Saturday, November 28, 2009
Dad In Town
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Fin
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Yankes Win, heee Yankees Win
Monday, November 2, 2009
White Power?
Now that I have cleared up this title I can movie onto what is really important, the story. When I arrived in Hong Kong, it was hot, sticky and humid. As I wandered the streets exploring the city I found that many people, carried umbrellas with them at all times, it didn't have to be raining or cloudy, people had them when it was hot and sunny. Day after day went by and day after day I would see people put up their umbrella when they entered the sunlight and take it down when they got to the shade, they would repeat the process over and over as they moved down the street, up, down, up, down... Seeing this I just assumed that people here preferred portable shade and never had I given it much thought after that.
Days turned into weeks and soon the umbrellas were nothing more than another obstacle in the daily commute of life. You went under them or around them when people moved too slowly and carried on about your day. In Taipei as it happened, I found myself talking with the rather blitzed Australian I had mentioned earlier in this blog and the topic of the "all purpose" umbrella came up. Now it had been almost two months since the purpose of the umbrella had entered my mind but the Aussie brought new life to the use of this object. Now, please don't think of this man, no matter how drunk he may have been, as an idiot. I know I might have shed a bad light on him earlier but he does do research at University in Singapore and has a pretty good idea about what he is talking about. He told us that the reason the umbrella was used so frequently was to keep the skin white. This tradition we were told was because back when Hong Kong had a large portion of laborers in the field the people who worked in the offices and stores wanted to differentiate themselves from the lower class of field workers. Since the laborers spent the day under the sun their skin became darker and more tan, in an effort not to be associated with this lower class the upper tiers of society did anything possible to stay as pale and white as possible, even using an umbrella at all times of the day. Hong Kong was and still is a city divided by class and those in the upper echelons want do not want to be confused with anyone considered low enough to do manual labor. In modern Hong Kong there is little to no fields to work and most work is done indoors making it almost impossible to distinguish class from skin color. This being the case one would think then that the umbrella would be an obsolete tool since everyone is essentially the same hue. It seems however though that while many people don't even know why they use the umbrella it is something that is so ingrained in the culture that people don't even know how it started, at least most don't. Upon hearing this explanation I was disappointed in myself for not taking the time to come to this conclusion on my own, I think with some real thought I would have figured out the umbrella riddle. This is a culture that was raised on "white is good" and so was ours at one time, it probably stills is to a great extent. I the U.S. however though there has been a slowly growing to what beauty is, no longer is just white. Tan, the idea that scared so many Hong Kongers is something in the U.S. that is now associated with beauty. Will Hong Kong soon follow?
A side note: this idea of white is good might not just be confined to Hong Kong; during my time in Vietnam I saw a few billboards for skin whitening cream. Now this is a country with a great deal of workers in the field and it is probably a good look at how Hong Kong was a hundred years ago.
Hope this article was satisfying, feel free to ask any questions you might have, I'd be glad to answer them.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Non Sequitur! Part Deux
The Elderly- Hong Kong is a city with a large population of senior citizens, at least my neighborhood is. While I have not spent nearly as much time in NYC as I might have liked I have noticed in my time there that there is a large population of residents over 65, maybe I'm missing something but the subway never seems to be filled with people you have to surrender your seat to or have to walk around because they are moving to slow. This may have to do with the long standing tradition of senior citizens heading down to Florida to relax and not pay as much in taxes. Yau Ma Tei is quite different; it seems that you can't go through one stop on the MTR without an elderly person looking at you coercing your seat from you. It is quite interesting to see the elderly sprinting from the door to the seat to beat the others from the generation for a spot. One thing that was mentioned to us during our orientation here is that many elderly people from greater Hong Kong and mainland China move into the city whereas in the states it would seem to be the exact opposite.
That's all I have for today's post. Hopefully more will come soon.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Vietnam
This past weekend I traveled down to Saigon to see the sights and catch up with my cousin who is spending a year in Vietnam teaching english. Four of us flew into Vietnam on Thursday night Andrew, Rodrigo, Josh and myself. We got through customs, showed our visas and headed for a cab into the city. We got into the cab around 11:30 at night and drove through what seemed to a relatively empty wasteland with the occasional motorbike passing us buy or a rare group of people looking up from the lawn chairs they were conversing from. I would later come to realize that this is not some washed up wasteland it is a vibrant city where people just happen to go to bed early. We got to bed at decent time after watching Misery the suspense thriller with Kathy Bates and James Caan. I know this point means little to most readers but I have a hard time resisting the chance to mention a movie.
