School's Out

Schools out in Cambodia! This video is cute, of all the kids leaving school for the day on their bicycles!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A73ukWekXK0

Kampung Phluk Village, Cambodia

So, I have been telling you all about this amazing village I visited in Cambodia. Well, my friend Emily, who was also on the trek with me, got a great video and interview with our tour guide, Kim. I hope you watch it as we describes what every day life is like in this rural village!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIjKObiVWQs

Cambodia Pictures!

Finally I was able to upload all of my pictures from Cambodia! Check out my album below!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=xzebhg9.5wl3k941&x=0&y=-vgx4uy&localeid=en_US

Our First Room to Read site visit in Cambodia

Monday morning we hopped on our green bus that would take us all over the country for the week. This morning it headed to the country office so we could meet more of our in-country staff and also see the office. It was pretty cool to see. Volunteering for a non-profit and raising funds is difficult when all you really have to go by when representing Room to Read is information and pictures that our global office provides us with. But seeing everything in person and meeting many of our country staff was really great for me to see. It validated Room to Read’s professionalism and my confidence in them as an organization. We also got some awakening statistics about Cambodia’s education system. So in Cambodia, there is a public school system that is mandatory for children to attend through grade 6, however, it is very loosely enforced. The reality is, most families are truly living on less than $1 a day and rely heavily on child labor. And even though school is free, there are other costs associated with sending your child to school, like uniforms, shoes, school supplies and transportation. So while the majority are enrolled in primary school, their attendance is very inconsistent (which is also due to the weather conditions paired with lack of developed and paved roads). And once the kids finish primary school, the majority do not continue onto secondary school. The number of secondary schools also drop off and if children do wish to continue and their parent’s agree, they must trek even farther to get to that school, in most cases, many many kilometers. This information was really great to hear at the beginning of our trek, but it really made all the difference seeing these facts with my own eyes as the week went on.

So after our presentation by the staff, we headed off to see our first Room to Read project, a library Room to Read built at the Dangkor Primary and Secondary School. As the bus pulled up one by one we stepped onto the school grounds and entered the welcoming line of students that began at the beginning of the school gate to the front office. Over 100 students welcomed us to their school with leis made with gardenia and enormous smiles. It was breathtaking. And like all other trekkers who also were experiencing this type of welcome from the kids and headmasters for the first time, I cried tears of joy, tears of pure joy that Room to Read is doing amazing work with the money that is being donated. Reality hit me that these kids are truly thankful for being able to have access to books, a library, a space to read, explore, learn, create, and do. I felt honored that I got to represent Room to Read and receive the appreciation from the educators as well. I was torn by videotaping the entrance or just being present in the moment and experiencing the joy as I walked through the line of students. I walked with the camera off and tried to make eye contact and smile at each and every one of those students. In my mind, that smile was my way of saying Thank you for showing up to school today and learning. Thank you for riding your bicycle 45 minutes each way to and from work so that you can learn today. Thank you for being brave and fighting for your own education even when your family may be suffering financially because they need you to work in the rice fields or at the temple selling scarves. Thank you.


We didn’t get to interact too much with the kids that day as our visit was cut short by the school bell dismissing the students for the day at 11am. Oh yes, 11am. In Cambodia, school is only in session for half day, but 6 days a week. From what I gathered from our tour guide and our Cambodia staff, it’s because the families can’t afford to have their children gone all day. They need their children’s help each day at the home or making money. While it may not sit well with us here, it needs to happen in Cambodia for families to survive. Child labor is a necessity for families here. We did have a few kids meandering around us after the bell rang, and we got to take some photos of and with them, but it was difficult to interact with them. I knew that we would visit other projects throughout the week and I hoped that we would get that chance. While we were there, we did get to see the library the Room to Read, and the local community built in 2006. It was nice and clean, with open windows, lots of natural lighting and most importantly lots of local language books for the kids to read. All those pictures I’ve been looking at have now come to life!

The Arrival to Cambodia,continued

As you can tell by my previous blog entries, it’s been difficult for me to grasp that beauty and poverty aren’t mutually exclusive. In Cambodia, they both exist simultaneously. So, continuing my journey in Cambodia and our walk around Phnom Penh, Steph and I decided to head back to the hotel. It was getting really hot outside and thought we would visit the hotel pool and cool off before our cocktail reception and dinner with the rest of the trekkers. My first experience of Cambodian food was Sunday night (May 3rd) and it was so tasty. I was at first a little nervous after visiting the open market and seeing all of the raw meat, fruit and vegetables in very unsanitary conditions to any country’s standards but surprisingly the food at the Bopha Phnom Penh Restaurant was amazing! I particularly liked the Fish Amok served in a cup made of banana leaves. On addition to the food, it was a joy to sit with our Room to Read Cambodia in country staff. At my table of 4, all 3 others were from our country staff. What did that mean? Well, let’s just say that Cambodians don’t eat very much…there was lots of extra food left for me! Marco did you tip off Room to Read and tell them to pair me up in this foursome? Jokes aside, it was very nice to get to know the staff that Room to Read has hired in country on a more personal level. I am glad I got the opportunity to sit with them and also learn more about Cambodia. I didn’t know much about the country until I read the Lonely Planet travel guide on the flight here. But it’s always better to find out more first hand. My night ended back at the hotel but not before the country director, Mr. Kall, took a few of us out for some drinks and Phnom Penh nightlife. There really wasn’t much but that was okay. We shared a few beers, some stories and headed back to the hotel on a tuk tuk. Monday was scheduled to be a busy day!

Back to Seoul

I am here in Seoul again, this time with a 9 hour layover! Luckily Asiana Airlines (the BEST airline ever!) has a lounge for us with beds, showers, and free Internet computers. I am not able to post more pictures or video from Cambodia but will be doing that soon. I figured, since I have such a long layover, I would do a city bus tour of Seoul and be back in time to board my plane. I am a little nervous about it since, in order to even get to this bus tour, I have to take bus #something to another stop to another bus to finally the ticket booth across the street from the blue sign...etc.. you get my point. I'll let you know how it goes!

