Photos

Photos from Beijing and Chiang Mai are online here for anyone interested.

The Golden Triangle

Having traveled mostly independently for the last 20 or so years, I'd almost rather swallow poison than sit on a tour bus having all the day's decisions made for me... but that's just what I did yesterday.

Dom and I wanted to go to the so-called "Golden Triangle" for the day - the place where the countries of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet, separated by the Mekong River. It's about 3 hours by car from Chiang Mai, so there was some logic in our thinking that it would be more convenient to take a tour and let someone else do all that driving. BIG mistake.

Nine out of 14 grueling hours were spent sitting in the back of a 9 passenger tour van.

Our first stop was at an Akha Hilltribe village that was clearly setup just for tourists. "You can walk around, do some shopping!!" our guide Pat excitedly told us as we pulled up the dirt road. Dozens of scrawny chickens scattered in every direction as we stepped out of the van (Is this bird flu thing over??)

Even though they wear cute little hats with jingle bells on them, these toothless women were some of the nastiest, most aggressive vendors I've ver met. They tok me by the arm and pulled me towards their makeshift stalls.

"Mister! Come come, lookie, lookie!"

"No thanks..."

MISTER!!!! COME LOOKIE LOOKIE. Pay money, pay money mister!!"

"Sorry..."

After that, they spit out what I can only assume were various Thai curses and evil spells.

After we trudged back into the van, Pat had some good news for us:
"Next stop, Thai/Myanmar border... for some shopping!"

Dom and I crossed the border into Myanmar (formerly Burma) - an interesting experience in itself in that involved a brief interrogation by a surly Myanmar military official in a dark smoke-filled office right out of one of those 1950s films where a foreign tourist might disappear forever in the Southeast Asian jungles.

"Shopping" across the border in Myanmar consisted of endless storefronts selling bootleg CDs, DVDs, purses and watches.

After our buffet lunch (included in the price of your tour!!), we finally headed to the area of the Golden Triangle. Stepping out of the van, we found ourselves on a street lined with row after row of vendors selling Golden Triangle t-shirts and pretty anything imaginable with an elephant on it .

Pat now had other plans:

"Here we can take the boat for about 30 minutes, we can stop at a market across the river, and we can do some shopping!! OK??"

We all sat glumly staring into the muddy Mekong. No one was getting on that fucking boat. Sorry Pat.

A group of local kids were playing in a nearby plaza. Dom started photographing them and wound up with some truly amazing photos. It almost made the trip worthwhile, and spending time watching the kids playing and goofing around was in fact the high point of the day for us.

Four hours later we were finally back in Chiang Mai. I didn't mention the flat tire, the non-working air conditioner, or our driver's manic delight in passing on blind curves while doing 60mph, but those are just a few more of those unexpected delights that make traveling on a prearranged tour SO MUCH FUN!

The Festival of Light

The first sign that something special was happening in Chiang Mai tonight was the fireworks. Bursts both large and small seemed to be exploding from all directions.

Then, as the Thai Airways flight descended lower toward the airport, something magical happened: All around us, thousands of illuminated paper lanterns were gracefully floating upwards, set aloft annually by the people of this northern Thailand city on the night of the November full moon as a way of releasing heavenwards all bad things from the previous year.

This was my introduction to Loi Krathong, one of the oldest and most beautiful of Thai festivals.

Loi Krathong means "floating basket." The launching of paper lanterns is unique to Chiang Mai, but all over Thailand, people gather at the rivers on the night of the full moon of the twelfth lunar month to float candles on little banana leaf baskets (called 'krathongs'). The krathongs are elaborately decorated with flowers and incense. The person will usually make a wish, and then place the krathong in the river and watch as it slowly floats away.

There is some uncertainty as to the origins and meanings of Loi Krathong - some people say it is to appease the river goddess for using and polluting the waters. Others say it is to remember and pay respect to ancestors. For many, it is simply one more way to wish for good luck - something Thais never seem to tire of.

Standing at the banks of the Ping River in Chiang Mai, we made our wishes, launched our krathongs, and then looked up at the sky, glowing in every direction with gracefully floating lanterns.

The Mongolian Desert Meets the Forbidden City

Winter came to Beijing today, and along with it the nastiest dust storm my contact lenses ever want to meet.

This was Mongolian Desert dust blowing in on a wind from the north and it started just as I went through the entrance gates into the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City, located at the exact center of Beijing, was the Imperial Palace during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and is the most important historical site in the country. It's made up of more than 800 buildings and 8000 rooms. In other words, it's BIG.

Other tourists in the Forbidden City seemed impressed with me, as my eyes were weeping profusely every few minutes. They didn't know it was because I was carrying about a third of the Gobi Desert under my right contact lens.

It was initially very disappointing because the most famous buildings are obscured in scaffolding, under renovation like much of the city in preparation for the 2008 Olympics-Sponsored-by-The-Friendlies.

The northern section was way more cool, like walking through a series of stage sets: step through a doorway into a courtyard, then walk down a hallway into another courtyard, then into a plaza, then around a corner, pass through a gate, and into a lovely quiet garden.

