Stirring with Chopsticks

Well done, Nepal

2011-09-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

14-day trek to Poon Hill and Annapurna Base Camp.

Nepal definitely made it onto the top-5-countries-ever list. Honestly, where else do you find kids on giant bamboo swings and porters playing volleyball on mountains? No where, that's where.

Well done, Nepal, well done.

True Japan Fact

2011-05-31T16:39:00.000-07:00

Getting engaged on the top of Mt. Fuji - Pretty. Damn. Awesome.

Not to mention my big fat engagement ring. That's right. It's huge. It's plastic. And it's from a toy store in Tokyo.

And here are some completely unrelated photos of Japan.

True Thailand Fact

2011-05-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

You can design your own wedding dress and get it custom-made in Bangkok for less than 10% of what you'd pay in the US. If you're getting married and happen to be in Thailand, do it!

Here's mine. (Photo by super awesome photographer, CK at 39 East Photography, www.39eastvision.com )

A few more photos from Chiang Mai and Bangkok...

Catch up time

2011-05-26T20:11:00.001-07:00

Seb and I decided to bring our 2 years of backpacking to a close with a Vegas wedding, as you do. (Photos coming soon!) And now I finally have a moment to sort through photos from the last few countries we gallivanted through. I hate to post so many at once, but everything was just so pretty! Photos from Sri Lanka, Spain and Chile below. More to come soon...

Sri Lanka

Spain

Chile

Odds and ends

2010-10-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

What do Canada, Panama, Costa Rica and Cambodia have in common?

(*Send in your answers to win a super fun time prize!)

Patagonia in short

2010-04-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

Dramatic landscapes.

Wild animal road crossings.

Fences running for as far as the eye can see.

Thousands of roadside shrines.

Winds that tangle your hair for days. Not Pictured.

Fresh out of the oven...

2010-03-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

... Get 'em while they're hot!

These are mostly from a 5 day trip across the Uyuni Salt Flats and the surrounding areas. Thank you Tito's Tours!! (Best tour guide EVER)

Bolivia: 1st Dose

2010-01-26T09:12:00.000-08:00

From Turkey to Argentina...

2009-12-28T13:13:00.000-08:00

... with quick jaunts to Morocco and Brazil in between...

In a Nutshell

2009-09-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

Yay for motorcycling in Laos and Vietnam!
Boo for crashing.

Yay for Buddhism!
Boo for feeling too guilty to ever kill a mosquito again.

Yay for finally seeing sis in over 2 years!
Boo for almost dying in Srinagar.

Yay for being in Istanbul!
Boo for losing my ATM card, then breaking my foot… on the same day.

And now, way too many photos... I apologize. I do. I hate to post so many, it's just that Laos and India were saturated with wonderful photo ops... I couldn’t help myself...

From monkey fights to meditation

2009-07-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, I’m trying to keep my promise of, “Yeah, I’ll totally keep you updated on my trip!” that I’ve made so many times in the last few months. So, in the last few weeks I...

- Went on a solo 4 hour bike trail, which became a 7 hour frantically-trying-to-get-home-before-dark tour as I repeatedly made the wrong choice at several unmentioned forks in the “road,” got stuck in the mud on multiple occasions and ended up carrying my bike along the narrow pathways between rice paddies while taking directions from several helpful yak herders along the way to get back on track…all in the rain.

- Found another beginner and tried my hand at surfing at Kuta Beach, Bali with a surfing lesson from a local.

- Rode motor bikes through the countryside and down the southern peninsula of Bali to Ulu Watu and Dreamland… only after barely surviving the chaos that is Indonesian traffic in the cities.

- Had two monkeys fight on my chest… literally.

- Climbed Mt. Bromo and surrounding viewpoints with a ridiculously early start at 2:30am to enjoy the sunrise.

- Visited Borobudur Temple (largest Buddhist temple in the world) only to be, along with every other westerner, more of a tourist attraction than a tourist.

- Nearly got swept out to sea at Pangandaran, Java while only splashing around at waist depth (after reading about the regular drownings in the area), but felt less embarrassed, and more terrified, after my surf instructor had a similar scare all his own during my lesson.

- Met a woman who, having lived on the same street her entire life, was my father’s neighbor in the 1950s in Bogor, Java and possibly remembers my great grandmother!

