I really want to see this!
Admittedly, not the best trailer ever, but the film still looks pretty epic.
Admittedly, not the best trailer ever, but the film still looks pretty epic.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
I just came back from a weekend at the beach.
No. I didn't go to vacation. I went to work. I scored another gig with my aunt's travel agency. They were managing the operation for the Royal Princess from Princess Cruises and as always they needed responsible English-speaking hard working young people and they pay well and cover all travel and living expenses while we work so it really isn't a bad gig at all. The only problem with it is that these gigs are kind of spread out and kind of rare so getting it is a pretty good deal. I got assigned to managing the hospitality desk, which is basically the first thing that the passengers see when they get off the ship and the place where we un-confuse them. Not bad. I've done it before so I know how to run it and all you really need to do is smile a lot and be quick on your feet to answer questions or solve problems.
Film production is much more stressful and much faster so dealing with passengers is a breeze.
Anyways, Sunday, which was the day of the operation, was a busy and tiresome day. I got back to the hotel sometime around 6:30 pm after a 12-hour work shift and kind of decided I was going to plunk down on the hammock in the room balcony (my aunt always puts her whole crew up in a nice hotel and I was rooming with her so we had a balcony with a hammock) to read "The Wheel of Time: The Eye of The World" that I had started the previous day. Of course I got a hankering to go check my email on my iPhone before I did that and so went to the cafeteria. On my way to the cafeteria I ran into the rest of the guides sort of relaxing in the pool and was convinced to take a small dip in the water with them.
I think it was a good idea.
I kind of went back to the rooms after that and fell asleep until my asthma kicked in.
Anyways, the next day, I woke up at 10:00 am after 8 hours of Benadryl-induced sleep (that asthma attack turned into a full-blown allergic reaction which was only calmed down when I took some Benadryl that had the unfortunate side effect of putting me right to sleep) and went with my aunt to do all of her closing-day errands. Meaning, I went with her to see how she paid everyone for their services from the previous day. I found it really educational because the woman runs her operation like a tight ship and she believes in paying well and making sure everyone is comfortable and well-fed because she knows that if your employees and your providers are unhappy then the operation will jot run smoothly. It was so nice to see someone who understands that when producing an operation, whether it be a film or a tour operation, keeping the people that work with and for you happy is essential. Stuff like this is like running an army and is very hierarchical. And as much as we would like to say that an army runs on ideals, what it it really runs on is it's stomach and its physical condition. So if you invest s little more on really feeding your little army well and giving them a comfortable bed to sleep in, they will keep their spirits high and go to hell and back for you. I guess it is the idea of buying loyalty, which also buys you control and control over quality. A lot of producers or people involved in operations and logistics dont really realize that. The human factor is essential, and sometimes at the expense of cutting costs, it gets ignored or pushed aside and the only thing that ends up suffering is the final product.
Two other tips I picked up from my aunt: pay the full price and tip well. You'll accumulate good service and favor for the next time you run an operation in the area....and you will run another operation in the area. Also it keep you ahead of your competitors as your providers will keep loyal to you.
Anyhoo, getting a bit of a lesson on running a big operation proved really useful I think because there are a lot of things I can easily transfer into my knowledge of running a film production that could make things a lot easier or efficient. But one of the most poignant moments of my day had nothing to do with job training.
You see, my aunt has her little side projects sort of scattered all over the place. One of these is a little traditional adobe hut in a town near Manta where she takes the passengers to observe the process of weaving straw into Panama Hats. The lady who does the demo also owns the house which has a lovely sort of charm to it. My aunt and her minions (loyal followers...) have all pitched in to slowly improve the site more and more. As I said, it is a really simple little hut, but it has very nicely kept fences and a charming little garden. And the people living in it are quite lovely simple people too.
On top of really helping with the house's upkeep, my aunt pays the lady and her family a "rent" for her demo and for allowing all of the tourists to come onto the property and mill around and see a traditional adobe house. So we went up there midday Monday to pay the woman and to help her out with a few other legal things concerning her property registration and whatnot. As we were talking, her youngest boy, Miguel (of about 13 years age), came up to the house with the family donkey carrying a bunch of things. My aunt, having known Miguel since he was a toddler, was surprised to see him at home on a school day. She asked his mother what he was doing home.
Reluctantly, his mother admitted that they had gone to register the boy in the High School but when he got his class assignments, he had 7 teachers, each of them requesting a very long list of school supplies that they wouldn't be allowed into the classroom without. The mother said that despite everything, she couldn't afford all of the supplies being asked for, and it had been difficult to tell her boy that he couldn't go to school anymore because he couldn't afford it. She told us that it had been a huge downer for Miguel and the family, as Miguel had been planning to learn English and wanted to eventually go to university, and having to scratch those plans because of not being able to afford the school supplies had been a huge blow.
My aunt, being my aunt, stepped in immediately and told the woman to march herself into town and re-register Miguel in school. She said that she would personally take care of the costs of the school supplies for his entire high school career provided that he did well in school and committed to it. Excited, the woman called Miguel over and told him the news. The expression on that kid's face was just...indescribable. My aunt gave a kid and a family the hope for a better future, and had just promised to make sure that it happened provided that he did his part as well.
I damn near choked as I held back my tears.
Schooling...so many people are denied access to this basic right because of stupid reasons such as a teacher not allowing a kid into a classroom if they can't afford the school supplies. Such a simple thing, so easily fixed...can ruin a child and a family's livelihood and hope for a better future. Miguel's problems put my life back into a bit of perspective, which is always good. I received a world-class education both in High School and College. I worked for it, and I worked really hard for it, and I took advantage of it - but in a certain sense, considering the kind of family I was born into, a good education was something I always took for granted because that was what we treasure the most. Not going to college was never an option, dropping out of high school would have not even crossed anyone's mind. Education was always there, just available. If I wanted to learn more, I could always learn more. Sometimes I forget that getting that is not available to everyone.
I believe in Education as being the doorway to freedom - of mind and spirit. It teaches us to question, to understand, to explore. It helps us advance and revolutionize and create. It is a tool we should all have access to, because at the end of the day, they can take everything from you except your education - your ability to experience the world and revolutionize it.
Seeing what my aunt did for Miguel reminded me that I should be thankful for my schooling, and that I should do more to help others have access to it. Many people tell me to become a teacher, but I have too much respect for teachers to go down that path. I know I don't have the patience for it and would not be a very good teacher. There are other ways to help out - so I'm mulling over what those could be.
For now, I am extremely proud to be my aunt's niece...she just gave one kid and one family their hope for a better future back. In this vast world, one more light shines on.
No. I didn't go to vacation. I went to work. I scored another gig with my aunt's travel agency. They were managing the operation for the Royal Princess from Princess Cruises and as always they needed responsible English-speaking hard working young people and they pay well and cover all travel and living expenses while we work so it really isn't a bad gig at all. The only problem with it is that these gigs are kind of spread out and kind of rare so getting it is a pretty good deal. I got assigned to managing the hospitality desk, which is basically the first thing that the passengers see when they get off the ship and the place where we un-confuse them. Not bad. I've done it before so I know how to run it and all you really need to do is smile a lot and be quick on your feet to answer questions or solve problems.
Film production is much more stressful and much faster so dealing with passengers is a breeze.
Anyways, Sunday, which was the day of the operation, was a busy and tiresome day. I got back to the hotel sometime around 6:30 pm after a 12-hour work shift and kind of decided I was going to plunk down on the hammock in the room balcony (my aunt always puts her whole crew up in a nice hotel and I was rooming with her so we had a balcony with a hammock) to read "The Wheel of Time: The Eye of The World" that I had started the previous day. Of course I got a hankering to go check my email on my iPhone before I did that and so went to the cafeteria. On my way to the cafeteria I ran into the rest of the guides sort of relaxing in the pool and was convinced to take a small dip in the water with them.
I think it was a good idea.
I kind of went back to the rooms after that and fell asleep until my asthma kicked in.
Anyways, the next day, I woke up at 10:00 am after 8 hours of Benadryl-induced sleep (that asthma attack turned into a full-blown allergic reaction which was only calmed down when I took some Benadryl that had the unfortunate side effect of putting me right to sleep) and went with my aunt to do all of her closing-day errands. Meaning, I went with her to see how she paid everyone for their services from the previous day. I found it really educational because the woman runs her operation like a tight ship and she believes in paying well and making sure everyone is comfortable and well-fed because she knows that if your employees and your providers are unhappy then the operation will jot run smoothly. It was so nice to see someone who understands that when producing an operation, whether it be a film or a tour operation, keeping the people that work with and for you happy is essential. Stuff like this is like running an army and is very hierarchical. And as much as we would like to say that an army runs on ideals, what it it really runs on is it's stomach and its physical condition. So if you invest s little more on really feeding your little army well and giving them a comfortable bed to sleep in, they will keep their spirits high and go to hell and back for you. I guess it is the idea of buying loyalty, which also buys you control and control over quality. A lot of producers or people involved in operations and logistics dont really realize that. The human factor is essential, and sometimes at the expense of cutting costs, it gets ignored or pushed aside and the only thing that ends up suffering is the final product.
Two other tips I picked up from my aunt: pay the full price and tip well. You'll accumulate good service and favor for the next time you run an operation in the area....and you will run another operation in the area. Also it keep you ahead of your competitors as your providers will keep loyal to you.
Anyhoo, getting a bit of a lesson on running a big operation proved really useful I think because there are a lot of things I can easily transfer into my knowledge of running a film production that could make things a lot easier or efficient. But one of the most poignant moments of my day had nothing to do with job training.
You see, my aunt has her little side projects sort of scattered all over the place. One of these is a little traditional adobe hut in a town near Manta where she takes the passengers to observe the process of weaving straw into Panama Hats. The lady who does the demo also owns the house which has a lovely sort of charm to it. My aunt and her minions (loyal followers...) have all pitched in to slowly improve the site more and more. As I said, it is a really simple little hut, but it has very nicely kept fences and a charming little garden. And the people living in it are quite lovely simple people too.
On top of really helping with the house's upkeep, my aunt pays the lady and her family a "rent" for her demo and for allowing all of the tourists to come onto the property and mill around and see a traditional adobe house. So we went up there midday Monday to pay the woman and to help her out with a few other legal things concerning her property registration and whatnot. As we were talking, her youngest boy, Miguel (of about 13 years age), came up to the house with the family donkey carrying a bunch of things. My aunt, having known Miguel since he was a toddler, was surprised to see him at home on a school day. She asked his mother what he was doing home.
Reluctantly, his mother admitted that they had gone to register the boy in the High School but when he got his class assignments, he had 7 teachers, each of them requesting a very long list of school supplies that they wouldn't be allowed into the classroom without. The mother said that despite everything, she couldn't afford all of the supplies being asked for, and it had been difficult to tell her boy that he couldn't go to school anymore because he couldn't afford it. She told us that it had been a huge downer for Miguel and the family, as Miguel had been planning to learn English and wanted to eventually go to university, and having to scratch those plans because of not being able to afford the school supplies had been a huge blow.
My aunt, being my aunt, stepped in immediately and told the woman to march herself into town and re-register Miguel in school. She said that she would personally take care of the costs of the school supplies for his entire high school career provided that he did well in school and committed to it. Excited, the woman called Miguel over and told him the news. The expression on that kid's face was just...indescribable. My aunt gave a kid and a family the hope for a better future, and had just promised to make sure that it happened provided that he did his part as well.
I damn near choked as I held back my tears.
Schooling...so many people are denied access to this basic right because of stupid reasons such as a teacher not allowing a kid into a classroom if they can't afford the school supplies. Such a simple thing, so easily fixed...can ruin a child and a family's livelihood and hope for a better future. Miguel's problems put my life back into a bit of perspective, which is always good. I received a world-class education both in High School and College. I worked for it, and I worked really hard for it, and I took advantage of it - but in a certain sense, considering the kind of family I was born into, a good education was something I always took for granted because that was what we treasure the most. Not going to college was never an option, dropping out of high school would have not even crossed anyone's mind. Education was always there, just available. If I wanted to learn more, I could always learn more. Sometimes I forget that getting that is not available to everyone.
I believe in Education as being the doorway to freedom - of mind and spirit. It teaches us to question, to understand, to explore. It helps us advance and revolutionize and create. It is a tool we should all have access to, because at the end of the day, they can take everything from you except your education - your ability to experience the world and revolutionize it.
Seeing what my aunt did for Miguel reminded me that I should be thankful for my schooling, and that I should do more to help others have access to it. Many people tell me to become a teacher, but I have too much respect for teachers to go down that path. I know I don't have the patience for it and would not be a very good teacher. There are other ways to help out - so I'm mulling over what those could be.
For now, I am extremely proud to be my aunt's niece...she just gave one kid and one family their hope for a better future back. In this vast world, one more light shines on.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Hello!
So I've finally finished posting all of my trip-related posts. I hope you enjoyed them. I'm currently back in Quito, carrying out the plan to finally move out. I have yet to actually find a job (besides another tourism gig in Manta this week) but I've applied to a couple of places and am hoping to hear back soon. Meanwhile, I've been working on all of my backlogged stuff, and sending out slews and slews of emails and working on a script revision. I kinda realized that I've kind of neglected my own personal projects as of late in favor of helping other people's get some notice and exposure. I need to have something that will advance my career personally, which is what I'm trying to accomplish with this script. I won't really talk about it because I find that if I reveal stuff about it too early, I won't finish it. A superstition of mine...
Anyways, I was thinking about animals the other day and then looking at stuff for the next Harry Potter film coming out in July. And then it got me to think about what animal my patronus would be.
