tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50766247608910200192024-02-07T15:16:06.098+09:00On China and MoreGabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-5885359333582664842011-02-03T13:29:00.004+09:002011-02-03T13:46:07.282+09:00Love Me Some Scary Creature Liqueur<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbts5VBMtxWELHm4ON5g3cUoGv46CWlf3vidMT2MqCrrq_MuLItTv4GOjtps2MQ5XyHtMX1rN2XKIATUw-31NL3awEuCJgp9fNswYBGxSpCSpxu6R5tQJNXKTsfDxGjAPBAiT6nkRDJKAQ/s1600/L1040755.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbts5VBMtxWELHm4ON5g3cUoGv46CWlf3vidMT2MqCrrq_MuLItTv4GOjtps2MQ5XyHtMX1rN2XKIATUw-31NL3awEuCJgp9fNswYBGxSpCSpxu6R5tQJNXKTsfDxGjAPBAiT6nkRDJKAQ/s320/L1040755.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569319925548150930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZu316dQti_m-khtZFWIselOxSXE2FKGPbniOSH8YcBe7Hww6Dn5Jrjp0k6B8iNl5NBS3nFvKGoSE2TxQR_OqHTRJO7xWH8cYmsAEc0AIFUYziGp1T9dKUuo_pXTX7tojE3jipxU_0vUlP/s1600/L1040754.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZu316dQti_m-khtZFWIselOxSXE2FKGPbniOSH8YcBe7Hww6Dn5Jrjp0k6B8iNl5NBS3nFvKGoSE2TxQR_OqHTRJO7xWH8cYmsAEc0AIFUYziGp1T9dKUuo_pXTX7tojE3jipxU_0vUlP/s320/L1040754.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569319406071631506" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6kCrC_IEKvVwE5HsogOrrZJEx4zpjyO6rQvSHkhWy0wUEKba4jXppvV6j-Nu-QeAWlyt_Ebu0raczVjOAPVY4O6Pmk9lv5QcSeaiXhjDtqSry27F2zfAytapgn-V1FZd-3vp8p5QsV3c/s1600/L1040750.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6kCrC_IEKvVwE5HsogOrrZJEx4zpjyO6rQvSHkhWy0wUEKba4jXppvV6j-Nu-QeAWlyt_Ebu0raczVjOAPVY4O6Pmk9lv5QcSeaiXhjDtqSry27F2zfAytapgn-V1FZd-3vp8p5QsV3c/s320/L1040750.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569319251133333794" /></a><br />People on the river make what they call "Whiskey" and marinate a creature in it. In fact, from what I gather they begin the marination when the river snake snake, scorpion, cobra, or insanely huge poisonous centipede still moves with life. After it dies of alcohol poisoning it is positioned in good display. This is not the first time I've come across this sort of thing, but definitely the most shocking display. The woman selling these in a small village called Whiskey Village informed me this will cure pretty much any problem I have and some of the bottles even have instructions printed on the label sort of like what you find on a bottle of cough syrup. In the end I bought the one with the Giant Centipede and drank nearly half of it on the spot as I thought about all of my problems. No, really though, I did buy it to serve as a nice addition to my liqueur cabinet.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-24018460532894903012011-01-30T13:09:00.007+09:002011-01-30T14:05:42.441+09:00Morning Alms in Luang Prabang<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MsFml7-rw9WeDI_umOGVZquAakdjYTjn5pfpL-kTCExPpds5APB79igvyXk2txEdTq7QdVoIXF_9crK0SFcihVw8QZwSEcxJ86VooEji2DmNzNbgiYbPx7zdaDjeBvTyMGQ4IjMoc8Wd/s1600/L1040714.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MsFml7-rw9WeDI_umOGVZquAakdjYTjn5pfpL-kTCExPpds5APB79igvyXk2txEdTq7QdVoIXF_9crK0SFcihVw8QZwSEcxJ86VooEji2DmNzNbgiYbPx7zdaDjeBvTyMGQ4IjMoc8Wd/s320/L1040714.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567839272881562306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28zoa58o_0XN6PauqH6mdu60x6hGvIMtyBzumleqnumIpaBr-YYUAAuNZ7Hak58sAvSWhTmVJ0c2-dnuvIlK0yvZBAfkolHN_FpSBKjoXOSVJCp4og25zUyQsqprYe0AUdKLIAA3GlhWD/s1600/L1040709.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28zoa58o_0XN6PauqH6mdu60x6hGvIMtyBzumleqnumIpaBr-YYUAAuNZ7Hak58sAvSWhTmVJ0c2-dnuvIlK0yvZBAfkolHN_FpSBKjoXOSVJCp4og25zUyQsqprYe0AUdKLIAA3GlhWD/s320/L1040709.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567838265613139842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglofdzGhc3B1hzzRryW5YvsGKRoyrVUMrgyES5ji8YZps_VWLWutXdipcEW7SHjVwfSjCAx4Ann4eYjsL5lioakw-X-qOd7INmgTAyPJX5kKBBIqC3GiuuizWQmLgzxomy37PmiuQFysV/s1600/L1040702.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglofdzGhc3B1hzzRryW5YvsGKRoyrVUMrgyES5ji8YZps_VWLWutXdipcEW7SHjVwfSjCAx4Ann4eYjsL5lioakw-X-qOd7INmgTAyPJX5kKBBIqC3GiuuizWQmLgzxomy37PmiuQFysV/s320/L1040702.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567837664147130562" /></a><br /><br />Around the corner from where we are staying the monks make their morning rounds and the local residents provide alms, a Buddhist ritual. This takes place at around dawn when they quietly linger down from the monastery in small groups. They're given sticky rice, and perhaps some other food, but I'm not quite sure what. All around Luang Prabang there are signs asking people to please respect this process by being discreet with photographs and making sure to remain lower than the monks as they walk by. <br /><br />Admittedly, here I am, a tourist taking photographs of this process and already feeling a bit guilty, though discreet, low and still I was. At the same time, I couldn't believe what a group of middle aged French tourists were doing. Coming out of nowhere they practically ran at the monks snapping pictures with a flash directly in their faces. One group actually took turns so that each of them could have a shot standing in front of them as they walked by. It was a chaos of flashing, shouting, laughing and posing, which to me, seemed like a throwback to the colonialism past. Why the hell you would want a picture of yourself in front of them with a big shitty grin on your face is beside me.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-52184145335525164352011-01-27T17:40:00.019+09:002011-01-28T12:40:03.123+09:00Welcome To The Jungle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCfzKWfXxPZWZWuVz1fhg0FPcloH6jS78m92l-Mmb4E3ltommJ7Q7OhQbMf23GfObR0VA_Qa0e0TVeQik0lIVMIx2hEqrPUcvpteui1fuhRBnIHs6SG3GC_tCThJ3q_mrPAiFT5jdxvHe/s1600/L1040661.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCfzKWfXxPZWZWuVz1fhg0FPcloH6jS78m92l-Mmb4E3ltommJ7Q7OhQbMf23GfObR0VA_Qa0e0TVeQik0lIVMIx2hEqrPUcvpteui1fuhRBnIHs6SG3GC_tCThJ3q_mrPAiFT5jdxvHe/s320/L1040661.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566826553866421122" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHg0D2lCjibGXmiFZFSsUf7rl6sHUgruRREu1la1Y5tmcilrYYbjrnYjR3q3_mSMHAcR4lO7zhxwfoxlcJgrv5s4EWkHR8ZQ7He9fzGWm5tN5BnchtCubCOBoi4nUgUivSpCr_RZUo9GG/s1600/L1040652.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHg0D2lCjibGXmiFZFSsUf7rl6sHUgruRREu1la1Y5tmcilrYYbjrnYjR3q3_mSMHAcR4lO7zhxwfoxlcJgrv5s4EWkHR8ZQ7He9fzGWm5tN5BnchtCubCOBoi4nUgUivSpCr_RZUo9GG/s320/L1040652.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566825791788629538" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsEEqukYLYPBcu7VghtKlL4Dg0wyjSLhakjN80mLNa0_23Au0WT7Ft7IBKtUId5TnPEjLdfdLtfZHdqAnDrhDCekqM51Y_h89nWwXgjW8rNxH_GYHke6-Zr-jK1IrxPJuGGMZ2wuLOaYt/s1600/L1040647.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsEEqukYLYPBcu7VghtKlL4Dg0wyjSLhakjN80mLNa0_23Au0WT7Ft7IBKtUId5TnPEjLdfdLtfZHdqAnDrhDCekqM51Y_h89nWwXgjW8rNxH_GYHke6-Zr-jK1IrxPJuGGMZ2wuLOaYt/s320/L1040647.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566824917049504834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXqCnLdpXjfDaqqw3XRQsKkrhXvpAh990LH9DJ_dKFPLYL-lfA6N8H9jliHSZXRGhBiTTcDGrBCzgEeIr4gBEEzCfu8gnAzj94m9SIPWtBLrxRchK6LWiYtX8GkD0gHvymDxu7nQ7PGW7/s1600/L1040631.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXqCnLdpXjfDaqqw3XRQsKkrhXvpAh990LH9DJ_dKFPLYL-lfA6N8H9jliHSZXRGhBiTTcDGrBCzgEeIr4gBEEzCfu8gnAzj94m9SIPWtBLrxRchK6LWiYtX8GkD0gHvymDxu7nQ7PGW7/s320/L1040631.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566824300822082658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSu35C_DzIxVB7NxidoIRqHtmiN6UhPAV92Z1BgPgsSMEmEwec4lf9E5V3McLEGGSb1zqcbZ4KF-xfITKtFahICKYHe3rw67SD5tcxmet5pX42bpiLRCdniwtrm2BsMatpWE7cTO3R-6MI/s1600/L1040627.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSu35C_DzIxVB7NxidoIRqHtmiN6UhPAV92Z1BgPgsSMEmEwec4lf9E5V3McLEGGSb1zqcbZ4KF-xfITKtFahICKYHe3rw67SD5tcxmet5pX42bpiLRCdniwtrm2BsMatpWE7cTO3R-6MI/s320/L1040627.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566823492794251138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpSgrTOYRLGvbUI4n_gYBkMBwrdEwq2QE5xNzx-B9BgkEA0NxhbkRrO3pWHlgcSv-CghTsTNckyRb4zrbTiLZMisrVv8P7OfW2Y96xJqBC-XDMfVS-bd-Z7Gv6vMNU8stqdhrapIzjfik/s1600/L1040622.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpSgrTOYRLGvbUI4n_gYBkMBwrdEwq2QE5xNzx-B9BgkEA0NxhbkRrO3pWHlgcSv-CghTsTNckyRb4zrbTiLZMisrVv8P7OfW2Y96xJqBC-XDMfVS-bd-Z7Gv6vMNU8stqdhrapIzjfik/s320/L1040622.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566822413537606098" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9-TSvdQnTa6An1rLOYewvkXg_BFyZx_FJq3DCO1WXUQrAQ7M0YxkIlULvorUFH1sOokpd6KuQcRLdCw5WH3TI5hAPpViNDk7Kg0qaA87omWwcdzMWuPrX6OQ006QzyYdY07aElYgk_3h/s1600/L1040619.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9-TSvdQnTa6An1rLOYewvkXg_BFyZx_FJq3DCO1WXUQrAQ7M0YxkIlULvorUFH1sOokpd6KuQcRLdCw5WH3TI5hAPpViNDk7Kg0qaA87omWwcdzMWuPrX6OQ006QzyYdY07aElYgk_3h/s320/L1040619.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566820520033749618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51r9TTPgfZS0yFZBn3drA2KroboMJafQlx9HYvEqBhonTGp45xcGA9UAy45O6b9KGKZtuyGbr7je0_TeIW0dV8e8DL7HWjy46hbC6IYwjtAn033JSMt3z_278rkTQLdlBULY_JYPrjdem/s1600/L1040579.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51r9TTPgfZS0yFZBn3drA2KroboMJafQlx9HYvEqBhonTGp45xcGA9UAy45O6b9KGKZtuyGbr7je0_TeIW0dV8e8DL7HWjy46hbC6IYwjtAn033JSMt3z_278rkTQLdlBULY_JYPrjdem/s320/L1040579.