We got moving Friday morning around 8 and met up with my cousin John who had taken the bus down from Dalat, a city in the hills north of Saigon. We headed out to look for a tailor for some inexpensive Vietnamese clothing, we wandered the streets searching for a good spot but were unable to find anything that fit our needs. It would later become apparent that we just happened to miss the tailors by a block or two. Since the suits were a no go we decided to head outside the city to see the Củ Chi tunnels. For those who don't know these tunnels are just a small part in the vast network that the VC used in their war against us back in the sixties and seventies. If anyone wishes to know more about how these tunnels worked and how they were used feel free to ask me with a comment or an email and would be happy to ramble on about history. Upon seeing these tunnels in person after only seeing them on TV I was amazed. These tunnels are small. I cannot reiterate this enough, if you ever see them for yourself and you climb in be prepared for a tight squeeze. We got to the tunnels and were given a tour of the grounds and given the chance to go into the tunnels for ourselves. I unfortunately was to big to fit into these tunnels, the North Vietnamese Army did not design their tunnels to accommodate a six foot two American. While I did not get into the main tunnel some of my friends did and after hearing their reactions a part is thankful to VC for making them too small for me. Upon entering the tunnel first Andrew was handed a small flashlight and told to just forward and the exit would be straight ahead. Rodrigo and John followed close behind and the lid tot the tunnel was sealed. As the tunnel lid was dropped the worker giving the tour jokingly told them to watch out for bats. As I waited at the exit yells quickly came questioning which way to go, it seems there was not just one easy way out of the tunnel but in fact two diverging paths. After finally emerging from the tunnels Andrew stated that the guide was in fact not joking about the bats and that there was a rather large population of them below the surface. Upon hearing about the bats those in the back of the pack were thankful for the pitch black that prevented them form seeing the winged beasts. After seeing the tunnels, some recreations of a VC camp and some impact craters from American bombers we were taken to the firing range. Now Mom don't be scared but I did fire my first gun, and I am 99% sure it will be the last time I fire a gun. I have never found the desire to go fire a gun strong before but when presented with the opportunity to fire an AK-47 or an M-60 I figured I would take a shot or twenty. I decided to take twenty shots from an AK-47, this being the only place in the world where I believe one can legally fire this gun which has played such a large role in the military history of the past sixty years. Upon hearing how loud a gun shot is, it leaves your ears ringing, I don't think I can imagine how loud a battle field must be with hundreds of these machines being fired. The power that these weapons exert really makes one reflect on their life. We all took our shots and got our adrenaline rush for the day and headed back to central Saigon. We hung out that night and sat at a table in a bar and observed the nightlife passing by in the streets. It was one of the more relaxing, laid back nights I have had since arriving in Asia.
The next we decided to take the self guided walking tour of the city that our Lonely Planet guidebook suggested. The tour hit almost all the major sites of Saigon from the Reunification Palace to Notre Dame Cathedral to the War Remnants Museum. It was interesting to see the view of the War from the North Vietnamese point of view. Now I'm not going to get into my view of who did what to who, that is an answer for an in person conversation. I will however mention that it was a little troubling to see the dog tags of American Soldiers for sale. I'm not sure many Veterans of the war would be thrilled to see these pieces for sale. One thing that I found interesting on the tour was the Notre Dame Cathedral, seeing a massive Gothic building built with bricks of a bright almost pinkish hue was certainly an interesting juxtaposition. The Cathedral is an interesting site in the middle of Asia and churches are not something that standout usually in this part of the world. For more details on the sights and sounds of the tour email me or ask me in person when I get home, sorry to much to share in one blog. John headed back to Dalat that evening and the four of us headed to the Rex, a hotel down the street where during the war the military gave their press briefings and Walter Cronkite reported from at times. The place was now a touristy rooftop bar with a band playing sixties favorites like Tom Jone's "Delilah." After the Rex we went to the backpacker district and hung out at a bar and talked to an Irishman who was traveling through Asia. We ended up bumping into this guy 4 more times in the next day in the half.
The next day we decided to rent motorbikes the next day and test our prowess on the congested streets of Saigon. Within the first half hour all three us had wiped out, mine was the smallest and happened on an empty street with no one else around. The other two each had more hair raising crashes but we all survived no worse for the wear. After one gets the hang of the traffic here everything sort of falls into place and you begin to move around just as the locals do. The four hours spent on the motorbikes were some of the most exciting and interesting four hours of my life. It really lets you experience life. We left Vietnam tired and beat but feeling better than we have in our past few months, it was a great trip. For those curious the quote at the beginning is from "Good Morning Vietnam"
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Bangkok
Sorry for the delay in posts, it has been a busy week but I realized I needed to post this before leaving for Saigon. Last Thursday me and four guys from the Hong Kong crowd headed to Bangkok, the city where it is said, anything can be found or done for a price. We got into Bangkok found that it was hot, not surprisingly as we were much closer to the equator, but it was still an annoyance. We crammed into a cab and headed for our hotel about 40 minutes away. A quick note on being the largest of the people you’re traveling with, you always get the front when the situation calls for four in the back seat. It's nice. Upon arriving at the hotel we got settled and explored the surroundings. The hotel was situated on a canal and along the canal was a rather extensive market selling any type of fruit or vegetable imaginable. I have never seen as many pineapples in my life. The market was filled with smells I cannot and should not describe. After leaving the market we headed back to the hotel for some dinner and then got ready for the night. The day before leaving Andrew, one of the four, found out that a DJ named Paul Van Dyke would be playing at a club in Bangkok, now this news meaning nothing to me was explained as being very important. For it seems that PVD has twice been ranked the top DJ in the world and he was currently in the middle of his world tour. DJs go on world tours? So that night we headed to the show and I have to admit the guy puts on a great show, the place was filled and everyone was really into the DJ which made for quite an experience. We got home late that night and quickly headed for bed.
