Monday, September 29, 2008
On the train
We're supposed to be on a train the next two days, headed into rural China. All of that to say that updates are likely to be sparse for the next 3 weeks or so. Once we land somewhere with consistent and affordable internet I'll do a blogging marathon to catch you up.
Great Wall of China - 29 September 2008
At last, my China checklist is complete!
Today we visited the Great Wall at Mutianyu. It's probably stupid, but I never thought about the fact that you would have to visit the wall at a specific location. I knew that it was over a thousand miles long, but just never thought about the logistics of visiting it.
I thought that I also knew that the wall was the only man-made object visible from the moon - but that myth has been debunked for me now. Ignorance may not be bliss, but sometimes it's a more fascinating existence.
It was a foggy day, so not too many good pictures. It's also quite a bit of exercise, so I got nice and sweaty.
Hooves + Chopsticks - looks like I'll be losing some weight
This would keep me out - how about you?
Like Frosted Flakes - it's Great!
Olympic Park and Imperial Palace - 27 September 2008
Today we went to visit the site of the Olympics, braving the Beijing subway for the first time. The subway here is relatively inexpensive, costing 2 Yuan (about US $0.30) for a one-way ticket. Based on the maps we expected to take the 8 line directly to the Olympic park, but when we got to the transfer station for the 8 line were told that you have to have a special ticket to take that line.
Instead, we exited the subway station and walked up toward the park, only to find that you need a ticket there as well. It looks like the Chinese are trying to recoup some of the cost of the Olympics by running tourist schemes. We did manage to get some good shots of the Water Cube and the Bird's Nest, though:
For the afternoon, we visited the Temple of Heaven. Empty it would still be fascinating, but what's really interesting is watching the people. There are groups doing organized Tai Chi demonstrations, people playing cards (presumably for money), people playing tennis, and improbably enough - sing-a-longs. There's a long corridor in the Temple named, appropriately enough, the Long Corridor. There were multiple groups of people with microphones, keyboards, and even accordions doing what I assume to be karaoke.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
If you can't google it, is it real? - 25 September 2008
When Jen asked me about the things I wanted to do in China, this was my list:
Pit 2 is the next largest, and features higher-ranking officers along with exemplars of different statues under glass. Someday the pictures with the flash going off (along with my reflection) will show up in the Phailed Photo Gallery. In the meanwhile, here's a kneeling archer (along with some Chinese dude).
There's also a separate museum where there are two bronze chariots (miniature chariots, I should point out) but it's so dark there that it's impossible to get a good picture, so we didn't even bother.
For the trip back we took the 914 bus, realizing later that it took nearly twice as long as the 5(306). That's the great thing, though, we've got plenty of time.
- The Great Wall
- The Olympic Venues
- The Terra Cotta Warriors
What I didn't tell her is that the only reason I knew about the Terra Cotta Warriors is that they featured prominently in an epsiode of G.I. Joe I saw when I was a kid. As I remember it, somehow Cobra Commander managed to bring the statues to life, and wreaked havoc on Joe using them.
The problem is that I can't find any evidence this actually happened. There's a brief mention of it in the episode "Rendezvous in the City of the Dead" but I can't find screenshots. I'm also not going to try and BitTorrent it here in China. Things have been spotty enough trying to track down the episode.
We stayed at the Sofitel in Xi'an, which is a nice western-style hotel. In the morning we walked to the bus terminal and took the 5(306) bus to see the Terra Cotta warriors. They were (re)discovered by a farmer digging a well in 1974, having spent over 2000 years buried under the earth. At one point, over 720,000 people were used to construct this burial tomb. As usual, if you're looking for definitive information, check out wikipedia - specifically Terra Cotta Army. Plus, if you're into neat technical things that aren't particularly useful, check out the panography of the site (gratuitously lifted from wikipedia as well).
For those of you content with my descriptions, the site is divided into three separate pits, only a portion of which are excavated. The largest pit, Pit 1, is shown below:
Pit 2 is the next largest, and features higher-ranking officers along with exemplars of different statues under glass. Someday the pictures with the flash going off (along with my reflection) will show up in the Phailed Photo Gallery. In the meanwhile, here's a kneeling archer (along with some Chinese dude).
