Enough with the monkeys

After Granada I stayed on a large island called Isla Ometepe. Plenty more monkeys. I am now remembering that whenever I visit a country with monkeys, I return with half my pix of them and am trying to show more restraint this time. I was at a place that runs a free English school for the kids on the island. The owner and I had many discussions about the challenges of getting the kids motivated. He actually had the funding and benefactors, it was just getting the kids to show up regularly and take it seriously.  Its an impressive place to kayak because you are inbetween two volcanoes.

Next I moved on to a beach town in the south called San Juan del Sur. Its a quirky little place with an interesting mix of people. You have the cooler-than-thou surfers sporting future melanoma, manly jewelry and naturally walking barefoot on the roads. The risks of this sort of thing btw, I think are well explained on this hilarious sign.

There are of course the gringo travelers in their 20s and 30s looking for a cheap place to stay, the town Nicaraguans some of whom are suddenly doing quite well, and then above all this (literally and metaphorically) are these ridiculous mansions on the hills surrounding the town. Since I have been here, I have done some surfing, snorkeling (glad I didnt blow my money on diving, because I couldnt see a thing), and atv renting (easily the highlight).

Charming, beautiful, etc. but I feel like I have done everything this town has to offer and I am ready to move on. The line between relaxation and boredom is fine.

Volcanoes, monkees and mango trees

For those of you that I didnt have a chance to fill in, I (along with a lot of other folks) got laid off from the library. So I bought a ticket to Nicaragua. I can only be here for a couple weeks because I already had teaching obligations (weak).

First, I can report that this thing about the "rainy season" seems to be quite accurate. But its not endless, usually just a few hours a day. I´ve been in Granada for four days now and reveling in all there is to do here.

The first day I took some sort of old army truck to the top of an inactive volcano. The craters (more than one) are all filled in with plant life now. The best part was really the rainforest experience. All sorts of funky plants. That hike was an all day deal.

The next day I kayaked around the tiny islands outside the city. Some are privately owned with houses. Others, people hangout and fish on. Many have mango (everywhere around here, people eat them like apples) and plum trees for the picking and one had monkees that would take food right from your hand! Too cute, but I was advised that monkess are not for hugging.

The third day I took a tour with an opera singer which was novel but exhausting. Then to another volcano, quite different from the first. This one is active and therefore considered, "adventure tourism". Checkout the plumes!

Next to a bat filled cave that really tested phobias I didn´t realize I had. Apparently the sonar thing means they will not fly into your head (if ever in this situation, repeat this to yourself over and over). On the way out, we saw this funky looking creature that we didnt recognize. Any guess?

We also stopped at market selling mostly touristy shlock but with some hilarous but sad knick'knacks.

Today I explored an old cemetery, a crumbling abandoned hostpital, and a cigar factory.   Interesting, but it was dripping gross hot.

Tomorrow I am off to a big island south of here. So far I have met a Canadian traveling for a few mos before starting a PHD in astrophysics, a woman doing her grad thesis on displaced Jewish communities around here (appar. Nic still has 30-50 Jews), a volunteer engineer building a variety of solar powered things for a village in Honduras, a couple nurses doing aid work, a guy traveling around the world convinced he doesn´t need guide books, and some other random folks.

This is a charming little town. Excited for whats next.
Hope you´re all well,
-Dan

In closing..

China is a wierd place. I think knowing that almost a quarter of the world's population lives here was enough of a reason to make me want to visit. I am glad I did. One frustration was always feeling like a tourist and always being treated like one. Without knowing the language, you exist in a sort of bubble not always sure what is going on. I know that the Chinese are remarkably friendly to foreigners, but I still dont have a good sense of how they treat each other.

I have heard for example that the urban folk dislike the rural peasants (who are two thirds of the population), and that people are classist in general, but the Chinese people I spoke to didn't give that impression and both groups seemed to sit next to one another just fine at the train stations. Men are still comfortable giving warm embraces to each other and even walking arm over shoulder, but my guess is that is likely to fade a bit once homosexuality is more accepted and there becomes the fear that someone might "get the wrong idea"(as in western countries). Couples show very little affection in public though, and rarely even hold hands.