The next morning we got to a later start than might have been preferred but it was expected seeing as we had been out until three. We were going to the Grand Palace and hopefully some other culturally relevant sites today. One thing everyone should if they come to Bangkok is take a ride in a tuk-tuk, I won't go into much detail over what a tuk-tuk is, it has to be seen for itself, but it essentially a covered tricycle that hold three people in the back. We decided to take two of these amazing contraptions to the Palace and we were not sorry. Seeing the city from this point of view provides for a perspective that is as unique as the city itself. Upon arriving at the Palace a massive thunder hit and it preceded to downpour for about half an hour leaving us soaked wearing pants (one has to wear pants at the Palace) in a tropical city. As the sky cleared up we headed into the Palace to take in the way of life for Thai royalty. This Palace is quite the site spires covered in gold paint rise from all sides and statues of Buddha are all around. It is truly a humbling place. We spent a while in the palace exploring the grounds and watching the people pray at the temple on the grounds. After finishing up here we got back on a tuk-tuk and headed for the standing Buddha. The standing Buddha is exactly what it says, a large gold Buddha standing, that’s it, nothing more nothing less. We spent a short period of time there and then headed back to the hotel to clean up and get ready for Muay Thai. Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand and it a form of martial arts that involves the use of hands, feet, knees and elbows. We went to a fight Friday night at Lumpini Stadium, we sat in the upper decks with the locals and that decision seemed to make all the difference. Upstairs with the locals we entered into a world of screaming, shouting and rapid hand signals that only grew louder and faster as the fight went on. The reason for all of this commotion is gambling. Lumpini is one of the few places in Thailand where gambling is allowed and the locals take advantage of it. Since we don't speak Thai and didn't know what the rules were about betting so we decided to just enjoy the atmosphere the gambling brought instead of taking part. This was the first time I had experienced any sort of organized fighting and it was pretty cool to see these people go at it for three rounds. We saw nine fights that night and it was well worth it.
The next morning we woke up early and headed for the Bangkok railway station. Our destination for the day was Bang Pa In, also known as the summer Palace for the royal family. The train station was old school with a large atrium and platforms leading out to old locomotives. We got our tickets and headed for the train, the train was in a word unique, it had no a/c with large open windows and oscillating metal fans on the ceiling. Luckily we got on the train 45 minutes before departure and got seats cause half an hour into to the trip it was standing room only on a hot humid Thai day. The train took about two hours, it would have been much quicker but we seemed to making stops every five or ten minutes. After a long hot train ride we hopped off at the sleepy rural town of Bang Pa In and headed for the Palace. We walked about a mile and half to the Palace rather than taking public transportation and were rewarded with a stunning home fit only for a King. The Palace had exquisitely manicured lawns with a lake in the center. My favorite part of the Palace had to be the observatory tower that gave a view over all the grounds and required you to take your shoes off before entering. After walking through the grounds and enjoying the peace and quiet we headed back to what would be another hot and crowded train. On the way back to Bangkok I was lucky enough to get a spot on the stairs off the train which meant I could hang of the edge and let the wind hit my face, I can't promise it wasn't dangerous because it was but I was careful and should be putting videos of it up soon. After we got back from Bang Pa In we decided to take motorbikes back to the hotel, it was a fast wild ride and mom I have to tell you, a motorcycle might be in my future. That night we headed to the seedier part of town to see firsthand what the famed Bangkok red light district was all about. All I'm going to say about it is that it is not for me and I find a great deal of moral qualms with the whole idea of it.
We headed home early that night and woke up early the next morning to get to Chatuchak market, arguably the largest market in the world with over 35,000 stalls and anything one could need. Products ranged from food to clothing to illegal animal trade where you weren't allowed to take pictures. The whole place is a blur of alleys and maze like hallways that can be difficult to navigate. I would not suggest anyone with claustrophobia go there. We spent the day at the market and I regret to say I could not find anything worth purchasing; tee shirts filled with innuendo are not really my thing. After the market we went back to our hotel and cleaned up, we all felt pretty grimy from spending the day soaked in sweat bumping past other people. That night we decided to splurge a little, $30, and went to a restaurant called Vertigo. Vertigo is on top of the 61st floor of a hotel in Bangkok and claims to be the highest open air restaurant in the world. The View was amazing, off in the distance a storm was going on so we watched as silent lightning flashed in the distance and we enjoyed a great dinner in an incredible atmosphere.
Bangkok is quite the city, fast, hot and willing to give you whatever you want as long as you put in the effort. It was a good experience and I'm glad to say I saw it but I don't have any urgent plans to get back there. For now there are many more places to explore and see before I start doubling up.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Flickr
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
I met a man from the future this weekend, what did you do?
This weekend we decided to stay at a hostel called Eight Elephants in the university area of the city, it was the first time I have stayed in hostel but after this experience I can tell you that it won't be my last. The place was simple a ground floor and a basement with a few bathrooms and showers, a kitchen, some private rooms, two dorm style rooms and a common room. We decided to stay in the dorm style rooms which had four bunk beds, I was on the top bunk and found that I was too big for the bed, I didn't really care, it was a novel idea for me to sleep on a bed that was way too small for me. EE as it is abbreviated is run by a small staff of locals and one guy from the states who seemed to work for free room and board to support his job as an English teacher. The American was a guy named Dan, in the small world that we live in he was from Rochester and had gone to Cornell. He was an interesting character who has been traveling the world studying languages and teaching English. Also in the Hostel we met a rather strange and drunk Australian who did research at university in Singapore. This was crazy to say the least, we met him on our last night in the hostel while we were taking it easy and watching Me, Myself and Irene, we introduced ourselves and started making small talk. As the night grew on and the amount of Bombay left in this bottle got lower he proceeded to get more and more animated. One of the best parts about this semester has been meeting the foreigners and observing how they view the US. This Australian fellow proceeded to bring up all the stereotypical points of interest in the US, he talked about our gun laws, our health care and our views concerning religion. All of his points were blown way out of proportion and had very little evidence behind them but we let talk not wanting to get in a heated argument with a drunk Australian who bigger than us and had access to us while we slept. After some nodding, a little agreement and some counterpoints we headed of to bed for our four a.m. taxi ride to the airport. Adding to small world concept I touched on earlier there was also a girl from New Jersey staying at EE who was travelling around SE Asia, around the city we must have met at least ten people from the greater NY area.