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566819868989012354" /></a><br />Beijing at this time of the year is the equivalent of a winter desert, a cold and windy desert. I don't say this with exaggeration as there hasn't been a hint of precipitation in more than two months. For this reason, Luhan and I decided to escape to somewhere with sun, moisture, and a little edge. We are in the jungle in Laos. At the moment, we're in Luang Prabang and I'll get to that in another post, but in the meantime I wanted to write a bit about our last 4 days deep in the jungle. <br /><br />Deep in the jungle we were, but not entirely without comfort and I would even go as far as to say bliss. Both of us like to work hard and play hard we do as well. We stayed in one of five bungalows built by a German couple about ten years ago. Comprised mainly of local teak wood, stone and bamboo, the bungalow was a sanctuary. Beautiful furniture imported from Thailand, a stone enclosed outdoor shower and a deep bathtub below french windows that peered out onto an enormous veranda overlooking the Nham Khan river. It would be difficult to think of anywhere else in the world I could more thoroughly enjoy my novel, "The Quiet American" and ponder the 1950's U.S. involvement in Vietnam and the French colonialism that preceded it. <br /><br />Having our base in place we set out on a seven hour hike through the surrounding jungle with our local guide. It was a grueling, but fascinating trek and I can't say I didn't relish in the fact that the exercise alone meant something to me after all the beerlaos I had been drinking. Throughout this journey we would come across two tribes, the Khmer, who fled from Cambodia during the Khemer Rouge and the Mong who migrated from Mongolia about 50 years ago. Besides the jungle itself this is what we were mainly going to see. Although encouraged, we took very few pictures of the villagers after we were simultaneously overcome with this awkward notion of photographing at will. It really just seemed unfair and invasive. <br /><br />In terms of both of these tribes, I must say, these were in fact the most remote people I have seen. They seemed a bit more distant than even the autonomous groups in the mountains of Nepal we visited last year. Upon entering the Khmer village the first thing that struck me was the obvious abundance of children and even more obvious lack of birth control. Whats more is that these children were mainly naked and caked in dirt and what appeared to be ash. At the same time they all seemed to have the sniffles which seemed a strange phenomenon to be considering the heat. Needless to say, they were happy as most children are. We walked around for a bit then sat silently and observed a man melting metal so that he could craft new knives to prepare for the slash and burn agricultural warfare they would soon unleash in various parts of the mountain. I had our guide ask him about the origin of the metal to be melted. After translating, the man showed us small pieces of cars from which I have no clue how he obtained and then with a grin pulled out a piece of what he said was an American bomb.<br /><br />Further into the day we reached the Mong tribe buried way up in the hills. The families and villages were scattered and we made short visits. Like the Khmer, the Mongs had many children as well. In fact, our guide introduced us to a man who had two wives and an accumulation of 21 children. When we met him inside his smoke filled home, he was preparing soup and one of his daughters lay on a bamboo bed beside him while his wives and remaining children were split up between his pig farm and chicken farm far outside of the village. Inside his home I saw various hanging calendars with what I believe were Laos superstars, all fading and browning from the moisture. I also saw what I think was a framed wedding picture also hanging, but unlike the calendars it was preserved in a cloudy plastic bag. This one daughter of his was chosen to be the one that could go to school and therefore, I joked that she was sort of the princess - they agreed. <br /><br />The remaining trails, sharp switchbacks and creek walking led us to see very little wildlife. Our guide explained that there is in fact very little wildlife because anything and everything will be eaten. Every once in a while we would hear a gunshot and we talked about the possibility of which animal it might have been, a bird, a monkey, a rat, the occasional leopard, all fair game and present in this jungle. Near the end of our little adventure we came across the remains on a tiny fire and some feathers. Someone out gathering wood must have had a quick lunch. <br /><br />As cliche as it may be, yes, we also rode elephants, or an elephant I should say. What a spiky beast this was, but strong indeed trudging us along through the river and patiently stopping and starting at each command from our guide as he took nearly 30 pictures. Why do we want 30 pictures of us on the elephant? Really, why do we want pictures at all? I can't be sure that pictures have much capturing power in this environment that occupies many more senses than are accessible by photograph alone. On the other hand, I love me some nice pictures.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-86596746477332877342009-12-08T10:52:00.003+09:002009-12-08T11:05:22.727+09:00How far will Chinese companies go to avoid creativity?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26CY0WYYVzWomHybYxJ6857hOdZvgqEUfb4NbP6RrBFGGL4wdhXO1zSjLeT3M2xpnf21Md0_pxmjHuhLFkueYqw-hHfrFr1w5K6mrnzv0LytmZ8xNheN__adXOOq7JNjK10HNFkHZ66ET/s1600-h/wekipedia.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26CY0WYYVzWomHybYxJ6857hOdZvgqEUfb4NbP6RrBFGGL4wdhXO1zSjLeT3M2xpnf21Md0_pxmjHuhLFkueYqw-hHfrFr1w5K6mrnzv0LytmZ8xNheN__adXOOq7JNjK10HNFkHZ66ET/s400/wekipedia.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412679780811353458" /></a><br />Here we have a brown paper baguette bag that I got from the supermarket yesterday. Look closely and you'll see the brand is "Wekipedia." I don't even know where to start with this one, it's just so absurd. I just really wish I could ask the person who made this decision to explain their thought process and perhaps a few other names they were throwing around. But then I'd have to ask the people who named the various apartment complexes such as Beijing Hills, Moma, Upper East Side, Central Park, and wait, the fast food place KXC. The list goes on and on, but my favorite to date is this one. I don't think anything more can be said about it, just bizarre. I love it here.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-47718091873036639832009-11-05T09:51:00.003+09:002009-11-05T09:59:59.347+09:00Oh, the things you see in China<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYS8Cx4_mR-KM-PAjYdnvhKt7t37t7CgRCjxHrxgv40FivEJry_Hx0qpkmX7jOb_TvBGuteFonIBrx1Ls4bas5vs9L-u8AuHOzwgrth5Rk_6sJnBtPLHM588_Q7KGBa9iLwblRvnsz9gdF/s1600-h/IMG_0048.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYS8Cx4_mR-KM-PAjYdnvhKt7t37t7CgRCjxHrxgv40FivEJry_Hx0qpkmX7jOb_TvBGuteFonIBrx1Ls4bas5vs9L-u8AuHOzwgrth5Rk_6sJnBtPLHM588_Q7KGBa9iLwblRvnsz9gdF/s400/IMG_0048.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400417974071913138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjh5-umDZ9aoKNJibgaTp9hk8ekmzSBNP2ZYYuH9aJMUZ6HBsKO6z8qsCuH4OjKKcL4ODhp9z4ss2yW8rcgIqC-FaNI1VUrTukG30ccm9Wj89el_G5035HX3_ZrTWgnMsC9RyvBnJYE7_D/s1600-h/IMG_0058.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjh5-umDZ9aoKNJibgaTp9hk8ekmzSBNP2ZYYuH9aJMUZ6HBsKO6z8qsCuH4OjKKcL4ODhp9z4ss2yW8rcgIqC-FaNI1VUrTukG30ccm9Wj89el_G5035HX3_ZrTWgnMsC9RyvBnJYE7_D/s400/IMG_0058.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400417797791889378" /></a><br />Two photos I've recently snapped on my phone:<br /><br />Even in the metropolis of Beijing, you'll still find a few folks using what appears to be a home phone on the street. I'm not quite sure how it works, but I'd like to get one. It's much more durable than my iphone. <br /><br />Last weekend in my hotel I spotted this ashtray (at least I think so) with a no spitting reminder.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-66302011143090607692009-10-09T18:48:00.007+09:002009-11-05T09:50:34.861+09:00Begnas Lake and the Royal Trek<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7gTGDxq7717FVDyhY3xBcu6JwQsBg3Hd13PSZHQehgtGr-DUsBPe43Ne2E3cd3H1U9qsYsOptlUnBPlHFfmsRUaH3okgTtCbQcxqBx8T7gLfe-WpWvfQZTFqaEO7DYLHxrXF7O2eoBI_/s1600-h/b6.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7gTGDxq7717FVDyhY3xBcu6JwQsBg3Hd13PSZHQehgtGr-DUsBPe43Ne2E3cd3H1U9qsYsOptlUnBPlHFfmsRUaH3okgTtCbQcxqBx8T7gLfe-WpWvfQZTFqaEO7DYLHxrXF7O2eoBI_/s320/b6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390542433780892354" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRihVFk4EJiO26Hfy0heipzwW6sj8vfan1BNowa7dpKUk3bE01sZ0Z6gowtLxC_uhtyElaLJSjBeUplZy83wJ-mo6zoJaB8wCnC3m9bE65uPJ-zievlYaj82tKZMYgeIbKEeTZTV_CpxI/s1600-h/b5.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRihVFk4EJiO26Hfy0heipzwW6sj8vfan1BNowa7dpKUk3bE01sZ0Z6gowtLxC_uhtyElaLJSjBeUplZy83wJ-mo6zoJaB8wCnC3m9bE65uPJ-zievlYaj82tKZMYgeIbKEeTZTV_CpxI/s320/b5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390541795027649378" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGzY1yVYgxUrcc7vchgfioCeQKkQqfzIJfHSPnVNbbjuDx16_1TB_lTEynEGfSQqpUO4Ex1WleH0HCd1FNZrQ6hfxu7DLwO7Cnb4l_tcagzm5lCxhtaAJ1e8VnTe3mvA1kDbHEFBEUQ0Vk/s1600-h/b4.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGzY1yVYgxUrcc7vchgfioCeQKkQqfzIJfHSPnVNbbjuDx16_1TB_lTEynEGfSQqpUO4Ex1WleH0HCd1FNZrQ6hfxu7DLwO7Cnb4l_tcagzm5lCxhtaAJ1e8VnTe3mvA1kDbHEFBEUQ0Vk/s320/b4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390541784909812050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb62ruFZmWPYEZYgA5j_BG1P8PU21NsIrA6LuBvOCzPEcRAYyNMAoKmTiDPRir8anjrL17t08hhRDDUM6WjiPIJ6hs4_fAOStmwouvi967vv_G_kJ7H977_yjAtq0n-euLRex46xeRxjh5/s1600-h/b3.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb62ruFZmWPYEZYgA5j_BG1P8PU21NsIrA6LuBvOCzPEcRAYyNMAoKmTiDPRir8anjrL17t08hhRDDUM6WjiPIJ6hs4_fAOStmwouvi967vv_G_kJ7H977_yjAtq0n-euLRex46xeRxjh5/s320/b3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390541775313823490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGIcL1gGR8-kyigIejUgmpYHoIMpS9KqWnlYrFMBLY2qqZkKsPaN1wPE5tBHn_nDnt2DCJAHVq3NihpnjSUp_vNtjT3gxB9ccfSGcDSOGb4TNc28wD_2ByNW1UUclSEqeasFFJBi2-alz/s1600-h/b2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGIcL1gGR8-kyigIejUgmpYHoIMpS9KqWnlYrFMBLY2qqZkKsPaN1wPE5tBHn_nDnt2DCJAHVq3NihpnjSUp_vNtjT3gxB9ccfSGcDSOGb4TNc28wD_2ByNW1UUclSEqeasFFJBi2-alz/s320/b2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390541759673694450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOvUjrUD68NmwTkQ9qOmfOHw6yJOz9HXObdU9uAwOfE-5wNPJZDF8jj4nqou-foBApGuqnnZ2iGslRPRl2SpOT0t_XC3f_Vegxltr1CSjpmVdXRo85Y4FF2u_EEh-xRBwsHjn8SOC-_qh/s1600-h/b1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOvUjrUD68NmwTkQ9qOmfOHw6yJOz9HXObdU9uAwOfE-5wNPJZDF8jj4nqou-foBApGuqnnZ2iGslRPRl2SpOT0t_XC3f_Vegxltr1CSjpmVdXRo85Y4FF2u_EEh-xRBwsHjn8SOC-_qh/s320/b1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390541746005045714" /></a><br />Pokhara is the Nepal town that everyone raves about. Both Luhan and I have always felt that if everyone is talking about something it probably isn't really that good, so we opted to stay a little outside the city and away from the thousands of people trying to end up there. We eventually planned to get into Pokhara, but got stranded in Jomsom for two days...more on that later.<br /><br />So, we ended up at the lake Begnas Resort for two days. To get into this place someone comes to pick you up in a canoe and you travel for about a half hour to the other side of the lake where they've carved out a nice spot with cottages, gardens, and an all natural swimming pool. Again, a very relaxing place indeed. It's a bit hot during the day, but in the morning and evening it's quite pleasant. They also serve deboned fish from the lake. <br /><br />My favorite hike came from this part of the trip. From Lake Begnas we climbed up to get on a trail called the Royal Trek after Prince Charles hiked it in 1993. It was about 2 hours before we reached the highest point of the mountain. