Oh, Beijing, how I love to hate you...

Yesterday, I woke up and it was sunny.  Well, as sunny as I have seen Beijing anyway; I could actually see the blue that I love so much, the blue I have been missing these last few weeks, the blue only the sky can give you.  The smile that shines from my heart seeing this blue radiates to my face and out to the world…I am off to enjoy this sun even if it four degrees out there.  I am going to the Summer Palace, a place of calm and nature  and loveliness in the middle of this heinous city.  I say heinous because Beijing and I are having a little bit of trouble in our relationship at the moment.  Maybe it will pass, but its an everyday battle.  

The open space of the Palace is like a dream.  I have been in the city too long.  I have been here two weeks.  The sun struggles to shine through the polluted sky and when it does get through, it may only be for a couple hours.  A couple glorious and wonderful city filled hours.  The birds and the trees love the open air as do I.  I find a perch high above the goings on below and take in Kunming Lake and the bridges and causeways in the distance. The air is warm, unseasonably so and it seems, for a moment, I have found a calm in the mad mad adjustment period I have warring in Beijing.  Adjustment is an understatement. 

Let me tell you why: Everyone smokes here.  And I live in constant fear of being spit on.  Not because I am American, but because everyone spits…EVERYONE.  All the time, its spit or smoke.  Its dirty and a city and I don’t speak Chinese…well…at all and when I do, AH…  And for goodness sake, what was I thinking coming here in the winter.  Anyway, I will spare you much more of the hate parade because now it appears, as I sit in the crisp but not cold air, that I can do this.  I can find my breath in the midst of this insanity, I can and will beat this feeling of lonesome, why-the-heck-am–I-in-this-crazy-China and why-the-heck-do-I-not-just-recognize-that-I-am-not-a-city-person.

I have several uninterrupted minutes of breathe and serenity and lovely fall afternoon air.  Thank you. And then I look down and a bird has pooped on me. I am not even kidding.  Beijing…you are out to get me aren’t you?

I don’t let it get to me though; I move on, and out from underneath the tree, and take a long walk around the lake.  The grounds are huge and its clear to me that I will be back here at the Palace often.  It will be my refuge from the dark, scary, dirty city.  And maybe that bird pooped on me this time, but I bet every other time, Beijing, its pooped on you.  So there. 

I won't let this city thing get me down; its just more fun to be a hater sometimes.  It makes the little things so much better. Today, on the subway, a guy and his guitar serenaded the train so beautifully everyone was silent and even the cell phones were put away.  It was magic.  And I smile.  We all did.

I made it to China!

Hi and hello from good ole Beijing.  Oh, yes...I am in Beijing.  Its cold and dirty and I share this freezing and smoggy weather with 20 million other people.  And one of those people showed me how to get a vpn tunnel and tada! bck to the blogspot. 

I arrived here almost two weeks ago.  I have been to Tienamaen Square, set myself up in an apartment and I am getting to know my new Western(ish) neighborhood.  The other day, I ate street food, didn't even know what it was but it was so delicious.  Maybe this cold, smoggy city will be okay for a while after all. 

Because, after all, this city's people do share a passion for a few things I too love and behold...bikes and dogs.  Though I have neither...shoot. 

Stayed tuned for more...

Loving Melaka...

In the heart of Kuala Lumpur stand tall building and there beats techno music. All night long. After five days of enjoying late night music after long days of brilliant museums and fighting off monkeys and smelling around beautiful orchid and hibiscus gardens and visiting elegant mosques and ornamental temples, I have escaped the city.



Yesterday, I arrived in Melaka, a beautiful historic town on the sea. This town sits on the straigts of Melaka and four hundred years ago the sea was riddled with ships holding spices from Sri Lanka, silks from China, ceramics from Portugal and metals from India. Melaka was a major port full of action as the meeting place from ships sailing east to west and west to east for trade.




There are many temples and mosques, not unlike the rest of Malaysia. The mosque I visited today sits on the edge the sea, floating in the lapping water of the straights.

