I got back to Shanghai very late last night (or very early this morning) exhausted, but incredibly pleased with my little excursion. The 5 nights I spent out west in Guilin and the smaller backpacker-touristy town Yangshuo were Uh-mazing.
I arrived in Guilin late on the night of Wednesday the 14th. The next day I took a day trip a bit north to some smaller villages and saw the terraced rice patties, literally mountainsides completely terraced, each one filled to the brim with water and rice plants in full bloom, just about ready for harvesting. I do think it would have been cooler to come at a different season when the terraces are just filled with water, and it would look way more dramatic, but as it was, it was amazing. They called the particular area where I was the Dragon's Backbone because the terraces along the ridge of the mountains look like a spine. I could see it. Also in one of the villages lived some of the Yao minority, whos women are famous for their long hair. Long, long hair, about 2 m long. They cut their hair only once in their life, when they turn 18, and they save what is cut to weave in later. The way a woman wears her hair tells something about her- if she is not yet married, she wears her hair wrapped around her head but covered, and her husband is the first person to see her hair on their wedding night. Once she is married, she wears her hair wrapped around her head like a snake or a snail (I actually couldnt tell which they were actually saying, but I think both describe it pretty well), and then once she has had a child, she wears it around her head in a knot. Their hair was amazing, so long, and strong, and so black, even the very very old women still had completely black hair, no grays, longer than their own body lengths. Genetics, eh? On that trip I met a guy my age named Lin who was from New Hampshire but his parents were from Taiwan. He spoke some Chinese and was traveling just for 2 weeks, visiting a relative. Surprise surprise, we happened to know one or two of the same people, and enjoyed each others company for the day. Traveling alone, I've gotten pretty good at taking pictures of myself places, but its nice to have someone else take some every now and then.
So that was a beautiful (hot) day, and the next day I left at 8 am on a boat down the Li River to Yangshuo. It was a 4 hour cruise including lunch, which was really satisfying. The scenery was amazing, really unbelievable. I wish I could post pictures, this places looks like another planet (and was actually used as another planet in Star Wars Episode III and also in Avatar I think..) and it actually exists and yes I went there. I got some amazing photos...these huge karst mountains jutting up around the river, incredible shapes worn away by wind and rain, and covered in such lush greenery. It really was beautiful, and I got quite a bit of sun as well.
We arrived in Yangshuo around 2pm and I checked into my hostel. I then joined some people on (another) leisurely river cruise, this time on a tiny bamboo raft, two people per raft. We drifted through tiny villages, got out and did some exploring on foot, and watched fisherman with trained cormorants catching fish in the river, which was pretty cool. They tie a string around the cormorants neck so that when it catches a fish, it cannot swallow it (I think its actually choking on it, cant breathe), and so it must return to its owner who then squeezes the fish back out its mouth. They said one cormorant can catch up to 50 kg of fish a day.
We relaxed a little more on the bamboo rafts before returning back to Yangshuo. The next morning in my hostel I met some other travelers and spent the day with 3 Israelis, two girls traveling together, one guy on his own, and another American who knew the Israeli guy. We rented bikes (10 RMB for the day = ~$1.50?) and rode about 20 minutes to a 'secret' beach. We swam and hung out for most of the afternoon and met some other people, and started to head back just before it started pouring rain. We got soaked on the ride back but it felt great and was a ton of fun. Later we all went out for some dinner and checked out the night scene.
It was clear that Yangshuo had kind of exploded in just the past few years. The town itself is very small, maybe 3 main roads? which no cars drive on, just people and bikes, and little alley ways here and there connecting them. All the streets are pretty much packed to the brim with kiosks and stands selling all sorts of stuff, silks and jewelry and bamboo things and wood and bone things and all that stuff- 'curios', and behind all of those tables are restaurants, clubs/bars, hostels, proper stores, etc. with not an inch of space wasted. Whatever room left on the streets was typically filled up by people, so many tourists. Tons of Chinese tourists and tons of foreigners as well, I was surprised by how many families with young children there were. Things were super cheap, though you had to haggle, and there were so many fun activities to fill your days with when you werent being attacked on the street by little old ladies peddling all sorts of things. Actually, they called West Street, the main street, the "Hello Market" because as you walk down it all you hear is hello lady silk! hello lady necklace for you! hello 10 kuai for this hello that hello hello! hello hello helloooo it was fun. It seemed like they spoke more English there than in Shanghai, as even the older people spoke it pretty well, and not only English, but a little of some other languages as well. I was walking around with Allon, the Israeli guy, and some woman stopped us and looked at him and said "You are from Israel! Yes?" We were so shocked she could tell right away haha, she said it was his eyes...whatever it was, she was dead on. Very impressive! But we still didnt buy anything from her.
The next day I got up and rented a bike and went out on my own to explore the country side. I left town and passed a mountain face that was a popular spot for rock climbing. Yangshuo is actually known for having the best climbing in all of China, and there were several places in town where you could arrange to go climbing for a day. If I had had more time, like a full week there, and if it had been a little cooler out, I definitely would have gone for some of that. Oh well, next time, I say.
