So, we spent three weeks in China this Fall, broken up by a that month long side trip to Nepal. Annie posted early on in our time here, but we wanted to do at least more more post on our experience in this amazing country. Here goes...

China was tough to love at first. Coming from Japan, an ultra-evolved society, China and specifically Beijing felt like a work in progress. We expected this, but I think we had become quite comfortable with the superbly clean side walks, professional construction sites, western style public bathrooms, and civilized rules of the road. Things in China started off along those same lines, first in the newly constructed international terminal at PEK airport and also as you're whisked into town on the brand-new airport express light rail line. Then you get out of the subway at Fuchungman station and it hits you like a tonna bricks: bikes, buses, construction, vendors... all at dusk. It was slightly overwhelming... especially because I don't think we were all that weathered in developing countries at that point in October.

Our Beijing accommodation was northwest of Tian'amen. Place was cool, and COLD. Google "beijing hutong", look at pictures and you'll get an idea - door off an ally opens to a stone courtyard, lined with bedrooms and dorms. Our place also had a common room, free wifi and a staff - mainly this one lady, Juju who wouldn't quit with the hospitality, which really made the stay worthwhile.

We did the sites in Beijing, slowly becoming accustom to the style. Then we headed to Shanghai on an overnight train. Which, once we got into the Beijing train station - holy shite it felt like the entire city was trying to catch an urgent lift out of town that night - proved to be a very comfortable experience. It included complimentary slippers - which I can't get enough of and a bunk long enough for the tallest of travelers.

Shanghai was very very interesting. We had a great set up at a former colleague's place, who went above and beyond to secure bikes and touristy info for us. We did the biking thing, the pearl thing, a night out which included a twelve dollar, hour long massage at 11:30 PM and we were even able to meet up with a Medullan colleague, in town as part of her own China vacation. So Shanghai had all that going for it, but Annie and I both got a bit into the history of the place - western cultural and architectural influences, role in historical international trade, involvement in the Opium Wars, role in governmental struggles between Nationalists and Communists, its new found position as the economic powerhouse of China and its continued focus on outward perfection as it works to host the 2010 World Expo. The beauty for us was the ability to still walk through its old city and find the noodle shops, fruit, antique and book markets which have stood for centuries. We strolled through parks watching men and women play card, chinese chess and mahjong. Combine these things and you've got an exciting and interesting atmosphere that deserves some time.

We then spent 3 days in what's described as Shanghai's beach weekend getaway, a group of islands southeast of the city called Zhoushan. Unremarkable. Best part of the 3 days would have to be the food. Fish and other sea creatures sit in tanks, you point, negotiatevprice... once you're settled on your choice, it's pulled out of the tank, if necessary it's batted over the head a couple times, then steamed, poached, fried or grilled to perfection..add a vegetable, some rice and a few beers and you've got a meal. Delic!

Then back to Beijing...throw a failed attempt to get to Xi'an in there and it's back to the same hostel. This second trip was all about getting back to fly to Nepal, and getting to the Great Wall. We did and it was awesome! A lot of the historical significance was lost on us... 7th century BC, unified the sets of fortified walls already built around villages and states, modified, rebuilt, extended for centuries after that, mostly what you see now done done during Ming Dynasty, blah blah blah... What we took away from the day was that the Wall is a work of art and a pretty hefty hike. We walked the 12 km Simatai to Jinshanling section, which was gorgeous with numerous watch towers and a good stretch of natural, unrestored wall. It was surreal to see the wall meander through the hillside as far as the eye could see. Very worth the 3 1/2 hour bus trip out of Beijing.

During those last few days in Beijing we also spent some time in ArtSpace 798. It's blocks of galleries and studios for artists, west of city center. It was something I would have not expected to see in Beijing or China for that matter - a place for artists to express themselves and attempt to make a living from their freedoms of artistic creativity. In that way, Beijing impressed me and made Annie I both feel as though it would be a very interesting place to get to know better.

After a month long intermission in Nepal we made our second touch down in the region this time further south. Flying into Hong Kong just isn't what it was ten years ago when the landing strip was in the middle of the city but when a flight is uneventful I guess that's a good sign. Leaving the land of power shortage and chaotic streets of Nepal we found ourselves in one of the most affluent, lit up, organized cities in the world and right in the middle of the Christmas rush. We found Hong Kong to be beautiful and worth a second visit at some point in our lives but also felt the less populated southern Mainland call our names.

A horrific night bus ride north, left us in the middle of Yongshuo (southern guangxi province) in the middle of the night. Not calculating the trip time perfectly left us on the city's streets at about 4 AM with the only respite being an internet cafe with a dozen teenage dudes, smoking cigarettes, drinking red bull and playing online games . No worries- we know how to kill time online. Our time in Yongshuo was some of the trip's best due to our comfortable accommodations at the Giggling Tree and our love of peddle bikes on flat roads in the country. The landscape is flat farmland except for massive limestone peaks that rise fast and high. Needless to say we stayed longer then we expected.

