travelin' reading list, part IV

Being at the beach for a couple of weeks with no TV and very limited internet access gave me plenty of time for reading.  A couple of books were given to me in old fashiondy non-digital paper format.  And you know what?  I hate them!  I wasn't exactly an early adapter to the e-reader trend.  Ed bought me a Kindle for Christmas last year in anticipation of eventually going away and even then I was only moderately convinced.  But now that I've grown accustomed its hard to go back to analog.

A lot of people we've met along the way have asked us whether we like our Kindles.  And, seriously, Amazon should be sending us royalties for our unpaid spokesmenship.  Though going back to paper books has reminded me how much more comfortable the Kindle is to read (one handed!), how much brighter the screen is (no glare on the beach!), that one's place is saved automatically (no bookmarks!), there is one feature that I miss more than all of these combined: the dictionary function.  Getting into the habit of moving the cursor to any word I'm not sure of in a book and having a two sentence definition appear at the bottom of the screen has been nothing short of miraculous.  Just last week I learned what "picaresque" and "surfeit" meant.  Growing and changing, growing and changing. 

And now, my words.

Everything Change by Jonathan Tropper
Actually, nothing changes.  This book, like the 3 or 4 others of his I've read follows the same story arch of estranged-rich-Jewish-kid-with-complex-familial-emotions as he comes back to the family fold.  Thing is, I like this story so as long as the Trop keeps writing it, imma keep reading it.  In like a day and a half.

Old School by Tobias Wolff
Set in a New England prep school in the 60s, which is usually the start of something I thoroughly enjoy (Friendly Fire, The Secret History), I have to admit I had a hard time getting through this one.  I found the unnamed narrator dry and there were too many moments where a perspective would have been much more engaging than straight observation.  In some ways it reads more like a play, or short story, than a novel.  The genius of the book which, in itself, is writerly is that the main characters are aspiring writers and the plot is driven by their heroes, the famous writers of the era.  So meta.

Into Thin Air by John Krakauer
This one was on Ed's Kindle, and I'm so so glad to have been introduced to the world of Krakauer.  Just a fantastic author, I had dreams for days about the harrowing experiences he describes on Mt. Everest.  Even though the prologue summarizes the events and names the dead, I still found myself hoping for a happy ending.  The trauma that unfolds, though unimaginable to a non-climber, is completely engrossing and impossible to stop thinking about.  Such a great read.  

Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang
This book felt like one that would have been assigned in a college level business school class.  But, having recently spent time in China, it was worth slogging through.  Chinese society comes across as heartless, opportunistic, and hollow; the view isn't balanced.  But, the lesson of the last 100 years of Chinese history and how it relates to the evolving workforce is informative and relevant.  Understanding how the interpersonal tenets of Chinese society and the brutality of history have come together to create a new class of independent and brash workers keeps it interesting.  As I was reading it, I felt like so many behaviors and norms I had seen in China were answers to the equation laid out in this book.  But, not that fun.  Not for the beach.

Bangkok 8 by John Burdett
An awesome "airplane" recommendation from Pete, reading this book while we were in Thailand was just super cool.  Its definitely on the light side, the plot is pretty ridiculous, but the energy and vibe of Bangkok is captured perfectly.  I actually learned quite a bit about the more illicit underbelly of what I was seeing, too.  I loved this book for the same reasons I loved Thailand: they're a little trashy, but there is no looking away.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Or, as it was renamed in our bungalow, "I Need to Read About Kevin."  This novel was given to me by an awesome girl we met at the beach.  Its written by the mother of a high-school mass-murderer (Columbine style) as a series of letters to her estranged husband.  The couple start off young, successful, hip New Yorkers and somewhat hesitantly transform themselves into suburban, SUV-driving, parents.  The book is a fascinating read and beautifully written (I longed for my dictionary function) but I think it especially resonant for any woman who has questioned motherhood as an option.  Its a brilliant novel and people who give out book awards thought so too.  Must must read it.
 

Sent by Mom...

My Mom sent this to me while we were in China.  But, since we were in China, we couldn't access YouTube.  Which is a damn shame, because the Chinese people who haven't seen this shit in live action should really have the opportunity to view it online at the very least.  Its kind of mind boggling and one of the few instances in which I've watched "ballet" and actually been nervous.  As the music builds, you do get the feeling that something is coming that probably should, but definitely won't, involve some safety measures.

I'd be interested to know what percentage of women in China are also contortionists because it seems like maybe the ratio is about 1 in 5. 

Enjoie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sMc-p19FIk

Feng Shui, count me among your believers.

Since leaving L'America nearly 3 months ago (I KNOW, it'll be 3 months in a couple of days!), we've really upped our knowledge of every type of accommodation.  We've slept in a tent we pitched ourselves during a sandstorm in the Gobi, modern Chinese business hotels, a large and varied rainbow of love motels, a collection of hostels that range from grotty (Hong Kong) to sublime (Beijing), and plenty of gers.  Some rooms we stayed in for a night, some for 4, some for longer.  And what is just bizarre is that the quality of our sleep varies hugely place to place.

Before coming on this trip, I would have blamed a poor nights' sleep on one of a few factors: comfort of the bed, temperature, brightness of the room, noise.  But having now slept in dozens and dozens of strange rooms/tents in a few short months, I've revised my opinion.  I know y'all are going to say its a little dippy, but I think that the best nights' sleep are had in the hotels that practice legit Feng Shui.

