Our visit to Spain was fabulous as expected! We arrived to sun, sun and more sun and started enjoying the Catalan experience right away. Over the four days we spent Barcelona and Sitges in Catalonia, we had a wonderful time with Miguel Angel, toured the countryside and the Freixenet winery, saw a Flamenco show, ate lots of pinchos and tapas, and did lots of walking. We had both been to Barcelona before so we knew what to expect and the visit lived up to and surpassed our expectations so we were very happy.
Our next stop was Italy. We flew from Barcelona to Florence on a regional airline that proved to be a very positive experience. airports were very easy to manage and flight was short. like flying from portland to san francisco. nice.
A summary of our Italian experience thus far - it is wonderful and the depth of history and beauty here means you would have to live here for a long period of time to fully experience it all. There is so much to see, do and experience that a visit to Italy is sensory stimulation to the max. And if you dig a little deeper and actually care to learn about the history and how that history has contributed to what we see today, you will be rewarded with endless stories that will capture your imagination. we are definitely fans of Italy and intend to come back.
Our visit to Florence was wonderful. The city is beautiful and full of history. the people were very welcoming and friendly. The food was excellent. Our 2 days there were just enough to get a sense for the place and know that we would go back. Our visit included dinner at La Giostra (very nice restaurant) along with other excellent places for lunch and dinner; visits to Uffizi and Academia museums, city bus tour to get oriented to the city (we like doing the city bus tour in places because we quickly get a sense for the city and areas we would like to go back through on foot); visits to San Lorenzo market ( extensive outdoor market with lots of products for tourists with money to spend) and the Mercato Central which was a delightful market that had enotecas, pasticcerias, fresh produce and much more. Go there if you visit Florence!
From Florence, we picked up our rental car and made our way further into Tuscany to the Chianti region. Driving in Italy is very doable and once acclimated to driving style, quite easy. The signage is fantastic and if you miss a turn, you can rest assured that at the next major intersection you will have directional signs indicating how to back track. We do wish we had a little more horsepower in our rental car since the roads in the countryside would be SO fun to drive with a little more juice.
Arriving in Chianti floored us. At risk of being overly dramatic, the beauty of the countryside blew us away. Chianti is now managed as a historical area and so no new construction is allowed. this creates a timeless quality to the place. it will be the same in 20 years as it was 100 years ago. everywhere you go there are picture worthy views and scenery... to the point that although you feel you should take a picture at every curve in the road, you really don't need to.
We are staying in an Agri-tourismo near Castellina in Chianti about 25 minutes north of Siena. Castellina is a sweet little town with everything you need. We watched the Champion Cup at the Bar Italia (main bar in town) on Sunday night. that was fun!
We have made day trips that took us to Volterra, San Gimignano and Siena. We thought we would make more day trips but truth is that you could wear yourself out trying to see all the wonderful things here so we have scaled back our plans and intend to spend less time in the car and more time locally and relaxing.
Volterra and San Gimignano were both fun to visit. interesting towns with great architecture and interesting history. Siena is larger and even more fascinating. The countryside south of Siena is in an area called Val d'Orcia and it has a decidely different quality to it. The landscape is flatter than Chianti yet still rolling hills with some decent sized hills that towns like Montalcino are perched atop. it was nice to see a different area that was just as beautiful as Chianti in its own way.
I think that is part of what i gained from this trip, the realization that Italia, owing to its long long history and uniqueness in landscape/micro climates, possess so much variety that even though it is a relatively small country, you would need a significant amount of time to really appreciate all the various regions, history etc and do more than just skim the top.
Yesterday we visited Siena and really enjoyed a brief walking tour which convinced us to return to Siena on this trip. We then took a guided tour to visit Val D'Orcia, Montalcino and two Brunello wineries. It was nice to not drive for once and just look out the window at the scenery. We both really enjoyed our tours and interacting with the tour guides. I am a firm believer in finding a good guide who will definitely improve your experience. It is also fun to spend some time with locals for more than just a passing interaction around a transaction. I used to think tours and guides were for inept tourists but i have come to realize that having a GOOD guide is actually a very important part of getting the most out of a visit to a place you are not familiar with. They get you access to places you can not go as an individual tourist, you learn more than would by just reading Lonely Planet or Rick Steves, and it is really nice to spend time with locals as i mentioned before.
Today we intend to relax by the pool, take a bike ride and or walk, visit a few of the small nearby towns and take it all in. We will most likely go back to Siena over the next couple of days and perhaps head over to Cortona on our down to Rome for our return flight to Portland.
We have had a fantastic honeymoon and are very excited for our return to Italy some time in the not too distant future!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Tequila Express!
About 18 months ago, during a visit to Guadalajara and Bucerias, Francisco and I visited the town of Tequila. I very much enjoyed the visit and Francisco mentioned there was a Tequila Train that ran from Guadalajara to a hacienda...at the time i thought, wow, what a great trip that would be! Fast forward to 2010 when Dan, who shares as strong a passion for Tequila as mine, and i discussed the idea and decided to make it happen.
Francisco was a true friend, hosting two big Gringos in his house and making the arrangements. We started out the trip with a really nice hike in El Bosque La Primavera just outside of Guadalajara. That night we had some good food and a little tequila to get our engines warmed up. The next morning we were at the train station...a dedicated train station for the Tequila Express, at 9:20 AM, and began the wait for boarding time along with a lot of other tourists from Mexico and the rest of the world.