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JCLY3hHVZU">You can see a video here</a>. As was still pretty early we caught the tail end of the sun rise and were able to look out into the highest mountains in the world. I wish we were smarter because if we had had sleeping bags we could have camped up there.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-7853215576310344852009-10-09T17:24:00.007+09:002009-10-09T18:32:17.563+09:00Nargarkot to Bhaktapur<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8Bt-uiK1fdVRAkHvunnw5lq9uWOVDK8LYG4OC6t0ohG-2FYqEZq1XsNTH4Ms8LwazsMaZ3-JiUMbOZI9bg7hnPjqpbKyWgeqhWXBUKsJmJD4jyYnPA0cAKqNQ3KiLO0-BDQYfJcGvQCo/s1600-h/n6.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8Bt-uiK1fdVRAkHvunnw5lq9uWOVDK8LYG4OC6t0ohG-2FYqEZq1XsNTH4Ms8LwazsMaZ3-JiUMbOZI9bg7hnPjqpbKyWgeqhWXBUKsJmJD4jyYnPA0cAKqNQ3KiLO0-BDQYfJcGvQCo/s200/n6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390529021449758002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYqoOxB6mXqxWFj65wZEdhavCWl1HMFKlphb0jDfpy1QyfQE9hB24Ork-Gli0TioncKw6RiEPLLnucCafqHbrL6Ssmc14tyb3jN3F8e1v3ChMKDnju2aB4VSf2Ses06OhbffpzneUd0iH/s1600-h/n5.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYqoOxB6mXqxWFj65wZEdhavCWl1HMFKlphb0jDfpy1QyfQE9hB24Ork-Gli0TioncKw6RiEPLLnucCafqHbrL6Ssmc14tyb3jN3F8e1v3ChMKDnju2aB4VSf2Ses06OhbffpzneUd0iH/s200/n5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390529012809956290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavhDaXsOdCv1-iz8QOYNWgabECBEgMccsCg7_evRqOsqtt8DO1kQ9-Y-_7CdUZ_tq1a8BW7Kpw8BRpTeDlyniKmdBMY1qRLo6RUgLnYQt9xcEQ_zpqStgCxZAND9pdopAVUufoyhwo3xh/s1600-h/n4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavhDaXsOdCv1-iz8QOYNWgabECBEgMccsCg7_evRqOsqtt8DO1kQ9-Y-_7CdUZ_tq1a8BW7Kpw8BRpTeDlyniKmdBMY1qRLo6RUgLnYQt9xcEQ_zpqStgCxZAND9pdopAVUufoyhwo3xh/s200/n4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390529000677596082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHqdei3MFbsTXR9GeW-6j_oIC10RsEMa9i2dT_qmysQC7BhRevU8NarOfjmywcOMTgiN7GDhlSG6QlS8nZesYXVxKg-9dOqZ9VyGD4XsT-JE9syODXR5eOmF2Vlw6RV-pentOWMWH3XOz/s1600-h/n3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHqdei3MFbsTXR9GeW-6j_oIC10RsEMa9i2dT_qmysQC7BhRevU8NarOfjmywcOMTgiN7GDhlSG6QlS8nZesYXVxKg-9dOqZ9VyGD4XsT-JE9syODXR5eOmF2Vlw6RV-pentOWMWH3XOz/s200/n3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390527796649668994" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0OKuBHPjxdiAvMx3UPbd0QmzyNhNYj-1C3hNF7RFo9dbWq857C89R5CmPlM_9JoR31IawGQvJCjvSLwCk3bUkALFGERvv63zfcgqzfGtJ8z6HTz7vHUmYoXzfRTOlJa5EcdavtnI9gRh/s1600-h/n2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 112px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0OKuBHPjxdiAvMx3UPbd0QmzyNhNYj-1C3hNF7RFo9dbWq857C89R5CmPlM_9JoR31IawGQvJCjvSLwCk3bUkALFGERvv63zfcgqzfGtJ8z6HTz7vHUmYoXzfRTOlJa5EcdavtnI9gRh/s200/n2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390527782028096338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOuAB7-O-Obg09XYP8pqCzaWwgWDnT_wyBavueXdCM5JyR0Q3C-HWu46lQllVFSjWG8NLDrF8Rz4M1N6um9XdrTxeg2uTfs7JuvoG9fExQqN2btUibs70RWj9x5XW0z5rSsDbS2q8LAtee/s1600-h/n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOuAB7-O-Obg09XYP8pqCzaWwgWDnT_wyBavueXdCM5JyR0Q3C-HWu46lQllVFSjWG8NLDrF8Rz4M1N6um9XdrTxeg2uTfs7JuvoG9fExQqN2btUibs70RWj9x5XW0z5rSsDbS2q8LAtee/s200/n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390527771807319250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEiH3cpEXxuvluJYNmJewcyOt5wmyuEvNrthkwRdNxsNHCf82iXkBgbwFqDlC6T3RttAk3AMG_VM9DsscEhW6NzxAZi7WdyMfHUPaXMHBG2Dm4A7xFaarxAgtzzjgh3JssD0VvajZ5PaG/s1600-h/b5.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEiH3cpEXxuvluJYNmJewcyOt5wmyuEvNrthkwRdNxsNHCf82iXkBgbwFqDlC6T3RttAk3AMG_VM9DsscEhW6NzxAZi7WdyMfHUPaXMHBG2Dm4A7xFaarxAgtzzjgh3JssD0VvajZ5PaG/s200/b5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390526803858354018" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSJOFt_FFRzrragdKM5s-lXrztrWyBGXRAKtV6_pc1dhSpN71yaURxdgaOeyDMPYdvXyj7kQLN3UuqZp5Tnodv7ipPZA9_3ZgJNk2HxCd9MQXF9jimrTsaFW2Lnw1DnId5uMzFEKPRYoR/s1600-h/b4.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSJOFt_FFRzrragdKM5s-lXrztrWyBGXRAKtV6_pc1dhSpN71yaURxdgaOeyDMPYdvXyj7kQLN3UuqZp5Tnodv7ipPZA9_3ZgJNk2HxCd9MQXF9jimrTsaFW2Lnw1DnId5uMzFEKPRYoR/s200/b4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390526787119246770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBGpwq0SWoMfIdHKK72TkhoydFMqF6lKM8NhODHS1qLNg4-fTak8uzqV3jlcbQtwgwik8LHn3Nep5BmbJSosz6gurC1sveI2RYRy5fgI9JpMyym1Xqbw1ShMCYJTWtntRNi4KFt7N5nE6/s1600-h/b3.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBGpwq0SWoMfIdHKK72TkhoydFMqF6lKM8NhODHS1qLNg4-fTak8uzqV3jlcbQtwgwik8LHn3Nep5BmbJSosz6gurC1sveI2RYRy5fgI9JpMyym1Xqbw1ShMCYJTWtntRNi4KFt7N5nE6/s200/b3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390526775734329938" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2Jr50tlHtCKjGoizJkonD0lJQH-EEDcemsewS9lZqPfCLfKYc2nkU1GVzDHQ2fZBaI7Jbm0EeAM3d-0HAGS9FT1t08z92sM1Juyt648rZxxVSYxfyCLTQ7LrOIIg2qapLy9at-58DVmd/s1600-h/b.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2Jr50tlHtCKjGoizJkonD0lJQH-EEDcemsewS9lZqPfCLfKYc2nkU1GVzDHQ2fZBaI7Jbm0EeAM3d-0HAGS9FT1t08z92sM1Juyt648rZxxVSYxfyCLTQ7LrOIIg2qapLy9at-58DVmd/s200/b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390525869194146434" /></a><br />With every intention of escaping Kathmandu ASAP we decided to head up to Nargarkot, a mountain about a two hour drive outside the city with supposed views of distant snow capped mountains. A woman I worked with at the British Council suggested a place to stay called the Fort Resort and it really was a superb stay. Both Luhan and I are incredibly picky about our hotel choices as those that have traveled with us before probably know. Both of us have had our days of roughin' it, but it's comfort we seek now. The Fort has a one main building and stone cottages spread out over the mountain side. Anyway, the Fort turned out to be the best place we stayed during the whole trip. Set up about 7,000 ft both the sunrise and sunset are something to be seen as you actually look down on the clouds and mountains. We stayed there for two days and basically just read books and relaxed in the sun. <br /><br />Heading out of Nargarkot we wanted to check out the ancient city of Bhaktapur. I thought it was within striking distance by foot, after a grueling 6 hour hot, sun baked walk we gave up and hitched a ride. The people of Bhaktapur still lead an almost pure indigenous lifestyle, in this city built in the 15th century. It really is a pleasant place, but the motorcycles just kill it. Back to Kathmandu, then off to Pokhara.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-54708249217941405332009-10-09T16:11:00.004+09:002009-10-09T17:22:41.275+09:00Back in the dust covered, glue sniffing Kathmandu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPVq83sNXv9RXAyzekvJPL5s0fGfg5_KOGb7DXmbHJJMuIephdT22AcZAxr5maPCllTKsuL5sfDheHTt4YgBC_xhPdrRxiz4kazmQg0slkSiWNzmQeI2UXGWToJDlupuVRr5XH7OTh92V/s1600-h/beer.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPVq83sNXv9RXAyzekvJPL5s0fGfg5_KOGb7DXmbHJJMuIephdT22AcZAxr5maPCllTKsuL5sfDheHTt4YgBC_xhPdrRxiz4kazmQg0slkSiWNzmQeI2UXGWToJDlupuVRr5XH7OTh92V/s320/beer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390511911793723090" /></a><br />Quick, how many things are wrong with this picture to the right? I saw this beauty on the wall of a restaurant.<br /><br />My friend J sent me an email a few days ago with a link about the <a href="http://dazeddigital.com/view/default.aspx?Category=27&ArticleID=4988&PageNum=1">glue sniffing gangs</a> in Kathmandu. Now, I've seen this in person on my way to pick up Luhan at the airport, but the kids were like 8 - 10 years old, max. From the window of my taxi I saw a few young kids fighting over what I thought was candy. Then I saw one of them huffing a brown paper bag in and out. Another kid quickly grabbed it and frantically tried to inhale some more fun and the cab driver pointed and said they were bad boys. The most disturbing part about it was how many people were around not giving a flying fart. I guess these kids grow up to become the ones in the article and the ones that design the above wall hanging. <br /><br />So, in the past few weeks we've been spoiled like the rich, shit on like the poor and at one point stranded for two days. The temperature has been so hot and cold so quickly it's hard to figure out what to wear. I must say that the world that exists within the Himalayan mountains should be seen before you die. I'm going to make three more short posts just to break it up a little, that way it won't be so boring and there will be more pictures, because after all everyone just looks at the pictures anyway.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-88777159005909486212009-09-22T22:42:00.003+09:002009-09-22T22:51:11.956+09:00MIKO Noodles<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_qFzzbhkTiWJoOL2AGMqRH_YADQTbH9DBqBv1J73hBkqJFKdf8gDmRnsOWo-CCu7wueR7lLT7_5_dGtWu_4mK-dKYg5Ngvp_PSAfL8goYvJXmbHOU7rEm_h-yxdxKNPojR47u1XuyMgN/s1600-h/IMG_0047.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_qFzzbhkTiWJoOL2AGMqRH_YADQTbH9DBqBv1J73hBkqJFKdf8gDmRnsOWo-CCu7wueR7lLT7_5_dGtWu_4mK-dKYg5Ngvp_PSAfL8goYvJXmbHOU7rEm_h-yxdxKNPojR47u1XuyMgN/s320/IMG_0047.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384288234909344962" /></a><br />I kept seeing this commercial for MIKO Noodles on TV, it kept repeating over and over again. The advert was at least a minute long. It was basically a story involving this old Japanese guy slurping noodles. When I went out to get some things at the little store near us I discovered the MIKO noodles and was easily sold by the advertisement. They cost 15 Nepalise Rupees, .02 USD. They were worth each penny, let me tell you. They claim to use Japanese technology...impressive.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-28236640991522011412009-09-20T15:33:00.010+09:002009-09-20T18:14:41.716+09:00Monkey temple<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywVQmTQfxlFYS5TsP0Z4AD-JzLgHIEF8syK8oAZp4qz6D3ygINfDfqkSyyxYJcghH5huGWg34ebQvLlIxCZt2s5er_Q-7r5e9SDfaciHuPTX2HtZ4nMIW_pJxIw-wtm5erFNAFH56nU5F/s1600-h/L1000690.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywVQmTQfxlFYS5TsP0Z4AD-JzLgHIEF8syK8oAZp4qz6D3ygINfDfqkSyyxYJcghH5huGWg34ebQvLlIxCZt2s5er_Q-7r5e9SDfaciHuPTX2HtZ4nMIW_pJxIw-wtm5erFNAFH56nU5F/s320/L1000690.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383475506481116370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1YDCjgKfT3DUiFWLvHz8SGq7M25uU-ay25HW2lH3uu23PMdzP-DbVVLVFfCCEWFt0wkJ7IcPzgfgLjN7w10TvZzn2IoiVKbHtXzd1-9r8w7LHCO0Uq-XgPjF3d15sZgG_A8MEHoua38T/s1600-h/L1000660.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1YDCjgKfT3DUiFWLvHz8SGq7M25uU-ay25HW2lH3uu23PMdzP-DbVVLVFfCCEWFt0wkJ7IcPzgfgLjN7w10TvZzn2IoiVKbHtXzd1-9r8w7LHCO0Uq-XgPjF3d15sZgG_A8MEHoua38T/s320/L1000660.