I decided that it would most likely be a cat as that's the animal I identify most with. So, in an effort to get some answers in the same way my post on Amortentia did, I'd like to hear what your patronus would be if you were a wizard/witch!
Thoughts?
So I've finally finished posting all of my trip-related posts. I hope you enjoyed them. I'm currently back in Quito, carrying out the plan to finally move out. I have yet to actually find a job (besides another tourism gig in Manta this week) but I've applied to a couple of places and am hoping to hear back soon. Meanwhile, I've been working on all of my backlogged stuff, and sending out slews and slews of emails and working on a script revision. I kinda realized that I've kind of neglected my own personal projects as of late in favor of helping other people's get some notice and exposure. I need to have something that will advance my career personally, which is what I'm trying to accomplish with this script. I won't really talk about it because I find that if I reveal stuff about it too early, I won't finish it. A superstition of mine...
Anyways, I was thinking about animals the other day and then looking at stuff for the next Harry Potter film coming out in July. And then it got me to think about what animal my patronus would be.
I decided that it would most likely be a cat as that's the animal I identify most with. So, in an effort to get some answers in the same way my post on Amortentia did, I'd like to hear what your patronus would be if you were a wizard/witch!
Thoughts?
April 13, 2011 - Somewhere over the continental United States between NYC, NY and Miami, FL
So I'm on my way back to Quito after a long long time of being away. A big part of me dreads it. Feels that Quito is not the place I should be in right now, or will be in for much longer.
You see, I've made up my mind to move out of Quito by September or October at the latest. And I've decided that my best options right now are going to Beijing or New York. I just need to fix a few things back home (like, earn some money) and then I'll be on my way. I've also decided that I will make a conscious effort to be twice as productive as I was before once I get back. Not that I haven't been productive before...
Meanwhile, I fondly recall my last few days in NYC after I arrived at Grand Central Terminal on monday evening.
Monday evening, M and I went to have dinner at our friend LY's place in Brooklyn. LY is also a friend and one of our neighbors from Vassar. She's a pretty awesome person - and she aspires to be a High School history teacher and has recently been accepted into Columbia's Teachers College. It was a laid-back evening of catching up with some lovely food and some cider and old college friends. After that, M and I headed back to M's house and fell asleep.
The next day (yesterday) was my last day in NYC. M had to work and my brother, in true L fashion, sent me a list of things I needed to go find and bring back for him the night before. So I supposed that was going to be most of my day. I also managed to get a meeting with a professor at CUNY at night to talk about developing my central theme all my projects (and my company) revolve around. So I basically just walked around the city running errands. I mostly stayed in the Union Square area, hitting up American Eagle, Best Buy, and Barnes and Noble. I also toured the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Grad school has been on my mind again as my frustration towards my inability to actually be on set or make films has been growing and growing. M and I had lunch at City Bakery near her job in the Flatiron District and then I went into Express and bought a couple of really awesome dresses (one for work, one for more dressy events). I went to drop off my stuff at the apartment and made sure everything was packed before heading out to Think Coffee for the meeting with the professor. I think that went very well. Afterwards, M and I went for a slice of NY pizza at Ray's Pizza in the village. Very lovely ending to my stay in NYC. I was just perfect to walk around the village at night, with the raindrops from the evening showers diffusing the orange and pink light reflecting off the sakuras and the storefronts that were still open.
New York in the Spring...what a beautiful sight.
I was sad to leave this morning. It was so nice to see my housemates and friends from college in NYC. It was nice to feel at home in the city itself - more at home than I've felt in a long time. I felt vibrant and alive and productive. It made me want to stay. To find an apartment right then and there, and a job somewhere....but doing that might have been irresponsible. There are loose ends I need to tie up in Quito before I move - important loose ends.
But I have a plan now. A realistic one.
So the goodbye is temporary - as I know I will be back soon.
As Oswaldo Guayasamín put it:
“Mantengan encendida una luz que siempre voy a volver,”
(“Keep a light burning for I will always return.”)
So I'm on my way back to Quito after a long long time of being away. A big part of me dreads it. Feels that Quito is not the place I should be in right now, or will be in for much longer.
You see, I've made up my mind to move out of Quito by September or October at the latest. And I've decided that my best options right now are going to Beijing or New York. I just need to fix a few things back home (like, earn some money) and then I'll be on my way. I've also decided that I will make a conscious effort to be twice as productive as I was before once I get back. Not that I haven't been productive before...
Meanwhile, I fondly recall my last few days in NYC after I arrived at Grand Central Terminal on monday evening.
Monday evening, M and I went to have dinner at our friend LY's place in Brooklyn. LY is also a friend and one of our neighbors from Vassar. She's a pretty awesome person - and she aspires to be a High School history teacher and has recently been accepted into Columbia's Teachers College. It was a laid-back evening of catching up with some lovely food and some cider and old college friends. After that, M and I headed back to M's house and fell asleep.
The next day (yesterday) was my last day in NYC. M had to work and my brother, in true L fashion, sent me a list of things I needed to go find and bring back for him the night before. So I supposed that was going to be most of my day. I also managed to get a meeting with a professor at CUNY at night to talk about developing my central theme all my projects (and my company) revolve around. So I basically just walked around the city running errands. I mostly stayed in the Union Square area, hitting up American Eagle, Best Buy, and Barnes and Noble. I also toured the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Grad school has been on my mind again as my frustration towards my inability to actually be on set or make films has been growing and growing. M and I had lunch at City Bakery near her job in the Flatiron District and then I went into Express and bought a couple of really awesome dresses (one for work, one for more dressy events). I went to drop off my stuff at the apartment and made sure everything was packed before heading out to Think Coffee for the meeting with the professor. I think that went very well. Afterwards, M and I went for a slice of NY pizza at Ray's Pizza in the village. Very lovely ending to my stay in NYC. I was just perfect to walk around the village at night, with the raindrops from the evening showers diffusing the orange and pink light reflecting off the sakuras and the storefronts that were still open.
New York in the Spring...what a beautiful sight.
I was sad to leave this morning. It was so nice to see my housemates and friends from college in NYC. It was nice to feel at home in the city itself - more at home than I've felt in a long time. I felt vibrant and alive and productive. It made me want to stay. To find an apartment right then and there, and a job somewhere....but doing that might have been irresponsible. There are loose ends I need to tie up in Quito before I move - important loose ends.
But I have a plan now. A realistic one.
So the goodbye is temporary - as I know I will be back soon.
As Oswaldo Guayasamín put it:
“Mantengan encendida una luz que siempre voy a volver,”
(“Keep a light burning for I will always return.”)
April 11, 2011 - On the Metro-North Train from Poughkeepsie, NY to Grand Central Terminal, NYC, NY
I miss riding this train all the time. The Metro-North brings back fond memories of soothing beginnings and endings at Vassar. I must admit it was a relief to be on it sans two 50-lbs bag that I would have to drag through Grand Central Terminal and then on the snow outside across Park Avenue to get to the JFK/LGA Airport Bus. All the same. The ride down the Hudson River Valley is always beautiful no matter the season, always comforting no matter the time. After finishing this post and watching the greening mountains and the river for a bit, I'll probably let the gentle motion of the train lull me into a tranquil nap. I'll wake up in complete darkness as the train is barreling under the busy streets of Manhattan, merely minutes away from the Grand Central. I'll groggily walk into that marvelously huge, beautiful hall and make my way to the Subway station through the throng of busy New Yorker commuters. It is late afternoon. Most people will be going home around now. Leaving their offices in the city in exchange for a smaller, quieter town upstate.
It has been quite a weekend. M and I went to Burlington, Vermont on Saturday morning. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we scored some really sweet $59 plane tickets on JetBlue. Can I gush about JetBlue for a bit???? Yes? They're probably one of the airlines with the best services I've been on. And they have spacious seating. And personal TVs (yeah. On my 1-hour ride to Vermont, I had a personal screen). And a really really really cool terminal at JFK (can someone put in that kind of food and restaurants and services into the International Terminal at JFK? THANK YOU). And their ticket prices are pretty damn good. I repeat. $59 for a one-way to Burlington, VT? Yeah.
Anyways, so we flew up to Vermont where we were picked up by S in his new Subaru Sport car. Pretty snazzy! Of course, he'd already filled it with a ton of forestry-related / bio-related stuff which I thought was very S of him. Lol. Of course, in true SoCo 7 tradition, we went straight to Cheese Traders and picked up some goat cheese, rustic bread, and wine and then drove to the waterfront of Lake Champlain and ate the cheese and the bread.
It was delicious.
It was quite a beautiful day too. The sky was very clear and very blue - a welcome sight after smoggy skies of China, and the lake had just thawed according to S. It was warm and not windy and people were milling about in their skates and bikes and with their dogs.
After chowing down our cheese and bread, we went to walk around for a bit. We came across a stand that was selling creamies. M and I, being from the city (aka Not From Vermont) had no idea what they were. Turned out they're soft-serve ice-cream made from real cream and sweetened with Vermont Mape Syrup. You know how I said that there's just no way you will find bagels with lox and cream cheese that are better than the ones in NYC? Kind of the same thing with Maple Syrup in Vermont. You won't find any maple syrup than the one you'll find in Vermont. I don't think it is physically possible...
After finishing off the creamies (half of M's ended up on M's scarf to be fair...heehee...just joking M) we decided to wash down everything we'd consumed so far with some tea at Dobra Tea in downtown Burlington. Dobra Tea is this really really awesome little teahouse. It has a bunch of little alcove things with pillows where you can sit down and have one of their gazillion tea selections. I got some very nice Ginger Pu'Er, S got some Pu'Er too, and M got some sort of red tea. We sat there for quite a while just sipping tea and catching up which was very lovely.
When we'd finished the tea, and had emptied our bladders, we decide that the best way to follow this up is with lunch (of course, because we haven't eaten enough...) so we head over to the Vermont Pub and Brewery for some burgers (portobello mushroom for me) and locally brewed beer (cider for me). Honestly I looked like a wimp next to M and S who were both eating some very badass-looking burgers and chasing them down with beer so dark that I'm sure it has properties similar to that of black holes while I'm there with my portobello mushroom sandwhich and cider...ha. It is ok. One day, I will be badass too...
After lunch, our tiny stomachs, having being subjected to about 5 hours of straight eating, kind of refused to accept any more food so we decided to go do some non-food related activity. S took us on a walk around this really lovely marshy-swamp place. The trees hadn't started to bloom yet, but despite the banks of snow around it, the marsh was thawing and ducks were coming back and swimming merrily along the pools of water. The leaf-less trees in that place were really beautiful. Mostly because their dead leaves dot the landscape in a sepia palette of greys and whites and browns that my insane cinematic mind is loving. It is so rare to see a uniform palette like that occur naturally - except during the winter in New England / New York. I like the mood it sets, and the crisp breezes of cold air blowing through the trees. The mountains in the background, although not as tall or majestic as the Andes, remind me of Quito. There's an odd feeling of peace here - as my mind immediately cycles through all my stories, all my projects, and registers this place as a place for inspiration.
I snap a few pictures I really love.
I'm particularly proud of these two:
My cinematic mind immediately assigns a story to them, as it sees the drama in them - despite knowing that all that was really happening in these frames is that M and S were discussing the latest Rangers games. The first one reminds me of a movie poster. A more somber, darker, version of "When Harry Met Sally" perhaps - a sort of sad, doomed romance of sorts. The latter picture is my favorite though. Just seems like a still of a scene in which two former friends, who went through some terrible dramatic upheaval, reconnect. Not necessarily romantic - just two people trying to rebuild something that was lost. The space between them but also the proximity to each other suggests that, as does the color palette in the pictures. But then there's also the subtle indications of the coming Spring - the ducks, the thawed lake, the small spring onions bursting out from the ground near the bench - that point to a turn upwards towards the better - towards the rebirth of a friendship.
Of course, all that M and S are doing really is talking about how some player made this brilliant save in that game, and how the whatever team from Texas should just drop out of the league on the sole reason that there shouldn't be an ice-hockey team from Texas.
See? Cinematic mind = hyperactive imagination!
I guess that's a good thing though. I just have to watch myself from getting absorbed into it as I am prone to do.
After some exercise, we head back to S's house for the viewing of a few episodes of Community (which M and I are introduced to) and cooking dinner. Sam, a good friend of S's drops by with the Asparagus that will go with the Bechamel sauce I've been instructed to cook. By 7:30 pm, we're feasting on a dinner of free-range, grass-fed Vermont Steak seared to medium-rare perfection (on the rare occasions I do eat meat, I eat it almost raw, but I'll take medium-rare too) with some mushroom risotto and roasted asparagus with bechamel sauce on the side. Add a nice bottle of 7 Zins to wash it down with, and this is easily one of the best dinners I've had on the trip. Right up there with dinner at the Shangri-La Hong Kong or the Dumpling Banquet in Xi'An. I think there's the gourmet aspect to it, but also the homemade food association. And the good memories of being in a kitchen preparing dinner with two of my former housemates from college - with a third one chiming in from the Grand Canyon while on speakerphone from S's cellphone (Yay D! We missed you!).
After dinner, the wine did a number on me, and I curled up on S's couch and took a nap as M, S, and S's friend Sam chatted about I don't know what. I was woken up at around 10:30 pm to head over to downtown Burlington for a beer at a bar. We tried a couple of places, but they were full of UVM students, and finally settled at 1/2 Lounge. S's other friend, also named Sam (only this is a guy...the first Sam was a girl. Did I not make that clear?) joined us for a drink. Mindful of my health issues, I sipped a very depressing-looking Ginger Ale that was far too sweet for my taste, as we talked about random life stories we all had experienced. Sam (the guy) had some pretty fantastic ones, but it might have also been that he was a very good storyteller. We went home pretty early, being back by 1 pm and falling asleep shortly afterwards.
