Weeks 29+30: China Vacation

During these two weeks I had the pleasure of vacationing in China with (most of) my family. My aunt, uncle, and cousins are living in the city of Chengdu for the year, and I had convinced my mom that we should all go visit them for Christmas before I even knew my world saga would be happening. Since it was an action packed trip, I will be elaborating on our adventures city by city.

Stop 1: Chengdu

I arrived in Chengdu on Christmas Eve and met with my extended family in the airport, so we could all drive to their apartment together. Once there, we were able to uphold the family tradition of Grandma reading all the cousins “The Night Before Christmas”, albeit via skype this year. My family were not so lucky to join in on this telling, so we met them at breakfast the next morning, which was followed by gift exchanges and then an exploration of the old city. Here we were able to witness the traditional practice of ear cleaning, a process that uses metal rods and vibrations to loosen ear wax and supposedly relax the patient. Personally I could do without a strange person poking things around in my ear like a tuning fork, but the few Chinese people we saw receiving treatment looked like they rather enjoyed the process. We capped off Christmas day with some delicious Cantonese food, a good start to the culinary delights that were coming.

The next day we went to the Giant Panda sanctuary and were delighted by their playfulness. The creatures are extremely rolly polly and look exceptionally huggable as they played with each-other. (Fun fact, you can pay a high price to actually hug a panda: as my cousin described it, they mostly just lean on you and they’re not very soft, but it’s awesome!) After enjoying the spectacle we continued to the oldest working irrigation system in China. It was a gorgeous setting but the actual irrigation part was less than overwhelming. However, history is important and the engineers of the family were ecstatic, so it was a trip well spent. We enjoyed a culinary trip that night, sampling different street foods that my aunt and uncle have found and grown to love in their time in Chengdu. This varied from simple noodles to a Chinese “burrito” to ice cream that was garnished with pop rocks and cotton candy. The variety was extraordinary and there was good food for everyone.

Our final day in Chengdu included a trip outside the city to see a historic and enormous Buddha statute carved into the cliffs of a river. While it was a remarkably big carving, the highlight was a nearby temple where we admired the huge range of facial expressions and poses of statues, presumably of deceased monks. Following this we got Sichuan hotpot with the family, renowned for its spiciness which lived up to the stories. We were also treated to Sichuan Opera at a tea house. This opera is run like a variety show, where there are acts from dancing to shadow puppets to teapot twirling. The climax of the show however is the famous face changing, a process where dancers will almost seamlessly change a cloth mask in front of their face without you even seeing. They enhanced the show even more when one of the dancers went through an entire costume change in the blink of an eye-the show is not to be missed.

Stop 2: Jiuzhaigou National Park

Jiuzhaigou National Park is one of the most famous places in China, and one of the top 10 places the guide books say to visit, so we thought we’d pop in for a few days. After a few days in smoggy Chengdu, the air was clear and clean and the views absolutely breathtaking. You land up in the mountains and then have to drive through winding roads with amazing views to get down into the valley, where the park is. We spent two days exploring the national park, which is rife with crystal clear waters in unimaginable colors. Unlike hiking in America, the number of tourists requires the government and park authority to restrict places that people can walk and explore. Thus, you take a bus to the end of the pathway, and then wander your way back using predetermined boardwalks. This felt a bit claustrophobic for an outdoor attraction, but since we were there in the winter the number of guests was significantly reduced. After all, it’s China, so there will be crowds no matter where or when you go.

Another highlight of the park is the Tibetan villages within it. Unfortunately, most of these have been converted to cater to tourists and don’t offer the authenticity we were looking for. Nevertheless, it was cool to see all the prayer flags and spin the prayer wheels. They also make a pretty decent peanut toffee so I can’t really complain too much.

Stop 3: Xi’an

Xi’an is the city best known for the Terracotta Warriors, a discovery made less than 50 years ago by some farmers that were trying to dig a well. It is now one of the biggest tourist attractions in China, and the farmer has become a key figurehead who now spends his days signing books and taking photos. However, the warriors were magnificent, set up in such a way that it still looked like an archeological dig that they just happened to put a permanent roof over. It’s amazing to think that these figures have remained intact over 2000 years. We had a chance to explore all the different ‘pits’ where the warriors are housed as well as examine some of the excavated figurines behind glass cases before it was time to move on.