Ultimately, it all made me want to go home and watch "The Last Emperor" again, which then made me feel guilty for wanting to watch on film what I should be appreciating in person... dust, scaffolding and all.

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A Vendor at the Wangfujing Night Market:

Hello sir? You need UFO?

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And that ended my way too short visit to China.

The Great Wall (as seen from outer space)

Lee was my English speaking driver to the Great Wall today. I had read that Badaling, the section of the Great Wall most easily visited from Beijing, can be overrun with tour buses and hundreds of people every day. So instead, we headed northeast to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Thinking even this area might get crowded, I wanted to leave Beijing by 7:00am. "You very clever," said Lee.

On the way he quizzed me about Chinese history, places in Beijing I had been to, and of course the place where we were going - proving that I was in fact not clever at all. As we approached Mutianyu, Lee proudly announced, "What is the only man-made structure visible from the moon?"

This is such an urban legend: The Great Wall is barely visible from more than a few miles away, let alone from space, and I was going to make sure he knew that once and for all:

"Lee, have you ever seen photos of the earth taken from the moon? You can just make out the continents and oceans. No structure could ever be visible." (So there, Mr. Chinese History Professor-slash-taxi driver).

"And you, have you ever been to the moon?"

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Another taxi driver, later today, who like most here, speak little or no English:
"Where you from?"
"America...USA"
"U.S.A.! George Bush! Iraq! Bangbangbangbangbang!"

Our country is so fucked...

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Weird Sign of the Day:












By the way, The Great Wall is awesome, and for much of the morning I was the only person there - an amazing feeling.

It does seem a little...well, unnecessary...
If invading armies could make it up and over the 5000-foot mountains that surround it, would that extra 20 feet of stone really be enough to do them in?

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This is the famous photo of Mao in Tianamen Square. What's so odd about seeing it in person is that your realize he is staring at his own dead body.

Yup. His chemically preserved 30 year-old corpse lies in state in his mausoleum, directly opposite this portrait. It's raised up for viewing a few hours each day and then lowered back down into refrigeration for the night.

Hmmm...Maybe tomorrow...if the line's not too long...

The Summer Palace

There is no actual "palace" at the Summer Palace. Instead it is a beautiful collection of temples, pavilions, and courtyards set within acres of parks and gardens on a hill facing a large lake.

You really can't go wrong with places named 'The Hall That Dispels the Clouds,' 'The Garden of Harmonious Pleasures' and ' The Hall of Embracing the Universe.' There were crowds of Chinese tourists, and also locals out strolling, having lunch, sitting around chatting. It was a great place to wander around and get lost, meandering through corridors, plazas, forest paths and lakeside walkways. And way more beautiful than I imagined.

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Weird Sign of the Day:


The Friendlies
Official Mascots of the 2008 Olympics

Something evil and wrong has happened here. The mutant offspring of Hello Kitty and the Teletubbies have made themselves official representatives of the Beijing Olympics.

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Items on a Chinese Restaurant Menu That You Probably Don't Want to Try:
Granny's Slo-cooked Elbows
Pig's Trotters in Chef Special Sauce

Beijing Day One

"We are now beginning our descent into Beijing International Airport. May we remind you that no photographs may be taken of China from the air, or anywhere inside the airport."

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A little kid tried to sell me postcards for one dollar in Tiananmen Square. When I said 'no' he started yelling and spitting at me. Welcome to China!! We love you too!

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Weird Sign of the Day:
"WE ARE SORRY FOR YOUR INCONVENIENCE"
thanks! me too.

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Police in military uniforms standing and posing everywhere. Sometimes they are frozen and actually don't move at all. Very theatrical.

It is so cool that everyone rides around on old bicycles - businessmen, old women, kids, everyone. People look healthy and happy here.

Jet lag + Peking Duck + very bright very red restaurant = ouch

Did you know that tea leaves floating around in a cup of hot water will eventually sink to the bottom, meaning the tea is ready to drink? I didn't...

There are very few Western tourists here. Maybe 97% Chinese. Even fewer western tourists alone. I don't think I've seen one.

Sometimes people stare at me. No really, they do. I am seriously not paranoid, they really do. Big white man with blue eyes. Why he here? What he want? Where his wife and kids?

Blind Faith

In a rather bizarre introduction to my first Communist country, I can not read my own blog from here inside China. I can edit it, but I can not view it - or any others, anywhere.

Blogs are dangerous! Stop reading now!

One Night in Bangkok

Hmm.. that would make an interesting title for a song in a lousy 1980's pop musical where all the Asian roles were played by white people..

But that would never happen...

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Weird Sign of the Day:
"ICE FOR RENT"
seriously, no thanks.

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Today I fed a scrawny stray cat the legs off of some prawns in garlic chili sauce, then had yet another amazing massage at the Wat Po School of traditional Thai Massage.

(Lunch + massage + haircut: $20)

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tomorrow AM: China!