As I was riding, two British fellows who I had spent most of the boat ride from Guilin chatting with passed me by on motorbikes. They waved. I had actually seen them the morning before as well, at a breakfast spot. Like I said, it is a small town. I saw them again later as I was hiking up Moon Hill, a small peak that has a hole worn through it. You could hike up to the hole and see an amazing few, and then you could also hike to the very top, where the view was I guess slightly more amazing (enhanced probably by the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction of making it all the way up there in such weather. I dont think Ive ever sweat as much in my life). I made it to the top in...something like an hour? Maybe a little more... and came down in 20-30 minutes, my legs feeling quite wobbly by the end. I rode a little more to the Moon Water Caves, which was my main destination that day. I like caves, and I entered this one on a small boat with about 4 other Chinese people and two guides. They pulled the boat along by ropes attached to the very low roof of the cave, and then we got out and hiked a little ways under and through 3 mountains, crouching and squeezing through some tight spaces, but also wandering through some huge ones. We had worn our bathingsuits so we could enjoy the mud baths that were in there, then rinse off in the underground rivers and waterfalls that came next, and finally we relaxed in these hot springs, IN THE CAVE! It was awesome and the formations were amazing, I took some cool pictures before the air started getting too moist and I worried my camera would get messed up. Although we barely communicated, I had a good time with these 3 Chinese girls, and we took some pictures together. It was cute.
Feeling much refreshed, the bike ride back to the hostel was very enjoyable. The air felt cooler, I felt cooler, the ride seemed shorter, and I took some more amazing pictures. These mountains are everywhere, they march right into the city. At night, the ones surrounding the town are lit up and they tower over all the buildings, it was so beautiful. You can see them from everywhere. That night I went out with the Israelis and some other people and we went to some cool bars, where of course I ran into the two Brits again. We spent most of the evening on some rooftop bar where we could see all the mountains lit up and met a lot of other travelers, a Dutchman, a Dane, some Austrians, some French Canadians, it was good fun, good people.
The next morning (Monday, the 19th) Allon and I caught a bus back to Guilin since we both had flights from there that day. I forgot to mention that our hostel in Yangshuo, the Bamboo Inn, had possibly the best banana bread I've ever tasted. If you ever go, stay there. Apparently some Canadian taught them how to make it a few years ago. 10 RMB for a mini loaf. Deeelish.
I returned to my hostel in Guilin where I had left some things and chilled for a few hours with some people I had met earlier in my trip. I hitched a ride to the airport with some other people to save money but unfortunately my flight was pretty delayed...I finally got back to my hostel in Shanghai at 5 am, this morning.
So all in all, Guilin was Amazing. If you ever come to travel in China, there are so many places to go but if you have any time to spare outside the big cities, go to Guilin, absolutely. It is a place so many backpackers go planning to spend 3 days or so, and then they decide to stay a little longer, and then a little longer...
This morning I woke up, stopped by Bennetts to say hi and get some things I had left there, and then headed to the Fabric Market on Lujiabang Rd where I had gone about 10 days ago. I was returning today to pick up some clothes I had made- some cashmere/wool suits and jackets. They came out amazing! So gorgeous, they fit perfectly, and looked great (and in the end were damn cheap compared to what it would cost in the states to have custom made). I also got some extra bulk cashmere to make some things at home, as well as some silk for the linings. It was very convenient that I was pretty much the exact size of all the models and mannequins every booth had their products out for display on, so it was so easy for me, I could look at any dresses I liked and try them right on and they would be a perfect fit! I got one for cheap because it was already made. I'm wearing it now.
Now I have exactly 7 days left here in China! Its a little sad but I think it will be good timing. Besides a few day trips from Shanghai (Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing), there isnt much more on my list to do here. The only thing I think I need now is a larger bag to bring home all the stuff I've bought!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Shanghai, Cont.
Well, not much to say here... I've been enjoying my time in Shanghai, meeting people and checking out the markets, getting some clothes made,...on Wednesday I am taking a trip to Guilin and Yangshuo, floating in a bamboo raft down the Li River, through the stone mountains and terraced rice patties...I'm very excited for that...then when I return I will have a little more than one week left.. It is raining today, which kind of ruined my plans to explore the French Concession, and its supposed to rain for the next few days as well...so hopefully when I return from the west I will have a chance to check that out as well as some other neighborhoods and the EXPO again. Bennett got his EXPO pass (he will be volunteering at the Peruvian Pavilion) and will be working tomorrow (Monday), so I'm going to go tomorrow afternoon/evening, regardless of the weather, and check out the pavilions for the Americas and any others I missed, as well as the corporate pavilions. Hopefully Bennetts pass will get us in past the lines..and I'm looking forward to being there at night.. I want to see all the structures lit up and the shows that go on, plus it will be cooler, temperature wise. Fewer people too, maybe.
What to do today though? Later this evening I am going with Bennett to meet a Chinese family that lives in his building. He tutors the 12 year old daughter once or twice a week in English. I want to check it out and also the girl really likes animals and said she wants to see my pictures from Africa, so I made a special slide show for that. Then we're going to meet up with some people and watch the World Cup Final! I wish it wasnt so late (I think its starting at 2 am? 2:30?) but I think it will be fun...
What else...Ive been making tiny tiny bits of progress with my Chinese... though its not really necessary here, which is nice.
Ok then, I guess we'll see what happens when I get to Guangxi!
What to do today though? Later this evening I am going with Bennett to meet a Chinese family that lives in his building. He tutors the 12 year old daughter once or twice a week in English. I want to check it out and also the girl really likes animals and said she wants to see my pictures from Africa, so I made a special slide show for that. Then we're going to meet up with some people and watch the World Cup Final! I wish it wasnt so late (I think its starting at 2 am? 2:30?) but I think it will be fun...
What else...Ive been making tiny tiny bits of progress with my Chinese... though its not really necessary here, which is nice.
Ok then, I guess we'll see what happens when I get to Guangxi!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Shanghai!
