Halloween in China!

It's Halloween and China or not believe you me, I'm celebrating!  (Okay, it's two weeks later, but I was in Shanghai for the first week, then I was sick all this week, blah, etc. Good?  If you need any more excuses, I can always come up with some.  A good debater always has hot air to blow.)

Jack-o-lantern carving was to be part of the festivities, along with the name-the-body-part game for the Senior 3 students.

First comes the costume:

Here's the normal Rick; slick and with a tie.  Bright blue eyes and bright white skin.

...add the Halloween Costume.  (the horns light up, too!)

Let's see how the students react!

Somehow I don't believe that's a look of comfort and security in Carol's face.

 On this Halloween, instead of throwing a poorly-attended party, I darkened the room for our mid-day class and prepared the reach-into-the-bucket-and-touch-some-food-but-you-think-it's-a-body-part game.

And what do you know, my attendance doubled for the day!  Surprise!  The senior 3 students attend sporadically, because they are inundated with homework and preparations for the higher education entrance exam, but on this day my typical attendance count skyrocketed.

As is important for the game, everyone must be blindfolded.  With double the attendees, I hadn't planned enough blindfolds, but being resourceful, I used T.P. and the students looked like outpatients from a bad mental facility.  I think it added to the ambiance.

We started with the Brain!  (Some odd vegetable thing I found in the grocery store.  It smelled like a brain!)  From here we included ears, eyes, hair, nose, blood, and the worms feasting on the remains!  All were imitated by foods found at the local grocery store.

But best of all, don't forget the heart!  As I said, all were imitated by foods from the local grocery store--in China you can buy a pig's heart like any other meat.  Being that a market-weight pig weighs 250 pounds, it's nearly a perfect match for human!  How could I resist?

After the foray through the remains of our victim, the students all headed for a thorough hand wash, but not before snapping photos with the Halloween props.

Following the Senior 3 (12th graders), Senior 2 (11th graders) carved Jack-o-lanterns.

They learned step-by-step to cut out the top, scoop out the insides, and carve the face.

Jesmine proudly displaying her design (before having to carve it).  Just to comment, Chinese pumpkins are much smaller and have a very thick rind, very good for baking, very difficult for jack-o-lanterns.

Thus, when the students discovered that their intricate drawings for the face were too difficult, some resorted to other designs for their final product--here the ravenous rabbit.

But the groups all fared very well and successfully made jack-o-lanterns for Halloween 2010.  Plus, not a single injury among 50 students! (thank goodness)

...and, of course, the students' carving and games were followed by mounds of candy.  A complete Halloween.

Later Days,
Rick

Beijing--The Northern and Cultural Capital

Welcome to Beijing!  We will be your guides through the adventure.  Who are we, you ask.  Well, there's Rick in the middle and a whole bunch of Chinese girls.  Who are they?  No Idea! Should you be alarmed?  Not at all!  This is completely normal for China.  If you look Western, expect to be viewed as another tourist sight.

We'll begin in the Forbidden City.  Since Beijing has been the capital of China, this enclosed area was the home to the emperor, until the People's Republic of China began its formation.  Here's Philipp in the first open square.

Did you know that the entrances to esteemed Chinese buildings are typically guarded by two lions?  That's right, the one on the left will have his paw resting on a ball, symbolizing control of the empire, while the one on the right has a paw shielding a cub, indicating the female and the continuation of the empire.  Once you know this, you may find it enlightening, but it gets to the point that you see it everywhere.

Please, stop by our many beautiful gift shops, like the one here.  Don't be fooled, the first price is always too high.  First the man said 50 Yuan for the mask; I showed my disinterest by turning around and he shouted 10 yuan!  That's the price I took.

North of the Forbidden City is a great area for dining and night life.  The prices are set for tourists, but the scenery makes up for it.

What would you like for breakfast?  Some may have porridge or this black rice soup (still don't know what it is), but I recommend the Baozi--it's a pork ball inside steamed bread.  It's one of the least oily foods I find and it's delicious and inexpensive.

Don't miss the Beijing Duck.  There's tons of restaurants for it and it's tender meat with a crispy, seasoned skin. 

And while you're at it, try one of my favorites--spicy green beans.  There's minimal oil, tons of flavor, and just enough pepper to make your tongue warm not burning.  Anyone know the Chinese name for these so I can find them again?

Where are we off to next?  Well there's a line of cars about 2 km long; it's faster to walk along the road, and it looks like it's in the middle of nowhere.  Guesses?