The other highlight of Xi’an (we were there a short 2 days) was the Muslim quarter, particularly the street where they have a multitude of street vendors in the evening. You could choose from a plethora of meats on sticks that were grilled next to hanging carcasses of the animals being cooked or opt for spicy fried potatoes, Arabic bread, pomegranate juice, or a variety of other treats. We wove our way through the stalls picking up various delicacies to try as we went until we ate our fill. Then we bought some imported chocolate and toasted in the new year with it.

Stop 4: Beijing

No tourist trip to China is complete without a decent stay in Beijing, one of the oldest and most historic cities in the world. Despite the smog we were treated to many exciting sites during our time here, the highlights of which included Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, various Hutongs, and innumerable temples.

Day 1 in Beijing included a hair-raising car ride from the airport to the hotel. It included weaving in and out of traffic, creating an extra lane where there was no space for one, and generally squeezing through spaces that were not designed for a car of the size we occupied. However, we reached our hotel in record time which allowed us to make it to Tiananmen Square in time for the flag ceremony. This is a daily event for the military to display Chinese pride and precision as they march from the Forbidden City across the street in perfect time to perform the ceremony. Their march is said to be an exact number of paces per hour, and while I didn’t calculate that outright there was never a foot or hand out of line with the rest. After we enjoyed this event, we went to warm up with some finger-shaped fried dumplings as the guide book recommended. Like most of the best places in China, this one was hidden in a little shop that looked like someone’s front room and would have been easily missed if we did not know about it before.

Day 2 brought us to the Forbidden City, a historic site only opened to the general public in the last 100 years. It was a solid statement to the feudal system with the emperor at the helm, complete with dozens of buildings for both state affairs and family affairs. Some of the most interesting locations were homes to the emperor’s concubines, another facet of the lifestyle. Everything was extravagantly decorated and created with status in mind, but didn’t look like a particularly pleasant place to live all things considered. Too much pomp and circumstance for my liking. Following the palace we went to the nearby parks to get a view of the city. We were disappointed in this because of the smog, but it was pleasant to walk through the parks, which, as I’ve noted in prior posts, are very distinct from the ones I am used to in America.

Day 3 we took a self-guided walking tour of other city highlights, including the Drum and Bell Towers and the winding alleys of the Hutongs (ancient and historic neighborhoods throughout the city). Similar to the ones we saw in Xi’an, the Drum and Bell towers had some interesting artifacts and displays to look at, but were overall not especially fascinating. The highlight of those stops was Mandy’s choice to purchase a video of herself CGI’ed flying through the famous sites of Beijing in traditional Chinese garb. Ask her for a showing, it’s certainly a worthwhile 2 minutes! The Hutongs were much more exciting, with various shops and food vendors along the way. It is very easy to get lost in the old parts of the city with winding roads and no street signs, but if you have the time it’s an excellent way to get a feel for how life used to be in china. Our tour also led us along one of the many lakes in Beijing-this one had a completely artificial island for ducks created close to the shore, complete with little houses and tires filled with grasses, close to the lake edge. You never know what you’ll find when you take a walk around China!

We also paid a visit to the Lamasery, a famous temple devoted to the teachings and practices of Tibetan Buddhism. Unfortunately it was not so distinct from the myriad of other temples that we found it unmissable: however, it did have a giant statue of the Buddha that made it into the Guinness Book of World Records, so the stop was altogether a success.

Day 4 began with a visit to the tomb of the famous Mao Zedong. His body is preserved and on display in a mausoleum in Tienanmen Square and is free and open to the public as long as you do not bring a camera. While I don't have any personal love for the man, it was interesting to see so many people be so strongly affected by a visit to his tomb.  

This day also included a visit to the Temple of Heaven and Earth (or something to that effect). As with many of the sights in Beijing, this one is tied to the traditions of the royal family, as they would come here to pray for good harvests and other similar ceremonies. It was a hauntingly beautiful site, with kilometers of gardens that had perfectly straight rows of trees, to reflect the Confucian values of order and unity within nature. After we had our fill of the sites, we went to a market across the street to try our hand at bargaining. Unfortunately my family was not so into it, but Jeff made a great bargain by not saying anything at all, so to each their own!

