Heading Home..

Well after 30 days, I am heading home. Currently I am in an internet cafe in Ko Toa dodging the rain, but around 3 pm we will be heading to the pier to catch the ferry and then flight back to Bangkok. Tomorrow I want to see the grand palace and a few other sights.. but mostly I am ready to go home. It doesn't help that I am sick again, not like the time in Peru, but a mere second. I caved yesterday and finally took the antibiotics prescribed by Glenn.. hopefully they will kick in by tomorrows 24 hours to fly home and I won't be quarantined before arrival. I have been sick since a fruit salad in bangkok, but only til last nights supper have I actually wanted to puke.. so I guess all in all the dukoral did work for the majority of the trip.

What did I learn.. a few things not easily written in a blog. But I do think change is in my midst.. not sure in what realm.. but I feel a change is necessary. These past 5 months, I have lived in limbo waiting, and in the past month abroad I actually felt alive. Here. Right now. In the present. How and what shape this change will be, is for me to figure out and persue.. in the meantime.. I am not going back to school until the fall.. I am not teaching aerobics 10 x a week again.. I just plan on playing vball, teaching spin and enjoying the summer and my friends.

Anyhoo.... hope you enjoyed the blog as much as I enjoyed the travels!

See you soon.. and I hope I can adjust to the 13 hour time difference quickly as I return to work on Monday! Eeeek!

Cheers from my last post :)

Crystal

Ko Toa = Heaven -= Thanks Kenn

So I flew from Bangkok to Ko Sumai, missed the ferry and stayed on a shitty beach on Ko Sumai, with cockroaches and insects, but it didn't matter I was 5 minutes from the pier. We left at 8 am the next day, boarded a high speed catamaran and we on our way to Ko Toa. After meeting yet another guy from Seattle that looks exactly like a figment of my past, who talked incessantly on the ferry, we arrived. A quick taxi to a recommended resort from a friend (thanks Kerri!), we arrived at our hotel, check-in and in our bathing suits by 10 am. Kenn.. there is no way, any normal person can walk that far with two bags on their back in plus 40 heat.. screw the overprized taxi.. I'll pay it!

A friend Brad is here in Thailand as well, so I knocked on his door at 11:30 am in the morning.. waking him up from an all nighter bday party he had the night before.. so we agreed to meet later that night. I was sceptical he would remember where I was staying, but sure enough around 6 pm, he came up to my pool and said hello.. it's a small island.. and really it can't be that hard to find someone you know!

So Natalie went back to our beach, laid there, moved from beach to water, moved back to beach, moved from beach to lounger, from lounger to chair under tree, from tree to pool. Lovely. I went for a thai massage on the beach at one time.. and loved every minute of it... all I heard was the waves crashing against the shore.. and "do you wanna a massa..." in the background.. I am relaxed. Above is a pic of my leper skin.. yes.. I keep moulting.. the darn salt water is shedding me alive.. I wonder how much skin I will have left... I look like a have a disease.. not sexy tan at all.. no.. not for this whitey.

On the beach these people come along and ask if you want some corn on the cob or a pineapple.. I chose the pineapple.. and let's just say that was the best pineapple on a stick I have ever ate.. they cut it in the coolest way that I will try at home instead of the massacre I do to my pineapples when I buy them...

In the evening, we met up with Brad and some of his friends at this great restaurant called AC 2, not to be confused with AC 1 as I had.. anyhoo. you lounge on seats, the ocean comes right up to the deck and we chilled for 5 hours.. it was great.

Today, Natalie and I went snorkeling, and I burnt my ass. Yes. the ass is now as burned as the front.. I even put sunblock on... but apparently wasn't enough. Snorkeling was fantastic.. I had a minor set back in the beginning as I couldn't figure out how to breathe calmly through my mouth and apparently had the top of the snorkel in the water for a while.. but I figured it out.. (stop laughing.. I have never snorkeled before!), but as I am a fish in water.. as I love to swim this was so perfect.... lots of people had life jackets on but I couldn't figure why as you don't expend any energy as the salt water just holds you up..I swam for hours.. just bobbing along seeing rainbow fish, tourquoise fish, schools, and lots of coral.. the coral seemed dead to me.. but Brad said you when you scuba and get closer you see more of the life on the corals than you do from snorkeling.. either way it was a great experience.

The pics above are just a few shots from the last day or so.. the pic of me eating is for the Thai potluck guests.. yes.. that is a crepe with nutella, banana, and icing sugar.. aka.. heaven on a plate...

And Sarah.. Ko Toa is a close second to Heaven at Christmas.. nothing can surpass an eggnog chai.. fo' shizzle! :)

Tomorrow I plan on sticking to the shade and chilling by the pool, in the evening meeting up with Brad again for some dindin.. and then the next day we travel back to Ko Sumai to catch the plane to Bangkok.. tomorrow is the first official day with no early get ups or tours... we plan on having a lie-in.. no alarm clock for the 1st time in 28 days... yeah!

I miss my niece so much.. I can't wait to see her this weekend! She's going to have grown so much.. and according to an email.. has become quite the terror ... hiding dad's cell phone clips.. teeehehehe...

Bangkok!

Okay.. everyone says... "get out Bangkok"... leave.. it sucks... so I was expecting this decripit city, filled with rats, con artists, you name it.. and what I got was a beautiful city. Sure.. Ko Sahn road.. is a tourist dump.. well.... get off of Ko Sahn road. Stephen took us to a local bar, where we were the only tourists, listened to a great band.. drank thai whiskey and just enjoyed our last night as a group.

Bangkok is incredible. Picture canals, temples (whats), new commercial buildings, old 40's american style buildings, crazy traffic, clean streets, and white walls everywhere.. my pics are so bleached out from the whiteness of the buildings. I seriously don't know why people say get out of Bangkok, I am looking forward to my one night back here before my flight home.. I want to see a few more temples, the grand palace, and do some more shopping before I head home. Stephen took me to some hotels off the tourist track where I can stay cheaper, and better quality rooms on my last night.

Yesterday we took a canal tour. I wouldn't ever swim in that water, but it was neat to see the houses basically perched on the water, some shacks, some mansions, but all incredible. We took a long tail boat threw the canals, which bear a car engine, and watched the driver lean right over the side of the boat to make turns... quite funny. We then went to Wat Po where I saw a 46 m reclining gold budha (I really wanted to upload the pics but this computer won't pick up my USB dainit!), again amazing. One wat starts looking like another wat, but the wats in Bangkok have been built and rebuilt by the kings of this country and they have done a wonderful wonderful job. I still need to learn more about Budhism to truly appreciate what I am seeing here.

Today, in less than 1 hour.. I am off to the beaches. Natalie (a friend from the trip) is coming with, and we fly to Ko Sumai, and hopefully will be in time to catch the ferry to Ko Toa today. Brad is in Ko Toa so I'll know one other Canadian there.. and I am sure he will ensure we drink alot, and have fun.. either way I am looking forward to three days on a beach.. even though my poor skin can't handle it (I have a new layer of skin by the way.. as I have completely peeled out of the previous one.. good thing for molting!).

See you all soon!! I am home in less than a week!

last day in laos!

hello... today i just walked around vientiane before we depart at 3 pm for bangkok. it's funny, everyone is afraid of spending money here, so i tend to go out on my own alot. guess that's the difference of being in uni versus the love of a credit card.. ha ha. in all honesty though.. i cashed 10 USd today, ate like a queen andhave money to spare... i think the rest of the people on my trip budgeted 5 lbs per day...i couldn't do it.. i like food too too much.

anyhoo, thepics above are from bottom to top.. me at the palace in luang prabang, the girls from england and i at our hotel in vanvieng (yes i am that much taller then all the brits here), various wats and stupas around the city, the champde elysee's of SE Asia, and the golden stupa (national monument) in vientiene.

i walk everywhere.. stephen suggested getting atuk tuk to get to themonument, and i am like whatev, this is just a short jaunt, and sure enough, i walked there and back in an hour..I thenwent back to that same restaurant we went to last night, had another superb meal and am enjoying the air con of the internet ;p.