The Kids of the Kingdom of Cambodia

And if the previous entry doesnt come close to your heart... check out these pictures....

Its a long road to civilization

So, my trip to Cambodia has been nothing but amazing experience after another. I am struggling with finding balance between poverty and beauty here. By this I mean that to me, everything is so beautiful, simple, free. When we choose to vacation, we choose simple stress free places with no connection to the outside world No cell phones, sometimes no TV (unless you're my husband who needs to have it on 24/7). We choose to stay in huts in Bali, or Tahiti or Fiji. But in Cambodia, its not a choice for the majority of the population. They live like this because its the only option. We visited a village yesterday where we have 10 girls in the community who are on our Room to Grow scholarship and reality set in when we entered the village. It actually set in much before that as it took about 1 hour off the beaten path to even get to the fishing village where these girls lived. We had to take a bus about 45 minutes from Siem Reap. Then from there, we had to all pile into the back of a truck to be transported another 45 minutes to the village. In the rainy season, this area is flooded so we would have had to go by bus, then truck, then by boat to get there. So these girls on scholarship with Room to Read can't even live with their families at all while in school because it is impossible to commute every day by bicycle, their only mode of transportation to even get to school. They have a very generous teacher who boards them until they graduate. The teacher lives about 30 minutes from their secondary school so that they CAN ride their bicycle to class every day. They rarely see their family in the village but are so thankful to be given the opportunity to be in school. Their parents also spoke to us about why it's important for them as well. They know that they are not educated and would like to see more for their children and also hopefully more of a future for their community. Now I know why Room to Read is doing amazing work, so people like these girls and these communities can have access to education so that they can better their own lives and bring back their knowledge to better their community. All of the three girls we visited in their village said that they wanted to be teachers when they graduate from secondary school, because they feel so lucky to have the opportunity to study and learn. All of them said thank you to us, but really, all of us on the trek feel the same way, that those girls are an inspiration to us all that they have to sacrifice so much and go to such lengths to go to school. I wanted to hug each one of them and cry. They are my inspiration!




Kristie Wagner , Debra Lee Loke and Jen Pyle, Thank you so much for being amazing educators and teaching your kids about social entrepreneurship and Room to Read! I have heard how much your kids have raised so far selling wristbands and saving quarters. I know that by the end of the school year 4 more communities will have access to 4 new libraries and 4000 books because of you! Perhaps this village in Cambodia will be one of the beneficiaries. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting this amazing organization and changing the lives of so many children!

Below is a clip of the fishing village we visited yesterday. It may make you cry.... and if it doesn't, I certainly have footage that will.....

Pictures from our visits to the Room to Read Projects!

More Beijing Pictures!

I realized I had one more set of pictures from my last couple of days in Beijing. These were of the art district and going out my last night in town. We didn't quite make it to the World of Susie Wong, but I'll save that for my next trip there with Booty.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=xzebhg9.6k8vwzfd&x=0&y=k084js&localeid=en_US

Cambodia-Room to Read Site Visit

Hi All,

I am sorry I havent had much time to write while Cambodia. Internet has been hard to come by, even at the nicest hotels, and the connection is slow, so pictures were taking forever. Now we are at Siem Reap at a much nicer hotel. Pictures are still slow to upload, but I have some good stuff to share. For now, I thought I would upload a cool video of the kids from the school we visited today. Room to Read put in a library for the primary school and we got to interact with the kids as we toured the school! The whole experience is so overwhelming and amazing! I can't wait to share my stories!

Beijing Part 3- Pictures!

I everyone. Its really hard to upload pictures from Cambodia because the internet is so slow but here are the last of my pictures from Beijing! Enjoy and hopefully I'll have some up from Cambodia soon!

Miss you all!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=xzebhg9.5dml2rkp&x=0&y=-t383jr&localeid=en_US

The Arrival

I really can’t believe I am in Cambodia right now. It really is crazy, and I love it. But before I go into how much I love Cambodia, I really want to tell my Booty Butt that I love him so so so much and I wish so badly that he was here sharing this amazing life changing experience with me. I feel like I will forever look at the world differently after this trip and hope to convey this experience as much as possible through my blogging.

So, I arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital last night (Saturday night at around 10:30pm) Room to Read hired a driver to pick me up from the small airport so even through my flight was delayed and I haven’t had any communication the global office in a few weeks, I was just hoping someone would be their with a sign displaying my name. I was in luck. The San Antonio sign was present, and off I went into someone’s car and off to the Phnom Penh Hotel, a very upscale hotel to Cambodia standards and even to US standards. My roommate, Stephanie was waiting for me in the lobby so after dropping my stuff off at the room, we went down to the lounge and got to know each other better. I couldn’t have been paired up with a better person. Stephanie has traveled all over Southeast Asia and was in Cambodia 8 years ago. It was nice to be with someone who has been here before and can help guide me through it!

This morning we woke up early and decided to do the Lonely Planet’s walking tour of Phnom Penh. We took a tuk tuk (a taxi-like vehicle that entails a motor scooter pulling a carriage) to the starting point, Wat Phonm. From there we walked through the streets of downtown Phnom Penh to the central market, through the French colonial district, by the national library, by all of the embassies, etc. We saw a cycling race just end and awards being given to the first, second and third place finishers. We saw whole families of 5 squish onto 1 motorscooter and ride off into the traffic of Phnom Penh. We walked through the central market and saw local fish and fruit being sold to local people. We also saw monks in their orange robes walking around town or hitching a ride on the back of the motorscooters. There were elephant rides in the parks, and children asking us if they could shine our shoes (I was wearing flip flops btw), and mothers breastfeeding their babies in front of us asking for spare change. I felt like in the 5 hours we explored the city, we got a good taste of the flavor of the Phnom Penh. And I am so glad we got to see if on our feet and in the mix.