That evening we tried the regional delicacy, Pecking Duck. Pecking is the ancient name for the city of Beijing, so it was only right that we try this delicacy. I must say, it was good but not something I would strive to eat every day, I’m much more a fan of dumplings. However, we passed the evening with good food and in good company, so it was very pleasant indeed.

Day 5 was our opportunity to tour the Summer Palace, the site of the royal family get-away to escape the summer heat. It is only a few kilometers from the center of Beijing, but the family would have had a caravan of people and stuff to bring with them, so the trip could take a full day. It was one of the most beautiful sites of Beijing, a clear reminder of the inequity between the ruling family and everyone else. There was a large lake with man-made islands sprinkled throughout it, and various buildings and temples to round it out. One of the more famous figures in the emperors history was Cixi, the dowager empress. She reallocated the navy budget to make renovations on this palace, but did include a granite boat statue as a tribute to the original cause!

Following our stroll around the grounds, we headed to the 2008 Olympic site to see the renown Bird’s Nest and Water Cube. It’s hard to realize how HUGE the complex is through the videos and reports during the Olympics, but this site was massive and would have been a bit insane to walk through during the games.

Our day was completed with dinner at a North Korean restaurant. This is an establishment serviced by the sons and daughters of North Korea’s diplomats, and they are rumored to be kept under tight supervision. We were not permitted to take pictures while in the restaurant which added to the mystery, but did enjoy some pretty delicious foods, ranging from BBQ to kimchi spaghetti. As some of the only non-Korean speaking people in the restaurant we stood out enormously, but it was a good experience and one we are unlikely to get again.

Day 6, our final day in China, led us to a hike along the Great Wall. We left with a tour group of people from around the world and were accompanied by two Chinese guides. It started snowing as we left for our trek, so we were treated to magnificent views of the wall and the surrounding mountains, a formidable passage for anyone planning to attack. After a gorgeous (but cold) walk along a section of the wall, we descended to a local village for a huge meal of home cooked food made by one of the villagers. While it was a tour attended soley by tourists, this felt like one of the more authentic visits to the wall, and we were not stuck pushing our way through the typical crowds of China. This brought our family vacation to an end: the next day Jeff went back to California, Mom, Dad, and Mandy to New Hampshire, and I went on to Shanghai for a few days to work and catch up with old friends there. An excellent vacation indeed. 

Week 27: Scotland

This week I had to travel for a client visit, and figured it was a perfect opportunity to spend the weekend exploring another country since my flight was already covered, so that’s how I ended up in Scotland. My friend Natalia and I had 2 free days to see what we could before heading to the client, so we did our best to make the most of it. Our trip began with an evening landing in Glasgow, where we visited their Christmas market. Unlike the cute and festive ones in mainland Europe, this one as more like a carnival that mashed food from a variety of cultures to create a greasy culinary delight for those who attended. Options included crepes (France), waffles (Belgium), Greek pastries, and the traditional sausage and bun that is well known to the United Kingdom.

Saturday we went on a tour of the Scottish highlands, which included some gorgeous scenery from places like Glencoe in the rolling hills to Oban on the coast. Our guide was kind enough to speak a much clearer version of English so that those in attendance could understand-most of the people I talked to would slow down as if speaking to a foreigner and then when another Scot approached promptly switch back to the original brogue. Our trip went from fields to castles and was interspersed with traditional Scottish music, and so we passed a delightful day seeing the country.

Sunday we decided to stay in Glasgow and were not disappointed by the variety of activities there. Along our morning walk we ran into hundreds of people dressed as Santa Claus as they finished a road race for charity. We got some hot chocolate and enjoyed traditional English scones during our ventures, as well as sampling Scottish shortbread and some whisky fudge. After the culinary portion was over, we headed over to the Sharmanka kinetic gallery, an experience that critics described as “grotesque”. It is a collection of sculptures by a Russian artist living in Scotland. However, unlike traditional sculpture, these are connected to each-other and to pulleys and motors, and move in time to a lights and music display. It is an eerie experience to be sure, and one I hardly understood as I am not an art lover. However, it was worth the visit to see some unique pieces and a form of art I hadn’t had the pleasure of viewing before. After this excursion, it was off to client meetings for the rest of my time in the country, so I have nothing more to report.

