Unfamilar Territory

It has taken me a few days to get my mindset shifted to be able to enjoy China, but I think I am coming around. Not only is it the change from Thailand to China, but the change from small town to big city, warm weather to chillier, and traveling with folks to traveling solo all happening at once. Those things considered, I'm doing pretty well. The big thing to see here in Xi'an is Emperor Qin's Terra Cotta Army. If you've never heard of it, any explanation I give will sound dumb, so I suggest you go learn about it. Sufficive to say, it was pretty cool. They've built a great museum around the whole thing and showed the whole process of excavating them. Yesterday, I went to see the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. It was built in 709 or something, way way back. Around the pagoda, there are beautiful grounds an other buildings in the traditional style. It was a great place to sit and soak up the traditional China-ness of everything. All my other efforts here are in regards to the small things. While they don't sound like much, the few small victories I've managed have raised my spirits much. Riding public transportation, ordering food by pointing and smiling, and purchasing a train ticket to Beijing using only gestures. But with my small victories have also come small defeats. Last night, somewhat down about the whole Chinese-Chinese-food-is-not-at-all-like-American-Chinese-food thing, I opted to indulge myself in the cultural experience that is pizza hut. Same same, but different. The whole time that I have been in Xi'an, it has been foggy(/smoggy?) and it rained pretty good yesterday, so I haven't been too inclined to go adventuring. But that has allowed me to catch up on a few movies here in the hostel and also catch up on my reading. Tonite, I leave on a sleeper train to Beijing, which I am greatly looking forward to. I hope to see some of the country side that is the China in my mind. Just as long as we get out of this fog(/smog?), I think I'll be fine.

Tuesday October 17 2006

File under: travel, China

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on Tue 17th Oct, 2006 01:26 am UTC Andaroew. said: same same. but different. ************************ on Tue 17th Oct, 2006 04:08 am UTC Saxtoru said: Same same, but different. Sounds like a blast. I've been reading a book (amazing surprise!), and Nick Danziger arrived in China just about the same time you were arriving in China. One of his first stops, and apparently yours, was the terracotta army and then on to Beijing. Cool coincidence. ************************ on Tue 17th Oct, 2006 04:55 am UTC Mom said: So, head's up to my children, get busy, 'cause I want a wee tomb like that in which to be ensconced--with terracotta figures of all my relatives. eh? Oh, and did I say fresh flowers every day? Hop to it. ************************ on Tue 17th Oct, 2006 06:41 am UTC Horge said: Yeah sorry I forgot to mention about the food. That was my experience there too. I was in Beijing 4-5 days and only attempted Chinese-Chinese food twice. But while in Beijing, obviously go out to the Great Wall and visit the forbidden City and the temple of Heaven. Also, my favorite was going out on a paddle boat in Beihai park. And lest I forget one of the cooler things about Beijing, buy yourself a bunch of DVDs. I think I left with 15 at about $2 a pop. And they all worked just fine at home. Mail 'em home if you have to, just take them out of those cases for lighter and smaller shipping. (course maybe they're even cheaper in Thailand)... ************************ on Tue 17th Oct, 2006 05:28 pm UTC Jule said: Small accomplishments? I have yet to ride the Port Angeles bus, train, or order food by smiling and pointing (I usually just pound my fork and knife). Did you eat any crazy foods (other than pizza hut?). Is there an option to put any crazy stuff on your pizza? anyway, i got my buddy kevin dialed into your blog and hopefully he will give you some chinese phrases to say... ************************ on Tue 17th Oct, 2006 10:29 pm UTC nathan said: i'd be impressed if you could escape the smog. did i mention that china sounds more fun than being unemployed in new york? ************************

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Month 1 round up

Who would have thought a month could go by so quickly? Looking back, there were so many good times. I was fortunate in so many respects; everything aligning with my job, visas, and tickets to allow me to come here, meeting up with so many good friends and having a great time with them, and avoiding all the stuff travel horror stories are made of like sickness, robbery, and that crazy stuff that you never even want to hear about. It works out nicely that my month 1 round up can exactly coincide with my Thailand round up. (I left the country on the last day possible on my 30 day visa.) There is so much to say about Thailand. Firstly, the Thai are some of the nicest people I have met. There was always someone around to help you suggest restaurants (sometimes a little forcefully, mind you), help you make travel arrangements, and always to offer a smile. Shane commented that there wasn't one person who didn't return his smile. Besides the people, Thailand has much natural beauty on its side. The islands of the south have beautiful beaches with picturesque views everywhere you look. The caves and waterfalls seem straight out of some idealic deserted island movie. In the north, you can barely walk 3 block in any given city without running into some gilded temple, almost all of which were open and welcoming to passing tourists. All in all, I really enjoyed my time in Thailand. As a country, it is so tourist friendly that it served as a great jumping off point for me to kind of ease into unfamiliar territory. Speaking of unfamilar territory, I'm now in China. But we'll have to save that until next post.

