Back in Hanoi

Xin Chau.

I am back in Hanoi and it has been good to unwind a bit after China. "The Boys" (2 of Julie and Richard's coworkers) took me out to see the Hanoi nightlife on Thursday. It was great to see some of the local places.

Mom arrived on Friday. It has been great having her here and fascinating to see someone experience Hanoi for the first time.

Today we went to see Uncle Ho's Moseleum. Kinda creepy to see a preserved dead guy, but seeing the throngs of Vietnamese who had come to pay their respects was indeed fascinating. The system they have is all whacky as well. They take your cameras from you but let you kep your cell phones (like they don't have cameras?) Anyway, you go through this metal dectector and have to have your bags scaned like at the aitport. They take away all food and drinks, cameras and ipods. They put the banned visual items in a red bag and shoo you on your way. You follow some signs and (if you are lucky) you come to a little counter where you hand over your cameras in exchange for a claim ticket. The cameras got tossed on a tray with 50 or so other cameras. I thought for sure that woud be the last time I saw it. I was very surprised when we got to the end, after surrendering my claim ticket, I recieved the cameras back. Cray system, but it works. How? I have no idea.


Apres Bac Ho, we took a lil walk to Ho Tay near J+R's house before heading out to se the water puppets.

These things are amazing. If you are ever in Hanoi, it is definately worth checking out. Buy your tickets early (a day in advance) because the front row is great. I had been warned earlier about the temperature and the extremely small seats. The front was cool and we had all the legroom we could want. The view was fantastic too!

Fun, Fun Day!

Goodbye China. For now.

Ni Hao!

I am sitting at the Kunming Airport right now waiting for my connection to Hanoi, Vietnam. I can now consider China (at least Shanghai and Beijing) something I have experienced for myself. As my first foray into solo international travelling, I would rate this a fantastic success. I have learned so much about travelling alone. So much about myself. And so much of another culture.

I learned that when travelling solo, you accommodation becomes one of the most important factors. It shapes your experience of a city.
I found the language barrier to be quite difficult at times, but I never went hungry. I learned to try to do less in a day. I was happy if I could navigate to one site to see and get a meal in the same day.
Orientation and transportation were the most difficult. The strangest thing is that when you translate a street name from Chinese to Pingyang (phonetic based) it becomes quite difficult to translate it back. The guidebooks show everything in Pingyang, so trying to get it translated to Chinese to show a taxi driver is always a crap shoot. I also found it odd that I would point to an intersection on a map and it would invariably take several minutes of the taxi driver staring blankly at the map before you started moving. Even then I would sometimes get dropped off a few blocks from my desired destination.
I learned to take all of these things in stride...they are part of the experience.

I really enjoyed my time in Beijing. It is a city I could definitely spend more time in, and I know that I will return someday. Although next time, I don't wish to do it alone.

If for nothing else, then for the dumplings. I love them.

So, I am saddened to be leaving China, but I am really looking forward to the next couple of days in Hanoi. The company of Julie, Richard, and my mom will be a welcome change to the solitude of the last couple weeks.

I will post more pictures and share more stories from Julie's house where I can reduce the image file sizes and the internet is in English.

Goodbye China...Thanks for the memories!

Beijing cries for me.

Today is my last day and Beijing is apparently sad to see me go. It is pouring today. I tried to go out and was completely soaked before I made it to the end of the block.

I think I will call a taxi and perhaps take in the theatre or a puppet show. I had such plans for the day...Oh well. More to do when I return.

Architecture dork take on Beijing.

I dorked out on architecture all day. There is some pretty fantastic stuff going on here. The best part was when navigating to one of the places I knew, I would stumble on a couple others. Sadly, my memory card was nearly full so I only snapped 20 or so pics.