The next day we went for brunch somewhere near S's house. We each had an omelette (mine had spinach and goat cheese and tomato and basil) and we ordered some banana bread french toast to share (which we of course ate covered in Vermont Maple Syrup). We then picked up some Maple Syrup for my brother L who would probably not forgive me if I came back to Quito without it, and then S dropped us off at the Burlington Airport where we got our rental car (a nice little white Toyota Corolla) sometime around 1 pm.
M and I decided that M should take the first driving shift, just so she would feel more comfortable with the car and not get as tired. M was really nervous about it, consistently reminding me (and herself) that she'd never really driven on a highway sans parents/instructor despite having a license for quite some time. It comes with the territory I suppose - being in NYC means you never really need a car. In fact, when I move to NYC, I will openly refuse to get a car on the simple grounds of "the parking fees are astronomical". After getting lost in the parking lot for a few minutes (and feeling really embarrassed about it) we finally set course for Poughkeepsie, NY en-route to see our other housemate and good friend N. M was really happy. She drove for three hours straight through the beautiful Vermont highways. We laughed at all the "Bridge ices before road" signs and "Bear-crossing" signs we saw and didn't turn on the radio once. We switched off once we hit Massachusetts somewhere around 4:30 pm and I drove the rest of the way down through the Massachusetts Turnpike in Massachusetts and the Taconic Parkway in NY. We arived at N's house around 7:30 pm, kind of really tired, and loopy and hungry. Luckily, we were greeted with two very big hugs (one from N, and one from his mom Mrs. T) and a huge bowl of the SoCo 7 classic, and N's specialty - Cold Sesame Noodles. I told N and his family my China Odyssey over a very long dinner, and then hit the sack almost immediately afterwards - suspecting all the adrenaline from the China trip was finally wearing off, and the tiredness was setting in.
This morning, we went to drop off M at the Poughkeepsie train station early in the morning as she had to be back in the city for a 9:30 meeting at one of her 3 badass internships. When we got back, N and I, in typical N & E fashion, launched into a heated discussion about having a governing, regulatory body for a language versus allowing the language to exist without one (i.e. Spanish with the Real Academia de la Lengua vs. English). I was arguing for the fact that having a governing body has its uses whether or not it is controlled by a government or not (and some pretty obvious uses if it is) but also arguing that a governing body is not right or the best option for all languages. N was arguing that language should exist without a regulating body and develop "organically" like English.
I won.
Because this is MY blog.
.
.
.
Haha.
.
.
.
I joke. Nobody won or lost, which was a nice outcome I think.
We finished the discussion sometime around mid-morning when I realized that I needed to go return the rental car. So N and I drove to Hertz and dropped off my car and then drove back in his. Although not before we saw the new Dutchess County Private Airport (because N knows I love planes). We also got pretty lost trying to get back to N's house, but mostly because N, in typical guy fashion, refused to use the GPS I had and refused to ask for directions on the grounds of "I live in this town, I know the way back". We eventually made it back though, and had some lunch outside in the nice warm spring weather. N made me a grilled cheese sandwich (my favorite food in the world) as he chowed down some leftover sesame noodles. Once lunch was over, it was time to saw goodbye. N had work at 3:45 pm (he works at the library, pulling the evening/night shift) so Mrs. T and N drove me to the train station to take the 3:40 pm train back to the city.
So here I am. On the train back. I see West Point at the other bank of the Hudson through my window. The gentle rocking of the train is making me sleepy.
Time for a nap.
I miss riding this train all the time. The Metro-North brings back fond memories of soothing beginnings and endings at Vassar. I must admit it was a relief to be on it sans two 50-lbs bag that I would have to drag through Grand Central Terminal and then on the snow outside across Park Avenue to get to the JFK/LGA Airport Bus. All the same. The ride down the Hudson River Valley is always beautiful no matter the season, always comforting no matter the time. After finishing this post and watching the greening mountains and the river for a bit, I'll probably let the gentle motion of the train lull me into a tranquil nap. I'll wake up in complete darkness as the train is barreling under the busy streets of Manhattan, merely minutes away from the Grand Central. I'll groggily walk into that marvelously huge, beautiful hall and make my way to the Subway station through the throng of busy New Yorker commuters. It is late afternoon. Most people will be going home around now. Leaving their offices in the city in exchange for a smaller, quieter town upstate.
It has been quite a weekend. M and I went to Burlington, Vermont on Saturday morning. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we scored some really sweet $59 plane tickets on JetBlue. Can I gush about JetBlue for a bit???? Yes? They're probably one of the airlines with the best services I've been on. And they have spacious seating. And personal TVs (yeah. On my 1-hour ride to Vermont, I had a personal screen). And a really really really cool terminal at JFK (can someone put in that kind of food and restaurants and services into the International Terminal at JFK? THANK YOU). And their ticket prices are pretty damn good. I repeat. $59 for a one-way to Burlington, VT? Yeah.
Anyways, so we flew up to Vermont where we were picked up by S in his new Subaru Sport car. Pretty snazzy! Of course, he'd already filled it with a ton of forestry-related / bio-related stuff which I thought was very S of him. Lol. Of course, in true SoCo 7 tradition, we went straight to Cheese Traders and picked up some goat cheese, rustic bread, and wine and then drove to the waterfront of Lake Champlain and ate the cheese and the bread.
It was delicious.
It was quite a beautiful day too. The sky was very clear and very blue - a welcome sight after smoggy skies of China, and the lake had just thawed according to S. It was warm and not windy and people were milling about in their skates and bikes and with their dogs.
After chowing down our cheese and bread, we went to walk around for a bit. We came across a stand that was selling creamies. M and I, being from the city (aka Not From Vermont) had no idea what they were. Turned out they're soft-serve ice-cream made from real cream and sweetened with Vermont Mape Syrup. You know how I said that there's just no way you will find bagels with lox and cream cheese that are better than the ones in NYC? Kind of the same thing with Maple Syrup in Vermont. You won't find any maple syrup than the one you'll find in Vermont. I don't think it is physically possible...
After finishing off the creamies (half of M's ended up on M's scarf to be fair...heehee...just joking M) we decided to wash down everything we'd consumed so far with some tea at Dobra Tea in downtown Burlington. Dobra Tea is this really really awesome little teahouse. It has a bunch of little alcove things with pillows where you can sit down and have one of their gazillion tea selections. I got some very nice Ginger Pu'Er, S got some Pu'Er too, and M got some sort of red tea. We sat there for quite a while just sipping tea and catching up which was very lovely.
When we'd finished the tea, and had emptied our bladders, we decide that the best way to follow this up is with lunch (of course, because we haven't eaten enough...) so we head over to the Vermont Pub and Brewery for some burgers (portobello mushroom for me) and locally brewed beer (cider for me). Honestly I looked like a wimp next to M and S who were both eating some very badass-looking burgers and chasing them down with beer so dark that I'm sure it has properties similar to that of black holes while I'm there with my portobello mushroom sandwhich and cider...ha. It is ok. One day, I will be badass too...
After lunch, our tiny stomachs, having being subjected to about 5 hours of straight eating, kind of refused to accept any more food so we decided to go do some non-food related activity. S took us on a walk around this really lovely marshy-swamp place. The trees hadn't started to bloom yet, but despite the banks of snow around it, the marsh was thawing and ducks were coming back and swimming merrily along the pools of water. The leaf-less trees in that place were really beautiful. Mostly because their dead leaves dot the landscape in a sepia palette of greys and whites and browns that my insane cinematic mind is loving. It is so rare to see a uniform palette like that occur naturally - except during the winter in New England / New York. I like the mood it sets, and the crisp breezes of cold air blowing through the trees. The mountains in the background, although not as tall or majestic as the Andes, remind me of Quito. There's an odd feeling of peace here - as my mind immediately cycles through all my stories, all my projects, and registers this place as a place for inspiration.
I snap a few pictures I really love.
I'm particularly proud of these two:
My cinematic mind immediately assigns a story to them, as it sees the drama in them - despite knowing that all that was really happening in these frames is that M and S were discussing the latest Rangers games. The first one reminds me of a movie poster. A more somber, darker, version of "When Harry Met Sally" perhaps - a sort of sad, doomed romance of sorts. The latter picture is my favorite though. Just seems like a still of a scene in which two former friends, who went through some terrible dramatic upheaval, reconnect. Not necessarily romantic - just two people trying to rebuild something that was lost. The space between them but also the proximity to each other suggests that, as does the color palette in the pictures. But then there's also the subtle indications of the coming Spring - the ducks, the thawed lake, the small spring onions bursting out from the ground near the bench - that point to a turn upwards towards the better - towards the rebirth of a friendship.
Of course, all that M and S are doing really is talking about how some player made this brilliant save in that game, and how the whatever team from Texas should just drop out of the league on the sole reason that there shouldn't be an ice-hockey team from Texas.
See? Cinematic mind = hyperactive imagination!
I guess that's a good thing though. I just have to watch myself from getting absorbed into it as I am prone to do.
After some exercise, we head back to S's house for the viewing of a few episodes of Community (which M and I are introduced to) and cooking dinner. Sam, a good friend of S's drops by with the Asparagus that will go with the Bechamel sauce I've been instructed to cook. By 7:30 pm, we're feasting on a dinner of free-range, grass-fed Vermont Steak seared to medium-rare perfection (on the rare occasions I do eat meat, I eat it almost raw, but I'll take medium-rare too) with some mushroom risotto and roasted asparagus with bechamel sauce on the side. Add a nice bottle of 7 Zins to wash it down with, and this is easily one of the best dinners I've had on the trip. Right up there with dinner at the Shangri-La Hong Kong or the Dumpling Banquet in Xi'An. I think there's the gourmet aspect to it, but also the homemade food association. And the good memories of being in a kitchen preparing dinner with two of my former housemates from college - with a third one chiming in from the Grand Canyon while on speakerphone from S's cellphone (Yay D! We missed you!).
After dinner, the wine did a number on me, and I curled up on S's couch and took a nap as M, S, and S's friend Sam chatted about I don't know what. I was woken up at around 10:30 pm to head over to downtown Burlington for a beer at a bar. We tried a couple of places, but they were full of UVM students, and finally settled at 1/2 Lounge. S's other friend, also named Sam (only this is a guy...the first Sam was a girl. Did I not make that clear?) joined us for a drink. Mindful of my health issues, I sipped a very depressing-looking Ginger Ale that was far too sweet for my taste, as we talked about random life stories we all had experienced. Sam (the guy) had some pretty fantastic ones, but it might have also been that he was a very good storyteller. We went home pretty early, being back by 1 pm and falling asleep shortly afterwards.
The next day we went for brunch somewhere near S's house. We each had an omelette (mine had spinach and goat cheese and tomato and basil) and we ordered some banana bread french toast to share (which we of course ate covered in Vermont Maple Syrup). We then picked up some Maple Syrup for my brother L who would probably not forgive me if I came back to Quito without it, and then S dropped us off at the Burlington Airport where we got our rental car (a nice little white Toyota Corolla) sometime around 1 pm.
M and I decided that M should take the first driving shift, just so she would feel more comfortable with the car and not get as tired. M was really nervous about it, consistently reminding me (and herself) that she'd never really driven on a highway sans parents/instructor despite having a license for quite some time. It comes with the territory I suppose - being in NYC means you never really need a car. In fact, when I move to NYC, I will openly refuse to get a car on the simple grounds of "the parking fees are astronomical". After getting lost in the parking lot for a few minutes (and feeling really embarrassed about it) we finally set course for Poughkeepsie, NY en-route to see our other housemate and good friend N. M was really happy. She drove for three hours straight through the beautiful Vermont highways. We laughed at all the "Bridge ices before road" signs and "Bear-crossing" signs we saw and didn't turn on the radio once. We switched off once we hit Massachusetts somewhere around 4:30 pm and I drove the rest of the way down through the Massachusetts Turnpike in Massachusetts and the Taconic Parkway in NY. We arived at N's house around 7:30 pm, kind of really tired, and loopy and hungry. Luckily, we were greeted with two very big hugs (one from N, and one from his mom Mrs. T) and a huge bowl of the SoCo 7 classic, and N's specialty - Cold Sesame Noodles. I told N and his family my China Odyssey over a very long dinner, and then hit the sack almost immediately afterwards - suspecting all the adrenaline from the China trip was finally wearing off, and the tiredness was setting in.
This morning, we went to drop off M at the Poughkeepsie train station early in the morning as she had to be back in the city for a 9:30 meeting at one of her 3 badass internships. When we got back, N and I, in typical N & E fashion, launched into a heated discussion about having a governing, regulatory body for a language versus allowing the language to exist without one (i.e. Spanish with the Real Academia de la Lengua vs. English). I was arguing for the fact that having a governing body has its uses whether or not it is controlled by a government or not (and some pretty obvious uses if it is) but also arguing that a governing body is not right or the best option for all languages. N was arguing that language should exist without a regulating body and develop "organically" like English.
I won.
Because this is MY blog.
.
.
.
Haha.
.
.
.
I joke. Nobody won or lost, which was a nice outcome I think.
We finished the discussion sometime around mid-morning when I realized that I needed to go return the rental car. So N and I drove to Hertz and dropped off my car and then drove back in his. Although not before we saw the new Dutchess County Private Airport (because N knows I love planes). We also got pretty lost trying to get back to N's house, but mostly because N, in typical guy fashion, refused to use the GPS I had and refused to ask for directions on the grounds of "I live in this town, I know the way back". We eventually made it back though, and had some lunch outside in the nice warm spring weather. N made me a grilled cheese sandwich (my favorite food in the world) as he chowed down some leftover sesame noodles. Once lunch was over, it was time to saw goodbye. N had work at 3:45 pm (he works at the library, pulling the evening/night shift) so Mrs. T and N drove me to the train station to take the 3:40 pm train back to the city.