May is the beginning of monsoon season in Cambodia. So in addition to the temperature being high 80’s and about 200% humidity (worse than Florida or any place I have been for that matter), it also has crazy rain and thunderstorms in the early and late afternoons. They are usually actually refreshing since the weather is so hot. And trust me when I say that it is impossible to look cute here. I tried. There really just isn’t any point. It is so hot and you just soak through your clothes that you constantly feel dirty and sticky. RAW. I love it. And, now I know I can sleep in a few minutes longer in the mornings. Booty, you know that makes me happy. Just one more snooze!

The people of Cambodia are extremely beautiful, especially the children. I haven’t seen cuter children anywhere in the world, including the US. Much of this country is corrupt and crime is high, but when walking around the city in daylight, I see the beauty of the country beyond the undeniable poverty. It is a place that is trying to get back on its feet after many years of civil war and deterioration of its political trustworthiness and success. It is a country who needs help to build back up their education system so that children have the ability to know or grow to know their fullest potential, to move forward in life, and make a mark somewhere in the world. We stopped half way through our walk when we ran across a tea lounge that serves refreshments. I ordered a banana milkshake and Steph (my roomie) order coconut juice. And off we continued on our walking journey. Streets are chaotic around here although everyone drives fairly slow. I think its just different that no one follows the line going down the middle of the street. I was getting very hot so I bought a hat in a cute little French artict who has a store/booth in the foreigner section of the city.

Okay, I am exhausted..more later... I am falling asleep and it's an early morning tomorrow!

My Biggest Fear

My biggest fear about this trip was being alone in the airport and not being able to figure out where to go. I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of the language barriers or signage being in only 1 language. For some reason, it terrified me. So getting to China was fairly easy but somehow, on my way to Cambodia, I messed up and my biggest fear became a reality!

So, our planes had just landed in Guangzhou, China to pick up some other passengers, let some off, and then continue onto Phnom Penh, Cambodia, however, instead of letting the passengers who are continuing onto Phnom Penh stay on the plane, everyone must exit. So, after realizing I was the last on the plane before the flight attendants kicked me off, I quickly gathered my belongings and made my way off the plane. I followed the people in front of me, since I didn’t really know what else to do but still didn’t quite understand what the heck was going on. The flight attendants spoke poor English I couldn’t understand and “Everyone else was doing it”, so I jumped on this shuttle bus and when it stopped, jumped off and followed the passengers into this building…. Okay, I am definitely in the wrong spot. I followed the passengers whose final destination was Guangzhou and found myself in the baggage claim and immigration area. Oops. So, at this point, I am in a random city in China where no one speaks English, and I am supposed to figure out how the heck to get back to my plane that will probably be leaving at anytime now. OMG! So, I get mild anxiety just thinking about it. and make my way to the nearest help desk, speak with 4 people before I find someone who can finally speak English, then get pointed to another help desk, walk over there, more freaking out, the second person at this counter can speak English and can understand that I messed up. Embarassed but relieved, this airport security dude comes to get me and escorts me through all of the checkpoints I could have avoided had I gone the right way the first time. I go through customs, through carry on check, through this and through that while this security guy is laughing at me for sure. I am sure this happens ALL the Time by people like me…. Or so I am letting myself believe so I don’t feel so darn stupid! I arrive to the gate just in time to re-board the flight. Phew. I made it. Barely. And everything is okay. And now I can laugh at this wonderful memory I just added to my life.

Last full day in Beijing

My time in Beijing has gone by so quickly! Even though this city is so big and I’ve only had 8 days to explore its territory, I definitely feel like I’ve done it right! Starting with the Great Wall, The Parks, the Temples, the nightlife and the Beijing Duck, I couldn’t have asked for more of this wonderful city. I know that my experience would have been different had I not stayed with Darah and Marshall. They’ve had 9 months of living here to hand pick the amazing restaurants we visited and share with me the ins and outs of this city. Also, it would have been a completely different experience had I not been with Marshall, who speaks the language. I would imagine that a one week vacation to Beijing, not knowing the language and not staying with friends who live here, would be amazingly intimidating, somewhat frustrating, and beautifully overwhelming.

On my last full day in Beijing, I woke up early (the first time since the Great Wall), got my American Breakfast at the Bridge Café and caught up on my blogging. This routine has definitely been my comfort in Beijing, my home away from home. The Marshall and I headed off to 798, the up and coming trendy art district of Beijing. It is a part of the city where old factories and manufacturing buildings were renovated into design studios and art galleries. You have rustic old China paired with trendy new Beijing. The old buildings provide an amazing shell for the new ideas, youth, and freedom of expression that is now accepted in modern China. And in the middle of this art district, there lays the Lebrun James Basketball Court sponsored by Nike. Basically, Nike is genius. They built this full court basketball gym with bleachers and all and covered it with Lebrun James everything. They have basketball games there, shooting contests, you name it, and they have it. And it’s in the middle of up and coming trendy Beijing. Brilliant! In addition to watching a couple of shooting contests, Marshall and I walked in and out of the bizarre art exhibits that lined the complex. This place was also a photographer’s dream. I thought of Denaye and Marco often and I imagined them both with their cameras, being creative with the angles and snapping away at the surroundings vs. actually entering inside any of the exhibits. We did both and I have to admit, the art was a little abstract for my own tastes, but I love taking the pictures!