Week 26: Christmas Revelry and Antwerp

This week the Belgium office hosted their Christmas/winter holiday celebration, a fun event where the entire office (all 6 of us that is!) went out to the Brussels Christmas market for some hot mulled wine and revelry before heading to a restaurant to dine. During our strolls through the picturesque mini-huts that comprise these markets throughout Europe, we discussed different family traditions and learned about the special treats consumed during the holidays in everyone’s home countries. We also admired a lights and music show, projected on the outside façade of the Cathedral Saint Catherine, themed for Japan this year. The dinner that followed was at a traditional Belgian restaurant, so delicacies including mussels and snails were ordered and enjoyed, while I stuck to a more predictable turkey in raspberry beer sauce. It was a merry time to be had by all.

On Sunday, I took a trip to the nearby city of Antwerp, to see what there was to see. Accompanied by a friend, we visited the famed Cathedral of our Lady, an enormous church whose spire towers unmistakably above the surrounding buildings. After a nice walk-through there, my friend and I sought lunch, and ended up walking into a fancy establishment that was full of people strictly over the age of 60. After viewing the menu (and the patronage) we decided it was not the place for us and continued on to a cute bakery full of sandwiches and more age-appropriate food.

Following our meal we took a walk down to the river to admire the water as the sun began to set, and were treated to an excellent view out to sea. Antwerp used to be one of the biggest port towns in Europe, and still functions as a working port today. On our return to the train station I managed to get lost (as usual) but unlike my typical wanderings through sleepy neighborhoods or hip streets, I looked up and found myself in the red light district. There’s nothing quite like admiring a local university’s classroom and empathizing with them about the horrible food probably served there (they had the same meal provider as my college) and looking up to see women in bikinis in windows and a street that only has men strolling down it. Needless to say, I took the opportunity to pull out Google Maps and find my way back to the enormous (and historic) train station for the ride back to Brussels. 

Week 25: Paris

This weekend I decided to take a nice little trip to the neighboring city of Paris, about 3.5 hours driving from Brussels. My first day was spent at the Palace of Versailles, which lived up to all the hype about being enormous, especially the gardens. I was privy to viewing the most famous rooms of this enormous building, including the king’s bedroom (complete with a bed about my height) and the hall of mirrors. Following this tour through the gaudiest of households, I took a trip through the magnificent gardens, the truly spectacular part of the complex. These stretched over an enormous amount of area, and were resplendent with fountains, sculptures, and lots of water, the last of which turned into a prime location for crew practice as the sun was setting. These gardens were also the location of my first encounter with hot wine, a Christmas season tradition throughout Northern Europe. There are few things better this time of year than strolling through the streets of the old city or along the lush garden pathways with a steaming cup of wine.

After getting back to Paris, I went to the Montmartre neighborhood to see Basilica of the Sacre Coeur at night. I was not disappointed by this view of the magnificent building at night, with lights gleaming off the white exterior. I was also treated to a view of the city overall, as the basilica is on top of one of the highest hills in the city. While this did mean walking up a good number of stairs, it did not disappoint!

Sunday I went for a morning walk along the canal near my hostel. I felt very French as I munched on a Croissant and found myself in a weekend market that took up a small park between the buildings. After packing up, I made my way to the Avenue Champs-Élysées and walked down to the Arc de Triumph for the best view of the city. Once I had secured my requisite pictures of the Eifel tower, I continued back along the avenue toward the Louvre, pausing at the Parisian Christmas market for more hot wine and to admire the stalls and buzz of the area.

My walk continued through the central park and past the Louvre to the Cathedral de Notre Dame, and then up to a neighborhood recommended by a friend. From a small corner diner I enjoy the traditional Croquet Madam and watched a yard sale-type market happening right outside the window. Upon finishing my French delicacy, I walked through this charming market, observing the excellent habit Europeans have of sitting together, drinking wine, and enjoying their lives in a way rarely experienced in the United States. I also treated myself to more hot wine, which is an excellent way to keep off the cold as I traveled. 

