On leaving the Capital of the World to go to one of the Ancient Capitals of China

March 25, 2011 - On my way to Xi'An, China

And so my visit to Hong Kong (the main purpose of this whole trip I suppose) ends without much panache. Travel days are usually unexciting at first - they start out with the one day I am able (or allow myself) to sleep in, then go look for breakfast somewhere in the vicinity of the hotel. This is usually followed by checking out of the hotel and dealing with some airport I usually don't have much inclination to deal with. They end with the tiredness that comes with travel but also the excitement of being somewhere else, and somewhere new.
Today is not much different to tell you the truth. I woke up at 8:00 am, watched Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel (China LOVES the Discovery Channel - they must agree with my parents on it being wholesome and informative or something) and then I got dressed and went in search of breakfast food. I settled on a small Dim Sum restaurant a block away from the hotel (yes, Dim Sum as brunch silly westerners - and yes, I didn't know this either until I came to Hong Kong and got a few weird looks when I asked where I could find some quality Dim Sum at 8:00 pm). I had a really delicious breakfast of steamed veggie dumplings, shrimp rolls (steamed), and a pot of Pu'Er tea (my favorite Chinese tea). All of this for 33 HKD (or $3.85). Really good deal if you ask me!
The restaurant people were really nice too! When I came in and sat down, the lady warned me that this was a Chinese restaurant that didn't serve western food. I told her that I knew that - that I had come for Chinese food and that I spoke Mandarin Chinese (普通话 - Pǔtōnghuà). She was quite delighted about this and proceeded to take my order in Chinese. When she cleared my plates, she said it had been wonderful to meet a westerner who spoke Pǔtōnghuà and who spoke it as clearly and nicely as I did. High praise!!! I usually think that I butcher my Chinese when I speak it, so to have someone say that I spoke beautifully really made my day.
To be honest, I've missed speaking Pǔtōnghuà here in Hong Kong. I mean, a lot of the conferences at Filmart were dictated in Chinese (and I understood a great deal of them to my surprise) but nobody really speaks Pǔtōnghuà to you here if they can avoid it. Although the guy who came to fix my internet last night spoke Mandarin with someone on the phone. Again, I understood most of the conversation (except for words like "IP Address", but come on, I barely remember how to say toilet in Chinese sometimes, do you really expect me to know "IP address"?). The point is, part of me is really happy about going back to China where I can speak the language and read the signs on the streets.
Hong Kong has been quite an experience though. Perhaps not my favorite place I've been to soo far on this trip (Beijing takes that honor so far - but I have a feeling Xi'An might de-throne it) but an interesting experience nonetheless. I mean, I came to Hong Kong to do what everyone in Hong Kong comes here to do - work. Hong Kong is a business city. You can just see that through and through that's what it is. I mean, one of the nice things, however, is the the absence of real opulence like you'll see in Los Angeles, New York, or even Shanghai and Beijing. Especially in Los Angeles. I swear I saw as many Chanel boutiques in Hong Kong as Old Navy stores in an average American city. And the thing is: PEOPLE BUY STUFF there, they don't just like window shop. The thing is, I think they seem to like owning one nice thing. Like, they'll own a Chanel purse, but just the one and won't really buy a new one each season. Also, you won't really see any Maseratis running around town (who owns a car in Hong Kong with that unbelievably smooth, efficient, and cheap subway system anyways?) so I guess they just don't spend money on that. I like that absence of opulence though. The problem is that because Hong Kong seems to be so strictly about business I think that given my personality and my history, living in a city like that would cause me to overwork myself or become a workaholic which I don't really think that I'd like. That being said, Hong Kong is one of those few cities which I feel like I could live in for a while if I had to (unlike, say, Shanghai, Chicago, or Miami). It is because of all of this that I think that if the world ever needed a capital, I think Hong Kong would be the ideal city (and not New York...I know, SHOCKER, right?). It is just such a teeming metropolis of Pan-Asian culture --- it really is unique that way, it just absorbs different culture into its own in an effort to define itself - Chinese (southern chinese), India, Malaysian, Thai, Australian, UK, Philippines, Korean...I swear, all you need to do is throw in a few thousand latinos to Latin-Americanize the place and we're golden. I think seeing Hong Kong has helped me understand and contextualize the theme of an identity-confused city in Wong Kar-Wai's films. Hong Kong is exactly that - it doesn't quite know what it is and suffers because of it, but only makes passive efforts to remedy the situation. It is, in that respect, also the perfect symbol of modernity - growing, absorbing, but still unable to tell us who we are or what it is.
My next destination approaches.
I see the much more modestly tall skyline from the airplane window bathed in the rays of the sunset. ON towards my next adventure - to the city of the terracotta warriors.