And since it was my last full day in China and its China, I couldn’t get just 1 cheap but amazing massage. So, we went back to Oriental Taipan and got another 90 minute foot massage. This time we added on a 20 minute head massage (all for under $30, no tipping). It was a little slice of heaven. And though I felt a bit indulgent, who can pass it up? We were supposed to head back to our place before heading out for the night but our 20 minute head massage was more important that a wardrobe change… so onto the next item, one more visit to Yashow market for last minute shopping. J It was today I realized that these people do not say no to you. So start lower than you think to start, and don’t negotiate up. Just state your final price up front and it’ll speed up the tedious but entertaining process of purchasing. And Beijing wouldn’t be complete without going to the local Mexican restaurant named Cantina and eating dinner while the BEST American Hip Hop mix is blaring throughout the joint. I felt like I was at En Fuego and it was Taco Tuesday-except I was in Beijing and there weren’t any Mexicans. In fact, this place was where all foreigners went to eat! It was pretty funny! Darah met us at dinner along with their friend Elizabeth. After great conversations, 2 orders of mile-high nachos and a few margaritas, we headed to a lounge called Mesh and then back to Punk (my third time there this week!). As scrubby as I looked, and as out of place that made me feel, I am glad we went out on my last night there. I felt like the week went full circle as the place I first visited in China was also my last. And as most of the nights ended this week, we were fast asleep the whole 45 minute cab ride home to Wudouko.

Beijing Duck

Thursday night, Darah and Marshall took me to the BEST restaurant in all of Beijing to experience Beijing Duck! I am a big duck fan already so I knew I would like it. And it was the BEST I’d ever had. They bring the whole duck out to the table and slice it in front of you. You eat the duck in the form of a soft taco. You start with a flour tortilla, and then add thinly slivered white onion and watermelon, the duck, and then special sauces. You fold it up and eat. It was a nice dinner and it definitely made my trip to Beijing complete!

The Summer Palace and Fragrant Hill

I spent most of Thursday with Marshall visiting some of the most beautiful parks in Beijing; Summer Palace and Fragrant Hill. Summer Palace is spectacular and much different than the other parks I visited on my Tuesday excursion. You could get lost in the park, and in fact, we did! We walked along the lake for a bit, peaked inside some preserved buildings, and took a boat across the lake to the north east side of the park, where we hiked up many many many steps to a Tibetan Buddhist temple at the highest point of the Summer Palace. The views were amazing from up there, unforgettable. Marshall bought a deck of cards at the top with the names of the past Chinese Emperors displayed on each card. I enjoyed my ice cream as we peacefully walked down the back side of the centuries-old temples. Although my connection to Darah and Marshall was initially through Darah, it was really nice to spend some quality time with Marshall. We talked religion, politics, economics, and career and really bonded on our journey through the magical park. Darah and Marshall, you are great people individually and genuinely amazing as a couple. I am so glad I had this time with both of you and appreciate you both so much!

In addition to seeing live karaoke at the park, I also saw my first split pants bathroom break in action! A little boy went pee in public on the ground at the Summer Palace right through his split pants. Haha. I love it! Marshall also pointed out to me that many boyfriends will hold the purses of their spouses/girlfriends when in public. It is supposedly a very Chinese thing to do and once Marshall pointed it out, I couldn’t stop noticing the handbags dangling from the arms of the men courting their love interests. Hmm… how can we bring this etiquette to the US?
Lastly, I’ve noticed that there aren’t very many children wandering around Beijing, compared to adults. Marshall and my driver David confirmed that it’s because China has a policy that you can only birth 1 child. So many Chinese our age do not have siblings and you’ll see the few toddlers in split pants with their mom, dad, and both sets of grandparents at the parks; 6 adults to 1 child. I also felt like I saw far more male children then female. Food for thought.

Next, we headed up to Fragrant Hill, another park near the Summer Palace, but the name Hill in its name didn’t come from nothing. It was literally a hill up to some point Marshall and I didn’t dare try to find out. We hiked up this amazingly beautiful hill with paved trails until we didn’t feel like it anymore. We took a mini-break at this courtyard where picnic tables were set up and a snack place lay. There a few others at this courtyard, about 7 locals playing cards at one of the tables. Marshall and I ordered a beer some pistachios, whipped out the deck of emperor cards and played Speed. Oh yes, I taught Marshall my favorite card game ever! The local ladies playing their card game found us entertaining I am sure and we quickly raced to lay down all of the cards in our hands. In between each round, we’d devour more pistachios and drink some more beer, then onto the next round of Speed. I must have been a great teacher, because Marshall won the Speed championship round. You’re welcome Marshall. I won’t tell your competitive spirit that I let you win! (Just kidding!)

The Art of the Calculator

Wednesday in Beijing was one of a kind! I designated the whole day (after my American breakfast and blogging) for Yashow shopping. Yashow is one of the many big shopping areas in Beijing but the only one where the calculator is in full force! I learned something new on this trip… that there actually is a reason the Chinese use calculators when showing you their “Best Price”.

It’s all about negotiation at Yashow. You walk in the building and see nothing but vendor after vendor of the SAME exact stuff being sold at each booth/section. You enter in on the clothing section where hundreds of young mostly female vendors wearing pink shirts are calling you over to their booth to get you to buy their clothes. There are about 5 floors full of clothes, watches, shoes, souvenirs, scarves, purses, belts, and more.

The first time is definitely overwhelming, which is why I went with Darah on Sunday, just to check it out. But this time, I was all by myself and prime target for these young professional salespeople ready to rip off tourists!