Case in point...  The bedroom in our apartment on 9th street was my platonic ideal of a sleeping environment.  This wasn't unintentional; sleeping is my favorite thing to do on earth.  Don't be sad; its awesome and I'm very happy with my decision to put sleep first.  Anyway, our room.  We had a big bed topped by the Cadillac of Nasa-inspired mattress technology.  The walls were painted a calming, sleepy taupe and heavy chocolate velvet curtains blocked the sun and noise.  And yet, at some point every single night, I would awake in half sleeping panic.  I never knew where I was and the dark shapes of doorways and furniture were too near and unrecognizable and scary.  I didn't understand what caused the problem, but now I think I know.

In China, there are several chains of boutique business hotels springing up to serve major cities.  Places like the Home Inn, the Orange Hotel, and Motel 168 & 268 are a few examples.  These hotels are modern, convenient, and built on the principles of Feng Shui.  In Suzhou, we stayed at a Motel 168.  The bed was one of the hardest we slept on, the room was small, and the street below was noisy.  And yet we consistently slept like marathoners, usually straight through 9 hour stretches at a time. 

These new joints rely on the principles of Feng Shui rather than high thread counts or Cable (ha), to create comfort.  I don't yet know enough about the practice, but you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be learning before I decorate another bedroom.  Obviously, Benjamin Moore #1018 (Shabby Chic) can't compensate for the bad juju I created hanging wall mirrors willy nilly.  Duly noted, China.

Suzhou is for lovers

We've been in a water town about an hour from Shanghai for a few days.  Like so many cities in China, Suzhou seems on a map to be a quaint little spec but is, in fact, a city of 6 million people.  Its built over a series of canals and, incidentally, has a top notch Indian restaurant that we've been to twice.  I think its called the Venice of China or something along those lines....

Suzhou blends new and old, with an industrial park and Disney-scale amusement to the West, and ancient bridges and traditional housing in the center.  We've spent lots of time here and in the nearby water towns criss-crossing stone bridges, relaxing in gardens cultivated to within an inch of their lives, and strolling by the canals.  This town has been a shining example of old China, and we've had an awesome time.

Because entering and leaving the country ranges from inconvenient to impossible for the Chinese, there is a huge amount of intra-country tourism here.  When we get out of the main cities, we don't see many other Westerners, but the sights are often thronged with Chinese disembarking from tour buses and following a guide with a portable PA and brightly colored umbrella.  Zhuzhuang, a nearby water town, was the worst example since the Forbidden City.  It is walled off and therefore the masses are contained; the beautiful winding corridors along the canals home mainly to silk and chotchkes and a captive audience.  Between the tour guides yelling into their mikes (you're already amplified, folks, no need to scream), the masses queuing to cross a bridge or enter a temple, and every vendor shouting "lookalooka" as you pass, the serenity of the place is lost. 

What was so lovely about Suzhou was being able to experience life in a water town, without someone narrating it in Chinese on a loudspeaker.  There has also been a lot of women's weightlifting on CCTV late night, so bonus points.  Man, those girls are Beasts!

We leave for Hong Kong this afternoon on a 24 hour train ride.  We're going to lay in some supplies in Shanghai first and are currently charging every electronic device we have.  I foresee quite a few reruns of 30 Rock in my future...

Shopping in China

The style of salespeople in China is a little different to what we're accustomed to.  Basically, from the second we enter a store, an employee follows us like we're there to rob them blind.  If I pick up an item for further inspection, the helpful retailer will often start talking to me in Chinese and pick up another nearby item to show me.  I haven't yet determined if this second item is for comparative purposes, is higher priced, or is simply a staff pick.  Whatever the reason, we are too close to one another and I wish I could shop in peace.  The experience is confusing and we were finding ourselves getting a bit frustrated and claustrophobic.  Until I invented a game.

Basically, when we go into a shop (pharmacy, shoe, bookstore) the clerk usually goes right to Ed.  Given we're in China and he's the dude, he is obviously going to be the one making the purchasing decisions.  The whole surveillance and tracking system operates under the assumption that we won't split up.  So, as soon as a salesperson has glommed on to us, I veer off in my own direction (phase 1).  Now, the clerk has a critical decision to make, and the wheels are turning.  He is watching Ed, but has to keep looking away to get a fix on my location.  Am I behind the rack of sneakers? In the produce aisle? Does he stay with Ed or divert to tail me?  Who seems shiftier? 

8 out of 10 times, he calls for backup.  But by the time help arrives, I'm already in deep-browse mode.  The salesperson stands so close while I'm shopping that any unexpected move can and does cause collision, and this is where I really shine.  At this point, Ed is usually buying the thing we actually need: tissues, bottled water, a street map.  Which gives me time for phase 2, which is when I feign interest only in items on the shelves that are being blocked by the person following me.  Oh, excuse me, nope to your right, no now move left, no, right behind your head.  Oh, yes, so sorry, no I wanted that one by your foot.  Oh, how clumsy of me, yes, if you could just.  A little to your left, no my left.  My fault.  Yes this one.  No, not this one, that other one.  Sorry, if I could just reach around you...

Is this game mean spirited and culturally insensitive? Mmmm, probably.  Does it provide us a bit of amusement in situations that can seem tense? Sure.  Also?  Phase 2 frustrates and confuses the tailgate, who typically retreats and finally gives me room to breathe. Works. Every. Time.

Old stuff

We really enjoyed our time in Shanghai, but I remarked to both our friends and to Ed that it was surprising to me that no trace of old Shanghai glamor was to be found.  The deco architecture is preserved and the European influence remains, but everywhere you look is modernity.  Facsimiles of legendary 1930s Shanghai abound; clearly I'm not the only mo who wants to see this.  Renovations across the Bund and beyond promise restoration to Shanghai's storied past.  The reality, though, is that Shanghai is a thoroughly modern city and these renovations are just copies of copies of copies...