We'd like to thank our sponsors, Kentucky Fried Chicken.  Even if you're visiting world landmarks in an uninhabited area, we'll be there to meet your dietary needs!

And now back from our sponsors, we're at the Great Wall of China!  Philipp wasn't able to make it due to digestive challenges.  We both ate the same foods, Philipp, I guess, is more sensitive than I am.  Of course, we both had medicine should this happen...but it was all sitting back in Zhengzhou.

The Wall. Archeologists conclude that the wall, in total, covers 8,000 Km, and I was lucky enough to see this stretch of it on a clear, fresh, autumn day.  Looks like Philipp just has to trek back to China and come with me to Beijing again. Bummer.

Let me simply say, architecture wasn't what it is today.  Here is a shot head on of the wall.  It appears to go straight up, because it basically does.  It contours to the hills and, if cliff-like, that's what the wall does.  This is a bit too unpredictable to be an "undiscovered" jogging path. 

Like I said, a beautiful autumn day.  I love the seasons.  Vacation spots?  Keep 'em.  I want four distinct times of year.

And these are my highlights of Beijing.  Thank you for joining me.  I'll leave you here between the Palace of Heavenly Purity and the Imperial Garden.  Thanks for coming along!

Later Days,
Rick

Hong Kong--Britain's Impersonation of China

As I might have written, I spent the first week of October in Hong Kong with my German friend, Philipp, who flew in for vacation to visit and experience Hong Kong/China.  (Because who's #1 tourist destination isn't Zhengzhou?)

Attached are some highlights from the trip, unfortunately in no logical order.  Enjoy the random array of photos.

I'm continually looking for inexpensive Chinese decorations--my walls are simply too white.  Thus, my shopping patterns are very much driven by the-smaller-the-store-and-less-populated-the-street-the-better mentality.  Those stores always have a huge selection of random items for really good bargainable prices.

There are no Burger Kings in Zhengzhou, so I took advantage of the chance while in the Hong Kong airport.  Seeing so many Westerners really threw me off balance, being that of the 8 Million people in Zhengzhou, about 30 are Westerners.

Hard to find something like this in China.  Goin green(er) in Hong Kong.

Here's Philipp the first night in Hong Kong trying China's best beer--Tsingtao.  The brewery is located in what was the first Germany colony in China, and the brewing follows suit.

Now my deviation from anything Hong Kong--look what I found!  it's the Team Milram (Germany's only team in the international racing circuit) road bike.  It's the same make I ride--Focus--and the shop this was in custom makes the clothing. Hong Kong tailoring combined with cycling clothes for Focus.

Flugtag is coming to Hong Kong!

On Kowloon Peninsula's harbor looking onto the island of Hong Kong.

Two of China's BEST anytime foods--egg-fried rice and noodles.

Imagine you want to cross the street hear the bottom part of this map, well, this loop is how you do so.  Philipp and I lost our way a couple of times trying to cross a single street.

"Danger: Falling Boulders"  oh, okay.  I was worried there'd be real things to worry about in this isolated part of Lamma island.

I don't know what to expect in behind these gates.  Is it a BBQ pit in a beautiful garden with butterflies dancing across blossoms, or is this the failed attempt to "reinvent" barbecue?

I believe this is the tea for washing my hands before eating my dinner.  It may be customary, but without a Chinese guide to explain why I would dunk my hands in hot tea, I just settled for a napkin I had with.

We made it to Macau (and got the stamps in our passports).  This is the formerly Portugese colony on the southern border to China, and is today part of the PRC.

The view from the hotel room.  With steep, uninhabitable hills on every island, the real estate is limited.  So, Hong Kong built upwards.

The "Cat Street" markets, just off the antique street where one can buy all the "antiques" he or she wants at prices he or she can actually afford!  They're antique enough from a distances.

The Jade market in Hong Kong.  The precious stone is everywhere and in many possible shapes, from wall hangings to elephants and buddhas.  The most entertaining is the bargaining.  Philipp lifted up a large jade elephant, the woman keyed in 560 HKD on her calculator.  Philipp put it down and she keyed in 480 HKD.  He turned around and she pulled him back to show 390 HKD on her calculator.  By the end, the price for the big elephant was about 260 HKD.  It's market economics on the ground level--you have to try to bargain or else you're getting ripped off.

Hong Kong skyline (part of it).  Feng Shui is so important, that the diamond building in the middle--the Bank of China--is actually designed to shirk bad karma and dispel it onto its neighbors--competitor banks.