Some pix of Hong Kong:

Categories: airplane, Chinese, Dim Sum, Hong Kong, Xi'An

Heading South for the Winter

March 20, 2011 - On the Way to Hong Kong, China

I'm on the plane to Hong Kong at the moment. It was slightly delayed in taking off but I find that I don't care much. Mostly because I'm excited about Hong Kong. The good experience in Beijing and a good night in Shaghai at the Holiday Inn Express Jingqiao really made a difference. Also, China Eastern Airlines finally gave me a certificate that will help me get my Shanghai-Tokyo-Shanghai flight get refunded. Also the Holiday Inn Express Jingqiao in Shanghai is one of the most pleasant hotel experiences I've ever had. it isn't luxurious but it has everything one needs and no frills while being clean, modern and nice. For $57/night (including free internet and breakfast plus the availability of a self-operated laundry room on the premises) I was really happy with it. It also allowed me to have the exprience of taking the Maglev train (short for Magnetic Levitation Train and known in Chinese as 上海磁浮示范运营线 or Shànghǎi Cífú Shìfàn Yùnyíng Xiàn) from Longyang Road Station (龙阳路站 - Lóngyáng Lù Zhàn) to Shanghai Pudong Airport.
What an experience!
The train reaches a speed of 450 km/h and makes a journey that would usually take 45 minutes by car in just under 10 minutes.

The Maglev parked at Lóngyáng Lù Zhàn:


Video of Maglev Experience!!!



Other than that, I feel oddly at ease for the Filmart. I think I will do well. I know what I'm talking about and I've got good products. I gotta go earn my bread and butter! I'm excited!
The vistas from the plane are quite wonderful. I haven't really seen the sun in a few days because both Beijing and Shanghai have been so foggy so it is nice to see clear blue skies, the red light of sunset, and a sea of clouds below me.

Categories: airplane, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai

Beijing (Or How I bought everything inside the Hongqiao Pearl Market)