so now that i have talked about the hostel and all its goings on I guess I should get into what we actually did in Taiwan. After getting to the Hostel and putting our stuff down we headed back out and made for the National Palace Museum, this museum on the opposite side of Taipei from where we were staying houses what is widely considered the greatest collection of Chinese artifacts and historical works was amazing. If you are wondering why this collection of Chinese art and history is here in Taiwan and not China I am sorry to tell you I do not have enough time or reader's patience to go through the whole ordeal, feel free to email me or read the article attached to this link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Palace_Museum). The museum housed pieces from as far back as 6000 B.C. and they were all amazingly preserved. After the museum we headed to Taipei 101, currently the tallest building in the world, it was quite a view from the top even with the cloudy weather. After 101 we went out to a dumpling restaurant that was supposed to have the best soup dumpling in the country. The restaurant was so popular that even the Philadelphia Enquirer had written an article on them. We found it from an article on the NY Times that outlined an itinerary for 36 hours in Taipei. The dumplings were some of the best I have had since arriving in Asia and that says a lot because I have had a lot of dumplings. After dinner the three of wandered the neighborhood and found that it was a very cool place filled with small stores and laid back restaurants that had the feel of a very laid back version of the Village in NYC with less bars and noise. We stayed out that night exploring and getting a feel for the city and headed home late.
The next morning we woke up and headed out to the edge of the city for Yangmingshan, a national park between Taipei City and Taipei County, for some hiking. The weather this day was not great, it was rainy and windy but when it came to hiking it made for a rather refreshing mix. We got to the park after a train and a bus ride, the park was about an hour away up in the hills of Taipei. Yangmingshan is home to the tallest peak, Mount Qixing (Seven Star Mountain), has an elevation of 1120 meters (3,674 ft), is peak is the highest point in Taipei City, and we decided to hike to the top. We climbed the mountain through most of what is classified as tropical rainforest and after about an hour, we reached the peak. Now seeing as we were over 3,500 feet above sea level and it was raining we could see very little from this summit but the climb was still worth it. standing at the top of an extinct volcano as the wind blows harder than you have ever felt it, you really feel alive. Something I have been asking myself more and more frequently is how many people in the world will do what I do, none, there is a uniqueness in each life that really can affect how you perceive the world around you. As I stood upon the highest point in Taipei, soaking wet and blinded from wind and rain I though about this and couldn't help but smile. After a break at the top and some peanuts for energy we headed back down Qixing and got the buss back to Taipei Main Station. After relaxing for an hour or so we headed out for what we hoped would be an eventful night, we would not be disappointed.
Saturday night we headed out to the same area we had been to the previous night and went to a Japanese restaurant we had seen called Dozo. The food here was amazing, the three of ate a meal that would have run us over $300 USD for what totalled to be only $30 each. The atmosphere was very modern with great touches of classical Japanese decorum and customs, the only place I can relate it to is a place called Buddakan in Philly. After a great meal we head to a club called Luxy that was hosting a DJ that Andrew had heard of and had played Coachella(Bonnaroo for the west coast) last year. After picking up the tickets we wandered around the streets of Taipei exploring and met a bunch of people who were also going to the show, the most interesting of these people was a German guy named Nick, he had spent the past four years in Taiwan and was now beginning college their. He spoke English, Mandarin, French and German. He was a good guy and we ended up meeting him again at the show while he was in "slightly" more inebriated state. We got to the club a little after midnight the DJ we guessed would come on around one. The house DJ was pretty good and this is the point in my night that brings me to the title of this entry. As we moved to the dance floor we saw something/someone up by the stage in all black dancing alone. As we got closer we could see that it was a Taiwanese guy with sunglasses who was best described as being from the future. During his few hours in our time he did manage to teach us some of his great dance moves, he showed to money man, the futuristic hokey pokey and the invisible drink. All of these moves have been added to my repertoire, a repertoire that only a select few have ever seen or will see for that matter. This guy disappeared eventually, probably back to 3013, but the DJ showed up and put on a great show. We didn't stay for the whole show since we needed to get up relatively early the next morning for the hot springs.
We got up the next morning around ten and headed for Wulai, a town on the outskirts of Taipei. After another train and bus ride of about an hour we ended up in the beautiful mountain town of Wulai. Taipei being a geothermal hotbed means that hot springs are a part of life for those lucky enough to live near them. The town is split by a river, that was flowing a rate too dangerous for us to get in, and grows upwardly towards the top of the hills that surround it. Since sitting in the river was no longer an option we decided to get a room for two hours in a hot springs hotel where spring water was pumped into large tubs for you to enjoy. We got to the room, relaxed for a couple of hours and enjoyed the view of the quiet town around us. We left the hotel and grabbed some bamboo rice and noodles at a local restaurant and then caught the bus back to Taipei. That night we went and got some really good Thai food and explored the bustling market near our hostel. We called it an early night and headed home to relax before getting up at four to catch a ride to the airport.