Once the mariachi band finished their opening round of songs, we all made our way through security and boarded the train according to the color on our label. The three of us became known as Los Azules Locos (the crazy blues) since we were in the "blue" wagon. Once on the train, we were given an orientation to the agenda for the day - a train ride to Amatitman ( i think that was the name of the town), a bus ride to Hacienda Herradura, a tour of the tequila plant and its museum, a buffet and performance and the return trip. Our host explained the types of tequila we would be drinking (blanco, reposado, anejo and Antiguo) and we promptly decided the good stuff (antiguo) would be our preference. We then had a spanish language overview of the tequila tradition in Mexico and then the mariachis started their performance in our train car. What a blast! we were served snacks along the way as well.
The train was very comfortable, the service was great, and the tequila was top notch. And all you can drink! Now, of course this is Mexico and not the USA so you SIP the tequila...no shots you rookies out there! So we had a nice slow ramp. Once we arrived at the hacienda, we were very impressed by the scale of the manufacturing facility. We had a very good guide who was a student at a local university and spoke excellent english. Once we completed the tour which included a walk through a museum of tequila industry artifacts, we watched a video about the history of tequila and then were led to a banquet area where we had a nice buffet...lots of food, very good food, and were entertained by a variety of performances. They were also very good natured...i decided to crash one of the performances and was graciously included in the fun. Unfortunately i was far enough along that my jump roping skills were impaired by a general lack of coordination due to tequila saturation. But people are pretty chill in Mexico, so all was good...Viva Mexico!!
Keep in mind that our servers kept bringing out the tequila as long as we requested it. So Dan, Francisco and I were having great fun. We decided it would be appropriate to have nicknames (nickname = un apodo en espanol) for the trip, so Delue being the creative guy he is, chose Gigantor for me (variation of Gigante) and coined the name omniF for Francisco (omni, meaning pervasive and alluding to Francisco's generous good natured personality). However, Francisco out did Dan by zeroing in on Dan's essence as a big man who looks imposing but is really just a big teddy bear (unless you rile him up or take away his honey - tequila!) and pinned the apodo "El Oso Tequilero" (Tequila Bear) on big Dan...everyone loved that!!
Once the performances were over, the crowd converged on the dance floor and everyone started dancing. unfortunately, just as we were getting warmed up with the worm dance and more zaniness, they cut the music short and herded us back to the buses for the return trip. That was the most disappointing part of the trip - not being able to get our groove on for a longer period of time. oh well...we were ready for the trip home.
The train ride back is a bit of a blur...i just know that El Oso Tequilero kept ordering tequila and we laughed the whole way home. Not sure how many of our newly made friends remained friends after that journey back...ah well, just big boys having fun, no harm done. lots of loud laughter.
I think the consensus was that the Tequila Express trip was one of the best guys weekends we have had. A huge hit for the three of us and highly recommended to any one else who enjoys tequila, mexican food, mariachis, trains and a good ol'time.
Francisco was a true friend, hosting two big Gringos in his house and making the arrangements. We started out the trip with a really nice hike in El Bosque La Primavera just outside of Guadalajara. That night we had some good food and a little tequila to get our engines warmed up. The next morning we were at the train station...a dedicated train station for the Tequila Express, at 9:20 AM, and began the wait for boarding time along with a lot of other tourists from Mexico and the rest of the world.
Once the mariachi band finished their opening round of songs, we all made our way through security and boarded the train according to the color on our label. The three of us became known as Los Azules Locos (the crazy blues) since we were in the "blue" wagon. Once on the train, we were given an orientation to the agenda for the day - a train ride to Amatitman ( i think that was the name of the town), a bus ride to Hacienda Herradura, a tour of the tequila plant and its museum, a buffet and performance and the return trip. Our host explained the types of tequila we would be drinking (blanco, reposado, anejo and Antiguo) and we promptly decided the good stuff (antiguo) would be our preference. We then had a spanish language overview of the tequila tradition in Mexico and then the mariachis started their performance in our train car. What a blast! we were served snacks along the way as well.
The train was very comfortable, the service was great, and the tequila was top notch. And all you can drink! Now, of course this is Mexico and not the USA so you SIP the tequila...no shots you rookies out there! So we had a nice slow ramp. Once we arrived at the hacienda, we were very impressed by the scale of the manufacturing facility. We had a very good guide who was a student at a local university and spoke excellent english. Once we completed the tour which included a walk through a museum of tequila industry artifacts, we watched a video about the history of tequila and then were led to a banquet area where we had a nice buffet...lots of food, very good food, and were entertained by a variety of performances. They were also very good natured...i decided to crash one of the performances and was graciously included in the fun. Unfortunately i was far enough along that my jump roping skills were impaired by a general lack of coordination due to tequila saturation. But people are pretty chill in Mexico, so all was good...Viva Mexico!!
Keep in mind that our servers kept bringing out the tequila as long as we requested it. So Dan, Francisco and I were having great fun. We decided it would be appropriate to have nicknames (nickname = un apodo en espanol) for the trip, so Delue being the creative guy he is, chose Gigantor for me (variation of Gigante) and coined the name omniF for Francisco (omni, meaning pervasive and alluding to Francisco's generous good natured personality). However, Francisco out did Dan by zeroing in on Dan's essence as a big man who looks imposing but is really just a big teddy bear (unless you rile him up or take away his honey - tequila!) and pinned the apodo "El Oso Tequilero" (Tequila Bear) on big Dan...everyone loved that!!