March 19, 2011 - Beijing, China

I'm siting on the plane heading back to Shanghai for the night. Seems very bittersweet, all things considered. I'm significantly poorer from my exploits in Beijing but mostly because having to detour there because of the earthquake (and subsequent nuclear crisis) in Japan has been expensive. I mean, staying in LA or Chicago or even Shanghai would have been (admittedly) worse but my pocket currently hurts a little. That's ok though. My parents keep telling me that I'll make enough money to pay it off pretty quickly when I get back to Quito.
I think so too.
I've decided to stop worrying about it too much.
I blame the bigger expenses on the Swisshotel Beijing ending up costing me $130/night instead of $115 for two nights and the fact that I just blew through a good amount of cash at the Hongqiao Pearl Market. I won't have to worry about presents for any female acquaintances of mine though (which is super nice).
Also the Hongqiao Pearl market is also one of the only places in the world where I will buy jewelry for myself. I did very well I think. I got myself a pair of really lovely pearl necklaces (one in assorted green, brown, and eggplant purple irregular river pearls and one in two long strands of black, white, and dark grey irregulars) plus two sets of earrings. I love the small earrings I got last time because they're tiny and discreet but classy and fun (I have a pair of eggplant purple ones and I got some forest green iridescents and rose pink iridescents). They're also cheap (going for 10 RMB a pair which I bargained down from 25 RMB per pair). I also bought a really cute purse and a ton of iphone covers (they were 45 RMB each!) and my brother's graduation present: a name-brand set of really nice headphones that usually go for around $200 (and I got them for $71).
See what I mean about loving the Hongqiao Pearl Market/?
Anyways, that wasn't quite the highlight of my trip to Beijing. What was was the Hutong Cuisine cooking course I took on Friday March 18. I consider that to be some of the best $50 I've ever spent in my life. Xia and her family were good instructors. I had tons and tons of fun and learned how to properly make dumplings and Sichuan noodles and cucumber salad. I also learned the importance of having good soy sauce, good vinegar, and good wine to cook with as it makes a world of a difference. I also learned how to properly select vegetables at the market and tell if they're good (an art previously reduced to me staring at the cucumbers for 5 minutes and then arbitrarily picking one up and nodding wisely while muttering "Yes, this one is good"). An excellent experience overall and one that I highly recommend for anyone spending some time in Beijing.
After that, I met up with a Vassar Alum (don't you love the fact that we're everywhere?) and we talked about the Chinese Film Industry. The perspective I got from him is sort of invaluable. I am really happy about that. Then we discussed the situation in Japan and China's salt-buying and food-stocking frenzy. He told me that he himself had gone out that morning and stocked up on Ramen noodles and other non-perishables. The Chinese are frightened that the situation will worsen and the winds will shift. If that's the case, cities near the coast or on the coast of China (like Beijing or Shanghai) might be severely affected. My fellow alum (and now friend) pointed out that there were rumors saying that if things go awry and worsen and the winds shift, people in Beijing, for example, might be confined to their houses for a few weeks to avoid exposure to radiation fallout. I got a little scared, I'll admit...Mosty because I realized that if something like that does happen, I have to connect back to the US through Shanghai and that might not be a great idea. I quickly made a contingency plan - to either stay in Xi'An with Wei Ningqi or connect to Amsterdam via Hong Kong (I promptly called my aunt to ask if that was ok). Not that I think anything will necessarily happen, but better safe than sorry is a good rule to follow in some situations I think.
After being a little freaked out, I went to walk around Beijing for a bit. I decided to hail a cab and go to Nanluoguxiang (a suggestion made by my fellow alum), a Hutong street that is very hip and happening and not that touristy. It is full of young locals and expats living in Beijing. It has a bunch of interesting trendy little stores and restaurants and bars.



I had a lovely meal of vegetarian Korean Hot Pot and Korean Cinnamon Tea for 59 RMB (about $8.70) at Saveurs de Corée and had to stop myself from buying hats and leather-bound notebooks or porcelain coffee mugs with rubber lids that look like take-away coffee mugs.



I was really tempted to get one of the latter actually but decided against it when I realized that I would definitely already be hauling along 4 coffee mugs (from Beijing, Hong Kong, Xi'An, and Chicago) from Starbucks (it is a thing that I do). But other than that, it was a really really cool place.
Anyways, I will miss Beijing.
Definitely.
I'm kind of sad that I'm going back to Shanghai. I don't like Shanghai as it stresses me out.
Ah well.
Onwards to Hong Kong and Xi'An I suppose!

