One Night in Beijing

I actually spent three nights in Beijing, but One Night in Beijing is the name of the song by Chinese superstar J Chou, a KTV favorite. KTV is karaoke in China, and it's an extremely popular form of entertainment for people of all ages. In Shenzhen and Beijing there were KTV bars/places on every single block. Personally, I had had enough of it after the first time. Check out J Chou: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-E-qmtDPKk.

I ended up singing the One Night in Beijing chorus in English throughout the entire summer, altering it to whatever adventure I was currently on.. "One Night in Yongshou" to "One Night in Shanghai" and "One Night in Sheko."

Monument to the People's Heros at Tiananmen Square

Forbidden City

Tiananmen Gate to the Forbidden City

Great Hall of the People, the line wrapped
 all the way around the entire square

Beijing was incredible. Overwhelming really, with the gigantic crowds and ridiculously long history...  Three days did not do this historic capital justice. I recall students on the trip stressing how Shanghai was so much cooler than Beijing-- maybe the nightlife sure (I didn't go out in Shanghai), but Beijing had so much more to see and I felt that I had so much to learn in this great city as well.

On the bus ride from the airport to our hostel I remember driving on streets lined with the red chinese lanterns and lots of table outside the restaurants that probably served peking duck. It was midnight and the tables were filled. The glow of the lanterns lit up the streets and it all felt slightly surreal-- it was beautiful.

The first day we went to Tiananmen Square (we couldn't go to Mao's memorial museum building because we were wearing flip-flops), a few important gardens and gates, and the Forbidden City.

Everything has obviously been repainted and reinforced many times, but the colors really amazing. Red, green, blue paints decorated the gates and overhands with gold detailing and writing. I do find Mao's portrait a bit creepy. He is up there, overseeing Tiananmen Square, his eyes a gate into the Forbidden City. (well really a gate into the bigger plaza you must walk through before you even get to the entrance of the Forbidden City--again, enormous spaces everywhere.)

The Forbidden City is HUGE. I want to say its the size of Moraga (haha). There is no way someone could walk through every single part of the city--and there is just so many open spaces. Val, Vera, Chloe and I would try to imagine soldiers, troops, close officials, filling the open spaced in their perfected rows.    There was just so much freaking history too. I get overwhelmed thinking about it, and how much I don't even understand or know. The Dynasties are an absolutely fascinating time period in history and I realized how my world history courses were cheating China by only having 2-3 chapters on those time periods.

So I'm embarrassed to publicly admit that I participated in this "dress up like a Chinese emperor" tourist ordeal, but I got suckered into it and I told myself that they had these sorts of 'take pictures in costume' set-ups all over China so I needed to do it once for the sake of being in China and experiencing everything possible. (Okay, totally lame excuse I just don't really know how to justify this one) I can say, however, that the Chinese visitors really enjoyed seeing me dressed up and took more pictures of me than of themselves in the outfits. (Or asked us to be in the pictures with them.. Did I mention this happened every day, multiple times a day, to the point where I couldn't even smile anymore?) These pictures above were up at the very top of a tower that oversees the entire Forbidden City.

We went out one night to the bars and clubs that wrap around this big lake and after walking around a couple times finally ended up at this tiny place that had marijuana leaves and jamaican flags all over it. I call that marketing... to the foreigner that has been deprived of marijuana due to the overly strict policy towards drugs in China. (Although apparently the expats in Sheko find ways around Chinese officials) But the reason we decided to stay at this place in particular was because there was live music and  it was spanish classics! The live music was great spanish dancing music, and although there was no dance floor or anyone dancing, we both knew it would get us warmed up. Vera is a professional salsa dancer, so she breathes dance and will do anything to have the opportunity to show off her moves to no one in particular. We bought ourselves some drinks and a couple hours later we were the life of the place.. dancing in the cramped aisle way and really just truly enjoying ourselves. I thought the band was  from Colombia or some South American country, but they were chinese! I didn't believe them for awhile until finally one explained that there were a tiny ethnic minority and I remembered hearing about a bunch of minority populations throughout Beijing. It really did throw me off because none of them really looked Chinese at all-- more Latin American if anything.

