Yangtze River Cruise

The cruise was everything I expected, both for the good and bad. It was 3 nights and 2 days of being pampered and fed, but having everything planned for you. You woke up to music on the intercom, had assigned seats for all meals, and were given an iteneray sheet the day before, so you knew what to expect. Anyone who has been on a cruise probably has a similar story. But it wasn't bad. The Three Rivers Gorge is really beautiful. There were guides to point out the elephant eye and moon goddess in the various rock formations (although they pretty much all looked the same to us). We did a couple of excursions off the boat to little touristy things along the banks, only one of which is worth noting because there was a geocache there! I suppose you all don't really care about that stuff, though. You just want to hear the of the bum shaking incident. Well, the last night, there was to be a talent show. Since the boat was 90% full of chinese folks over the age of 60, I felt it was my duty to represent the U.S. with style. And since I have lugged these juggling clubs everywhere, I might as well. Otherwise I would have prolly skipped the whole thing. So, I get all practiced up and make friends with the MCs for the evening. It turns out that there are no other passanger performers, just the crew, so I felt a little silly. All their stuff was very well rehearsed. Anyhoo, one of the bits they had set up was a game in which 2 audience members come on stage, get belts with a box full of ping pong balls tied around their waists, and have to wriggle them out into a box on the floor. Well, of course I got called up, so wriggle I did. And I won too! I don't think my face has been redder in a long time. Afterwards, I did my juggling bit to much applause. Hopefully I will have pictures being e-mailed to me later.

Tuesday November 7 2006

File under: China, travel

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on Tue 07th Nov, 2006 12:39 pm UTC Wren said: Oh, and I got to see that dam that gets so much press these days and some of its effects. The structure itself is quite impressive and the numbers as to how much power it will produce, concrete is uses etc. etc. are staggering. As for its effects, they don't seem as bad as people have claimed. The small communities on the river have essentially just been rebuilt higher up the hillside, in "nicer" buildings. Granted it isn't the best in the world, but it isn't as bad as I had heard. It was very interesting to see the depth gauge painted on the cliff wall every so often to show where the water line will be in another 2 years. ************************ on Tue 07th Nov, 2006 03:13 pm UTC Trista said: Did you see any of the (guesstimated 13) critically endangered Chinese River Dolphins on your cruisin? Or maybe here an echo? All that 3 gorge dammin, they really aren't taking care of their cetacea, now are they? I suppose no "swimming with the River Dolphins" tours available, eh? ************************ on Tue 07th Nov, 2006 04:08 pm UTC trista said: oh, and did the tour guide point out the "higher up the hillside, nicer" native wetlands they're rebuilding in replacement of the breeding and feeding grounds of the 95% population of Snow Cranes who will be coming home again this winter? ************************ on Wed 08th Nov, 2006 02:16 am UTC Mom said: Geez, it is a cruise ship! I was expecting something more on the order of the Thailand water taxis. So, Wren, aren't you glad you packed your tuxedo? ************************ on Wed 08th Nov, 2006 09:07 pm UTC endangered chinese river dolphin (a.k.a. Jule said: so long and thanks for all the fish! ************************

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Guilin it is!

Thanks so much for all the votes and information! Perhaps I should just leave my whole iteneray up to ya'll. I'm so glad you overwhelmingly picked Guilin (sorry mom, but I already got shanghai'ed in Beijing by some tea ladies). On my fancy cruise, I got the impression from talking to other passengers that Guilin is really the place to go. Sorry to all the runners-up in the poll. I still appreciate your votes. And who knows, I have a double entry visa to China so maybe I will be back to hit up that whole Shanghai area after my time in SE Asia is done. So now I am off to figure out my way south before it gets dark and the wolves comes out. Once I get to where I am going, I'll post a little about the cruise. But a few teasers: beautiful scenery, contrived cultural demonstrations, breakfast buffet, Wren shaking his bum on stage, and so very much more. Thanks again for all the info!

