after combing through cereal, crackers, beer boxes, etc., we came to a few boxes of rice & grits. bingo. moths & moth-worm-babies all over the inside of the boxes. as the ladies man would say ... "now thats disgustin'"

lets just say we'll be inspecting and bagging dry food from now on

2007-08-16T21:18:00.000+08:00

Spotted by Harmony the other day ...

Man on moped ... swerving through traffic ... woman on back ... talking on mobile phone ... baby sitting on her lap ... breast feeding

yeap

2007-08-04T21:20:00.000+08:00

last weekend was our 5th anniversary, so we decided to go somewhere ... found a good deal to go to singapore ... sounded nice so off we went ... had no idea it so far away. five hours after takeoff we landed about 100 miles north of the equator in a bizzaroworld ... an odd mixture of the US and tropical SE Asia ... singapore was great ... very diverse country/city so food was great ... indian, chinese, thai, etc. the people were great ... must be the nicest cab drivers in the world ... always seemed to be chatty old men ..we wanted to put them in our pockets and bring them home. hotel was fantastic ... surrounded by tropical gardens ... walking distance to downtown. great relaxing weekend

2007-07-13T21:23:00.000+08:00

so we were given a package of Jellyfish today ... its a popular local food, so we were told we should try it ... what follows is the english language description on the package ... i have not altered it in any way......

The jiuxianfang instant jellyfish is precisely made with the traditionary craft and the advanced technique. Only we can keep the jellyfish's unique refreshing and crisp, and tender and smooth natural taste of11y! Our produ it's own successfuct contains indispensable trace elements, iodine, iron and calcium to human being. It is eatable directly, and it is highgrade health care in the cafe or in the family meal.

2007-07-04T21:26:00.000+08:00

there is a whole new area next to our apartment building that is going to house restaurants, retail, etc ... first store just put its sign up ... looks to be called 'ma' ... look 'ma' up in the chinese dictionary and it can mean one of several things depending on the tone you pronounce it in ... could mean 'mother', 'horse', 'scold' or 'marijuana' ... wondering what kind of store this is gonna be ... i'll be sure to let you know

happy 4th everyone!

2007-07-03T21:29:00.000+08:00

traveled to Beijing for the first time over the weekend ... meetings on Saturday while Harmony explored town ... had time to walk the Great Wall on Sunday ... it was .... er ... great! weather was sunny & 90 ... lots of steps ... amazing views ... centuries of history.

lunch today was an experience ... started off with eel and moved to turtle soup ... there were literally chunks of turtle in my bowl ... i kid you not ... fished out an entire turtle leg complete with little turtle claws.

2007-06-28T21:30:00.000+08:00

one of my favorite times of the day is the drive into work ... shanghai at 7:00 am is full of morning markets, guys cleaning & gutting fish and construction workers slurping down noodles before headin up 60 stories to build another one ... something I find really cool is the morning exercises you see people doing ... tai chi, dancing, stretching & singing ... its really fun to watch. my favorite ... and what must be the most obscure ... walking backwards. i kid you not ... many people like to get up early and go for a stroll down the sidewalk ... backwards. i love it

2007-01-27T21:33:00.000+08:00

well ... things have been going in fast forward lately ... finshed my class before the end of the year ... now starting a new one .... Christmas came & went ... friends Craig & Renee came to visit ... spent a week in southern Spain with them ... now enjoying a breath of warm spring air ... in January.

we look forward to our friends Chuck & Beth coming out in Feb ... planning to drink some beer and show them some sights ... will take some time off and do some traveling through the spring ... not sure how much longer we'll be here, so have to take advantage of the time we have.

i don't have the patience to write a few thousand words right now ... and since a picture is worth as much, i figured i would give you an update that way ... cheers, t

Christmas in Germany

Seville, Spain

Grenada, Spain

Gibralter

Tangier, Morocco

Ronda, Spain

New Year's Eve in Wiesbaden

Saturday in Colmar, France

2006-12-17T21:34:00.000+08:00

we finally have a free weekend, so we decided to jump in the car yesterday and head to Strasbourg, France ... word is they have a great Christmas market ... so we got up early (by our standards) and were on the road by 9 ... 2 hours later we were in Strasbourg.