So here I am. On the train back. I see West Point at the other bank of the Hudson through my window. The gentle rocking of the train is making me sleepy.
Time for a nap.
Monday, April 18, 2011
April 8, 2011 - Upper West Side, New York City, NY, USA
So I've been wandering around NYC for the past week mostly on my own. I've also been working (stuff to do for a company gets a little backlogged when one is skipping about inner China) and looking for work. I've been doing this mostly on my own because M is badass and uber-busy with her 3 internships.
Yeah.
THREE.
Oh. She is also taking 2 courses at NYU's school of continuing education.
Again.
Let's all say it! M is BADASS.
Not that I'm complaining at all! I enjoy walking around the city by myself. Much to my delight, I got really lost in the Village the other day and ended up at Murray's Cheese Shop (and caught my bearings again) which was a pleasant surprise. I like getting lost in cities mostly because that's the best way to really get to know them.
My walking around NYC has been punctuated by culinary adventures with badass M. We've had breakfast at Zabar's twice already (say it with me: the BEST lox and cream cheese on a bagel can ONLY be found in NEW YORK CITY! Read and repeat until it sticks to your memory!) and visited some of my favorite culinary haunts in the world - including Katz' Delicatessen. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
Katz' Delicatessen...how can I explain the amazingness of a pastrami sandwich from Katz'? Oh yeah. IT MAKES ME BREAK VEGETARIANISM. That's how good it is. There's also that orgasm scene from "When Harry Met Sally"...yeah, that happened at Katz. Should give you an idea of the power of that pastrami sandwich.
Going to Katz' was a culinary adventure in itself. See, M and I had agreed to go eat there on Tuesday night. But M had class at NYU until 8:30 so we figured we'd meet somewhere on Houston street. Problem was that when I got to Houston street, I got confused as to where I was walking and called M in a bit of a panic. M then told me to walk in the wrong direction, which I realized was the case after walking 6-7 blocks. I doubled back and called her up and we both got confused. By the time we got our bearings, and got to Katz, it had closed.
We were left with a lot of sadness over the lack of pastrami sandwich that night...but realized that we were close to Veselka's anyways and went there instead. Veselka is really really good too. It is this Czech diner that's open 24 hours. You can get all-American classics like a hamburger or mac and cheese or you can go for some pretty amazing pierogis.
I got some mac and cheese after it dawned on me that I hadn't had any cheese for the 3-4 weeks I had been in China and I was sorely sorely missing it. M went for some blinis with really yummy raspberry sauce.
Our defeat that night didn't stop us from trying to go to Katz' again the next night. This time successfully! We even got to sit at the "When Harry Met Sally" table. M and I split a sandwich between the two of us and were happy. The pastrami there is - well, so soft, and flavorful and warm...they cut it right then and there when you order it and just pile it up on some rye bread with a little mustard.
Personally. I think it is the perfect sandwich.
Besides Katz and Veselka (which M and I usually go to when I visit anyways) we had lunch at Chipotle once and also tried a new restaurant - Eataly. Eataly is one of Mario Batalli's many restaurants but it boasts an innovative concept that is somewhere between a gourmet supermarket and a restaurant. It is a really big space that has different dining stations for different kinds of food - fish, coffee, gelato, pasta & pizza - but also has a bunch of supermarket aisles lined only with products that have been imported from Italy. The cheese selection looked really amazing and so did everything they had at the bakery (my suggestion would be buying a loaf of olive rustic bread or a focaccia - which I had for lunch one day). The not-so-great thing is that because Eataly is relatively new (M said it opened sometime around October) it is still a bit of a novelty in the city and thus consistently crowded. Our wait time was estimated to be around 40 minutes when we got there for dinner (somewhere around 8 pm) but we did get seated much earlier to their credit. If you don't mind having a long wait, or call ahead for reservations, I think it is a really good option for a nice meal. M and I opted to eat at pasta and pizza - M ordered a butternut squash lasagna and I had a pizza (fresh mozzarella, basil, tomato, olive oil). We agreed that both choices were very very good (although I will admit the pizza was slightly oily for my taste - but that being said, it did taste rather heavenly). This was earlier tonight by the way.
After Eataly, we took the subway back to the Upper West side but got off a few stops short because we're going to Vermont tomorrow to visit S and we thought we'd bring up some cupcakes from Magnolia bakery. It was a good idea because (a) S will think we're the coolest people on Earth for hauling up cupcakes to Vermont, but also (b) we got to walk off some of that dinner (which was pretty filling - Italian food is always filling).
Besides eating my way through NYC's best restaurants with M, I've been doing a lot of walking and catching up with friends. I went to the Strand the other day and fell very much in love with it. I had to stop myself from buying books by telling myself that they would weigh down my already really heavy luggage. I also wandered about the Village for a bit that same day (which is when I got lost). I left the village after getting into a pretty heated argument with a friend that afternoon. I had planned to go back to the apartment, but because I felt like knocking people's hats off, I though better of it and decided to walk it off. I got off the subway somewhere around 66th street (M's parents' apartment is on 85th) and angrily walked my way up 20 streets. A lot of that anger went away when I ducked into my favorite store (Lush Cosmetics) and replenished some of the stuff I had been meaning to replenish anyways. The scent of their Sexy Peel soap (smells like Lemon and Grapefruit) did wonders for me then. I walked back the rest of the way feeling a lot less stressed and more at ease.
A day before that, I met a dear old friend of mine from Vassar, DW, for coffee at Union Square. We caught up for a bit and then went our ways. I also met with a good friend of mine from High School at Think Coffee on Mercer Street (near NYU) to catch up. Her name is GT.
Think Coffee is amazing btw. I finally discovered a place I could go get a cup of coffee and work at without feeling rushed. I was there when GT called to see if we could meet up and catch up. I suggested she drop by there since she was in the area (sort of). It was really good to talk with her. She's working as a nanny in NYC and working on her art at night. Which I think is incredible. I have so much respect for her dedication and passion for her craft. Talking to her was also really helpful. It gave me hope. I realized right then and there that being in Quito was not going to cut it - that in a way, being in Quito this past year has been a bit of a waste of time. I mean, I've been productive, I've grown so so much, but at the same time I know it is a dead end, a transitional place and that I have to take bigger risks - that if I want to make it in film, that I need to be in the middle of the action.
And Quito...well, Quito is kind of cinematically dead at the moment. I've tried, but right now, that's not the place I need to be at.
And here is someone who is also an artist trying to make it in her field, who is risking it all, making it work, and not only surviving but starting to become successful in a way. It gave me hope that if I move to NYC, I can make it work and not be a starving artist. That there are ways of making it happen.
It is time.
It is time to take the big plunge and really play in the big leagues.
Talking with her really got me thinking about what I should do next and where I should go. Which is good.
I think that's a pretty good summary of my week. Right now, I'm sort of tired, but really excited about going to Vermont tomorrow. M and I are flying there ($59 plane tickets! SCORE!) but driving back in a rental car. Looks to be exciting!
So I've been wandering around NYC for the past week mostly on my own. I've also been working (stuff to do for a company gets a little backlogged when one is skipping about inner China) and looking for work. I've been doing this mostly on my own because M is badass and uber-busy with her 3 internships.
Yeah.
THREE.
Oh. She is also taking 2 courses at NYU's school of continuing education.
Again.
Let's all say it! M is BADASS.
Not that I'm complaining at all! I enjoy walking around the city by myself. Much to my delight, I got really lost in the Village the other day and ended up at Murray's Cheese Shop (and caught my bearings again) which was a pleasant surprise. I like getting lost in cities mostly because that's the best way to really get to know them.
My walking around NYC has been punctuated by culinary adventures with badass M. We've had breakfast at Zabar's twice already (say it with me: the BEST lox and cream cheese on a bagel can ONLY be found in NEW YORK CITY! Read and repeat until it sticks to your memory!) and visited some of my favorite culinary haunts in the world - including Katz' Delicatessen. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
Katz' Delicatessen...how can I explain the amazingness of a pastrami sandwich from Katz'? Oh yeah. IT MAKES ME BREAK VEGETARIANISM. That's how good it is. There's also that orgasm scene from "When Harry Met Sally"...yeah, that happened at Katz. Should give you an idea of the power of that pastrami sandwich.
Going to Katz' was a culinary adventure in itself. See, M and I had agreed to go eat there on Tuesday night. But M had class at NYU until 8:30 so we figured we'd meet somewhere on Houston street. Problem was that when I got to Houston street, I got confused as to where I was walking and called M in a bit of a panic. M then told me to walk in the wrong direction, which I realized was the case after walking 6-7 blocks. I doubled back and called her up and we both got confused. By the time we got our bearings, and got to Katz, it had closed.
We were left with a lot of sadness over the lack of pastrami sandwich that night...but realized that we were close to Veselka's anyways and went there instead. Veselka is really really good too. It is this Czech diner that's open 24 hours. You can get all-American classics like a hamburger or mac and cheese or you can go for some pretty amazing pierogis.
I got some mac and cheese after it dawned on me that I hadn't had any cheese for the 3-4 weeks I had been in China and I was sorely sorely missing it. M went for some blinis with really yummy raspberry sauce.
Our defeat that night didn't stop us from trying to go to Katz' again the next night. This time successfully! We even got to sit at the "When Harry Met Sally" table. M and I split a sandwich between the two of us and were happy. The pastrami there is - well, so soft, and flavorful and warm...they cut it right then and there when you order it and just pile it up on some rye bread with a little mustard.
Personally. I think it is the perfect sandwich.
Besides Katz and Veselka (which M and I usually go to when I visit anyways) we had lunch at Chipotle once and also tried a new restaurant - Eataly. Eataly is one of Mario Batalli's many restaurants but it boasts an innovative concept that is somewhere between a gourmet supermarket and a restaurant. It is a really big space that has different dining stations for different kinds of food - fish, coffee, gelato, pasta & pizza - but also has a bunch of supermarket aisles lined only with products that have been imported from Italy. The cheese selection looked really amazing and so did everything they had at the bakery (my suggestion would be buying a loaf of olive rustic bread or a focaccia - which I had for lunch one day). The not-so-great thing is that because Eataly is relatively new (M said it opened sometime around October) it is still a bit of a novelty in the city and thus consistently crowded. Our wait time was estimated to be around 40 minutes when we got there for dinner (somewhere around 8 pm) but we did get seated much earlier to their credit. If you don't mind having a long wait, or call ahead for reservations, I think it is a really good option for a nice meal. M and I opted to eat at pasta and pizza - M ordered a butternut squash lasagna and I had a pizza (fresh mozzarella, basil, tomato, olive oil). We agreed that both choices were very very good (although I will admit the pizza was slightly oily for my taste - but that being said, it did taste rather heavenly). This was earlier tonight by the way.
After Eataly, we took the subway back to the Upper West side but got off a few stops short because we're going to Vermont tomorrow to visit S and we thought we'd bring up some cupcakes from Magnolia bakery. It was a good idea because (a) S will think we're the coolest people on Earth for hauling up cupcakes to Vermont, but also (b) we got to walk off some of that dinner (which was pretty filling - Italian food is always filling).
Besides eating my way through NYC's best restaurants with M, I've been doing a lot of walking and catching up with friends. I went to the Strand the other day and fell very much in love with it. I had to stop myself from buying books by telling myself that they would weigh down my already really heavy luggage. I also wandered about the Village for a bit that same day (which is when I got lost). I left the village after getting into a pretty heated argument with a friend that afternoon. I had planned to go back to the apartment, but because I felt like knocking people's hats off, I though better of it and decided to walk it off. I got off the subway somewhere around 66th street (M's parents' apartment is on 85th) and angrily walked my way up 20 streets. A lot of that anger went away when I ducked into my favorite store (Lush Cosmetics) and replenished some of the stuff I had been meaning to replenish anyways. The scent of their Sexy Peel soap (smells like Lemon and Grapefruit) did wonders for me then. I walked back the rest of the way feeling a lot less stressed and more at ease.
A day before that, I met a dear old friend of mine from Vassar, DW, for coffee at Union Square. We caught up for a bit and then went our ways. I also met with a good friend of mine from High School at Think Coffee on Mercer Street (near NYU) to catch up. Her name is GT.
Think Coffee is amazing btw. I finally discovered a place I could go get a cup of coffee and work at without feeling rushed. I was there when GT called to see if we could meet up and catch up. I suggested she drop by there since she was in the area (sort of). It was really good to talk with her. She's working as a nanny in NYC and working on her art at night. Which I think is incredible. I have so much respect for her dedication and passion for her craft. Talking to her was also really helpful. It gave me hope. I realized right then and there that being in Quito was not going to cut it - that in a way, being in Quito this past year has been a bit of a waste of time. I mean, I've been productive, I've grown so so much, but at the same time I know it is a dead end, a transitional place and that I have to take bigger risks - that if I want to make it in film, that I need to be in the middle of the action.
And Quito...well, Quito is kind of cinematically dead at the moment. I've tried, but right now, that's not the place I need to be at.
And here is someone who is also an artist trying to make it in her field, who is risking it all, making it work, and not only surviving but starting to become successful in a way. It gave me hope that if I move to NYC, I can make it work and not be a starving artist. That there are ways of making it happen.
It is time.
It is time to take the big plunge and really play in the big leagues.