Monday November 6 2006

File under: China, travel

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on Mon 06th Nov, 2006 04:56 am UTC Mom said: Be honest, it was Sarah's mention of the geocache near Guilin that really did it, right? ************************ on Mon 06th Nov, 2006 05:18 am UTC Sarah F said: Whew! I thought maybe you fell off the boat! The suspense over where you were going was ~killin'~ me! ************************ on Mon 06th Nov, 2006 06:22 am UTC Saxtor said: We had best be getting video or at least photos of the bum shaking! ************************ on Mon 06th Nov, 2006 07:08 am UTC Saxtor said: You know, backend and all........ ************************ on Tue 07th Nov, 2006 02:41 am UTC Andrew said: what about Lansing? ************************

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First official BdW poll!

I've got myself a bit of a dilemma here. And rather than figure it out myself, I thought I have myself a little poll. I'm getting on a boat here in a few hours to cruise down the Yangtze. It drops me off in either Wuhan or Yichang. As you can tell, I don't really know what is going on. The dilemma part is what to do next. I've got to be in Hong Kong on the 10th to meet up with a friend. From there, I head back to Bangkok on the 13th. That leaves me with approximately 4.5 days to kill between, let's say, Wuhan and Hong Kong. That is where you come in. I'm leaving it up to you, dear readers, as to what I should do. Being that I only have a dinky little book with hardly info besides history on the various possibilities, everyone of you is as qualified to lend a suggestion as I am. A brief look at a map reveals these possibilies: A) HANGZHOU - Known for its famous West Lake B) SHANGHAI - Modern City with a mix of cultures C) GUILIN - Beautiful Scenery on the Li River D) NANJING - Old capital built to rival Beijing E) GUANGZHOU - Cultural city with some good eats So hop to it. Do your research. Support your choice with helpful info for the would-be tourist. Place your vote in the comments or in an e-mail to me. Extra credit for any not listed suggestions. Remember, I don't have a ton of time, so ease of accesibilty should be considered. Thanks for your help. I look forward to the results.