I think this Mao-rendition of Warhol is great.

we danced all night long

2010 World Expo, Shanghai

What is the world expo? I mean, I had never heard of it... Wait a second--like a world fair? As in "The Great Exhibition" at the Crystal Palace (UK) back in the mid-1800s?!! Yes, apparently I did listen in my history and political economy courses.
The World Expo happens every ten years, and countries choose to invest in a "pavilion" to showcase their nation's culture and creativity with anticipation of future economic returns. These pavilions are definitely not cheap, but approximately 73 million people visited the expo in Shanghai from May to November 2010. I read that China's pavilion (and only China's) reopened earlier this month... That's some strong national pride.

With my ticket

Infamous United States

Vera and I visited the expo in early August. We went in the late afternoon, when the lines were shorter, the tickets cheaper, and the heat... still hot but not the intense mid-day heat wave. It was a good plan and I'm glad we didn't do it any other way. I remember thinking the expo was half interactive kids museum and half a mini-disneyland-like place... but without the rides and maybe far longer lines.

Libya

Most countries have their own pavilions with really cool architecture and amazing, creative displays inside. The big first world nation pavilions had lines that lasted hours. And the smaller third world nations? You could walk right through without the slightest hesitation or much foot traffic... And most of the small African nations were squished into one big building.. no wonder many ignorant folks call Africa a country. (Angola, Nigeria, Libya etc had their own pavilions) Looking back, the size and 'greatness' of a pavilion was a pretty good indicator of economic development or maybe a nation's ranking on the human development index.

Had just won world cup!

Vera talked to one of the men selling 'authentic' African jewelry from a small nation like Tanzania or Mozambique--I can't remember which--and he told her in French that most all the jewelry was actually made in China. So the chinese swarming these stands were buying what they could probably find in any market... at 10x the price. It all seemed so silly to me.





At my hostel, however, I talked to a pair of Danish girls that loved the expo. They really just appreciated seeing the representation of different nations and culture. In that respect, yes it was cool and I would definitely take my kids because it makes learning about the world and other countries far more tangible and provides an opportunity for cultural understanding. There was an African drums performance which was awesome. Those guys were so full of energy--so much passion and zest for music, dance, life. But it then makes me wonder if the resources from some of these nations would be more valuable invested in other things--education and health within their nations. Maybe poorer nations don't even pay for anything related to the expo.. but to me the expo just highlighted to visitors who the world superpowers are and who can be clumped together into "the global south."

I didn't make it into the China expo-- obviously it had the longest line since a hUGE majority of visitors were Chinese. USA also had an extremely long line... I'm talking hours here. We went into Russia, Spain, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, the Netherlands, Angola, Libya, all of the small African nations in the Africa expo, and a few others. Since Vera's from Russia and I'm from Spain we felt it important to be patient and wait in those long lines. I got tired very quickly because this was after 3 nonstop days in Beijing and the day before at the bund in Shanghai. But I have now been to a world expo!!

Inside Russia Pavilion

Flamenco Dancer in Spain Pavilion

Inside Africa Pavilion

Hong Kong in Pictures

My Chinese host-mother on one of our day trips to HK. She played Mariah Carey on repeat in the car and would sing really loudly to it. She also handed me a magazine over our japanese lunch feast so help subdue the silence of not being able to converse the entire day. This was the day I also bought myself a camera because my other was left in a taxi the first week in Shenzhen. (naturally)

 Since HK is a special administrative region (SAR) it has its own currency...
This $10 HK bill was like plastic paper!

Interesting 'hostels' in HK.. I was legitimately creeped out as we walked through Chung King Mansion and we were the only females and the hostels were very un-hostel-like.

Walking to "Chung King Mansion"

 

Lan Kwai Fong, the expat bar scene.. super crowded fridays/saturdays...
lots of business people in their suits too

Legendary Peninsula Hotel, HK (I'll afford it one day...)

Hong Kong somewhat reminds me of New York City on steroids

"The Peak" Hong Kong view

Kowloon Bay Light Show. It was really cool,
nothing like it in the US, but cracked up to be a little cooler than it is..

Shenzhen (SEZ)

Sheko, Shenzhen
(View from Kevin & Alan's balcony)

Just over thirty years ago, Shenzhen was just another fishing village in south mainland China, less than an hour drive from Hong Kong. Deng Xiopeng's economic reforms created the first Special Economic Zone and transformed the fishing village into the second largest exporting port in China (Shanghai is the largest) and today the chips inside the computer you are currently using were made in Shenzhen. It has some of the largest technology manufacture factories in the world and is known for the Foxxcon factory. (Widely known for the # of suicides last summer) Deng Xiopeng is considered a hero, a God, to most Shenzhen residents because the transformation into the factory coastal city created jobs and allowed many Chinese families to come to the city and escape rural poverty. While industrial jobs in Shenzhen have extremely poor conditions and some of the lowest wages in the world, they are considered much better than living day to day in the country farming.