No where was this more in evidence than the evening that Allison, Ed and I visited a club/bar called Chinatown.  A 3 story bar with a stage in a converted 1930s Buddhist temple brought to us by the dream team behind the Slipper Room and the Box in NYC, Chinatown promises an evening variety show, tawdry burlesque, old fashioned cocktails, etc.  And as it turned out, the cocktails were fantastic, and the space was beautiful renovated.  The evening, overall, was pretty fun but that was largely due to our amusing ourselves with running commentary.  The experience is supposed to be 1934, but this is 2010 and even with vodka and imagination, that couldn't be ignored. 

The performers weren't drunk or high on opium or for hire; they were expats, failed actresses most likely, who clearly take vitamins and get plenty of sleep and keep head shots behind the bar.  We wondered aloud what one of the male performers, a Frank Sinatra type, had done or not done to land himself a regular gig here.  We concluded work release program.  The juggling clown, when offered a shot by a drunken bachelorette, declined saying "oh, I can't, I have to perform again later."  The Chinatown girls had clearly been instructed to wander about the club between acts, wearing flapperish dresses and smoking out of long handled cigarette holders.  The crowd was mainly expats in chinos, many on business trips; there wasn't even an illusion to be ruined. 

The whole conceit, from the Cabaret-imitating emcee to the awkward burlesque felt contrived and controlled.  But I should have known better.  China is a nation obsessed with progress, happily leveling historic buildings and converting temples into night clubs. 

Did I really expect the glamor and recklessness of the 1930s to remain in Shanghai, where the government doesn't allow access to Facebook?

America, brought to you by Corporate America

There were a couple of aspects of the World Expo that were super strange to us.  The American pavilion and the Chinese pavilion are about as far away from one another as possible within the grounds.  Also, the American pavilion is in the back corner of the area, making it a bit remote.  We're pretty sure this wasn't accidental.

The magic begins when we step inside and the introduction room is plastered with logos of Corporate sponsors.  An introductory film is played in which folks on the street in DC are filmed trying to say "Welcome to China" in Mandarin.  It doesn't go that well. 

As we pass into the next giant movie theater, Pfizer thanks us for not smoking. Then we watch a film where kids teach us how to save the earth (make a cloud plane that doesn't use gasoline!) and CMOs from the sponsoring firms (Chevron, GE, PepsiCo) emote; the children are our future, the environment is a critical issue.  Then cameos by such American celebrities as Tony Hawk and Marlee Matlin (she's deaf! we're diverse!), interspersed with academic interviews from professors at the University of Washington (sponsor).

We're herded into a third theater where we watch a film about a kid who dreams of turning a cement lot in her ghetto neighborhood into an urban garden and paints a picture of her vision.  She shops this around and makes some progress.  Her luck turns.  At one point it seems that a thunderstorm, flaky neighbors, and bullies will sabotage the whole project.  But when our protagonist, in desperation and pouring rain, holds her painting overhead and looks skyward over dramatic guitar music, the garden is saved.  She awakes to find it fully planted, vandals spray-painting a rainbow mural on the wall.  I think we're to assume that a higher power is responsible...

Now, imagine you're Chinese.  You don't speak English and your government isn't letting you pop over to the USA for a visit anytime soon.  Your internet access is highly censored and western TV & movies aren't broadcast.  What you see at the world expo might inform your opinion of the US disproportionately.  And what you might take away from your visit is that Americans really like sitting in dark theaters, can't and won't try to speak Chinese, and don't flush a toilet that isn't paid for by a major corporation. 

Also, the building looks like an airport terminal.  Citibank thanks you for visiting.  That is all.

If you like lines...

You will LOVE the Shanghai World Expo 2010! 

A line for the bus, then for ticket pickup, security, food, country pavilions (these stretched up to 6 hours), and, of course, bathrooms.  I'm not an amusement park goer but I think our experience at the Expo must have been similar, line-wise. But, when you get to the front of an Expo line you don't get to go on a roller coaster or meet Mickey.  Instead, you're herded into a giant building to watch a movie presentation that is most akin to a Fortune 500 company's brand video.  I felt like I was at new hire orientation for Australia.  I'm not sure what my job is supposed to be, but I think it has to do with surfing, earth movers and kangaroos. 

During our overpriced and barely edible lunch in the "gourmet pavilion," Ed and I tried to remember how we had decided to come to the Expo in the first place.  We blame advertising, incidentally.  But, for all the heat and the lines and the unbelievable crap inside the pavilions, it was maybe worth going.  Here are my hot tips if anyone out there decides to:

- Go late in the day.  Around 5 pm there is a parade (more on this later) and a seeming lull in the frenzy.  Its before the night ticket holders arrive, and the folks who got in line for tickets to the China pavilion at 3 am (seriously) have called it quits. 
- Don't wait in line for any pavilion.  The architecture is the most impressive aspect, indoor is lamezone.  That said, going into the pavilions of the countries that are broke (Iraq, Nigeria, Laos) can be interesting in a sad way.  Nigeria had straw sandals on display.  Laos gave away dixie cups of coffee.  Single tear.
- The terrace at the Spain pavilion sells $2 beers and has no line.  We joked that if we were in New York, the 5 hour wait would be to get into the bar instead of Spain's exhibition.  Fortunately for us, it was the reverse.
- Maybe skip Asia.  The lines for South Korea and Japan are the longest and the whole area is hard to get around and really spread out.  Since China's pavilion is nine times the size of any of the others and smack in the center, it serves as a major obstacle to get around if you want to see anything else in the Asia zone.
- Europe is pretty, especially at night.  We thought the Netherlands had the best pavilion of all.  Somebody's highdea, perhaps.
- About 95% of the visitors to the Expo are Chinese.  They do not give a shit about Africa or most of South America.  So if you do and want to get inside a building, go to those regions.
- People say you can skip the line of your home country if you have your passport.  We were told at the USA pavilion that this isn't their "policy" but then were let under the rope anyway, so its worth a shot.