Manners:People often think the Chinese are impolite because of the spitting, staring, pushing, not standing in line, looking over your shoulder (as the people to my right and left are doing right now),food slurping, not covering their mouths when they sneeze, or even subtle things like saying nothing like "god bless you" after a sneeze. Maybe they are, but you don't really think about it much after being here a while (except for the spitting, I don't think you ever get used to that). Oh, the classic I have heard about but not personally experienced is the verification that western men are "generously proportioned". When using a urinal, you will feel a pair of eyes checking you out.

Censorship:I learned that this seems to work surprisingly well. All the Chinese I have spoken to think things are going great for their country and are psyched for the future. They have some sense of the issue of pollution, but little idea of the scale of China's human rights violations. For example, they have very little concept of what really went down and continues in Tibet. No one seems too concerned either that all the newspapers,tv,radio etc are govt monitored and western news websites are blocked (the Chinese versions that is). I think it is part of the Chinese mentality since it has always been this way. The very visible signs of rapid economic progress are all around them.

2008 Olympics in Beijing: This country is going nuts about this. Every time you turn on the news its about progress on choosing the theme song, volunteer recruitment, or torch bearer selection. Everything from seat covers in taxis to light fixtures in hotels have the new Olympic logo and say "Beijing 2008". And if you haven't seen them yet, there are four dorky vaguely Asian animal characters used as mascots. Beijing is demolishing the classic hutongs and relocating tens of thousands of residents who get no say in the matter. Oh, and this is my favorite: the govt is well aware that westerners find the Chinese inability to stand in a line, throat clearing and spitting, littering, and general lack of manners "offputting". So they instituted "politeness days" once a month in preparation for the olympics which will be politeness days throughout. You see commercials on tv of people being really nice to each other and there are flyers in apartments etc. And in a country where people are used to listening to govt propaganda, it works! I wasn't there the one day a month, but I have heard people stand in single-file lines and are more courteous.

Superstition: Its kind of nuts how even the most modern Chinese are still very superstitious. My friend went to buy a cell phone here and he was offered a choice of numbers for his new phone. One of the numbers was 50% cheaper than the other numbers. When he asked why, they explained that the number ends in a four so noone would want it (the word for 4 sounds like the word for death and so is bad luck). Maternity wards are flooded this year because everyone timed to have their child born in the year of the pig. At the temples, Chinese tourists do a lot of bowing and offering to gods I'm told they often don't even recognize. One god I see over and over is this really fierce, pissed off looking god who is stuck on in poster form to most front doors in the countryside.

Faves: I think my favorite thing about the Chinese though has to be their recreational spirit and use of the outdoors. In parks, you often hear people singing together in chorus, or competing karaoke outfits. All over you see Chinese chess, mahjong, go and other card games. In the morning is Tai chi, and in the evening is ballroom dancing. Even throughout the day, people eat on the sidewalks on little plastic tables and stools.

The food here was probably the best I have had in any country. At first I was daunted by all the weird stuff I didn't recognize, but once I learned a little Chinese and got better at just pointing at things, I really looked forward to meals. A typical vegetable dish is about $1-2 and a meat dish is $2-3. I usually ate just vegetable dishes and would order a couple to sample cause it was so cheap (extra food usually goes to beggars or animals).So when eating with friends, you can really have a feast for a few bucks each, its fantastic.

The future for China: This provides for interesting debate. The Chinese will say they are moving towards democracy but that it cant happen overnight. Some westerners don't see the progress. Capitalism is obviously thriving, but the crackdown on dissent is as brutal as ever, and allowing another party other than the Communist party is still inconceivable. Not everyone is sure they will be the next superpower. One opinion is that they are following a similar path as other modern countries except they are doing it in 30yrs instead of 200, and eventually the workers wont allow themselves to be exploited anymore and will organize and demand a living wage, safety standards, health care etc. And that of course would mean an end to the dirt cheap stuff. Or maybe they are growing too fast and this place could implode. A couple months ago president Hu Jintao surprised many by saying that a diversity of opinion was welcome. Since then the govt has allowed some articles published that would normally have been seen as threatening. If this will be a new trend or temporary and just for show remains to be seen.