Talking with her really got me thinking about what I should do next and where I should go. Which is good.
I think that's a pretty good summary of my week. Right now, I'm sort of tired, but really excited about going to Vermont tomorrow. M and I are flying there ($59 plane tickets! SCORE!) but driving back in a rental car. Looks to be exciting!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
April 4, 2011 - Over the International Date Line, The Pacific Ocean
Asia is about 4000 km behind me at this point. I'm about 5 hours into the flight somewhere over the Pacific moving at 1059 km/hr. Actually, the flight path thingy says we're over the international date line right now.
Weird.
Asia - I'm kind of happy to leave it behind. Don't get me wrong. I love Asia but I think enough of it was experienced in this trip. Truth be told, Asia just confused me more about my path in life. I mean, I have the company and the filmmaking but it really reminded me about how much I love to travel and see new places. I guess that because I feel that I don't truly have a home base, I feel the most comfortable when moving around. Where to next? New York? How about Boston? Madrid? Bali?
Seems like they're fun ideas - not really all that plausible but I kind of wish they were. I just think there's a lot to see and a lot to experience in this world.
And despite all my traveling, I still feel I have only seen a fraction of what the world has to offer.
Asia is about 4000 km behind me at this point. I'm about 5 hours into the flight somewhere over the Pacific moving at 1059 km/hr. Actually, the flight path thingy says we're over the international date line right now.
Weird.
Asia - I'm kind of happy to leave it behind. Don't get me wrong. I love Asia but I think enough of it was experienced in this trip. Truth be told, Asia just confused me more about my path in life. I mean, I have the company and the filmmaking but it really reminded me about how much I love to travel and see new places. I guess that because I feel that I don't truly have a home base, I feel the most comfortable when moving around. Where to next? New York? How about Boston? Madrid? Bali?
Seems like they're fun ideas - not really all that plausible but I kind of wish they were. I just think there's a lot to see and a lot to experience in this world.
And despite all my traveling, I still feel I have only seen a fraction of what the world has to offer.
April 4, 2011 - Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
(1) Taxis will actually refuse to take you somewhere. Like the one this morning which caused me to be late to the Gaotie (bullet train) to Shanghai,
(2) Some asshat stole my train ticket (worthless at this point) as I scrambled to figure out how the f$!# he Hangzhou train station worked,
(3) You can't pay for your ticket with a credit card at most ticket kiosks at the station. And the one where you can, doesn't take waiguo (foreign) credit cards even if they're Visa or Mastercard,
(4) The bank is located OUTSIDE the train station. Very very far away from the ticket kiosks (which are on the 3rd floor whereas the banks are in the first floor),
(5) People had the nerve to cut in front of me in line and when I complained, laughed it off and called me a "stupid foreigner",
I eventually did get my ticket, as evidenced by the fact that I am currently ON the bullet train ready to depart, but SERIOUSLY...crap like this makes me really happy about the fact that I'm heading back to the sanity of NYC.
Yeah.
You heard me.
NEW YORKERS ARE SANE, NICE, CORTEOUS PEOPLE.
(1) Taxis will actually refuse to take you somewhere. Like the one this morning which caused me to be late to the Gaotie (bullet train) to Shanghai,
(2) Some asshat stole my train ticket (worthless at this point) as I scrambled to figure out how the f$!# he Hangzhou train station worked,
(3) You can't pay for your ticket with a credit card at most ticket kiosks at the station. And the one where you can, doesn't take waiguo (foreign) credit cards even if they're Visa or Mastercard,
(4) The bank is located OUTSIDE the train station. Very very far away from the ticket kiosks (which are on the 3rd floor whereas the banks are in the first floor),
(5) People had the nerve to cut in front of me in line and when I complained, laughed it off and called me a "stupid foreigner",
I eventually did get my ticket, as evidenced by the fact that I am currently ON the bullet train ready to depart, but SERIOUSLY...crap like this makes me really happy about the fact that I'm heading back to the sanity of NYC.
Yeah.
You heard me.
NEW YORKERS ARE SANE, NICE, CORTEOUS PEOPLE.
Just a Map of my trip in China to give you a reference for the route:
Key to Map:
A - Shanghai, China
B - Beijing, China
C - Hong Kong, Hong Kong
D - Xi'An, Shaanxi, China
E - Kaifeng, Henan, China
F - Luoyang, Henan, China
G - Zhengzhou, Henan, China
H - Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
And a Map of Asia in general:
*I just noticed that Japan is HUGE. Did anyone else know that??? Maybe I'm just being dense...I chalk it up to the education system never showing us a map of Japan in the context of Asia. O_o
NOTE: The maps are screencaptures from Google Maps. I just added the red lines in photoshop. I don't own the images. Just FYI.
Key to Map:
A - Shanghai, China
B - Beijing, China
C - Hong Kong, Hong Kong
D - Xi'An, Shaanxi, China
E - Kaifeng, Henan, China
F - Luoyang, Henan, China
G - Zhengzhou, Henan, China
H - Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
And a Map of Asia in general:
*I just noticed that Japan is HUGE. Did anyone else know that??? Maybe I'm just being dense...I chalk it up to the education system never showing us a map of Japan in the context of Asia. O_o
NOTE: The maps are screencaptures from Google Maps. I just added the red lines in photoshop. I don't own the images. Just FYI.
April 3, 2011 - Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
I arrived to Hangzhou early in the evening last night. I was surprised to note that it was surprisingly colder than it had been up north in Kaifeng, Luoyang, and Zhengzhou. I chalked it off to me being lucky and getting nice spring weather while up North. The taxi dropped me off at the Orange Hotel in Moganshan Lu (Moganshan Road) and after checking in and dropping my bags in my room (and discovering the room came with a goldfish named Grace and a rubik's cube to entertain myself) I went out in search of food. The receptionist at the hotel recommended a place across the street that had good and cheap dumplings. I went, and in fact they were good and very cheap (6 RMB for a group of 8? Yeah. Cheap.) and then found a Pearl Milk Tea kiosk right next to the hotel which made me very happy. With a stomach full of dumplings and pearl milk tea, I went to bed happy and looking forward to exploring Hangzhou the following day.
I got some less than stellar breakfast at the hotel this morning, after which I decided to go look for the train ticket kiosk. I needed to buy my train ticket for the Gaotie (bullet train) leaving from Hangzhou for Shanghai tomorrow morning as soon as possible to make sure that I would make it to Shanghai in time to catch my flight back to Chicago O'Hare in the afternoon. It basically took all morning of wandering around Wulinmen Road in the rain without an umbrella (which I refused to buy until 11 am when I felt really wet and miserable) to finally find it and purchase it. After that, I took a bus to Tiandi near Xihu lake. Once at Tiandi, I ducked into a Starbucks and hit there for a while, trying to morph from an Emicicle into a human being again.
That is when Strong, one of NW's friends who lives in Hangzhou called me up. I told her where I was and offered to go have lunch together.
While I waited for Stong, I saw that the rain subsided a bit so I when for a bit of a stroll and meditation around the gardens in Tiandi. It was miserably cold and I was miserably wet, but it was still quite breathtakingly gorgeous. When Strong came, we went for some noodles at Ajisen (a Japanese noodles chain) and for a stroll around part of Xihu. She recommended that I keep on walking through one of the causeways that cross the lake for the full experience and apologized for not being able to come with me. We parted ways and I just continued to walk.
It was a lovely last day in China, despite the awful weather in the morning. Just a day of walking around one of the most beautiful cities in the world next to one of the most beautiful lakes. It really is no wonder that this lake and this city has captured the imagination of innumerable poets and emperors and explorers throughout history. Looking out into Xihu lake in the afternoon after the morning rain, the inky landscape full of mist and mountains and far-off pagodas reminds me of traditional Chinese calligraphy paintings. The Sakuras (cherry-blossoms) and Magnolias are in full bloom as I walk through the causeway and the willows droop over the scattered tings on the edge of the lake. I felt the same way I felt at the Buddhist temple and at the Longmen Grottoes - oddly at peace, in harmony, and tranquil. The crowds of people walking by didn't bother me. There was something ethereal, something special about that place.
The poet Su Dongpo once wrote about West Lake:
That's how I felt at that moment.
I resolved then and there to return someday and spend more than a day in Hangzhou to really bask in the beauty of Xihu (west lake) and its surroundings.
It was with a heavy heart and a gurgling hungry stomach that I got on a bus back to the hotel. I stuffed myself with 20 dumplings at the place across the street and washed them off with some more pearl milk tea. I stopped by the supermarket for some last-minute gift and I am now in my room with my bags all packed, in the company of Grace the Goldfish (who is merrily swimming around her little tank). I am leaving China tomorrow. Although part of me is not sad to go home (I do miss the West, miss my family, my friends, Luna...), it is with a bit of a heavy heart that I prepare to leave Hangzhou. Although I feel like I saw a lot of it, I really think I need to spend some more time here.
Next time, I suppose.
Next time I will come back to Hangzhou, and go to the edge of the desert to see Dunhuang and geek out at the collection of Buddhist caves there (and ride out to the Gobi in a camel), and go to see the Xinjiang Autonomous region in Urumqi, and the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, the panda bears in Chengdu, a re-visit to beautiful Qingdao, the Shaolin temple near Luoyang (which, much to my chagrin, I realized was really close much too late), and the gardens in Suzhou. I also need to go to Tokyo and Kyoto and to see Mount Fuji in Japan. I need to see Seoul, South Korea, and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. I need to ride the transsiberian from Beijing to Saint Petersburg.
Now, how do I write a film that will get me to all those places for free? Or as a business expense??? HAha. I joke.
I'll make it there someday I'm sure. For now, I think I'll focus on New York - seeing M and N again, eating the best pastrami sandwich at Katz' Delicatessen, and catching the blooming Sakuras and Magnolias in Union Square and Central Park. :D
I arrived to Hangzhou early in the evening last night. I was surprised to note that it was surprisingly colder than it had been up north in Kaifeng, Luoyang, and Zhengzhou. I chalked it off to me being lucky and getting nice spring weather while up North. The taxi dropped me off at the Orange Hotel in Moganshan Lu (Moganshan Road) and after checking in and dropping my bags in my room (and discovering the room came with a goldfish named Grace and a rubik's cube to entertain myself) I went out in search of food. The receptionist at the hotel recommended a place across the street that had good and cheap dumplings. I went, and in fact they were good and very cheap (6 RMB for a group of 8? Yeah. Cheap.) and then found a Pearl Milk Tea kiosk right next to the hotel which made me very happy. With a stomach full of dumplings and pearl milk tea, I went to bed happy and looking forward to exploring Hangzhou the following day.
I got some less than stellar breakfast at the hotel this morning, after which I decided to go look for the train ticket kiosk. I needed to buy my train ticket for the Gaotie (bullet train) leaving from Hangzhou for Shanghai tomorrow morning as soon as possible to make sure that I would make it to Shanghai in time to catch my flight back to Chicago O'Hare in the afternoon. It basically took all morning of wandering around Wulinmen Road in the rain without an umbrella (which I refused to buy until 11 am when I felt really wet and miserable) to finally find it and purchase it. After that, I took a bus to Tiandi near Xihu lake. Once at Tiandi, I ducked into a Starbucks and hit there for a while, trying to morph from an Emicicle into a human being again.
That is when Strong, one of NW's friends who lives in Hangzhou called me up. I told her where I was and offered to go have lunch together.
While I waited for Stong, I saw that the rain subsided a bit so I when for a bit of a stroll and meditation around the gardens in Tiandi. It was miserably cold and I was miserably wet, but it was still quite breathtakingly gorgeous. When Strong came, we went for some noodles at Ajisen (a Japanese noodles chain) and for a stroll around part of Xihu. She recommended that I keep on walking through one of the causeways that cross the lake for the full experience and apologized for not being able to come with me. We parted ways and I just continued to walk.
It was a lovely last day in China, despite the awful weather in the morning. Just a day of walking around one of the most beautiful cities in the world next to one of the most beautiful lakes. It really is no wonder that this lake and this city has captured the imagination of innumerable poets and emperors and explorers throughout history. Looking out into Xihu lake in the afternoon after the morning rain, the inky landscape full of mist and mountains and far-off pagodas reminds me of traditional Chinese calligraphy paintings. The Sakuras (cherry-blossoms) and Magnolias are in full bloom as I walk through the causeway and the willows droop over the scattered tings on the edge of the lake. I felt the same way I felt at the Buddhist temple and at the Longmen Grottoes - oddly at peace, in harmony, and tranquil. The crowds of people walking by didn't bother me. There was something ethereal, something special about that place.
The poet Su Dongpo once wrote about West Lake:
"Ripping water shimmering on sunny day,
Misty mountains shrouded the rain;
Plain or gaily decked out like Xizi;
West Lake is always alluring."
Misty mountains shrouded the rain;
Plain or gaily decked out like Xizi;
West Lake is always alluring."
That's how I felt at that moment.
I resolved then and there to return someday and spend more than a day in Hangzhou to really bask in the beauty of Xihu (west lake) and its surroundings.
It was with a heavy heart and a gurgling hungry stomach that I got on a bus back to the hotel. I stuffed myself with 20 dumplings at the place across the street and washed them off with some more pearl milk tea. I stopped by the supermarket for some last-minute gift and I am now in my room with my bags all packed, in the company of Grace the Goldfish (who is merrily swimming around her little tank). I am leaving China tomorrow. Although part of me is not sad to go home (I do miss the West, miss my family, my friends, Luna...), it is with a bit of a heavy heart that I prepare to leave Hangzhou. Although I feel like I saw a lot of it, I really think I need to spend some more time here.