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383474494086903282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGwFw-c3csFvSyo5G2orCz71AhQ9f7-fR8eLoqAtD4wtHlkRcp4COwj4fkJwf79HLIDbAty7_kSFj98zskGh3tO5ploqwe9ABdlM2N2SU3QsEoQ0UVIvSNbYpYOWNXzzN8bD54MnW1I5Q/s1600-h/L1000667.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGwFw-c3csFvSyo5G2orCz71AhQ9f7-fR8eLoqAtD4wtHlkRcp4COwj4fkJwf79HLIDbAty7_kSFj98zskGh3tO5ploqwe9ABdlM2N2SU3QsEoQ0UVIvSNbYpYOWNXzzN8bD54MnW1I5Q/s320/L1000667.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383474294625183010" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbh2Sh8GARSGPk6jqkHS4Y8WNYMigcBK4_8dgApX3_drXzuFpnzNErGgVYlPw1LMoH5dfvMepZSAKLdbghKYUn_yhlJKnMqiROkuXIvSCAGcHgMURL5K0LspQXJqYHaMXbbNMUIFYRH4wQ/s1600-h/L1000668.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbh2Sh8GARSGPk6jqkHS4Y8WNYMigcBK4_8dgApX3_drXzuFpnzNErGgVYlPw1LMoH5dfvMepZSAKLdbghKYUn_yhlJKnMqiROkuXIvSCAGcHgMURL5K0LspQXJqYHaMXbbNMUIFYRH4wQ/s320/L1000668.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383474159412186946" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ai5ilR1G7V52OK8NCXK4_RZiGgYKGQJqMhCH7WwWTpsYK-VneSJS1tezLEZI2jk_M0_Agse57-OVEb0vY9nQsKMT9qOM2MdMZIFsgfM_5AUV8fW1EGhQOZI0X-ruAhUmDEC8lIl4NFz8/s1600-h/L1000680.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ai5ilR1G7V52OK8NCXK4_RZiGgYKGQJqMhCH7WwWTpsYK-VneSJS1tezLEZI2jk_M0_Agse57-OVEb0vY9nQsKMT9qOM2MdMZIFsgfM_5AUV8fW1EGhQOZI0X-ruAhUmDEC8lIl4NFz8/s320/L1000680.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383473990111493250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJMaKfyBFn2oN8StdjNToqSeqUW0HOmbg7znNENZZbl9yyiVsEr_MM-YY7d81ywZetbb8mCqhieJ4w4rjLEKeKqlf31F5dQacNcX5cR3GdG8RYfbdqdBRocnFUBZvVZB3xsJWLrodibDs/s1600-h/L1000692.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJMaKfyBFn2oN8StdjNToqSeqUW0HOmbg7znNENZZbl9yyiVsEr_MM-YY7d81ywZetbb8mCqhieJ4w4rjLEKeKqlf31F5dQacNcX5cR3GdG8RYfbdqdBRocnFUBZvVZB3xsJWLrodibDs/s320/L1000692.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383473646622095634" /></a><br />Headed out to the Monkey Temple a few days ago. My Colleague Zak and I hired one of the hundreds of rickshaw drivers to haul us out there. After bargaining for a fair price we settled on this tiny little guy, though at the time we didn't think much of his size. On two occasions we had to get out because he got stuck in some mud. It was actually quite a terrible ride because there was so much dust you basically had to close your eyes and try and cover your mouth. In total it took about 40 minutes or so before he let us off at the bottom of a steep hill and near the entrance of the temple. <br /><br />On the way there I saw some pretty horrific scenes of poverty and pollution mingling together in ways I never thought was possible. I photographed a couple of things that stuck out, but it would be quite rude and uncomfortable to take pictures of many of the other things I saw. <br /><br />Soon after the rickshaw let us off we walked over a small bridge with a stagnant river passing underneath it. I could smell the water from above and it wasn't a pleasant smell to say the least. Never have I seen so much garbage, all piled on the banks of the river and in the river itself. What's more, looking down the river a bit I could see women and children swimming or bathing in the water. A picture of this is in the post as well as one from another account on the way back in which a giant cow decided to lay down in a pile of garbage and mud causing a traffic jam. <br /><br />Now, the temple (Swayambhunath) was quite interesting being one of the oldest holy sites in Nepal. What I found most interesting was the fact that monkeys, stray dogs, pigeons, homeless people, orphans and monks could all live together and only fight a little.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-39301246327935628592009-09-08T11:59:00.012+09:002009-09-11T13:04:47.076+09:00First impressions: Kathmandu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTGAyT6AgOiTtQEuezVanwGLqSc1XJnfe9JM4078dFqUABrU65Gp1mUKbOrA5045UdgK1cF77yeNw35WIav-_kvhr3WWqMV3XfUkSMHwWI-tTUv8TOIoDda-cm1bJYNr83XTXznibsUZy/s1600-h/apartmentview.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTGAyT6AgOiTtQEuezVanwGLqSc1XJnfe9JM4078dFqUABrU65Gp1mUKbOrA5045UdgK1cF77yeNw35WIav-_kvhr3WWqMV3XfUkSMHwWI-tTUv8TOIoDda-cm1bJYNr83XTXznibsUZy/s320/apartmentview.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380054178592317042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMuvQ4SKHDNyCmYXVFuZPVDlOOMX25nZp4QqtZryMv7RcevX6CUM5wnkegst7NX_B93tG47V-Ts_yREbbvPLGJ27R_lOH_ej3jwB0V770BLXlqwN3JbMxa07wgG4GdjkH8hXZrOsK2-vC/s1600-h/street+scene.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMuvQ4SKHDNyCmYXVFuZPVDlOOMX25nZp4QqtZryMv7RcevX6CUM5wnkegst7NX_B93tG47V-Ts_yREbbvPLGJ27R_lOH_ej3jwB0V770BLXlqwN3JbMxa07wgG4GdjkH8hXZrOsK2-vC/s320/street+scene.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380053843035271058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4n5BHS6r5agVwv0or6-84pa3l4sBxnp9HYXfamoG-tJdjrAB7Kv_VQWUkR1rdCt19sJ_BgkD4d789A7cUJr727yp0TIiA6GzhH_UQQdyCB1tZgNpFfSWAVNY6CtX-UFTRRUvbgYpTxOPi/s1600-h/corngirl.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4n5BHS6r5agVwv0or6-84pa3l4sBxnp9HYXfamoG-tJdjrAB7Kv_VQWUkR1rdCt19sJ_BgkD4d789A7cUJr727yp0TIiA6GzhH_UQQdyCB1tZgNpFfSWAVNY6CtX-UFTRRUvbgYpTxOPi/s320/corngirl.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380053426546264242" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhscSyFZnWqN6dYFkOOu2oSo5uVkcYNqD3PKmjjEqHRnsg6dAgUIGgkDMK5t3PbpC8eKpJ_GR33fSgLxoCiJbRNLzvhBFX-2CB_94u15cP5ZlsliJ3g3FkaXA6EcVC88CRrN07yNIZtbu9/s1600-h/bus.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhscSyFZnWqN6dYFkOOu2oSo5uVkcYNqD3PKmjjEqHRnsg6dAgUIGgkDMK5t3PbpC8eKpJ_GR33fSgLxoCiJbRNLzvhBFX-2CB_94u15cP5ZlsliJ3g3FkaXA6EcVC88CRrN07yNIZtbu9/s320/bus.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380053059944008882" /></a><br />Kathmandu, a city of about a million and a half people. Traffic lights and traffic rules for that matter are apparently absent, cows and yaks roam the streets in competition with stray dogs for a few measly scraps left in piles of colorful garbage brushed up against the side of street curbs. And the cars, bicycles and motorcycles scream by in clouds of exhaust fumes that just about make you gag. All this with a beautiful back drop of the picturesque, often cloud covered Himalaya mountains endlessly stretching, slicing clouds at the edges of the valley hinting at some notion of nature, fresh air and cleanliness. <br /><br />When we exited the plane into Kathmandu airport it reminded me a bit of south America, minimal, dire need of remodeling and stale. As we walked through a long hall to where I presumed the VISA processing station would be a small peculiar looking Nepali man waited anxiously with a bouquet of flowers. He was sweating and I could tell he was nervous, even from far away because he seemed to be almost shaking. As I got closer he suddenly shouted, "Your Excellence!" and forced the flowers into, no not me, but the chest of what I think was a Korean man decked out in an over sized conservative suit, the kind republicans wear. The whole thing scared the shit out of me because as this happened a security guard stuck out his arm and stopped me and a few others from moving forward and possibly disrupting this incredibly awkward scene. I looked for the Korean man who was probably some sort of government official while I waited in line for my VISA, but he mysteriously disappeared most likely through some secret exit. 'Your Excellence' is easily my new favorite way to great someone, absolutely astounding. <br /><br />From here on I haven't been out too much because I'm working. But I snapped a few pictures, one from my apartment and some random street shots. I heard there is a casino in the hotel beside my apartment building with free drinks and dinner. I'm quite tempted by this. I'll be out and about soon enough as I have about six weeks here, so rest assured you can look forward to some more posts.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-8278927213185127912009-04-20T10:49:00.014+09:002009-05-02T00:15:19.361+09:00Plenty of things to do in BeijingAs of a few months ago LuHan has been working for a British NGO as a translator, interpreter, and project developer. One of the projects they have is called "One Plus One." To make a long story short, it's basically a full fledged radio station operated entirely by blind people. <br /><br />One of the things they were working on was finding a theme song for their radio station. They contacted some studios and it was quite expensive. So, LuHan told them that I could probably write, record and produce it for half the price. You guys know I get quite a kick out of doing stuff like this, so I couldn't pass it up. In the end, I made three versions. <a href="http://www.box.net/shared/ll4pyn9trf">You can listen to one here.</a>Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-10686291398448085922009-03-10T22:17:00.003+09:002009-03-10T22:26:01.266+09:00Disabled Dog<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTbvvio6VW2gyrNE3t1kS0nMxgOyU6Q9LaLT61x0BxFpVrmiZMzt4p5I7wiOmutScHPXFsMjJEsH2y9502Vho4Kz9gYGvfVwf6lqqdcNXPZkt4gEq7eP0cP6EHckgriBqk6u-AYAOUnHd/s1600-h/DSC00622.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTbvvio6VW2gyrNE3t1kS0nMxgOyU6Q9LaLT61x0BxFpVrmiZMzt4p5I7wiOmutScHPXFsMjJEsH2y9502Vho4Kz9gYGvfVwf6lqqdcNXPZkt4gEq7eP0cP6EHckgriBqk6u-AYAOUnHd/s320/DSC00622.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311548798306965122" /></a><br /><br />I snapped this with my phone today on my way to get lunch. This dog actually ran up beside me and I gave it some lovin'. I don't think it was able to really understand the fact that it's hind legs were turned into wheels. The dog had full mobility, turning, running, stopping, sniffing...Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-80623346922429751092009-02-24T17:41:00.011+09:002009-02-26T11:08:31.633+09:00Cormorant fishing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYU9kFD8YTm2AbWyyqp7gdoQmkOY43SSDRp4VIyjzjRWBAPl-Jvy-xeWL46lWxWuVJM3JE15I68hbCNETuLTuhMC0c7AjiPQH3FGzdO_wtkYyMhxtck-oQ3pznM6iDviCGwgntiCvDdv9/s1600-h/RIMG0362.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYU9kFD8YTm2AbWyyqp7gdoQmkOY43SSDRp4VIyjzjRWBAPl-Jvy-xeWL46lWxWuVJM3JE15I68hbCNETuLTuhMC0c7AjiPQH3FGzdO_wtkYyMhxtck-oQ3pznM6iDviCGwgntiCvDdv9/s200/RIMG0362.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306285627313102418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-APAy0dtWrqe39kFvO4KcSk5qz6H08fAP5Fv5V1yP1NGXYQ_Fuh7oh44qOsQV46me5_kyvGUc1ZBfcQKDWwKHNGGUyZnCGi43J_KHOl-UGAmsGLrxB3D_FJ3SC85RrFFrGWQbTDmBgHuZ/s1600-h/RIMG0312.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-APAy0dtWrqe39kFvO4KcSk5qz6H08fAP5Fv5V1yP1NGXYQ_Fuh7oh44qOsQV46me5_kyvGUc1ZBfcQKDWwKHNGGUyZnCGi43J_KHOl-UGAmsGLrxB3D_FJ3SC85RrFFrGWQbTDmBgHuZ/s200/RIMG0312.