So here is how a typical negotiation works at Yashow:

Salesperson: “Lady Lady, you need pearl necklace. I have nice ones, real pearls, best quality.”
Steph: Let me take a look at what you have…. Okay I’ll take this one, how much?”
Salesperson: (Quickly whips out her calculator attached to her belt and types in the starting price but NEVER says it out loud) “Normally I charge” (shows calculator screen showing 1200) “but for you, and because your nice and beautiful, I only charge you this much” (shows me calculator displaying 850)
Steph: Gasps b/c its way overpriced then starts to laugh out loud b/c it’s such a joke of a starting price “That’s more than I would pay in the US and that is TOO Much”
Salesperson: Ok lady, how much you want to pay?
Steph: Grabs the calculator and types 30.
Salesperson: Gasps back at me and says, “Lady, you breaka my heart. That is too low. I can’t sell to you at that price. You make me so angry. This is the besta quality. Fresh water pearl, you know. Only the best.
Steph: I start to slowly walk away from the booth as I say, “Okay then I don’t want it”
Salesperson: Lady, Lady come back here. Okay Okay. Make me your best offer. C’mon, a little higher. I can’t sell at your price!”
Steph: I grab the calculator and type 30 again.
Saleperson: Ladyyyyyyy, C’mon, I really lika you. I want to sell to you but I can’t at this price. Just a little higher, c’mon. Okay, I’ll show you last price I can sell. Last price and no more. I can’t go any lower” She types in the calculator 150.
Steph: Starts to walk away again, deep down knowing they will not let you walk away from their booth because if they don’t get the sale, another booth with that same exact item will sell it to you for that price. “30”
Salesperson: Starts raising her voice as I am getting farther and farther away from the booth, “Okay, lady come back her… come back. Okay, 100…… 80”
Steph: “30”
Salesperson: “60….. 50….40….. 35 is as low as I can go. 35 or no sale. Okay Okay Okay 30. Come back.

The sale is made and you end up with an item that start at 1200 Quai and got it for 30 Quai. RIDICULOUS.

But what I realized is that the calculator is a way to privately show you and only you what their “Best Price” is. There are lots of other tourists and locals shopping nearby and the sales people don’t want to let others know how good of a deal you are getting, if you know how to play the game. Of course they always make you feel like you are winning, but by the end of the day, I’d realized I’d lost my first few rounds of negotiation and overpaid for my goods.

Of the 7 total hours I spent perfecting the art of the calculator negotiation, I walked away with lots of gifts to bring home and an unforgettable experience shopping the Chinese way.

Bring it China!

Beer on the Great Wall

Royal Treatment

Since Darah had work on Tuesday and Marshall had school, I hired David, the driver that took us to the Great Wall, to be my driver for the day. He picked me up at 9am and off we went. It was perfect that Darah had found him a few weeks earlier and got his contact info. He is one of the few drivers in Beijing that speak English, and his is very very good! So in addition to the places I requested to see, he also had an itinerary of places he thought we should add to the list. He was also able to tell me some history behind the sites. That was nice. He was like my tour guide, driver, and friend for the day!

So off we went on our site-seeing adventure! First we visited the home of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I entered into the nest egg stadium, where the opening ceremony was and slowly walked around the stadium imagining what it must have felt like to have been an Olympic athlete walking the walk on that day last year representing their country. It must have been amazing knowing that you one of the best in the world and completing the title!

Next, we went from celebrating superior athletes to celebrating Buddha! The Lama Temple is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. The building and the artworks of the temple combine Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. The building work on the Lama Temple started in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty. It originally served as an official residence for court eunuchs. In 1722, half of the building was converted into a lamasery, a monastery for monks of Tibetan Buddhism. The other half remained an imperial palace. Now it is open to the public and is populated by tourists, locals and monks alike. So, I definitely did a lot of people watching first, but finally felt comfortable performing the ritual that most others visitors were doing at the temple, praying to Buddha. I bought some incense, lit it in the flame and let it burn while I got on my knees in front of many different Buddhas and prayed. One of the ways to pray to the Buddha is, you place your palms together close to your face (with or without incense lit) and bring your hands toward the ground three times. The higher the hands and the lower the bow, the more respect is shown. It is a sign of respect and politeness. At first I was hesitant to try it, but finally got the courage to just do it. How often will I get this opportunity to be in an amazing Temple like this? I am so glad I overcame my fear and embarrassment and showed my respect to Buddha and the Temple. On my last prayer before exiting the Temple, I lit my last incense and got on my knees to pray. Immediately, the incense ash was falling on my hands and over my clothes and my knees were on fire! Of course, typical clumsy Stephanie has to do something like this! I walked out laughing at myself with a burnt palm and burnt holes in my white skirt. CLASSIC!

Next, I got to spend a few minutes at the Confucius Temple, which was also amazing. The Temple of Confucius at Beijing is the second largest Confucian Temple in China after the one in Confucius' hometown of Qufu. It was built in 1302, and imperial officials used it to pay their respects to Confucius until 1911.This temple wasn’t as populated as the Lama Temple. There were local student artists working on their paintings in the courtyard and few other tourists. It was peaceful inside and also beautiful!

Onto The Bell Tower we went. Bells and drums were musical instruments in ancient China. Later they were used to tell time and became watches for the officials and common people as well. The Bell and Drum towers were the center of time telling during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Now they are tourist attractions and offered some amazing views of the city. As you can see, The Bell tower is surrounded by Old Beijing. According to David, all of Beijing looked like this 35 years ago. This city has grown so fast in the past 35 years that only small portions of the city still model these smaller buildings.

David took me to this traditional Chinese restaurant in Old Beijing for lunch. I ordered Egg Drop soup (something we order often at Overseas Chinese in Carlsbad) and David ordered the rest for us to feast! The parking in Old Beijing is a nightmare! We finally found a spot to parallel park in, and David accidentally hit the car in front of him! I got to watch the Chinese settle a car accident. There is no car insurance in China….. so you settle up with cash on the spot! It was very interesting!