Week 23: Morocco

This week I decided to use up some of my remaining vacation days to visit a country that has intrigued me since I first ate Moroccan food in Spain several years ago. The goal was to visit, seem some cool stuff, and eat my way through the country. I can say I achieved these goals remarkably well, and enjoyed a relaxing week away.

My first stop was the ancient city of Fes, known for its crafts and for being a university city, where people would come to study Islam. The medina (marketplace) is an incredibly convoluted collection of streets within the walls: this area is said to have over 1,000 streets within a tiny space, all curving and intertwining in the most unexpected and confusing ways. Due to my tendency to get lost, I went on a guided tour through this maze my first day, including stops at a craft shop where they hand make Berber rugs and blankets, and the well-known tanneries where they have been treating leather using the same methods as when the city was born.  We also saw a man turning pieces of bone into combs and families of craftsmen pounding metal into plates, bowls, and trays out in the open air.

The tiny streets are exceedingly crowded and it’s not unusual for a motorbike or a donkey to intercept your path as you are admiring the food and crafts. Our guide stopped along the way to greet the seemingly thousands of people he knew as we went, and even got some shopping done, buying pigs feet for his wife to cook. He later learned he had made a mistake in choosing the hind legs rather than the front ones: apparently the former have better taste! We also saw buckets of meat mixed with animal fat, a historic way of preserving the protein in the desert, where refrigeration is non-existent.

My second day in Fes brought a beautiful day to walk up to the old city fort for a view of the town and surrounding mountain landscape. This was followed by a traditional Moroccan meal of soup with bread, chicken tagine, and some sweets popular throughout Morocco. The food is simple but delicious, typically cooked in a vessel called a tagine, which looks like a pot with a pyramid lid. A “tagine” dish can be anything prepared in this cooking device: I had everything ranging from chicken with veggies to couscous to an omelet that were all served to me as ‘tagine’.

One of my best experiences was a visit to the local Hammam, or bath. I went there on advisory of my hostel, with no particular expectations-they told me to go in, pay the lady 100 dirhams (about $10) and then follow instructions. The baths are the same as they were back when the city was first built, and work similar to the Roman baths: there is a cold antechamber before the hot steam room inside, complete with water for bathing. They’ve made a few upgrades, including buckets for water and stools for sitting, but in essence it’s the same as many years ago. My host had had me purchase a small kit before going, which included soap, shampoo/conditioner, and a washcloth glove made of lightly abrasive material. After sitting in the waiting area alone and mildly confused for a while, I was beckoned to strip down and go to the hot room. There, it was indicated to me (since we had no common language) to later myself with soap. I did so, then waited for about 20 minutes for further instruction, observing the other ladies around me. The baths are an exceptionally social experience, with women chatting and washing around then entire perimeter of the room: a practice that would probably never happen in the US, and especially not in these modern days. However, most Moroccans go to the public baths at least once a week to clean up band socialize.

Once my steam time was complete, a middle aged woman came, put on the glove thingy, and started scrubbing me down. She literally peeled off the top layer of dead skin, giving me disapproving looks as it came off. Though this sounds slightly disgusting, it didn’t hurt at all and left me feeling clean and refreshed afterward, and maybe even a bit lighter! She also poured water on me as I washed my hair, which was akin to standing under a gentle, warm waterfall. Overall it was a completely unexpected by relaxing experience that I would highly recommend.

The next day I got off my overnight bus in Merzouga, a small town on the outskirts of the Sahara desert that caters to tourists who want the true camel experience. Our tour started at the house of a native to the area, who served us breakfast and lunch and taught us about the desert. Apparently a dune made of ‘solid’ sand (which does not blow away with the wind) has a hidden water source underneath, which keeps the sand moist enough to remain packed together. The place we traveled and camped fit this description, as you could (with difficulty) walk up the dunes and enjoy the views from the top. This was an excellent way to experience the sunrise and sunset for two days, when I was camped among the rolling dunes.

