Trains, Planes, and the Final Tragedy

Dear Readers,

I found a few more interesting pictures from Beijing I wanted to share with you. First, my condition on the subway. Steve managed to take those shots while we were mashed in there. Second, the horse and cart we passed on the highway loaded down with cabbages. The truth is that the majority of the local people outside the city travel this way. Third, that I noticed that under alot of the highway underpasses we saw sofas abandoned and set up as resting places for homeless? unemployed? Alcoholics? Passerbys? I just thought that was a great way to utilize the space. Ha!

We did arrive in Shanghai for the second week of our journey to China. This time the driver had no problem finding the Marriot downtown Shanghai. It use to be the tallest building until they built a taller one on the Bund. Again the sky was gray and it rained off and on throughout the week. From my hotel window I could see all the places I wanted to go-art museums, people's museum, McDonalds. Every morning we ate at a place near by called Wagas. It was a short walk to the store (a Japanese form of Starbucks) and I ate scrambled eggs and toast every morning. From there I would work on my latest novel, Woman in White, or plan my day.

The first day (Steve worked the whole week) since I was alone, I decided to head to National Art Museum to see what was new. They speak no English there. But art is universal. There were lots of people there and the whole four floors were dedicated to a famous Chinese artist that did modern 'earth' panels that were textured. Most of them involved a triangle representing the heavens protruding on a round ball (earth) and that seemed to be the major theme. Some of the canvases had dirt stuck in the paint or fossils. I thought of pizza when I looked at them.

Since that didn't take long I decided to try to find the Contemporary Art Museum which had been closed the last time I was there. On the way I had to walk through the park and people stopped, stared, and I kept my pocketbook clutched tightly. A group of girls stopped me and wanted to practice their English. "Where you from? Obama is cool. We are going to a tea festival. You come with us." Were they crazy? I walked off. I walked through a water lotus garden which was very pretty. At the Contemporary Art Museum they were having an exhibit on Pixar, the animated movies of Disney. It was interesting to see how they went from a script to sketches, to models, and finally cartoons. When I got to the end, I came into a room where they had two of the monsters from Monsters Inc. The guard insisted "Take picture! Can! Can!" Okay. I took a picture. On my way back to the hotel, another group of young people stopped me and insisted I talk to them. So I did. They also wanted me to come with them. No, don't be stupid. I insisted on talking THEIR picture which threw them for a loop. They didn't seem to want to be on camera and I was happy that scared them from following me any further.

In China, there is no facebook allowed. They don't want people to be able to put together a gathering. They don't want people voicing grievances. I was able to do email. In the afternoon I went up to the roof to the pool where they evidently vented the sewage pipes. It was so hot! I layed out anyway with all the other wives. You got a great view of the city from up there and the gray sky. Within walking distance of the hotel and where Steve works, is a group of nice restaurants (for the rich and the tourists). We ate at one Italian place there where I had fried Octopus. Yummy. The second night we ate at the California Grill at the hotel. Very fancy. I could look down on the stand still traffic in the pouring rain from there.

And so the week went. I revisited the People's Museum where they have the best collection of artifacts of Chinese culture (that weren't sold) and saw an exhibit of New Zealand Maori artifacts and art. Great. I bought some postcards and books and returned to the hotel. Every afternoon I hit the pool. For lunch I visited a deli on the ground floor and got a sandwich and a Pepsie. I was beginning to think I was going to escape this trip without any gastric problems. Not so. Wednesday night we had a company dinner at the modern mall at a place called Crystal jade. It's big here in Singapore as well. It was totally Chinese. We didn't even know what we were eating. That night at 1:00 am I became sick. Totally. I stayed in bed the next day and got better. We packed and flew back to Singapore Friday afternoon. I was trying to stay hydrated. I was so relieved to get back to our room in Singapore! But by Sunday, I realized I was getting worse so I visited my favorite hospital, Raffles for a quick chat with the emergency doctor. I was put on charcoal pills, antibiotics, probiotics, and packets of rehydrating powder. I felt better as soon as I got enough medicine in me. I am still not fully recovered but am eating again. I never lost a pound through the whole ordeal.

Well, that's the end of my big fat Chinese vacation. Would I go back to China? No. Will I? Probably. Steve will be returning every three to four months. Maybe he'll take me to Singapore-I have all those air miles! Maybe I am just dreaming.

Trains, Planes, and Food Poisoning, Part II

Dear Readers,

On day two in Beijing, Steve and I departed once again for a day's touring with our private guide, Rain. She called Steve a fat laughing buddha and remarked that I was all tan except my face. I was wearing as little as possible as it was 35 C and 100 per cent humidity. She was wrapped up in jeans, shirt, jacket, large hat and glasses. I don't know how she stood it. We were alittle taken back about her remarks. There was more to come, though.