Taipei was an amazing city and I wanted to make a note about the people of Taipei. The natives of this great city were some of the nicest most outgoing people I have met in this world, they were more than glad to go out of their way to help you find your way and loved trying to speak English you, this didn't always help since we were trying to practice our mandarin but I can't really complain. Taipei is an amazing place and I highly recommend you check it out if you are ever in SE Asia.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
It's About To Get A Little Crazy
These next few weeks are going to be quite interesting for me, beginning this week I will embarking on journeys that I know not what I will find. For the next three weekends I will be in Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam respectively. while I do plan on traveling more once my classes have concluded this is what I have for now. The quote I have placed a the start of this entry is one from Saint Augustine, anyone familiar with Villanova knows that he is quite important in our community and this quote was not chosen lightly. As my travels persist I will keep you all updated, but for now I must leave you.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Non sequitur
Things I like in Hong Kong:
Chopsticks- they are great, using chopsticks is something that goes extremely underrated in the states. Chopsticks are convenient easy to clean and rather fun. That's all I really have to say concerning chopsticks at the moment.
In Hong Kong, which is one of the most crowded cities in the world, you often find that the side walks are packed. Crowded sidewalks are something that I can deal with, I have spent some time in NYC and am used to a crowd. What I am not used to is a sidewalk full of people who do not walk quickly. People in HK like to move slowly which is something that can get rather frustrating, I don't think it's that I walk abnormally fast, it's just that they meander along at a very slow pace.
Real estate here in Hong Kong is something that does not some cheap, for this reason you find that most apartment buildings do not waste any space and 95% of them spill out to hang over the sidewalk. Since the building hang over the sidewalk so do the air conditioners. With the air conditioners comes a drip that is known in HK as AC rain. As you walk down the streets you always have to keep an eye out for wet spots that indicate the rain. Walking down the street on a sunny day and getting hit with drips of water is something you get used to but never come to enjoy.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Go Ahead and JUMP
"Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live." - Dorothy Thompson
The Friday following National Day me and four other guys headed back to the beach I mentioned in an earlier post, Sai Wan. We headed to the beach under the pretense that we would be cliff jumping and hanging out by some waterfalls. We got to the beach and cut out eight kilometers from our previous journey by grabbing a cab to the start of the final two kilometers. We got to the beach and headed for what the very vague description told us was the start of trail to the waterfall. I'm not going to divulge exactly how we got to this cliff side paradise for the sake of my readers but after some navigating we found our destination and it was amazing. We came upon the scene and took what could have very well been ten minutes just taking it in, no one was really sure how long we stared for. Once we realized that the day would not wait for us we wasted no time getting the fun started. The pool of clear blue fresh water was surrounded by waterfalls and 25 foot cliffs that were primed for jumping. We climbed up to the cliffs and stared at the blue abyss below. There was nothing left to do but jump, after a few hesitant moments I took the metaphorical and literal plunge. What a rush.I have never jumped from such height and it was invigorating. Don't worry Mom, we tested the depth and no one even came close to touching the bottom of the pool all day. We spent a few hours around this new found paradise and decided to head for home. We hoped on a boat and took the trek home, tired and sore we all agreed today had been quite a victory.
National Day
This past week was National Day, for those who don't know National Day is on October 1st and it celebrates the communist party's rise to power back in 1949. This being the 60th anniversary of communist rule meant especially ornate fireworks and celebrations all across China. In Beijing there was a massive military parade that brought back memories of old Soviet parades. The parade featured all the branches of the Chinese armed forces in full dress and included tanks, fighter jets and missiles, apparently they debuted a brand new missile technology at the parade, having watched news coverage from the streets of Hong Kong I must say that it seemed a bit garish. Back in HK there was no parade but that didn't mean that there was no celebration, the main attraction of the day were the fireworks over the harbor that when set across the famous skyline were breathtaking . We watched the fireworks from the Kowloon side and got there about two hours before the shows scheduled start, it was packed. There were thousands of people there, some got there as early as nine in the morning, we ended up behind some trees and were rather worried that we wouldn't be able to see the show. Seeing that our view might be obstructed I decided I wanted a better vantage point so I decided I would climb a tree. I repeat, in an area with thousands of people clamoring for viewing spots, I did find it odd that I was the only one who attempted to climb a tree. As soon as I got in the tree I was the main attraction before the show, hundreds of people around me suddenly stared up oohhed and ahhhed. I can only imagine them labeling me the vanilla gorilla. Shortly upon getting into the tree I was quickly told to get down by a member of the Hong Kong police force. I jumped down amid a small round of applause and took a bow or two and headed back to my friends. The fireworks started and the show was great, consisting of 39,888 shells of fireworks it might have been the largest show I have seen personally. After the show we headed back with the masses and walked back to Yau Ma Tei and called it an early night. For tomorrow would bring hiking and cliff jumping...