On our full stomachs, we headed to the Temple of Heaven. This was my other favorite place for the day! I didn’t actually go inside the temple. I had too much fun wondering around the park surrounding it. This park is full of local Chinese and tourist visitors. The locals seem to each have their hangout spots throughout. At the entrance, the first group of locals were dancing around with a hand held kite (hard to describe) to 50 Cent! It was so awesome!!! I have video! Off to the right about 30 feet away was a group of 50-60 elderly locals ballroom dancing to Chinese Pop music. I wanted so badly to join them but was a little intimated. After watching and thinking and telling myself, Steph… just do it, you’ll never see these people again, I did it. One of the older ladies came up and pulled me into the dancing circle. As we were dancing, I couldn’t help but smile thinking about how amazing this is. I may not be able understand them but I have found the language of music and dance that we can equally express ourselves and communicate with. There were times that I was imitating their moves and vice versa. And all of the ladies and men were so nice. The spectators were equally entertained. I was the only foreigner out there immersing myself in the culture. It is times like these I wish Marco was with me to experience this too, and be able to catch it on video! It is a moment I will never forget and will cherish forever. As I walked further into the park, there was an area where all the locals were playing cards, and further in, they were all singing and playing instruments. Then further in, groups of men were playing Chinese checkers, and further…. A hacky-sac like object was kicked towards me. I played with an older man for awhile, trying to kick with my heels! I wanted to snap picture after picture but felt like I was intruding on their personal space. I kept my camera in my purse and hope to remember this park and its inhabitants just as I saw it!

David then took me to the famous Tea House in Beijing for a tea break. You know how much I love Tea. I tried some Jasmine tea and David ordered us some tasty pastries to go along with them. We then headed to the Silk Market. After a long walk down the dirt roads of Beijing back alleys, we arrived at the Silk Market.

I bought some tea from a local vendor and looked at the silk products being sold, but nothing caught my eye. I’d rather save my shopping for tomorrow. And the end of the Silk Market, we stopped at a refreshment stand and David treated me to the traditional Chinese yogurt in a ceramic container/cup. I was a little weary but it was tasty! It tasted just like plain yogurt, but you drank it out of a straw.

My day with David was finally coming to an end. I had him drop my off at 8pm at the Dahli Courtyard to meet Darah and her friend Vasusu for dinner and drinks. I was thankful that David was able to show me Beijing just the way I wanted to see it. And my adventure still isn’t over… there is still so much to be seen in this large city!

Lost in Translation

So, the crazy part about Beijing is that you could be in big city Beijing and having fancy champagne at the Park Hyatt Hotel, and the next minute you could be walking down the street finding yourself lost in the crowds of the average local residents in authentic Beijing. This happened to me on Monday night when I has some time to spare after Tiananmen Square before we went to dinner. I thought I would just walk down the street to see what I could find. I walked and walked and walked and found myself Lost in Translation. I felt a little uncomfortable because no one could speak any English and everyone was staring. It wasn’t a bad stare, just a “is she lost?” kind of stare. I decided to enter into a local convenience market where there was a fresh fruit stand outside and many people gathered around. I went inside and wondered around a bit, just checking everything out. I was followed by a worker there and she instantly starting grabbing things from the shelves and showing them to me, asking me in Chinese of course, if I wanted to buy them. Hair bands? Jewelry? Tea cups? Toys? I knew I needed Toothpaste so I found that aisle and tried to pick one. Luckily I saw Crest on one of the boxes so thought that would be a safe choice. The price on the shelf said 3.5RMB. I picked it up and the woman (who was still following me) grabbed her calculator and typed 4 and showed it to me! Ha-ha. She must have thought I didn’t notice the price on the shelf. I love the calculator! More stories on that later! I paid my 4 RMB and headed down the street with toothpaste in hand. I was getting a bit thirsty so I thought I would stop into a local restaurant and order a beer. All of the restaurants at this time were packed with local diners and I felt a bit uncomfortable going in and ordering a beer with no food. Also, I would get stared at and didn’t know any Chinese. I settled for a hotel lounge/bar and entered into the first hotel I came across. I went inside and ordered a beer… no one knew what I was saying! Hands come in handy here. I’ve done a lot of pointing! It’s just so amazing that I am in a country where language is a huge barrier to communication. I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and have appreciated every second of my time here. Can you imagine being in the US and not knowing any English? I really should know another language!

More Pictures!

I have so much to write about and my time is running out here! I'll try to catch up with some awesome stories after dinner tonight... but in the meantime, here are some more pictures!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=xzebhg9.8ixgy6vt&x=0&y=lo8fe3&localeid=en_US

Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City

Although I can’t say that I know much about both places I visited, I definitely learned a lot and am inspired to educate myself further about China’s history. Tiananmen Square is HUGE. You really don’t do anything there but hang out on this large open concrete covered space, be present in the moment, and people watch.


I would estimate that about 90% of the visitors/tourists were from another province in China and this was their BIG vacation (kind of like how Washington DC would be to us). They come to see all of the historical sites of Beijing, the famous monuments, temples, and places that represent so much to them than we’ll ever know. As I stepped foot on the grounds, I was instantly approached by a college student who befriended me and wanted to know where I was going. I told her that I wanted to see the Square and the Forbidden City and as she pointed in the direction of where I should go, and then continued to walk with me, I thought I made my first friend. About 5 minutes and many conversations later about how she is a student in another part of China, here on vacation, learning English, etc, I finally realized that SHE wanted to be my hired “tour guide”. And she wasn’t the only one. I would say that about 10 people came up to me throughout the day asking to be the same thing. You know when you are being approached by someone wanting something from you, when:

1. They are usually in their 20’s
2. They speak English
3. And then the questions: “You are beautiful! Where are you from? How long are you here? Is this your first time to Beijing? What is your name? Where are you staying?”……
At first, I fell for it, but quickly picked up on the game!

I sat in the middle of the Square for a bit just enjoying the sun and being present in the moment when I then started being approached by this sweet young girl and her family.




They sat down next to me and practically good the 2 year old in my lap and smiled. Immediately the camera came out and I was in the middle of a photo shoot with this precious girl in my lap. I didn’t really know what to think. I did like that everyone was so friendly but it was just so strange that they thought because of my blonde hair and blue eyes, that I was something else, something beautiful, something they’d never seen before. I had to admit, it did feel good!

Not before long, others started to follow suit, sending over family members to ask to take photo with me. It made me laugh each time and thought, "no one is going to believe me unless I catch this on video" So once I get to a place that allows YouTube to be viewed in their country, I’ll share!