Last, and frankly probably least, is Pit 3 which houses the fewest statues. Some of them must have panic'd because they've lost their heads.
There's also a separate museum where there are two bronze chariots (miniature chariots, I should point out) but it's so dark there that it's impossible to get a good picture, so we didn't even bother.
For the trip back we took the 914 bus, realizing later that it took nearly twice as long as the 5(306). That's the great thing, though, we've got plenty of time.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Two more flights today
The typhoon seems to have been a non-event, at least for us. We're flying from Hong Kong to Beijing today, and then from Beijing to Xi'an - home of the terracotta statues.
We're both struggling with jet lag - Jen slept most of the afternoon yesterday and couldn't sleep last night in spite of taking an ambien. We both were awake by 3:30 am, and finally just decided to get ready and head to the airport early.
We'll be adding a new airline to our list today, Dragon Air. They've got some of the prettiest planes, at least based on the artwork on the outside.
As usual, if you'd like to know more about Xi'an than I do (or even will after visiting) then check out wikipedia.
We're both struggling with jet lag - Jen slept most of the afternoon yesterday and couldn't sleep last night in spite of taking an ambien. We both were awake by 3:30 am, and finally just decided to get ready and head to the airport early.
We'll be adding a new airline to our list today, Dragon Air. They've got some of the prettiest planes, at least based on the artwork on the outside.
As usual, if you'd like to know more about Xi'an than I do (or even will after visiting) then check out wikipedia.
Comment moderation is now on
Well it was bound to eventually happen. Someone just left the first comment spam, so I've turned moderation on. This means that if you want to comment it won't show up until I approve it. Sorry for the inconvenience, but given the possibility of what might show up here I think it's prudent.
Red-headed stranger in a strange land
Thankfully the return trip to Hong Kong was much less eventful than the trip from Hong Kong to Denver. Other than mercilessly beating Jennifer with my rendition of "On the road again" not much happened. Fortunately for her, I don't have any Willie Nelson on my iPhone. One of these days I'll learn to prepare.
Speaking of not learning - we were up past 1:30 am the night before we left, and Jen got up at 5:00 to get ready. We both slept most of the way over here, which was fine since we've already exhausted the offerings of the in-flight entertainment center.
Hong Kong is easy, so far. There's a 7-11 and/or a Starbucks on every corner and we're staying in a Sheraton (yay, Starpoints!). We're going to ease into this, at least until we head to mainland China tomorrow. Then we've got two days in Beijing before we join up with the GAP people for our tour.
Of course that all assumes that we'll be able to get to China. Evidently there's a typhoon about to hit Hong Kong. Who knows, maybe this will become the de facto place to come for updates on Typhoon Hagupit.
In the meanwhile, I'll leave you with a picture of how I'll behave if we end up stuck here:
Speaking of not learning - we were up past 1:30 am the night before we left, and Jen got up at 5:00 to get ready. We both slept most of the way over here, which was fine since we've already exhausted the offerings of the in-flight entertainment center.
Hong Kong is easy, so far. There's a 7-11 and/or a Starbucks on every corner and we're staying in a Sheraton (yay, Starpoints!). We're going to ease into this, at least until we head to mainland China tomorrow. Then we've got two days in Beijing before we join up with the GAP people for our tour.
Of course that all assumes that we'll be able to get to China. Evidently there's a typhoon about to hit Hong Kong. Who knows, maybe this will become the de facto place to come for updates on Typhoon Hagupit.
In the meanwhile, I'll leave you with a picture of how I'll behave if we end up stuck here:
Friday, September 19, 2008
Neat photos that don't go anywhere else
To eventually be joined by "Photos that didn't quite turn out as planned".
Here's a picture of the moon from the mountain house. I didn't have a tripod so I put the camera on the deck railing (which is what you see in the foreground). I still think it turned out pretty well.
And here's a picture of me and "Sweet Pea" on the couch at the mountain house:
Here's a picture of the moon from the mountain house. I didn't have a tripod so I put the camera on the deck railing (which is what you see in the foreground). I still think it turned out pretty well.