Friday November 3 2006

File under: poll, China

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on Fri 03rd Nov, 2006 06:03 am UTC Mom said: Wren, Hands down it's SHANGHAI that gets my vote (or is it hands up it's SHANGHAI?) Anyway, how many chances will you have in life to say that you were SHANGHAIED in SHANGHAI? eh? ************************ on Fri 03rd Nov, 2006 06:10 am UTC Mom said: Wren, Hands down it's SHANGHAI that gets my vote (or is it hands up it's SHANGHAI?) Anyway, how many chances will you have in life to say that you were SHANGHAIED in SHANGHAI? eh? ************************ on Fri 03rd Nov, 2006 07:20 am UTC Saxtor said: Since I have to go to bed RIGHT NOW, I only read the "Understand" paragraph of each mentioned city from this site: http://wikitravel.org/en/China#Cities Given only the information provided, I am going with Hangzhou. How can you not visit what Marco Polo described as "beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world". Although, possibly things have changed since his day....but go there. Shanghai would be my last choice based on this: "Shanghai has recently been ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the world. Individuals with asthma or respiratory issues should be prepared when visiting the city" because I currently have a cough. ************************ on Fri 03rd Nov, 2006 08:52 am UTC Horge said: My first instinct was to say Nanjing cause a former capital's gotta have good stuff, but I was a bit disappointed with wikipedia's pictures. I know nothing about Shanghai but suspect that it's just a big modern city with little culture, though your mom's right on the "shanghai'd" part - I'm not even bothering to look it up online. But Hangzhou, which I'd never heard of, looks quite picturesque. Plus it's the sister city of Boston, so it could be nice like that... My vote's Hangzhou. ************************ on Fri 03rd Nov, 2006 08:53 am UTC Horge said: Oh and i forgot to mention the reason I say Ghangzhou. They had a very nice picture of a tea plantation. Reading how much you like tea, don't you think it'd be cool to go there and ask if you can pick a kilogram yourself. It'd be discounted I bet! Only a half-week's budget perhaps... ************************ on Fri 03rd Nov, 2006 08:56 am UTC Horge said: Dagnabbit! sorry for the 3rd post. I meant HANGZHOU, the lake place. Without the g. That's confusing don't you think? Too cities spelled the same way, just throwing a G onto the front? ************************ on Fri 03rd Nov, 2006 04:22 pm UTC Sarah Fate said: hi wren, i know i hardly know you, but your mom gave me the link to this while i was sitting on the couch with a broken ankle all summer and now i can't stop :-) I'd vote for GUILIN- It looks the most beautiful and the least like a huge city- you can do a lot of different bike rides and hikes. It is described as a "must" and has: "The stunning landscape in which the city is situated has a kind of magic that is all its own. The strangely shaped hills, or karsts, with the verdant vegetation ranging from bamboo to conifers together with wonderful caves make Guilin such an attraction for tourists." Also, i checked the weather in all those towns and it's going to be >80* there for the next 5 days :-) There's a geocache on Green Lotus Peak close by: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=d0867d50-d9b9-41d5-a253-c01babd72e05 ************************ on Fri 03rd Nov, 2006 04:29 pm UTC Sarah Fate said: I should have been a travel agent... This hostel in Guilin looks like a swanky nightclub: http://www.hostelz.com/hostel/33136-Guilin-Flowers-Youth-Hostel ************************ on Fri 03rd Nov, 2006 06:48 pm UTC Jule! said: I think Sarah is right! My buddies own/owned? a bar there too. I hear the food is good (try the crosswords) there and there are these beautiful limestone outcroppings that are the stereotypical china scenery. I will get my buddy Kevin to post, cause he was a Guilin local. ************************ on Fri 03rd Nov, 2006 07:12 pm UTC Kevin Anderson said: The answer is "C", Guilin. There is lots to do around Guilin. Yangshuo is a tourist town set up for foreign backpackers just forty minutes outside of Guilin. There are tons of activities centered out of that little town, hiking, caving, rock climbing, seeing the Chinese Minorities dance and sing. The whole region is incredibly scenic, like a Chinese scroll. In Guilin proper there is a couple of bars run by westerners, one by a kid your brother went to college with. And it has many possibilities for good eats, tacky Chinese scenerey and average hustle-bustle of a mid sized Chinese city. If you have time visit Longsheng to see the terraced fields or Sanjiang to see some authentic minorities. The whole province of Guangxi is pretty neat and only an overnight bus ride from Hong Kong. About that bus ride, make sure you get a express/deluxe bus. I once rode that route on a cheap ass sleeper bus that collided with a dump truck in the mountains and it made me miss my flight in HK. Do not go to Guangzhou! I lived there for a year and the only thngs worth remembering were the smog, sweltering heat and dim-sum. That city is about the size of NY and just as crowded. Shanghai would be nice if you have scads of money to spend, though the food is tasty and they have a mag-lev train. They also have an art museum that is worth a whole day and a sex museum that is worth the an hour or so. Nanjing is also pretty and not too fare from Shanghai, you could vidit them both in less than a week. In HK stay in the Chunking Mansions, you wouldn't be suprised to see a wokie walking down the street there, its that diverse. Yi lu shun an! KDA, your brother's buddy ************************ on Fri 03rd Nov, 2006 09:52 pm UTC julie Kondor said: C- it looks easy to pronounce and it has water and scenery! ************************ on Sat 04th Nov, 2006 11:41 pm UTC Sara said: C - Guilin, and probably Yangshuo too. The karst mountains and the river look beautiful. 80 degree weather would be nice too! ************************ on Sun 05th Nov, 2006 05:31 am UTC trista said: You're right, i do like this post. I would have voted earlier but i've been busy preparing and hosting a bannana pancake party. Good times. So, my first thought was... of course, you must do a Suzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai trio. Hangzhou and Suzhou might be as traditional modern Han Chinese as it gets and Shanghai is a must see metrocious capitol, with enough surrounding waters to keep it interesting (although rough on the pocketbook). Did i mention the back of the 1元 bill is West Lake? Also, Chinese all know the saying, "Above is heaven and below is Hangzhou" BUt luckily, there is a similar saying about Guilin, "桂林山水甲天下!" Therefore i say, Guilin. An Autonmous region, which means full of minority folk who can kick it better than rock stars. Limestone mountains, storybook lake scenery, what they say is crystal clear waters (but i would have to see it to believe it here in China), pagoda topped hills, caves... and you know how i LOVE caves! The sweet smelling aroma of the Gui Hua, which its so famously named after, might still be lingering in the air. And to top it all off, Jule's college buddy own's a bar there! Need i say more? Well, just one more thing... Former President Clinton went there in 1998 and said this, "No place in China is more evocative of the beauty of your country than Guilin." So, along with ole trustworthy Bill and what seems to be the popular opinion here on BdW, 桂林 is my vote. ************************ on Sun 05th Nov, 2006 12:03 pm UTC pigping said: hey!This is pingping i want you to go to gui lin !because if you go there you will shock !it is so beautiful there!i did not go there !but i learned that book about it when i was a young girl!!go go go!!!!! ************************ on Sun 05th Nov, 2006 06:36 pm UTC Andrew said: Go for Lansing! It is a beautiful place and home to Michigan State University! http://www.lansing.org/ ************************