Once the performances were over, the crowd converged on the dance floor and everyone started dancing. unfortunately, just as we were getting warmed up with the worm dance and more zaniness, they cut the music short and herded us back to the buses for the return trip. That was the most disappointing part of the trip - not being able to get our groove on for a longer period of time. oh well...we were ready for the trip home.
The train ride back is a bit of a blur...i just know that El Oso Tequilero kept ordering tequila and we laughed the whole way home. Not sure how many of our newly made friends remained friends after that journey back...ah well, just big boys having fun, no harm done. lots of loud laughter.
I think the consensus was that the Tequila Express trip was one of the best guys weekends we have had. A huge hit for the three of us and highly recommended to any one else who enjoys tequila, mexican food, mariachis, trains and a good ol'time.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Barcelona 2009
After our visit to Paris, Elizabeth and I hopped on a low fare jet to Barcelona where Miguel Angel "Miki" picked us up and our fabulous tour of Barcelona and Sitges began. We fell in love with the tapas, architecture, cafe culture and general life style of the Catalan. What a blast. I'd have to say we did most of the typical tourist things and a few of our favorites were the chocolate and churros, Mirablau on the hill, the various Gaudi tours, and Tapas!
Mike and his girlfriend Anna are wonderful people and great friends. We enjoyed our time with them tremendously. Miki does like to make fun of my Spanish (he calls me the Gringo Mexicano) since i have a latin american accent...so maybe one day i'll get over the lisp thing that the Spaniards do and adapt the accent...just not sure i can go there. :) But i love miki nonetheless!!
Our visit to Sitges was great - what a nice beach town. Our favorite dinner spot was a Tapas restaurant that Miki took us to...chistorra was our favorite sausage...good stuff.
After the visit to Sitges we made our way down to Sevilla and explored that area for some time. Spain is a very interesting country and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!
Mike and his girlfriend Anna are wonderful people and great friends. We enjoyed our time with them tremendously. Miki does like to make fun of my Spanish (he calls me the Gringo Mexicano) since i have a latin american accent...so maybe one day i'll get over the lisp thing that the Spaniards do and adapt the accent...just not sure i can go there. :) But i love miki nonetheless!!
Our visit to Sitges was great - what a nice beach town. Our favorite dinner spot was a Tapas restaurant that Miki took us to...chistorra was our favorite sausage...good stuff.
After the visit to Sitges we made our way down to Sevilla and explored that area for some time. Spain is a very interesting country and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Europe 2009 - Paris
The trip has been excellent! Elizabeth and I are into the final stage of our three part european "tour" and i am finally posting! After arriving in Paris, we had a wonderful four day visit with the highlights including climbing the Eiffel tower (using the stairs to get to the second level rather than the elevator), a wonderful picnic on the Seine with Christophe and his girlfriend Adeline, and visits to several very nice areas of Paris including Montparnasse and Montmartre.
The metro seemed very manageable compared to previous visits, nice to feel like you know how to get around. The bus system is another story, much more complex! As usual, Paris delivered a fantastic experience with great food, wonderful bread, beautiful architecture, and lots of fun experiences. We danced swing in the Caveau de St. Michel at 1:30 AM, visited the Catacombs for a look at a few centuries of bones, strolled through the touristic yet interesting and inviting streets of Montmartre.
Elizabeth was in heaven with the cheese and charcuterie plates and i helped out a little too :)
Of course, it is so nice to have local contacts. Adeline had us meet her and Christophe at Le Baron Rouge, a local pub where they serve wine out of wood barrels. A very unique approach...one of the few apparently left in Paris (if not the only one). Great unique and fun experience...that was family style with families and kids hanging out as well.
The espresso was delicious...and helped power us through all the walking we did....which was extensive. We stayed at Christophe's flat in Vincennes which is on the 6th floor of the building and...does not have an elevator. So, we certainly appreciated the opportunity to get our legs back into shape.
Paris was an A+ despite the torrential downpour that we managed to mostly evade.
The metro seemed very manageable compared to previous visits, nice to feel like you know how to get around. The bus system is another story, much more complex! As usual, Paris delivered a fantastic experience with great food, wonderful bread, beautiful architecture, and lots of fun experiences. We danced swing in the Caveau de St. Michel at 1:30 AM, visited the Catacombs for a look at a few centuries of bones, strolled through the touristic yet interesting and inviting streets of Montmartre.
Elizabeth was in heaven with the cheese and charcuterie plates and i helped out a little too :)
Of course, it is so nice to have local contacts. Adeline had us meet her and Christophe at Le Baron Rouge, a local pub where they serve wine out of wood barrels. A very unique approach...one of the few apparently left in Paris (if not the only one). Great unique and fun experience...that was family style with families and kids hanging out as well.
The espresso was delicious...and helped power us through all the walking we did....which was extensive. We stayed at Christophe's flat in Vincennes which is on the 6th floor of the building and...does not have an elevator. So, we certainly appreciated the opportunity to get our legs back into shape.
Paris was an A+ despite the torrential downpour that we managed to mostly evade.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Olympic Magic!
Wow. Wow. Wow!!!! Over the last few days we attended three track and field sessions and had the privilege of watching the 100 meters contenders from the pre-qualification round through to the finals on Saturday night. And what a race it was to finish the evening. Usain Bolt dominated the field and is going home with a gold medal, Olympic Record and World Record. The experience of seeing those athletes in person is very special. They are on another level and seem to be beyond human in their physical abilities. We had excellent seats for the 100 meter final so be sure to check out the web album and watch the video of the race!