And here's a picture of me and "Sweet Pea" on the couch at the mountain house:
Call me Ahab
Thursday was my last chance to hike in the Rockies, so of course it was time to try Meadow Mountain yet again.
It's frustrating enough that I didn't make it the previous two times, but the fact that the guide books describe it as a relatively easy hike just rubs salt in the wound.
This time I went back to the St. Vrain trailhead where Jen, the dog-brains, and I all started the first time a couple of weeks ago. In retrospect I wish we'd pushed on just a little bit harder then since we were probably on 15 minutes or so from the top.
Of course my phone started working once I got up top, and I had 6 voice mail messages and a text message. I spent the hour that I was up there returning calls. The GPS map shows me pacing a circle the entire time.
The view is spectacular, although the weather didn't completely cooperate. Long's and Meeker were both covered with clouds. Still, there were some good pics:
Note to self: Next time tumble dry the hat on low...
It's frustrating enough that I didn't make it the previous two times, but the fact that the guide books describe it as a relatively easy hike just rubs salt in the wound.
This time I went back to the St. Vrain trailhead where Jen, the dog-brains, and I all started the first time a couple of weeks ago. In retrospect I wish we'd pushed on just a little bit harder then since we were probably on 15 minutes or so from the top.
Of course my phone started working once I got up top, and I had 6 voice mail messages and a text message. I spent the hour that I was up there returning calls. The GPS map shows me pacing a circle the entire time.
The view is spectacular, although the weather didn't completely cooperate. Long's and Meeker were both covered with clouds. Still, there were some good pics:
Note to self: Next time tumble dry the hat on low...Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Hey you kids, get outta my yard!
Today's curmudgeonly rant is brought to you courtesy of cnn.com. During my bogarting of Jen's computer (before she leaves tomorrow for Irvine, CA) I happened across a couple of articles on their front page that looked interesting.
Clicking on them, however, led to video clips. Which led to immediate use of the back button.
Look, I'm not against video on the internet. I don't agree with Mark Cuban that there's no future for TV over the internet, especially since I've stayed up all night before catching up on 30 Rock on hulu.com.
The problem is that I like to read, and I expect the links that I click on to lead to text with the occasional picture. I find it jarring when I'm met with video and noise - to the point that I've considered removing the media players from my computer so it won't automatically happen. NOTE: espn.com is especially egregious since they start a clip from one of their shows automatically.
It's bad enough on the fluff sites, but the disturbing trend has also infiltrated sites that are supposed to help with work. When I'm looking for technical help I want something that I can print out, carry with me, make notes on, etc. I am not interested in seeing someone else configure a router or switch on YouTube. If they want to set themselves on fire while unicycling down a mountain then I'll show up with bells on. Shoot, if they're using their BlackBerry to configure a router during the stunt I'll be even more impressed. I won't use it to figure out how I can do the same, though.
Are we becoming a subliterate society? Is it really that difficult to read the ~ 500 words that comprise an article? Does this stick in anyone else's craw? Do I need to find a clip on YouTube explaining what it means to stick in a craw?
*sigh*
Clicking on them, however, led to video clips. Which led to immediate use of the back button.
Look, I'm not against video on the internet. I don't agree with Mark Cuban that there's no future for TV over the internet, especially since I've stayed up all night before catching up on 30 Rock on hulu.com.
The problem is that I like to read, and I expect the links that I click on to lead to text with the occasional picture. I find it jarring when I'm met with video and noise - to the point that I've considered removing the media players from my computer so it won't automatically happen. NOTE: espn.com is especially egregious since they start a clip from one of their shows automatically.
It's bad enough on the fluff sites, but the disturbing trend has also infiltrated sites that are supposed to help with work. When I'm looking for technical help I want something that I can print out, carry with me, make notes on, etc. I am not interested in seeing someone else configure a router or switch on YouTube. If they want to set themselves on fire while unicycling down a mountain then I'll show up with bells on. Shoot, if they're using their BlackBerry to configure a router during the stunt I'll be even more impressed. I won't use it to figure out how I can do the same, though.
Are we becoming a subliterate society? Is it really that difficult to read the ~ 500 words that comprise an article? Does this stick in anyone else's craw? Do I need to find a clip on YouTube explaining what it means to stick in a craw?