Sunday October 15 2006

File under: travel, Thailand

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on Tue 31st Oct, 2006 04:59 am UTC Mom said: I feel so sad for these lonely posts without comments ); ************************

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Goodbye Thailand. Hello China

Okay, so this will be a quick one because I am at a funky computer kiosk at the Bangkok airport (and it is 4:30 in the morning). Just a quick note to say that after a wonderful month in Thailand, I am headed to China. I had to get out of the country to renew my Thai visa anyway, and I've got this Chinese visa that I paid out the nose for, so I figured why not, right? So I bought a one way ticket to Xi'an China. Where's that?, you ask. I don't really know. In fact, I've never known less about a place I am traveling to. All I've got a is a Berlitz pocket guide to China and an adventurous spirit. We'll see how that goes, I suppose. I've been meaning to make a couple of posts recently with pictures and the works but the tropical island internet gods have been conspiring against me. I hope to find a good internet connection in China and do a big ole picture dump soon. I've got a couple of good ones of Shane getting harrassed by a monkey, more caves (no cobra this time), a live puffer fish, and more monuments. I'll try to get those up soon. So sawadee kahp Thailand, nee hao China!

Friday October 13 2006

File under: travel, Thailand

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on Sat 14th Oct, 2006 10:31 am UTC Horge said: Watch out for local Montezuma Wang Chung's Revenge: "The city is nested between a flood plain created by 8 surrounding rivers and streams, most of which have been too polluted to be used as sources of fresh water." (Wikipedia) You should go check out that cool looking Terracotta army 40 km to the east (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Xian_guerreros_terracota_general.JPG) And please, please please send me a picture, or even better, a postcard from the Great Mosque of X'an. That would be awesome! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mosque_of_Xi%27an) Otherwise, it looks like you've picked another winner to visit! Lucky Bastard! :) Good luck! ************************ on Sat 14th Oct, 2006 07:17 pm UTC Saxtor said: Wren, you should do this! http://www.brouwer-edition.com/works_wendel_performances.php#terracottawarrior ************************ on Thu 19th Oct, 2006 01:54 pm UTC Stacy said: Xi'an, went there on a train. Note: it's hard for a girl to pee in a hole in the floor on a rickety moving train. Bring your own tp :) ************************

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Everybody was Kung Fu fighting

Wednesday October 11 2006

File under: Thailand, travel

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on Wed 11th Oct, 2006 04:52 am UTC trista said: so, i was there and... those kids were fast as lightning. In fact, it was a little bit frightning. But, they fought with expert timing. ************************ on Wed 11th Oct, 2006 04:58 am UTC trista said: fyi: Chapman won. ************************ on Wed 11th Oct, 2006 06:29 am UTC Saxtor said: Okay Sam, now you can worry... ************************ on Fri 13th Oct, 2006 04:16 am UTC Mom said: Okay, Cobra, now Kung Fu fighting...rumor has it that Animal Planet has an opening for someone to "rassel" Alligators. Is this what your trip is about? BTW Marilyn misses you, she has a flat tyre. ************************ on Fri 13th Oct, 2006 04:16 am UTC Mom said: Okay, Cobra, now Kung Fu fighting...rumor has it that Animal Planet has an opening for someone to "rassel" Alligators. Is this what your trip is about? BTW Marilyn misses you, she has a flat tyre. ************************ on Fri 13th Oct, 2006 04:17 am UTC Mom said: I have no idea how the double whammy happened. I must have been blinded by the flashy picture--excuse the double posting, as they say. ************************

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Careful - cobra

In an effort to see what Ko Lanta has to offer while we are here, Trista and I made our way to some much touted caves. Well, as with much of traveling, we didn't really have any idea what we were getting ourselves into. The cave entrance was a 30 minute trek up slippery ladders, through streams, while dodging some pretty gnarly looking spikey trees. Our soft-spoken guide, who had obviously done this about 800 times before, was quick to offer his advice on wear to step, what was slippery, and what not to hit your head on all with one or two words. "Careful", "Careful: slippery", "Careful: head", all in his soft-spoken calm tone. While cruising down one of the trails, he slows down and points to the bushes, "Careful: cobra," he says. Sure enough, a 3-foot cobra is just chillin in the grass. Ah, Thailand. The whole cave experience was something else. We shimmied through narrow openings, crossed slippery 2 log bridges, and just about ate it numerous times. I enjoyed myself quite a bit. I'm sorry to say we can't all say the same. Still, it was just another one of the experiences that make travelling so great and adventurous.