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Chongqing

What to do when you get to a city that you barely know anything about, isn't set up for a tourist in the least, hardly anyone speaks English, and your only purpose it to buy a ticket to the next destination? Well, that is basically my situation, friends. And what I chose to do is what I pretty much always do in a new town: walk. So I went walking. Chongquin is set up kind of like, dare I say it, NYC. There is the downtown area that is quite similar to Manhattan. It is seperated from the rest of the town by two huge rivers. This little plot of land, however, is quite hilly. Atop the biggest hill, there is quite a nice little park. People were out in droves dancing, gambling, and playing mahjong. It also offered quite the views, not that there is much to see through all the smog. The evening found me at a Time Square of sorts. The lights and people reminded me that this is the biggest city I've never heard of. Oh, and for those of you who have been digging on the food info: here's the skinny. For lunch, I had a bowl full of potstickers (again). This time, they were made right before my eyes (wontons rolled on site and everything). For dinner, it was fried rice noodles with beef and a McDonald's ice cream cone for dessert.

Thursday November 2 2006

File under: China, travel

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on Thu 02nd Nov, 2006 03:01 pm UTC Anna said: That's some good lookin' food! ************************ on Thu 02nd Nov, 2006 03:56 pm UTC Jule said: You eat a lot of crosswords! good source of fiber and ink. is that a samuri warrior in the potsticker picture? ************************ on Fri 05th Jan, 2007 01:05 am UTC Aunt JANET said: SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE OF A LIFE TIME. I'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU COME A VISIT ME IN SUNNY Florida I'm having a great time enjoying the bay, gulf sandy beaches, each day when I get up I say "enother day in parasdise" come see me sometime and bring your mom along. ************************

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Beijing Wrap Up

After a rocky beginning, my time in Beijing has quickly become one of the highlights of my trip so far. The city has so much to offer for the tourist. Great food, amazing historic buildings, beautiful parks, and activities out the wazoo. All in all, I spent a week here, split into two parts, and I still feel like I only scraped the surface of the many things to do. Besides the must-sees the city has to offer (Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Tienamen square), I also got to do a little less touristy stuff. Yesterday, I hopped on the subway to head out west of town in search of a few geocaches (mission accomplished, BTW). The subway stopped right outside the international sculpture garden, so I thought, "Why not?". Well, I'm so glad because it was a great time. The weather was perfect for just strolling through the beautifully kept grounds looking at the sculpture collection (most of which was hardly international). I am sorry to say that I leave Beijing this afternoon. I trust that I will visit again someday. There is still so much to see, and with the way the city is changing, there will be that much more to see next time. I recommend that if you are ever thinking of a travel destination, don't rule out Beijing. "Next?", you ask. Well, I board a 25 hour train bound for Chongqing. I've got a couple of good books and am ready for some relax time, albeit forced relaxation. Chongqing is the typical launching spot for a cruise boat trip down the Yangtze River. We'll see what I can find on a last minute basis.