So I am realllly liking Shanghai! I haven't even seen most of the city but already I am familiar and comfortable in the neighborhood I am in, and the subway system, which is great (easy, clean, air conditioned). I have explored a few other markets and sights, but there are not as many cultural and historical sights to see here as in Beijing or in some other big cities.
Went to the EXPO yesterday- it was awesome! Benny and I got up early and made it to the EXPO by..maybe 10 am? We bought mini stools to sit on (for a buck fifty), thinking they would come in handy when we had to wait on long lines...We ended up barely waiting on any lines! Except for Pakistan, but that took like 15 minutes...and it was moving. In most cases, we would casually walk up to the VIP entrance, smile, say hi (in their language if we could), talk excitedly about the country, or show our passports and get ourselves let in almost immediately, avoiding lines that had people waiting for anywhere from 1 - 4 hours! We went to Israel first, but I barely even got to open my mouth to say 'shalom' to the guy when he waved us in! Other places I had my passport out ready to show that I had been to their country once, or to pretend that I had, or who knows, but mostly it didnt matter, many places I just smiled and they let us right in! Middle eastern countries, Poland, Belgium, to name a few...
It became clear quite quickly that the purpose of the EXPO, of all these displays of all the countries, big and small, around the world, was to let Chinese people who would never ever have a chance to actually visit these places, "see" them and learn about them. Backdrops of gorgeous scenery and cultural landmarks lined some pavilions so people could pose in front for pictures, as if they were really there. It was interesting how each country portrayed itself to the Chinese. At each pavilion you visit you can get a stamp in your "EXPO passport," apparently an EXPO passport with a stamp from every country could go for a lot of money online. For others, I'm sure its just a cool memento..I picked up tons of pamphlets and brochures and any kind of memorabilia, including some silly stuff that I actually spent money on...it was fun and I enjoyed talking to the people.
Many of the structures looked very cool, very imaginative and artistic designs, I got some pretty cool pictures.
The final pavilion we checked out that day turned out to be the best- Latvia. We went in and Benny knew beforehand that there was a wind tunnel inside and a questionaire to fill out. He said his friends had come here and if you picked a particular answer on the questionnaire, you would get to go flying in the wind tunnel! So we went through the questionnaire, and both picked the same answer, thinking it was fixed...but it turned out to be completely random, so Benny did not win...BUT I DID! We were so surprised and they let us both go! So we went and got suited up in a full body jumpsuit, earplugs, goggles, helmet, shoes, had a quick lesson, and then got to go freaking flying in a vertical wind tunnel! So that was really really awesome. After that we were quite exhausted and decided to call it a day, we had spent a good 6-7 hours at the EXPO and I think it hit 90 deg that day.
Went to the EXPO yesterday- it was awesome! Benny and I got up early and made it to the EXPO by..maybe 10 am? We bought mini stools to sit on (for a buck fifty), thinking they would come in handy when we had to wait on long lines...We ended up barely waiting on any lines! Except for Pakistan, but that took like 15 minutes...and it was moving. In most cases, we would casually walk up to the VIP entrance, smile, say hi (in their language if we could), talk excitedly about the country, or show our passports and get ourselves let in almost immediately, avoiding lines that had people waiting for anywhere from 1 - 4 hours! We went to Israel first, but I barely even got to open my mouth to say 'shalom' to the guy when he waved us in! Other places I had my passport out ready to show that I had been to their country once, or to pretend that I had, or who knows, but mostly it didnt matter, many places I just smiled and they let us right in! Middle eastern countries, Poland, Belgium, to name a few...
It became clear quite quickly that the purpose of the EXPO, of all these displays of all the countries, big and small, around the world, was to let Chinese people who would never ever have a chance to actually visit these places, "see" them and learn about them. Backdrops of gorgeous scenery and cultural landmarks lined some pavilions so people could pose in front for pictures, as if they were really there. It was interesting how each country portrayed itself to the Chinese. At each pavilion you visit you can get a stamp in your "EXPO passport," apparently an EXPO passport with a stamp from every country could go for a lot of money online. For others, I'm sure its just a cool memento..I picked up tons of pamphlets and brochures and any kind of memorabilia, including some silly stuff that I actually spent money on...it was fun and I enjoyed talking to the people.
Many of the structures looked very cool, very imaginative and artistic designs, I got some pretty cool pictures.
The final pavilion we checked out that day turned out to be the best- Latvia. We went in and Benny knew beforehand that there was a wind tunnel inside and a questionaire to fill out. He said his friends had come here and if you picked a particular answer on the questionnaire, you would get to go flying in the wind tunnel! So we went through the questionnaire, and both picked the same answer, thinking it was fixed...but it turned out to be completely random, so Benny did not win...BUT I DID! We were so surprised and they let us both go! So we went and got suited up in a full body jumpsuit, earplugs, goggles, helmet, shoes, had a quick lesson, and then got to go freaking flying in a vertical wind tunnel! So that was really really awesome. After that we were quite exhausted and decided to call it a day, we had spent a good 6-7 hours at the EXPO and I think it hit 90 deg that day.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Beijing-Qingdao-Shanghai
The Great Wall was awesome, I climbed all the way up and along the top a pretty good distance. I'm getting pretty good at taking pictures of myself places, but also had other people offer to take some pictures of me. Also if I was walking along with some chinese person/people for a while at some point theyd ask to take a picture with me. And in general, every where I've gone, I've had people watch me and kind of follow me and then ask for a picture, or have their kids come up to me for one. Each time, I make them take one with my camera also, so now I have all these pictures of me and random chinese people. Awesome!