So.. recall my legs.. and how i burned them.. well i have experienced something new as a result. normally when I burn, i blister and peel no biggie..well, because it is so frickin' hot andhumid, my blisters of full of sweat and i literally have over 1 thousand tiny little sweat bubbles all the way down my leg.. i look like a scaly frog. i run my nail over them, and they all pop and the liquid drains out.. disgusted yet? i am.

Anyhoo... hope you enjoy the photos.

Cheers!

Vientiene

I am now in the capital city of Laos. Similar to the end of my time in China.. I am ready to move on to the next country. Don't get me wrong.. Laos is beautiful, but I guess when you move around so much you look forward to seeing something new.

After a late morning breakfast in VanVieng (and yes another 2 episodes of Friends), we took a bus to Vientiene. What cracks me up when I travel is after a few weeks, as soon as I step into a moving vehicle I am asleep. I missed the take-off from Chengdu to Kumming, missed the flight to Jinghong, and even after sleeping for 14 hours the other day, I slept for 4 hours on a bus. Today, after another great sleep, I managed to sleep for 3 hours. I guess it keeps me from having to have pee breaks.. but I miss most of the country side as well.. but seriously a moving vehicle is now like a sleeping pill for me... I am out.

I am not sure if I mentioned vehicles and driving in Laos, but there are not too many cars and numerous motorbikes. Everything goes on the motorbike.. I mean everything. Got a kid, got a bag of rice.. throw it on the bike. Today I saw on one scooter.. child #1 - squatting in front of the seat hands on handle bar, face below steering column, behind him driver (mom), then child #2, #3 behind mom. I have also seen mom, dad, 2 kids and a baby all on a bike. Like the one I drove and shown on a previous post. No one wears helmets.. not even the babies.. Scary. But I find as you move to the city more and more people do where helmets and there are more cars on the road as well.

In Vanvieng, the guys rented bikes again and took off for the day. One of the guys crashed his bike. I asked "are you okay? How did it happen"... this was his response... "well my ego is hurt.. as I know how to ride.. and well... I was videotaping myself driving my bike and well.. I hit some slippery part on the road and wiped out".... my response... "really.. how long have you been riding? As I thought you learned the same day I did".. he was like.. "yeah...I have only rode for 2 days, about 4 hours in total"... I think you can fill in the rest of what I was thinking... seriously.. it wasn't the road conditions that caused him to wipe out... it was the fact he was an idiot who decided he can drive and video tape himself ... he's lucky.. that's all I can say.

Similar to this... as I was walking back to the hotel.. I watched two caucasian girls on bikes like I rode. Let's describe their outfits shall we.. flipflops, short shorts, and tanks, no helmet. I watched them wibble and wobble on their bikes.. and I said out loud "idiots.. where is your helmet" (they were about 100 yards in front of me at this point and never heard), only for me to watch the one girl lose control go through the ditch and slam herself into a barbwire fence. Her friend was completely oblivious to the whole thing. Some people rushed to help her, so I didn't help.. but my point is this.. What the heck are you thinking? You have never driven a bike before and you don't have the decency to where a helmet or put thicker shoes on? I am glad she was okay as something far worse could have happened.. but I swear.. people travel and think they are invincible.

Sorry for the rant.. but seriously!

Back in Vientiene.. I lost myself from the group and just wandered the streets. It's a big city and has loads of Wats (budhist temples).. I walked into the oldest temple and these two monks came up to me. I thought I was in the wrong, but only to find out they wanted to chat.. it was fun. I think they just wanted to practice their english, but we spoke about budhism and christianity and travels. Most monks here are just teenage boys, generally the youngest of their family sent to study religion. After years they can decide if they want to remain as monks or move to the life they were once used to. In some ways, I think that they become monks as its one less mouth to feed. But that is just my two cents..

This evening, after breaking the window to my hotel (I just opened it, and it feel right off the hinges and now you can enter my bed through my window), we went to this restaurant that is a nonforprofit organization developed to educate and train kids were on the streets in the hotel / food industry and find work for them. Many of the kids that are begging are begging for their families.. this organization takes the kids off the streets, finds them employment and 70% of their earnings when in school go directly to the family themselves. It was fantastic. The food was incredible, the kids were amazing, and I ate a 5 course meal for $5. Apparently there are sister type organizations in Cambodia and Vietnam. I tipped the kids and paid a bit extra.. organizations like that I will support as just today we were discussing how at times you don't even feel human as you walk by people who are begging...its just too overwhelming at times, and you don't want to promote the behaviour.

Tomorrow I will do a bit more touring tomorrow and then taking night train to Bangkok! Kirsty and Steve (on my tour) are heading to Ko Toa so it looks like I have some travel buddies for a few more days.. I can honestly say though.. I am exhausted. I saw so much and had so much fun... hotel Wendy in Vancouver is sounding very very appealing to me today. However, I know I will regret not getting my PADI certification.. chilling on the beach for a few days might just be what I need!

Jenn: Things to remember to throw in your travel bag that have helped me alot (hand sanitizer, extra travel locks, a passport cover (as my passport is now wrinkled from rain), campsuds from MEC (you can wash clothes, fruit, and yourself with this magic soap), and small packs of kleenex (toilet paper is few and far between for me here). I am sure you have these things but hey.. I am thinking about yah!

I can't get my USB to read at this computer.. sorry for no pics!

When did I get old????

so today in Vanvieng... we decided to go tubiing.. after a great breakfast at a restaurant that showed nonstop repeats of friends (and we ended up watching 3 in a row) we decided to do tubing. Now I have to wonder when I became old. I got to the first bar and was like holy shit.. I am the oldest person here... seriously. Granted, if Jenn and Allison were here with me I am sure I would have thrown caution to the wind, grabbed on to that slingshot and thrown myself into the river (and possibly try to be "that" girl picking up an 18 year old). But instead I was like.. What the fuck.. I am the oldest one here.. and really should you be doing this.. oh my god.. you are jumping into.. watch out for that rock..... I felt very uncomfortable there, and granted if I just would have had a 2nd drink of rum with a shot of pepsi.. I would have been gold. Picture the elbow river.. thousands of tubes floating down that river.. now add bars on either side of the river "fishing" you out with ropes and bottles attached to the end to pull you in. Each bar served "bob marley coctails" and "chocolate cake" had either a rope swing, zip line or slide to head into the river.. It was quite the site.. but as 2 people have died recently from being drunk and flinging themselves off a catapolt into the shallow river.. I chose to be sober thankyou. Kirsty and Steve were right ripped today and I did promise a good bender when we hit the islands after the tour (both of them are heading to Ko Toa as well.. so it should be good fun!).

Anyhoo, we are off to Vientiene tommorrow and then to Bangkok.. wow this trip went way tooooo fast. Time stood still while I was away though... it was great. Do I have to go back to work???

Heat + Humidity = Holy Shit

Ok.. I admit.. I love hot weather.. I recall bragging how I can't wait to have hot hot weather... what I wasn't expecting was hot weather plus humidity. I knew it would be here, but I had no idea what that really meant.... as I have been in +45 in Portugal, +50 in Madrid (seriously), but its +30 here and 90%+ humidity, and this is a heat I can almost find unbearable... and its the wet season. I couldn't imagine being here in high season.. I am praying for the rain today... Either way though, the burn is subsiding and I am puttingmy +45 sunblock on, and yet I am still getting dark... by 9 am its hotter here than it is in Calgary in the heat of summer at 5 pm. It's crazy!