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Macau
"We anoint their fuses with a tiny amount of fire, and they come alive, playing out their life span in a matter or seconds. In those few seconds a crack in the universe is opened, giving us a glimpse of the energy locked within all matter." -Bob Weaver
Saturday night me and four other guys headed to Macau for some fireworks and debauchery, both were had in full. For those curious Macau is the Portuguese equivalent of Hong Kong. Formerly a territory controlled by Portugal, Macau was returned to China in 1999 and is now a Special Administrative Region in China, one of two, the other being Hong Kong. Macau is located 37 miles south of Hong Kong on the opposite edge of the Pearl River Delta. Macau is famous for many reasons some of them being that, it is the most densely populated area/country in the world, it has great seafood and it is the Las Vegas of Asia. So now after that background, lets return to my story. Saturday night me, Andrew, Rodrigo, Casey and Josh got on a turbojet (basically a large hydrofoil) and took the hour long ride to the "bling" capital of China. Our main reason for traveling to Macau this weekend was because the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest was going. On Saturday the two countries that competed were Japan and Portugal, they did not disappoint, but more on that shortly. We got off the turbo jet and after asking two Brits for the best spot to watch the show from we found ourselves sitting by the bay next to the Wynn Macau, a large Vegas export. We could not have asked for a better night, it was warm but sitting by the bay made the heat a second thought and all we could was sit in awe to the amazing performance we were privy to. Japan started of the festivities promptly at 9 o'clock and put up a hell of a show, lasting around 20 minutes, we did not expect to see a better show. We were wrong. We continued to hang out by the bay and enjoy the night until Portugal stepped up to the plate at ten o'clock and knocked one out of the park. I've seen many fireworks shows in my day and while I admit I don't commit a large part of my brain to firework memories this one will stick with me for some time to come. I took a video of the finale and will do my best to get it to all reading to this. If ever you have the chance, get to this firework contest, you will not be let down. After the show we were curious to see how the Asian community approached gaming. We took a walk to the Grand Lisboa, Stanley Ho's marquee casino and Hotel, this building was quite the sight. It was covered in neon, like most hotel/casinos here and was best described in a travel book as a cross between a UFO and a wedding cake. We walked in and headed upstairs to the gaming floor, what we found were more baccarat tables (the game James Bond is so adept at) than I have ever seen. With all of the baccarat tables there was little room for anything else, there were only around six or seven blackjack tables, much different from the states. The five of us played and explored for an about two hours and then decided it was time for some music. We talked to the concierge at the hotel and were told to head down the street and just keep an eye for the sign for a place called D2, we never found D2. We did however find a place called Cubic that seemed to a good time. It was real quiet when we got there around one but were told the crowd would pick up by three as that was when the guest DJ was getting on. So of course as the night continued progress the club got more crowded and eventually you could barely move. The music was some of the best I've heard since I've gotten to China, while it was not my standard choice of music, it was great house music. We had had enough of Cubic about the time the new DJ was coming on and some of the group decided they were hungry. We headed for food and after about a half hour we found some and sat down to take a rest and refuel, we still had two and a half hours until our ride back to Hong Kong. After some food we saw that we were next to the MGM Grand Macau and decided to kill some time before heading home. I played some blackjack and came out the winner overall for the night. The casino was standard but much like the rest of Macau the building it was housed in was massive. You would swear it were in Vegas. At around five a.m. we grabbed a cab to the ferry terminal to begin our trek back. This was the first ride back and it seems that many others did as we did and just pulled an all nighter because the ride back was sold out. we got back to HK at 7 and got on the train to get home. I hit my pillow at 8 a.m. and could not have been happier about the way the night went.
There will be more pictures coming from this night shortly, I didn't bring my good camera so I need to grab some pics from my friends. Thanks
Check out the video on my youtube link!
Ballin
Played some basketball last night, I have to say running the courts with locals is a little different than the pick up games back home. I haven't really played basketball on a consistent basis since the earlier years of high school but I would like to think that I am never one to shy away form a game. Having only played on and off a few times this summer at Zack's I wasn't quite sure what to expect of myself as me and five other kids headed over ti the local courts to find a game. We were a ragtag group of non athletes, former highs school players and a soccer player thrown in for good measure. We were quickly asked to run five on five by what I must assume is a local team out practicing. Now the game went like just about any street/pickup game you would find in the states with one small exception, fouls. Now coming from where I play basketball you don't really ever call a foul on a guy, you just suck it up and play through it, maybe give an elbow a little latter on. Last night there were more fouls called by the other team than I have ever seen. I don't really mind the foul call I just happen to be of the mind set that you such stop being worried about getting hurt and just suck it up, a foul really kills the tempo of the game. Another thing that I noticed seemed to missing from these guys (all about my age) is the basic courtesies that come in a pick up game, the most noticeable one being that you don't start the possession until everyone is ready. These guys had no problem starting up a play when one of our guys had just been taken out of the previous play and was still recovering to get back in the game, now I know that a game back home would come with some unwritten rules about such a thing. All in all though our team made it past the differences and managed to win two of the three games before the lights in the park went out. A good victory for the AWAY TEAM.
Sai Wan
Today myself, Andrew and Brian decided to take a trek, a journey, an excursion call it whatever you like. We left Caritas (our home of sorts) at twelve to depart on a trip to find beaches and cliff diving, we did not know exactly how to get there. We took the train a few stops past where we go for school and found the minibus that runs to Sai Kung. Sai Kung is an area out in the New Territories of Hong Kong and it is a rather calm area when compared to the hustle of HK. Upon arriving in Sai Kung we proceeded to ask locals if they knew where Sai Wan was, we were pointed to the number 94 bus. We got on the bus not knowing where to get off, we just figured we would wing it. Sitting on the bus we happened to ask what appeared to be a local if he knew where to go cliff jumping, it turns out that he grew up in HK but moved to Vancouver for work and was back in HK getting his MBA. This guy, whose name we did not catch gave the best directions he could and from the research we had done he sounded correct. We got off the bus at the entrance to the country park and started our walk. Today's weather was quite nice, blue skies with a minimal amount of clouds, the only problem was that it was about 98 degrees. We started our walk and shortly came to a fork, taking the left route, which lead to the beach we were looking for, we were quickly stunned by the massive reservoir that lay in front of us. This was by far, nothing even close to it, the nicest reservoir that I have ever seen. This reservoir made the Caribbean look like the Jersey Shore. Upon arriving to the start of this hike with an amazingly uplifting view we were shortly crestfallen when we discovered that it was to be a ten kilometer hike that was estimated to take two and a half hours. While this news was bad news we took in stride and started off on our hike to what is said to be the best beach in Hong Kong. We walked and we walked some more getting some great views of the reservoir and eventually after quite some time arrived, no one knew exactly how long it took since we didn't check the time at the start. Upon arriving all our tired and sore muscles were instantly relieved at the site of a deserted beach with only a few yachts moored offshore but no one was on the beach. Surrounded by massive hills and mountains we were in our own paradise. We hung out in the water, which was clear and almost to warm, for a few hours and then decided to try and find a way home seeing as the sun was getting low and we didn't want to hike back. We grabbed a ride on a junk/motorboat that two engineers had taken to the beach, on the boat we saw the true beauty of Hong Kong and for most of the trip we were speechless. We arrived at an unknown pier and were lucky to find a bus stop, it was getting dark. We arrived back our home a little over an hour later and were thankful for showers and food, we hadn't eaten since prior to our departure. A successful day that somehow resulted in little to no sunburn.