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306285219406474082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MQn6lHby4590AHKgNjiHfFSyX38pM8ezE5N_8vy-Jzpf18vTO1xQum-LTr5bd-3z-F1lO936e1IpZEmFC3VeD1ZJodsVUb1o22xGpSh57wIX6ewQImpYBjFDsUWQnhA3dimQQ9FBEm1X/s1600-h/RIMG0290.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MQn6lHby4590AHKgNjiHfFSyX38pM8ezE5N_8vy-Jzpf18vTO1xQum-LTr5bd-3z-F1lO936e1IpZEmFC3VeD1ZJodsVUb1o22xGpSh57wIX6ewQImpYBjFDsUWQnhA3dimQQ9FBEm1X/s200/RIMG0290.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306284863340680978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KH22PwxvmxSJI49BzPYZve_W-k8ewLcTnadasB_xQrbxN84vAtw1zoqlAQZageUtEICUESPw3rpYeiH5I8XMWuAQDP3lJJWg2W9S_YzyAtvLQaU8F8ZpL_YdgXjZY6w0mHi_2WJ17_ru/s1600-h/DSC04945.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KH22PwxvmxSJI49BzPYZve_W-k8ewLcTnadasB_xQrbxN84vAtw1zoqlAQZageUtEICUESPw3rpYeiH5I8XMWuAQDP3lJJWg2W9S_YzyAtvLQaU8F8ZpL_YdgXjZY6w0mHi_2WJ17_ru/s200/DSC04945.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306284502720990674" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHQgRZ9gdODsPKtoQ73Q2D-korcLLwGh1px9F3RjAWAbSuan3E4zgyvBNtVvwDd6gqsNwhaa9tnWOqrzyiVNWkXvXI3dTtzzSDY2qll3nbs7qfXPTe3xhfYg2ibamY1liDzv28o3IIK4w/s1600-h/DSC04931.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHQgRZ9gdODsPKtoQ73Q2D-korcLLwGh1px9F3RjAWAbSuan3E4zgyvBNtVvwDd6gqsNwhaa9tnWOqrzyiVNWkXvXI3dTtzzSDY2qll3nbs7qfXPTe3xhfYg2ibamY1liDzv28o3IIK4w/s200/DSC04931.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306284186548899458" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXcxeKoXTpHqljSiDZrEbfcTDNsAUGjCyN2aNGAhOFeDw3nid79FS8-qyGZ_Tbgs0EtMFGfG63vy0Bg47VJuioP6hcbzoa4AC_k5szNC1PB1xa54ErL7ecp83d22hzjWYDY_bAFKwE4NCl/s1600-h/DSC04904.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXcxeKoXTpHqljSiDZrEbfcTDNsAUGjCyN2aNGAhOFeDw3nid79FS8-qyGZ_Tbgs0EtMFGfG63vy0Bg47VJuioP6hcbzoa4AC_k5szNC1PB1xa54ErL7ecp83d22hzjWYDY_bAFKwE4NCl/s200/DSC04904.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306283906596991842" /></a><br />I think one of the most interesting things we did throughout our travels in Southern China was participate in cormorant fishing. A cormorant is a type of bird...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormorant_fishing">this will explain rather than me writing it</a> Interestingly enough, the picture in that wiki entry is from Erhai lake in Dali, where we went fishing. In Chinese it's called the sea. Along the coastal sections of the lake there are small fishing villages and some of them fish with Cormorant birds. We were able to take a little expedition with a few of these fisherman one morning. <br /><br />It's amazing how much control the fisherman have over the birds. They actually respond to the fisherman's calls and always bring fish back to the boat like the good little birds that they are. Sometimes they are loured in by the fisherman when he dangles a little fish. Nonetheless, it's impressive. On our boat we must have watched the birds dive in and pull out more than 7 or 8 fish. <br /><br />I've decided to just put all of my pictures up from this trip <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/matthewjgabel">here</a>. For your enjoyment I'll also include some thoughtful captions. As soon as I get pics from others on the trip I'll post them as well, so check back. <br /><br />Being back in Beijing and getting back into the swing of work is quite nice I must say. I do like the adventure, but it's tiring.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-32498952470524334112009-02-17T09:46:00.020+09:002009-02-17T14:09:38.113+09:00Chinese New Year - explosions in the night<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XmlrRIVuOyXk64dJpA9HhJ4j5PuCKJxUvBwwvCoju2R7QJfKwEqN_FrtDucqWa20vN1uec8eSReJXcvKyEDfU-IeFl3diLdD96fwGDoOzxaXQtAgPDUcwnyyrSOIpmjaK-e-As-Yqonl/s1600-h/DSC00606.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XmlrRIVuOyXk64dJpA9HhJ4j5PuCKJxUvBwwvCoju2R7QJfKwEqN_FrtDucqWa20vN1uec8eSReJXcvKyEDfU-IeFl3diLdD96fwGDoOzxaXQtAgPDUcwnyyrSOIpmjaK-e-As-Yqonl/s320/DSC00606.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303596991092363410" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGqKNCTycurU1gozrbc5OTu-tXPjcj_1K_t53hekxU_2qBPYJYTrEtnhG66E8gvn7gsGMGGJ6rgqHvKvNTq-sm4oo3AfHZBkGNK-BDROLIWGpic1V47tAwdgy9aLxyefGqrphbDv59Ni4/s1600-h/DSC00608.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGqKNCTycurU1gozrbc5OTu-tXPjcj_1K_t53hekxU_2qBPYJYTrEtnhG66E8gvn7gsGMGGJ6rgqHvKvNTq-sm4oo3AfHZBkGNK-BDROLIWGpic1V47tAwdgy9aLxyefGqrphbDv59Ni4/s320/DSC00608.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303596872564515138" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga97chWkZ3qHyqTbKxihGF1d6_saS-Hx28YDmxELNJQbb8M4QV7PpdhgLwn622cKr2Su9r8jZBDDs7sWUfZ_JWsKlT4jqmCmFRIfbSB3jN4AlnOEHCUnPqMlIQOtux5VaYryicch-Z63pE/s1600-h/DSC00610.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga97chWkZ3qHyqTbKxihGF1d6_saS-Hx28YDmxELNJQbb8M4QV7PpdhgLwn622cKr2Su9r8jZBDDs7sWUfZ_JWsKlT4jqmCmFRIfbSB3jN4AlnOEHCUnPqMlIQOtux5VaYryicch-Z63pE/s320/DSC00610.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303596734711134898" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUGkBx8tu2JODZgqReSGcT35CXOXETAD-SQYw8CVsdwMWPnrhtUWhfqO7KJLDXYDYoWmHsQ1P4qmBMA9uNifCyUewEO8ar27L4TykcZpmrr8ZuWEkU7AfxdA5md5FqPB-G0d-fd4yjMRUW/s1600-h/DSC00613.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUGkBx8tu2JODZgqReSGcT35CXOXETAD-SQYw8CVsdwMWPnrhtUWhfqO7KJLDXYDYoWmHsQ1P4qmBMA9uNifCyUewEO8ar27L4TykcZpmrr8ZuWEkU7AfxdA5md5FqPB-G0d-fd4yjMRUW/s320/DSC00613.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303596577160677810" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJWcWPbWbz7XjvF9CT0KNup4eh7QhJCuGeCk0TmmQOXGKVMi4zk7nGmmhLTqYMPR9cN-Fod7Rw-b5-eW-WnJXTf5dTHOWN7ggDeYRYsbifZ76iHxS1DBd2peA__jEiklee-FsLSncx4aq/s1600-h/DSC00614.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJWcWPbWbz7XjvF9CT0KNup4eh7QhJCuGeCk0TmmQOXGKVMi4zk7nGmmhLTqYMPR9cN-Fod7Rw-b5-eW-WnJXTf5dTHOWN7ggDeYRYsbifZ76iHxS1DBd2peA__jEiklee-FsLSncx4aq/s320/DSC00614.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303596230398602722" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNScFggeVLRt0Cv7U2MUsO_LlkwCQPeV9RDyYn-YkqpIO_I9tBiqm99lZHNfHWhVh4oqutTttMd9U5K5BYYnYUhC1mwMzDokvzmW2-2H-tZij2cp9mGNV9z3Jb8EGevf_I2FnTil0zUcNS/s1600-h/DSC00615.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNScFggeVLRt0Cv7U2MUsO_LlkwCQPeV9RDyYn-YkqpIO_I9tBiqm99lZHNfHWhVh4oqutTttMd9U5K5BYYnYUhC1mwMzDokvzmW2-2H-tZij2cp9mGNV9z3Jb8EGevf_I2FnTil0zUcNS/s320/DSC00615.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303596099548148786" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVRVBkv39QpHPLHewfJL1L-5jj9NKlcjjKZfFunICBRAto2BB6t7DBvgskQSux0q5L8I0U2tQaRUIyR0SBEj42-MtHKxycaQcBUWtGqnbfkaD22UNowRc4bNQychNVBPIT78lmu27C1SG/s1600-h/DSC00616.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVRVBkv39QpHPLHewfJL1L-5jj9NKlcjjKZfFunICBRAto2BB6t7DBvgskQSux0q5L8I0U2tQaRUIyR0SBEj42-MtHKxycaQcBUWtGqnbfkaD22UNowRc4bNQychNVBPIT78lmu27C1SG/s320/DSC00616.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303595933147548690" border="0"></a><br />So, my friends Joel and Jordan came to visit for about three weeks and the madness has ceased. I'm finally getting back into the swing of things. Joel is on a boat to Tokyo and should be arriving in another day. He'll be back in Beijing at some point before heading back to Seattle. Jordan is in Boston, hopefully. <br /><br />Along with LuHan and two of her friends we traveled quite a bit, mostly in Southern China (Yunan Province). I'm going to write a bit about these travels in the coming days, but first I wanted to rewind to the beginning, Chinese New Year. <br /><br />Although I will attempt, I can't begin to describe how absolutely insane this experience was. Joel, Jordan and I all said to each other at one point that this was easily one of the most spectacular things we have ever witnessed. Now, I'd have to say that the three of us are not easy to amuse. <br /><br />The history of setting off fireworks on this holiday is quite simple. It's to scare off the evil spirits. It makes sense right? No one wants those evil spirits lingering around in the night. For about 7 or 8 years fireworks were banned inside the city center in Beijing. Last year was the first time in a while they were allowed to go at it again. Keep in mind that this is taking place everywhere in the entire country at the same time.<br /><br />Growing up in suburban/semi country America we came to know fireworks quite well around the 4th of July, in fact I used to try and make them myself. Fireworks in our world existed in three ways. One, the legal fireworks like sparklers, snakes and other relatively harmless displays. Two, going to see a professional show at the local fire hall or in the city. Three, having someone drive to the southern states to get illegal fireworks. These included things like roman candles, black cats, m-80s, and rockets. Obviously, choice three was the best. And even with these semi dangerous fireworks we had a ton of fun. We all had a sense of underlying safety that we followed most of the time. We would go out to a huge field, keep away from houses, and warn people when there was a fire in the hole. So, for us three yanks this was our perception of fireworks coming into this. <br /><br />The night before Chinese New Year we were out at this Japanese whiskey bar that I fancy when a couple of Chinese guys blazed in handing out what looked to us like sticks of dynamite. I couldn't believe the size of these things. Then, they encouraged us to come with them to fire them off on the street. We are in the middle of a gigantic international city and blowing off an explosive just seems ludicrous. Well, when in Rome...This brief session of lighting these things off really gave us an insight as to what the coming evening and week for that matter would be like. As we set these "double boomers" off on the street we could not believe that one could purchase these things on the corner and not have a license to activate them. These were easily equivalent to a quarter if not a half stick of dynamite. They literally shock the ground in front of you and caused an immediate sense of panic as the explosion echoed between the buildings. These particular ones would stand up straight, explode, then shoot another ball into the air with an equal explosion. At one point one of them fell over and we had to run to take cover not knowing where the hell it was going to shoot. It blew up near some girl that probably had to change her underwear shortly after. After this night we had a glimpse of what we'd be in for, but not really. <br /><br />Let me just break it down for you. During this time period anyone can buy various explosives like I mentioned above, even ones far more powerful and set them off ANYWHERE they want. This is all in good fun, of