The CCTV complex was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. It is very impressive to see the two towers going up at such steep angles. Most of the site has a 40' billboard around it, but I was able to sneak into an alleyway and get a bit closer. Next to CCTV/TVCC there was a giant housing project that was quite nice. http://images.google.cn/images?complete=1&hl=zh-CN&newwindow=1&q=cctv%20oma&btnG=Google+%E6%90%9C%E7%B4%A2&cr=countryCN&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

The National Stadium structure looks to be all up. Unfortunately I could not get close to this one as the whole area is one BIG construction site. From the distance I was at, it looks just like the renderings.
http://images.google.cn/images?svnum=10&um=1&complete=1&hl=zh-CN&cr=countryCN&newwindow=1&q=olympic+national+stadium+beijing
(google: Olympic National Stadium Beijing)

I could get a little closer to the water cube. Very cool, though the blue color is a lot more subtle in the renderings. Some of the ETFE pillows have not been inflated and that made it look a little dishevelled. I imagine the interior experience will be amazing because you could see faint shadows of people moving about inside. The whole thing will be bathed in natural light. It will probably be tough to cool though.

http://images.google.cn/images?svnum=10&um=1&complete=1&hl=zh-CN&cr=countryCN&newwindow=1&q=national+aquatics+center&btnG=%E6%90%9C%E7%B4%A2%E5%9B%BE%E7%89%87
(google: National Aquatics Center)

Overall this will be a VERY impressive complex. I will have to come back here when it is finished. I will definitely return to Beijing.

For the non architects...I hope this post didn't bore you.

More GREAT Pictures.

Another GREAT Day!

Today was GREAT.



Everything about it was GREAT.
I had some GREAT food.
I went for a GREAT hike.
And saw this really GREAT WALL!





Seriously, this thing is amazing. It exceeded all of my expectations, imaginations, and hopes combined.

"One can not call himself a man until he climbs the Great Wall." -Mao Zedong

Today, I am a man!


This was also one of the most strenuous hikes I have ever undertaken. It is seriously steep, and I decided to go to one of the less travelled sections that has not been repaired. There was definitely some tricky footing, and STEEP inclines and descents. Did Imention it was steep? There was this point about 20 minutes into our 4 hour hour hike that it hit me. "I am standing on the Great Wall". I just had to shout it aloud.

The 10k hike culminated in a fantastic zipline 300 feet over a gorge. Flying through the air looking at the Great Wall's towers dot the hillside is one of the best feelings I have ever had.

I am so happy that I had the fortune to see this amazing thing. I am a lucky man today!

Forbidden City, Beijing, China

Ni Hao!

What can you say when walking around a complex that is older than dirt? This stuff is seriously cool. My favorite has to be the GIANT picture of Chairman Mao when you enter the Gate of the Heavenly something or other. Very cool! Here is me and the man now.

Forbidden City Rooftops!


I left through the north gate and climbed to the highest point in Beijing. This is a big hill made from the spoils of digging the city moat. There was a temple on top (of course), but the coolest thing was hearing the city's elderly who gather in the park to sing. It was amazing, albeit a little ear piercing at times. There were 20-30 groups that I saw ranging from 2 people to over a hundred. I find the Beijingers to be such a close social group. Very kind as well...The kindest I have met so far.

While walking home an incredible storm blew in. And I mean really blew. It started to pour so I ducked into a restaurant to eat some good noodles and wait out the storm.

Side note on the food here...IT IS FANTASTIC! I heart noodles! I heart dumplings! I heart Beijing food. It is rivaling Hanoi for the best in Asia. (well that I have tried anyway)

FANTASTIC DAY!

I <3 Beijing!

Ni Hao!

I arrived in Beijing safely and the the accommodation trend continues. This hostel is brand new and very well appointed. There is a great courtyard and I can stretch out my arms in the bathroom. (in the room too for that matter.)

Last night I went on the quest for an ATM. I had planned on paying for the room on my card, but they don't have their machine yet. I gave them almost all of my RMB and was left with less than $5US in my wallet. Hungry, I set out on foot.
Beijing has a public toilet on every block, but NO ATM's to be found. When I did find one, it didn't like my card. The second...no dice. The third...Ha ha! The fourth...Uh oh! Then just when I had given up hope and thought I would have to bust into my emergency travellers check stash, Ureka!