SCHOOL
I have just finished the first week of class here in Hong Kong and I must admit until Monday, the idea of classes and homework seemed alien but alas it is here and will not be gone anytime soon. I must admit though I am lucky, I only have class four days a week, many of us do, this is a new phenomenon for me and I must say I rather enjoy it. This semester I am only taking three classes, I know, it sounds like a small amount but I am also doing a research paper on mainland China for our previous seminar and I will be doing an independent research project for 5 weeks at the end of the semester. Right now I am taking Mandarin (more on that later) International Economics and Money and Banking. Econ and MandB are good, a little slow but its early yet. The class that I'm sure most reading this are wondering about is Mandarin. Mandarin is intense. We have class for eight hours a week and we move fast. I'm getting the gist of the language but it is by no means easy. Lucky for me our class tends to stick together and we help each other out and study at night together. One thing that I noticed about City U that is different from Nova is the size. While it only has about twice as many undergrads as Nova, 12,000, it tries to fit them into a space similar to the size of my campus back home. The crowds are definitely new but they do make for good practice when it comes to pushing through the streets of HK. Taking the train to school is also new for me but in HK the metro is so nice that I actually enjoy that part of the commute. I will say that it is interesting being the tallest person of the almost 1000 people on the train. All in all my first week here at City U was without any surprises and it looks to be shaping up to be a great semester.
Shek O
Okay so I think I have finally gotten caught up with this blog, I apologize for the poor timing. Today is a lazy Sunday, slept in and have been writing this blog and getting various errands done, laundry and steaming my clothes, no iron. I am not writing to tell you about what is going on now, I am writing concerning yesterday, possibly the best day in HK so far. Our main goal for the day was to find Shek O which is a beach about an hour from where we live and find the Thai restaurant that serves food in a pineapple, little did we know how much of a success this would be. We got on the MTR headed for Central and got off at the Admiralty stop where we transferred to the Chai Wan route, from there we got off at Shau Kei Wan and headed for the bus. We got on the number nine bus and took to the end of the line, Shek O, this bus ride was quite the adventure for you most buses are rather massive double deckers and the driver maneuvers it as if it were a Ferrari. The views on the ride to the beach are stunning, vast views from windy mountain roads that make leave in awe and great fear that you may go over the edge. Once we arrived to the quite seaside town of Shek O we could not have been more excited, the vistas from the ride over only built anticipation. We wasted no time finding the Thai/Chinese restaurant that our seminar professor told us about, we quickly found it and grabbed a table for three. The restaurant only has al fresco seating and is covered in a tin roof with many fans blowing the 95 degree air about, it looked just like something you would see on a travel food show. The menu was the best I had seen yet, it had anything and everything you might want from both sides of the Thai/Chinese mixture from sweet and sour pork to pad thai, but we came for one thing and one thing only, the pineapple. Now for anyone who has yet to try it, I highly recommend eating something cooked in a pineapple. I ordered the fried, Andrew ordered the vegetarian fried rice and Rodrigo ordered the chicken, all in pineapples. When I get back to the states one of the first things I'm going to try to cook is this dish. After we finished the most satisfying meal of the trip thus far we headed for the beach, only a minute away we were stunned when we finally came across it. This may have been the most beautiful beach I have been to, surrounded by mountains and small rocky islands the beach was as secluded as you could get in one of the most densely populated places in the world. We were told that the weekends in Hong Kong meant that the beaches were mobbed, we found though that Shek O was relatively quiet compared to our expectations. The beach was clean and water was perfect, it wasn't clear like the Caribbean but the temperature was in the 80's and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. This beach was the perfect way to beat the HK heat, 95degrees and humid and made for a great day trip. All in all this trip was a great success, we had great food and great beach time all only an hour away from our lowly digs at the Caritas Bianchi Lodge.
Shanghai
Shanghai at night is something that everyone should find a way to see, this city lights up like no other with the only exception being Vegas. Shanghai is a peculiar place, throughout the city there are unmistakable relics of European architecture that are some of the most beautiful buildings on can find anywhere. These buildings are a look back at a history most Chinese are not proud of, one of European and American chauvinism wherein we built what we wanted where we wanted and made all the rules. The Chinese look at this time in there history with much contempt for outsiders as well they should, we were wrong. The only good that one might be able to pull out of this time is the architecture, great buildings with classical features that are timeless but as Shanghai moves from its past so does its architecture. The modern architecture of this city is something one has to see for themselves whether it be the very odd TV Tower or the ever looming World Financial Center (the second tallest building in the world). This skyline is epic. Perhaps the best way to view everything from the beautifully lit European buildings to the massive skyline is from atop the Grand Hyatt in Cloud 9, the highest bar in the world, located on the 87th and 88th floors of the worlds tallest hotel the view is simply stunning. From atop this building one cannot help but feel as though they are the master of all things below, it is truly an awe inspiring view. As Shanghai prepares for the 2010 world expo you will hear more and become much more accustomed to what this city is truly about but until one sees it for themselves they cannot fully appreciate the grandeur that is Shanghai.