- Lived at a beautiful temple in the wooded hills over-looking Chiang Mai, Thailand for 21 days studying Vipassana meditation and Buddhism while rubbing shoulders with everyone who’s anyone in the monk world.

Yangshuo, China

2009-07-06T11:35:00.001-07:00

Last stop in China before heading out to the real world...

Inexcusably late Christmas photos

2009-05-13T07:28:00.000-07:00

Last year, we decided to jump a quick flight down to Hainan to spend Christmas break on this beautiful island off the southern coast of China. We ended up catching a boat to a much smaller island, called Xi Mao Zhou (just 2.8 square kilometers), and being the first foreigners to ever stay at the one and only hotel on the entire island.

It was a refreshing change to spend this holiday in a bikini and to enjoy a freshly prepared Christmas dinner of hand-selected seafood straight out of an old fisherman’s net...MMMmmm...

Below are some snapshots from this lovely trip.

Today’s Top 5 and Itinerary

2009-04-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

As the departure date for my journey to circle the globe approaches, I find myself wanting to see (and photograph) more before my time in China comes to an end.

The photos below were taken while wandering the streets and alleyways of Shanghai this afternoon…

In other big news, my flight itinerary for my upcoming trip will include, or get me close enough for a visit, almost every country that I initially had planned! Fortunately, I found an affordable ticket option with minimal restrictions and plenty of flight segments to get me where I want to go. (It’s called the “Oneworld Explorer,” and is an around the world ticket that is continent based, rather than mileage based… for those of you tempted to begin research for your own personal voyage.)

Only a 3-weeks countdown until I’m living out of my backpack, washing clothes in the sink and crashing in $3 beach bungalows…

The Plan:
Indonesia (Bali to Jakarta) – 3 weeks
Thailand – 5 weeks
India – 5 weeks
Turkey – 2 weeks
Spain (ferry to Morocco) – 3 weeks
Brazil (bus to Argentina) – 3 weeks
Chile – 3 weeks
Peru (bus to Ecuador) – 3 weeks
Costa Rica (bus to Nicaragua and Panama) – 4 weeks
USA (train from coast to coast) – 5 weeks
Back to Indonesia?

Shanghai Today

2009-04-26T06:18:00.000-07:00

Alive and well, but ready to move on...

2008-08-29T20:24:00.001-07:00

Upon arriving home this morning, after taking an overnight train from the Olympic games in Beijing, I realized that I might have accumulated enough little events over the last year and a bit to list here.

As many of you know, I spent several more months training and living at another kung fu school in the Henan province just before moving to Shanghai on a bit of a whim. Fortunately I found a greatly rewarding and entertaining position teaching a small group of awesome preschool-aged Korean children at an international school.

But, as much as I love the kids I teach, after 2 years in China I’m getting a bit antsy for something new…I’m actually amidst planning an “around the world” trip that will hopefully begin early next year. Yet, I currently have a ridiculously long list of countries on my tentative itinerary, which will sadly have to be cut down to make it feasible.

So, here you go… below are some random events and highlights that have sprinkled my last year in China… as well as some photos I thought you might enjoy…

- Participated as an extra in several Chinese TV commercials doing a variety of things from acting exceedingly surprised to see a poodle in an afro wig to cheering for an overly enthusiastic waiter to putting on a scary ugly game face and diving for an imaginary volleyball (towards the camera, ugh) to recreate China’s apparently famous volleyball victory over the USA in 1984.

- Having the privilege of adding fried scorpions, sea horses, starfish and lizards to my list of ‘foods ingested.’

- Getting invited to be the backup USA contestant for the “Miss Bikini International” contest held in Shanghai earlier this year, ha!

- Trying my hand at shooting a Browning 9mm, 357 Magnum and other various rickety old WWII Chinese rifles at a venue that advertised “Come take a shot with an AK47 or take a shot at the bar!” although it was a bit misleading.

- Going on a visa run to Japan for a quick weekend visit to my sister.

- Passing out onto my face during the kindergarten’s graduation picture day due to some nasty food poisoning.

- Taking a weeklong trip down to Macau where I met someone living there from Paraguay who was so starved for some conversation in Spanish gave me free tours all over town and even took me where I could play pick-up outdoor volleyball for hours…usually until midnight or downpours drove us out.