Our time in China didn't start with love at first sight but it ended with a promise to return and explore further. It was time to move on to Southeast Asia and look under the covers of Vietnam.

Happy Holidays from the Highlands of Vietnam.  We've been enjoying all the local attractions  from the hundreds of personal tailors in Hoi An to our new best friends the Easyriders   We'll spend Christmas this year on the back of their motorcycles as we wind our way through coffee fields and the hills around Dalat.



This whole backpackers concept is much more appealing when you get to strap it on the back of a motorcycle.  We love you all, may this post reach you in good health and in the warm home of friends and family.

I totally agree with Annie's discussion about the people and places we visited while trekking the Annapurnas.  It feels as though you're taken back in time centuries, to when life was simpler, which can mean easier in many ways.  Certainly not in a physical sense - these people work hard!  I do however feel the need to reiterate just how beautiful the landscapes were on this trek and the emotion that invoked.

After 4 months on the road, we've seen some pretty amazing places, but for me, nothing creates awe like white, ice capped peaks - in this case around the Annapurnas.  It's difficult to describe with words, but for me it proves, yet once again how amazing and beautiful our natural world is.  For some reason I always think of seeing snowflakes form under a microscope for the first time and being amazed at its beauty.  Although very tangential, this is yet another (and for me arguably the most beautiful) landscape the natural world can provide...

So the second half of pictures from Nepal focus mainly on the mountains...however there are the other typical things thrown in there, including a few shots from our days after the trek in Pokhara, then our visit from Scotty Rokis, which included a rafting trip (with the Swedes) and a then a trip to an ancient town outside of Kathmandu.

Currently sitting in Hoi An, Vietnam, it's raining - as it typically does here in December, but this place is really neat.  The city was spared from massive destruction of the "American War", so the French and Japanese influence of colonial times lives on.  Oh and you can get a suit tailor made for fifty bucks!

We're now working on where to spend Christmas and the turn of the New Year.  Fun fun!

Updated with Nepal.

Here's where we'll try to capture glimpses of people around us throughout our travels. We're both fascinated with what everyday life is for folks in different parts of the world. How different is it from ours, what themes and similarities we find between them? We see faces, expressions and body language as universal truths which tell an individual's tale, no matter who or where you are. We really enjoy this, hope you do to.


Nepal


Alaska and Japan

The best way to see Nepal is with a little elevation. The Himalayan mountains run the length of this tiny country and make up a good deal of its hot spots. We were able to spend some quality time in the heart of them while circumnavigating the Annapurna mountains and then making our way into base camp surrounded on three sides by some of the highest peaks in the world. The beginning of this trip started with some careful planning in Kathmandu to determine a route and most importantly a suitable guide. After interviewing four guides, we're very thorough you know, we found our match and were feeling good about a twenty two day time frame. Now we just had to do it.

Pradip became our third, crucial, wheel for the next few weeks, a local Nepalese man that has taken a number of groups into the mountains and claims that they have all returned safely. He became our best friend and best local knowledge as we blindly jumped into the world of trekking and up to elevations that our bodies have never experienced. One of the other beautiful things about Pradip was that he carried some our belongings. We did try to keep it to a minimum but when you put Ryan's 80 ltr backpack onto a five foot Nepalese man it looks unproportionally large.... try telling that to other trekkers carrying all of their own stuff! (Brian, Graham, Jen, and a host of others quickly called us out on the trail)

The two greatest aspects of the Annapurna Circuit are 1) hiking through some very old traditional Nepali towns and 2) meeting the people that inhabit them. Every town has its own distinct character and community feel. The building style changes from timber to stone as you get closer to the Tibetan boarder and rise in elevation and the farming style changes
depending on the climate and terrain. We passed through warmer valley regions with lush vegetation and mountain sides of rice terraces, fields of fruit trees. But as we gained elevation the land turned dry and desert like, the vegetables became scarce and hearty yaks took over the countryside. It was neat to watch this climate change in such a short amount of time and how people of these diverse areas lived. Everyone makes the most of what they have. The houses are very minimal with kitchen, bedroom, living space all being in one small area and all generations of families living together. By our societal standards you'd say they are poor and needy but, everyone had a smile on their face and time to look up and say "Namaste." The children seemed to have the best imaginations. When you don't have outside stimulation to rely on, the little things are what keep you entertained. Sometimes a plastic bag full of plastic bags turned into a hacky sack or rocks and marbles make for hours of fun.

On our very last night of the trip we ended up being the only guests at a family's guesthouse in their little riverside town of Syauli Bazar. We joined them in their kitchen to observe the preparation of our meal and chat with them about their lives. So although I was initially more excited about the scenery and aesthetic in store for us along our trek, getting that true glimpse, however short, into the lives of the native Nepalese and their homes, was the real rewarding part of this trek for me.