course. You can put them on the sidewalk, in the street, beside a car, in front of your building, or in the path of a crowd of people. I must say that in no way was there direct intention to harm others or even destroy property, just pure negligence and chaos. The various types of fireworks are equivalent to the size of what you would see being let loose at a professional fireworks display in a small town in America. <br /><br />The next night, the 17.4 million people of Beijing blew the shit out of their city. From dusk till dawn it was like being trapped in a war zone. I've never been in a war, but this is what I imagine it sounding like. When you stood at any point and spun completely around the sky was lit up with colors and your ears were pounded with massive explosions. Your body shook and you felt alert looking around for a fire in the hole. There were no warnings. It was incredibly ridiculous and dangerous, but we loved every minute of it as we drank beer and roamed around our neighborhood. The peak of the event was of course around midnight and for a solid hour we couldn't even talk to each other without screaming. <br /><br />For the climax we went out in front of our building near one of the main streets and just stood there in complete amazement as people spent fortunes on gunpowder and sent it all up in flames. While the three of us were standing there occasionally jumping and ducking I think it was Jordan who said to turn around and look at the building beside us because one of the hotel rooms was spitting out flames. And yes, sure enough the room was on fire. We called the police, although they probably already knew as a crowd of hundreds watched from across the street. The building didn't go up, and it was eventually put out (<span style="font-style:italic;">the pictures to the right document a different fire, read on</span>). The night continued and finally when we turned in. It was nearly impossible to sleep with the remaining explosions randomly shaking our apartment. If the evil spirits survived this night, they must be pretty strong. <br /><br />When we returned to Beijing a week later after traveling we learned that there would be another night of fireworks for the end of the festival, as according to the Lunar calendar. Once again the city would be up in smoke. We all had dinner at LuHan's parents and her mom bought some fireworks for us to set off. Of course, they were amazing and soon that feeling of "I can't believe people are doing this" returned. <br /><br />We left her parents by taxi and headed out to meet some friends at another bar when we got stuck in traffic on a bridge. As we moved slowly, Joel, this time said that there was a building on fire ahead of us. You could only see the flames in the reflection of another building because it was only burning on one side, so it was a little hard to tell how serious it was. About one minute later when we got closer we could see that this was a serious fire about to engulf a 70 story building. At this point we were right beside it and the thick, bright orange fire was mainly at the base, but climbing steadily. The smoke came off in thick black clouds which made it impossible to see above. We had the windows down in the taxi and panicked a bit when we heard what I think were the windows of the building exploding. That sound was surreal and all I could think about was the twin towers for some reason. This was no longer interesting, but serious and awful. We were only about 200 yards away from the building now and traffic was moving slowly. At one point we could feel the heat coming from the fire and that's something I'll never forget. I've never felt heat like that before, especially from such a distance. We closed the windows and actually contemplated getting out of the car and running. We saw others evacuating, probably from the building itself or another nearby. I remember seeing a man with a baby running away. Finally we pushed through and got off the bridge. As we drove away we watched through the rear window as the flames circled the building. Later we decided to walk back to see the end result. It was over, the building was destroyed. <br /><br />Will they allow fireworks next year, or have lessons been learned? You can read <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-beijing-fire11-2009feb11,0,6561766.story">here </a>about the fire. <br /><br />The above pictures were ones that I snapped with my cell phone. There are a few of the fireworks scene in general and the others were from our tortuous taxi ride. The video below is of the scene around midnight in our neighborhood. It went on like this for hours. I only wish the sound on my camera had better quality. <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxXJQrkpFM7uEByUCeLYsQZHhKAV0tXucwhlrWNllxtg_Wa-r2fpbSPkat9l7jP_2cVym9oGUEqBm8QcJnGhw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-78589367177794159632009-01-19T22:40:00.011+09:002009-01-22T16:41:57.364+09:00A short walk around Xian<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkQGyGU9KIJz4j_M0q19J6xxk9dVZgjH8ceUhdIE20kNM6fFi_ApZep_XqE5K8-Fb62ge4xtKaW6Y4u-qHiT3eBHWbMezwYmedxaxAjWKfVQEmji45__Ih1tBN4T3jQ6J4E0AyX3UMMxK/s1600-h/RIMG0069.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkQGyGU9KIJz4j_M0q19J6xxk9dVZgjH8ceUhdIE20kNM6fFi_ApZep_XqE5K8-Fb62ge4xtKaW6Y4u-qHiT3eBHWbMezwYmedxaxAjWKfVQEmji45__Ih1tBN4T3jQ6J4E0AyX3UMMxK/s320/RIMG0069.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293002883389828626" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHju34UHakEgCsgO0EeYRQrNTtDlLzAKxuNq52TCSYTov4y0CxlT87BaU17fQ43eqNcNlNFAmQffmkEVeXDiOmiTfKD-KYDL8lGhfIAE52oTOqTjW-vPO4Fy1FL2rvUUFfMj_NYEITanH8/s1600-h/RIMG0063.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHju34UHakEgCsgO0EeYRQrNTtDlLzAKxuNq52TCSYTov4y0CxlT87BaU17fQ43eqNcNlNFAmQffmkEVeXDiOmiTfKD-KYDL8lGhfIAE52oTOqTjW-vPO4Fy1FL2rvUUFfMj_NYEITanH8/s320/RIMG0063.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293002430746484050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAQTXOf_UUnRyV2fE_mtKjg5QMEkb2S0oYc66KDKYcXtZqUT3cCFkcdvLHPSLKVZko26o_wCp_MJrqSs4G8E_9v4HRRP9yIN2-2mRQ6RJ7SK1zWCTPvnUO3B6xQJed50WkeWRGb4mfNPB/s1600-h/RIMG0058.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAQTXOf_UUnRyV2fE_mtKjg5QMEkb2S0oYc66KDKYcXtZqUT3cCFkcdvLHPSLKVZko26o_wCp_MJrqSs4G8E_9v4HRRP9yIN2-2mRQ6RJ7SK1zWCTPvnUO3B6xQJed50WkeWRGb4mfNPB/s320/RIMG0058.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293001949320873090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhlIW02e5pXTA2vW3nnR0hptA0IWuy_Q7TSOZmfEx2xikLfgfqlUIbZsS-X3nZkE83RhWnFO0uXyDpxg36qLfV0nN_xp067UZ-Ke8PiSvIp3FWfRaWsbzgW8FTAsHVOfpbXuz_Pbvzrmw/s1600-h/RIMG0057.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhlIW02e5pXTA2vW3nnR0hptA0IWuy_Q7TSOZmfEx2xikLfgfqlUIbZsS-X3nZkE83RhWnFO0uXyDpxg36qLfV0nN_xp067UZ-Ke8PiSvIp3FWfRaWsbzgW8FTAsHVOfpbXuz_Pbvzrmw/s320/RIMG0057.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293001249849706786" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEj0BxCBezcqUtltXD3yW8qj6NAyULHuu5G41uNsnEDBQzeBelhHdsAgg64_ltk2phQTkOnnSIZr95r2jpTsqh0AwKtTqcl4D6xJsZfx-o7kJJZGnUjJTdoPGW2c87bjEv8ZOY8oWCMVCM/s1600-h/RIMG0041.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEj0BxCBezcqUtltXD3yW8qj6NAyULHuu5G41uNsnEDBQzeBelhHdsAgg64_ltk2phQTkOnnSIZr95r2jpTsqh0AwKtTqcl4D6xJsZfx-o7kJJZGnUjJTdoPGW2c87bjEv8ZOY8oWCMVCM/s320/RIMG0041.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293000910439656066" /></a><br />As many of you know, I travel quite a bit for work, but I rarely have any time to explore. It's all work and no play, usually.. For some reason or another I had a long morning free last weekend in Xian, a big ol' city southwest of Beijing. <br /><br />Xian is one of the oldest cities in Chinese hisory. You wouldn't know this by looking at it because honestly, it looks like every other Chinese city. Just outside the city there are a lot of ancient ruins, the famous Terracotta warriors and a few monuments worth noting, but I didn't have time for anything except an hour long stroll around a section the city wall built in 1370. It was quite a hazy day and I could barely see anything in the distance. I'll get back to Xian one day and check out some more things.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-87496107385593856302009-01-12T08:14:00.006+09:002009-01-12T08:24:47.408+09:00Quite possibly the ugliest couch ever..<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLR-uJ1CLdrfYpUsBTASuprIhD39BNV0Sqec8K6Zy2z0WSEoEvALu0BjZZ3qbBcADAKalX_uERDMpQB8fEk5hq4NcZLRqX8f-TaLFs5IXyofZxqj6zQnNJ_VTV91JHQvNWtbm2y18MJcH/s1600-h/DSC00590.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLR-uJ1CLdrfYpUsBTASuprIhD39BNV0Sqec8K6Zy2z0WSEoEvALu0BjZZ3qbBcADAKalX_uERDMpQB8fEk5hq4NcZLRqX8f-TaLFs5IXyofZxqj6zQnNJ_VTV91JHQvNWtbm2y18MJcH/s320/DSC00590.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290179679196402354" /></a><br />Last weekend I was working at a university in Dalian when I discovered the couch in the room I had to work in all day. I can only imagine what was going through some one's head when they decided to take on this piece of furniture. It has the resistance of a log and it's slick, possibly finished in vinyl.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-75678896627491470172009-01-03T18:44:00.003+09:002009-01-03T18:54:40.198+09:00I might be crazy, but this building looks like it has problems<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiN4uaWQqA0yRbYXJMwR8qIz0EJa5o7KgYsDMcENItHbgW7Smx3fFlqQ4nEO1Gl83ySgv_OgWlafbii_GrXtGgHTKTT4Zlq_1obCJ-EG6jzqtP4PyXbqhcyM2oi026nuKygB3bng592m2K/s1600-h/DSC00585.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiN4uaWQqA0yRbYXJMwR8qIz0EJa5o7KgYsDMcENItHbgW7Smx3fFlqQ4nEO1Gl83ySgv_OgWlafbii_GrXtGgHTKTT4Zlq_1obCJ-EG6jzqtP4PyXbqhcyM2oi026nuKygB3bng592m2K/s320/DSC00585.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287003676885295890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDAYYfiVxopgxRp8ee3pTCA81-SYhLoccLRRAPVynVkAsloTfTvrCI2HNHzUy3lR8an8-j5DuCICaZ9KTMeZMxdsdjlt9_xwxYVAIxMJQRUsW1G8PYsatk5IZ6byzNdwwZDi34GuimQQD/s1600-h/DSC00584.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDAYYfiVxopgxRp8ee3pTCA81-SYhLoccLRRAPVynVkAsloTfTvrCI2HNHzUy3lR8an8-j5DuCICaZ9KTMeZMxdsdjlt9_xwxYVAIxMJQRUsW1G8PYsatk5IZ6byzNdwwZDi34GuimQQD/s320/DSC00584.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287003513266980386" /></a><br />On my way to the gym this morning I noticed this building that appears to have some structural inconsistency. I'm no architect, but comparing the building on the right to it's twin on the left leads me to believe that it may have some serious problems. If you follow it from the bottom to the top and compare the amount of space between the two buildings as you get to the top you can see what I'm talking about. Well, I hope I'm wrong.