So that was a good morning. We spent the rest of the weekend at the villa and I had a great time with Icy and her family. On Sunday we drove back to Beijing and I checked into a new hostel and said good-bye and a million thank yous to Icy and her family. I spent the next two days checking out a few other sites around Beijing, seeing an acrobatics show, and meeting cool people in the hostel, a few guys in particular, all expats from America who now live around China but were meeting up to hang out in Bejing for a few days. I went out with them one night for some good food and saw some cool bars and nightlife, we had a good time.
Then Tuesday late afternoon I took a train to Qingdao, a beach town, home of Tsingdao Brewery. I took the speed train, and although there were many stops along the way, the train was moving at 200 km for most of the trip and we made it there in 5.5 hours, 888 km. I checked into a hotel I had made a reservation at based on a recommendation from one of Bennetts friends, found a deal online and got 2 nights for the price of one. The room they put me in first kind of sucked and at like 5 am, unable to sleep and fed up with a broken air conditioner I managed to communicate to the night staff my problem and got moved to a waaay better room. So I had a kind of rough night, with no sleep really, but the next two days made up for it. I relaxed and walked around the shore, checked out the beaches and the bavarian architecture of the German Concession. The Germans were granted rule of Qingdao and the Shandong province for 99 years starting in 1897 when two German priests were killed there in some rebellion, and there was a lot of evidence of that all around. Beautiful buildings and houses, a huge two-steeple church and castle-y buildings, and signs outside many of the little shops saying things like 'GAUSTEHAUS' or 'METALLWAREN GESCHAFT.' Since it is on the water Qingdao is known for its great seafood, and there were tons of little shops along the streets by the beaches that had turtles of all sizes, fish, shellfish, sea cucumbers, etc. all swimming and squirming around in buckets. I treated myself to a really good dinner and then was thinking of hitting up the bar area since I read that there were a lot of very unique and cool spots, a lot of expat hangouts too. I was feeling pretty tired though so I only made it to Lennon Bar, a Beatles tribute bar! Run by this chinese dude who loved the Beatles hehe. I took some pictures and talked with him for a while and with two other Americans who happened to be travelling on business. It was a nice evening and I was exhausted from walking around all day, it was super hot and super muggy. Visibility was incredibly poor, there was so much haze in the air. Although Qingdao is on the coast, there is unfortunately absolutely no wind :(
The next day I flew to Shanghai and met up with Benny and Bennett and two other friends from Great Neck, Joe and Dave Kwon (we all went to high school together). Joe and Dave were staying in a hotel, and, ironically, in room 516 (great neck area code) ! We all found that pretty funny, that 5 people from the 516 happened to all find themselves in Shanghai, China, all on different business, but together for an evening. We had a good time!
The next day, yesterday, Friday 7/2, Benny and I explored the Jewish section of Shanghai. Shanghai was essentially the only place in the world that opened its doors to Jewish refugees during WWII. Several thousands came but were kept contained in a walled ghetto area as Japan had some control/involvement here during that time. It was obvious where the neighborhood was as the buildings they lived in still stood, blue and red brick structures. We walked around and met an old Chinese man who had lived there for 50 years, and used to be friends with the Jews that lived there. There was a memorial park for the 'stateless refugees' and also an old synagogue that was also a museum. The museum took about an hour to go through and had a lot of art, artifacts, and testimonials from Jews who had sought refuge there or grown up there, left, and returned, or married Chinese people, etc. A lot of really incredible stories. We went around with a Jewish couple from Manhattan, and just as we were leaving a busload of Israelies showed up! That was cool, I chatted with them for a few minutes.
Benny and I then went and explored an artsy little maze of pedestrian streets and alleys, filled with restaurants/bars and little curios shops and other cool stuff. A lot of it was pretty expensive, touristy stuff, but it was all very cool and beautiful, there was a lot of very cool art. I am waiting to check out the big markets, with bulk fabrics and silks and such. I know it will be expensive anyway but..it'll be good!
We came back and hung out at Bennetts, watched the Brazil-Netherlands game (who saw that coming) hung out for a while with Bennetts new roommates and some other friends and then called it a night.
So that brings us to today. There was some crazy talk last night of spontaneously dropping everything and travelling west for a while, see how far we could go..for a number of reasons we realized that leaving today, tomorrow, or even this week would not be ideal and we could get a lot more out of it if we waited until next week and did some planning. So thats where I'm at now. I plan on checking out the expo this week and seeing some Shanghai sights while planning out a train trip to Nanjing, Xi'an, Kaifeng, and Chengdu and Guilin if possible. I reallllly want to go to Guilin (check out a picture: http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~liad/pics/html/china/guilin.jpg). I did not pick the best time of year to come to China, its super hot and humid...meh.
I am considering getting an apartment for the month as it might be cheaper than stayin in a hostel..but, it depends. Mostly on air conditioning...we'll see. I'm going to check it out today or tomorrow.
So thats all I got for now! I have about 3 and a half weeks left in my trip. A lot of things are going to happen.
So that was a good morning. We spent the rest of the weekend at the villa and I had a great time with Icy and her family. On Sunday we drove back to Beijing and I checked into a new hostel and said good-bye and a million thank yous to Icy and her family. I spent the next two days checking out a few other sites around Beijing, seeing an acrobatics show, and meeting cool people in the hostel, a few guys in particular, all expats from America who now live around China but were meeting up to hang out in Bejing for a few days. I went out with them one night for some good food and saw some cool bars and nightlife, we had a good time.