The desert is very cold and very quiet at night, perfect conditions to sleep soundly and enjoy the stars. We were treated to camel rides, followed by a tagine dinner and a traditional Berber drum circle. While I’m certainly untrained in the ways of African drumming, it was amazing to see how the various participants were able to listen and respond to each-other, changing rhythms and beats every few minutes without pause. They also had a few desert songs they entertained us guests with before turning in for the night.

My second day in the desert included another camel ride to an abandoned Berber village. The people had left the previous generation because there were no longer jobs for them in the desert. However, a few brave souls remained to cater to tourists. When we were ready to leave, our guide told us that we could either wait at the house or accompany him to go find the camels: when we had gone to explore the city, he had left our camels untied to graze, and they wandered off! Apparently this is the furthest they’ve ever gone, but we ended up on quite the trek across the black desert to find the animals behind some distant hills. There is speculation they were trying to escape into Algeria! The “camel massage” on the way back was less than pleasing, but we finally made it back to camp to hike the great dune for star gazing and nighttime sandboarding. From the top of the dune we could see the surrounding towns and a million brilliant starts, a beautiful way to pass time in such a deserted place.

After our escapades in the desert, we took a bus through the gorgeous and gut twisting Atlas Mountains to get to Marrakesh. There, I explored an even bigger medina, complete with a central square that was as crazy at night as New York’s Time Square. Unlike Fes, this complex had exotic creatures like monkeys on leashes and snakes for picture posing. I had the opportunity to visit a complex that used to be a dormitory for scholars, and greatly admired the gorgeous architecture and decoration of the building.

My final days were spent on a train ride back to Fes and then some shopping in the Medina before my plane departed. I managed to secure some nougat with peanuts, a local sweet treat that became a quick favorite. You know you have the best vendor by the number of bees surrounding the nougat, enjoying the sweetness. The nuts and dates were also extremely popular and cheap, so I stocked up for my trip back. Overall, a relaxing and adventurous way to spend a week I’d say.

Weeks 21+22: Brussels and Bruges

The first two weeks in Belgium have been a nice adjustment to the European way of life, with the Particular restrictions or having cool fall weather to compliment the changing leaves. While I have not explored too much outside of Brussels, I've had the pleasure of starting to familiarize myself with the city that I'll be calling home for the next year.

My first weekend included a trip to the center of Brussels, the Grand Place. There, my coworker overtook me on a tour of the popular places, zoals the third peeing statues of Belgium, the museum row, and the Delirium bar, famous for having the biggest selection of beers in the world. The Latter Has A menu the size of a small textbook, with beers from across Belgium and around the world. In my attempt to assimilate to the culture, my friend recommended a Kreik bear. This beverage tastes mostly of cherries, but is a good way to pass an afternoon in good company.

The next weekend I Decided I Should Be Formally more acquainted with the city, and did a walking tour of Brussels center. While we saw many of the same monuments as before, I was enlightened of the myths and histories of Brussels as well as a few fun facts about the city and the country of Belgium overalls. I was ook fully educated on the correct way to consume waffles, fries, and beer, the three primary perks of Belgium. (When I brought` up chocolate as the most Important Belgian delicacy, my tour guide threatened to throw me out of the tour! Apparently bear ranks higher.)

Each weekend I try to take a trip to one of the local markets to get my fresh produce and meats and cheeses for the week. These range from cute neighborhood markets to sprawling booths reminiscent of an Asian bazaar, providence and a variety of foods at very reasonable prices. My favorite places at thesis is the chicken trucks: theyhave entire food trucks That Are dedicated to roasting chickens on the go, complete with fully functional striker and cages to roast the separated pieces of meat. I have yet to purchase an entire chicken from one thesis or trucks, but They smell delicious as you walk by so it's on the list.

In an attempt to see more of Belgium and enjoy a gorgeous day, I overtook a daytrip to Bruges with a friend: this is a small town built along a canal, about 1 hour by train from Brussels. It's truly worthy of being a tourist destination, as the scenery was gorgeous, Especially in the sunshine. My favorite part was the myriad of chocolate shops That Are famous in this town: noteworthy samples included Cabernet Sauvignon chocolate, chocolate whipped cream, chocolate and cannabis. All in all a day well spent visiting an adorable, Typically European city in Belgium.