798 Beijing
The best kept secret of the city
We went to Beijing, we did all things that you are supposed to do in Beijing, we saw the Great Wall, we visited hutongs, we even went to the Temple of Heaven, but one thing we did that most don't is visit 798, the best kept secret in Beijing. 798 is an old factory district in Beijing that has become a blossoming art community filled with galleries and lofts. The idea that here in China's capital one could find modern art when the city carries a stigma of rigid structuralism is amazing. I'm am no art guru, I don't know anything about any artists other than Rene Magritte(my favorite) but I do know that there was some truly spectacular work on display here. When you get to the district you wonder through small streets meandering in and out of galleries admiring the work and determination in front of your eyes. There was one gallery called Childhood Memories that used iconic toys and images of my generation to make rather interesting art including but not limited to GI Joe abstinence adds and Transformers last supper pictures. While the galleries were great, the best and probably most unappreciated part of the district was the street art. It is important that I don't call this graffiti because that, to most, implies a mess of colors that shouldn't be there in the first place. This street are was stunning, everything from pieces of fruit dressed as gangsters to a panda wearing what looks to be a uniform. The best place to see this art was on a two story building that surrounded what might be the coolest street soccer court I have ever seen, watching fifty year old men play while smoking their cigarettes was awesome. District 798 is a place anyone interested in art should visit, it is a needle in the haystack that is Beijing.
China Seminar: Xian
Craziest bike ride ever...
Sorry about the delay in terms of entries, its been an event packed two weeks with either no time for internet or no free internet. My deepest apologies. So looking back on Xian, it feels like ages ago, there are a few things that really stick out in my mind. The first of these things being the bike ride around the city wall of Xian. This wall is one of the oldest most well preserved city walls in china and what a wall it is. This wall is 9 miles around and 54 feet wide at its base. Us Americans being the idiots that we are decided a ride around the wall would be a relaxing and pleasurable experience here in Xian, of course it was far from what we hoped for. We found a place to rent some beat up old bikes, that's all there are here, and were told that we had an hour or so until we needed to get back on the bus. While I hadn't seriously ridden a bike in more than 4 years and I guess the old standard holds true, you never forget how to ride a bike. We started off at rapid pace and a group of about 15 of us broke away from the pack, some on single bikes others tandem, I rode solo. we got to the first corner of the square course and were still moving at quite a good pace, this pace would not cease until the final stretch of wall. the path was quite bumpy and left its share of riders quite sore. As we continued I found myself leading the pack with a tandem bike and one other solo rider, we went to a straight sprint and after dodging and shouting on the crowded wall could see the finish line, I pulled ahead and won by half a length. We did the loop in 41 minutes and were exhausted. It was hot, humid and smoggy and I was covered in sweat but it was definitely worth it. The wall was quite a site, outside of it is a rapidly growing city while the inside holds onto the small parts of ancient life that it can.
Aug 2009 - Reflections on my first days in HK
So I have been here in HK for three days and four nights and man what a city. The closest place I know that I could compare this city with is NYC and that is still a poor assessment. So far the city has been really simple to navigate and we have found little trouble when it comes to finding where we need to be.
The school is pretty nice, it huge, it has an enrollment of 30,000 compared to a mere 6,000 back in Philly. It is a short commute to school, three stops on the metro (more on that later) and then a quick walk through a huge mall and you find yourself right in the middle of campus. The cafeteria at school is pretty good, there is some really good barbecue dishes, I'm not the biggest fan of the atmosphere there though, I'm not sure why but it just doesn't sit well with me. We usually leave the university during rush hour so the metro is packed but it just helps add to the experience. The subways here are amazing! The subways are spotless and nearly silent, a big step up after being used to New York. The routes they take are also very simple and concise and they require very little thinking when it comes to planning a trip. The only thing about the metro that I find annoying is that it stops running at on in the morning which is quite inconvenient for getting home from HK Island.
The night life here is pretty good, there are only a few areas here that cater nightlife scene, in HK culture bars are not popular and therefore you find that it almost completely tourists and expats. While there might not be clubs and bars on every corner like NY there is something for everyone and its usually not to tough to find.
So today I am headed off to mainland China for two weeks and will visiting Xian, Beijing and Shanghai. These two weeks are going to be jam packed and I will do my best to keep everyone posted on my journey.
P.S.- I am still working on the best way to share my pictures with you
Aug 2009 - I'm Here
So here I am, in Hong Kong, this city is pretty amazing when you see it in person, everything is so tall. The flight was quite long, 16 hours and I got zero sleep during the flight. I was up for a continuous 30 hours yesterday.They did have a great movie selection and the food was half decent which helped, but there were a lot of little kids making quite alot of noise. We got to Hong Kong around 7:30 pm local time on Monday night, and took a bus to our hotel, it small but nothing I can't handle after living in Sullivan last year. After putting our stuff down in the hotel me and some of the guys went to do some rudimentary exploring, we checked a night market and I had some octopus leg, it tasted pretty good, what you would expect octopus leg to taste like. This city is hot and muggy, last night at ten o'clock it was 88 degrees and about 90% humidity, nasty. More to come today we see the city.