Tuesday October 31 2006

File under: China, travel

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on Tue 31st Oct, 2006 04:58 am UTC Mom said: Now, would that Yangtze cruise be on the Princess Line? ************************ on Tue 31st Oct, 2006 07:54 pm UTC Saxtor said: BJ loves the Yangtze pork they sell at Safeway. You should have some while there, and tell him how it is! And since Wren didn't provide links to his cache finds, here's his page which includes the 4 he found in Beijing. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx?ul=credenza&submit4=Go ************************ on Wed 01st Nov, 2006 02:17 pm UTC trista said: good work, Saxtor. Without the link he gets no credenza. You always got his backend. ************************ on Wed 01st Nov, 2006 04:07 pm UTC jule said: finally, another back end joke! Nice one Trista, I thought I was alone on that one. ************************ on Wed 01st Nov, 2006 08:19 pm UTC Andrew (or am I Jule?) said: oh Jule. You are never alone at Wren's back-end! ************************ on Wed 01st Nov, 2006 08:31 pm UTC trista said: no worries Jule, i got your back end. ************************ on Thu 02nd Nov, 2006 06:56 am UTC Saxtor said: I may have been singled out as being obsessed with Wren's backend, but it's Wren who is obsessed with his gusseted crotch. ************************ on Thu 02nd Nov, 2006 06:19 pm UTC Zeppeki said: Wren, how do you determine where you are going next? Do you throw a dart at a map? ************************ on Fri 03rd Nov, 2006 03:31 am UTC Jule said: Those gusseted crotches are wonderful, they hardly ever blow out. Unlike his backend! was that inappropriate. I guess if I have to ask... ************************

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Jilin Tidbits

My visit to Tumen ended appropriately: with another scheduled power outage, so I couldn't make a final post from the cozy, non-time constrained, free internet at Trista's. But here I am, waiting up late at the Beijing hostel for my turn at the internet to bring you, dear readers, this: Careful - cobra: part 2 Our visit to Hunchun, where Russia, North Korea, and China meet, was eventful. Trista and I watched some serious diplomacy going down "Look, I'm in Russia" ("please take our picture")

Saturday October 28 2006

File under: travel, China

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on Sun 29th Oct, 2006 04:56 pm UTC Jule said: So the Russian border isn't very heavily guarded? ************************ on Mon 30th Oct, 2006 12:49 am UTC Wren said: I'm pretty sure this wasn't the official crossing. We didn't get a passport stamp or anything. And if they were to heavily guard their border, they would need their whole population and then some to keep watch. ************************ on Mon 30th Oct, 2006 04:34 am UTC Jule (tee hee...Andrew again!) said: ...go crazy? ************************ on Mon 30th Oct, 2006 07:22 am UTC Horge said: In that diplomacy picture, all those people and SUVs, is that piece of land Russia or Kim-jong-il-ville? ************************ on Mon 30th Oct, 2006 08:17 am UTC Jule said: Don't mind if I do! ************************ on Mon 30th Oct, 2006 01:30 pm UTC Wren said: Horge, in the dipomacy picture, it is Democratic Republic of Korea just across the river. In the picture of us watching them, it is pretty much all Russia (you can see the border fence near my left wrist). ************************ on Mon 30th Oct, 2006 01:47 pm UTC trista said: My experienced experts have confirmed to me that the commie diplomat with the less leisurely stride sure is North Korean. Making us witnesses to their pleasure tour during a series of less leisurely border meetings. (I hear North Korea is finally disclosing their knowledge of kimchee and its endless health advantages to the Chinese. ie: SARS repellent, nuclear radiation block, etc. etc. etc.) ************************ on Mon 30th Oct, 2006 04:17 pm UTC Horge said: Kim-chee is awesome stuff! In addition to thwarting terrorism, neo-expressionism and capitalist-imperialism, it also makes for an excellent topic when conversing with hot North Korean chicks trying to escape with you and your passport. Trust me. Just flash your passport to them, start talking about kim-chee to them and they'll be all over you like flies on honey. Or like fries on kim-chee, in this case. ************************ on Tue 31st Oct, 2006 05:18 pm UTC Chris said: Glad I saw your pic of the border, my boss was about to send a couple F-22's over to take out whatever unknown threat was crossing the boarder. Luckily I let 'em know it was just you guys, now they're sending in three. ************************ on Tue 31st Oct, 2006 07:42 pm UTC Chris said: Glad I saw your pic of the border, my boss was about to send a couple F-22's over to take out whatever unknown threat was crossing the boarder. Luckily I let 'em know it was just you guys, now they're sending in three. ************************