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-65317982474552181422008-12-28T00:14:00.020+09:002008-12-29T12:55:13.944+09:00Recent travels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicd6_hFLBBOtAFjV-rKI4ZgxuNX1LRWh26fN4RYYDjSmT3oEdmvaKwTVst6UWvlh13B92l1UoMH3VKn5ULyFWmIQcdUaXXiR4zDafBBVTZ1jJnwtn_vvyK4fOMtwaxh2LhH9xwrhM1mT00/s1600-h/RIMG0291.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicd6_hFLBBOtAFjV-rKI4ZgxuNX1LRWh26fN4RYYDjSmT3oEdmvaKwTVst6UWvlh13B92l1UoMH3VKn5ULyFWmIQcdUaXXiR4zDafBBVTZ1jJnwtn_vvyK4fOMtwaxh2LhH9xwrhM1mT00/s320/RIMG0291.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284523719642828274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYGOemcn_1I_I2allu0kNg5ASmbquWKY5bXtHhPpjoecqbEDYNr5V2k1HLRA6bM4D8PTpqltd6qLKsVGqdz1uW3o5PueZBr34eVWpmhHKsyLkF7UcIXf6_rZtZ9WLHv95XSsGMiW_cJ5j/s1600-h/RIMG0267.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYGOemcn_1I_I2allu0kNg5ASmbquWKY5bXtHhPpjoecqbEDYNr5V2k1HLRA6bM4D8PTpqltd6qLKsVGqdz1uW3o5PueZBr34eVWpmhHKsyLkF7UcIXf6_rZtZ9WLHv95XSsGMiW_cJ5j/s320/RIMG0267.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284523391297320978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLmptlr_mbrPCB9dL7_8-NuuupanSbUSV9aQJT68sUV6dvDNI5eAc8x0Zhq_ol8yb3lu2Ake8y_OCZzLe_8eJh3LAQNn2EQ-2vgc5LflyLInI3If72evY9e2n1rwzc40zKS9QIjYxtVF-/s1600-h/RIMG0258.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 318px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLmptlr_mbrPCB9dL7_8-NuuupanSbUSV9aQJT68sUV6dvDNI5eAc8x0Zhq_ol8yb3lu2Ake8y_OCZzLe_8eJh3LAQNn2EQ-2vgc5LflyLInI3If72evY9e2n1rwzc40zKS9QIjYxtVF-/s320/RIMG0258.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284523020664063874" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jMVuT0Gf82HxcUMbptYH2nD61Z139HRKfQhh5HGMAW5-bHDOXDUGUPG1eJH2l5CEWQjxGb4-eQsjeNFK6-hC2dZfAc19cZmr8tYECoO-eVa0nUJW2uKazE27FJA3Occ4BOyjvwVoSvzC/s1600-h/RIMG0166.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jMVuT0Gf82HxcUMbptYH2nD61Z139HRKfQhh5HGMAW5-bHDOXDUGUPG1eJH2l5CEWQjxGb4-eQsjeNFK6-hC2dZfAc19cZmr8tYECoO-eVa0nUJW2uKazE27FJA3Occ4BOyjvwVoSvzC/s320/RIMG0166.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284522650494238866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZns-hbH4pFP5D61sJt3eC9Z_MzBANwHNk30IMaqOYPBCdQGelvos0j1Yd6GTNe8BOb9fPuTL7fSZ96JeLvM0XBbbv-Aashi45SMni9Ma2vDLkrY_j0u4sFwIgvxMk0HDdCNqvGN5RGLQD/s1600-h/RIMG0158.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZns-hbH4pFP5D61sJt3eC9Z_MzBANwHNk30IMaqOYPBCdQGelvos0j1Yd6GTNe8BOb9fPuTL7fSZ96JeLvM0XBbbv-Aashi45SMni9Ma2vDLkrY_j0u4sFwIgvxMk0HDdCNqvGN5RGLQD/s320/RIMG0158.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284522381651259106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeH23jFHy70XJDh4L_6lubdmcju7pc6tzVLUth_IubsZO21txueaELtrDMz0H1b-2o7huygwlxPiPhVI34D1X7NQLrxyvXZ6p1UrmT6CdtPgc_RLoAmZCfmBHFEMke2ETdpztQ2N4KGeek/s1600-h/RIMG0083.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeH23jFHy70XJDh4L_6lubdmcju7pc6tzVLUth_IubsZO21txueaELtrDMz0H1b-2o7huygwlxPiPhVI34D1X7NQLrxyvXZ6p1UrmT6CdtPgc_RLoAmZCfmBHFEMke2ETdpztQ2N4KGeek/s320/RIMG0083.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284522002149715810" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuxt25jrfqA4pHwMXNak-GX9-yap04bRf6SiccxswH9YSH4YZGwAlpyoFZkE5mV4jpjlzb_907aPWMNUD5qAHUtbIfCPc17m9v875RCDOcSxssR2q6hyphenhyphen5-xqp0l-d2VoATV9cnLs5D0ko/s1600-h/RIMG0070.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuxt25jrfqA4pHwMXNak-GX9-yap04bRf6SiccxswH9YSH4YZGwAlpyoFZkE5mV4jpjlzb_907aPWMNUD5qAHUtbIfCPc17m9v875RCDOcSxssR2q6hyphenhyphen5-xqp0l-d2VoATV9cnLs5D0ko/s320/RIMG0070.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284521556922543970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDQ3N5YWc3tz4fBEvRV0tUG7uteixn1wPzCbnrV0L-1bIi56mop_zNUJIKY7y1Yod87aslwf7qEHmasfOOLbyLBF03Wly7tiUR5PtUjqaxGS6PHSRzx2ieVWcqDY9V4VVJCvmF_coJ_vR/s1600-h/RIMG0024.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 202px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDQ3N5YWc3tz4fBEvRV0tUG7uteixn1wPzCbnrV0L-1bIi56mop_zNUJIKY7y1Yod87aslwf7qEHmasfOOLbyLBF03Wly7tiUR5PtUjqaxGS6PHSRzx2ieVWcqDY9V4VVJCvmF_coJ_vR/s320/RIMG0024.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284521175535141730" /></a><br />My longtime friend Dan (Pittsburgh) came for a two week stint in the ol' red country. <br />We had a great time traveling, eating, and attempting to deal with language/culture barriers. During his first week we hung low in Beijing because I still had to work for half of the week. The following week we headed out to Shanghai for four nights, then Hangzhou for two nights.<br /><br />In Beijing, Dan and I (Luhan was working)hit up a few touristy things such as Tienanmen Square, Forbidden City, and the Houhai shopping area. We managed to do a short trip out to the Great wall and it was amazingly quiet, probably because it was freezing. Interestingly enough, when you're on the top, there's no wind which makes it not nearly as cold as below. The following day we checked out Mao Zedong's pickled corpse and both had doubts about its legitimacy. This is all I can say about that. <br /><br />I realize now how different it is traveling with another foreigner rather than Luhan. It creates a whole new set of circumstances or rather opportunities for people to try and sell us things we don't want and swindle us. <br /><br />On Saturday we headed out to Shanghai via airplane. Dan and I were on our own for the first two days and I think we did fairly well. Shanghai is a lot different than Beijing. Traveling around the city is a bit easier as the city seems to be more of a tight knit. It also presents a whole new architectural style. I'm mainly referring to the old structures that can be compared to the downtown part of NYC and the old buildings in the French concession area with their European vibe. But, the modern buildings, I think far surpass the style of anything new being built in Beijing. To me, parts of Shanghai reminded me of an unkempt Tokyo with a layer of dust. <br /><br />Finally, we took the fast train to Hangzhou which was about an hour and a half south. I heard so many good things about this city, so I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately it didn't live up to its reputation of being a quiet small little place. First off, the traffic was worse than Beijing. We sat in traffic for more than an hour on one occasion. Secondly, the area around the lake turned out to be a tourist trap with overpriced restaurants. The lake itself was really nice and we took a boat tour. On the last day we were there we decided to go out to this temple at the top of a mountain. It's called Ling Yin. This is easily the best temple I've been to in China, so far. It's spacious and not overflowing with tourists. There's a section of trails on the side of the mountain with Buddhas carved into the stone. And the temples themselves had a really different feel than any of the ones I've been to in Beijing. I highly recommend this place and it's reason enough to visit Hangzhou.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-85944917294097818572008-11-22T03:47:00.002+09:002008-11-23T10:48:31.934+09:00Hot Dogs!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NuEq97G8O7loLGilpa6UdTtbpX8RuXbKICtTcw2g2oADKOeuAvhA4tjD366uSLkf9y5aqSPEwAPKZp1t7cCrO-NllzS1e7wl7ptZ4FZXHgaUsG3O3qYNWHov_Fc0lBCIVTo25lMSsbPp/s1600-h/RIMG0396.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NuEq97G8O7loLGilpa6UdTtbpX8RuXbKICtTcw2g2oADKOeuAvhA4tjD366uSLkf9y5aqSPEwAPKZp1t7cCrO-NllzS1e7wl7ptZ4FZXHgaUsG3O3qYNWHov_Fc0lBCIVTo25lMSsbPp/s320/RIMG0396.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271184913408467858" /></a><br /><br />Out in front of my apartment complex there's a strip of about five small businesses tucked away underneath the apartment buildings facing the street. There's an herbal store, a dumpling restaurant, and a few other knickknack shops. In the middle of it all is rather odd looking hot dog shop called "No More Bunz." What the god damn does that mean? I have no idea, so for quite a while I was stubborn and only eating Chinese food. <br /><br />Finally, after two months or so contemplating this place I decided to give it a go (as the Brits would say). The fine little shop changed my life. In fact, the dogs weren't that expensive when it really came down to it and they're loaded with a choice of condiments.<br /><br />They offer a standard dog (you know what this is) , Italian (Italian sausage), and German (Brat!). At this point, it's hard for me not to stop there after work. Fortunately they close really early.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-62446135052409709252008-11-12T19:43:00.018+09:002008-11-17T15:24:29.827+09:00Mao Zedong's wings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdWxQQkXEZFtiSFrjWFblQnchp08QBITaI7B5M7HsKtJSGmMeEAJ7HDQwknYSYOOSdGOGr2BLbbHMxNbUWVA7mNvhktToKsNF8iJ8XQo8Ggtmk_Cckzh6ai7vovWazVbMeTPpnq3Pqs26/s1600-h/RIMG0037.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdWxQQkXEZFtiSFrjWFblQnchp08QBITaI7B5M7HsKtJSGmMeEAJ7HDQwknYSYOOSdGOGr2BLbbHMxNbUWVA7mNvhktToKsNF8iJ8XQo8Ggtmk_Cckzh6ai7vovWazVbMeTPpnq3Pqs26/s320/RIMG0037.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267730670231901058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaQhaOqY4r4sMOmz52ggQlYSNzlYotfmCokx910SpYi8O9dwWSXyj4nK5NSC_pFmoyH039EERQryMMFq5AzRiMdv6xhjlTn10u03q-Os0QdjIknzqtM9VVM-O3TtIEnY_pIBbiJop0VPH/s1600-h/RIMG0014.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaQhaOqY4r4sMOmz52ggQlYSNzlYotfmCokx910SpYi8O9dwWSXyj4nK5NSC_pFmoyH039EERQryMMFq5AzRiMdv6xhjlTn10u03q-Os0QdjIknzqtM9VVM-O3TtIEnY_pIBbiJop0VPH/s320/RIMG0014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267730666947945282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6uYBOUYAzQjqiSIuv7IZAIoBVTQbSFz8dG2-VyubSu5zcDryiGS29HOm4zE6yNylUir-kQdF-kRskhVSkrUobpTOnpJNb_RTKE4BT7BSWD1D1Gz2k1kUdHK157Jw8eV_zWKGog4946CgN/s1600-h/RIMG0008.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6uYBOUYAzQjqiSIuv7IZAIoBVTQbSFz8dG2-VyubSu5zcDryiGS29HOm4zE6yNylUir-kQdF-kRskhVSkrUobpTOnpJNb_RTKE4BT7BSWD1D1Gz2k1kUdHK157Jw8eV_zWKGog4946CgN/s320/RIMG0008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267730663133897810" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfR6HQhMFTrtOhLQQgVuooBQ8LhPTGK5XKhGJ_YY0hrWcWIWLRsxa3FM7U8FZar37DgDW0prQgGWZt-r5ggyb35OBULTYMeyzbM263-IUGY1vGT2X_w7-cHULnPitqaJ7MC7j7XXIt1g4/s1600-h/RIMG0002.