Next time, I suppose.
Next time I will come back to Hangzhou, and go to the edge of the desert to see Dunhuang and geek out at the collection of Buddhist caves there (and ride out to the Gobi in a camel), and go to see the Xinjiang Autonomous region in Urumqi, and the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, the panda bears in Chengdu, a re-visit to beautiful Qingdao, the Shaolin temple near Luoyang (which, much to my chagrin, I realized was really close much too late), and the gardens in Suzhou. I also need to go to Tokyo and Kyoto and to see Mount Fuji in Japan. I need to see Seoul, South Korea, and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. I need to ride the transsiberian from Beijing to Saint Petersburg.
Now, how do I write a film that will get me to all those places for free? Or as a business expense??? HAha. I joke.
I'll make it there someday I'm sure. For now, I think I'll focus on New York - seeing M and N again, eating the best pastrami sandwich at Katz' Delicatessen, and catching the blooming Sakuras and Magnolias in Union Square and Central Park. :D
Saturday, April 16, 2011
April 2, 2011 - Somewhere in the air between Zhengzhou, Henan, China and Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
Our train ride up to Luoyang wasn't nearly as exciting as the one to Kaifeng unfortunately - nor were the seats as comfortable (same kind of train, but the seats were harder for some odd reason). That was ok though considering the train to Luoyang only took about 2-3 hours (I forget exactly how long). When we arrived, we were slightly disappointed by the city itself. Or at least I was. Kaifeng had been kind of charming as a city - Luoyang was bigger, more industrialized, dirtier and more polluted.
After dropping our bags off at the Cygnus International Hotel (not nearly as nice as the New Century Kaifeng - admittedly, the Kaifeng hotel had spoiled us a bit...haha) we went off in search of food with the intention of going to see the peonies after we ate.
You see, on the train, we'd been informed that we had decided to come to Luoyang at an optimal time - the Peony Festival, which is apparently one of the things Luoyang is known for, had started a few days ago. We were told we should go to one of the public parks and see them in full bloom. That we wouldn't regret it!
So, food...we walked around for a bit looking for a restaurant. But we didn't find one until we had walked all the way to the public park. It was a pretty nice restaurant, decently priced and with a good amount of people in it. We ordered a few plates of vegetables and a dish of noodles with some peanut thing in it - one of Luoyang's specialties. Food was good in general, bathroom was clean (cleanest one we'd seen in a while outside of the hotels), and the day was nice.
We wandered over to the public park where we joined a really long line of people thinking that we might have to get a ticket to go into the park or the festival or something. We'd been standing in line for about 20 minutes complaining about how it seemed stupid that we should pay for a ticket for a public park when a lady pointed out that the line was for tickets for a completely different thing.
Boy did WE feel dumb.
We laughed it off as we exited the line and went into the park. The peonies were beautiful. Not quite in full bloom yet (still being protected by big plastic tents over the flowerbeds) but we were still able to see enough to keep us satisfied. We took a few pictures of the flowers, of the lovely Qing-style ting near the flowerbeds, and then sat down and watched all the Chinese parents walking about with their toddlers showing them the flowerbeds or just strolling through the park. Some of them were placing the toddlers in the middle of the flowerbeds to take pictures of their little treasures with the peonies. Although an admittedly cute idea, NW and I commiserated about how that was going to ruin the flower beds and was in direct violation of the very clear, big signs posted next to every bed that screamed "DO NOT GO INTO THE FLOWERBEDS" to the observing passerby.
The parents though, seemed to be enjoying the day out with their one child. The one child policy...NW and I discussed it for a bit there. She pointed out that here, in China, Children seem to be extremely precious - they are everywhere of course, but in China there is a certain - I don't know how to really say this - different protectiveness, different attention to their one child. It is the one chance they get - their one treasure. There is a certain sadness that overwhelmed me when I heard that. Imagine growing up with no brothers and sisters because the government said you can't...I mean, I can see why the One Child Policy is necessary and how it has worked. But this is an outsider's perspective - someone who will probably never have to adhere to the One Child Policy or something similar. I can, if I want to, have twenty children (not that I would - that just seems socially irresponsible) or none at all. But if I could only have one child, I think that they would be my whole world too...
This is why I find China so interesting - so full of nuanced complexities that reveal themselves as you pull back the layers. It is not this one monolithic culture - as their image to the world would have us believe - but a living, thriving, dynamic, evolving country that sees the world in ways that are so radically different but just as efficient as our own. I am always surprised when I learn more about it because it keeps unveiling different faces of itself and keeps me intrigued. The only other thing that does that for me is film....funny how things have a way of working out...I never really considered studying Chinese Language and culture until I just took Elementary Chinese on little more than a whim my first year at Vassar. Haha. More things to validate my Vassar experience as phenomenally unique, eye-opening, and world-changing.
Anyways...
After getting our fill of peonies and babies (God our hormones got the best of us that day, didn't they???) we decided that the caffeine levels in our bloodstream were running dangerously low and that we should go find a cup of coffee for some down time. We had seen a Dio Coffee somewhere as we were walking towards the park so we resolved to go back and find it.
About an hour and a half later, it was 6:30 and we still had not hit it...and NW's museum contact called, offering to take us to dinner. We accepted and got on a cab to go to the hotel to be picked up. Much to our dismay, the coffee place had been a block away from where we had gotten the cab and watched the place roll by as we drove past it.
Ah...I should explain this first! One of the many reasons NW made for such a good trip buddy is that we are both Coffee Junkies. WE NEED OUR COFFEE IN THE MORNING. There aren't that many people out there who would really understand the fact that I need a cup of joe in the morning to function properly. Luckly, NW is the same way, so coffee-searching was usually our first activity in the morning. And sometimes in the afternoon...haha.
So we went to dinner with NW's museum contact at a really fancy place near the Luoyang Museum (which was opening the next day...an event we had both cordially been invited to). Our host ordered a bunch of lovely dishes. I think they were mostly Guangdong (Cantonese) cuisine, but a lot of it was very very good. We ate our fill, got to know the guy, and then went back to the hotel where we promptly fell asleep as soon as our heads touched the pillows.
The next day were up bright and early. We decided to just go over to the McDonald's in the mall across the street from the hotel and get a cup of crappy coffee...we weren't completely convinced that we would find a suitable alternative. First though, we ducked into the Carrefour to pick up some food for breakfast and water bottles to take to the Longmen Grottoes in the afternoon. After emerging from the supermarket with a sad-looking piece of date cake and a yogurt, we spotted a small coffeeplace named Pappa Roti's (we suspect it was a misspelling of Pavarotti). We decided to take a chance and have our coffee there. It could not be worse than McDonald's coffee. Much to our great delight, the coffee was pretty awesome and was Illy and made from an expresso machine!!! We bought a couple of buns that they had there too...those were awesome as well. We ate our breakfast sitting near a decorative fountain in the mall.
After that we ran back to the hotel as NW's contact picked us up to take us to the Luoyang Museum.
The museum itself was impressive. The building was interesting - an inverted pyramid-like structure and spacious and well-lit. The collection was super super impressive (took lots of pics of all the dings and Han mirrors) and they had a lovely calligraphy wing that they were still in the process of setting up. They also had a few pieces borrowed from the Palace Museum in Beijing for their Qing dynasty art wing. As NW noted, it was unusual and impressive that the Palace Museum had loaned a city museum like Luoyang some of their stuff. NW got interviewed on local TV at some point as I exchanged a few businesscards with the TV crew. Hehe. After the tour, NW's contact treated us to a simple (but delicious) lunch at the Museum staff cafeteria and then offered to drive us to the Longmen Grottoes. After a few protests about not wanting to inconvenience them and reassurances that we were not on their part, we accepted.
As we were driving to the caves, we drove past a beautiful Tang-dynasty gate. The museum guy told us it was one of the old city gates from imperial times. He then did a U-turn and went into the complex where the gate was.
Turns out the gate was a museum.
A museum they opened exclusively for us that day.
Wow.
I must say it is one of the more interesting museums I've been to. The Tang fascade we saw from the outside is actually a modern partial reconstruction and it houses the ruins of the old Song dynasty gate!!! We also got to see this pretty neat model of Luoyang back in the day when it was an imperial capital. I also learned that Wu Zitian (the only female empress in all of Chinese history and one of the most badass figures in history in general) ruled from Luoyang. Yay! History!
After the gate museum, NW's museum contact drove us to the Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟 - lóngmén shíkū). I think NW's account of what happened during that visit is a pretty good one and can be checked out here. All I can say about that is that the Longmen Grottoes are just..something else. NW put it in a particularly good way when we saw the huge 5-story Buddhas in one of the many many caves: "The feeling I get here is the same I get whenever I walk into a Jewish Synagogue, a Caltholic Church, an Islamic Mosque, or a Buddhist temple - that these people, the ones who made this, saw God and chose to manifest it this way". Quite an ethereal experience.
I think what she meant is, that it is hard to not look at these incredible works of art and not see God, not see the Ethereal, that force that is greater than all of us - not see that interconnectedness. It is just simply, breathtaking...awesome, in the purest sense of the word...The power of faith really is incredible...
Here are some pictures. But again, as NW aptly put it when going over some of our pix afterwards, although impressive to see through pictures, the pictures will never and can never really do justice to the feeling and the magnitude of actually being in the presence of these grottoes.
My suggestion to all of you is: if you ever make it to China, make the Longmen Grottoes one of the places to go see. It is well worth it...it is definitely one of the most impressing and amazing things I've seen in my entire life. And I am so so glad NW suggested I go with her to Henan to see them!
After hiking around the grottoes feeling amazed, we headed back to the hotel. NW's museum contact took us to dinner. He took us to the old part of Luoyang into this place that was just enough of a dive to be authentic, but not divey enough to be sketchy. We had the traditional Luoyang water banquet (basically a bunch of soups). The soups were really good but they also ordered Century Egg, which I tried, because you know, you should try everything at least once before deciding whether you like it or not.
Yeah.
I didn't like century egg. Texture is weird, flavor is weird...and it took 5 minutes to actually be able to pick it up with my chopsticks.
But I did like the cow's stomach soup! It was really delicious. I know that sounds weird...
After dinner, we said one last goodbye to our very very nice and gracious friend and went back to the hotel for some sleep.
This morning, we woke up, got coffee and buns at Pappa Roti's and jumped on the train to Zhengzhou where NW and I parted ways. NW was staying in Zhengzhou to visit the Henan Provincial museum there and I went to the airport to catch a plane to Hangzhou - my last stop in China before leaving for New York. So that's where I am now. On a plane. Again. The Indian man sitting next to me seems intrigued by what I'm writing. And food service is here.
Gotta go!
Our train ride up to Luoyang wasn't nearly as exciting as the one to Kaifeng unfortunately - nor were the seats as comfortable (same kind of train, but the seats were harder for some odd reason). That was ok though considering the train to Luoyang only took about 2-3 hours (I forget exactly how long). When we arrived, we were slightly disappointed by the city itself. Or at least I was. Kaifeng had been kind of charming as a city - Luoyang was bigger, more industrialized, dirtier and more polluted.
After dropping our bags off at the Cygnus International Hotel (not nearly as nice as the New Century Kaifeng - admittedly, the Kaifeng hotel had spoiled us a bit...haha) we went off in search of food with the intention of going to see the peonies after we ate.
You see, on the train, we'd been informed that we had decided to come to Luoyang at an optimal time - the Peony Festival, which is apparently one of the things Luoyang is known for, had started a few days ago. We were told we should go to one of the public parks and see them in full bloom. That we wouldn't regret it!
So, food...we walked around for a bit looking for a restaurant. But we didn't find one until we had walked all the way to the public park. It was a pretty nice restaurant, decently priced and with a good amount of people in it. We ordered a few plates of vegetables and a dish of noodles with some peanut thing in it - one of Luoyang's specialties. Food was good in general, bathroom was clean (cleanest one we'd seen in a while outside of the hotels), and the day was nice.
We wandered over to the public park where we joined a really long line of people thinking that we might have to get a ticket to go into the park or the festival or something. We'd been standing in line for about 20 minutes complaining about how it seemed stupid that we should pay for a ticket for a public park when a lady pointed out that the line was for tickets for a completely different thing.
Boy did WE feel dumb.
We laughed it off as we exited the line and went into the park. The peonies were beautiful. Not quite in full bloom yet (still being protected by big plastic tents over the flowerbeds) but we were still able to see enough to keep us satisfied. We took a few pictures of the flowers, of the lovely Qing-style ting near the flowerbeds, and then sat down and watched all the Chinese parents walking about with their toddlers showing them the flowerbeds or just strolling through the park. Some of them were placing the toddlers in the middle of the flowerbeds to take pictures of their little treasures with the peonies. Although an admittedly cute idea, NW and I commiserated about how that was going to ruin the flower beds and was in direct violation of the very clear, big signs posted next to every bed that screamed "DO NOT GO INTO THE FLOWERBEDS" to the observing passerby.
The parents though, seemed to be enjoying the day out with their one child. The one child policy...NW and I discussed it for a bit there. She pointed out that here, in China, Children seem to be extremely precious - they are everywhere of course, but in China there is a certain - I don't know how to really say this - different protectiveness, different attention to their one child. It is the one chance they get - their one treasure. There is a certain sadness that overwhelmed me when I heard that. Imagine growing up with no brothers and sisters because the government said you can't...I mean, I can see why the One Child Policy is necessary and how it has worked. But this is an outsider's perspective - someone who will probably never have to adhere to the One Child Policy or something similar. I can, if I want to, have twenty children (not that I would - that just seems socially irresponsible) or none at all. But if I could only have one child, I think that they would be my whole world too...