We arrived with the rest of Beijing at Tiananmen Square. There were thousands and thousands of people there. It was vacation time for the Chinese and everything was packed. A long line of people stretched across the square waiting to see the embalmed body of Mao. We didn't sign up for that-it would have taken all day. Instead we marched through the crowd toward the Forbidden Palace where the Ming emperors had first built their headquarters. This place had been bombed, burned, and leveled several times. The government rebuilt it as a place for the people. And the people thought of it as their second home. Everyone had food, drinks, and something to sell to tourists. We were approached several times by Chinese wanting to take our picture with them. Some people go their whole lives without seeing a real Westerner except on TV. It's considered lucky to pat a white baby on the head, we were warned. No one rubbed my head. Our guide lead us inside the huge complex. We stared at the famous building which were closed to the public. I was told again that there was nothing inside them. On and on for a couple of hours we marched until the guide told us that the last emperor's nephew was still alive and a volunteer at the library. Maybe we could get a glimpse of him! He does caligraphy. She dragged us into a side building. We knew immediately that something was up. Another lady came over and went over the history of the last emperor and his family in perfect English. Then we turned and there sat the sainted nephew with a brush in hand, ready to do a special painting for us! That he did and she offered to sell a scroll to us for $1000. Awkward. We were being scammed by the Palace Museum. We said no and our guide was visibly upset. "We're not rich," I explained. Then we were led to another archive where vases, statues, and all other guaranteed antiques were sold. Again we said no. At this point we realized our guide would be compensated if we bought something. She wasn't a happy camper.

After that, we were taken to a buffet restaurant where a thousand other tourist buses were parked.
I am afraid of buffets because of food poisoning. I was careful to check were things were hot and really didn't eat much. In the middle of the meal, the lights went out. Black outs are very normal there. They came on after about ten minutes. What we noticed the most was the lack of air con. It got hot in there quick.

After that we went to see the Temple of Heaven where the emperor went twice a year to pray for the people-for rain, for famine to end, etc. It was his personal temple and no one else could pray there. We peaked in and there was furniture there and an altar where he sacrificed animals. For a change you felt like you were seeing something authentic. Then we headed for the Summer Palace where the emperor's mother hung out. It was a large complex with a man made lake. It had a Buddhist temple on the mountain and quarters not open to the public. People were packed in everywhere again-eating picnics, sleeping on the balconies, playing checkers. It was now a people's park. We got on a boat and went to the other side of the lake where you could get a better picture of the place. Tired and hot, we said take us home. She wanted us to go to a tea shop where we would be pressured into buying tea we didn't want. Once again we disappointed her. We gave her some money for the work and the driver too. It was probably more than they deserved.

Back at the hotel, we relaxed. We had eaten at the Italian restaurant there and another Western like eatery. It was all good. We decided against anymore tours, though. We decided we could do it ourselves. So the next morning we actually went to the subway and figured out which way to go to get to the Lama Temple (Not llama). Here was the only temple not torn down by Mao used by Buddhists. It was packed with people burning incense and praying again to wooden idols. There used to be 3000 monks there, today maybe twenty. Lamas (Buddhist leaders) use to visit it and it became quite famous. There we were shown the largest Buddha statue in the world (a claim also made by Japan). It was pretty huge! We found some postcards cheap there and again returned to he packed subway where there wasn't even standing room but we stood mashed up against the wall of the train. At one point I had a rear in my face. We popped out at the Capital Museum to see what cultural treasures weren't sold.

Alot of exhibits were closed. We did see alot of pottery, statues, odds and ends. They had shops on every floor trying to sell off the what little they had. We made our way back to the hotel and got ready for our trip to the acrobat show we bought tickets to. We were afraid of the traffic so we got a taxi early. We arrived at a run down building with bus loads of Chinese people on holiday. We looked at each other and wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. Was this another scam? It looked like the old Visulite Theatre in Staunton. Holes in the carpet. We went inside and were escorted inside. Now all the chinese tourists were seated around the edges. We evidently had VIP tickets and the middle, which was completely empty when we got there, was where VIPs sat. We sat there reading the rules of what not to do on the screen in English. It was very entertaining because the English was so bad. We also got a kick out of the tourists and children who ran up and down the aisles visiting and yelling with each other. Then the show started and the VIP section was filled with Europeans, Russians, and Japanese. At least we didn't stick out so much! Every seat was filled.

Then we watched a fantastic show of jugglers, acrobats, and motorcycle riding inside a large ball. It was great. Then luckily we were able to catch a cab back to our hotel. I was pretty worried about that. The next morning we caught the train back to Shanghai. I wasn't feeling too well. We also were told that a typhoon was coming into Shanghai and they were expecting train delays and flood

Strangely enough, I saw the first and last blue sky as we pulled into Shanghai. It had missed the city entirely and hit Korea.