So the trip is wrapping up... kind of sad and kind of excited. I am at the point in the month when I coul just come home and this heat heat is making me want cooler temperatures.. but once I get to the next city I know this feeling will subside and I won't want to leave.

As we move further south more and more tourists are coming out of the woodwork. I am not sure I am the "hippie" type of traveler, as since we are moving closer to Bangkok, everyone seems to be in dreads, have a large sachel on their hip, and hasn't brushed their hair in weeks. I decided on this trip I am no longer a "budget" traveller, and am willing to pay the money now for better transportation etc. Our guesthouses are nicer than I have stayed in before, and I would keep that the same, but there is no need to drive when I can fly... just my thoughts. I guess I work hard enough for these trips, why not spoil myself even more :).

If you ask me what did I learn on this trip, I would have to just say enjoying the moment. I don't think about the past, I am not worried about the future.. I am just here right now. I feel like I do when I do yoga, the only thing that matters is this moment and this person with me... me. It's a cool feeling and probably why I enjoy yoga so much, as work and the worries of love and all that consume me back home.. here.. I am just me.. and I like it.

On a side note: Kenn... how do I work my camera? I want to take pictures of clouds / skies / mountains.. but the sky just ends up looking white.. I have fiddled with everything and nothing seems to make it better... any suggestions?

Double side: Dad.. can you pick me up from the airport.. my flight arrives at 5:40 pm, but with customs I wouldn't expect anytime earlier than 6:30 pm... let me know and I'll send you the details.

Well off to Vang Vieng or Vientiene... Mike has no idea either..it's one of the "V" places in Laos.

Cheers

Luang Prabang

o
'
Hi from the hottest, most beautiful place in the world. I am in Luang Prabang... a small town in Laos, known for its french influence and architecture, wats, the mekong river, and lovely lovely people.

We arrived after the world's worst road trip, and the realization that yet again I can't handle curvy roads any more.. why this happened I have no idea, but I am heavily drugged on all road trips on gravel on this trip, and although I would love to watch the landscape I spend most of the time sleeping from the gravol, or holding myself trying not to puke.... everyone is in the same boat though. The roads curve, twist, hairpin, stop quickly all becuase of landslides... aka.. not fun.. but the view really is stunning. This country is so lush and full of green vegetation, banana trees, rubber trees, nothing like I have seen before.. but yet no animals outside of water buffalo and the odd cow here and there...

So we arrived late last night, and our guesthouse is beautiful.. I have a kingsize bed and a soaker tub... who says this is roughing it... anyhoo, we wondered a bit last night, and the market took most of my money... two purses, a gift for dad and brother, a scarf, a bracelet, and I working hard not to go there again.. so cheap, and so much I want to buy :). We ended up booking a full day tour to visit the budha caves along the mekong and an elephant trail ride in the afternoon. So its been raining most of the time in Laos, and the rain is so warm you just walk in it..it doesn't matter, today though, no rain... full heat.. all day... and I mean all day. I feel like I am full of sweat all the time.. and with that yes... the SWASS... sweaty ass.. compared to the brits, I swear I freak them out with some of my phrases, but they got a chuckle out of the sweaty ass "swass" comment for today..

The Mekong is a great big river that cuts through most of Laos (get a map to get a better idea), but we drove along and I saw children playing, people bathing, some fishing, monks heading along the river (photo above), workers pulling gravel out of the river, water buffalo, villages, villas, you name it. We stopped at a small village and tried some rice whiskey.. very good, but not something I need at 10 o'clock in the morning...but good nonetheless.. from there we went to these budhist caves.. full of budhas... and I mean full of budhas..hundreds of years old, and beautiful.. I have been meaning to learn more about budhism and really need to pull that book out that I brought.. it would make visiting these sites all the more meaningful. As we walked up to the upper cave I felt like I was in Slumdog millionaire... children selling chips, pop, birds trapped in cages, pawing at you for money. There was one kid singing.. who sounded so much like that boy with no eyes in slumdog it broke my heart.. but yet you give no money and move on... as you only augment and encourage the behaviour... so sad.

We then ventured back to Luang Prabang... so hungry and full of heat exhaustion.. I mean I have never actually wanted it to rain more than I did today... we had lunch, and I downed a coca light (diet coke) and before I finished it was already to warm, we then hopped on the elephants. I can say I did this, but I will never do it again. I am not sure on how well these animals are treated (although the company ensured us that they were), but to steer an elephant they hit them on the heads with hammers.. and at one point when our elephant started to trot (I was scared at this point), he just hammered him in the center of the forehead... can't tell me that is okay.. but then again, what about the rodeo? I am sure its all the same. Anyhoo, Amy and I were dorks and carried an umbrella and waved leaves as fans.. whilst on an elephant why not??? hehehe..

Back to town once again for a much needed shower (I realized today I haven't showered in 2 days)... but got ready and ventured out on my own. I tried to get cash to no avail and not sure if it registered on my visa.. so I need to make that call today as this has happened two times now here where it just ejects my card but it sounds like it wants to give me money... so thank god for travellers cheques today.. although I couldn't use them at all in China. So all clean and looking good, I walked through the market and decided to climb Phoussi Mountain.. yes.. that is pronounced "pussy" mountain.. full of sweat and dying from the heat.. I now look famished as noted in the pic above in the white tank.. forgetting I have just climbed up to a temple.. I had the biggest western fubar and walked into the temple with shoes and with my shoulders showing. I swear.. where is my head.. I even had brought my shawl for the occassion.. thank god no one saw me but I stilll have guilt.

I met a man from Australia and we ended up just chatting and watching the sunset (pic above), he's a semolier from Auz, on his way to London for work.. how cool is that job! And now I sit, writing you and really really hungry. The pic of the food is from my kayak journey the other day, we ate on banana leaves and had eggplant paste, bamboo, and bbq fish... sounds questionable.. but really really good.

Tomorrow we are off, for another journey where I will be drugged with gravol.. and I literally just had a dizzy spelll as I haven't ate since noon and its now 8 oclock. So farewell and I hope you had a wonderful time in snow.. I heard it snowed there this weekend!

Cheers from Laos!

Oh my.. what legs...

Just a quick note to upload some photos.. yes.. that is the color of my skin right now.. bright bright red.... hehehehoooopss.. Stephen is like, they are glowing right now. You can feel the heat off of them through my clothes... thank god people here brought aloe vera... I was like no.. I am not going to burn.. why bring it.. thank heaven for saving graces like Amy!

Kayaks, small villages, and rain :p

Well today, 8 of us got up and went kayaking with "green adventures"... along the Naptha river... it was fantastic. The river is murky because of the on slot of the rainy season, but regardless of the 10 min down pours.. and I mean down pours.. it is incredibly still warm. We kayaked for about 25 km, some still serene portions, others full of wicked rapids, and I loved every minute of it. I was hoping for single kayaksbut we were grouped in pairs, and we had two people over board at least once.. and I went with the guide who got hit by a tree and knocked off our boat.. I couldn't stop laughing.. as well, the clouds come and go, and it never seems that hot.. but based on the lobster red color of my legs.. I guess the +30 with rain can lead to you burning. I love the fact that there is blue sky here in laos... but literally.. it will be blue skies for an hour.. then you will see these dark grey clouds come in.. it will rain harder than you can imagine for 10 minutes.. and then its gone and back to blue skies. Right now I am in the computer shop and it is POURING... but yet people are still on their scooters.. holding an umbrella of course.