A common way to see the country is one that has had sudden and dramatic economic expansion but whose people and govt till have the older mindsets and habits. Ya know how sometimes you see a 14 or 15yr old boy who is tall,lanky and awkward, and his mom or older sister will say that he hasn't grown into his new body yet? Thats a little like China.

Anyway, thats a quick some up of a few observations. Like most trips, the thing that made it most enjoyable was the people I met and hungout with along the way. BTW, how many of you do Facebook? It seems to be all the rage now.

Sunrise on the plane ride home (symbolic eh?):

Yak yak yak

I am home now and waited to post this to be safe:

07-01-2007
Lhasa is not the distant, exotic, city on top of the world that it once was. I guess it stopped being that when China took it over in 1949, but since the Han Chinese have been relocated here in droves, and the tourists come in by the trainload now that there is a train here, its well on the circuit. But that said, its still an intense and very holy place.

Flying over the Himalayas on the flight in was spectacular



When I first arrived, I was especially moved because I didnt realize that my hotel was in the heart of the "old city", and that the other 80% of Lhasa looks like any other big chinese city. This area, called Barkhor centers around the holiest temple for Tibetans. Pilgrims from allover Tibet (along with a smattering of mostly chinese tourists) walk in a clockwise direction through the busy markets around the temple, spinning their prayer wheels and muttering mantras. I still love watching it all although occasionally you have to go against the flow of traffic and feel like a jerk for it.

Aside from the police posts every block or so, it isnt obvious what is going on here. Most of what I know, I have read or been told by people who know Tibetans. Their lives are obviousely much better now than when the genocide was going on, but there is litle doubt that they are still occupied and not happy about it. Tibetans are regularly thrown in jail for everything from being drunk to mentioning the Dalai Lama. I heard a story once of a Tibetan guide being beaten up by a policemen for being a guide (not officially allowed) and my friend having to shovel quite a bit of money at the officer to make him stop. But again, you dont see that every day around here. Not surprisingly, Chinese tourists seem to be totally clueless about it all. The reason is simply because they only know what their govt tells them. I had an interesting interaction with a shoe seller about this recently.

I had my guide book sitting next to me as I tried on an ill fitting pair of sandals. In an uncommonly gutsy move for a Tibetan, she told me that what my book said about Tibet was not the truth. I questioned her about what she meant, but she was afraid to say any more. After a little discussion we figured out that she thought I had the common guidebook to Tibet that all the Chinese have. When she realized that my book was for/by westerners she said it was probably the truth then. I reiterated to her that we know what has happened here.

Its hard to talk about Lhasa and not mention the Potala palace. Its a 400yr old monolithic building that stands perched on a hill at the centerof the city. I think it looks like a mix of an ancient apartment complex, fortress, and palace. Dalai Lamas used to live there, it was an administrative center, a monastery, and a fortress of sorts. The challenge of just getting tickets to get inside is a common discussion amond travelers here. Inside you are allotted an hour where you are pushed along from shrine to library to gold plated stupa. Only a handful of the thousand or so rooms are viewable now.
Outside the palace


The palace itself




What I enjoyed more was visiting some of the nearby monsateries outside of the city. Less touristy and fun to explore. They are like small neighborhoods with endless alleyways. The monks are always friendly and occasioanlly speak some English. When I ask why they say they like America so much I get everything from, "America help all the world", to "Basketball, Michael Jordan!"(all these monasteries seem to have TV).



At the last monastery I visited, I followed the sounds of animated commotion and found the "debating courtyard". This is really something to see. In each "debate", one or two monks stands up and schools the few sitting. Every 30seconds, the standing monk winds up as if to pitch a baseball, and aggressively slaps his hands together yelling something I wish I knew what they are debating, but I guess I can imagine too;
Sitting monk: "..maybe, but what about the lowly cockroach?"
Standing monk:"you forget that the 8th Dalai lama said that all creatures are sacred! Waaacho! ("Get some of that!" or perhaps "How ya like me now!?")
Checkout the video!