The biggest note in China is the 100RMB which is about $13. So after pulling out 1600RMB, my wallet is thick.

It is amazing how easily my mood swings since I am travelling alone. At the third ATM, I was pretty bummed. When I heard that tick tick tick, of the machine counting my money you would think that I just won the lottery. I was on top of the world and ready to spend my new riches.

I went to the area of Baihai ( a lake) that is surrounded with a hundred or more restaurants and bars. It was fantastic. I ate like a king, then drank like a fish and only spent 130RMB ($17) all night. I am going to have to work harder to spend my money.

After dinner/before becoming a fish, I went into a tea house where I sat and sampled teas with the proprietor. This was a very fun experience.

OK...off to the Forbidden City.

Shanghai Pics

Me in Shanghai on The Bund.

The crazy atrium in the JinMau Tower. It is 35 stories tall starting on the 56th floor!!! WOW!

Top of the JinMao...Ahhh the pollution!

Shanghai...Technicolor City! Check out the buildings on the right.

People's Park at night! More colorful buildings.

Off to Beijing!

Shanghai-ed?

Apparently my MSN account was Shanghaied. Either that or I left myself logged in. This is easier to do than you may think. You see everything is in Chinese...you basically have to guess on thing like log out or exit. I must have chosen poorly. On this computer, not only is everything on the screen in Chinese, but the keyboard is mostly blank. That typing class would have come in handy right now.

So those of you who spoke to aome other traveller...sorry.

I can't remember the last time i posted, so I will just start.

Shanghai is the technicolor city. Even more than HK and Times square combined. There are neon lights everywhere. There are entire 60 story building that are GIANT LED screens that show video. It is amazing! There are boats on the Whangpu that have 50' x 120' LED screens. Everything is an advert. Everywhere you look someone is trying to sell you something. This also goes for people on the streets. In fact, I am thinking of making up a t-shirt in Chinese that says:

No, I don't want a Roleks.
No, I don't want a Mont Blanc
and NO, I DON'T WANT A SEXY MASSAGE!!!

It is growing quite obnoxious.

So my adventure in charades, grunts and gestures today was to get my hair cut. Hilarious! The whole place was laughing. The funny part is that I expected it to be easy as I have a buzz cut...but no. This guy was an artist, he used scissors and a comb. I got the full treatment including 2 shampoo's. I even had the guy trim my beard. All of this for less than $10US.

My other adventure was switching my Hostel. The one I was staying at decided to turn off the air conditioning because one guest was sick and too cold. I was roasting hot and did not sleep a wink. My new alarm clock (that I got in HK and is quieter that a mouse) also tells the temp...it was 88 degrees at 3.00am.

The new place is actually MUCH nicer. It seems Every place I stay gets better. (this is a trend I hope continues). I think if I were staying here the hole time i would have enjoyed Shanghai more. (Not that I didn't enjoy it, but a lot depends on where you stay).

Tomorrow morning, I am off to Beijing and will blog more there.

Posting pics is more difficult than I thought. The connections are VERY slow and my photos are VERY large. I will try from the airport tomorrow.

Love to all. Thanks for the comments!

Hong Kong Pictures

Shanghai, China Day 2

Ni Hao!

Today was a day of language struggles capped off with a western treat. I decided to do laundry in the morning...an adventure to say the least. Easy to wash, but had to hang them to dry in the fire stair, where there was no air movement. Needing to wear some of them in the evening, I knew that would not work. With help from the house cleaner using grunts, gestures, and sharades, we jerry-rigged a drying rack in my room with a stick, 2 chairs, and a couple of fans.

Pleased with my triumph, I felt confident to head to a restaurant. No english menu to be found. I did the 'ole point and pick and ended up with roast duck. Interesting, but I would not get it again.

I also visited the Shanghai Development Museum where they have a gigantic model of Shanghai in 20 years...impressive and ambitious. They also have a 360 degree VR experience where you are flying through the city.

Off to the Old Town for some tourist like shopping. Still feeling a bit hungry from my duck experience, I had read of an interesting spot in the old town where a group of Auzzi's opened up a bar-b-que restaurant in a secluded courtyard. Mmmmm. Hamburger, sausage, and Victoria Bitter. I needed that.