Seemingly the hocking of merch was China's primary motivation for hosting the Expo.  So, if you really want T-shirts with the little blue guy that I'm CERTAIN is a trademark infringement (um, hi, gumby?) you'll score easy.  Lines and T-shirts, T-shirst and lines. 

Shanghai: I see White people

We've been in Shanghai for a bunch of days seeing the sites and hanging with our visitors!  My good buddy Allison and her friend Kristy met us here and its been a blast.  The four of us did the heavy tourism lifting fast and early.  After checking off the Lonely Planet Top 10, we were able to get down to the good stuff: beer & acrobats, soup dumplings & massage.   

Here's the rundown:
Yuyuan Gardens & Old Town - Yes, the architecture is fantastic.  Yes, the temples are huge and insane and amazing and more beautiful even than the Forbidden City.  But.  Its way overly touristy in a horrible Chinatown way, hawkers are pretty sure that you will buy a bagwatchrolexgucciprada if they follow you down the street repeating themselves (the word "no" is merely an invitation).  At street level of the restored buildings you can find DQ, KFC, and Starbucks.  I mean, I'm not saying we didn't get blizzards and iced coffee.  I'm just saying.  

The Bund - As recently as this morning we were trying to decide what, exactly, the Bund encompasses.  Its an area along the Huangpu river with imposing, gorgeous deco architecture and windy streets.  Its lovely and impressive and like olden times except for all the people with SLR cameras.  There are huge shopping streets and a million restaurants drawing tourists and locals alike.  Funnily, we felt like we could easily have been strolling the Thames or the Seine, save for the fact that one looks across the river at this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shanghaiviewpic1.jpg

French Concession & Xintiandi - I know it couldn't be more cliched than if I told you about Paris in the springtime, but we loved wandering the tree-lined streets of the French Concession.  There is just a whiff of old time Shanghai expat glamor once you're off the main drag, particularly in the far west of the neighborhood.  The streets get dark and leafy and sparkly restaurants are tucked into courtyards.  Its French, but exoticer, and the better for it.   

Oh, also, we got a little drunk and saw an acrobat show.  This was enthralling and worthwhile.  Had the show taken place in the US, a not insignificant number of child labor laws would have been broken.  But since we're in China, the land of tiny circus freaks, good times for us. 

Kristy headed back a couple of days ago, so its just been the 3 of us roaming.  Having Allison around has reminded me how much I miss her, and all of my Bro Nameths back home.  Sharing our trip with Allison has made this portion extra special and given us someone to talk to (besides each other) about everything we've done and seen so far.  Also, she's been a real trooper on our robust eating schedule, happily attending second lunch and sucking the soup out of dumplings like a champ.   

The only bummer about Shanghai is the sheer number of foreigners.  The architecturally and historically interesting neighborhoods are also chock full of tourists and expats.  I guess we're only adding to those numbers, and probably all those people are just as unhappy to see our Western mugs as we are theirs.  But when we've gotten off the beaten path, gone to random stops on the metro, explored non-guide book neighborhoods, we mostly run into residential areas. 

I shouldn't be such a snob, but we want the authentic Shanghai experience.  Could the Western folks just step off stage for a few more days and cue the local extras?  That'd be terrific. 

Korea wrap up

I feel I would be remiss if I didn't at least fill you in a little on our last couple of weeks in Korea.  In all, we ended up staying in Korea for one month & 2 days, and I really really really think everyone should go there.  I saw a T-shirt in a souvenir store that read "Korea: Asia's Best Kept Secret," and I can't say how true that is.  I've never known someone to go just to go, but everyone should go, because its gd awesome and, like, the most civilized country on earth.

Our Korea loop, in the end, went like this Seoul -> Sokcho -> Samcheok -> Andong -> Gyeongju -> Busan -> Seoul.  Gyeongju was, by far, the historical highlight of the trip.  Its often referred to as an "open air museum," which I insisted on saying to Ed in my best wine aficionado voice.  Like, it "open air museum, its really earthy but with a nutty finish."  I think its funnier when you hear it spoken.

Anywho, Gyeongju was the capital of the Shilla dynasty which means there are shitload of rulers buried there.  Fun fact: when kings were entombed back in the day, a pre-selected group of virgins would be lead into the tomb at burial time.  Lucky for them, they were given knives so that once the final brick was in place and they were, in essence, buried alive they could off themselves.  Same rules for the servants and the royal guard.  It must have been crowded in there, but we wouldn't want the king getting lonely in the afterlife.  So, these tombs are huge, perfect, mounds sprinkled throughout the city.  Some are in parks, some in the mountains, some right in the downtown next to a row of ice cream shops.  I called them grass boobs and was originally underwhelmed.  But then wizened owl Ed made this sterling observation: what is amazing about these grass boobs is that in the time they were built, people weren't creating monuments of stone or brick.  They used what they had available, which was dirt.  And using their hands and dirt and engineering, they made something perfectly round and really tall in tribute.  Which is kind of rad. 

Bulguksa Temple is another fascinating and beautiful site to visit in Gyeongju. We've been to a lot of temples.  In China we were palace'd out but in Korea, we were temple'd out.  That said, this one was probably the most impressive that we visited.  Like all beautiful things in Asia, it was burned to the ground by another Asian nation (this time Japan) and they've been working on the restoration ever since.  Its also a Unesco World Heritage site which, if you come to Asia, is a huge freaking deal.  Everybody is all Unesco this, World Heritage that.  Its like they EGOT'd. 