Finally, I made my way to the Forbidden City.
As I walked through the massive complex, I imagined what it must have been like to live here back with all of the different dynasties that called this their home. One of our book club books, “Peony in Love”, came to mind as I strolled through the grounds. I pictured Peony being trapped in the walls of the City and never being able to leave (although it really is a city in and of its own). I got lots of pictures of pictures of the architecture of the city that still also exist throughout Beijing! Above and beyond the history surrounding me, I really felt like I learned more about the tourist culture of Beijing. Just know that even though I am exploring on my own here, I am constantly being entertained by the city’s occupants and contributing to the city my never-ending smiles and laughter as I head to the next destination!

Chinese Public Exercise Equipment

Beijing's public parks are very different than in the US. I feel like our parks aren't nearly as utilized as they should be, but I also have to remember that most of us in Southern California have yards. Beijing reminds me a lot of New York as a city, and their parks: a lot like Central Park but with one exception, the Chinese Public Exercise Equipment. It is this bright colored equipment that are in many of the parks and are available to anyone, although its mostly the elderly who are occupying the equipment. When lots of this equipment is bunched together, it looks just like an adult playground! Each piece is designed to provide a slight workout or a deep stretch to a different body part. Some machines remind me of elliptical machines, others like a steering wheel you turn with your arms. It is so intriguing to me how popular these machines are. When I was at the park that surrounded the Temple of Heaven yesterday, I just sat and observed the outdoor gym being used to its fullest. Next time I come accross one, I'm definitely giving it a try!

Split Pants

So, around town you'll see toddlers walking around in what is called "Split Pants". So, if you can imagine a ski bib outfit for snow skiing, but with a slit in the butt area of the pants, that is what they are! They have seriously made my laugh each time I see a toddler walking around in them. Basically, its so it is easy for them to go to the bathroom. They just bend over, wherever they are, and go #1 or #2. I havent seen this yet and would like to avoid it, but that is just too funny. Apparently diapers are hard to come by around here...no doubt though, it is precious!

Pictures! Beijing Part 1!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=xzebhg9.9zmrvl0p&x=0&y=ps1q5x&localeid=en_US

Most of the pictures in the album are of the first weekend of being here. I have pictures of Friday and Saturday night going out, and then The Great Wall on Saturday. :) More to come in Part 2!

JT, I feel your pain

My visit to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City today wouldn't have been as magical without the swarm of people running up to me asking to take a "pikcha" with me. To the other tourists, I was Paris Hilton. It was FABULOUS! Its funny knowing that 40 people will be taking home a picture of me with Tiananmen Square in the background. Justin, its a lot of work being famous. I was only famous for a day and I am exhausted! Goodnight!

Good Times!

I am finally sitting down to get in some great blogging. It is now Monday morning in Beijing, and I’ve had my weekend of fun living the fabulous lifestyle of Darah and Marshall. As much as I can say that it was part of the strategic plan to arrive on Friday morning, it just sort of worked out perfectly! Darah just got a job working full time and Marshall is currently in business school here so I was able to get acquainted with the city while they were on their weekend break. Beijing is an interesting place. And while I know I haven’t seen it all, I feel like I got a pretty good glimpse of the many classes of people that live here. We’ve had dinners that range from regular western prices to dinner last night at a local restaurant in an alley where our billed totaled US $3 (and that was because we order a Sprite with our meal and over-ordered! It is a city of large buildings where the high-rise lifestyle is the norm for most residents. Darah and Marshall live in a 20 story building that is one of the nicest in the area that they live in. Let’s just say that every morning there is a Bentley waiting out front picking a resident up for the day. It is in a neighborhood that surrounds itself with 2 of the largest universities in Beijing and although there are many students in the area, there are few living in their building. They are on the 16th floor in a corner apartment where the views are amazing. They are on the northwest side of the enormous city and my room looks out over Tsinghua University (where Marshall goes) and out toward the mountains where the Great Wall lies. It is too far to see the Great Wall but it is neat to have a bedroom full of windows looking out onto the city and mountains surrounding. Not many people speak English in the part of town where I am staying. Although most of the signage, restaurant menus and even ATMs are also in English, many of the people do not speak the language. I find it intriguing but also difficult to communicate. I wish I knew even a few phrases that would be helpful for the week. So far, I have only learned how to say hello, thank you, how much, and don’t want. In another part of the city, where most westerners live, the local eateries, bars and clubs cater to them. You’ll see the nice American style dinners for the same prices (maybe a little less) and the local night clubs charging the same prices for drinks. On Friday night, a club was re-opening and we Darah and Marshall know one of the partners in the nightclub. We got into the club no problem. I was definitely one of the few blondes there until we headed to the VIP area where I was in the majority and the Chinese were the minority. I told Darah that I didn’t feel at all like I was in Beijing. She pointed out that the reason you didn’t see many Chinese in the VIP was because the drinks were priced so high, that many Chinese can’t justify spending that much when you can go to other clubs/bars in other areas of Beijing and drink all night for $5 total. It made sense. I am sure we’ll be visiting one of those places before I go.
The food here is amazing. Every meal I’ve eaten has been wonderful. And I haven’t gotten sick once. This morning I am eating an American breakfast at the café connected to the building I am staying at. It is nice and convenient and very tasty. I’ve also been enjoying my Thai Iced Tea. Here, they call is Iced Milk Tea. FUN! After Darah and I hiked the Great Wall and took the awesome toboggan ride back down the village, we hit the dried fruit stands for some samples and then bought some dried kiwi. It was so cool! Last night Darah and I went to this hole in the wall Chinese place and ordered water dumplings. This menu was NOT in English and we ended up stuffing our faces with the 50 dumplings Darah ordered (even thought she tried to only order 25). They were amazing! On my first night here, Marshall took to me this place called Noodle Bar. It was tucked away and surrounded by art galleries to the left and right. The food reminded me of Pho. We each had a bowl of noodle soup with beef broth. The noodles are actually made right in front of you and then you have sauces you can mix into your broth to create your own taste for the broth. In terms of the drinks, beer is very popular here. I’ve also indulged on a few lychee martinis when we’ve gone out. My best drink experience was having a beer with Darah on the Great Wall. There are local vendors at random spots of the Great Wall selling snacks and such. Darah and I each sipped our warm beer and enjoyed the view from one of the wonders of the world. The club scene here, well, the westerner club scene is pretty much the same. The music is either hip hop or house, both very good. Lots of people dance with a different flare to it. I like it. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet some of Darah and Marshall’s friends that live here. They are so very nice, well cultured, intelligent, and know how to have fun!
The people in Beijing are also very friendly. My favorite manner of respect is when someone hands you the bill, or their business card, or something… they hand it to you with both hands while looking at you in the eyes while leaning forward and slightly bowing. It is a very nice sign of respect that I would like to take back to the states and implement myself. J Then there are certain mannerisms the Chinese lack, but just make the culture that much more interesting, and entertaining. When you get off of an elevator or subway, those getting in don’t wait for anyone to get off before they charge ahead. So you charge too. It’s not rude here to do that, or fight for a seat on the subway, you just do it. And there really isn’t a thing called personal space here. There are just so many people everywhere that they are used to being shoulder to shoulder. There are lots of street vendors everywhere, selling all sorts of things, from jewelry, to pineapples on a stick, to illegally copies DVDs, illegally printed best-selling books, fruit, etc. Everything is negotiable and it’s an art! It you don’t negotiate, it’s an insult to the vendor. I am sure I’ll have lots of great shopping experiences to share later this week! Our relaxing Sunday ended at Oriental Taipan where I got a 90 minute head, neck, shoulder and foot massage for $20. I was in heaven and am sure I’ll be heading back before I head to Cambodia. It was a nice treat after hiking the Great Wall the day before. Also, I have kankles right now. Oh yes, my ankles are so swollen and won’t go down. I think it’s from the long flight, but who knows. It was a nice treat and way to end the great weekend!