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Another food post

What is there to do in a small town with limited tourist activities? Why, eat, of course! In what seems to be the high class tradition here in Tumen, we went out to another cook your own food place. This time, it was hot pot, which instead of grilling the plates of raw meat, you boil them in a broth. Along with the meat, we got lots of non-pickled veggies, so I got my weekly dose of greens. (Mom, you'll be happy to know that bean sprouts are my new favorite vegetable). Hot pot is really quite an experience. Good times. Besides the local cuisine (I am told hot pot is the most expensive meal in Tumen at a whopping $10.00 to [over]feed 3 people), I'm also getting a taste of the local transportation.

Thursday October 26 2006

File under: China, travel

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on Fri 27th Oct, 2006 12:17 am UTC Saxtor said: Sounds fun! Also, since Wren had to break the RSS feed capability so his page would render in Firefox2, use this instead! http://feed43.com/blogduwren.xml ************************ on Fri 27th Oct, 2006 03:15 pm UTC Jule said: Nice ride! A commie cruiser complete with driver. ************************ on Fri 27th Oct, 2006 06:40 pm UTC marieke slovin said: hey wren! your mom gave me your blog info., so i am sending a hullo your way. i am kept pretty well updated every time i pop into the upper skagit library...you seem to be in a new country each time. i have a really good friend living in xianghou (sp? pronounced "hang jew"). if you are anywhere near there, i bet she and her hubbie would be delighted to give you a place to stay...let me know :) thinking of you, my dear. ************************ on Sun 29th Oct, 2006 03:13 am UTC Mom said: Bean Sprouts, eh? That's very interesting, but if I hear you say the same about tofu I'll know something has come unglued and I'll be sending those men in white coats over to round you up. ************************ on Sun 29th Oct, 2006 03:16 am UTC Mom said: Bean Sprouts, eh? That's very interesting, but if I hear you say the same about tofu I'll know something has come unglued and I'll be sending those men in white coats over to round you up. ************************ on Sun 29th Oct, 2006 11:44 pm UTC Mom said: So now I'm the one with double entries. So now I'm the one with double entries. I'm trying again to see if I can get it right.I'm trying again to see if I can get it right. ************************

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Pictures,pictures, and more pictures

Here at BdW, we are using this week to get caught up and betterifying the site. Latest addition: a favicon . Everyone who is anyone has one has a favicon. Hopefully there will be another functionality addition or two soon, but don't worry, I will scale back the techo-nerd speak and quit pointing them out. Anyhoo, the real reason for this post: I finally got a few Thailand pictures in order and have them ready for viewing. Again, no fancy slideshow (well fancy in a different sort of way), but it gets the job done. Please excuse the random order and only sometimes relevant captions. But enough already. On with the show (no need to sign up. Just click the "View photos now" link under the elephant.