We had the opportunity to visit two villages along the river today. Words can't explain what I saw, and this internet connection is very very slow, so I doubt I will be able to upload it. But picture houses on stilts, with thatched roofs (palm leaves)... pigs, chickens, dogs all running around, and women and children only in the village as the men are all at work. You can't say its poverty as this is their way of life. There was a group of boys about 5 and 6 digging holes in the ground and collecting worms. Along the river we say groups of young boys fishing and playing. It's just the same as us, but the difference is what we consider normal is so far beyond what is the norm here. We take alot for granted (I know I do), and the fact that I have 4 walls around me and a roof over my head, and a fridge full of food is something I wouldn't think would seem so unreal to the people here.. but yet.. all I saw today was smiles and laughter in the villages. I took some great phots of children playing and following me around. I wonder what they would think if they saw my ever so read skin now though :). I gave the kids gum and we all sat there chewing and trying to blow bubbles... one boy knew exactly how to say thankyou.. and the girls just cowered in against the buildings.. it was pretty neat to see. One of the boys came out of the trees carrying a hacksaw from cutting wood for the family and I wouldn't even put him past 10. A younger man, I would say was 16 was there too.. he just smiled and smiled.. I didn't give him any gum and I actually regret this.. he just stood off in the corner watching all the other kids.. I would say he was the oldest in the village at that time. The people of laos of very thin, but muscular, and have extremely beautiful brown eyes.

Well this image is not uploading.. sorry.. no photos for you today...

I can't believe two weeks have gone by.. it feels like I have left Calgary months ago.. we have done alot in two weeks that's for sure. I am having the inkling in my 5 days after this tour is done to head to Cambodia.. but we'll see. I can get my visa in Bangkok and bus / train it to Cambodia... no definite plans yet.. just an idea. Going to the beaches is still appealling to me as well.. as I am very very tired from go go go and need a few days of doing nothing..

We head to Luang Prabang tomorrow.. nothing like a 10 hour bus ride on curvy roads.. I'll be heavily drugged with gravol again I am sure.

Namptha Lampung

Well hello from Laos.. probably the most beautiful country I have ever been to in my entire life... picture vast mountains filled with lush vegetation..banana trees, rubber trees, rice fields you name it.. its beautiful.

After a 3 hour journey and crossing the border.. we finally made it here. I was bit under the weather today due to some 4 or 5 mojitos last night on my 'eat local' as if i was in Mexico.. ha ha. It was nice to finally eat some western food..

Today a few of us rented some scooters and took off and about around the country side. I have never driven a bike before, so I had my first lesson by someone who didn't speak English, and I was off. A bit shaky in the beginning, but considering the roads we were on were gravelled and rocky, plus slippery due to an afternoon downpour, I think I faired pretty well. The terrain wasn't flat either as there were hills to climb and go down and rivers to cross.. but we managed. What a beautiful way to see a country, I loved every minute of this afternoon..that's for sure. We biked for about 5 hours, and I was separated from the group for a while.. and too be honest, a bit freaked out, as it was dark, I had no idea where i was and only people passing me were locals.. I actually had a bit of a panic attack and a few tears where shed before i realized how close I actually was to the city. It's a bit overwhelming at times traveling, and when its dark and there are zero lights on the streets except for the one my moped gave freaked me out a bit today..

So this evening, Amy and i broke from the group (my patience of getting 13 people ready for an event has finally worn thin and i plan on doing mmore adventures on my own) ended up eating supper at this korean bbq place.. its overlooked a lake and all you can hear is crickets and frogs for miles.. there were two little girls of the owners dancing to the laos pop rap music, and group of young people together... it was fantastic. hAd to laugh when they started our bbq and we had no idea on how to eat it today.. the guy in broken english had to show us how to eat this. You are given a plate of meat (to cook on the bbq), veggies and broth.. the broth goes around the cooking meat and veggies inside.. I'll have to say that was one of the most tastiest meals I have ever had.. amy over did it on the chilis so I just had a lot of beef tonight.. it was really really good though.

Pace of life is different here.. less people, more jungle & animals (a gecko just ran across my computer), and way less hectic compared to china. china is go go go.. must be first to eat, must be first in line, and here its like.. what will be will be. I think my virtue of patience that i lack will grow here, and i can just stop and chill and relax. I have already finished 2 books already (mom, I owe you a book, I didn't want to carry my sisters keeper anymore, so I just gave it too someone. I'll replace it when I am back)..

Anyhoo. tomorrow we are heading out kayaking for the day.. i was hoping the majority of the group wouldn't want to go, but to no avail.. it will be a large group again.. I should of went hiking with Stephen, but I really wanted to get out on the water :) I 'll be primed and ready Kenn for Kayaking this june ;).

Other than that... I paid 66,000 for supper tonight.. which really isn't that much.. less than $10 for 2 people..

on my way to laos

so we arrived in kumming and then took a another flight to jingjong, where we biked again all day and am off to supper with the group tonight. just a quick post to say hello. clint.. i think you would love kumming, the people are from the dai tribe and the don't look like chinese people.. as they arent. stephen and I went for lunch for less than 1 dollar today, and the food was fantastic. i don't feel like i am in china any more.. picture palm trees, lush gardens, thai dialect and chinese all wrapped into one.. I hope to talk more of this later....

tomorrow we drive for 3 hours to the laos border, and are off to laos.

just a random bit.. its funny.. you travel all over the world and your problems and demons still follow you regardless of you wanting to forget.. but it gets easier. i also find that when i travel I meet the most amazing men that I want to put into my suitcase and take back to canada just for myself. i have met one of those people and although plutonic (as he has a girlfiend), man I wish I could find someone like him at home... smart, funny, well traveled, well cultured and just loves life. I have to say in my past year I have had fun, but none of them compare to the men I　ｈａｖｅ　ｍｅｔ　ａｂｒｏａｄ．　 I am sure one day though my time will come..

well out for amazing food yet again! Not sure on my internet in laos, but Iｈｏｐｅ　ｔｏ　ｐｕｔ　ｍｏｒｅ　ｐｉｃｓ　ｕｐ　ｆｏｒ　ｙｏｕ．．：）　　Cheers！

Pandas More Pandas... and Jackie Chan?

Today, we had the oppor

tunity to visit China's best treasure.. the Giant Panda. We went to the Breeding center for giant pandas outside of Chengdu, and it was absolutely incredible. Picture hectares upon hectares of bamboo and green space, and different displays / pens set up to observe the panda. The old pandas, just sit and eat, the sub adult pandas play on the equipment etc. and the baby pandas are soo sooo cute.. they are climbing and falling off ladders, pushing each other, and were amazing to watch. It's hard to believe that they start out less than a kilo and grow to such magnificant creatures.

Then while walking to the museum, all of these chinese people are running and clapping. As the sheep we are we followed, and low and behold.. Jackie Chan was at the zoo.. in person. It was hilarious. He was dancing and singing with a group of officials in an area we could see him, but not get close. Then the funniest thing happened. Two kids jumped the police line and tried to get closer, the police grabbed them and threw them back behind the barricade, then this little old lady jumped the barricade hit a police officer, then the entire crowd rushed the line. It was hilarious. I wasn't a part of that, but it was funny to watch. One of the guys has a great pic of Jackie Chan, that he'll facebook for me. Who knew, going to a panda reserve would lead to seeing a movie star :)

Today in Chengdu marks the 1 year anniversary of the earthquake that hit this area (hence the reason Jackie Chan was in town), so in a completely different experience, I was able to participate in a memorial dedicated to the lives that were lost last year. I was given a flower and then proceeded with other chinese to the temple to place the flowers in the memorial basket. It was a very sereal experience, and one that was great to experience with the people of China.