Strasbourg is in the Alsace region of France ... an area that has fallen under German & French rule a number of times throughout history ... given that, its no surprize that the area has both a German & French feel ... you will see half-timber houses all over, but can't walk a block without seeing a crepe stand.

we have had a chance to drive all over Europe ... from Italy and Portugal to Ireland & Slovenia ... i have to say that French drivers are some of the worst ... it can complete chaos on those tiny roads in the middle of town ... a complete free-for-all. we get into Strasbourg and we suddenly felt that we made a bad decision ... gridlock! we eventually make it to a garage near the city center which luckily had free spaces ... or so we thought. we get into the garage and the only thing we find is clueless people driving in every which direction (but the right one) searching for spots that don't exist ... we did the same for 30 minutes and just had to leave. first time i have ever paid $2 bucks not to park. i wish we knew enough French to be able to bitch someone out.

so it was out into traffic again ... eventually find another parking garage and -- again -- it had availability. i wasn't getting my hopes up, but we entered anyway. this was a complete disaster ... get this ... there was one lane for both directions of traffic ... 7 small levels of parking with one lane to accomodate people coming & going!! it was frustrating to the point of hilarity ... people were stuck coming up and going down, trying to turn around, trying to do anything. we eventually made it up to level 7 ... it was time for a drink

beyond the driving/parking situation, we had a great time wandering the town and checking out the market ... it was pretty mild, as it has been across all of Europe in December ... reached 10C or 50F. there were lots of craft & food stands ... all centered around the beautiful gothic cathedral. the town is especially beautiful because it has a series of canals running through it

each year, Strasbourg features a section of the market dedicated to the crafts & food of another European country ... this year Romania had its own section of the market ... it was cool checking out what they had to sell ... lots of wooden crafts and some great food...

it was a great day ... got a few gifts and things for us ... started to get rainy, so we headed home ... ... luckily we had no problem leaving the garage ... woo hoo!

2006-09-09T21:38:00.000+08:00

the weekend is finally here ... couldn't have come soon enough ... i was so exhausted last nite that i didn't even here the cat knock the alarm clock off the table next to me. Harmony is in Florida visting the family before i meet her in Detroit in a couple weeks for Chuck & Beth's wedding ... i can't wait! been 9 months since i've seen everyone ... will be a fun, but short trip.

My wife is so wonderful ... she made all kinds of great food before she left and put it in the freezer for me ... i will be eating like a king while she's gone ... just like i do when she's here!

well the weather is too nice this morning to be inside, so i'm off to wander ... hope everyone has a good weekend! t

2006-09-02T21:38:00.000+08:00

things have been busy here, so i haven't had time to write about last weekend ... Harmony had to attend a conference in Hamburg as part of her duties with the Women's Club ... i tagged along and explored the town on Saturday while she did her thing

Hamburg is the second largest port in Europe (next to Rotterdam) and is the second largest city in Germany ... the people there seemed rather affluent, since there are some major business headquartered there. still, it is first and foremost an industrial town and the focus is the port

the city was heavily bombed during WWII, so there is a combination of new & old buildings ... as always, the Germans have done a fantastic job of restoring historical buildings to their original design

the weather was mixed over the weekend ... got some sun in the morning but, by the time Harmony joined me mid-afternoon, the rain started to fall ... luckily the rain cleared out at nite so we could sit outside and eat dinner in the beautiful area around Deichstrasse.

the old rathaus (city hall) is the major architectural highlight in Hamburg ... see the pic at the top ... another highlight was the huge park/gardens that dominate a large area in the city ... there are miles of trails, ponds, fountains to explore ... some areas felt like a tropical rain forest ... they even set out chairs/lounges in secluded areas of the park for people to use ... it was amazing to see right in the middle of a large city

it was a great weekend ... walked all over the place ... had some great seafood ... really enjoyed our first time in the north of Germany. the weather on sunday wasn't all that great, so didn't get a chance to see anything else on the way home ... we'll go back some day.