The highlight of Gyeongju for me, though, was a hike up Mt. Namsan.  Along the trails there are huge stone Buddha carvings, tiny ancient temples, pagodas, religious relics and more grass boobs all the way to the summit.  This allowed us to learn and sweat and be spiritual all at once.  Just an awesome, perfect day.  Incidentally, followed by one of my favorite Korean meals of the trip. 

We're now in Shanghai which is totally awesome because my friend Allison is here!  But, we haven't yet quite re-acclimated to the honking and spitting and yelling and general chaos.  Korea was like the nerdy, tidy Uncle you like to visit at his house in the Catskills.  He makes organic Chicken for dinner and reads Proust by the fire and you admire him, but don't really see the resemblance.  China is like your sloppy kid brother.  You love him, but you know that a weekend with him is going to be noisy and, inevitably, involve vomit.  

 

Chinese food again?

A common whine which escaped my lips during the weeks we were in China.  We ate deliciously; a surfeit ranging from common street skewers to the fanciest Cantonese joint in Beijing.  The Chinese style of ordering and corresponding prices could not have better suited me and my life partner.  Ed, of "for the table" fame, could order surplus dishes as fast as he could point to them on other people's tables.  And when the bill came, it almost never topped $5 US, so I didn't feel like we were letting precious travelling Yuan languish in oily plates of excess.

But there comes a time when the thought of another Schezuan peppercorn laden sizzler or bamboo steamer of perfect pork pillows looses appeal.  This time for me came in Shenyang, where the shopping street we near housed such an abundance of fast food restaurants that I forgot I was in China.  Had there been an Orange Julius in my sight line, I could have been in the food court at the Trumbull mall.  Every night, as we left the hotel for dinner, I would jokingly beg Ed to take me to Pizza Hut.  And every night he would grudgingly agree.  I would, of course, back down.  I didn't actually want the nasty Pizza Hut pizza but just, in those moments of weakness, really looovvveeeedddd the platonic idea of the Pizza Hut. 

What I actually did crave and continue to wake thinking of, though, are sandwiches.  From delis, or home made, or the chicken/mayo/hardroll bodega monstrosity that I've subjected many of you to.  A BLT or a PB&J, even, might cure the near-fetishist feelings I harbor. 

My kingdom for a ham & cheese, people.  No fooling.

T-Shirts Part II

Shenyang was an interesting city.  Signs in English, T-Shirts in English, No English speaking.  The irony (and obvious drawback) was that I saw so many fewer nonsense T's.  The sayings were weird as hell, but they basically made sense.  There were a lot of song lyrics like "I love you more today than yesterday," and "Open your heart and smile" (that one may or may not be from a song) but basically they were legible.

I did cull these 3 for the highlight reel, which I will continue collecting in Korea. 

Vamp the USA
Breaking 20 Hottie

and, personal favorite.  In all caps, huge silver font on a pink ringer T:

JERRY

WTF?

CCTV

There was nothing I loved less about China than CCTV.  But, sometimes, after a long day of temple-roaming and noodle sucking, you need a little downtime.  In Beijing this was provided by CCTV in the form of distinctley uninformative world news, delivered in English, which I could usually only stand for about 12 minutes.  In Shenyang, there wasn't an English station, or an English speaker that we could identify.  So, I watched some sports.

When you need a hott second of familiarity sometimes its hard to get into a Chinese teen drama.  But sports are the great leveler, no commentary necessary.  Hell, I could've watched that shit on mute.  This was kind of a revelation, because I don't watch any sports at home (including the Olympics) except occassionally to turn on golf for napping along to.

Oh, but did I mention what sports were on the telly?  In order of appearance, not preference:
- Skeet shooting (world championship)
- Table Tennis (Chinese Nationals)
- Women's Volleyball (College World Finals)

I think if I can find the channel that plays these at home, I might be a convert.

Shopping. Well, browsing...

One of the very few but very tragic problems with our trip is that we have to carry all of our crap around with us indefinitely. In China, we've shopped and pawed and looked and discussed and can't really buy because the 14 pound gilt dragon I have my eye on ain't fitting in the carry on. But, we still browse and the Chinese do love them some retail therapy.
So, for those maybe going to Beijing, a rundown. Also, before you judge, a lot of these places are also architecturally interesting culturally important. Just saying.

Liulichang Hutong - A really beautiful and winding street selling all manner of calligraphy brushes and art supplies. Ancient shops run by ancient dudes practicing ancient arts. Also a couple of really nice
galleries in the mix. Worth a stroll.

Qianmen Dajie - 2 Thumbs down. Its the South Street Seaport of Beijing. The Inner Harbor, if you will. I'm pretty sure there was a Gap. Pass.

Panjiayuan Antique Market - So fun! So large! So needed more time! We ganged this up with the Glasses City day, they're real close together and not that convenient from the center of Beijing. The Antique market is AMAZING. You have your standard scroll aisle, your jade aisle, your books and trinkets and jewelry aisles. But the beauty part is the stalls around the edges where dudes with taste and a Type A personality have compulsively collected and cataloged their one special thing. One guy had a store that just sold pre-1950s
Chinese radios and antique cameras. One was selling mint condition vintage leather luggage. One had old maps. This place is a gem because its vast and fascinating, but mostly because it isn't there for the tourists. Regular Chinese people hit it on the weekends like any flea market in the US. No one tries to hassle you or talk you into shit you don't want or make you eat Peking Duck. I actually had to wake one guy up to ask him about a bracelet.