Categories: Beijing, Hongqiao Pearl Market, Korean Hot Pot, Nanluoguxiang

When Travel Plans Change and All Hell Breaks Loose

March 17, 2011 - En-route to Beijing from Shanghai, China

You will not believe what I've been through in the past few days. So because of the terrible earthquake in Japan that happened on Friday March 10, 2011, my travel plans had to change. I was supposed to be in Tokyo, Japan last night but the earthquake damage and the aftermath concerning the Fukushima Daichii Reactor damage have made it impossible for me to continue on the original itinerary I had planned (part of me thought of going there anyways to volunteer to help distribute supplies and that sort of thing but my parents were already freaked out enough by the thought of me being in Asia so I didn't go through with the plan). My hosts in Japan were really worried and stressed out but alive luckily. I made sure to keep in touch and check up on them periodically to make sure they're doing okay. My prayers and thoughts are with them and all of the people in Japan.
The change of plans, however, did throw a wrench in my traveling plans. I decided that the best, and cheapest, thing to do would be to continue on to China as planned but switch my visit to Beijing to the beginning of the trip instead of the end (I had originally planned to catch a train from Xi'An to Beijing at the end). This proved to be incredibly troublesome anyways.
To begin with, I got to Chicago only to find that the website I had booked my hotel through screwed up the reservation dates at the Hyatt Regency (stupid Priceline) and this I had no hotel to stay at in Chicago and $70 went down the drain (did I mention that Priceline should go to hell?). I went back to Chicago O'Hare and promptly proceeded to call every single hotel in the area. I finally found one that had an adequate price, only to have my reservation fucked up again (really, Baymont Inn, REALLY?).
This was 1:46 pm.
I was hungry, sleep-deprived and annoyed and angry.
On a hunch, after leaving the hotel pick-up waiting room at O'Hare because the other two guys in the room were staring at me and freaked me out, I checked if O'Hare had an American Airlines Admirals Club.
It did.
It has showers, and free WiFi and Coffee and comfortable seats.
I resolved that the best alternative was to just sleep it out on a bench until the American Airlines counter opened and then purchase a day-pass to the club, take a shower, drink some coffee, and send out a slew of emails - which is exactly what I did.
I was really happy with the results.
The Admirals Club at O'Hare was wonderful - and whomever thought of putting showers in it is a genius. I cannot tell you how much of a difference being able to take a shower and put on some fresh clothes makes before traveling. Especially if it is a long flight like the 14-hour flight from Chicago O'Hare to Shanghai Pudong.
Anyways...I spent the rest of the time stressing out over the logistics of getting to Beijing. China Eastern Airlines wouldn't answer their phones so I left my parents with the unpleasant task of rescheduling the Tokyo flight. Meanwhile, I book what looked to be a reputable hotel in Shanghai and looked up some airfare prices on Ctrip for the Shanghai-Beijing flight and rescheduled my reservation at the Swisshotel Beijing. I left the Admirals Club in a rush, making it to the gate in time but still freaking over the fact that I didn't have a flight out of Shanghai and the Tokyo flight cancellation issue being a pain in the ass because China Eastern Airlines US office was being less than helpful. I completely lost it when I sat down in my seat on the plane with my mom on the phone. I guess the fact that I was flying out to Shanghai on my own with half-baked plans for the next few days finally got to me. Maybe it was also the sleep deprivation and the stress of the hotel situation and the lack of having eaten a proper, balanced meal since the glorious breakfast buffet at the Glendale Hilton in Burbank, Los Angeles, CA the day before. I managed to calm down by the time we taxied out of O'Hare when I promptly fell asleep for 2 hours until the flight attendant came by with some snacks and beverages.
The flight was alright. Except for the fact that the lady next to me was a grumpy wart of a person that insisted on taking up some of my seat space and floor space and making faces when I asked her to be let out to go to the bathroom. This resulted in the viewing of The Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock, The Office, Extras, The King's Speech, Glee, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1, 2 episodes of The Wizards of Waverly Place, Sonny With A Chance, and the beginning of Burlesque all in one sitting (the last three were the result of running out of things to watch). The King's Speech is excellent by the way... highly recommend it. I also snuck a few peeks out the window to look at the wast, white, dead plains of the Siberian tundra we flew over for 3-4 hours. it was truly beautiful in a haunting way. It reminded me that someday I need to do the transsiberian railway. At times the snow was reflecting so much light that it was hard to look at it because it was so bright.
I was a little relieved to land in Shanghai though that didn't last long. I took a cab to the hotel I booked because my stupid phone wouldn't read my Chinese SIM card and I couldn't find the hotel van. Turns out the cab didn't know where the hotel was and kept asking me in Chinese where the hotel was. I kept telling him I didn't know. Because, really, do I look like I know where things are in Shanghai? Shanghai is ridiculously huge!
Anyways, it turned out to be an expensive $20 cab ride around the ugly parts of the Pudong area. I ended up back at the airport, tired, and freaking out again. I located the Ctrip counter by chance and booked a flight to Beijing out of Hongqiao airport (at the other end of town). The agent told me it might be a better idea to just get a hotel in that area anyways since my flight was leaving so early. After much deliberation, I settled on the Howard Johnson Hongqiao Airport that included free internet and breakfast and then jumped on the Pudong-Hongqiao airport shuttle and somehow made it half-alive to the hotel where I basically just fell asleep immediately after stuffing my face with Thin Crispy Edamame Crackers from Trader Joe's that I had found in my bag.
I woke up this morning, and to my dismay, found out that breakfast wouldn't be served until 6:30 am and I had to be in Hongqiao by then. It wasn't bad though. I had a coffee in Hongqiao and a proper Chinese breakfast of vegetable-and-noodle soup (25 RMB for Coffee, 15 RMB for the soup) and hopped on what has been the shakiest airplane ride I've ever experienced. But I'm happy. And less stressed. I'm 15 minutes away from landing in Beijing. I've decided that today I'm going to the Forbidden City and the Heavenly Temple if I can make it. I will treat myself to a proper dinner of Peking Roast Duck (北京烤鸭 - běijīng kǎoyā) and then go to my cooking class tomorrow. I will meet with a fellow Vassar alum and then the next day take a stroll up the Great Wall or Summer Palace (time permitting). Pictures will, of course, come soon.
Travel stress should be over soon. Yay!