- Currently picking up Muay Thai with twice weekly lessons.

- Caught a pick-pocket red handed snooping through my bag while on my way to work (at 7:30am), splashed my tea in his face, pushed him up against a wall and held him until I could call over a policeman who arrested him.

- Experiencing a week of the Olympic games extravaganza in Beijing during which I saw the USA vs. Italy and China vs. Russia women’s volleyball matches, spent an entire day watching taekwondo and medal ceremony (where USA got a silver and bronze), caught a foul ball at a softball game between Japan and Australia, bought extra tickets from scalpers on the street and enjoyed some of the sights around Beijing. But one of the most important reason for attending Olympic events? The 75 cent beer.

Beijing

2008-08-29T20:23:00.002-07:00

Shanghai

2008-08-29T20:23:00.001-07:00

Around China and Macau

2008-08-29T20:21:00.002-07:00

Olympic athletes and fanatics

2008-08-29T20:21:00.001-07:00

Taste testing

2008-08-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

Miscellaneous

2008-08-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

I got nothin' ...

2007-03-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

Nope, no good excuse for failing to post an update on how things have been going for me here in the last 5 months. I may just have to bullet-point the most prominent events and post a few of my favorite photos in order to avoid an 18-page update that you’ll get around to reading ‘when you get the chance,’ mm, love those. So, here we go…

Got ‘invited’ to sing a song in front of parents during the kindergarten Christmas show, (invited: ushered on stage against my will and handed a microphone) since the fact that I can belt out “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” on demand evidently demonstrates that I am a highly qualified English teacher.

Brought in the (calendar) New Year on the Bund in Shanghai with a couple of friends and a $1 bottle of Chinese rice wine. (The following morning I realized for the first time why the names ‘fire water’ and ‘karate water’ are ever so appropriate)

Spent 5 weeks (out of my 5 week +3 day spring vacation in Jan/Feb) living and training at a Kung Fu school in the city of Zhengzhou, near the Shaolin Temple. I will dedicate a later post to this experience, as it was an amazing addition to my time in China on several levels.

Rented a bicycle at the price of $1 for an entire day, explored Suzhou, and participated in the chaos of the streets with thousands of Chinese using every kind of mode of transportation imaginable.

Accidentally joined a Chinese tour group.

Learned how to play Mah Jang (a traditional Chinese game played with tiles and about 24,765 seemingly random rules) and even got a couple of wins under my belt!

Brought in the Chinese New Year on February 18th with the traditional plethora of ear-damaging fire works… and since I apparently forgot, was not-so-gently reminded why karate water got its name.

Received what I believe to be the first pedestrian right of way in the history of China. I’m still in shock.

Well, now that it is all written out, it doesn’t seem like much has happened. But honestly, so far my China trip has been unbelievable. I am meeting some remarkable people and seeing many things that can only be explained with, “That’s China for ya…” I am learning so much, aside from Mandarin and Kung Fu, as it is incredibly eye opening, humbling, challenging and rewarding to be immersed in such a vastly different culture.

And now, some random photos…

Snap Shots

2006-10-13T05:13:00.000-07:00

I have received a couple responses along the lines of, "That's great, but I am more of a 'visual learner'..." So, here are some of the latest things that have found themselves in front of my camera…

Highlights and...

2006-10-09T05:47:00.000-07:00

I just realized that my last posting might have given the impression that my stay here has been rather lackluster. So, just to briefly illustrate that it has been otherwise, I put together a short list of the highlights (and low points) that have occurred over the last several weeks…

- Discovering that the piano hall is in the building next to my apartment, which delights me to no end.

- Sampling everything from chicken feet, pig ears, turtle, snake, fish head, duck head to whatever they dish up next in the cafeteria.

- Giving a salsa-dancing exhibition (with one other female teacher) on stage for Teacher’s Day.

- Realizing that the ‘underground room’ at a Chinese youth hostel is not as cool as it sounds.

- Taking a solo 20-hour bus trip (each way) to the city of Xi’an for a recent weeklong national holiday.

- Getting splashed in the face by pond water with a dead dog in it.

- Receiving a Chinese name that means pure and noble flower and tree.