Amy and I then parted from the group and walked across the city back to our hotel. We wandered through parks, shops, locals, and just had a great time chatting and getting to know eachother. Above is a pic of me sharing some Jasmine tea in the People's park. Hear we chatted and people watched, some elderly chinese dancing, some doing tai chi, some doing monchong, some doing kareoke... it was beautiful. I have to say, this day is equivalent to my "best day ever" in Beijing. I guess my favourite moments in China are the ones in which I actually get to experience China with the locals. Life is good.

Last night we went to a cultural performance, with the quick mask changing. Kenn.. remember in Spamalot where she changes her dress.. this is the same thing, but with face masks. I couldnt' get over it, with the snap of a fan, the face would change from black to red to white to half mask, to the actual face to a green one. They also did it with their full robes too, green to red to white, I have no idea how they do this and it is still confusing today..just like the time I left Spamalot.

There was also a hand puppet show (shadows) and I will be forever trying to figure out how he made those shapes with his hands.

Tomorrow we fly to Kumming then transfer to Jianhong, from there a tuk tuk to Laos.

Hope all is well back home!

Chengdu

After an early morning flight, I am now back in warm weather! Chengdu is beautiful, warm, and finally some blue sky! I am very very close to Tibet right now, and it is apparent by the number of Tibetan people walking the street. As well, the chinese people look different here as I am around a minority population. The majority of the people are Han in China, and these people look more like Northern Natives (Eskimos) than chinese. Anyhoo we went out for Tibetan food, and I didn't fair to well. As we move further west the food (sechuan) gets spicier and spicier.. which I am not good with. Poor Steve just gave me half his lunch as he knew I didn't like mine and I couldn't stomach it. But I did eat Yak today, tastes like roast beef, but one more for the books :).

We spent the afternoon walking down Jinling road and through the Wooshu monestary. Very beautiful, serene and just lovely. Tonight we are heading to a sechuan cultural performance (opera), so it should be a good time. Tomorrow off to see the Giant Panda.. and my kin Po.

I caught a cold, and am fairly sick, but I figure with the amount of spice I ate today, I am sure it killed anything that was bad in my body :).

China is nice, but something I don't think I would do again. It's a great country filled with so much history and culture, but I am ready to leave. Whether its the food or the lack of consideration for you neighbor that the chinese portray, I am ok not to visit here again. However, I am very thankful I did take this opportunity to visit this country and make some new great friends :)

Terracotta / Hanyan lin tombs / The great mosque

I'm only happy when it Rains.... NOT!

Hello from Xi'an - pronounced "she-anne", after a 18 hour train ride from Shanghai to Xi'an where I slept with 66 of my closest chinese friends.. we finally arrived in Xi'an. Steve our fearless leader promised sunshine and good times, but when we arrived, we arrived in the most unheard of seasonal rainpour ever in china. Steve has lived here for 5 years and never has seen rain like this. Anyhoo.. I am wet, I am cold. And I want warm skies again.. smog.. I do prefer. This rain is incessant.. it will not stop. On the sidewalk, street vendors are selling umbrellas like mad, and I chose to just bear it, we were all soked to the bone today, and really its not that big of a deal, considering its been +30 for the last week.. I can't complain.

Yesterday, we went to the Terracotta Soldiers. Andy, I was dissappointed. You don't get to get to close and most of it is remodelled, but the shear size of the tomb and the details of the soldiers was impressive. Pit 1 was over 230 m x 60 m in size. Literally rows and rows and rows of soldiers, chariots, horses all lined up. It was spectacular. The office quarters as well in Pit 2 although smaller were impressive. THe soldiers are huge in comparison to the size of an actual chinese person, so it was interesting to see how Emporer Ching represented himself and his people. Because of the rain we were unable to see the Qin ling mountains that surround the site which I was a bit dissapointed of, as from pics they just look amazing. Our tour guide, Amanda was so upbeat and perky, and the rest of us from our 18 hour journey were exhausted and fell asleep on her in the bus.. we all felt so bad, but it was a long long day.

That night, we went out for supper and then to a kareoke bar. You got to rent out your own room, and we all sang lots of Abba, Beatles, Spice Girls (apparently I rock while singing "People of the world.. spice up your life.. every boy and every girl" it was funny. I also did my trade mark "What's going on" which I thought was from the 4 non blondes, but it was in fact a techno version which was absolutely hilarious.. we were all dancing and having a great great time.

When walking to the train 2 days ago, I picked up my backpack in a way I thought was smart but apparently ripped my shoulder. I cried when I woke up this morning as I couldn't bend forward or side to side (I just took pain killers all day yesterday), so I got up early and found a massage parlar. For $25 cdn, I can now look both ways and up and down.. so worth every penny. I am still sore, but when I hit Laos in a few days I am going to go for another massage and hopefully all will be better. I haven't hurt my back like that in years, where's my saviour Jeff the chiro when I need him! thank god for chinese girls who are half the size of me and ten times as strong who were able to relieve some of the tension.

I then walked through the muslim quarter of Xian (who knew) and ended up in a mosque that was built eons ago.. very serene and beautiful. Then I met up with the some of the group and we ventured out of town to see the Han Yanlin tombs. These were incredible. Similar to the terracotta soldiers but you actually walk over the tombs itself. There were thousands of carved goats, pigs, chickens, horses, eunics, men, woman, chariots, pots, dead animals, you name it. The tombs of the emporer and empress of the Han dynasty look like treed pryamids in a field and there are 81 tombs of gifts and treasures for them in the after life. Incredible.

On the way back we couldn't catch a taxi so we ended up walking for for a while, finally catching a taxi and ending up in the WORST traffic jam of history, at one point there were 6 lanes heading south and 1 heading north, then 3 north, 3 south, then 4 south and 2 north, and literally this is all on the same road. CHAOS. I just laughed. And after being in the taxi for 45 minutes, I paid 5 bucks cdn.

So all in all its been a good trip in China. I am exhausted though. I opted out of the group meal tonight, am off to get some noodles and then just want to wrap myself in my duvet and read. Two more days in China and we are then off to SE asia by Tuk tuk.. details to follow later :)

This what I have learned thus far in China:

How to drive 101:

1. Purchase a brand new vehicle. All vehicles in China are 2-3 years old. I am serious. As the middle class grows more people are buying cars and there are NO run down old cars on the road. Picture volkswagons, mazda, hyatts (SUVs as well), all on the road at one time.

2. Disregard the following: all other vehicles, people walking, scooters, tuk tuks, buses.

3. Get in car. Turn on Car. Press horn. Keep horn pressed for the entireity of your trip.

hehehe.

How to cross a street in China - similar to the game "frogger"

1. Disregard traffic lights and police men directing traffic.

2. Look in direction of oncoming cars, if safe, proceed to second lane of traffic. Wait.

3. Move along the 'dashed line' of traffic looking for oncoming cars.. proceed.

Seriously.. if I get hurt in China it is from the above..

Anyhoo.. hope you are well. Happy Mothers' Day Mom!!! Miss you!! Happy Bday too, to Lynn and Talya.. I know that they are fast approaching :)

Pics for you!

Hello from Shanghai!!!

Just a quick post as I have finally figured out how to upload photos! This is me, Natalie, and emily (my roommate) out for drinks at a roof top patio in Shanhai! NOtice.. the lack of jacket.. yeah that's right its warm... so I think I could have not packed my cargos, my jacket, and half my other things as its going to get even hotter over the next few days... i may be sleeping naked against emily's wishes... but she may be too.. we are both dying. I go to internet shops to get air con.. ha ha.