After spending a couple of days in Kathmandu we had settled on a trekking guide and were on our way. Our trek "began" with a 6 hour bus ride from Kathmandu to Besisahar and the Annapurna Circuit trail head. We were booked in a microbus and we were told that although it might be less of an authentic experience, the bus will be more comfortable and take less time to reach our destination. So let's see... our experience included 20 people being fit into 12 seats, more weight on the top of the van than inside the van - as you can guess, raising the vehicle's center of gravity and creating an interest rolling effect, hindi music (the norm) blasting through every speaker, an interesting discussion about muslims, christians and hindus living together in Nepal, a cock finding its way into Annie's lap (a rooster folks!) , a road side lunch consisting of samosas and pakoras, school children climbing up and riding home from school on top at no charge and not surprisingly no less than 4 turns where I felt at least two of the van's wheels lose contact with the asphalt. I'd say we got an authentic experience! An added benefit of our speedy driver was that an uncomfortable 6 1/2 hour trip was completed in 5 1/2 hours.

Great, so were in Besisahar... but our vehicle adventures were not over. We checked in with the trekking officials in town, then walked a km before jumping on to a 4x4 bus, which would bring us the next 5 km or so to Bhulbhule. Here the walking actually began. This bus, was more tank than bus, getting us through what many would consider an impassable road; potholes varied in size from stones to station wagon, and this began, what became a common theme in our trip - our guide Pradip road the entire way... on the roof. That's Pradip's profile on top there to the right.


Our tank topped driver guided the rugged machine, often without looking, or without both hands on the wheel (often fiddling with the tape player, at one point having to flip the tape once the side ran out..haven't seen that done in a while), coming ever so close to the road's edge. We're talking 60-100 ft drop into the river below. Annie couldn't bear it, so wasn't looking, I was checking on Pradip and the other roof riders periodically. Everything turned out fine, just another commute in Nepal.. these guys are professionals. We jumped off the bus, our walk began, and we were all excited to reach our first night's destination - Ngadi Bazaar.

Our first impressions of Nepal came quickly as Annie and I grabbed luggage at the airport and walked out front to grab a cab. I had expectations of the scene, several folks vying for our business, wheeling-and-dealing for a good price. If unprepared this can be your most vulnerable moment - not knowing how far from your accommodation you are, how much it should cost, if this guy is legit, it's all quite an experience. Kathmandu, no different, but I had armed myself with a bit of info so was ready for whatever was coming my way.

I had read stories about taxis taking unsuspecting passengers to "preferred lodges". "Hey Pally, no no strings attached, just come see this lodge, it's very nice!" ... what the dude doesn't tell you is that if you stay at that place, then he gets a hefty commission. I had booked accommodation beforehand and armed myself with some info on average taxi prices into town, so felt pretty good about that. Now, it was just a matter of identifying someone honest....for that you just have to go with your gut.

As we exited the airport we passed the fixed price taxi counter, where "airport officials" try to get you to pay, what we found to be, at least 1.5x the price you could get outside. They insisted their price was fair, but we moved outside, into the lion's den.

Once outside, the onslaught began. These guys LOVE tourists with big packs, especially those that look clueless. Even when I'm well prepared I can give off the impression of being clueless, so it was on like Donkey Kong. No less than 15 people touting their services rushed to our side "Taxi?...Thamel?....You need guesthouse?"

Surrounded, the group looking up at me...I said... "Already have a place, thanks. Need to get to Kathmandu Peace Guesthouse. 400 Rupees" ... some moans "400? No!", some laughs - I got lots of laughs throughout the month in Nepal, but one guy, in the back, looked, pointed and said "400? OK."

Now, once one guy agrees to a price, the rest start to denounce him. "Oh, he's not licensed, he's not official, he's not in the association, he's not in queue" At that time, I didn't know and didn't want to get into a pickle... so I started to ask others. "OK, so who IS official?" Oh boy, what a mistake. I got everthing from driver's licenses, to taxi licenses to Member's Club cards thrown in my face. OK, bad idea, how do I decipher? I didn't have to. Seconds later some dude, in something of an official uniform, perhaps airport police?! came by and told the guys to back off. I asked the uniformed 16 year old with a gun.... "Are any of these guys legit? Can we go with anyone?" He said yes... so I looked back at the first guy, who was still sitting back a ways, not getting up in my face and said "Let's go."

We started walking with intention and the angry mob saw that they had lost the deal, game over ... and we were on our way.

Still a bit shakey we climbed into the van and off we went to Peace Guesthouse.

It was late, it was dark, we passed stray dogs, street side fires and an occasional lit street lamp. We took, what appeared to be back roads, which at the time felt like... roads leading to our impending demise. "Did we get the character call wrong on this guy? are we being brought to that preferred lodge of his?" Not lots of english exchanged, so couldn't get a good read, until 15 minutes later...we arrived, safe and sound at Peace Guest. We were both relieved. We had gotten through the first encounter. I was so relieved that the guy played us straight that I gave him 500 Rupees just cause. He had made our first trip in a new country a good and safe one.

So we checked in and laid down with good thoughts in our heads. Not only were we preparing ourselves the trek we had been looking forward to for months, but we had a good feeling about the people of Nepal... perhaps prematurely, but that's exactly what happens when you start a country off with a good experience.