Tuesday October 10 2006

File under: travel, Thailand

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on Tue 10th Oct, 2006 03:32 pm UTC Andrew said: ahh! cobras! ************************ on Tue 10th Oct, 2006 04:41 pm UTC per said: don't worry, chicken curry! ************************ on Tue 10th Oct, 2006 06:46 pm UTC Saxtor said: COBRA?! Sounds like a job for G.I. Joe (and associated cliched catchphrases involving massages, dawgs, sandwiches, computers and downloadin')!! ************************ on Wed 11th Oct, 2006 04:41 am UTC trista said: no really, it was huge.. like 4 feet... i mean 5... and the tail was like 10 feet long....or was that meters... we were totally chill though, even when it almost attacked. ************************

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It

Sometimes there are moments that are so perfect, so right, that you can't help saying to yourself, "This is it. This is what it is all about." These moments often only last for, well, a moment, and they require letting go of the future and the past. It is about the way things are now. I had myself an it moment the other day. On a beautiful beach on Ko Lanta, watching the sun go down, with my arms around a pretty girl. I was lucky enough at the time to realize that it-ness of the moment, because it was quickly gone. But for that moment, things were right.

Saturday October 7 2006

File under: Thailand, travel

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on Sat 07th Oct, 2006 06:09 am UTC jule said: oh oh oh! who's the pretty girl? chapman? anywhoo, nice piece of writing there Wren! sure captures the moment and more... p.s. dad just got done with his hike and he lived to tell about it! adventures abound in the schultz family. next look for me to be leaving the Olympic Peninsula for over a day! ************************ on Sat 07th Oct, 2006 03:39 pm UTC dave said: wren, i'm only interested in one thing regarding your 'it' moment: a picture of the girl. ************************ on Mon 09th Oct, 2006 12:13 pm UTC trista said: thanks for it, wren. thanks for everything. ************************ on Tue 10th Oct, 2006 03:49 am UTC Mom said: Wren, Thanks so much for helping me to remember how to stop and cherish the present moment. Once again, I am the student and my children are the teachers. This was a beautiful reminder. Ahh, parenting is such a humbling experience! ************************

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Week 3 wrap up

Three weeks gone already?!?! I guess when chillin' on the beach reading a book is the only thing you do, time just flies by. Well, yesterday we made the 1.5 hour boat trip from Ko Phi Phi to Ko Lanta. We've only been here for 24 hours, but I'm pretty sure I love it. It is low tourist season, so there aren't the throngs of tourists that there were in Phi Phi. Also, there is much more to explore. There are waterfalls, caves, and national parks that are all begging for my attention, but that will come in due time. I think I am going to take this opportunity to really really chill. The place we stayed last night had a pool, chairs on the beach, T.V. (with HBO) in the bungalows - it was just gorgeous. And all that for only $2.50 per night. Tonite we are going to try out a new place. If it is anything like the last one, I will be a happy camper. Okay, so sorry for the pictureless post. I will get to another picture dump here soon. I got a couple of great ones of the sunset last night. But in the meantime, turn your attention to Una Estrella for Andrew's pictorial wrap of his trip.

Saturday October 7 2006

File under: Thailand, travel

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on Sat 07th Oct, 2006 02:24 am UTC Andrew said: whoa whoa! no pic wrapup yet! need myke's pics first yo! ************************ on Mon 09th Oct, 2006 01:59 pm UTC Sam Chapman said: Hi Wren. It's Sam. I've beem enjoying your blog. Great pictures. I know this is your show but I would appreciate it if you could let me know how Shane is doing .I haven't heard from him yet. Tell him to e-mail me sam.chapman@comcast.net. Well I don't need to say have a great time. Take me next time. I'm not as good as you but I am still in shorts. Sam ************************ on Mon 09th Oct, 2006 05:05 pm UTC Saxtor said: Tell Shane that we love him, we miss him, and help is on the way. ************************ on Mon 09th Oct, 2006 05:06 pm UTC Saxtor said: PS: Sam, I'm just being a smartass, I have no idea how Shane is... ************************

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Mission(s) accomplished

Going into this trip, I didn't have much of a plan, but I did have a few goals. I'm pleased to say that a good number of those goals can now be checked off. Firstly, it was/is my goal to get at least one geocache in every country I visit. So far in Thailand, I've gotten two. The last one was in Phuket at a beautiful waterfall. Per saved the day by finding it after the rest of us had given up. Three cheers for Hanwool. Another goal has proved to be underambitious. The original goal was to read a book a week. I've been here for 2.5 weeks, and I've already read 4 books, all trash. And that is with having constant traveling partners. Once I set out on my own, I imagine I will bump the average up to 2 a week. Goal #3 is really one of my favorites: go 24 hours shirtless. I went a good 6 weeks while in Palmyra, but that wasn't real life. Well, after yesterday, I'm pleased to say Mission Accomplished. We are back on Ko Phi Phi after letting Andrew and the boys off at the Airport. Yesterday, Trista and I took a tour out to Ko Phi Phi Ley, the highlight of which was Maya Bay, made famous by The Beach. (I didn't take this picture, but I could have.) We also snorkeled, stopped at a beach inhabited by monkeys, and got the experience of riding in a "traditional" Thai long tail boat. (More about that later). Anyway, it was a great time.