Shanghai is absolutely stunning. I love it here. I could do without the "hey lady.. do you want a bag.. rolex.. bagess (bags pluralized chinese style)".. "hey lady.. we are students.. we practice english with you".. I am a zombie as I walk.. I ignore EVERYONE.. years ago Stacey told me to pretend to be deaf... and I am.. anyone coming up to you is generally trying to scam you.. it's a sad reality.

Our tour guide is hilarious. I feel bad for him, as he is constantly repeating himself and I can tell he's getting frustrated. We shot the shit last night over a pint and he's a pretty cool guy. I couldn't do his job though, I would leave anyone who was late and respond.. seriously are you that stupid.. as I am sure he has thought those same things after some of our questions!

Anyway, here are a few pics from my trip so far (front gates of Beijing, great wall, me in front of the river in Shanhai).... I am going to xian tonight.. and will see the terracotta soldiers in the morning... I also plan on renting a bike and doing a 40 km loop on the wall of the city... should be fun!!!!

ps. I am already losing weight.. and its only been a week... we were all joking that our legs aren't rubbing together anymore when we walk.. lack of food and lots of walking helps!!

Annoying Habits, Night Trains and Glory

So after the wicked day of biking, we took a night train to Shainghai. I'll be honest the whole process stressed me right out. You can't read anything and I had no control of the situation so I was getting worked up. Meanwhile, chinese men are constantly making the most disgusting noise in the world and spitting on the ground. I almost yelled at someone yesterday because it really is the most disgusting habit I have ever experienced in another country. Sidewalks, inside buildings, there is no limit... they constantly spit. I now understand why people who sat on the floor in the waiting room laid down paper or plastic.. even the people in this country are aware of it... apparently during the olympics they fined you if you spit... maybe this is something they should continue on for ever.. olympics or no olympics. NOw that I am in Shanghai, a more western city the spitting has ceased. Thank god. It makes me cringe.

So the night train was an experience for me more than anything. We had to share cars with locals and I was just to freaked out. There were two men in the car with me and Emily and they both made us feel uncomfortable, so much so, that our leader was able to get us into a room with others on our trip. I know nothing wouldn't have happened,but its just the constant staring and conversation and comments toward us, that I know I wouldn't have slept at all if i was in the room with them. I know I am being neurotic, but Chinese men do not make me feel comfortable at all. You walk by they point, say something in their language and then come closer. It's a bit daunting and for me, I would rather play it safe than get myself in a situation that I would regret.

With that being said, all of us in a room was not a good idea...the gang drank too much, and no one slept all night. Security was called in at one point. I guess though a successful night ;-p.

It was fun last night comparing England to Canada in regards to words, and I am sure I will pick up some new lingo by the time this trip is over, kip, bloke, loo, reckon, cheers.. as its all around me all the time. Kenny, I have now heard over 2 albums from the streets, and I am hooked :)

Shanghai is beautiful. Less smog. So I am finely seeing a skiff of blue sky. Big sky scrapers, old french buildings, alleys and shops, loads of walkig fun! I took off on my own today as the over night train and yesterdays bike ride as a group, I just wanted my own space. So I walked down the Nijiang Road (shops, shops and more shops) to the 'Bund' and then walked along the bund, rubbing the lions feet for good luck and then took "the sightseeing tunnel' to the padong which is on the other side of the river. The bund is basically the financial center of Shanghai, and the buildings are characterised by western influences in the early 1900's. Walking along the padong river promenade I grabbed a starbucks (I was in withdrawal, I had too.. even though they don't have my grande 150 degree no foam tazo chai Brandy), and scone and just sat and watched the barges go by. There I met two guys from Canada, who have lived here for 4 years. They are jaded and ready to go home. I said in the 1 week I have been here, although I love the sights and food, I know my home is Canada. I couldn't live here, there is soooooooooooooooooooo many people, soooooooooooooooooooooooo much congestion, that you really appreciate the fact you can take a quick drive be in the mountains and be in solitude. ANyhoo, I was going to go up to the worlds 2nd largest building viewpoint, but there was a bit of heavy smog this morning so the Canadian blokes advised against it. They just said, find a hotel and sneak in if you want a view, no sense paying 50 cdn for nothing. So back to the sight seeing tunnel, it was the only way I could figure how to get across the river, and I just laughed. Picture a mini subway train, windows all around as you go under the river in a dark tunnel with the worlds cheesiest light show ever.. as you go through comets, oceans, heaven and hell all depicted in lazer lights... it was 10 bucks I 'll never get back.

After that I found the Yuhan Garden and Bazaar. the garden was beautiful and I Just sat and watched. Its such a maze of rivers, trees and buildings, it feels larger than it really is. I then bought a chinese dress and I love it. I bartered a bit, and to me I think I did ok, but I am sure I am over the true cost. It was a 1000 yuan (200 cdn), and I got it down to 60 cdn. I am happy with it. When I had it on, I didn't realize that there was a group of chinese outside taking pictures of me.. so I had them help me to decide which one.. I was going to go with a more traditional black and gold, but this elderly chinese lady pointed to the blue and white one, so that is what I went with. They measured me and all, but man those slits on the side of the dress go way up, I feel like a hootchie when I sit down.. but it will be a great dress for Kerri's wedding over july long :).

I then just got lost in the city. At points I was the only white person around (which is rare for shanghai) and I just walked and walked. I don't know how to explain the smells of china, but it ain't pretty, but its okay. It's amazing to see how many people can live in such small quarters, and get around. I can't explain it, but the city looks worn. How can you keep up, when there are millions upon millions ontop of eachother. But here in shanghai the old and the new just work together.. I love it.

I then when to the museum (which was FREE!), and I got lost in its walls. Sculptures of budhas going back to 500 a.d., caligraphy from various dynasty's, currencies, ceramics, furniture from the ming dynasty, it was beautiful. I couldn't get over the fact it was free, and every thing was in English which made it all the more better and interesting.

To access the internet in china, you have to give your passport. They scan it, record it, and such as part of the chinese govt internet controls. I won't mention anything further under fear of being persecuted.. ha ha.

Tonight we dine as a group (I only eat when the tour guide orders, otherwise I haven't been so lucky), and tomorrow night we take another night train to Xi'an.

Hope all of you are well!! Happy 31st Birthday to Sarah!!

Cheerios!

BEST DAY EVER!!!

So today, to kill time, our tour leader suggested we rent bikes and view the city this way. Honest to God, in all my travels this was the best way to see a city. 11 of us went and Steve just lead us around the city. We biked around the Forbidden City, stopped for a quick snack from a local seller, cut across 12 lanes of traffic.. and I mean 12.. I counted. It was so so much fun. The bikes were cruiser style and for a while I just held my camera and took shots as I biked, I honestly think these are my favourite pics of Beijing. You get to see how the people live, you see how many cars there are on the road, and when I see the pics I will remember the adventure exactly how it took place.

Last night we went to the Chinese acrobats, aka.. if you don't make it to the olympics, jazz hands and flexiblility are all you need. Kind of cheesy but cool to see nonetheless. We then went to Warfunching for a night market where they sell (to eat), sea horse, sheep penises, testicles, starfish, water eel, you name it. It is more of a tourist gimic than actual food they eat but fun anyway. I ended up meeting this bloke from Seattle, and although absolutely gorgeous, he is like all the other guys I have met from there (way laid back, probably a pot smoker and such) and I decided to just walk away on that one. But fun anyway for sure!

The group is a pretty good mix, I am on the older end of the spectrum, but I am having fun. Everyone gets along and I am having a great time.

Anyhoo, just wanted to drop a line. Off to Shanghai in a bit!!

Oh, and through the alleys (huatongs) I used a "communal" bathroom. No doors on the open holes, 5 people doing their business in the same room. ALthough strange for me, very educational, as I now know how to squat and pee properly. Ha ha.

Cheers!