Wednesday October 25 2006

File under: Thailand, travel

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on Wed 25th Oct, 2006 06:20 am UTC Saxtor said: Those are some great photos. If I had to choose, I def prefer your cobbled together slideshow. Also, Wren, just as an FYI and since you're updating your page and all. I just upgraded to Firefox 2.0, and thought you should know, with the new feed reading features the .xml extension of your page is making it want to auto-add it as a feed with no means of rendering it as html. A quick scan of the options doesn't reveal anything helpful. As such, I'm posting this comment in IE.....ouch. ************************ on Wed 25th Oct, 2006 06:52 am UTC Horge said: Another good slideshow, though it's missing out on the nice DIY-ness of your other one. If I had to choose, I'd say you should stick to that one. Otherwise, keep up the good blogging and put on some shorts you damn pants-wearing pansy! :) ************************ on Wed 25th Oct, 2006 05:14 pm UTC Jule said: Saxtor, are you talking about Wren's backend again? If so, he is a complicated man... Wren, call me anytime and if I am not there call back! ************************ on Wed 25th Oct, 2006 02:36 pm PDT per said: wren, you've inspired a little favicon in all of us. . . now when are you gonna install a juice machine in the lobby? p.s. does china have shakes of the fruit/milk variety or just beef flavor? ************************ on Thu 26th Oct, 2006 03:38 pm UTC Chris said: After watching the slideshow, I can see why you like the area. Besides being panoramic, the technology and general cleanliness seems to blow the outback and the shed out of the water. ************************ on Fri 27th Oct, 2006 08:47 am UTC bob said: sup wren! looks like a hell of a time, we're all insanely jealous. where's the next place on your agenda? train through russia? if you make it to europe, stop by france and i'll give you floorspace to crash on. oh and i had the same problem with firefox 2 but it magically went away. i added it as a feed, then deleted it, and now the page works great. ************************

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Outta the city!

So far, China has been big city after big city for me. (Okay, well just 2 big cities, but they were really big.) Now I am in Tumen, which is about 25 hours by train Northeast of Beijing, right on the border with North Korea and about 3 hours from Russia. While it was quite a haul getting here, I love seeing this other side of China. Not only is the town much smaller than Beijing, it is somewhat of a border town, with much Korean influence. Anyway, getting to hike on real mountain and go more than an hour with out hearing a taxi honk has been awesome. (Things are so po dunk here that the electricity was out all day today.) Anyway, another bonus about being here is free internet (courtesy of Trista) and lots of down time. So, as saxtor so observantly pointed out, I've added a few features to the blog (ability to see old posts, and real-time comment tracking). I also threw together a little slide show. Now it isn't a BrothesrRoot worthy slideshow with autoplay, music, etc., but it will have to do. Mine does have captions though. Zing! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

Tuesday October 24 2006

File under: travel, China

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on Tue 24th Oct, 2006 01:07 pm UTC gretchen said: you're wearing pants???!!! what the...?! ************************ on Tue 24th Oct, 2006 01:55 pm UTC Wren said: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm wearing pants. It's about 40 degrees out, and the wind can be quite biting. But that isn't the main reason. Being one of about 4 honkies in a town of this size raises quite a few eyebrows. Being a honky dressed like a freaking California surfer dude makes the stares all the more. Yesterday, even when I was wearing long pants, I got a blantant point and laugh. No joke. ************************ on Tue 24th Oct, 2006 03:11 pm UTC Jule said: Och! Gretchen beat me to it, you do have pants on. I guess going pantless wouldn't be appropriate on this family friendly blog. I am glad we have photo documentation. ************************ on Tue 24th Oct, 2006 03:12 pm UTC Sonya said: Erik and I have loved reading about your adventures! Erik wants to know if you are going to travel into Korea and Russia. He is following you on his world map...remember second cousin twice removed????? Did we ever figure that out? ************************ on Tue 24th Oct, 2006 03:15 pm UTC Jule said: Och! Gretchen beat me to it, you do have pants on. I guess going pantless wouldn't be appropriate on this family friendly blog. I am glad we have photo documentation. ************************ on Tue 24th Oct, 2006 03:17 pm UTC Jule said: Wren, what is that thing you are "running" on in your slideshow (btw: nice slideshow). and why do I keep posting twice? ************************ on Wed 25th Oct, 2006 01:22 am UTC Jule (not really. it's Andrew) said: You know, posting under others' names is fun. really. now Jule will think he posted 3 times. it will just quicken his gradual descent into madness. mooohahahahaha! ps. nice pants pantsy. ************************ on Wed 25th Oct, 2006 06:50 am UTC Horge said: Nice DIY slideshow. Cool that you made it to see North Korea. I did it from the other side (S. Korea for those not looking at a map). Speaking of which, are you going to go to South Korea? If you do, I can recommend some parks. I just have to find the name of them again... Otherwise, good to know that the North Koreans can still grill their bulgogi the same way as their southern brethern. Too bad most of them have no meat to grill... ************************ on Wed 25th Oct, 2006 05:15 pm UTC Jule said: Double postings and Andrew make Jule go....something something.... ************************