- Ending up in a ‘taxi’ with what turned out to not be a real taxi driver, then literally getting rescued by a real one…a bit scary.

- Visiting the Terracotta Warriors and other incredible archeological sites in Shaanxi Province.

- Eating the green skittles…yes, I consider that a highlight.

A is for Apple

2006-09-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

I know I left you full of suspense, but I did finally get a hold of my teaching schedule, which is surprisingly non-demanding. I teach for a little over an hour in the morning, have a 4 hour break, then teach about 2 more hours in the afternoon. I rotate amongst a total of 11 classrooms full of little munchkins from about 2-6 years old. They are all responding very well, better than I expected, and it honestly gets more fun every day! All foreign teachers also have a 10-day workweek (with Fridays off) followed by a nice 4 day ‘weekend,’ which is great for short trips.

This last break I took a short trip with another teacher to a Buddhist island called Putuoshan, which was absolutely beautiful. It reminded me of Portland with rain, fresh air (terribly missed fresh air) and lots of greenness (real word?). There are several photos below of the trip.

Oh, and just in case there is anyone out there who is not yet convinced that Chinese kids are as cute as they come, here are several photos of some of my kindergarten students. And yes, since it is a boarding school, these kids are here without their parents (although every two weeks some parents do come pick up their little ones for the weekend).

Also, here are some pictures of the school campus. It is enormous for a K-12 school, as it was built to house 5000 students, but I think it greatly resembles a castle with towers, moats, bridges, guards, everything! So it is easy to get a bit disoriented, but I am getting used to it…the campus layout, that is.

Aside of the above, not much is new here. Although I have made one incredible discovery…the green skittles are apple! What other reason do you need to come to China?

Little Guys and Gals…

School Campus…

Putuoshan…

Still lounging around…

2006-09-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

I still have not received my teaching schedule (even though classes began 4 days ago, heh.) but the upside is no work and lots of time to relax, explore, and take pictures! I hate screaming the fact that I am a ‘tourist’ by snapping photos of everything remotely interesting, but my blonde hair/blue eyed complexion just doesn’t always suffice.

Below are some photos from a fountain/light show on the lake and part of the ‘old town’ in Suzhou…enjoy...

Suzhou...light show and old town...

2006-09-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

In China, Finally!

2006-09-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

It seems as though I have been planning this trip for ages...well, I guess I have been. But it has finally arrived and I have been in China for about a week now. I was supposed to start teaching Kindergarten at two different schools today, but I am getting my schedule tomorrow. Funny how that works. On the other hand, this is truly a beautiful country, from what I have seen (which so far consists of the drive from Shanghai to where I live in Suzhou and the city of Kunshan, where the beer festival was last week!). People are very nice and helpful, although they are often lacking a certain necessary sense of urgency. But don’t get my wrong! I am not complaining, I love learning about the culture, the language, the people, etc. Every experience, good, bad, nerve-racking or embarrassing, is a learning opportunity that I thrive on, and usually laugh about later.

After spending nearly a month in Japan with my sister, China is definitely a drastic change! All possessions get held a little closer to your body and crossing the street is a chaotic free for all, cars vs. bikes, buses vs. pedestrians, etc. but you learn to block out the noise of car horns and pray for the concept of ‘yielding’ to spontaneously take effect.

The Suzhou International Foreign Language School (yes, SIFLS, I know) is where I live and will/should be working most of the time. I also commute by bus to the Sunny Holiday Kindergarten twice a week, which is across town, but the ride is nice for seeing the city (in its entirety). The accommodations are decent, with a good size, furnished apartment and three meals a day in the cafeteria. I am definitely starting to settle in more and I am getting along well with the other foreign teachers who have also decided to sign their lives away for a year.

This is definitely going to be an adventure, which is exactly what I wanted (and needed). I know that it will be full of (insert any/all adjectives here) experiences and my only worry is that I will not want to come home!

Note: Below are some pictures from some of my previous travels, if you’re interested…

Mas de Japon...

2006-09-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

Japan...

2006-09-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

More Morocco...

2006-09-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

Morocco...

2006-09-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

More Spain...

2006-09-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

Spain...Barcelona and Cadaques...

2006-09-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

Beautiful San Miguel de Allende, Mexico...where my travels began...

2006-09-01T06:19:00.000-07:00