The Great Great Wall

So today, an early morning drive in Rush hour traffic lead us out of Beijing and at the Great Wall of CHina. The landscape is incredible. Moreso, that the traffic, the buildings seem to never end. If you have a chance search the CCTV building. It's the CHinese television building, and its amazing. It looks like a jagged "U" shape upside down.. an architectural marvel really.

The great wall spans so far and is about the width of a lane of traffic. Restored in the 1990's only portions are really accessible. We walked and walked up millions of stairs to get to the wall (opting out of the $5 cable car fee), and then along the wall is stairs up and down all of the mountains the wall spans. Now these are not only stairs at some points literally you are climbing/ crawling up the wall as the wall does have a 70 - 80% slope in parts.. it was so much fun! Then where the restored areas stop, vegetation has taken over the wall. Guess since it was made in 200 bc, you would think eventually it would be engrossed into the trees that surround it. We walked along the bushed part of the wall for fun and later heard that people camp up there and do hikes along the wall.. so cool.

On the way back down you can walk down the stairs or pay $8 and take a toboggan. I chose a slide ride please. It's like a bobsled track but you are on a crazy tobaggon that does have brakes.. you can go as fast or as slow as you like, but apparently as we discovered if you go to fast you get yelled at.. but man, it was fun!

A brief interlude about money. It really really is cheap here. But once you learn what you should be paying, getting gorged for being a tourist rips me right off. So, a water in Beijing is 1 yuan about 60 cents.. on the wall is was 3. I tried buying a diet coke, and the lady was like 20 yuan, that was the full cost of my peking meal the other day.. outraged. I walked away, she went from 20 to 5, and I was like too bad lady. I really hate bartering. It makes me feel like I am being raped all over and have no idea how to do it. I decided as a result as I do feel uncomfortable with the process that I am not going to buy anything. Steve our tour guide said he would come to the markets with me if I like, but I really don't like having to barter. Some people like it, but I am just not that person. I feel guilty that I am literally nickel and diming something that I spend more on daily at Starbucks, but at the same time don't want to be taken advantage of..so why bother.

Last night we did go out for Beijing Duck (Peking Duck), a fun walk through the Huatongs (alleys) led us to the restaurant. Our suppers have cost about 5 to 6 dollars each day, and we come out stuffed. I was the only one that didn't like the duck, but I think it was moreso because they leave the skin on.. if they took that off, I probably would have been fine. We had deep fried apples for dessert topped with toffee... so so good! Today we went out for a traditional dim sum meal and never having it before i think I found a new favourite food!

Back to the money... it's so funny, we all have become so cheap not wanting to spend anything, when really we figure we are living on $30 a day including side trips (Like tobaggoning), and ice cream (at +30 I am living up on the ice cream!).

TOnight we are heading to a Chinese Acrobats show, it should be quite the site. Tomorrow I plan on walking the huatongs with the tour guide (we were thinking of renting bikes), and then making my way to the temple of heaven. As well I plan on finding a place to burn my pics to a cd as a tour group heading to tibet with GAP had all their cameras confiscated by the tibetan police and returned to them without the memory sticks. Crazy. Although not heading that way, I feel like I should back up my pics just in case.. you never never know.

I meant to mention as well, walking through the huatongs you are walking by traditional chinese homes. They are centered around a courtyard and have no nails used. IT's really neat. But here's the catch, there's no bathrooms either.. community's share public bathrooms.. Steve owns a bar here in beijing and we went there for a pint and on route to the loo, locals are walking in their pjs to the bathroom as well.. what a site. I definitely couldn't live like that (especially since there was no western toilets!).

Anyhoo, we are taking the night train to Shanghai tomorrow.. so probably no post for tomorrow.

Love you all!

Beijing - Day 3

Well.. you will be happy to know I am no longer hungry. We went out with the tour guide last night for an authentic chinese meal, and it was delicious! THe key is how to order the food. I had lotus flower root, bamboo, dumplings dumplings and more dumplings, chicken, mutton, and the list goes on.. for a whopping 26 yuan (< $6!). It was so so good!

Today we went to Tiammen Square and the Forbidden City. Words cannot explain how amazing that place is and HOW BIG. I mean its like you are walking through football field after football field after football field. Something like 76 hectares. It's incredible. The parliament buildings are along the square and it was so neat to see the soldiers march back and forth. There were two soldiers who had to stand on either side of the CHinese flag.. it made me laugh.. yeah.. I am going to climb up a 100 foot pole and steal the flag.. yep that's worth protecting :).

The forbidden city or Imperial Palace is incredible. Moreso on the shear magnitude of this place. Today I met the nephew of the last emporer of China. Seriously. He works inside the city as a caligraphy artist. We could get our names and such written in Chinese, or well wishes, but really it wasn't that important to me. If I do get a chinese symbol it will be in the form of a tattoo somewhere, not as a wall hanging. Anyhoo, the corridors stretched forever and one building after another emerged. When you finally walk through the entire palace, you cross the 50 m moat that surrounds the palace, that was manmade. All the material from the moat was piled on the north side of the palace and became a manmade hill. Following tradition of my travels, if there is a hill or if there is stairs I must climb it. Getting to the top was incredible as it overlooked what I just walked through. Unfortunately my pictures do not give this justice as the amount of smog in the city today makes for all my pics to be hazy. It's supposed to rain tomorrow which will help clear the skies.. mmmm.. acid rain.

We then went our separate ways and I ventured to the shopping district called Warfunching) (?) street, there I had a relapse of Peru, and this man would not stop pestering for me to use his rickshaw that eventually I snapped and stomped my feet and told him to get the heck away. The funny thing was the stomping of the foot. Apparently I throw temper tantrums when being hassled..

ANyhoo, the shopping is insane. It's weird though, I have no interest. I thought I would come here and do all this shopping but in the end, I Just want to visit all the tourist places. So no shopping for me. I'll save my coin and do it back home.

I then walked all the way down the street grabbed the metro and heading to the lama (budhist temple), one stop short of where I was supposed to be, I ended up walking down this amazing street (unfortunately in the wrong direction), but was able to see such an amazing aspect of the Chinese life. It was rows and rows of comb shops, seafood shops (crabs alive were crawling everywhere), red laterns scattered the streets, men were sleeping in their wagons and i just took it all in. I then realized I was going the wrong way, hopped on the train again (granted I had no idea which direction but luckily I am a master of the transit and was where I wanted to be in no time), and I ended up at the lama temple. THis temple wasn't too much to write home about, but it really is interesting watching people pray to the various budhas. OUt of respect I didn't take any photos, but literally sat on a bench and just watched. It was like a dance watching them go to each budha offer their incense, pray, kneel, stand, kneel, burn the incense. It was a very surreal moment for me.

Thoroughly exhausted from exploring I am back at the hotel. Time for a shower to wash the smog off my body and group dinner again tonight. I'll see if my theory works in that I don't need to where sunblock when the shear volume of smog in their air blocks the sun rays from penetrating my skin.. ha ha.

Funny things about China for today:

Babies / Toddlers: They don't where diapers. They have a hole in their pants, more like a slit and when they go, they go. Their parents just move them to the grass and let them do their do. Weird.

I am a celebrity: Daily I have been grabbed by the numerous chinese villages to get my photo. Mike and I (a guy on the tour) are just starting to do crazy poses each time... why not!

Lotus Flower Root is INCREDIBLE. So so good. A must for everyone!

Summer Palace, Master of the Transit and Hunger....

So... not speaking Chinese or the language of the country is the funniest thing I have ever done. I have talked to some of you before about how it interesting it will be to not be able to communicate and really it is.. only the younger generation wants to help you and the older ones shake there head.. no..no.. and scurry away in the other direction.