Categories: Beijing, Japan Earthquake, Shanghai, stress, travel

Sesquicentennial

March 14, 2011 - Los Angeles, California

So I've been up and down California these past few days. I was up in Fresno visiting my friend J for the past 3 days (two of which were spent mostly driving). We went to see the giant Sequoias in Sequoia National Park. That was quite something! I was surprised at how huge they were. It seems inconceivable to me that nature can make something so naturally tall.
Well, not really, but they were still really impressive.



I also got to drive through the winding mountain roads at 45 mi/hour (around 70-80 km/hr) with some truly spectacular landscapes around me - the kind only seen in Argentina (and maybe Sweden?). it is just amazing because you don't traditionally think of California having these landscapes. California is usually associated with beaches and surfing and whatnot but not with giant trees and snowy mountain landscapes.



I drove back to LA early the next morning (or attempted to) and was back in the city by 2:30 pm. I had in that short time span managed to lose my Diners Club AAdvantage Credit Card at the gas station I stopped to refuel at. That was the beginning of a few very stressful few days that i will get into more detail later. But after sorting out the credit card thing, I showered and got ready at full speed and went to Vassar's Sesquicentennial event at the Getty Center. I was 10 minutes late but still managed to get a good seat. Vassar Alum Lisa Kudrow '85 was hosting the event and this marked the second time in which I've been 20 meters away from her without actually meeting her (the first was graduation upon receiving my diploma last May). She's really funny and a good speaker and you can tell she's really smart - the quintessential Vassar girl really. Determined...
It is funny. As I heard her speak about Vassar and also when I heard her speak on NPR's program Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me last week, I felt that connection as a fellow Vassar Alum. It really is about an attitude towards life that makes us successful and daring and groundbreaking. The sesquicentennial event was a celebration of that - a celebration of the value of the liberal arts education we received and the celebration of the fight to continue to propagate it and give new generations access to it. The value of the Vassar education, as Vassar College President Catherine "Cappy" Hill aptly put it, is not often recognized by those who haven't experienced it. In fact, you really don't recognize its value until you've left the ivy-covered walls of the campus and begin to experience the real world. I think that my appreciation for it grew exponentially upon leaving and looking back at what I've accomplished in my short time away from it and my attitude towards the times that I've failed at things. I keep at it - I keep at it in a strategic way.
That's important!
Success (financial) will come eventually, but for now, I am proud of the person I am and am becoming and what I fight for.
Can't ask for anything better, right?