Xidan Shopping Center - For clothes, this is the right mid-market place. Its surrounded by chain stores but this 7 story mall was the beginning of the district and is still mobbed. Its Chinese style - mostly stalls rather than brick and mortar. You can't try stuff on that's on sale, prices seriously negotiable. Pretty good quality and some really cute stuff rather than just LV knockoffs and ugly Korean rhinestone-encrusted sunglasses. We went on a day that it poured and enjoyed the people watching, the browsing, and the food court.
There's also an arcade that looks to host some pretty fierce Dance Dance Revolution match ups.

Wangfujing Dajie - Close to the high rent district and not really our scene. Mostly big Western stores and high end Chinese department stores. The snack street right off of it was worth a wander. I especially enjoyed the sugar covered grape skewer.

Xizhimen - there is a 4 story department store right next to the Beijing Zoo that Ed and I hit when we realized we were going to a fancy restaurant with friends and were dressed like dirt bags. Ed got a button down for $10 and I got an awesome shirt on sale for $6. Most of the stuff is pretty ugly, but it is bottom of the barrel cheap if that's what you're after.

Oh, special not-so-insider's tip. If you don't want to interact with a salesperson in China, do NOT touch anything. A brush of a fingertip against the merch invites a lengthy and confusing interaction. It kind of goes like this: you pick something up, salesperson picks up something else that may or may not be tangentially related to the thing you picked up and then starts explaining things to you in Mandarin. You, eventually, put yours down and everyone walks away confused. Just look, and not directly if possible, for reals.

Shenyang seems to be a retail mecca, though I don't know if we'll have time to explore. No one loves a Cargo-Capri like the people of Northern China and I'm nearly convinced. Somebody help.

Everybody Shenyang Tonight

We're now in Shenyang, which was supposed to be the first stop on our Northern China loop. We were going to be here for 4 days, then head to Harbin, and Dalian before we went back to Beijing to start our travels in the South. Sadly, nature is not on our side. We initially canceled the Dalian trip because of the oil spill there. We were told by a friend who lives in Beijing that if the news was saying it was no bigs, we could pretty much rest assured that it was, indeed, bigs and that our beachy fun would be ruined.

Then came the floods. Initially we thought this would only impact the towns we had intended to visit in the South (Chengdu, Xi'an, Yangshuo) but now the flooding has spread to the North and the worst impact in Jilin separates us from Harbin. Considering the massive toll this is taking on the people of China and their economy, the inconvenience to
us really shouldn't be overstated. That said, it is frustrating that you can't access hard news about the situation or get a real understanding of how travel and transit are impacted. No flood maps, no in-depth news coverage, nada. Basically, CCTV will be like
"Flooding rocked the 3 Gorges area today with a massive death toll and billions of yuan in damage. And now this feature story about how awesome China is. Back to John Chang in the studio."

Its hard for me to accept that I can't control the weather (we're supposed to be making memories, here, people), but I'm trying to muster some travel zen and soldier on. Those of you who know me well understand that for me to release the strangled bunny and go to plan C is no easy ask. I'm working on the perfectionism/compulsion complex. I'll keep you posted.

Oh, but Shenyang! Its GREAT! People call it the armpit of China. The Newark, if you will. But its so so much more - its at least a shoulder and I highly recommend a visit. Since it rained, like, 4 inches yesterday we were rewarded with blue skies today for our visit to the amazing Bei Ling tombs in the North of the city. Having visited the Ming Tombs with Jose & Tichi & the fam, this was a very interesting contrast. Shenyang was the capital of the Manchurian dynasty, so many of the monuments were built before Peking was the big dog. Its smaller and less obsessively and overly restored and there are almost no tourists. So, you kind of get the run of amazing parks and grounds and ancient walls and tombs to run amok upon. Not that we did. Amok it.

Tomorrow we hit the Imperial Palace which is supposed to be Forbidden City-ish but on a smaller scale. I've fully recovered from the cold/fever/bug thing that was holding me back, so I'm back in full effect as Planny McPlannerson. While Ed is outwardly pleased that I'm
feeling my old snarky self, I know there is a part of him that misses the slightly sluggish and dialed back Rodney. The few days where I requested naps and didn't insist on sucking the very life out of every moment were maybe a nice respite for him. Hm.

Fashion Shmashion

There are a couple of trends here that are a bit surprising. The first is the anklet stocking under sandals. I'm guessing this is a practicality due to the heat, maybe, but it looks pretty ridiculous. I've seen both men and women rocking black, ankle high, stockings
(like a high ped) under tevas, platforms, and strappy sandals. Its not their best work.

The second relates to toddlers. Diapers aren't really used around here and kids are held aloft by their parents to do biz in public. In order to avoid messes, I suppose, the child clothing designers have devised a workaround. Kids clothes just don't have butt fabric. Sort of, like, chaps for the toddler set. Its a little disconcerting at first but I suppose ultimately good for the environment. I'm hopeful that in winter the trap door is closed, for the sake of the kids.

Lastly, English slogan T-shirts. I would seriously love to meet the graphic artists/ad wiz who decides chooses disjointed English words to plaster across the chests of teenagers here. The nonsense phrases beg the questions - do these kids know what their shirts say? Do they care? Are the words just abstract designs to look at, or do they think they say something? Here is a sampling of such shirts from the last 2 days. Yesterday we hit up the Olympic Park, which was ripe with 'em.

I Heart Simple Keep On Going
IF Marine Life
Bullet Life Paris Woman
The Blue Taxiway
Sing Rock Animal Van
Travel Fox 1985
Buckarod Love Rock [not buckaroo, but buckarod]
Sassy Girl Denim 55
Crazylips [repeated all over the shirt in different fonts]
Magic Jump Slowly Original
University S of W Fashionistas
Poo since 1968
Expectation Value
Strangest Roommates Same Difference
Hard Undertaking

I'm sort of inclined to keep recording these, if only for my own amusement. Perhaps I'll have another installment of T-shirt madness after we travel to a few more towns in China.