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfR6HQhMFTrtOhLQQgVuooBQ8LhPTGK5XKhGJ_YY0hrWcWIWLRsxa3FM7U8FZar37DgDW0prQgGWZt-r5ggyb35OBULTYMeyzbM263-IUGY1vGT2X_w7-cHULnPitqaJ7MC7j7XXIt1g4/s320/RIMG0002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267730658632753490" /></a><br />A little while back Luhan's father asked me if I liked airplanes. We were eating dinner and I had trouble deciding whether I did like airplanes or not. I guess airplanes are OK, so I said yes. Boy was he excited. Apparently he had been trying to get someone to go with him to this aviation museum a bit out of town. The next morning we were off. <br /><br />We drove out with him and Luhan's mother to this old somewhat neglected museum. It was interesting because it was like someone decided to build it, perhaps in the 80's and then do absolutely nothing to maintain it. <br /><br />There were two main sections. One was a gigantic space inside of a mountain. Lined up in rows were mainly dusty replications of all sorts of aircraft dating back to the Wright brothers. But the real gems lie out in an overgrown field amidst at least 25 real airplanes. Here I'm talking about Mao Zedong's personal fleet. The picture of me on the couch was taken inside one of his planes. Also, you can see Luhan on the stairs of the same plane. I wonder what Mao would think if he knew I was lounging on his couch? I'll ask the preserved man when I make it out to visit him. <br /><br />I also found a plane with a description beside it explaining that it shot down an American plane. That gave me a strange sort of feeling and I kicked it. Just kidding.<br /><br />I'm still not sure how I feel about airplanes, but it sure was cloudy that day.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-9679851962095228352008-11-07T13:17:00.006+09:002008-11-12T19:39:01.375+09:00Mad man in neighborhood<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcFT7w-KSi-DQSXHg4xGkvVSQhOcsQuW4SnzZC9Y7uKsAzidkzHn-tcU4TFEOY2c8F8ykyQNyWit2bey6zgvUa5VSEGYWtaQSunRuwR_t4zQvARtivPJb2G0RsGwJ9JqdjaMFxswuse59/s1600-h/RIMG0171.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcFT7w-KSi-DQSXHg4xGkvVSQhOcsQuW4SnzZC9Y7uKsAzidkzHn-tcU4TFEOY2c8F8ykyQNyWit2bey6zgvUa5VSEGYWtaQSunRuwR_t4zQvARtivPJb2G0RsGwJ9JqdjaMFxswuse59/s320/RIMG0171.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267718645817120418" /></a><br />So, this morning I awoke to find this posted to the apartment building beside ours. At first I thought it was an ad of some sort, but now that I'm fluent in Mandarin I read the text below. Ok, Luhan read the text. Apparently, this man (image I'm assuming came from a security camera) has robbed a few people at knifepoint. More specifically, his victims have all been foreigners. <br /><br />I really didn't think this kind of nonsense happened in Beijing, but of course, I'm nieve. His attacks actually happened a few subway stops away from us, which is pretty far to be posting signs in our neighborhood, but I guess the community gets pretty fired up when someone is at large. <br /><br />The sign warns that the victim should hand over his loot as the man has already stabbed a russian refusing give in. <br /><br />As you can see, this is about as exciting as it gets these days. I'm working a ton and ready for a break. Luhan will be in NYC, Florida and San Francisco over the next week mainly to attend a wedding, but sounds more to me like a vacation.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-64549684691276888612008-10-14T16:05:00.005+09:002008-10-14T22:30:45.900+09:00Food for thought<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPP8tCX8BY_ADqNK8Bc92wZCVdebBGkegfjgojaAqoKRF7VSKxJEYW53epZgcQRggZjMI4ZSVuZCyYYu5pQBCZnEDCXf9VC64po55lEQu52DzxoQhOsI8o9FSoRn1G2BsCnyDOVadJwvQ/s1600-h/DSC00546.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPP8tCX8BY_ADqNK8Bc92wZCVdebBGkegfjgojaAqoKRF7VSKxJEYW53epZgcQRggZjMI4ZSVuZCyYYu5pQBCZnEDCXf9VC64po55lEQu52DzxoQhOsI8o9FSoRn1G2BsCnyDOVadJwvQ/s320/DSC00546.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257001468704904914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7v1qolWVVPaS7FJcu_dzydCCUCkTLr-wiFSwshV9s2dUPcPvYD_dA-1DUCDgoPZk0R2jdpsh-BfKeiGpF185KOkeiMTKpHtq1ONNJU8TIM1OnWCm_kVjrvrbuOLdyF3gAImMLhDCs7oE/s1600-h/DSC00545.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7v1qolWVVPaS7FJcu_dzydCCUCkTLr-wiFSwshV9s2dUPcPvYD_dA-1DUCDgoPZk0R2jdpsh-BfKeiGpF185KOkeiMTKpHtq1ONNJU8TIM1OnWCm_kVjrvrbuOLdyF3gAImMLhDCs7oE/s320/DSC00545.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257001281080646882" /></a><br />I'm slowly realizing that I should keep a running tally of snacks that I find, photograph them and post them all in one shebang. But, I guess I'm just not that slick of a blogger. I know there are a few readers who appreciate learning about Chinese snacks and checking out their packaging. So, I'll keep it coming.<br /><br />These are Spicy Duck Necks. From the same brand I also found Spicy Chicken Claws, but I was in a hurry and didn't snap a pic.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-59224007850770912642008-10-05T10:42:00.000+09:002008-10-05T17:16:18.114+09:00What happens when 13 billion people are given a 9 day vacation at the same time?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlz5FCPKjfrg8csgOFgtAiMz4R3zoZtJ-c7dojVPbt2SZSRnPwH607WdapTmHqH9zRxcr3rdGN1HC_JnK0m0-UKTPFpZ-TKnim1z9e4rSEUn09HCUk3nkd1TS6QhqjWveFJ3ClGpgbGBQp/s1600-h/RIMG0282.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlz5FCPKjfrg8csgOFgtAiMz4R3zoZtJ-c7dojVPbt2SZSRnPwH607WdapTmHqH9zRxcr3rdGN1HC_JnK0m0-UKTPFpZ-TKnim1z9e4rSEUn09HCUk3nkd1TS6QhqjWveFJ3ClGpgbGBQp/s320/RIMG0282.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253565027438913202" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWK6BfNwt4zsz4T23B4AIcD6B2lKxuJz0DIKB5be0NUTBhKiqsXs7aTtYJFWiXN1Ncv8pghkQGu50gK1LzB-ghyRFQScsnPmxbJ9Vjktc5fdmM4rTrI41rvurCXUPm9HhfkYUp58nl9sk/s1600-h/RIMG0190.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWK6BfNwt4zsz4T23B4AIcD6B2lKxuJz0DIKB5be0NUTBhKiqsXs7aTtYJFWiXN1Ncv8pghkQGu50gK1LzB-ghyRFQScsnPmxbJ9Vjktc5fdmM4rTrI41rvurCXUPm9HhfkYUp58nl9sk/s320/RIMG0190.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253564519162781778" /></a><br />ANSWER: You learn a valuable lesson about overcrowding, unthinkable lines, and personal space.<br /><br />We're nearing up the end of our national holiday vacation. More than near I should say as it's Sunday morning now. <br /><br />As of lately, the weather in Beijing has been perfect fall weather so I really couldn't see the point in traveling around the country when there's still so many things I haven't seen in the vicinity. I've been eager to see Summer Palace(an old summer resort for Empress Dowager Cixi), and the Great Wall (supposedly the only man made structure in the world that can be seen from space). <br /><br />On Wednesday we headed out to Summer Palace using the transportation formula taxi - subway - bus - taxi. As we drove up and approached the entrance the shear amount of people literally made me gasp. Everyone from everywhere was here. At this point I was counting on the huge grounds the Summer Palace encompasses to swallow up some of these people so that I could actually feel like I could relax. Waiting in line to get through the gate made me nervous and uneasy, but we finally made our way in, or should I say we were finally pushed and pulled in. At some point I want to write a little about line culture here and how the sudden influx of people transitioning directly from cave life to city life has changed common mannerisms. <br /><br />Summer palace is a gigantic park that includes a variety of palaces, a lake and a number of gardens. It was built in 1750, which doesn't make it that old for something in this region of the world. I have never seen so many people gathered in one place in my entire life. One of the bridges looked like a scene from the evacuation leading up to hurricane Katrina. The four of us (Luhan, myself, Angela and Mao) stuck around for a little while, rented a boat and explored by lake. This made it easier to escape the masses. All in all it's definitely a spot I want to return to, but never again on national holiday. <br /><br />On Thursday, Luhan and I finally put together a little trip out to the Great Wall. There are a lot of points to visit the wall from Beijing. Some are more popular than others and given our experience from the day before, we opted for the less explored route. We made a plan to hike on the wall from one town(Jin Shan Ling) to the next (Simatai). At that point we'd stay over night, then head back to Beijing. <br /><br />To get to Jin Shan Ling from Beijing we had to leave pretty early, take a bus to the last stop in Beijing, then hire a driver to take us the rest of the way. The total travel time is about 3 hours. Once we made it to the outskirts of Beijing we met a driver that was willing to take us the rest of the way. After negotiating a price we hopped into his tiny little beat up car that probably hadn't been inspected in years. Now, this is the first time I've been in a rural area of China and also the first time I've been on the highway outside the city. The type of driving behavior I witnessed still makes me cringe. First of all, these people apparently think that a two lane highway is actually 4 as they include both shoulders. On numerous occasions we passed people, and were passed by others on the shoulder. Secondly, if someone wants to pass someone else(keep in mind that this is all a two lane highway) but another car is coming at them it simply doesn't matter. The other person will either have to stop or pass by on the shoulder. It's like a racetrack and anything goes, but no one really seems to get angry. <br /><br />Finally we made it in one piece and started our hike. We took cable cars to the top of the mountain to give a us a little head start. It was such a relief to find that the wall was not packed with people and that we could hike at will seeing people only now and again. It was a tough climb with some slopes as steep as climbing a ladder. The wall hasn't had many renovations in this area leaving the terrain to be worn down over the last 400 years. This stretch was a perfect day's hike and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an overnight trip to the wall. <br /><br />At about five o'clock we made it to our destination, a little guest house beside the wall. We hung out there with this French guy named Frank, drank beer and watched the owner's anxious little boy kick around an empty coke can for hours. <br /><br />We headed out in the morning, hit the racetrack and made it back to Beijing in one piece. You can check out my photos <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/matthewjgabel/GreatWallJinShanLingSamatai1008#">here</a>Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076624760891020019.post-35702705171014288942008-09-25T18:39:00.002+09:002008-09-25T18:46:04.749+09:00Great summary of the subprime mortgage crisisWhile I am in China I still try and keep up with US news. I've been following this, but I haven't always been clear about what happened. This really summed it up for me. It only takes about 3 minutes to read. But, beware there is some graphic language in it. <a href="http://www.businesspundit.com/sub-prime/">Check it out</a>.Gabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544365264714017712noreply@blogger.com0