The Olympic Games. This event really does play a unique role in our world. Granted there are complexities of politics, there is the history of athletics as a proxy for warfare, and now the dark under belly of commercialization of an event that ought to retain its purity as a unifying event for the nations of the world, yet despite all of that, the positive impact of the Olympics strikes me as uniquely special. It is not just a forum for our athletes to compete and demonstrate their prowess. It is also an opportunity to bridge the divide between nations and bring people together in a way that supercedes the barriers of language.
China has certainly succeeded in leveraging the Games as an opportunity for economic growth and deeper engagement with the world at large. The amount of progress made in eight years in all types of areas is quite astonishing. It remains to be seen if China and Beijing can sustain some of those changes. The leadership seems quite intent on long-term growth and continuing forward with the improvements necessary to have a strong nation. Time will tell.
Some of the improvements such as the increased density of green space in Beijing will be challenged by natural resource constraints such as availability of water. Beijing is also traditionally a very dry and dusty city with sand storms in the spring that leave the city, its inhabitants, cars and buildings dusted with sand, quite a gritty experience i am told.
From what i can see, China is just getting started and I hope their leadership will focus on bringing their people prosperity through sustainable and earth friendly practices. Think about 1.3 billion people with the life-style Americans take for granted. Ok, enough philosophizing!
On Monday we watched two basketball games. Croatia man-handled Iran despite Iran's seven foot plus center. The game was quite boring but Iran came around and started to play stronger but could not close the 30 point gap.
The next game was much more interesting although the result was pretty much the same. Australia and Lithuania had a hard fought match however Australia's firepower was just too much for Lietuva. The Aussie's were en fuego from the three point line and opened up a thirty point lead and after withstanding a strong push from Lietuva that closed the gap to under 10 points, they maintained a large margin for the balance of the game. Despite the big point gap, this game was great basketball and very fun to watch.
One thing to watch out for if you ever come to China are the grannies. These ladies are little pit bulls. I think we have the perception in the USA that old ladies are supposed to be nice little old ladies with good manners and limited mobility.
Well here in China it is the opposite. These ladies will bowl you over trying to get where ever they are going. It is as though they are oblivious of their surroundings or have developed survival tactics that include a take no prisoners attitude! On more than one occasion i have been walking to a particular place and out of no where, WHAM, someone collides into me and i look down to my waist to see who just accosted me only to see a little gray haired old lady with her elbow in my side driving her legs into the ground trying to push past me! A little surprising and at first humorous...but i am told that this is a common occurrence and loses its charm quite quickly.
I am now in QingDao for several days. Flew last night from Beijing to this port town which is also participating in the Olympics; sail boating and a few other open sea sports are being held here. I was speaking to the concierge tonight about the city and his response to my comment about this being a large city was "well, there are only eight million people here so it is not that large". HA. Eight million is not large. yeah right.
I think my blogging is pretty close to being wrapped up on this trip. I am sure QingDao will be interesting so perhaps there will be one final blog to recap the experiences and put up any more miscellaneous pictures. Well there is one more Olympic event on Friday that Brian and I will be attending so perhaps i'll get something up about that.
Hopefully you have been enjoying the blog thoughts, pictures and videos.
Hi to all my family friends and loved ones...can't wait to see everyone when i get back States side!!
Link to photo album to see pictures and video related to this post:
http://picasaweb.google.com/meyer.ethan/OlympicEventsBeijing2008
The Olympic Games. This event really does play a unique role in our world. Granted there are complexities of politics, there is the history of athletics as a proxy for warfare, and now the dark under belly of commercialization of an event that ought to retain its purity as a unifying event for the nations of the world, yet despite all of that, the positive impact of the Olympics strikes me as uniquely special. It is not just a forum for our athletes to compete and demonstrate their prowess. It is also an opportunity to bridge the divide between nations and bring people together in a way that supercedes the barriers of language.
China has certainly succeeded in leveraging the Games as an opportunity for economic growth and deeper engagement with the world at large. The amount of progress made in eight years in all types of areas is quite astonishing. It remains to be seen if China and Beijing can sustain some of those changes. The leadership seems quite intent on long-term growth and continuing forward with the improvements necessary to have a strong nation. Time will tell.
Some of the improvements such as the increased density of green space in Beijing will be challenged by natural resource constraints such as availability of water. Beijing is also traditionally a very dry and dusty city with sand storms in the spring that leave the city, its inhabitants, cars and buildings dusted with sand, quite a gritty experience i am told.
From what i can see, China is just getting started and I hope their leadership will focus on bringing their people prosperity through sustainable and earth friendly practices. Think about 1.3 billion people with the life-style Americans take for granted. Ok, enough philosophizing!
On Monday we watched two basketball games. Croatia man-handled Iran despite Iran's seven foot plus center. The game was quite boring but Iran came around and started to play stronger but could not close the 30 point gap.
The next game was much more interesting although the result was pretty much the same. Australia and Lithuania had a hard fought match however Australia's firepower was just too much for Lietuva. The Aussie's were en fuego from the three point line and opened up a thirty point lead and after withstanding a strong push from Lietuva that closed the gap to under 10 points, they maintained a large margin for the balance of the game. Despite the big point gap, this game was great basketball and very fun to watch.
One thing to watch out for if you ever come to China are the grannies. These ladies are little pit bulls. I think we have the perception in the USA that old ladies are supposed to be nice little old ladies with good manners and limited mobility.