I woke up this morning refreshed and ready for the day. So why not eat? I go to the restaurant at the hotel and for 58 yuan ($6), I had the world's grossest meal. It took me for ever to shove the food down, based on the principal alone that I am huyngry and should eat. The boiled tomato, fried egg, fried veggies, fried spring roll are not my idea of a breakfast and they were flat out disgusting. I ended up filling up on the orange juice or aka "tang" and one piece of bread. Oh yes, the fun begins..

Then for the rest of the day I keep burping the flavour of the morning.. yuk, But it makes me laugh each time..

I then embark on my trek across the city to the SUmmer Palace. 3 subway switches, 4 groups of scary chinese men who stare at you, 1 cab right for 10 yuan ($1.60), I am there. It's gorgeous. Hills, lakes, and more people I have ever seen in my life in one place. A young man talks to me, takes my photo and tells me I am gorgeous.. is a great way to start the day. This place is huge.. I mean huge.. the intricate details on the walls and paintings is by far like nothing I have seen before. One area of the palace is set up to be like you are walking through a painting and it really does feel that way. The opera house for the empress was incredible, and the Hall of Happiness cracked me up as the photo of the emporer and empress didn't look like they were happy at all! I then bought what i thought was coke, and it was herbal tea that I almost puked out.. so then I bought a cola and popcorn.. yes this was my lunch. Tonight we are supposed to be going out for a traditional chinese meal.. so this will be funny. My stomach is full of hunger pains right now.. and I wonder if I should just make the trek to the local Starbucks.. I can fill up on liquids, can't I?

So I leave the palace and try to get a cab.. there is none. I walk and walk, and really am starting to freak out. I manage to find one and they were going to charge 3 x the price, but I didn't care. I just wanted a way to get back to the metro. Then I met Duncan and Catrina from Brasil and they told me to share a cab with them and off we go. Fabulous couple who I chatted with a bit today. They are staying across the street from me and asked me to head to this shopping district with them, but after being in +30 weather all day, I just needed to get back to the hotel to relax.

Only to find out they put me in the wrong room and I have to move. Now. Feck. I didn't get to really pack just grabbed everything and moved to another room, where I met Emily. She's from England a med student who is on my tour. She's 18, but super nice, and I think I got a good flatmate. She's hungry too, so I am sure we will be quite the pair.

So, outside of being man handled for photos today at the palace, overall a fun day! I do have to say, CHinese have a very annoying habit. First, you suck all the contents of your nose into you throat... then you swirl in your mouth, then spit. Lovely.

As well, if you preten to be handicapped you can use the western toilet versus the standing and squat bathroom in public places. I have yet to master aim, and thank got for the baby wipes! Seriously.. why no western toilet. THank god the hotels are equipped!

My pics are nice and blurry thanks to the cloudy nature that is called Smog. But overall blue skies above me today!

Helloooo from the Future!

Well Hello!

After the longest flight in world's history, I am officially on the other side of the world.
I figured out today I am 17 hours ahead of you, and I have managed to get 2 to 3 hours of sleep intermittently throughout the plane ride. Man, though, arriving in Vancouver, with all that green and humid air, makes Calgary seriously less appealing for me. I sat outside from 9 to 1 reading and just enjoying the weather. Then managed to get the premo seat on the Flight to Korea, emergency exit with a slide back chair.. I was gold ;)

Korean Air is by far the best air line that I have ever flown with. The stewardess' look like little China Dolls with perfect makeup and perfect hair and laugh at you when you don't want more hot sauce on your Korean style dish that they have given you directions on how to eat it.. seriously.. all I got was "its healthy... it's good.. try".. followed by where you going? I say, to China.. "do you speak chinese".. no.. and then little laughs again... it was quite funny.. as I know I was the brunt of the joke I yet not understand...

Arrival in Korea resulted in face masks and getting our temperature read.. and questions about whether I have hung out with any pigs in Canada... well there was this one guy...

Arrival in China was walking through heat sensors and quick questions.

You definitely though need to spread out your personal space elbows.. otherwise people are so close to you.. I need my bubble :)

So picked up at the airport has lead me to my hotel in ChowMen District. I can't get over the lights, the architecture, the noise. Downtown Calgary has our square buildings, and skyscrapers, here each building in another architectural marvel... whether its the angle of the building or the glass work in front.. I was in awe. As we were driving in our death defying ride with no seatbelts or reality of road lines and road rules, we drive along. THe driver has some crazy Chinese music on that sounds literally to me like "chi chi sha sha ooo oo ahh shala".. he then takes it out and puts on the more upbeat music which is "hey macerana" in CHinese.. I couldn't resist.. I video taped us in the car driving like mad listening to the chinese version of Macerana... that cracked me up. Even Michel's driving may have been better then this guys... which is a big thing for me to say! (hehehe.. by the way.. Happy Birthday 33rd Michel!)

I am now at the hotel.. completely exhausted and feel ready to crash but am at the same time super excited to get out and explore. It's 10:0o pm right now, and I don't meet the tour until tomorrow night at 7. I plan on hitting the silk markets and a few other places.. taking it easy is my plan for tomorrow.

Anyhoo.. I will post again tomorrow. A certain person in Calgary should send a certain person in Beijing an email about her weekend away in Kelowna...with the boy.. I am just saying.. that's all :)

ps. I think I am the only person in the world that can spend close to $60 in the Vancouver airport.. seriously.. between a watch, new books, food, water, yikes!
pps. I am officially "old".. there was this giant tour group on the flight to Soeul heading to Phillipines, roughly about 19 -20. I was "that" person to tell them to Shut the F** up on the plane.. just because I had the "God" position on the plane with all that room.. didn't it make it into the social zone. Yep. I am old.

Love Ya!

Death by Thai..

Oh my gosh.. food.. more food.. and on the side a bit more food.

Tonight, Glenn, Kenn, Jenn (yes most of my friend's have rhyming names), Lisa, Kerri, and my cousin Stacy came over for the official "Thai Send-off". Keeping with tradition, dessert is served first, and holding true to her capability, Jenn wowed us again with her dessert. Crepes, Nutella, banana.. do you need to eat anything else? With Kenn licking the knifes, and nutella being spread on banana's in the end.. you know it was good..

Apparently, "cooking for 8" means cooking for an army and with awkward hiccups ** and laughing of super spicy food.. I think we managed to truly recreate an authentic thai supper.. with the addition of Stacy's #10 to seal the deal :)

This weekend has been great, as it has been full of time with some of my closest friends. Chatting, laughing at the awkward hiccups, and just truly enjoying the people in my life (and apparently enjoying a lot of great food!!).

I woke up last night at 3 am.. super excited.. as in less than a week.. I will be on the other side of the world.. CAN'T WAIT!!!

One Week To Go!!!

It's ALMOST TIME!!!

Well, here I am.. one week to go. I am sitting here at work wishing it was tomorrow, not a week from today, but yet know what is around the corner is meant to be. I have the books all lined up, and have started researching a bit on where I am going.. comments come off the pages that ring so different to me.. I can't wait!.. try the Peking Duck... the landscape is like no other.. sometime the pollution is so thick you can move it in front of you.. "WHAT!".. if anything, this trip may help me to appreciate Canada more.. and the great glorious blue sky we get almost every day!

To prepare appropriately..we are having a Thai Potluck before I venture out. It will be fun to try and attempt to create the dishes I will soon experience.. good friends, good wine (maybe the Seduction wine will come out again, hey Jenn?), but overall I am excited to leave. Time has stood still these last few months and I feel stagnant. Getting back to what I love, I feel will bring me back to who I am...

I am not sure of what access I will have while away, but please check here as a means to keep in the LOOP!

Crystal