The last thing I did here was visit a nearby lake for a couple days. I went with a group of 4 others and despite accimatiing in Lhasa, the 4700m elevation kicked everyone's butts at various times. A couple of the women I was with had found that tickling the children living in the area was a sort of international language. Even kids in the city performing their money begging scripts, easily break down and become children again.
A bunch of Tibetans live up there (brrr!)

In case you've never seen a yack up close

last stop, Lhasa

We're at 7 of 8 weeks. Instead of 2 weeks in Tibet, I decided to spend one of those in Yunan province, in the south. The area is known for its ethnic minorities and also backpackers passing through. But before I headed down there, I had to visit the Panda reserve in Chengdu! Its astounding how cute these animals can be.



They charge $150 to have a giant panda sit in your lap for a few minutes, but only $6 for the less popular but still darn cute red panda.

The train ride from Chengdu(the middle of China) to Kunming (south) was gorgeous. I wasn't even anticipating that.

One of my stops in Yunan was the Stone Forest where funky looking rocks have congregated for the last few million years.

Dali is a classic backpaper hangout sitting at the base of tall green mountains. Its interesting how similar these places are country to country. All the restaurants go for the rustic tiki aesthetic, play Bob Marley or U2, and serve banana pancakes and fresh fruit juice. You can also expect cheap or free net access, book exchanges, and encouraged traveler graffiti on tables or walls. Another standard fare are dirt cheap but crap accomodations. I was starting to fear for my lungs as the smell of mold from my bathroom was potent. Not the kind of town you want to stay for too long, but it can be nice swapping stories with other westerners and relaxing for a bit.
These are the Bai folks. They always declined my photo requests, so I had to sneak this one on the fly.

Tomorrow morning I board an overpriced flight to Lhasa. I have read blogs and talked to people, but still not totally sure what to expect. I know the lives of the Tibetans are fairly awful and I have a feeling that the tourists see little or none of that. If it isn't already, my email will definately be monitored in Tibet, so expect whatever I say to be watered down.

back up

The blog is back!

Our friends at the Chinese govt blocked all blogs on Blogger for whatever reason(not uncommon), and somehow also all images on Flickr. So instead of giving up, I decided to upload to Webshots and post to the blog via email. Hope it looks alright.


A week and a half ago

I am sitting in our minibus one the way to Turpan, our next destination. As far as I can see in all directions is brown, desolate earth with the odd factory far in the distance or the lost piece of a mud brick house. Behind us and in front of us are trucks continuing the silk roadjourney in a more modern form. The temperature here yesterday was 107degrees.

The train ride out here took us from another desert landcape of sand dunes, mountains, and caves. We were up yesterday morning very early to catch the sunrise over the sand dunes. My roomate and I tried to hike up a dune while everyone else (sadly plenty of other tourists had the same idea) took camels. The winds were strong and filled with sand. It took amazing will power to resist the temptation to pull out my camera for that quick shot. My friend and even our group leader gave into the photographic siren's song and damaged their cameras.

We talked to a lady who is arranging ahomestay visit for us with a Uyger family tonight. The whole Uyger thingis so interesting. These people look middle eastern, maybe Turkish, but not at all Chinese. They have their own language which is closest to what they speak in Uzbekistan, and even have their own time which is two hours earlier than the rest of China's. It should be an interesting evening.The signs here are in Uyger and Chinese, and donkey carts are common

3days later


The last place I found net access was too slow to upload this, so I will keep writing. I am now 6hrs into a boring 8hr minibus ride through the desert to the next town.Tomorrow's will be 12hrs. Ugh. I don&'t think any of us are really happy to be in the
desert again. The place we just left was perfect. It is a large turquoise lake in the mountains called Heavenly Lake. The temperature was mild and cool, and the mountains were green and some snow capped. We slept in a yurt for two nights that was warmed by a coal burning stove in the middle. When hiking up the hills, one finds more empty green valleys with tranquil views over the water. Its the type of place you tell yourself you just have to return to at somepoint in your life. We met a man who was there 25yrs ago and actually did return with his family. But like everywhere, the word is out and I bet I will have plenty of company if I return.