Well here in China it is the opposite. These ladies will bowl you over trying to get where ever they are going. It is as though they are oblivious of their surroundings or have developed survival tactics that include a take no prisoners attitude! On more than one occasion i have been walking to a particular place and out of no where, WHAM, someone collides into me and i look down to my waist to see who just accosted me only to see a little gray haired old lady with her elbow in my side driving her legs into the ground trying to push past me! A little surprising and at first humorous...but i am told that this is a common occurrence and loses its charm quite quickly.
I am now in QingDao for several days. Flew last night from Beijing to this port town which is also participating in the Olympics; sail boating and a few other open sea sports are being held here. I was speaking to the concierge tonight about the city and his response to my comment about this being a large city was "well, there are only eight million people here so it is not that large". HA. Eight million is not large. yeah right.
I think my blogging is pretty close to being wrapped up on this trip. I am sure QingDao will be interesting so perhaps there will be one final blog to recap the experiences and put up any more miscellaneous pictures. Well there is one more Olympic event on Friday that Brian and I will be attending so perhaps i'll get something up about that.
Hopefully you have been enjoying the blog thoughts, pictures and videos.
Hi to all my family friends and loved ones...can't wait to see everyone when i get back States side!!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Jia You! (Mandarin for "Let's Go!", when cheering someone on)
It has been a few days since posting...makes it harder actually, so much to sort through and articulate! I've had a blast since the last posting, some fantastic experiences.
Imagination vs Reality - sometimes our imagination creates hype that reality just can't match. This is not the case with the Great Wall. Similar to the Pyramids in Egypt (which i have yet to see in person), one wonders at the sheer scale of human effort necessary to build the Great Wall. Once you see the ruggedness of the mountains through which it passes and think about the effort necessary to haul all of the materials to construct the structure...mind boggling. 2500 miles in length zig zagging through the mountains, following the spine of the range. I must say, i thought i was out of shape, but now i know i am out of shape!! We hiked fourteen kilometers in about two hours. Lots of up and down, some of the wall was in good shape and in other places it was in disrepair which meant stepping carefully. By the end of the hike i was soaked in sweat, my knees were sore and i felt like i had just completed a serious work out. A bit stiff today, i must say! Along the way there were Chinese making efforts to sell t-shirts and drinks for refreshment. Tough gig. But good thing they are there...i would imagine that some folks underestimate the effort necessary to traverse the wall and they would be a saving grace.
Photos and Video for this post:
http://picasaweb.google.com/meyer.ethan/BeijingDays4And5
After finishing the hike our driver was waiting for us and we returned to Beijing. On the way out we were concerned we might not make it...he was nodding off at the wheel and i had to chat him up a bit and pat him on the shoulder to keep him awake! On the way back to Beijing, about a two hour drive, storm clouds brewed and eventually released a torrential downpour...thank goodness we were off the wall...my wonderful girlfriend, Elizabeth, sent me a note asking if I were still in good health since she had read that four people were struck by lightening on the Great Wall during this storm!! Fortunately, we were safely on our way home...and the driver managed to stay awake this time.
Glad to be home, we promptly went and got a foot massage, repeating an experience we had the day before. As we walked through a nice Hutong that had been converted to trendy shops and bars, we came across a place that does pedicures/manicures and.... hour long foot massages for $5.00! Now that is a smokin' deal. Great experience sitting there watching the Olympics on a flat screen TV, drinking tea and getting massaged. not bad. It also happened to be Brian's birthday - Happy Birthday Brian!! - so decided to buy some food and have a quiet evening at home.
I visited two primary attractions the day before yesterday, the Lama Temple and the Summer Palace. Both were very impressive. The Lama Temple has an amazing series of temple buildings each of which house increasingly large Budhha statues. The buildings are all very ornate and make for good pictures. The largest Buddha is incredible. 18 meters tall and made from a single trunk of a sandle wood tree. I had to sneak a photo since taking pictures was prohibited.
Then i went off to the Summer Palace. An old school Beijing taxi driver took me out there. As we pulled up he told me the total so i handed him a large bill rather than exact change. He gave me back less than he should have and smiled while nodding his head profusely. I swear he used a Jedi Mind Trick on me because i just started nodding too and promptly got out of the taxi letting him keep the tip he decided to keep! haha. the $1.50 wasn't worth getting worked up about but i told myself i wouldn't let it happen again...what is the adage? fool me once...
The Palace was amazing with a fascinating history. China certainly does not lack for intrigue. You will see from the pictures and videos the immensity of the place. The density of tourists was daunting. The interesting thing is that of all the tourists i see around, non-Chinese tourists probably make up under 5% of them. It would take two visits over two different days to actually visit all of the Summer Palace. An admirable cultural treasure.
So in addition to hiking part of the Great Wall, the last couple of days also included some other good physical activity including a workout in Liu Yin park with Brian, who if i haven't mentioned it, is a world class trainer with an exceptional understanding of movement and how to help people obtain peak performance by optimizing movement and the body and mind's potential. Liu Yin is a sweet little park across the street.
We also managed to go play some basketball with the Chinese guys. We lost our first two games and then had a three game winning streak. four on four, half court and games go to five. there are some good ballers here in China...as you can see from their Olympic team. BBall is a popular sport. Brian's three point shot was in full effect and my sky hook was hitting the mark, not something these guys were used to seeing so they gave me some oohs and ahhhs when i drained the full on Sky Hook a few times. They also appreciated Brian's NBA distance three point shots. Contrary to popular opinion, not all Chinese people are short. In a nation of one billion and a variety of ethnicities including the region bordering Mongolia where people are quite large, there are bound to be some tall people. Yao Ming being an example!