*sigh*
Monday, September 15, 2008
Hike like Mike
Jen and her Dad went to visit his parents in Ohio this weekend, which means it was just Mike (her brother), the dog-brains, and me at the mountain house. It looks like there was a pretty good snow on Thursday night (9/11) 'cause none of this was here when I left: 
Of course this was the ideal situation to try to hike to Meadow Mountain - off-trail. We actually followed a creek and then the National Park boundary most of the way, and it wasn't a worse trail than the official one. It did, however, gain altitude more rapidly meaning that I was huffing and puffing most of the way up.
Things went really well until we hit the part where the snow covered up the Juniper bushes. You'd go to take a step and find yourself in it up to your thighs. Ultimately we decided it was better to turn back than risk turning an ankle, or something similar. Of course it took us less than half the time to go back down.
Here's a shot of me with the front range of the Rockies, clearly not knowing what to do with my hands:
You can take the dork to the mountains, but he's still a dork. Oh well.
The peak you see to the far left is Mount Alice. Over the 4th of July Mike went up there with a 55 pound pack, and camped for 4 days. That might be a bit aggressive for me.
I've now failed to climb Meadow Mountain twice. Guess what I'm doing later this week while Jen's in Irvine for her last interview...
Of course this was the ideal situation to try to hike to Meadow Mountain - off-trail. We actually followed a creek and then the National Park boundary most of the way, and it wasn't a worse trail than the official one. It did, however, gain altitude more rapidly meaning that I was huffing and puffing most of the way up.Things went really well until we hit the part where the snow covered up the Juniper bushes. You'd go to take a step and find yourself in it up to your thighs. Ultimately we decided it was better to turn back than risk turning an ankle, or something similar. Of course it took us less than half the time to go back down.
Here's a shot of me with the front range of the Rockies, clearly not knowing what to do with my hands:
You can take the dork to the mountains, but he's still a dork. Oh well.The peak you see to the far left is Mount Alice. Over the 4th of July Mike went up there with a 55 pound pack, and camped for 4 days. That might be a bit aggressive for me.
I've now failed to climb Meadow Mountain twice. Guess what I'm doing later this week while Jen's in Irvine for her last interview...
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The lovers, the dreamers, Kermit, and me
So Jen's off doing her Fellowship interviews, and I'm hanging out at the Mountain House near Rocky Mountain National Park with the dog-brains. Originally the plan called for me to accompany her, but the combination of the expense and my disinterest in that much plane travel have me here instead.Winter is on its way. The drive up was into a cold cloud bank, and although I got in one good day of hiking the next day looked ominous enough to keep me from going out. That's how I got the picture above. The rainbow was only visible for about 15-20 minutes, and if I hadn't been at the house I would not have seen it.
On the one good day of hiking I went from the Allenspark trailhead (literally less than 1/4 mile from the house) up to Finch, Pear, and Hutcheson lakes. If I'd read the book ahead of time, I'd have gone on to Cony lake, but I guess that'll have to wait for next time. Of course if the weather keeps up, next time might be next year.
Here are my favorite pictures from the hike - a mushroom cloud above the highest Hutcheson lake, and a crazy-looking tree above one of the lower Hutcheson lakes. Enjoy!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
What's next
In a word, China. This is the part that I'm both most excited and worried about.
I'm excited because I believe (perhaps foolishly) that China will be different than most of the other places we go. When we were in Japan in 2001 it was challenging - we couldn't speak any of the language, read anything in Japanese and we stuck out like sore thumbs. We were most definitely disturbing the wah.
I expect something similar in China.
At the same time, eating was a challenge in Japan and we both lost a lot of weight (even without strenuous activity).
I expect something similar in China.
While resting one night in South Africa we watched a television program about the Olympics and the food available in China - they chose to focus on crickets, scorpions, and things that (this being ostensibly family-friendly) I won't go into.
I know we could have American style fast food, and I know that we'll eventually cave in to the need for some french fries, but I'd love to make it through China eating native. Hmm, maybe that should be eating naive.