Categories: california, college, J, LA, sesquicentennial, Vassar

On My Way Back from the Galápagos

March 07, 2011 - En-route from Galápagos to Quito, Ecuador

The plane just left Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (San Cristóbal Island) and I have mixed feelings about leaving. I'm definitely not sorry to leave the ungodly heat (32°C with humidity and an equatorial sun) or the chinchorro bugs (these pretty-looking beatles - iridescent green/blue with black - that are considered pests on the islands) that get in everywhere and emit a foul odor when stepped on, or the fact that I have to be tiptoeing around the tourists. But I will still miss the warmth and kindness of all the "colonos" (or "galapaguenses") local to the area. The travel agency's associate on the island, Eduardo, and his sister Lydia are both angels. We teased Eduardo mercilessly about a number of things (he just is one of those guys) but he ran that operation and really knew his stuff. His right-hand man is really a woman: his sister Lydia. She was the one who solved any and all problems that came up. They're wonderful people outside of the work environment as well. Eduardo made it a point to join us for breakfast every day and then offered to take us fishing on Saturday (our day off). What an experience! We were out there and caught five HUGE yellowfin tunas. One of them, weighing in at about 30 lbs, I reeled in and caught myself!
Here's me with the tuna:



I am really excited about that. I've never been able to catch anything in my life (I've been known to participate in some attempts to fish trout in the highlands) so I didn't expect to catch anything this time around...but there it is! Best part is, we took my tuna back to the port and Eduardo and Lydia took us to their house where they skinned, gut, and cooked the fish that same evening.
I'll tell you - there's nothing like the taste of freshly caught fish (we say "de la mata a la olla" which can be translated to "from the bush to the pot"). And Lydia is a fantastic cook to boot. Our tuna was served up fried with a side of white rice (Ecuadorian coast-style), fresh cucumber and carrot salad with lemon, and "patacones" (fried plantain disks). One of the best meals I've ever had. It was satisfactory on two levels: taste and accomplishment. There's something to the experience of catching and foraging and then cooking your own meal. For me, there was a more complete sense of respect for my food and the planet. I took what we needed to eat and looked it in the eye. The fish died so that I could eat. And one day I too will be some organism's food.
Plus, the tuna was so big that it fed 12 people on 2 consecutive nights (it was made into cebiche last night) and Eduardo was really gracious and froze the remaining pieces of fish and packed it up so I could send it via cargo to Quito so that I could bring some tuna home for my family (makes me feel a bit like the provider! I like it!)
I'm really grateful for Eduardo and Lydia's kindness though - for everything. So if you ever end up in the Galápagos Islands and need a tour, go to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristóbal Island and look for Eduardo in his office at TurisGal (or just walk around town asking for Eduardo, everybody knows him).
But my experience in Galápagos was a good one overall. Working as a "Touristic Operations Supervisor" is not that much different than being the Producer or AD on a film, so I felt right at home on the job. Both days I was assigned to supervise the lunch service at one of the places where the passengers would be having lunch. The other two places were actual restaurants but my territory was the house of a lady named Penélope. She's a lovely person and it was the first time she was doing this too. Her food was nothing short of spectacular and entirely locally grown and organic. I was really impressed (and so were the passengers!).
If offered this gig again, I'd definitely do it in a jiffy. So worth it!

Categories: Ecuador, fishing, Galápagos Islands

Back in Americand (a.k.a more detailed posts about China to come very soon)

Hello! Yes I am aware that I have been absent from the blogosphere for 3-4 weeks now. That is mostly because China blocks blogspot.com so I couldn't really make any posts. But fret not! I wrote them all down in my trusty moleskine notebook and will be typing them up and posting them soon.
I am currently back in the USA in NYC at M's parents house... So I'll have a bit if time to sort out a few things that I need to sort out!
Have a great day!!!!

Categories: M, New York, travel