Back to food! I tried to go off on my own and promptly got myself in trouble. Around the corner is a small restaurant for locals. I ordered some garlic crushed cucumbers which was great! However the chicken soup ended up being chopped chicken that had just a bit of meat on bones in a bowl of oil with hot peppers...yikes! it takes some practice to get used to getting the meat off those bones...i gave up after a little while. yup, first culinary adventure in ordering without understanding the language. I didn't get sick so no worries. Aside from that, we continue to eat excellent food at various restaurants ranging from traditional chinese food with dishes from various provinces to Russian cuisine. You can pretty much find anything here in Beijing!
The next blog posting will be more about Olympics. Today we will attend a few different sessions of athletics and i should have some good pictures and some videos as well.
Zai Jian (bye!)
Imagination vs Reality - sometimes our imagination creates hype that reality just can't match. This is not the case with the Great Wall. Similar to the Pyramids in Egypt (which i have yet to see in person), one wonders at the sheer scale of human effort necessary to build the Great Wall. Once you see the ruggedness of the mountains through which it passes and think about the effort necessary to haul all of the materials to construct the structure...mind boggling. 2500 miles in length zig zagging through the mountains, following the spine of the range. I must say, i thought i was out of shape, but now i know i am out of shape!! We hiked fourteen kilometers in about two hours. Lots of up and down, some of the wall was in good shape and in other places it was in disrepair which meant stepping carefully. By the end of the hike i was soaked in sweat, my knees were sore and i felt like i had just completed a serious work out. A bit stiff today, i must say! Along the way there were Chinese making efforts to sell t-shirts and drinks for refreshment. Tough gig. But good thing they are there...i would imagine that some folks underestimate the effort necessary to traverse the wall and they would be a saving grace.
Photos and Video for this post:
http://picasaweb.google.com/meyer.ethan/BeijingDays4And5
After finishing the hike our driver was waiting for us and we returned to Beijing. On the way out we were concerned we might not make it...he was nodding off at the wheel and i had to chat him up a bit and pat him on the shoulder to keep him awake! On the way back to Beijing, about a two hour drive, storm clouds brewed and eventually released a torrential downpour...thank goodness we were off the wall...my wonderful girlfriend, Elizabeth, sent me a note asking if I were still in good health since she had read that four people were struck by lightening on the Great Wall during this storm!! Fortunately, we were safely on our way home...and the driver managed to stay awake this time.
Glad to be home, we promptly went and got a foot massage, repeating an experience we had the day before. As we walked through a nice Hutong that had been converted to trendy shops and bars, we came across a place that does pedicures/manicures and.... hour long foot massages for $5.00! Now that is a smokin' deal. Great experience sitting there watching the Olympics on a flat screen TV, drinking tea and getting massaged. not bad. It also happened to be Brian's birthday - Happy Birthday Brian!! - so decided to buy some food and have a quiet evening at home.
I visited two primary attractions the day before yesterday, the Lama Temple and the Summer Palace. Both were very impressive. The Lama Temple has an amazing series of temple buildings each of which house increasingly large Budhha statues. The buildings are all very ornate and make for good pictures. The largest Buddha is incredible. 18 meters tall and made from a single trunk of a sandle wood tree. I had to sneak a photo since taking pictures was prohibited.
Then i went off to the Summer Palace. An old school Beijing taxi driver took me out there. As we pulled up he told me the total so i handed him a large bill rather than exact change. He gave me back less than he should have and smiled while nodding his head profusely. I swear he used a Jedi Mind Trick on me because i just started nodding too and promptly got out of the taxi letting him keep the tip he decided to keep! haha. the $1.50 wasn't worth getting worked up about but i told myself i wouldn't let it happen again...what is the adage? fool me once...
The Palace was amazing with a fascinating history. China certainly does not lack for intrigue. You will see from the pictures and videos the immensity of the place. The density of tourists was daunting. The interesting thing is that of all the tourists i see around, non-Chinese tourists probably make up under 5% of them. It would take two visits over two different days to actually visit all of the Summer Palace. An admirable cultural treasure.
So in addition to hiking part of the Great Wall, the last couple of days also included some other good physical activity including a workout in Liu Yin park with Brian, who if i haven't mentioned it, is a world class trainer with an exceptional understanding of movement and how to help people obtain peak performance by optimizing movement and the body and mind's potential. Liu Yin is a sweet little park across the street.
We also managed to go play some basketball with the Chinese guys. We lost our first two games and then had a three game winning streak. four on four, half court and games go to five. there are some good ballers here in China...as you can see from their Olympic team. BBall is a popular sport. Brian's three point shot was in full effect and my sky hook was hitting the mark, not something these guys were used to seeing so they gave me some oohs and ahhhs when i drained the full on Sky Hook a few times. They also appreciated Brian's NBA distance three point shots. Contrary to popular opinion, not all Chinese people are short. In a nation of one billion and a variety of ethnicities including the region bordering Mongolia where people are quite large, there are bound to be some tall people. Yao Ming being an example!
Back to food! I tried to go off on my own and promptly got myself in trouble. Around the corner is a small restaurant for locals. I ordered some garlic crushed cucumbers which was great! However the chicken soup ended up being chopped chicken that had just a bit of meat on bones in a bowl of oil with hot peppers...yikes! it takes some practice to get used to getting the meat off those bones...i gave up after a little while. yup, first culinary adventure in ordering without understanding the language. I didn't get sick so no worries. Aside from that, we continue to eat excellent food at various restaurants ranging from traditional chinese food with dishes from various provinces to Russian cuisine. You can pretty much find anything here in Beijing!