Then Tuesday late afternoon I took a train to Qingdao, a beach town, home of Tsingdao Brewery. I took the speed train, and although there were many stops along the way, the train was moving at 200 km for most of the trip and we made it there in 5.5 hours, 888 km. I checked into a hotel I had made a reservation at based on a recommendation from one of Bennetts friends, found a deal online and got 2 nights for the price of one. The room they put me in first kind of sucked and at like 5 am, unable to sleep and fed up with a broken air conditioner I managed to communicate to the night staff my problem and got moved to a waaay better room. So I had a kind of rough night, with no sleep really, but the next two days made up for it. I relaxed and walked around the shore, checked out the beaches and the bavarian architecture of the German Concession. The Germans were granted rule of Qingdao and the Shandong province for 99 years starting in 1897 when two German priests were killed there in some rebellion, and there was a lot of evidence of that all around. Beautiful buildings and houses, a huge two-steeple church and castle-y buildings, and signs outside many of the little shops saying things like 'GAUSTEHAUS' or 'METALLWAREN GESCHAFT.' Since it is on the water Qingdao is known for its great seafood, and there were tons of little shops along the streets by the beaches that had turtles of all sizes, fish, shellfish, sea cucumbers, etc. all swimming and squirming around in buckets. I treated myself to a really good dinner and then was thinking of hitting up the bar area since I read that there were a lot of very unique and cool spots, a lot of expat hangouts too. I was feeling pretty tired though so I only made it to Lennon Bar, a Beatles tribute bar! Run by this chinese dude who loved the Beatles hehe. I took some pictures and talked with him for a while and with two other Americans who happened to be travelling on business. It was a nice evening and I was exhausted from walking around all day, it was super hot and super muggy. Visibility was incredibly poor, there was so much haze in the air. Although Qingdao is on the coast, there is unfortunately absolutely no wind :(
The next day I flew to Shanghai and met up with Benny and Bennett and two other friends from Great Neck, Joe and Dave Kwon (we all went to high school together). Joe and Dave were staying in a hotel, and, ironically, in room 516 (great neck area code) ! We all found that pretty funny, that 5 people from the 516 happened to all find themselves in Shanghai, China, all on different business, but together for an evening. We had a good time!
The next day, yesterday, Friday 7/2, Benny and I explored the Jewish section of Shanghai. Shanghai was essentially the only place in the world that opened its doors to Jewish refugees during WWII. Several thousands came but were kept contained in a walled ghetto area as Japan had some control/involvement here during that time. It was obvious where the neighborhood was as the buildings they lived in still stood, blue and red brick structures. We walked around and met an old Chinese man who had lived there for 50 years, and used to be friends with the Jews that lived there. There was a memorial park for the 'stateless refugees' and also an old synagogue that was also a museum. The museum took about an hour to go through and had a lot of art, artifacts, and testimonials from Jews who had sought refuge there or grown up there, left, and returned, or married Chinese people, etc. A lot of really incredible stories. We went around with a Jewish couple from Manhattan, and just as we were leaving a busload of Israelies showed up! That was cool, I chatted with them for a few minutes.
Benny and I then went and explored an artsy little maze of pedestrian streets and alleys, filled with restaurants/bars and little curios shops and other cool stuff. A lot of it was pretty expensive, touristy stuff, but it was all very cool and beautiful, there was a lot of very cool art. I am waiting to check out the big markets, with bulk fabrics and silks and such. I know it will be expensive anyway but..it'll be good!
We came back and hung out at Bennetts, watched the Brazil-Netherlands game (who saw that coming) hung out for a while with Bennetts new roommates and some other friends and then called it a night.
So that brings us to today. There was some crazy talk last night of spontaneously dropping everything and travelling west for a while, see how far we could go..for a number of reasons we realized that leaving today, tomorrow, or even this week would not be ideal and we could get a lot more out of it if we waited until next week and did some planning. So thats where I'm at now. I plan on checking out the expo this week and seeing some Shanghai sights while planning out a train trip to Nanjing, Xi'an, Kaifeng, and Chengdu and Guilin if possible. I reallllly want to go to Guilin (check out a picture: http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~liad/pics/html/china/guilin.jpg). I did not pick the best time of year to come to China, its super hot and humid...meh.
I am considering getting an apartment for the month as it might be cheaper than stayin in a hostel..but, it depends. Mostly on air conditioning...we'll see. I'm going to check it out today or tomorrow.
So thats all I got for now! I have about 3 and a half weeks left in my trip. A lot of things are going to happen.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Updates, updates!
Hi again! I know its been a while, I either a) have not had internet access or b) have not been allowed to access blogger from China..but here I am now! So here are two entries I wrote when I could, the tenses might be a little confusing because they were written at different times..but, I think you can deal with it.
So, without further ado, update part 1: Saying goodbye to Africa
Well,
I have finished up my work at KARUDEC, and I do think I was very successful with what I did. I knew before I came that I would not be able to fix every problem they had, but where I could, I have helped a great deal, and where I could not offer immediate solutions, I have acted as a scout, reporting back to others who are working to help the situations here. Straight facts, photos, and my personal opinions on the status of their computers, network, power grid, hydro facility, and primary school are either in the process or have already been sent out. I am pleased with the state in which I am leaving things here. Besides technical issues, I think Mercy now has much more confidence and ability to continue what we have started, as well as respect.
The computers that have had XP reinstalled are working so well! And OpenOffice, which was not well received at first, has been accepted and established as the alternative to MS Office.