This is why I find China so interesting - so full of nuanced complexities that reveal themselves as you pull back the layers. It is not this one monolithic culture - as their image to the world would have us believe - but a living, thriving, dynamic, evolving country that sees the world in ways that are so radically different but just as efficient as our own. I am always surprised when I learn more about it because it keeps unveiling different faces of itself and keeps me intrigued. The only other thing that does that for me is film....funny how things have a way of working out...I never really considered studying Chinese Language and culture until I just took Elementary Chinese on little more than a whim my first year at Vassar. Haha. More things to validate my Vassar experience as phenomenally unique, eye-opening, and world-changing.
Anyways...
After getting our fill of peonies and babies (God our hormones got the best of us that day, didn't they???) we decided that the caffeine levels in our bloodstream were running dangerously low and that we should go find a cup of coffee for some down time. We had seen a Dio Coffee somewhere as we were walking towards the park so we resolved to go back and find it.
About an hour and a half later, it was 6:30 and we still had not hit it...and NW's museum contact called, offering to take us to dinner. We accepted and got on a cab to go to the hotel to be picked up. Much to our dismay, the coffee place had been a block away from where we had gotten the cab and watched the place roll by as we drove past it.
Ah...I should explain this first! One of the many reasons NW made for such a good trip buddy is that we are both Coffee Junkies. WE NEED OUR COFFEE IN THE MORNING. There aren't that many people out there who would really understand the fact that I need a cup of joe in the morning to function properly. Luckly, NW is the same way, so coffee-searching was usually our first activity in the morning. And sometimes in the afternoon...haha.
So we went to dinner with NW's museum contact at a really fancy place near the Luoyang Museum (which was opening the next day...an event we had both cordially been invited to). Our host ordered a bunch of lovely dishes. I think they were mostly Guangdong (Cantonese) cuisine, but a lot of it was very very good. We ate our fill, got to know the guy, and then went back to the hotel where we promptly fell asleep as soon as our heads touched the pillows.
The next day were up bright and early. We decided to just go over to the McDonald's in the mall across the street from the hotel and get a cup of crappy coffee...we weren't completely convinced that we would find a suitable alternative. First though, we ducked into the Carrefour to pick up some food for breakfast and water bottles to take to the Longmen Grottoes in the afternoon. After emerging from the supermarket with a sad-looking piece of date cake and a yogurt, we spotted a small coffeeplace named Pappa Roti's (we suspect it was a misspelling of Pavarotti). We decided to take a chance and have our coffee there. It could not be worse than McDonald's coffee. Much to our great delight, the coffee was pretty awesome and was Illy and made from an expresso machine!!! We bought a couple of buns that they had there too...those were awesome as well. We ate our breakfast sitting near a decorative fountain in the mall.
After that we ran back to the hotel as NW's contact picked us up to take us to the Luoyang Museum.
The museum itself was impressive. The building was interesting - an inverted pyramid-like structure and spacious and well-lit. The collection was super super impressive (took lots of pics of all the dings and Han mirrors) and they had a lovely calligraphy wing that they were still in the process of setting up. They also had a few pieces borrowed from the Palace Museum in Beijing for their Qing dynasty art wing. As NW noted, it was unusual and impressive that the Palace Museum had loaned a city museum like Luoyang some of their stuff. NW got interviewed on local TV at some point as I exchanged a few businesscards with the TV crew. Hehe. After the tour, NW's contact treated us to a simple (but delicious) lunch at the Museum staff cafeteria and then offered to drive us to the Longmen Grottoes. After a few protests about not wanting to inconvenience them and reassurances that we were not on their part, we accepted.
As we were driving to the caves, we drove past a beautiful Tang-dynasty gate. The museum guy told us it was one of the old city gates from imperial times. He then did a U-turn and went into the complex where the gate was.
Turns out the gate was a museum.
A museum they opened exclusively for us that day.
Wow.
I must say it is one of the more interesting museums I've been to. The Tang fascade we saw from the outside is actually a modern partial reconstruction and it houses the ruins of the old Song dynasty gate!!! We also got to see this pretty neat model of Luoyang back in the day when it was an imperial capital. I also learned that Wu Zitian (the only female empress in all of Chinese history and one of the most badass figures in history in general) ruled from Luoyang. Yay! History!
After the gate museum, NW's museum contact drove us to the Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟 - lóngmén shíkū). I think NW's account of what happened during that visit is a pretty good one and can be checked out here. All I can say about that is that the Longmen Grottoes are just..something else. NW put it in a particularly good way when we saw the huge 5-story Buddhas in one of the many many caves: "The feeling I get here is the same I get whenever I walk into a Jewish Synagogue, a Caltholic Church, an Islamic Mosque, or a Buddhist temple - that these people, the ones who made this, saw God and chose to manifest it this way". Quite an ethereal experience.
I think what she meant is, that it is hard to not look at these incredible works of art and not see God, not see the Ethereal, that force that is greater than all of us - not see that interconnectedness. It is just simply, breathtaking...awesome, in the purest sense of the word...The power of faith really is incredible...
Here are some pictures. But again, as NW aptly put it when going over some of our pix afterwards, although impressive to see through pictures, the pictures will never and can never really do justice to the feeling and the magnitude of actually being in the presence of these grottoes.
My suggestion to all of you is: if you ever make it to China, make the Longmen Grottoes one of the places to go see. It is well worth it...it is definitely one of the most impressing and amazing things I've seen in my entire life. And I am so so glad NW suggested I go with her to Henan to see them!
After hiking around the grottoes feeling amazed, we headed back to the hotel. NW's museum contact took us to dinner. He took us to the old part of Luoyang into this place that was just enough of a dive to be authentic, but not divey enough to be sketchy. We had the traditional Luoyang water banquet (basically a bunch of soups). The soups were really good but they also ordered Century Egg, which I tried, because you know, you should try everything at least once before deciding whether you like it or not.
Yeah.
I didn't like century egg. Texture is weird, flavor is weird...and it took 5 minutes to actually be able to pick it up with my chopsticks.
But I did like the cow's stomach soup! It was really delicious. I know that sounds weird...
After dinner, we said one last goodbye to our very very nice and gracious friend and went back to the hotel for some sleep.
This morning, we woke up, got coffee and buns at Pappa Roti's and jumped on the train to Zhengzhou where NW and I parted ways. NW was staying in Zhengzhou to visit the Henan Provincial museum there and I went to the airport to catch a plane to Hangzhou - my last stop in China before leaving for New York. So that's where I am now. On a plane. Again. The Indian man sitting next to me seems intrigued by what I'm writing. And food service is here.
Gotta go!
March 31, 2011 - On the Way to Luoyang, China
I'm a little sad to be leaving Kaifeng behind. We had a really lovely time in the city being the only Western-looking foreigners walking around. It really started with the adventure of actually taking the train from Xi'An to Kaifeng. While I was at the Warriors on the 28th, NW had called me up to inform me that all of the 40 RMB train tickets to Kaifeng had been sold out and that all that were left were the 70 RMB ones which she had bought. I guess we sort of assumed that with the price jump we might have gotten a nicer train.
Ah. Right. Let me explain that first I guess. In China, there are different classes of trains and different classes within the different trains. The nicest ones are the Z or G trains (G stands for Gaotie) and are usually the bullet trains that will go at around 300-400 km/hr. Because Z or G or C trains usually shorten distances and run shorter distances anyways, they don't usually have sleeper cabins but instead just have first and second class. As a point of reference, second class on a G train is probably nicer than economy class on most commercial airplanes. The next best train is the D trains. They're usually super nice but run longer distances and are somewhat slower than the bullet trains. You'll usually see them doing the Xi'An-Beijing, Beijing-Xi'An, Beijing-Shanghai, or Shanghai-Beijing routes. I think there's also a D train that does Beijing-Hong Kong but I might be wrong. Anyways, D trains will have sleeper berths as well as seating. Some D trains have 3 classes of sleeper cabins (2-berth cabin soft sleeper, 4-berth cabin soft sleeper, and then the 6-berth hard-sleeper). Then there's the T trains that also run from Xi'An-Beijing and they'll only have two kinds of sleepers (soft sleeper and hard sleeper) and unlettered trains.
So back to the story....
So we both sort of figured that since we paid more for the tickets we might get a nicer train, but our tickets were marked just with a number for the train. We still kind of hoped it would be okay. We had heard from NW's friend Alina that there was a new Gaotie (bullet train) running from Xi'An to Luoyang and we were hoping that maybe, maybe, we'd bought those tickets.
No such luck.
We boarded the modest-looking train only to be met by about 100 Chinese people staring at us as we dragged our super-heavy luggage through the 2nd-class compartment. Some guys were nice enough to help us get it up on the rack. We sat down in our modest seating and tried to ignore all the stares. About an hour into the ride, we began to chat with the people sitting across from us and the guy sitting next to us. They were really surprised that we could speak Chinese. They were really impressed with NW in particular because of her fluency (by that point, I could understand 95% of a conversation but couldn't really answer back). It turns out that one of the guys across from us was going as far as Zhengzhou (the capital of Henan Province) and the other 3 people were all going all the way down to Hangzhou! Pretty ballsy....in a way. Haha. They proudly informed us that the Xi'An-Hangzhou route was 24 hours long. NW and are were impressed by the fact that they planned to stick it out entirely on the hard seats (2nd class seating). We talked about a ton of other stuff too, mostly Chinese History and comparing China with America (they tried to bait us into taking a side while NW and I diplomatically insisted that both countries have their good things and their bad things). At some point, NW got asked how old she was. Just to clarify, in China, this conversation usually goes this way:
Chinese Person: So how old are you?
Foreign Woman: 22.
Chinese Person: Ah! Very good! So do you have a boyfriend?
Foreign Woman: Yes.
Chinese Person: Ah! Very good! Western or Chinese?
Foreign Woman: Western.
Chinese Person: Oh, you don't like Chinese men?
Foreign Woman: No. No. It isn't that. I just met him back home.
Chinese Person: Would you ever consider marrying a Chinese man?
Foreign Woman: I mean, I have nothing against it -
Chinese Person: Ah! Perfect! You should come over for dinner at my house sometime! My son/nephew/cousin/whatever is 23 and very good-looking. You two would be a good match!
*facepalm*
NW, being used to it, laughed it off. Said she had a lovely boyfriend back home that was Asian if that was any comfort to them. The rest of the group laughed it off too.
As we approached Kaifeng, we befriended a girl sitting nearby. She and her friend insisted on giving us a ride to our hotel once we arrived. They said they didn't want us to get ripped-off. We decided to trust them. They did, in fact, drop us off at the door of our hotel which when we arrived felt immense remorse for because the hotel was clearly a very very very nice 5-star luxury hotel (we'd lucked out on Expedia on a great deal) and we felt a bit like ridiculous foreigners. We kept apologizing for the hotel, insisting that we didn't know it would be this nice. They were nice and gracious about it though. They gave us their cell numbers and insisted that we call them up if we got lost or needed guides for the city. We waived them off and then checked in to the hotel.
Can I gush for a bit about how nice of a hotel it was? Because it was ridiculously nice.
The room was probably as big as the average American kitchen and living room put together and we had bathroom with separate rooms for the shower and a tub. Our view was spectacular too! We had a view of a man-made lake and a bunch of Tings. We fell asleep on the very comfy beds almost immediately. Here's our view:
The next day we woke up bright and early, marched ourselves down to the dining hall for a very good breakfast buffet and headed out. NW went to visit the Kaifeng City Museum as I decided to spend my morning visiting a Daoist temple and the nearby Buddhist temple. The Daoist Temple refused me entrance so I just decided to go to up to the Buddhist temple and spend the morning there.
Best. Decision. Ever.
I basically just spent the morning admiring their temples and pagodas and sitting around the Pool of Infinite Freedom just meditating. It was just such a peaceful place...the wind blew through the carved bamboo behind me as the goldfish swam around the pool in front. The city, the stress of daily life seemed far away. Despite being in the middle of a bustling city, the temple was peacefully quiet. I bought a prayer ribbon for myself and tied it on to one of the railings near the pool.
I recited a quiet prayer for Japan - for the wellbeing of all of its people and for the protection of my new friends there.
I sat near the pool for a long time - probably about an hour or so - before deciding that I should walk around some more. Some of the Buddhist monks had been already alerted to my presence. I'd smiled and bowed slightly in respect as they passed me by meditating by the pool. I didn't speak to any of them until right before I entered the room where they kept their Buddha of a Thousand Arms and a Thousand Eyes (which is quite spectacular in its own right) where I ran into a pair of younger monks who were intrigued by my presence. They asked me where I was from, how old I was, and if I was alone. Actually, they asked me if I was Xinjiang (people from the westmost part of China which most Chinese people are not that fond of - and interestingly enough, they'll probably ask you if you're Xinjiang if you're a foreigner and can speak Chinese because all a lot of the Chinese population knows about Xinjiang people is that they're not supposed to look quite like most ethnically Han Chinese and are supposed to be able to speak Mandarin) and I corrected them by saying I was a westerner from the USA and South America. They were really intrigued about what I was doing at a Buddhist temple so far inland on my own and how I had learned such great Chinese. I told them that I had a great admiration and respect for Buddhism and Buddhist traditions and had heard that their temple was especially beautiful. I said I had learned Chinese at Qingdao University. They seemed very pleased with this answer and allowed me to pass. By the time I'd reached the gift shop after looking at all the pavillions in the temple, Buddhist Monks were approaching me everywhere I went. Word had spread quite fast that there was a nice foreigner roaming the grounds and they all wanted to talk to me. This is how my back-up plan was born and how one of the more interesting interactions of my life came to be.