oh yeah ... got a chance to borrow a pre-production Corsa to drive up there ... fantastic new small car ... suspension & powertrain are tuned well enough to cruise comfortably at 180 km/h ... got flashed by the traffic camera once, though ... i'm sure the ticket is in the mail

hope everyone has a great weekend .... there is a street festival on our street this weekend (Taunusstrasse Fest) ... should be fun and don't have a long walk home! t

2006-08-06T21:39:00.001+08:00

knowing that our 4th anniversary was coming up, we began looking online for cheap tickets on Ryan Air ... having only a weekend, we didn't want to go to far ... also wanted to go to a country we hadn't been ... so in the end we chose Scotland ... $0.01 round trip tickets (plus Euro 40 in taxes) ... score! the land of bagpipes, kilts and Sean Connery ... romantic, eh?

we took off friday nite and were in Glasgow by 9:00 ... again, having only a weekend, we decided we would limit ourselves to just exploring Glasgow ... its a big town with plenty to see & do. we hopped on the train from the airport that got us right downtown ... our hotel/pension was on the west end so we took a taxi ... dropped our stuff off and went off in search of dinner ... ended up having some great Indian food ... like london, there is a large Indian population in Glasgow ... great food!

the little pension we stayed at was great ... perfect location to explore from ... the old gothic Glasgow University and Kelvingrove Museum were right around the corner ... it was about a 15 min walk into the city center. my only complaint about the place was that the fire alarm went off in the middle of the night ... thankfully no fire, but not the way i want to be woken up.

they served a full Scotish breakfast there ... eggs, tomato, porridge, beans, potato, sausage ... definitely a good way to start off the day. spent all day saturday wandering the town ... they have a great hop on - hop off bus service there ... takes you to all the main sites in the city ... got a chance to see a lot of cool places, museums, architecture ... most of the museums in Glasgow are free ... so just wander in and spend as much or as little time as you want.

The museums were fascinating ... odd collection of social/cultural history, ancient history, nature, art, etc ... this photo here is of the recently re-opened Kelvingrove Museum

by late afternoon, some rain had moved in, so we decided to catch a movie ... in english ... a real treat for us! saw the new 'Pirates' movie ... by the time it was done the rain had moved on ... still cool (60s) and damp ... something else we're not used to in Germany ... has been in the 90s.

we spend the balance of the weekend eating some great food...drinking some great cask ale ... found a great pub called the drum & monkey ... went there twice

explored Glasgow University on Sunday ... beautiful school ...

we also walked to the north side to check out the botanical gardens ... nice place on a sunday afternoon ...

we had a great weekend ... got a chance to explore a new place ... see some great museums, art & architecture. only one key thing was missing ... not one mention of Sean Connery ... i dreamed of seing him in some dark pub asking the waitress for some "spicy mustard" in a way that only Sean Connery could ... turns out, he's an Edinburgh boy ... Glasgow and Edinburgh are like oil & water, i guess. i will have to return to Scotland again and continue my quest for Connery

thats all for now ... we're enjoying a nice quiet weekend at home ... our close family friend Mike is recovering well from a recent heart attack, and i'm thankful for that ... Harm's brothers just started school this week ... ha ha ... Niko's first day of high school (makes me feel really old) ... thats about it. hope everyone is well ... later! t

2006-07-09T21:42:00.000+08:00

Summer vacation is now over ... had a wonderful 17 days on the road/boat with Harmony, the Costas' and the Morrows (family friends) ... we started in Athens, explored Arna --the village where Alex's dad lived when he was young, hopped through the Greek Isles and ended up in Tuscany for a week ... needless to say, I took a few pictures!