 In addition to beautiful mosques, this port city has numerous churches among the temples.  With so much to see, I have been lucky enough to get a bike from my guest house (a great guest house by the way) and have been pedaling around this historic, artsy little town; along the river, through china towns new and old, buy the Church of St. Francis Xavier, and to little India and to the sea.  

There is no shortage of good food 'round here. And there's no shortage of new foods to try. This morning I had an Indonesian speciality: Jus Alpokat. Avocado juice with chocolate sauce. Mmmm. They blend the avo with sweet cream and ice and then swirl the glass with chocolate sauce.                          Tastes pretty Much like just what you are thinking:  Mmmmm.  Lunch was a triple decker peanut butter and banana with chocolate sauce thingy.  And, same, as you can imagine, tastes how you think it would...SO GOOD!  Two thumbs up, really, for the eating going on round here.  Later, I tried Nyonya pineapple tarts, a Melaka specialty.  Small in size, the tart has spice to its pastry and candied sweetness to the fruit filling.  Different and delicious.  Good thing the bike is around so I can get about town to do all this eating!  Happy biking trails and happy eating...tomorrow I am off to Beijing.  

Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur...

The last few days have been fun.  Bangkok was empty with the flood waters threatening the city; but, the waters kept at bay.  All was well for us ladies, our last days together were spent well.  Flowers and shopping and foot massages, pad thai and fruit shakes and silliness.  And the pool...on the roof of our BKK hotel.

Check out the size of this leaf!

 It seemed wrong to be carrying on with our tourist ways among the flooding and the worry that surrounded Bangkok.  However, because of the absence of tourists, we made friends with numerous business owners and employees .  I think they were happy to see us; many visitors have cancelled their trips not knowing if it was safe to journey to Bangkok or Thailand.
One evening Dylan and I were getting foot massages and the ladies were sharing their fried food treats and whiskey with Thai herbs added to it.  Fried fried things, fried dough things and strong whiskey with red, licorice tasting herbs added...and a foot massage...okay, I accept!  We had a great time chatting with the Thai ladies, and they had fun playing with us, making fun of us and just being silly.

Next point of interest: I would like to know why so much roof space is wasted on things that are not pools.  The view was almost as amazing as the breeze in the humid, hot of BKK.

From the pool to Malaysia.  Now I am in KL. I have seen shadow puppets at the National museum (pictured above, made out of buffalo skin, used for entertainment in the17th c and 18th c) and a replica of Stone Henge at the National Planetarium.  Today, my new friends, Victoria, from New Orleans and Carolin, from Germany, and I have visited a few key places in KL, one being a Chinese Temple, pictured here and a Hindu temple which sat just down and across the street. Doesn't the lioness look playful with the ball of the world in her mouth?

Malaysia is a malay of religions and cultures and also fruit juices.  The pink drink tastes just like it looks; bubble gum with a hint of flowers.  Just stay away from the Durians.  Durian is a medium sized spikey melon thing...the smelliest thing ever. I have yet to try it but I am told it tastes a little like too old chicken mixed with salt water and  rotting fruit. Mmmmm. We also visited Asia's tallest flag pole on Merdeka (Independence) Square.  Fun. 

So, as I sight see and have a good time meeting friends and other travelers, I also await my visa to enter China.  As always, we shall see what happens....and I will keep you posted.  I am anxious as I write this; I have several days before my meeting with the embassy and a couple more before being able to pick up my visa.  

Oh, bummer, guess I will have to hang out in Malaysia.  In the next couple days, my time will be spent sight seeing, visiting temples and caves and eating Malay food.  And...I will go to an elephant sanctuary to work too!  I will have the chance to feed and wash elephants and maybe ride one too in the rain forest national park on Taman Negara.  Fun!

The best chocolate mousse ever...

I have said good-bye to Phuket.  And I say good-bye to Thailand today.  Off to Malaysia for the weekend and then on to China.  I have accepted a job there and will start off in Beijing.

But, there's no better way to say good bye to a city than with a delish dessert/dinner like this one.

yu