In lieu of diamonds, gold and platinum reminders will still shine bright

If any of you are Billy Joel fans and really stuck with him right up through the River of Dreams days, I challenge you to go to the Great Wall and refrain from singing the song "The Great Wall of China." You can't! Its too fun!

Hollis' friend & boss Jose and his family were in Beijing at the same time we were and hosted us on their trip to the Wall. The first day,we went to Mutianyu and practically had the run of the place. We took the chair-lift to the top and hiked east until we couldn't go further. This section of the wall has been well restored and overlooks a beautiful valley. There are hundreds of steps up and down and we were all sweaty and panting even at a leisurely pace. Its hard to imagine the Imperial Army running up and down those same stairs and hoisting boulders over the sides as they fought off attackers.  The Wall itself is a thing of beauty. There were originally 7 or more sections protecting various kingdoms and it wasn't until much later that they were connected to make one biggun. Even though the purpose for the structure was military defense, amazing craftsmanship went into the construction and the towers and roofing have beautiful detail work. Nowadays you can ride down on an from Mutianyu on an Alpine Slide - I highly recommend!

That evening we stayed in an amazing house near a section of the Great Wall not listed in the guidebooks. The next morning we climbed up to an area of the Wall called Shuigan that hasn't been restored. Parts were steep and perilous and there were long stretches where brush and trees had grown; nature had been allowed to take over. Because the
trail left from the hotel, we were completely on our own up there. Seeing it that way, without hawkers or other tourists, likely doesn't happen for many people and for us was once in a lifetime.

We really can't thank our hosts, Tichi & Jose, enough. We so enjoyed spending time with them and their girls (see Ed's flickr) and had an unforgettable experience.

Brief Summaries of Stuff We Did

Spending a couple of weeks in Beijing is like spending a couple of weeks in New York. You know you're never going to see all of it, and you have to weigh the tourist stuff you should see with the neighborhoods you want to check out, stuff you want to eat, shopping you want to do, etc. I think we've struck a pretty good balance, although we could spend another 3 weeks here and not be close to finished with our list.

I've already talked about Tiananmen and 798, both must sees if you come here.

Beihei Park & the White Dagoba - I'm a big fan of parks and the Chinese really know from gardens. The centerpiece is a humongous lake, much of which is covered with lily pads as big as the paddle boats puttering across them. Its also about 10 degrees cooler within the walls of the park which, on the days where the humidity is unbearable, makes it a nice break from the heat.

The Forbidden City - you have to go, so there isn't really any point in commenting. We earnestly asked a friend over beers if we could skip it, having heard terrible reviews: the sea of umbrella toting tourists, overcrowding, pushing, lack of shade, mile-long lines. He
thought for about 45 seconds and said "No. I'm sorry. You just have to go." So, we did. And you probably will too. The buildings are impressive (kind of the point) and there are a couple of interesting exhibits. Overall, though, it was the most unpleasant tourist experience we've had since leaving NYC. Glad that's done.

Beijing Zoo - PANDAS! We may not get to Chengdu because of the flooding, so it was important to see these furry smooshes in a totally unnatural environment. They're so effing cute, I found myself with my face pressed against the glass for ages. The grounds of the zoo are quite lush, with streams and Chinese willows abounding. The Chinese
haven't jumped on the more humanitarian zoo wagon - there aren't facsimiles of natural environments for the animals. They still keep panthers in 12 x 12 cement cages and the big cats pace angrily against the bars. Side note, people totally bring snacks to feed the animals in the zoo, which isn't something you see everyday. A group of Chinese boys used slices of bread to get a grizzly bear to do tricks in its cement pit. So, really, its part zoo and part circus and all strange and mostly depressing. But, PANDAS!

Lake District - The southern end has a few bar streets with men shouting at you to come in and listen to "My Sharona" and drink Bud. But the Northern end is where, during the day, middle aged Chinese men go to cool off in the lake and people practice Tai Chi. They gather in a spot right under a "No Swimming" sign and paddle around. Its pretty and misty and there are ancient towers rising through the fog/smog on both sides. A lovely stroll.

Former Residence of Soong Ching Ling - coming here, I was a little fuzzy on the details of Chinese history. I'm familiar with Mao's work and knew he supplanted the dynasty structure. But I was a little hazy on where Sun Yat Sen fit in and how and when the People's Republic was born. This residence is a former prince's residence, given to Soon
Ching Ling as a retirement home. She was Sen's wife for about 10 (pretty important) years, and became one of Mao's top officials. The grounds are stunning and the museum is pretty informative, though be prepared for heavy-handed pro-communist spin. Also, she was really into pigeons.

Mao's Tomb or, as we've renamed it, the Maosoleum - I definitely recommend a visit, even though the whole thing is a logistical PIA and you're only in the room with his waxy corpse for about 15 seconds. You have to check your bag, wait in a massive line, empty your pockets, take of your hat and be completely silent for the viewing. His face appears lit from within, like an orange Glo-Worm, but the pomp and circumstance of the whole thing is worthwhile. The only real disappointment was the gift stands out back. All of the merch was tasteful, his likeness only slapped on things you would find in a high
end office gifts store; fountain pens, key chains, framed art. We were hoping for a bit more kitsch but, alas, our dreams of Mao Pez dispensers and boxer shorts was not to be.