UBS Hong Kong Research team--Philipp's Hong Kong equivalents.

A classic summary of our experience: we ate 2/3 of the time in small hole-in-the-wall restaurants with great food, like the dim sum varieties you see on the table.  We always ordered a bottle of beer each, which the waiters viewed as a bit much, and the fellow diners stared on, watching as we foreigners dined off the beaten track, where only the Chinese/Hong Kong go.

An utter disappointment.  Imagine you're hiking through the forest, up to the summit.  You've brought food with to eat at the peak and you enjoy the exercise, fresh air, and tranquility as you progress up the mountain/hill. But, to your dismay, at the top you find an 8-story shopping mall fully-equipped with Starbucks, Ghirardelli, and a swarm of tourists who rode the cable car to the top.  Your efforts, your planning, your sense of accomplishment is unnoticed, because you're simply the sweaty tourist with tennis shoes.

I regularly forgot just how far south we were, being on the southern tip of China.  As we walked through Lamma Island on a well-carved path, we came across banana trees--something I'd never seen grow native  to a region!

Thus ends our sporadic tour of Hong Kong.  Had you followed Philipp's photos, you'd likely feel more of a sense of story or orientation, being that he photographs the sights while I prefer to photograph the out-of-my-ordinary.  My pictures are never as pretty, but they amuse me all the same.

Later Days,
Rick

China needs Huchendorf

The shopping mall--it's still a bit too Western for China to have really grasped how it works.  The logistics simply aren't smoothed out yet, which I why I declare that China needs Huchendorf--my college Operations professor.

For example, in the new Dennis that opened in the new district near the school I work at, you can buy a hammer (with a bright pink handle!--the only one they have) but they don't have nails.

You can buy a selection of scented candles--no solely functional ones--but you cannot buy matches.

In the cleaning section in the basement grocery store you will not find rubber gloves--those are on the 3rd floor near the silverware.

There is a coffee shop near the mall entrance, and while they have their doors wide open and flower wreaths with banners hanging at their entrance, they don't have any coffee or drinks yet--the machines aren't set up yet.

Similarly, the little convenience store on campus offers a continually changing product selection.  I doubt they do this based on historical sales data and a seasonal adaptation towards their most successful product portfolio; no, it's based on whatever deliveries come in that day.  No water?  Oh, the delivery guy didn't come.

Plus, "Caution" signs are missing from many places where I think they should be.  The Dennis mall still has a lot of shops under construction.  And the skyway that should connect the multiple blocks of the mall doesn't exist yet in some places, but that doesn't mean there's bright yellow tape to warn, the mall just stops and falls off.  The customer had better have the sense to know to stop walking lest he fall from the second story.

But on a positive note, I do appreciate that this demands more consumer awareness the "caveat emptor" / buyer beware mentality and foolish lawsuits from people who just fail to take responsibility, now prevalent in the US, just would never happen here.

And in terms of product selection, I will admit that the Chinese grocery market beats the American one when finding Halloween foods to do the classic, stick-your-hand-in-a-bowl-of-spaghetti-and-I-tell-you-it's-worms trick.  When I needed something to mirror a heart, all I had to do was buy the pig's heart neatly wrapped and lying in the meat section.


Happy Halloween,
Rick

I defaced two pianos.

While showing Philipp around (my German friend who came to visit), I went to the area with inexpensive video stores, which has a piano store on the corner.  I walked in to just play around and see how the pianos sounded.  The store salesmen were kind enough to let me play on the pianos.

After a few pieces, they started taking photos of me on the piano.  One of the salesman asked me to take a picture with him.  Then they moved me to the grand piano, and after a few minutes handed me a blue marker.

I had to ask him multiple times if he was serious, and he totally was.  He had me sign the grand piano!  Then he moved me to an American brand upright (which I didn't really like the sound of) and had me sign under the top cover. 

This beautiful piano is now defaced--in my opinion.  I certainly looked like an average person going in there.  I made a fair number of mistakes and had forgotten parts so they should have realized that I’m just a hobby pianist.  Yet, they're likely planning to sell it for a surplus (I should have made them give me 1/2 of what extra they get!) 

Simply because I'm American/foreigner it becomes a novelty.  I can't believe they had me sign it, though.  This will be on that I won't forget.

Plenty more stories to come from the three weeks that Philipp was here. 
Later Days,
Rick