Thank you all for the comments...I love reading them. By popular demand, I will post pictures tonight. It have been using public computers where there is usually a line.

Shanghai, China

I arrived in Shanghai today and happily put on pants for the first time since I left Seattle. It is a pleasant 75 degrees.

My hostel is right near People's Park and just a short walk from from the famed Bund and just a block away from Yunnan Road..."the best Chinese street food in Shanghai". I sampled...it was good. Tonight I walked down to the Bund along the Huang Pu river. Looking out at the insta-city on the Pudong side was very interesting. Rumor has it that it was fishing villages and farmland a few decades ago...now it looks like a mini Manhattan. The empire state building is replaced by a crazy tower with giant floating balls on it.

Shanghai seems to be obsessed with hats. Not the people, but the buildings. Everything is new and heavily stylized. It is a stark contrast from the vertical necessity of Hong Kong.

I walked two of the major "action streets" in Shanghai and found them dead. I will have to poll some locals and find the fun nightlife.

Thank You!

Thanks to all of you who leave comments. I love reading them!
If you haven't yet, Please do!

Hong Kong Day 3 & 4

Day 3

I moved over to the Hong Kong Island side today....MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!!!!
I cannot emphasize that enough. I am staying in Causeway Bay which is 2 MTR stops from Central. I met up with Jacques' friend Jakob, had some drinks and talked of life as an expat. It was good to get the insiders perspective on HK. The remainder of the day was more neighborhood hopping and a night cap in Chen Wan.

Day 4
On Jake's advice I went out to the island of Cheung Chau, a 45 minute ferry ride tron Central Pier. The island is an old village where fishing is still a way of life. I am told that there are a number of commuters, but mostly it looked pretty local. There are no cars on the island and the roads are sometimes only wide enough for two people to pass. I lucked upon a Dragon Boat race and decided to stand and watch for a bit. There are something like 40 people in the larger boats with a coxswain beating a drum in the center. I was surprised at how quickly they could move, but when I saw some of the rowers up close, it became apparent. They are jacked.

I grabbed some really good seafood and stuffed myself on a little less than $10 US. Feeling gluttonous, I decided I should go for a hike....

First let me paint the scene. Hen I left HKI at 09.30 it was already 88 degrees. It is now 13.30. And remember how I said there are no cars? There is a reason for that...Its STEEP!

I had already drank 3/4 of my 2 litre bottle of water, so I got another before the walk. The 5-8k I walked felt like 100k. I could LITERALLY ring out my shirt, my feet sloshing around in my shoes. I quickly finished another 2 litres, and decided to make tracks back to the town. While waiting for the ferry, I downed another 2 litres. All of this and I never went to the bathroom once. I was just amazed at the heat and humidity...For the first time on the trip...I said aloud, "I am HOT!" As it turns out I got my first sunburn too...not too bad though.

Back in town and a really long shower later, I met up with Jake and his wife Mags for a fantastic Indian dinner. I turned in early as I was exhausted.

Hong Kong Day 2

I woke up a tad late today as I have yet to buy an alarm clock and my room has no windows. (is that even legal?)
I took a ride on the star ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. The views were amazing and I was surprised at how rough Victoria Harbor was. It is now noon and I had not eaten anything yet. The sun is beating down on my short haired head and I am literally dripping wet. I attempted to follow the walking tour laid out in the Lonely Planet, but continuied to get distracted looking at all of the buildings. Off in the distance I saw the Bank of America building and decided to head there to avoin international service fees. This is when I learened an very important HK fact. It is impossible to cross the street in Central. Not because there is too much traffic, but because there aphysical barriers preventing it. Instead you have to cross on on of the may overhead walkways. I think it is possible to walk the whole of Central without ever touching the ground.
They should make a map of these things because they do not follow the streets. They weave in, out, around, and behind buildings. Where you need a stair there isn't one. You go down just to up and up just to go down. It is crazy.
Needless to say I am now totally lost. I put the map away and just wander. I see a building I like and make it my goal to try to get there.
Navigating to one such building, i stumble upon the entrance to the Victoria Peak Tram. What luck I was hoping to head there anyway. A quick ride up the VERY steep tramway and I am presented with the finest city view I have ever seen. BEAUTIFUL!
Back down in the city, I headed to the kilometer long mid levels escaltor...no joke. It is a series of escalators the go straight up the hill connecting central to soho and the rest of the mid-levels.
SoHo is great. Lots of really cool restaurants and shops.
I closed the evening (and started the morning) in Lai Kwai Fung.
This is a 2 block section packed with bars. It is fantastic. You can get a beer at one and just walk on the street to another...beer in hand.
There were tons of expats, tourists and locals alike.