Trains, Planes, and Food poisoning-A trip to China, Part 1

Dear Readers,

We left on Singapore Airlines for Shanghi, China on a Tuesday afternoon. The flight was good with lots of movies and good food. We planned on spending five days in Beijing and then five days in Shanghai where Steve works. We spent the first night in the Marriot outside Shanghai where Steve usually stays. Next door is the Bubba's Texas BBQ place. Yes, it's for real. A place where westerners hang out, drink beer, and eat BBQ. They play country music and wear cowboy hats. I was very amused.

The next morning bright and early we caught a taxi to the high speed train station that just recently opened. I have been following its progress in the newspapers-trains stop during rain storms, passengers trapped on dead train, train crashes, train officals arrested, mechanical failure on the train so I was worried. We had soft chair tickets and sat in the last cabin next to the engineer. We were given warm cokes and a chinese lunch. The bathroom was nice. And sure enough we arrived in five hours at an average speed of 300 kilometers. Then when we got off the train and tried to get a taxi, we soon came to realize that our taxi driver who spoke no english whatsoever didn't have a clue as to where our Marriot hotel in Beijing was. He drove in the general direction, taking us to the wrong place, asking people on the street for directions, and finally giving up at the place next door. We kept pointing out the hotel (one of the largest in the city) as we drove by it but to no avail. We hopped out and dragged our suitcases down the sidewalk until we got to where we were going. The Hotel is surrounded by the remains of the wall of the city (1400's) Ming. We walked around it after we got checked in.

The Marriot Beijing was a great hotel with several restaurants and helpful people who all spoke English. We immediately booked tours for the next two days. They would be private tours with a guide and driver only. We don't like the bus thing. So we enjoyed the buffett breakfast in the morning and headed out of town to the Great Wall. The ride was an hour and a half and I saw cars turn into motorcycles turn into horse and carts. Every spare inch of land in Chinese is planted in something. Vines growing vegetables are everywhere. I saw very little livestock. Some goats. A group of ducks, a donkey. Donkey meat by the way was for sale a sign said. Why these signs are in English, I am not quite sure. There are several portions of the wall available to tourist. Steve wanted to see the part less traveled, the part not fully restored so we walked straight up to a cable car and then straight up to the wall. The sky was hazy, gray, and the weather was hot-hotter than Singapore. I was drenched in no time. At no time, I should add, did I see blue sky in Beijing. Not ever. It was gray every day. Pollution? I wondered. Anyway, I could not keep up with Steve on the stairs and uneven pavement on the wall. Finally, I sat down and he ran ahead. While sitting there, another woman came over and sat down to rest. Turns out she was with a group of army people from California. One asked where I was from and he said I have a brother who went to Virginia Tech. He sent me a T shirt with a Hokie on it. Do you know what a Hokie is? I told him no one really does. Anyway, it was a small world. They went on and another woman sat down. Is this where the fifty and over people sit? Yes, it is, I said. She was from Chicago and was hiking the entire way. I had to admire that. Steve came back and I limped back to the car. On the way back, I saw a couple getting dressed for a wedding on the wall by the porta potties. Yes, dressing in the open. The potties were nasty!

We were taken to a "factory" when we thought we were heading to lunch. This is typical of the tours-trying to force you to buy something. I believe the guide gets a kick back. We bought two Christmas ornaments (I do collect them in Singapore) so it wasn't a complete waste of time. Then at the "factory" we were seated in a cleaner, air conditioned place for lunch. A little boy rode his trike in and out staring at the westerners. He evidently lives there, hence the laundry outside the door. Food was interesting and tasty. I was always worried, though, about the quality. Next we went over alot of mountains and landed at the Ming tombs.

Here the first emperors of the Ming Dynasty are buried under a mountain. No one has dug him up. Our guide told us all kinds of things-the religion was feng shui, Some of the grave items were on display. I should mention that the place was falling apart and needed painting. I should also mention that all heritage places belong to the people and so the people treat the place like home. They have picnics all over, sleep on the benches and walls, stare at westerners, and if a little one has to pee, well, anything is fair game. They smoke like chimneys and there is no where they don't smoke. They pay absolutely no attention to signs-they are too many for the police to bother with. And they will walk, lean, push on you and never say a word. They are happy to walk right over you. Having said that I was not surprised to see a big empty building. Every building we saw was empty because they told me that anything over 100 years old is up for sale. They have sold all their antiques, heirlooms, grave goods, or all the loot they could get a hold of to anyone willing to pay. So all they have are empty buildings-mostly restorations that the guide passed off as authentic. I had read ahead though so I knew that the tomb had been rebuilt in 1950 and the Forbidden Palace was rebuilt for tourists too. We drove back to town and were late, due to traffic. We had reservations at one of the best duck restaurants in town. We couldn't even shower-we literally ran from one taxi to another, ran into the restaurant in front of alot of irate people to get our back table. Then we discovered no one spoke English and we couldn't read the menu. The poor waitress kept coming around and we just looked at her. She got mad, disappeared, and came back with a man who could speak English. At last we ordered our food and got our duck. It was delicious.

That was the end of our first day in Beijing.