I'm excited because I believe (perhaps foolishly) that China will be different than most of the other places we go. When we were in Japan in 2001 it was challenging - we couldn't speak any of the language, read anything in Japanese and we stuck out like sore thumbs. We were most definitely disturbing the wah.
I expect something similar in China.
At the same time, eating was a challenge in Japan and we both lost a lot of weight (even without strenuous activity).
I expect something similar in China.
While resting one night in South Africa we watched a television program about the Olympics and the food available in China - they chose to focus on crickets, scorpions, and things that (this being ostensibly family-friendly) I won't go into.
I know we could have American style fast food, and I know that we'll eventually cave in to the need for some french fries, but I'd love to make it through China eating native. Hmm, maybe that should be eating naive.
Back in Colorado - 14 August 2008 - 27 August 2008
And so we're back home, in as much as we have one now. I keep dreading a speeding ticket, and the inevitable "Is this your current address?" Let's just say that the lead-foot is in remission.
After getting back we rested up, grabbed our dogs (henceforth referred to lovingly as the dog-brains), and headed up to the mountains to do some more hiking and what not.
At first I still wasn't right, and wasn't even able to walk a mile the first day. The second day, though, we hiked the Twin Sisters. Which gave us an unbelievable view of Long's Peak and Mount Meeker:
We also saw some big horn sheep. Evidently we didn't appreciate how special it was to see them, since everyone on the trail kept asking about them:
The next day we tried to take the dogs to Meadow Mountain. The guide book says that you hike up the St. Vrain trail until Meadow Mountain is visible, and when it's convenient head off to the right. What it didn't say (or Jen didn't mention) is that the ascent is over what I can only describe as a pile of boulders. It was bad enough for me, but Jackson was definitely not interested. Ultimately we had to turn back. Maybe I'll hike it solo while Jen's doing interviews. If you're interested here's a site about Meadow Mountain.
Our last day in the Mountains we hiked the Wild Basin Trail up to Ouzel Lake. It was probably our best hike together, and I highly recommend it. Most of the hike you're alongside water and interesting features. Plus there's something to see every one and a half miles or so.
One key, though: GO EARLY!!! It gets very, very crowded toward the mid-morning and not only is there no parking but there are people everywhere for the first two miles of the trail.
Some highlights:
After getting back we rested up, grabbed our dogs (henceforth referred to lovingly as the dog-brains), and headed up to the mountains to do some more hiking and what not.
At first I still wasn't right, and wasn't even able to walk a mile the first day. The second day, though, we hiked the Twin Sisters. Which gave us an unbelievable view of Long's Peak and Mount Meeker:
We also saw some big horn sheep. Evidently we didn't appreciate how special it was to see them, since everyone on the trail kept asking about them:
The next day we tried to take the dogs to Meadow Mountain. The guide book says that you hike up the St. Vrain trail until Meadow Mountain is visible, and when it's convenient head off to the right. What it didn't say (or Jen didn't mention) is that the ascent is over what I can only describe as a pile of boulders. It was bad enough for me, but Jackson was definitely not interested. Ultimately we had to turn back. Maybe I'll hike it solo while Jen's doing interviews. If you're interested here's a site about Meadow Mountain.Our last day in the Mountains we hiked the Wild Basin Trail up to Ouzel Lake. It was probably our best hike together, and I highly recommend it. Most of the hike you're alongside water and interesting features. Plus there's something to see every one and a half miles or so.
One key, though: GO EARLY!!! It gets very, very crowded toward the mid-morning and not only is there no parking but there are people everywhere for the first two miles of the trail.
Some highlights:
Copeland Lake and Mountain
Ouzel Lake
Marmot at Ouzel Lake
And, because mom enjoyed it so much, Fat Squirrel on the way down
Monday, September 1, 2008
Honestly, I am having fun!
Just a quick note based on a discussion with some friends.
I'm having a good time. If the blog seems negative, or like I'm highlighting the bad things, well, it's because I am. They're more interesting.
Two of the more memorable things about our wedding were when the champagne glasses fell down during the ceremony and the fact that evidently I crushed Jen's hand the entire time the vows were going on. As she puts it: "I just kept saying to myself, happiest day of my life, happiest day of my life."