Basically what happened was I got the "how old are you?" conversation from a couple of monks. But instead of it being their son/nephew/whatever they offered to set me up with a very nice young, 23-year-old Buddhist man.
I laughed at that. I told them that even though I appreciated the offer, I was only passing through China and would be going back to America within a week's time.
Their answer to that?
"Oh that's not a problem! Just take him with you!"
Which caused all of us to burst out laughing at the prospect of it. I joked about stuffing him into my luggage and how proud my parents would be of me bringing home a nice Buddhist husband. Haha.
They said that they were joking of course, but still said "Well, if you ever want a Chinese boyfriend, you should come back and we'll be happy to arrange it!"
I said that I would keep that offer in mind for the future as I exited the store, resolving to get some more meditation time near the Pool of Infinite Freedom.
And so now I figure, if all else fails...there's always the possibility of finding a nice Buddhist husband in Kaifeng. Hahaha.
As I was on my second round of meditation by the pool, NW called me up and told me she had left the museum and that we should go find some lunch somewhere. I said goodbye to a monk hanging around the pool and then left the complex.
I met NW outside of the temple and we ducked into a restaurant some 20 minutes afterwards. After a pleasant lunch, we continued on to Longqing Park which is essentially the old Imperial Palace in Kaifeng. It is really really pretty, but less than spectacular when compared to the Forbidden City in Beijing.
This is also where NW had her embarrassing moment with a deaf girl which you can read about here. We didn't do much except walk about for a bit and enjoy the scenery.
Here are a few pix of Longqing Park:
After the park, we went to see the famous Iron Pagoda (鐵塔 - Tiětǎ) at Youguo Temple (a different Buddhist temple than the one I went to). I must say, that was pretty spectacular. The pagoda itself isn't made of iron but bricks that have been painted with a special glaze that makes it look like iron. The incredible thing about this pagoda (besides it being very very beautiful and very very cool) is that it has been around for almost 1000 years and has survived 38 earthquakes, 6 floods, and a quite a fair share of wars and invasions. Pretty neat, huh?
NW decided that she was going to climb up through the insides. I decided against it mostly because my ankle hated me by this point in the day and wouldn't take kindly to me making it climb the pagoda. I hung out around the gardens until she came down to inform me there wasn't much at the top besides a small Buddha and some candles anyways.
We left Longqing Park on the plan of looking for dinner. We decided that we would have dinner by just picking up random stuff off vendor carts at the night market but would precede this outing by ducking into the nearest Halal place and splitting a portion of Xiaolongbao (the soupy dumplings) since it wasn't quite night yet.
After an hour of eating soupy dumplings and a side of beer/tea we ventured out to the night market. THE FOOD WAS SO GOOD. OMG.
We ate some crepe-like thing that I forget what it was called, and NW also ate a bing (flatbread) with pork in it. It looked really good....we also bought some Huasheng bing (peanut cakes) that are a specialty in Kaifeng. We also got so see how they were made. Which basically consisted of two very strong Chinese guys pounding on this hot mixture of peanuts and sugar until it became sort of a phyllo-dough type thing.
SO GOOD.
After we had eaten our fill of night market snacks, we hailed a cab back to the hotel where NW promptly proceeded to go soak in the tub while I sent out emails on my computer. The day was finished off by watching Revolutionary Road on HBO and then passing out for the night. :D
I'm a little sad to be leaving Kaifeng behind. We had a really lovely time in the city being the only Western-looking foreigners walking around. It really started with the adventure of actually taking the train from Xi'An to Kaifeng. While I was at the Warriors on the 28th, NW had called me up to inform me that all of the 40 RMB train tickets to Kaifeng had been sold out and that all that were left were the 70 RMB ones which she had bought. I guess we sort of assumed that with the price jump we might have gotten a nicer train.
Ah. Right. Let me explain that first I guess. In China, there are different classes of trains and different classes within the different trains. The nicest ones are the Z or G trains (G stands for Gaotie) and are usually the bullet trains that will go at around 300-400 km/hr. Because Z or G or C trains usually shorten distances and run shorter distances anyways, they don't usually have sleeper cabins but instead just have first and second class. As a point of reference, second class on a G train is probably nicer than economy class on most commercial airplanes. The next best train is the D trains. They're usually super nice but run longer distances and are somewhat slower than the bullet trains. You'll usually see them doing the Xi'An-Beijing, Beijing-Xi'An, Beijing-Shanghai, or Shanghai-Beijing routes. I think there's also a D train that does Beijing-Hong Kong but I might be wrong. Anyways, D trains will have sleeper berths as well as seating. Some D trains have 3 classes of sleeper cabins (2-berth cabin soft sleeper, 4-berth cabin soft sleeper, and then the 6-berth hard-sleeper). Then there's the T trains that also run from Xi'An-Beijing and they'll only have two kinds of sleepers (soft sleeper and hard sleeper) and unlettered trains.
So back to the story....
So we both sort of figured that since we paid more for the tickets we might get a nicer train, but our tickets were marked just with a number for the train. We still kind of hoped it would be okay. We had heard from NW's friend Alina that there was a new Gaotie (bullet train) running from Xi'An to Luoyang and we were hoping that maybe, maybe, we'd bought those tickets.
No such luck.
We boarded the modest-looking train only to be met by about 100 Chinese people staring at us as we dragged our super-heavy luggage through the 2nd-class compartment. Some guys were nice enough to help us get it up on the rack. We sat down in our modest seating and tried to ignore all the stares. About an hour into the ride, we began to chat with the people sitting across from us and the guy sitting next to us. They were really surprised that we could speak Chinese. They were really impressed with NW in particular because of her fluency (by that point, I could understand 95% of a conversation but couldn't really answer back). It turns out that one of the guys across from us was going as far as Zhengzhou (the capital of Henan Province) and the other 3 people were all going all the way down to Hangzhou! Pretty ballsy....in a way. Haha. They proudly informed us that the Xi'An-Hangzhou route was 24 hours long. NW and are were impressed by the fact that they planned to stick it out entirely on the hard seats (2nd class seating). We talked about a ton of other stuff too, mostly Chinese History and comparing China with America (they tried to bait us into taking a side while NW and I diplomatically insisted that both countries have their good things and their bad things). At some point, NW got asked how old she was. Just to clarify, in China, this conversation usually goes this way:
Chinese Person: So how old are you?
Foreign Woman: 22.
Chinese Person: Ah! Very good! So do you have a boyfriend?
Foreign Woman: Yes.
Chinese Person: Ah! Very good! Western or Chinese?
Foreign Woman: Western.
Chinese Person: Oh, you don't like Chinese men?
Foreign Woman: No. No. It isn't that. I just met him back home.
Chinese Person: Would you ever consider marrying a Chinese man?
Foreign Woman: I mean, I have nothing against it -
Chinese Person: Ah! Perfect! You should come over for dinner at my house sometime! My son/nephew/cousin/whatever is 23 and very good-looking. You two would be a good match!
*facepalm*
NW, being used to it, laughed it off. Said she had a lovely boyfriend back home that was Asian if that was any comfort to them. The rest of the group laughed it off too.
As we approached Kaifeng, we befriended a girl sitting nearby. She and her friend insisted on giving us a ride to our hotel once we arrived. They said they didn't want us to get ripped-off. We decided to trust them. They did, in fact, drop us off at the door of our hotel which when we arrived felt immense remorse for because the hotel was clearly a very very very nice 5-star luxury hotel (we'd lucked out on Expedia on a great deal) and we felt a bit like ridiculous foreigners. We kept apologizing for the hotel, insisting that we didn't know it would be this nice. They were nice and gracious about it though. They gave us their cell numbers and insisted that we call them up if we got lost or needed guides for the city. We waived them off and then checked in to the hotel.
Can I gush for a bit about how nice of a hotel it was? Because it was ridiculously nice.
The room was probably as big as the average American kitchen and living room put together and we had bathroom with separate rooms for the shower and a tub. Our view was spectacular too! We had a view of a man-made lake and a bunch of Tings. We fell asleep on the very comfy beds almost immediately. Here's our view:
The next day we woke up bright and early, marched ourselves down to the dining hall for a very good breakfast buffet and headed out. NW went to visit the Kaifeng City Museum as I decided to spend my morning visiting a Daoist temple and the nearby Buddhist temple. The Daoist Temple refused me entrance so I just decided to go to up to the Buddhist temple and spend the morning there.
Best. Decision. Ever.
I basically just spent the morning admiring their temples and pagodas and sitting around the Pool of Infinite Freedom just meditating. It was just such a peaceful place...the wind blew through the carved bamboo behind me as the goldfish swam around the pool in front. The city, the stress of daily life seemed far away. Despite being in the middle of a bustling city, the temple was peacefully quiet. I bought a prayer ribbon for myself and tied it on to one of the railings near the pool.
I recited a quiet prayer for Japan - for the wellbeing of all of its people and for the protection of my new friends there.
I sat near the pool for a long time - probably about an hour or so - before deciding that I should walk around some more. Some of the Buddhist monks had been already alerted to my presence. I'd smiled and bowed slightly in respect as they passed me by meditating by the pool. I didn't speak to any of them until right before I entered the room where they kept their Buddha of a Thousand Arms and a Thousand Eyes (which is quite spectacular in its own right) where I ran into a pair of younger monks who were intrigued by my presence. They asked me where I was from, how old I was, and if I was alone. Actually, they asked me if I was Xinjiang (people from the westmost part of China which most Chinese people are not that fond of - and interestingly enough, they'll probably ask you if you're Xinjiang if you're a foreigner and can speak Chinese because all a lot of the Chinese population knows about Xinjiang people is that they're not supposed to look quite like most ethnically Han Chinese and are supposed to be able to speak Mandarin) and I corrected them by saying I was a westerner from the USA and South America. They were really intrigued about what I was doing at a Buddhist temple so far inland on my own and how I had learned such great Chinese. I told them that I had a great admiration and respect for Buddhism and Buddhist traditions and had heard that their temple was especially beautiful. I said I had learned Chinese at Qingdao University. They seemed very pleased with this answer and allowed me to pass. By the time I'd reached the gift shop after looking at all the pavillions in the temple, Buddhist Monks were approaching me everywhere I went. Word had spread quite fast that there was a nice foreigner roaming the grounds and they all wanted to talk to me. This is how my back-up plan was born and how one of the more interesting interactions of my life came to be.
Basically what happened was I got the "how old are you?" conversation from a couple of monks. But instead of it being their son/nephew/whatever they offered to set me up with a very nice young, 23-year-old Buddhist man.
I laughed at that. I told them that even though I appreciated the offer, I was only passing through China and would be going back to America within a week's time.
Their answer to that?
"Oh that's not a problem! Just take him with you!"
Which caused all of us to burst out laughing at the prospect of it. I joked about stuffing him into my luggage and how proud my parents would be of me bringing home a nice Buddhist husband. Haha.
They said that they were joking of course, but still said "Well, if you ever want a Chinese boyfriend, you should come back and we'll be happy to arrange it!"
I said that I would keep that offer in mind for the future as I exited the store, resolving to get some more meditation time near the Pool of Infinite Freedom.
And so now I figure, if all else fails...there's always the possibility of finding a nice Buddhist husband in Kaifeng. Hahaha.
As I was on my second round of meditation by the pool, NW called me up and told me she had left the museum and that we should go find some lunch somewhere. I said goodbye to a monk hanging around the pool and then left the complex.
I met NW outside of the temple and we ducked into a restaurant some 20 minutes afterwards. After a pleasant lunch, we continued on to Longqing Park which is essentially the old Imperial Palace in Kaifeng. It is really really pretty, but less than spectacular when compared to the Forbidden City in Beijing.
This is also where NW had her embarrassing moment with a deaf girl which you can read about here. We didn't do much except walk about for a bit and enjoy the scenery.
Here are a few pix of Longqing Park:
After the park, we went to see the famous Iron Pagoda (鐵塔 - Tiětǎ) at Youguo Temple (a different Buddhist temple than the one I went to). I must say, that was pretty spectacular. The pagoda itself isn't made of iron but bricks that have been painted with a special glaze that makes it look like iron. The incredible thing about this pagoda (besides it being very very beautiful and very very cool) is that it has been around for almost 1000 years and has survived 38 earthquakes, 6 floods, and a quite a fair share of wars and invasions. Pretty neat, huh?
NW decided that she was going to climb up through the insides. I decided against it mostly because my ankle hated me by this point in the day and wouldn't take kindly to me making it climb the pagoda. I hung out around the gardens until she came down to inform me there wasn't much at the top besides a small Buddha and some candles anyways.
We left Longqing Park on the plan of looking for dinner. We decided that we would have dinner by just picking up random stuff off vendor carts at the night market but would precede this outing by ducking into the nearest Halal place and splitting a portion of Xiaolongbao (the soupy dumplings) since it wasn't quite night yet.
After an hour of eating soupy dumplings and a side of beer/tea we ventured out to the night market. THE FOOD WAS SO GOOD. OMG.
We ate some crepe-like thing that I forget what it was called, and NW also ate a bing (flatbread) with pork in it. It looked really good....we also bought some Huasheng bing (peanut cakes) that are a specialty in Kaifeng. We also got so see how they were made. Which basically consisted of two very strong Chinese guys pounding on this hot mixture of peanuts and sugar until it became sort of a phyllo-dough type thing.
SO GOOD.
After we had eaten our fill of night market snacks, we hailed a cab back to the hotel where NW promptly proceeded to go soak in the tub while I sent out emails on my computer. The day was finished off by watching Revolutionary Road on HBO and then passing out for the night. :D
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