"Average" income apartment building

There are sooooo many people in Shenzhen. Well, in all of China in general. I mean look at these towers. How many people in an Appt? How many appts per tower? There were A LOT of appt towers.... 

I lived in Shenzhen for 7 weeks this past summer. It's definitely not the college student's ideal summer location, but it was a huge learning experience in better understanding the realities of daily life for many Chinese families. The SEZ has created a huge divide between the low income and high income residents. While I tutored kids of rich families and interacted with my host mother than was marketing CEO or something of a company, she had a cook and cleaner, there were homeless, there were many in the informal sector. The inequality was evident and extremely engrained in society. Gated communities enclosed the rich families in sort of American suburbia enclaves. I will never forget the father of one of my students standing on hi balcony overlooking the gated-community's pool and saying "Just like America!"

Gated-community pool from balcony

Yes, China wants to be just like America. But bigger, and better.

What that means and what is coming I'm not sure. But Shenzhen cannot be overlooked because it is a big part of the development process of China and contributing to China's path toward 'super-power-dom.'

Me, Vera, Karly at top of important park,
over looking Shenzhen

NYC in December

5th Avenue, NYC

Is a magical thing. Yes, even when you're alone. I had the privilege of attending an MLT professional development workshop at Goldman Sachs earlier this month and since its a free flight I extended the weekend to stay a night at NYU with my high school friend, Nik Block. Nik and I walked around campus Sunday evening, but with finals looming I let Nik study his brains out and on Monday morning headed the subway to downtown 5th Ave on my own . Unfortunately, the Met is closed Mondays, but I was satisfied just window shopping in the cold morning flurries. I was cozy in my two jackets, scarf, gloves, boots and a starbucks chai latte in hand. I started at the Rockefeller Center and watched people ice skate. I looked at the christmas tree. I took in the falling snow flurries, the tourists, the christmas music and cheer. I walked through the huge stores. Anthropologie was bigger than I've ever seen it. J.Crew too. And wait, there was a line outside Abercrombie & Fitch? But why would anyone ever actually shop in these stores? There are lines at the registers, there are lines at the dressing rooms, and there are wayyy too many shoppers everywhere.

Anyways, as I was walking I suddenly got a little lonely. I was so happy to be in New York during the holidays, but I wanted so badly to have someone to share it with.... a parent, or friend, or even stranger! So before I let myself get too lonely I bought a midday ticket to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas performance... the Rockettes! (When I got home I had to be corrected by a few people... its 'roquettes' alicia, not ROCKETS.) Whoops. And no, I had never heard of them before.

They are amazing. Every single one of them is 'perfect'. Not a milli-second off. Completely uniform, trained to perfection and I was very much impressed. The costumes were fun and well the entire show just got me into the holiday spirit and made me appreciative of the city. Plus, I've always heard of the radio city hall, so now I've been there! My ticket was $54 and I was in the fifteenth row! (see, a plus for travelling alone)

I walked to the bottom of Central Park and wanted SO badly to just spend the rest of the day running throughout the park. It still remains one of the dreams... Next time I am in NYC I will not leave without running through that park, mark my words. I finished off the afternoon at the Macy's window displays. They told stories with music and narration and big clay characters that were automated. Definitely not like the Macy's at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek.... I went inside just to absorb the lights and decorations... oh, the things you do for retail Christmas.

My 'I Almost Missed My Flight' Story... But Really, I Almost Did.