Kowloon, Hong Kong

Hmmmm. How to start this one.

I arrived in HK around 3 and got to the hostel around 5. I walked into this building that is straight out of a seedy movie describing the not so nice underbelly of Kowloon. Its called the Mirador Mansion...look it up, I am sure there are more descriptions.
It is a rat's nest of guest houses, hostels, "massage" places, and who knows what else. Now I am a big guy that can handle his own, and I have to admit that I was a little nervous when I first arrived. I told myself that I could do it and now realize that it is not nearly as scary as it looks to a first timer.

There are tons of other travelers here and the private room is quite secure. So no worries to anyone that reads this.

Last night I just wandered around Kowloon and made my way to the East Tsim Sha Tsui promenade to watch the "Spectacular" light show on the buildings on central. I will post pics soon. It was amazingly cheezy, but a sight to be seen regardless.

I treated myself to some really good gelato (cause I was still a bit unsure of my hostel) and off to the night markets.

These places are just great. Tons of people clog the street in a frenzy of bargain shopping. I got myself one of those flexible tripods for HK$9 (about $1.25 USD).

I didn't yet want to go back to the hostel (I think I was avoiding it) so I stopped into a bar and met some very interesting locals that told me of all the great places to go. And on that note I will go to them now! Cheers!

Sa Pa, Vietnam

The town of Sa Pa clings to the side of a mountain in northern Vietnam at the Chinese border. The French colonists journied up the mountain to the village of SaPa in the late 1800's to escape the summer heat of Ha Noi. The town is now a bustling mini-city chock full of tourists and all that caters to tourists.


Sapa sits in the middle of several dozen ethnic minority villages in the valley below. Rice patties step up the side of the mountains creating full scale topography contours.
(I included several pictures because this place is so beautiful. More blogging at the end)

















As you can see the scenery is spectacular. If you have a list of things to do before you die, I urge you to add Sa Pa to that list. I spent two days trecking through the rice patties and clinging to mud soaked cliffs. Everything is steep in Sa Pa. There were 172 steps to get from the hotel lobby to my room. On the first treck we went down 1500 vertical feet in mile. The second day we descended 4000 vertical feet in 9 miles.

It is also the start of the rainy season and while the temperture was 30 degrees cooler than Hanoi, it was also accompanied by rain. The constant rain turned all the paths to mud that is slick as ice.

The most enjoyable part of my trip so far was when I was sliding down the mointain in a river of mud laughing out loud. Woooohoooo!

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

WOW! I had to start with a picture because this place is beyond words!



Upon arrival to Ha Long City, we hopped on a junk and set out for a 5 hour cruise on the Bay. Getting to the junk was an adventure in itself. The junks all raft up together at the main terminal our junk was about 10 boats out. Hopping from junk to junk was a blast, at one point we cut through the galley where someone was preparing food with a BIG knife. It felt like some adventure movie. Fun!

Here's a picture of someone else's junk. Ours was very similar...a big boat for the three of us!


After a short tour of some of the islands and stepping off to explore a huge cave, they anchored the boat to serve us a great seafood lunch!!! YUM!



After lunch we went for a swim in the Gulf of Tonkin!!! This was so much fun! We were jumping off the bow like we were little kids. This was definitely a highlight!