The next blog posting will be more about Olympics. Today we will attend a few different sessions of athletics and i should have some good pictures and some videos as well.
Zai Jian (bye!)
Monday, August 11, 2008
Dui bu qi (Excuse Me)!
More action in the big city!
Title of this post is Dui bu qi which means "excuse me" because we finally stopped by the local police station to register me (if you stay in a private residence you have to register, and i was soundly reprimanded (it really wasn't too bad actually...the lady officers were polite enough).
i received a formal written warning from the Beijing Police for non-compliance with the foreign visitor registration law which requires foreign visitors to register at a police station within 24 hours of arrival. I officially have a mug shot in the Chinese law enforcement database. Geez, they are pretty serious about my safety...oh wait, maybe, just maybe there are other motives??? hmmm. at least the officers didn't make me pay the 2000 RMB ($300 USD) fine! Dui bu qi! Ting bu dong! (i don't understand!). Sometimes the "i am a foreigner" card is a good one to play!
View photos and videos relate to this post by clicking on this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/meyer.ethan/BeijingDay3And4
Sunday...relaxing day. slow morning...hit the gym where Brian trains clients and then went over to the weightlifting competition. Tremendous amount of emotion in the competition area. These lifters are pushing themselves so hard and want to win so badly. To my left was a contingent of Korean fans who cheered loudly as their athlete competed. A woman from Thailand won her weight class (made it look easy) for a gold medal and the picture you see in the album is of a young Chinese lifter, 18 years old, who won his round to advance and set a junior world record in the process! I included a picture of an Olympic ticket...high quality ticket...reminds me of the golden ticket in the movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!
We went out to dinner with a couple of Brian's friends (Scott and Trish) to eat Peking duck and a number of other excellent dishes. The restaurant was very modern and packed with diners. Scott is a Strong Man from Seattle...you know the guys that push big tires and pull airplanes? Trish is a 60ish woman who started lifting at age 55 and now competes in Masters lifting tournements around the world and last year won her first World Championship in her age group!
While waiting outside on the street i chatted with a security guard who spoke some English. As we spoke, two early twentish young men approached us. At a break in the conversation one of them asked me where i was from which lead to a conversation. I was the first foreigner they had ever met and their first time speaking English outside of the class room. They were quite pleased and were excited about basketball and the game that night between the USA and China which one billion people watched. WOW!! Yao Ming is the man...but he couldn't stop the 2008 dream team.
Food, food food!! i ate a meal at a local Chinese restaurant ( i was the only foreigner in there)...very simple place. $1.40 USD for a bowl of noodles with what looked like sauteed spinach and a tall Tsing Tao beer. So it is possible to eat very affordably here. The other end of the spectrum are the many restaurants where you can drop $50 a person easily. Ate with Brian at a Haka restaurant where we had the fish delicacy (perch), a beef delicacy and some tasty garlic vegetable dishes. Very good!
Went over to Houhai area to experience more Hutongs and one area in particular that is more tourist focused (for both foreigners and nationals). Very nice area in terms of the ambiance since it is a lake with a nice path around it for walking/cycling however many of the establishments are quite bland with names like Nuage (cloud in french), Liquid etc. Couches, pop music and advertisements for mixed drinks were the theme along the boardwalk. Nonetheless, among all of that there are some excellent options, including the restaurant where we ate the perch, and i really liked the area.
We rode by the Drum Tower where the Americans were attacked and the assailant took his life. It was closed. A moment of silence. Apparently the Drum Tower is a fascinating experience. A number of stories high, as you ascend the stairs you pass very large drums and every 30 mins drummers beat out a specific cadence that resonates throughout the surrounding area. I am hoping they will reopen before i leave but that may be unlikely.
Shopping is quite an experience here as well. Stopped in the Yashow Market for a little bargaining experience. Bought a phone charger for about $3.00. Brian pointed out a Custom Clothing store so i am having a shirt and pair of slacks made. $15 for the shirt and about $50 for the slacks. I go back for a fitting on Thursday and we'll see how the quality is. Will be interesting to compare to the threads i bought in Bangkok back in 2001. Bargaining is quite common here. It is best to have fun with it and be friendly yet firm. Speaking a little Mandarin makes it more fun (i speak very little but am picking up phrases here and there) and if you smile at the right time without taking it too seriously, it can be a pleasant experience (depending on the seller). All about the attitude and also making sure everyone keeps their "face" which is where saying the right thing and paying compliments can be helpful. It also helps to know what is a realistic price...and walking away will get you to the lowest price but shouldn't be employed too early or aggressively as a tactic...again, tact and face are important.
Trying to plan an excursion or two for next week...i was told by one travel agent that reservations are not made for the train more than four or five days ahead of time...i have not confirmed that with other sources but thought it was a little odd. Brian confirmed that this is quite common. So, need to wait to book anything.
Katja just walked in and handed me tickets to Basketball on the 18th!!! Yeehaw, now that is cool. that might change my plans. :)
I am enjoying China very much. Of course it REALLY helps to have a home base and friends who are local and can take me around to the best spots and help me get settled in. Brian and Katja are wonderful and Eliodoro is a blast...he loves playing Ultraman...an action hero with special powers :) He was quite excited about his new Tonka Truck that Brian got him. China is a big country with a tremendous amount of richness in history, culture and experiences for those with a sense of adventure. I am so pleased to finally be here in person to experience a place has inspired my imagination as i have seen it from afar through the lenses of literature and film.