On Wednesday I took a trip to the hydro facility where Kagando generates its electricity. It was a very small set up- a dam in small river (a big stream) that fed water to a single turbine/generator. Getting to the dam required a catwalk across the 0.5 m diameter penstock pipe, a short distance, but still some height, above some rocks and water, which was a little frightening. There was some other climbing and scrambling about on slippery surfaces which I felt equally uncomfortable with, but, I survived. The problems were not as bad as I thought- power goes out pretty much daily, during the day and night for periods of 30-60 minutes usually. The outtages have 3 main causes- 1) leaves and dirt clogging the intake for the penstock, 2) animals/people causing faults in the porrly insulated 4 km cable that brings the power from the power house to KARUDEC, and 3) people trying to draw too much power. The first two causes require somebody going to find and fix the problem, whether it be going to the dam and cleaning out the debris with a rake or finding the fault and repairing the cable. When there is too much demand, the breaker needs to be reset. Their equipment is very old, but works, and they are planning on building a second dam higher up in the hills. I think they should build a second turbine, instead of just replacing the first one, and synchronizing the generators so that they use the flowing water twice. I gave them my suggestion...we'll see what happens.
All that being said, I will also say that I am ready to leave Uganda. Realizing that I have not even reached the half-way mark of my trip, I am very excited for what is to come- CHINA! But, before I get to that...
The last few days had a few ups and downs in them- but it all ended well on my final day when I went on a safari very early in the morning and saw, among other animals and an African sunrise, lions. LIONS! This was probably the highlight of my trip so far. We were driving through the park and saw other cars grouped together- we knew they must be watching lions. We joined them just in time to see the backs and ears of 8 or 9 lions creeping one by one through the tall grass to an island of bushes in the field. They were far away and so the pictures I took do not show the lions in very good detail...we waited, however, for maybe an hour? until all the other jeeps moved on, and then our driver took us RIGHT up to where they were! We were just meters away from 4 lions, yawning and stretching and just hanging out. We could see that they had just eaten and though they noticed us they did not seem too concerned. They were beautiful. I got some great photos, one of which is probably my favorite photo Ive ever taken, one shot of them all looking right at me! It was awesome. We spent maybe 30-45 seconds right there before driving off to see other what other animals we could find and have lunch at a nice resort. Before that moment, everyone had been feeling somewhat stressed and disheartened by their experiences so far at the hospital, but afterwards we were all in such high spirits. The rest of the day was great, we came back and Angela and I baked 4 small chocolate cakes and a banana bread to share with everyone after dinner as part of my going away/early birthday party. I took care of my packing, had my final dinner (and delicious desserts) with everyone, exchanged contact informations, and went to bed, ready to get up at 5 am the next day to begin the long drive back to Kampala, near the airport.
Patrick and Mercy insisted on driving me the entire way themselves, which was amazing and a huge stress relief for me. Although taking the bus was an experience, well...it as an experience I already had, and it turned out Mercy and Patrick had some business they could take care of in Kampala anyway. So at 5 am, an hour or two before sunrise, we took off. I got to see my second African sunrise. About 8 hours later, we finally made it to the hotel where I would be spending the night before catching my flight the next day. The drive took much longer than it should have because of an unnecessarily huge strip of construction on the roads, so that was a little frustrating, but finally we made it! And after having a cold drink and some lunch (I had not had anything to eat yet) I was feeling pretty good, knowing that what was probably the hardest part of this bit of travelling was over. The rest should be easy. I relaxed the rest of the day, met up with Max again for an early dinner, took my first warm shower in 3 weeks (the last one was when I passed through Dubai, where it was 91 degrees and I could not get a COLD shower!), and had a very good night of sleep.
So now, I say good-bye to Africa, hello China!
I am so excited to see my friend Icy in Beijing, who has told me she has a ton of awesome things planned for me. I am so excited for the food. And all the other resources that will be so readily available, and at prices still so manageable. I am super excited to take my time and find my own way to Shanghai, and to see Benny and Bennett, and the expo! of which I have heard great things lately.
Update part 2: China: The Beginning
Wowzers.
My first hours in China were intense... pretty much no one I encountered spoke any English, but some how I managed to get to my hotel and check in.
Icy came and met me, and then we went out to dinner with her mother. The food was delicious, I took a few pictures. This was a restaurant that her family went to very often and the staff knew them...so, when I found a tiny hair in one of the pancakes used for eating the Peking Duck, everyone was very embarressed and upset. As a result, we got some free stuff, and a special delicacy for desert- red bean square things and something else... Also, it was my birthday!! So we got a cake! An unnecessarily large one...but it was good anyway. We ordered way too much food to begin with, but I think they just wanted to show me a good time :) Success.
Her mother didnt speak any English, so Icy was translating, but I used 'xie-xie' (shyeh-shyeh, thank you) often. Ah, so that was a good welcome and good meal, and then I went to sleep.
The hotel I was in was very nice, although the bed was a bit firm. Nevertheless, I slept, yes I did. Woke up early and had breakfast in the hotel, cabbage and other unidentifyable vegetables..it didnt really hit the spot for me but.. I ate what I could. At 9, Icy came and met me, and we took a cab to the Forbidden City. Her mother had a friend who worked there, so he met us at a back entrance, and we got in for free!! And then we walked around through many parts that were closed off to all other visitors! before he led us to the main entrace. Awesome. We proceeded through the city, seeing all the Gardens of various Harmonies and Mental Righteousness and this and that, it was all beautiful. We were smart to go so early, we beat the heat (it reached above 90 that day) and all the crowds of people which started flooding in around 10:30ish. I was able to get a lot of awesome pictures without any other people in them, and just walk around casually and sit and relax in many of the gardens. We saw all the temples and halls where the emperor would get dressed for this or that ceremony, where all his concubines lived and did whatever it was they did all day...everyone who lived in the Forbidden City was forbidden to ever leave the city...they never ever got to see the country they ruled. The highlight for me was the Nine Dragon Wall, a huge tiled wall built to provide privacy for the emperor and also ward off evil spirits. It was really magnificent.