Back on land, we decided to go for some refreshments and I got to sample my first Bia Hoi! Bia Hoi is "Fresh Beer" that is brewed just a few days prior and has no preservatives or additives. Refreshing!



For dinner we stepped into this restaurant that was totally empty. The place was obviously set up for a private party, so we turned around to leave. They insisted that we stay and directed us to a table. Somewhere during dinner a hundred or so Vietnamese come through the door and take their seats. Speeches and toasts were given, and there we were, three white people on the edge of their party. This was very strange, but fun all at the same time. It gave me a glimpse of the culture in a way I could not have otherwise seen. The videographer even came to our table and we gave a toast.



A walk back home through the night market brought us more local culture including an outdoor karaoke bar...this was very fun to watch.

The following day we stopped back down to the beach one last time. I met some friends while Julie and I were trying to do a self picture. Next thing I know I am in the middle of 4 new friends.



Back in Hanoi, we went out for Richard's birthday diner at one of his favorite spots. The food was fantastic and the atmosphere was frenetic. There is so much energy here...it is great!

Ha Noi, Viet Nam (Day 2)

Xin Chau!

Today I booked my next three weeks of travel. After a leisurely morning, Jules and I met with Lien, travel agent extraordinaire, to book my tickets for my China travel. The dates in the "Tentative Schedule" hold true, so I am off to CHINA!!!!

After a nice lunch we walked to one of the tourist cafes to look into a couple day excursion to Sa Pa, the rural mountainous region at the border of Vietnam and China. I booked a 2 day 3 night journey up into the mountains to see some stepped rice patties, waterfalls, and tribal minorities.

Te remainder of the day was spent shopping and walking the city. We nearly overheated a few times and had to duck into a store for relief. Not to talk of the weather, but we broke the century mark.

We rounded out the day with delivery at home and a much needed rinse. (this is quickly becoming one of my favorite parts of the day!)

The pic of the day has to be the mess of wires!

Today, we are off to Ha Long Bay to see the gorgeous islands and cliffs.

More blogging in a couple of days!




Pic of the day!




Cool Architecture...I'm a dork, I know.




Uncle, Sister, and VanderBaby.





Delivery at Julie & Richards! YUM!

(Side note. We ordered the Chicken Hot Plate (a soup you cook at your table) and they delivered the chicken raw...Interesting!

Ha Noi, Viet Nam

Yesterday was my first full day in Asia. I am not going to talk of the weather, but I have embraced sweating. Isn't that supposed to be good for your skin anyway?

The day started with a morning walk around Ho Tay (West Lake) which is close to Julie and Richard's house. After a quick breakfast with my sister, we were off for downtown Ha Noi.


Downtown Hanoi is frenetic. Everything here functions on some sort of organized chaos. The roads are shared by everyone; pedestrians, bikes, mopeds, motorcycles, cars, trucks, and busses all vying for the same narrow path.



Crossing the street is an adventure. Its kind of like playing frogger. The key is to cross steadily at a consistant pace. Keep your head on a swivel and be deliberate with your footing.

Seemingly everything is carried by moped. The most interesting thing of the day...a large sheet of glass...Hmmm?



After a stop into the Operation Smile office to meet Julie and Richards co-workers, Richard and I headed out for a walking tour of the Old Town.

This place is amazing. There are 36 streets named things like paper street or bag street or tin street. Still today the street names are indicative of the items produced and sold there. There are enormous markets with piles of fresh vegatables, fishes, and meats.





The architecture is fascinating here. The local taxes are determined by the footprint of the structure rather than the gross square footage. This opens the door for extremely narrow buidings of 4 or 5 stories that typically have just one room per level. The spatial possibilities of this type of building are really interesting.



After a great lunch I was on my own to explore a bit more of the city. I went to the Museum of the Revolution. This museum covered the people's revolution from the beginnings of French Colonization in the 1860's to the American Aggression in the late 1960's. That's a long revolution!

Later in the day we arranged our weekend trip to Ha Long Bay and grabbed a great Vietnamese dinner at a restaurant a short walk from Julie and Richard's house. I am sure this goes without saying, but the food is really good here!