Everyone who climbs Kilimanjaro has the same basic story. It's the things that go wrong that make life interesting. It's a lesson I constantly struggle with, but this year should be a great crash course.
I'm having a good time. If the blog seems negative, or like I'm highlighting the bad things, well, it's because I am. They're more interesting.
Two of the more memorable things about our wedding were when the champagne glasses fell down during the ceremony and the fact that evidently I crushed Jen's hand the entire time the vows were going on. As she puts it: "I just kept saying to myself, happiest day of my life, happiest day of my life."
Everyone who climbs Kilimanjaro has the same basic story. It's the things that go wrong that make life interesting. It's a lesson I constantly struggle with, but this year should be a great crash course.
This is the way the trip ends, with a bang and a whimper - 12 August 2008
The plan is simple enough. Up at 4 am to take the rental car back (and fuel it up), catch the 6:30 am flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg, and the 12:50 or so flight from Johannesburg to Hong Kong.
The alarm goes off, and I get up to go to the bathroom.
The next thing I know, I'm lying on the floor with Jennifer banging on the door asking if I'm alright, to which I answer "I don't know." I passed out.
I get back to the bed and lie down for awhile, and after drinking a lot of water manage to get up. We end up leaving the hotel around 5:15, although I'm still a bit wobbly. Of course Jen is freaking out, but trying not to show me, while I'm freaking out and trying not to show her.
We get to the Cape Town airport only to find that the queue for security wraps around itself 5 times because one of the X-ray machines is broken. Thankfully they have their act together and will hold the flight for everyone caught in the security line.
The first flight went off without incident, and we managed to get back to Johannesburg and crash in the BA lounge, where I drank OJ and water for about 3 hours. Then we got on the next flight (Cathay Pacific) and the intestinal distress hit.
Interesting thing about Cathay Pacific - the flight attendants clean the bathrooms and spray air freshener after each use. I'm most likely still being cursed in Mandarin somewhere. Jen was trying to sleep, and thought that someone was spraying hairspray because it was so frequent. Then, when we hit the airport in Hong Kong I went to the first bathroom and added throwing up to the unpleasantness.
On the Air Canada flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver I took 5 immodiums, which had the desired effect but lead to an urgent need for Gas-X. It was a nice distraction from the 18 month old child who screamed all 12+ hours of the flight.
Over the entire 48 hour ordeal I managed about 2 hours of sleep, 1 and a half meals, and 11 trips to the bathroom. Honestly, though, I was glad to get home.
On the plus side, I'm the lightest I've been in over a decade. Too bad it's not for healthy reasons.
The alarm goes off, and I get up to go to the bathroom.
The next thing I know, I'm lying on the floor with Jennifer banging on the door asking if I'm alright, to which I answer "I don't know." I passed out.
I get back to the bed and lie down for awhile, and after drinking a lot of water manage to get up. We end up leaving the hotel around 5:15, although I'm still a bit wobbly. Of course Jen is freaking out, but trying not to show me, while I'm freaking out and trying not to show her.
We get to the Cape Town airport only to find that the queue for security wraps around itself 5 times because one of the X-ray machines is broken. Thankfully they have their act together and will hold the flight for everyone caught in the security line.
The first flight went off without incident, and we managed to get back to Johannesburg and crash in the BA lounge, where I drank OJ and water for about 3 hours. Then we got on the next flight (Cathay Pacific) and the intestinal distress hit.
Interesting thing about Cathay Pacific - the flight attendants clean the bathrooms and spray air freshener after each use. I'm most likely still being cursed in Mandarin somewhere. Jen was trying to sleep, and thought that someone was spraying hairspray because it was so frequent. Then, when we hit the airport in Hong Kong I went to the first bathroom and added throwing up to the unpleasantness.
On the Air Canada flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver I took 5 immodiums, which had the desired effect but lead to an urgent need for Gas-X. It was a nice distraction from the 18 month old child who screamed all 12+ hours of the flight.
Over the entire 48 hour ordeal I managed about 2 hours of sleep, 1 and a half meals, and 11 trips to the bathroom. Honestly, though, I was glad to get home.
On the plus side, I'm the lightest I've been in over a decade. Too bad it's not for healthy reasons.
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