We spent a good three hours wandering around in there and had some lunch before exiting through the main gate and checking out Tianmen Square, also awesome. Then we strolled down the Wangfujing street, the 5th Avenue of Beijing, also cool.
By that time it was really hot out and also getting late in the afternoon, so we took the subway back to our area. The hotel Icy booked for me was just a block away from her familys apartment, so that was very convenient (she got me a discount at the hotel too- 50% off!) Icy realllly hooked me up, and continued to do so!
We took short naps and then met up to go to dinner. Her friend Alex was going to join us. We walked to the restaurant she picked, and outside happened to run into a family friend of hers. The man was very nice and shook my hand. It turned out that he was a VIP at this restaurant, and told us to order whatever we want! Awesome! So, again, we ordered way too much food. The menus were huge, and every dish had a picture next to it. We ordered a lot of stuff just so I could try it I think. Anyway most of it was all delicious.
From there, Icy, Alex and I took a cab to the Hutong, the bar street, and met up with two more of Icys friends. We strolled down the street a bit before finding a cool looking bar and sitting down. The bar was called Salud, and I didnt realize it at the time, but it was a bar Benny had told me to go to since he knew the owners. Coincidence. All the bars had big projector screens for watching the soccer games. We had a Tsingtao beer, which I liked, and were enjoying the atmosphere for a while. Then, like 20 or 30 foreigners walked in..I thought they were maybe Italian at first...they were all darker skin and darker hair..some of them had hair that was curiously curly however.. I kept an eye and ear on them, trying to figure out where they were from, and then! I heard some hebrew! So I went over and introduced myself and said some things in hebrew, whcih was really exciting for me! Of course they were very pleased haha and I chatted with one of the guys for a bit, it was a good experience, and definitely got me wanting to pick up learning hebrew again. We reviewed the words I knew and he taught me some more. They didnt stay too long, I think they were planning on hitting up a lot of bars and having a big night out, but he gave me their contact info so maybe I will contact them and go around with them next week....Icy will be leaving early next week, so I will be on my own a bit, and it would be cool to have some people to go places with. Anyway, we'll see... Ah, before they left, it seemed they had ordered more drinks than they wanted, like, 10 shots of different kinds of rum..they gave them all to us! We didnt realy want to drink very much but we sampled, they were yummy. Very sweet.
Aaanyway, we left around 11:30, and unfortunately I didnt get too much sleep that night..but got up early again today to meet Icy and see what else we could see before heading out of town for the weekend. We went to Deitan Park, the smallest of 4 beautiful parks in Beijing that represent the earth, heaven, the sun and the moon. We strolled around and saw people practicing different kind of dances, chi gong, chinese yo-yo things, badminton, table tennis, etc. It was very nice and relaxing (I was pretty tired) and it was really nice to sit in the shade. We explored a bit more before getting lunch at a very famous restaurant, again, delicious, and then I came back to the hotel to pack up my things.
At 2, Icy and her father came and picked me up in his company car (with his company car driver) and we drove about one hour north to a suburb where they have a villa. A beautiful villa. A freaking beautiful villa. They come every weekend almost in the summer. It is in a development, but still. It was very new, finished just last year, and decorated beautifully by her mother. There are mountains nearby which I could see from their backyard, which had a little gazebo and a fish pond. Her mom came later and made a delicious dinner. I showed them my pictures from Africa and then Icy and I took a little walk around the neighborhood. The moon was nearly full, and strikingly red. It was pretty incredible.
Super exhausted, I am writing this now around 10:30, about to go to bed. Tomorrow morning I am leaving at 8 to go see the Great Wall. I am going by myself becasue Icy has some other things to take care of, I dont mind because she has been an incredible host so far. I really could use a day to sleep in a little though and catch up on some rest..I will probly get to do that Monday morning, after staying at what should be a cool and hip hostel in a more touristy part of Beijing. Well see how that goes.
Ok, excited for tomorrow! Goodnight!
[Just to clarify since the tenses might seem off, this last bit all happened Friday, the 25th, and the Forbidden City was on Thursday. Saturday I went to the Great Wall. I left Uganda on Tuesday, the 22nd, and Arrived in Beijing Wednesday afternoon, June 23rd.]
More Pictures soon! And more updates, so much has happened, I'm almost a week behind here!
So, without further ado, update part 1: Saying goodbye to Africa
Well,
I have finished up my work at KARUDEC, and I do think I was very successful with what I did. I knew before I came that I would not be able to fix every problem they had, but where I could, I have helped a great deal, and where I could not offer immediate solutions, I have acted as a scout, reporting back to others who are working to help the situations here. Straight facts, photos, and my personal opinions on the status of their computers, network, power grid, hydro facility, and primary school are either in the process or have already been sent out. I am pleased with the state in which I am leaving things here. Besides technical issues, I think Mercy now has much more confidence and ability to continue what we have started, as well as respect.
The computers that have had XP reinstalled are working so well! And OpenOffice, which was not well received at first, has been accepted and established as the alternative to MS Office.