We left on a Wednesday night ... flying from Frankfurt to Athens where Alex and the Morrows were waiting for us ... got up early the next morning to head toward Arna ... it was a four hour drive throughthe Peloponnesian puninsula -- us in a big 9-passenger van ... hats off to Alex for the van driving skills!

stopped through corinth to see the man-made canal...

also made a stop in Mycenae to see the ancient ruins there

we spent 3 nites in Arna, giving us a chance to see the area, meet Alex's distant relatives and learn about the family history there ... its a small town of only a couple hundred, so every knows each other and knows of Alex ... it was a fascinating time and a beautiful place

this is the house that Jim (Alex's dad) lived in

the pension we stayed in was beautiful

we then headed back to Athens for a couple of nites ... this gave us time to explore the town ...

it was then off to the islands...first stop was in Mykonos...

we spent a few days there ... had some great seafood, went snorkeling, relaxed at the beach, etc ... we made a fascinating day trip to the island of Delos ... Delos is the site of an ancient civilization ... ruins still exist here intact from about 2,500 years ago!

after 3 great days in Mykonos, we boarded a ship and headed for Santorini ... Santorini was easily one of the most beatiful places i have seen ... steep cliffs rise out of the Aegean and are capped with stark-white towns ... we spent 3 days seeing the sights here ... we hiked the 12 km trail along the cliffs from Oia to Thera ... we also charted a great sailboat for a day to see the area by sea ... had an amazing time

one of the highlights was swimming in the hot springs at the volcano ... the water smelled like sulfur, turned your skin orange, and had a gross mushy bottom ... it was awesome!

it was then on to Italy, where we rented a villa in Tuscany for a week ... it worked out perfectly for everyone ... we could do as much or as little as we wanted ... Harm & I had our own car, so we had a great time seeing all of the hill towns

our friends Todd & Liza were in Italy at the same time, which was great because we were able to meet them in San Marino and get the real tour from a local!

before flying home, we had one last day of vacation to spend in Rome ... although we only had one day, we were able to see and learn a lot ... thanks to our great guide, Rahul

it was an amazing trip ... we saw and did so much ... it was fun traveling with family & friends. Harm & i will be laying low for a while ... detoxing from the great food & fine and conserving what little $ we have left!

oh by the way ... congrats to Deutschland for their 3rd place finish in the World Cup ...enjoy the world cup final tonite! until next time ... t

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PICTURES FROM THE TRIP!

2006-05-31T21:43:00.000+08:00

soooo ... we took advantage of the long 4-day weekend and headed south to the french alps ... hadn't been there yet and heard how beautiful it is ... they were right! we stayed in the town of Chamonix ... a small skiing/hiking town in the valley beneath Mont Blanc ... the highest mountain in western Europe.

it was a nice little town ... pretty quiet this time of year ... between prime skiing & hiking seasons. on Friday morning we got up early and took a ride up the worlds highest cable car ... all the way to the top of the aiguille du midi (12,602 ft) ... amazing!

we checked out the views for a while and then boarded a little cable car (just the 2 of us) and rode it over to italy ... very cool ... just dangling over the mountains for about 45 mins

we didn't get to do as much hiking as we would have liked ... the snow line was still pretty low ... though we did get some in. the petit balcon sud trail followed the ridge line between Chamonix and Le Praz ... very nice

after some good hiking, the local specialty -- fondue -- tasted really good!

we also had a chance to visit the beautiful town of Annecy ... spent saturday checking it out ... i would love to go back

all in all, it was a great trip ... beautiful mountains, great weather, good food ... what more do you need? harm's family gets in on saturday ... can't wait! leaving for greece on the 13th ...will post pics from that trip then. hope everyone is well ... wishing you a peaceful memorial day. t

2006-05-02T21:45:00.000+08:00

another week, another long weekend ... with things being so busy at work, a three day weekend has hit the spot! harm & i jumped in the car on friday nite and headed west into france ... about 4 hours later we arrived in Reims (rance ... rhymes with france ... no idea how they get that from reims) ... the capital of the Champagne region

the town is known for 2 things: its 13th century cathedral (yet another Notre Dame) and the local champagne houses. we took tours of Taittinger and Moet & Chandon on saturday afternoon ... a lot of fun ... both gave hour long tours of their cellars/caves ... we learned so much about champagne ... actually, we didn't really know anything about champagne until this weekend Taittinger wine caves ... dug by the Romans in 2nd & 3rd centuries