Wednesday October 4 2006

File under: Thailand, travel

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on Wed 04th Oct, 2006 06:28 am UTC Horge said: What'd you give/get in the geocaches? ************************ on Wed 04th Oct, 2006 08:41 pm UTC Mom said: Wasn't there a goal about crosswords and Sudoko? This Blog might be too much information (TMI) for a mother! ************************ on Thu 05th Oct, 2006 12:45 am UTC Saxtor said: It looks like he found Suthep Cache and took nothing, and found Stairway to Heaven and took a geocoin. Sure sounds like a lot of fun... ************************ on Fri 06th Oct, 2006 04:18 am UTC Debbie Rowe said: Wren, you lucky dog. I'm jealous and happy for you. ************************ on Fri 06th Oct, 2006 06:36 am UTC Wren said: 1: Mom, If hear about your boy going with a shirt for 24 hours (I'm up to 96 hours now) is TMI, then I will have to severely edit my stories when I get back. 2: Saxtor, I had to edit up your comment because the comments section has a few issues regarding HTML or something. I'll have a look at that when I get a chance. ************************

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Week 2 Round Up

Week two of my grand aventure was a nice change of pace from week one. While week was one full immersion in the culture, and packing in monuments, treks, and elephant rides, week two has been much more chill. I've spent no less than 3 days on the beach, snorkeling, reading, swimming, and getting sunburned. Andrew, Per, Myke and I spent 3 nights on Ko Phi Phi. Then they headed off to Ko Lanta while I headed into Phukettown to pick up Shane and Trista. After meeting back up, we've spent the last 3 nights here in Phukettown at the best hostel I have ever been to (did I mention the free internet?). Yesterday we spent the day at Patong beach where Myke tried to shrelp the gnar, but was mildly thwarted. He will prolly try again today. The rest of us juggled, hackied, read, ate fresh fruit, bodysurfed, and got really sunburned (okay, so maybe just Trista and I got the burns). It has been great having the 6 of us together. Being with good friends in such a beautiful place is just the ticket. Meals are fun. Traveling is fun. Going to 7-11 is fun. It is all fun. But tomorrow, Per, Myke, and Andrew head off back to the states. After that, it sounds like Shane, Trista, and I will go back out to the islands, at least for a bit. But who knows. I'll keep you posted.

Saturday September 30 2006

File under: travel, Thailand

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on Sun 01st Oct, 2006 01:37 am UTC jule said: that is some nice shrelping! who took that picture, that is up close! myke, I expect you on the olympic peninsula when you get back! ************************ on Sun 01st Oct, 2006 02:03 am UTC Deanna said: It is very beautiful there and sounds like good times. i even found it on the world atlas. aren't you proud? i amd learning a lot from your travels. ************************ on Mon 02nd Oct, 2006 11:42 pm UTC Mom said: Whoa, I just got the coolness of this seemingly normal picture. Glad the traveling hasn't dulled your technological expertise! ************************ on Tue 03rd Oct, 2006 04:42 pm UTC Saxtor said: Now you know why we call Per "Twinkle Toes." ************************

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Picture Dump from Ko Phi Phi

I found a little bit of free internet here at my hostel in Phuket, so I thought it might be a good time to dump a few pictures. Enjoy. To see larger version, just right click to view image (Firefox users). Also for a brief caption, just hover your mouse over each image. (Ain't I fancy?)

Wednesday September 27 2006

File under: travel, Thailand

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on Fri 29th Sep, 2006 03:48 pm UTC said: hey, lovely picture dump! I can't wait to see it for myself! And this free internet is great! ************************ on Fri 29th Sep, 2006 04:55 pm UTC jule said: that looks like a strong wind a blowing in that bottom picture! did that blow your hammock around? Great photos, if you have anymore wavey ocean ones, this old salt wouldn't mind seeing them! ************************ on Fri 29th Sep, 2006 05:11 pm UTC Saxtor said: I never saw wave pictures at Old Salts...I saw jo-jos, however. Nice batch of photos, but that first "secluded" beach doesn't look so secluded. Who's the boat owner? ************************

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