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The Pretty Good Wall

Okay, just kidding. The Great Wall is exactly that: great. Even better than great, in fact. Visiting the wall is something I have been wanting to do for a long long time. Often times, that means the experience doesn't live up to any expectations. I'm so glad to report that this wasn't the case at all. Even though the day was a little overcast, and the tour that took me there dragged us through a million different government run shops and factories, my time on the great wall was spectacular. There are a couple different places you can go on the wall, each with its own assets. I chose to visit Mutianya, because it was supposed to be less touristy. "Less touristy" is a relative term, I guess. There was still a cable car to take visitors to the top and a tobogon slide to take them down. I did neither although the tobogon was pretty tempting. But because of the weather and time of the year, there weren't too many people. I got it in my mind to hike and hike and hike, so that is exactly what I did. Beyond about 3 towers from the ski lift, there were very few people, so that I could get some decent pictures. I made the 3 or so kilometers to the end of the reconstructed part, enjoying some of the best views and best hiking of my life. (Walking on such a huge part of history just seems to have that effect, I guess.) By the time I got to the end, I realized that I had to get back to the bus ASAP. So it was an almost-jog the rest of the way back, which, considering the terrain, was quite a feat. All in all, I must have hiked 5 miles and my body is feeling it, esp. on top of all the walking I've been doing here in Beijing (Forbidden City, Tienamen Square, etc. etc.) I think today shall be a rest day.

Saturday October 21 2006

File under: China, travel

Toggle Comments (5)

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on Sat 21st Oct, 2006 04:32 am UTC Saxtor said: I think you should have some tea and rest up for some more tea drinking! (sorry, I can't resist. Ever since your last post, I've envisioned you walking around China with a huge bundle of tea strapped to your back.) ************************ on Mon 23rd Oct, 2006 05:07 am UTC hannah said: glad the wall was great. g-r-e-a-t blog. ************************ on Mon 23rd Oct, 2006 04:57 pm UTC Saxtor said: Dude, you're in China, on vacation. The last thing you should be doing is adding features to your blog backend! Needless to say, the "Checking for comments..." and blog history features are impressive. I guess you gotta do what you gotta to keep your webchops up.... ************************ on Mon 23rd Oct, 2006 06:29 pm UTC Jule said: Saxtor, have you been checking out Wren's backend? I am sure that is an overused joke in the bloggy circles, but I couldn't resist! Anyway...Nice wall and great pictures! think we should build a wall here in the U.S.? ************************ on Tue 24th Oct, 2006 10:04 am UTC Horge said: Yeah I think I took the tobogan down from the wall as I was in a hurry to catch that bus, too. I don't remember how fun it was. The wall was cooler. And I think Bushie-Boy is already working on his Great Wall to keep out the huns* *if by "huns" I mean "hundreds of Mexicans keeping this country afloat by doing work that others refuse to do" ************************

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