Gulou Neighborhood - we've wandered a lot of hutongs and explored quite a few areas of the city since we've been here. This is one of our faves. Gulou is where the tiny seedling of punk rock seems to live in Beijing. Off the main street is the Nanluogo Xiang, which is
the Abbot-Kinney or Bedford Avenue of Beijing. Tons of cute shops, bars with roof decks, snack foods and winding, ancient hutongs.

Bell & Drum Towers - one of the things that's so awesome about Beijing is that its a modern city with all the conveniences of a cosmopolitan metropolis but you can round a corner and see something from the 13 century. These towers were once used for musical purposes and were built by the Mongolians. Now, they're pretty much for tourists to
look at or climb up.

Imperial Hutongs - I'm obsessed with Eunuchs!!!! This is where they lived during the Ming Dynasty. Really well-preserved buildings with the original tile roofs.

We still want to hit the Summer Palace & the Olympic grounds but I've been slowed down by a nasty summer cold, and we leave tomorrow night.

We'll be back, though, for sure!

The Economics of the Cluster

I did piss-poorly in the 3 mandatory levels of economics I had to take in college. One professor, in particular, passed me out of sheer pity. He and I both knew that I hadn't grasped a single concept the entire semester and that a repeat performance would, in all
likelihood, result in the same outcome. Since then, I've picked up some snippets here and there. You know, like how competition works in the marketplace. That differentiation on price, product, location are key drivers for profit. That supply should keep pace with demand and that an identical business opening next door to yours will, in all
likelihood, eat in to your customer base.

So, the Chinese market principles we've seen in Beijing are nothing short of confounding. Yesterday we went to "Glasses City." This is a city block (about 1/8 mile) of 4 story malls containing nothing but glasses shops. As a tourist, wandering around store after store is
amusing and overwhelming. As a shop owner, it must be exhausting. Most of the stores have overlapping merchandise. Without even beginning to bargain, a salesperson might offer 50% off of the listed prices. I guess when you have 300 stores within spitting distance (Don't get me started on the spitting. In restaurants! People just spit on the floor! Like, someone has to mop that up later. Please. Gross.) you do what you have to to make a sale. Ed had an eye exam, frames, and prescription lenses done in 20 minutes for $25.

The overcrowded marketplace isn't limited to the optical business. You see this trend all over Beijing, particularly on the bar streets.  Bar culture in China is only about 30 years old, and is pretty much ring-fenced to certain areas. Wandering down a street or hutong, you aren't going to run into a neighborhood watering hole. But when you go to a bar street and see the fierceness of the competition and the number of choices available to the drinking public, you scratch your head.

About a week ago, we went to Sanlitun bar area (or barea, as we're calling them) with a crew of Dutch girls we met at the Red Lantern and our new friend Scott. The area is close to the business center of BJ, high rent district. Bar after bar after bar after nasty 3rd Eye
Blind-blaring bar line block after block. The drinks are sold at Western prices (40 RMB/6 US) so the crowd is mostly Western & Chinese businessmen and tourists.  As an aside, we saw a totally amazing Phillipine cover band at the maybe-Western themed bar we chose. We fondly referred to the lead singer as Asian Gwen Stefani, although she had braces and sounded much more like Alanis Morisette. Which was confirmed when she opened with "You Oughta Know."

This corny evening also gave us a chance to examine the mating rituals of the not-so-rare species known as Americanus Bloatus Expatria. These multi-chinned, bright polo-clad males could be seen in the bar buying expensive drinks for equally
expensive, gorgeous, young, Chinese girls/escorts.

The Lake district houses a barea called Houhai - same deal here. Everyone is charging ten times as much for beer as in a restaurant or local store (4 RMB/.60 cents) and thus need to employ hawkers/wranglers to stand outside all night shouting/cajoling/begging
customers to enter their establishments. As people who like bars and beers, this begs the question - why compete? Perhaps there is law governing this? Considering that in
some areas you could walk for miles and never see a bar, it seems like there are easier locations to start your business. Maybe someday Ed and I will return to Beijing to start up a biker/beirut/jukebox concept bar and plop it down amidst a knot of hutongs. Someone needs to give these folks some access to decent music. For serious.

798 District

So, unfortunately with this no-blogger situation, I can't post pictures or links or files or much of anything but words (use your words!). Ed, though, is in the downloading/selecting/uploading hamster wheel, so please check there for photographic evidence of what's happs with us. I think there's a link on the right...

Ed and I travel very compatibly, but we do have one fundamental difference in style; he feels no obligation to do tourist crap that doesn't interest him. Like, he could comfortably go to Paris and skip the Eiffel Tower if he wasn't in the mood. I, however, feel a gnawing
guilt about not checking off the tourist highlight reel. Its like I think the dude at Immigration is going to ask how many hours I spent in the Forbidden City (none yet, incidentally).

All this is to say that District 798 satisfied both of our requirements for a couple of afternoons well spent. Its an area on the fringes of the city that is made up of re-purposed factories now housing artist work spaces, lofts, cafes and galleries. There are probably one to two hundred galleries throughout the district and a few smaller museums.

Given the restrictions in China, its interesting to see that the fine arts have seemingly escaped the censors. A significant number of the shows deal with social and political topics. The artists are criticize Mao freely and do so by subverting the same iconography used by the communist party.  Because the district is so large and there are dozens of large courtyards sprinkled throughout, there is plenty of space for large format installations. Big, naked, dudes seem to be a favorite subject for sculpture. And there is one plaza filled entirely with life sized metal wolves. They're highly photogenic.

Since coffee and art are like peas and carrots, dozens of small cafes have sprung up amidst the galleries offering lattes and bubble tea.  These highly air conditioned oases are a nice break from the 100 degree weather and give you a boost to see ten or twelve more
galleries before hopping a crowded bus out of this alternate universe, back to Beijing.