Today I am going to take a taxi (which are very inexpensive btw) to Darah’s work. I’ll take a tour of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City along with the Confucius Temple. Funny Story. I just paid for my amazing American Breakfast but couldn’t explain to the Chinese waitress that I was ready to pay. She had to get 4 more waitresses before one of them understood my English somewhat that I was ready to pay my bill. I am laughing out loud right now at this experience. This is the kind of experience I wanted to have. And I am totally getting it! I LOVE IT! And now I know that mai dan means “check please”!

My First Weekend n Beijing

I really wanted to blog more frequently but seriously there just hasn't been time to even sleep! I arrived in Beijing on Friday morning. Marshall made me a sign with my new Chinese name and then took me to their posh apartment and since then, we have been go go going! I have so many stories I wan to go into detail about but, of course, the weekend isn't over and Darah and I are leaving in a few to catch the subway to the shopping district! A few quick highlights of my weekend:

Friday, Marshall picked me up at the airport, gave me the tour of the apt (which is AMAZING, btw!) and then we got my first meal in Beijing, a burger! HA! (They say there will be plenty of time for Chinese!) I took a nap, then we headed to dinner at this very cool noodle soup restaurant before meeting up with Darah after she got off work at lounge in this new fancy hotel called PUNK. Then off to the club, China Doll, where we met up with D & M's friends who are partners in the club (of course we got VIP!). There isn't late night Mexican drive through but there is Late Night Chinese... so off we went to Bellagio for the BEST Chinese I've ever had!

Saturday, on 2 hours of sleep, Darah and I went to the Great Wall! It was a beautiful day, sunny with blue skies. We hired a driver to take us out there and back for very inexpensive. David was awesome! The villages we past on the way to the Wall were so unique and interesting. But the Great Wall was even more spectacular. I can't wait to post pictures as soon as I can figure that out! I can't unfortunately show my videos since YouTube has been banned from this country as of about 1 month ago apparently! But more to come soon! After the Great Wall, we ordered take out, ate, then took a long nap! Had Filet and wine at this nice restaurant. Then more clubs, PUNK again then Block 8. Met this famous DJ dude and famous Chinese actor. Too funny and so many stories! Late night food last night was Marshall's tasty quesadillas. Late night Mexican has arrived!

Off to do some shopping now.. more later!

In Korea!

Luckily everything in the Seoul, Korea airport is labeled in English, so I was able to find this internet cafe at the airport and get 30 free minutes! What a journey it has been so far, and I'm not even to Beijing yet!

So, first of all, I love international travel! It is such an adventure doing this for the first time, and on my own. I can't have Marco do all the research (he loves that kind of stuff) but I have to actually find everything on my own! I found my gate, boarded the plane in LAX even through the flight attendants were speaking Mandarin, I even did the currency exchange all my myself- that was the easy part!

I wish I had time to go into more detail but here are some highlights so far (trust me, I am taking it all in!)

- Asiana Air ROCKS! I felt like I was in first class! The chairs reclined back pretty far, the service was amazing, they served 3 meals (steak for dinner, sandwiches for lunch, and an omelette for breakfast! You know me and how much I like to eat! LOVED IT!
-The Seoul, Korea airport is amazingly clean and very modern. Also very quiet.
-I love India.Arie. She was my music buddy on the flight.
-See the Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons. GREAT Movie!

Finally, before I head onto Beijing, I want to say thanks to:



Marco (my Booty) for being so patient with me and also letting me go on this adventure (for 2 1/2 weeks!)
Hollywood- for letting me borrow your i-FLIP- cant wait to use it and share video on the blog.
My girls at the office, Janelle and Kyla, for being so awesome at work that I can actually take off 3 weeks to do this! You too Keith! You are awesome!

Okay, off to the next adventure!

Stephanie

Here

Its finally here. My BLOG. I plan on using this space to document my growth and evolution through my life experiences. It'll be an interesting ride, I am sure!