So after seven weeks in China and a week alone in Thailand, I was ready to be in San Francisco when August 21st rolled around. I was beyond ready. I remember my two days in Koh Phangnan were spent drinking every flavor lassi and watching Friends at those restaurants along the Hadrin beach. The beach and atmosphere just didn't compare to Koh Tao, and while its definitely a party place, its not ideal for lonesome travelers. So on August 21st I took a taxi to the port, from which I took the ferry to the mainland, from which I took a bus to the train station and enjoyed myself Pad Thai for the last time. After waiting at the station for awhile I realized the train was late... and going to be delayed a couple hours. Interesting. Does this mean I'll have less time to meander over to the airport? Yes. This means I might not make my flight. I spent a good 20 minutes talking to the station official trying to figure out when the train would arrive, how long the ride from Surat Thani to Bangkok would take, and if maybe not getting on the train was a better option. See, the train was supposed to leave around 11:30pm, and it was now nearing 1am. With an 11 hour train ride ahead of me and my flight from Bangkok airport at 2:15pm..... my chances were slim. Tears started roll down my cheeks as I understood I would probably miss my flight to Hong Kong, which then meant I'd miss my separate flight home to San Francisco. Oh and well that means losing a few (2-3) thousand dollars. Less than an ideal situation no? All I wanted was to be in the front seen of my mom's green mini van... with her driving by my side. I could imagine exactly how it was going to feel, the stress and anticipation melting away... but it was so damn far away. So I had a choice, to get on the train or to try to get a flight out of the tiny Surat Thani airport in the morning to get to Bangkok by noon. The expats suggested I do that. But then again, what if there were no flights available? Is the tiny airport even open? Where is it? "Call them" Cool guys, I'll just use that handy dandy iPhone that I brought backpacking with me.

The train arrived past 1am. I wiped my tears and I boarded. I didn't see the point in not getting on because even if I missed my flight I might as well get as close to Bangkok airport as possible. Better be stranded there than down here, I thought. So I got on my top bunk, pulled across my curtain and thought about how my mom was probably going to arrive to the SF airport and have no idea I missed my flight. That just got my crying... so yes, I cried myself to sleep. I felt so deeply and utterly alone that night, definitely a feeling I will forget. It didn't help that air-con trains are absolute ice boxes. And its not like I have a sweater or anything of the sort with me when I'm island hopping in Thailand. But back to the pain...  Journal Entry next morning:
"Cried myself to sleep last night on the train. it was almost 1:30am the train was over 2 hours late. I'm awake now sitting with this incredibly kind Thai woman who when I woke up already had 3 #s to call for Ethiopian airlines. There is a very, very good chance I will miss my flight to Hong Kong. Breathe. last night was miserable. Crying.... to the 2 German girls, to the mom with 2 kids, to the information counter man...I really have no idea what is going to happen. The airline counter closes at 1:30pm and I am supposed to arrive at the station at 1pm. Maybe. I guess I'll just sit here and look out the window. I mean what else can I do? I have no control right now, deal with it."

I was strangely accepting that I had absolutely no control over what happened, but things were being taken care of as I just sat there. I was able to talk to an airline person. It didn't do much, but I at least told them. A different woman arranged to have a taxi waiting for me, and he was told my situation and to speed like a madman. It happened to be a Saturday so there was no traffic, which is uncommon in Bangkok. The train arrived a bit earlier to Bangkok that expected.
I had angels watching over me. I had checked a suitcase at the airport a week earlier when I arrived to Bangkok and I had long accepted that I would ditch the suitcase just to get on my flight.... but I was even able to get my suitcase at the airport.
I walked right onto my flight, without a stop, without a second guess.
I made my flight to Hong Kong. I MADE IT. My heart beats faster when I even think about that rush, running from the taxi, running frantically looking for the single Ethiopian Airlines counter, speeding on the freeway and weaving through cars and hot pink taxis.

My Thai Angel & her cell phone

Another insert: "I bet they all think I am doomed. They're probably right, but I have to hold on to every bit of hope right? I don't see how this painful experience will do me any good except drill in me never to book transportation so close to eachother. That, I have already learned, so lets just get things to go my way today
and get me on my flight!!I am willing to leave my suitcase behind! It can stay at the luggage counter forever for all I care. ANYTHING to make my flight! AHHHHHHH"

That ride home with my mom, in her van, was even better than I had imagined.

My Travel Blog!

I created this blog before going to China this past June. However, I realized upon my arrival to Shenzhen that along with Facebook, blogging isn't something supported by the Chinese government. I soon learned from my SAT students that there are many ways to get around this wall, however, as a foreigner I wasn't going to push my boundaries (I actually just couldn't figure out the software programs). So I will write a few posts reflecting on my 7 weeks in China, my one week in Thailand, and maybe random stories back from Honduras and Spain to get my travel blog up to date! I've got the travelbug, I do, I do, I do.