Today i am planning on visiting the Lama Temple (big Buddha statues...only official/formal Buddhist Temple in Beijing) and the Summer Palace. We'll see how the day goes!
Title of this post is Dui bu qi which means "excuse me" because we finally stopped by the local police station to register me (if you stay in a private residence you have to register, and i was soundly reprimanded (it really wasn't too bad actually...the lady officers were polite enough).
i received a formal written warning from the Beijing Police for non-compliance with the foreign visitor registration law which requires foreign visitors to register at a police station within 24 hours of arrival. I officially have a mug shot in the Chinese law enforcement database. Geez, they are pretty serious about my safety...oh wait, maybe, just maybe there are other motives??? hmmm. at least the officers didn't make me pay the 2000 RMB ($300 USD) fine! Dui bu qi! Ting bu dong! (i don't understand!). Sometimes the "i am a foreigner" card is a good one to play!
View photos and videos relate to this post by clicking on this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/meyer.ethan/BeijingDay3And4
Sunday...relaxing day. slow morning...hit the gym where Brian trains clients and then went over to the weightlifting competition. Tremendous amount of emotion in the competition area. These lifters are pushing themselves so hard and want to win so badly. To my left was a contingent of Korean fans who cheered loudly as their athlete competed. A woman from Thailand won her weight class (made it look easy) for a gold medal and the picture you see in the album is of a young Chinese lifter, 18 years old, who won his round to advance and set a junior world record in the process! I included a picture of an Olympic ticket...high quality ticket...reminds me of the golden ticket in the movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!
We went out to dinner with a couple of Brian's friends (Scott and Trish) to eat Peking duck and a number of other excellent dishes. The restaurant was very modern and packed with diners. Scott is a Strong Man from Seattle...you know the guys that push big tires and pull airplanes? Trish is a 60ish woman who started lifting at age 55 and now competes in Masters lifting tournements around the world and last year won her first World Championship in her age group!
While waiting outside on the street i chatted with a security guard who spoke some English. As we spoke, two early twentish young men approached us. At a break in the conversation one of them asked me where i was from which lead to a conversation. I was the first foreigner they had ever met and their first time speaking English outside of the class room. They were quite pleased and were excited about basketball and the game that night between the USA and China which one billion people watched. WOW!! Yao Ming is the man...but he couldn't stop the 2008 dream team.
Food, food food!! i ate a meal at a local Chinese restaurant ( i was the only foreigner in there)...very simple place. $1.40 USD for a bowl of noodles with what looked like sauteed spinach and a tall Tsing Tao beer. So it is possible to eat very affordably here. The other end of the spectrum are the many restaurants where you can drop $50 a person easily. Ate with Brian at a Haka restaurant where we had the fish delicacy (perch), a beef delicacy and some tasty garlic vegetable dishes. Very good!
Went over to Houhai area to experience more Hutongs and one area in particular that is more tourist focused (for both foreigners and nationals). Very nice area in terms of the ambiance since it is a lake with a nice path around it for walking/cycling however many of the establishments are quite bland with names like Nuage (cloud in french), Liquid etc. Couches, pop music and advertisements for mixed drinks were the theme along the boardwalk. Nonetheless, among all of that there are some excellent options, including the restaurant where we ate the perch, and i really liked the area.
We rode by the Drum Tower where the Americans were attacked and the assailant took his life. It was closed. A moment of silence. Apparently the Drum Tower is a fascinating experience. A number of stories high, as you ascend the stairs you pass very large drums and every 30 mins drummers beat out a specific cadence that resonates throughout the surrounding area. I am hoping they will reopen before i leave but that may be unlikely.
Shopping is quite an experience here as well. Stopped in the Yashow Market for a little bargaining experience. Bought a phone charger for about $3.00. Brian pointed out a Custom Clothing store so i am having a shirt and pair of slacks made. $15 for the shirt and about $50 for the slacks. I go back for a fitting on Thursday and we'll see how the quality is. Will be interesting to compare to the threads i bought in Bangkok back in 2001. Bargaining is quite common here. It is best to have fun with it and be friendly yet firm. Speaking a little Mandarin makes it more fun (i speak very little but am picking up phrases here and there) and if you smile at the right time without taking it too seriously, it can be a pleasant experience (depending on the seller). All about the attitude and also making sure everyone keeps their "face" which is where saying the right thing and paying compliments can be helpful. It also helps to know what is a realistic price...and walking away will get you to the lowest price but shouldn't be employed too early or aggressively as a tactic...again, tact and face are important.
Trying to plan an excursion or two for next week...i was told by one travel agent that reservations are not made for the train more than four or five days ahead of time...i have not confirmed that with other sources but thought it was a little odd. Brian confirmed that this is quite common. So, need to wait to book anything.
Katja just walked in and handed me tickets to Basketball on the 18th!!! Yeehaw, now that is cool. that might change my plans. :)
I am enjoying China very much. Of course it REALLY helps to have a home base and friends who are local and can take me around to the best spots and help me get settled in. Brian and Katja are wonderful and Eliodoro is a blast...he loves playing Ultraman...an action hero with special powers :) He was quite excited about his new Tonka Truck that Brian got him. China is a big country with a tremendous amount of richness in history, culture and experiences for those with a sense of adventure. I am so pleased to finally be here in person to experience a place has inspired my imagination as i have seen it from afar through the lenses of literature and film.
Today i am planning on visiting the Lama Temple (big Buddha statues...only official/formal Buddhist Temple in Beijing) and the Summer Palace. We'll see how the day goes!
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