Moet & Chandon ... home of Dom Parignon and the origins of Champagne

on Sunday, we got back in the car and headed north of Paris to the town of Giverny. Claude Monet lived here in the late 19th century and soon the place became an artist comune. Monet's gardens and home are open to the public year-round ... they were truly beautiful this time of year ...

it was a great weekend ... the weather & traffic cooperated for the most part. the champagne was great ... got some to bring home for upcoming special occasions. the gardens were beautiful ... hope my mom gets a chance to see them some day!

although you always hear/read about how wonderful french cuisine is, harmony & i prefer to save our money ... our favorite french food are the cheap sandwiches we can find at the gas stations ... so good!

hope everyone is well .... happy may day! t

2006-04-17T21:45:00.000+08:00

happy easter everyone ... we took advantage of the long weekend and made the drive to Slovenia. Slovenia is an amazingly beautiful country ... no bigger than the state of Massachusetts, but so diverse ... within a 2 hour drive you could visit the Alps, the Adriatic coast, one of the world's most impressive cave systems and a cliff-hanging castle thrown in for good measure. we left on thursday morning and made it to Lake Bled in about 7 hours. Lake Bled is Slovenia's most popular mountain retreat. the lake sits in front of the Julian Alps and has a picture perfect little island with a little white church sitting on top. it was really quiet and relaxing there ... had a nice 3.5 mile walk around the lake with beautfiul views the whole way.

The next morning we were off to the capital, Ljubljana. though the city has 300,000 residents, it felt much smaller. the weather was beautiful there ... hanging in the mid-60s ... the trees were really starting to bud ... wonderful willow trees hanging over the Ljubljanica River. it really was a city made for strolling ... great cafes line up along the river and a castle sits on a cliff over the town.

we got up early the next day and made the drive to the coast ... little over an hour later we arrived in the old fishing village of Piran. the town sits on little sliver of a puninsula on the border with Croatia ... great little town with a nice strollable (word?) harbor ... great boats to look at ... the sea was flat and air was mild ... it was hard to leave, but we had to move on.

back in the car, it was about 30 mins to the Skokjan Caves ... one of the largest cave systems in Europe (maybe the largest?) and supposedly one of the most impressive in the world ... i wouldn't be one to judge that since this is my first time spelunking. what an amazing place! the tour starts in the 'silent' part of the caves with stalagtites & stalagmites and then moves into the 'finale' cavern where the trail winds along 150 feet above a raging river!

our last stop of the day was another 30 mins back toward Ljubljana in the town of Predjama. there is a castle here that was literally built into the side of a mountain ... a most impressive sight ... we heard that the interior wasn't worth paying to see, so we skipped it. the outside was amazing though!

we left the next day and decided to break up the drive back by staying in Regensberg, Germany ... the town is in our '1000 places to see before you die' book, so we couldn't pass it up! great town with some amazing history ... beatiful gothic cathedral ... ancient stone bridge over the (very high) Danube River. the weather was chilly & sometimes rainy, but we were able to walk around the entire old town. back on the road this morning and amazingly didn't hit any traffic ... overall a great Easter weekend trip!

hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend ... later! t

2006-04-02T21:46:00.000+08:00

yesterday was the annual German-American Women's Club Flohmarkt (flea market) and bake sale. Harmony was in the kitchen for two days getting things ready. i was asked to help out -- and due to my years of experience -- was put in charge of clearing tables. it was a great time and for a great cause. last year, the group brought in 25,000 Euro at the event. hoping for that or better this year. hundreds of people came through, bought old clothing, books and other donated items. i have to say the food area was the most popular of them all. the women did a amazing job of making cakes, pies, cookies, etc...it was quite a spread! here is a pic of one of the cheesecakes Harm whipped up...it was hard to part with...

they also raised money through a big raffle --- dozens of prizes were donated by the club and local businesses. Harm and i took home bottles of schnapps and riesling ... a little something to numb the pain of running the kitchen for 8 hours! it was a great day ... felt good to be giving back to the area that we have enjoyed so much. I got a chance to practice my german and also got to meet a lot of the women that Harm knows through the club. we both look forward to helping out next year! hope everyone is well....later....t