A small town we visited

06-19-2007

The tour is now over and I am on my own again. The famed market of Kashgar that I was told brought people from allover central asia was a disapointment, although the animal market was interesting

In case you've never seen a "fat-bottomed" sheep



Gonna miss those Uyger folks (pronounced "Weeger", or "Wiggly" if you are one person on our tour). It was tricky to really understand the culture. I mean we were in Uyger cities for two weeks but not really immersed or understanding what was going on around us. I know that in a sense theirs is an occupied territory like Tibet, and they apparently aren't too pleased about it, but what the foreigner sees is day to day living: markets, segregated chats on the side of the road, mud houses with incongruous impressive front doors(I have a series of photos of these), and plodding donkey carts or cheap motorcycles. Kashgar also has a decent sized Han Chinese population (the majority elsewhere). And as much as I liked the Uyger, there is a Chinese tradition that is just too precious. I know I talked about the Tai Chi in the mornings, but at night, they like to do something like slow motion line dancing and ballroom dancing. You see it in cities everywhere. This shot is in front of a shopping mall, on a weekday, around 11pm. Just imagine something like that in the U.S.

(Sorry its so dark. Those on brighter lcds will see it better)



I am now off to see if my man in Chengdu has been able to get me a permit into Tibet. Its not easy at the moment. Tomorrow I go to the Panda reserve!

Invisible again

Beijing was an instant respite from the celebrity like status I felt in many of the past cities. Plenty of westerners, and plenty of English (at least in hotels and restaurants). The city itself is not particularly attractive. Construction everywhere for the upcoming olympics, heavy smog, skyscrapers, upmarket hotels and shopping. But there are some decent attractions amid all the "cityness". Walking in Tiannamen square under the persistent gaze of Mao's giant portrait, it is hard not to be moved by all that has taken place there. The Forbidden city is full of stories of concubines and royal excess, not to mention a Starbucks whose symbolic value is unmistakable. There are ofcourse plenty of temples too if the dozen or so I had seen in the last month weren't sufficient.

After a couple days in Beijing, I started my Silk Road tour. There are only five people in our group, so it's all very manageable. The type of tour I am on prides itself on being very "untour-like", so we will get plenty of free time to soak up the culture. Besides, the areas I am going to would have been more tough to organize alone.

Probably the best thing thus far was going to a spot of the great wall a few hours outside of Beijing that our leader was keen on. It was an ambitious hike, but well worth it and there was even a zip-line over a lake for the final bit!

After a visit to Xian and the Teracotta warriors, we took an 18hr train ride to our first real stop along the silk road. I just arrived, but I know that in these areas, the people are of the Uiger minority group. They have their own language and are Muslim. Feels incongruous to see Chinese people wearing Muslim caps and saying "salam alekim" to each other.
(Needs some lightening)

This is one of those cities that you can tell was driven by communism more than capitalism as there are wide streets with few cars and state subsidized hotels with few occupants. A little like a modern ghost town.

While writing this, my roomate and I just got a predictable phone call. Its 10pm, and he was asked if we would like a "massage". Actually. it was all chinese, but he got the meaning. I have never been in a country where prostitution is so institutionalized. Most hotels either have something on the premises, or they have someone call your room at night. When I first figured this out, I got a knock on my door one night (after they tried unnsuccessfully to communicate on the phone) and a women came into my room speaking chinese. I was slow to pickup because I thought they thought I had requested something. I told her I didnt need anything but she kept making quack quack motions with her hands. It was kind of amusing till I realized that she was imitating a massage and then I was clear that I wasn't interested.

The challenge of communicating has been a continuing them of this trip. I have been working on my Chinese throughout, but its hardly just about memorizing vocabulary. For example, "ma" means four different things depending on your intonation. I remember that one is "mother", and one is "horse". So if I were to ask to ride someone's horse, and I got this off, I might find myself in a bit of trouble.

The classic Chinese street scene (notice the Mao jacket)