On Wednesday I took a trip to the hydro facility where Kagando generates its electricity. It was a very small set up- a dam in small river (a big stream) that fed water to a single turbine/generator. Getting to the dam required a catwalk across the 0.5 m diameter penstock pipe, a short distance, but still some height, above some rocks and water, which was a little frightening. There was some other climbing and scrambling about on slippery surfaces which I felt equally uncomfortable with, but, I survived. The problems were not as bad as I thought- power goes out pretty much daily, during the day and night for periods of 30-60 minutes usually. The outtages have 3 main causes- 1) leaves and dirt clogging the intake for the penstock, 2) animals/people causing faults in the porrly insulated 4 km cable that brings the power from the power house to KARUDEC, and 3) people trying to draw too much power. The first two causes require somebody going to find and fix the problem, whether it be going to the dam and cleaning out the debris with a rake or finding the fault and repairing the cable. When there is too much demand, the breaker needs to be reset. Their equipment is very old, but works, and they are planning on building a second dam higher up in the hills. I think they should build a second turbine, instead of just replacing the first one, and synchronizing the generators so that they use the flowing water twice. I gave them my suggestion...we'll see what happens.
All that being said, I will also say that I am ready to leave Uganda. Realizing that I have not even reached the half-way mark of my trip, I am very excited for what is to come- CHINA! But, before I get to that...
The last few days had a few ups and downs in them- but it all ended well on my final day when I went on a safari very early in the morning and saw, among other animals and an African sunrise, lions. LIONS! This was probably the highlight of my trip so far. We were driving through the park and saw other cars grouped together- we knew they must be watching lions. We joined them just in time to see the backs and ears of 8 or 9 lions creeping one by one through the tall grass to an island of bushes in the field. They were far away and so the pictures I took do not show the lions in very good detail...we waited, however, for maybe an hour? until all the other jeeps moved on, and then our driver took us RIGHT up to where they were! We were just meters away from 4 lions, yawning and stretching and just hanging out. We could see that they had just eaten and though they noticed us they did not seem too concerned. They were beautiful. I got some great photos, one of which is probably my favorite photo Ive ever taken, one shot of them all looking right at me! It was awesome. We spent maybe 30-45 seconds right there before driving off to see other what other animals we could find and have lunch at a nice resort. Before that moment, everyone had been feeling somewhat stressed and disheartened by their experiences so far at the hospital, but afterwards we were all in such high spirits. The rest of the day was great, we came back and Angela and I baked 4 small chocolate cakes and a banana bread to share with everyone after dinner as part of my going away/early birthday party. I took care of my packing, had my final dinner (and delicious desserts) with everyone, exchanged contact informations, and went to bed, ready to get up at 5 am the next day to begin the long drive back to Kampala, near the airport.
Patrick and Mercy insisted on driving me the entire way themselves, which was amazing and a huge stress relief for me. Although taking the bus was an experience, well...it as an experience I already had, and it turned out Mercy and Patrick had some business they could take care of in Kampala anyway. So at 5 am, an hour or two before sunrise, we took off. I got to see my second African sunrise. About 8 hours later, we finally made it to the hotel where I would be spending the night before catching my flight the next day. The drive took much longer than it should have because of an unnecessarily huge strip of construction on the roads, so that was a little frustrating, but finally we made it! And after having a cold drink and some lunch (I had not had anything to eat yet) I was feeling pretty good, knowing that what was probably the hardest part of this bit of travelling was over. The rest should be easy. I relaxed the rest of the day, met up with Max again for an early dinner, took my first warm shower in 3 weeks (the last one was when I passed through Dubai, where it was 91 degrees and I could not get a COLD shower!), and had a very good night of sleep.
So now, I say good-bye to Africa, hello China!
I am so excited to see my friend Icy in Beijing, who has told me she has a ton of awesome things planned for me. I am so excited for the food. And all the other resources that will be so readily available, and at prices still so manageable. I am super excited to take my time and find my own way to Shanghai, and to see Benny and Bennett, and the expo! of which I have heard great things lately.
Update part 2: China: The Beginning
Wowzers.
My first hours in China were intense... pretty much no one I encountered spoke any English, but some how I managed to get to my hotel and check in.
Icy came and met me, and then we went out to dinner with her mother. The food was delicious, I took a few pictures. This was a restaurant that her family went to very often and the staff knew them...so, when I found a tiny hair in one of the pancakes used for eating the Peking Duck, everyone was very embarressed and upset. As a result, we got some free stuff, and a special delicacy for desert- red bean square things and something else... Also, it was my birthday!! So we got a cake! An unnecessarily large one...but it was good anyway. We ordered way too much food to begin with, but I think they just wanted to show me a good time :) Success.
Her mother didnt speak any English, so Icy was translating, but I used 'xie-xie' (shyeh-shyeh, thank you) often. Ah, so that was a good welcome and good meal, and then I went to sleep.
The hotel I was in was very nice, although the bed was a bit firm. Nevertheless, I slept, yes I did. Woke up early and had breakfast in the hotel, cabbage and other unidentifyable vegetables..it didnt really hit the spot for me but.. I ate what I could. At 9, Icy came and met me, and we took a cab to the Forbidden City. Her mother had a friend who worked there, so he met us at a back entrance, and we got in for free!! And then we walked around through many parts that were closed off to all other visitors! before he led us to the main entrace. Awesome. We proceeded through the city, seeing all the Gardens of various Harmonies and Mental Righteousness and this and that, it was all beautiful. We were smart to go so early, we beat the heat (it reached above 90 that day) and all the crowds of people which started flooding in around 10:30ish. I was able to get a lot of awesome pictures without any other people in them, and just walk around casually and sit and relax in many of the gardens. We saw all the temples and halls where the emperor would get dressed for this or that ceremony, where all his concubines lived and did whatever it was they did all day...everyone who lived in the Forbidden City was forbidden to ever leave the city...they never ever got to see the country they ruled. The highlight for me was the Nine Dragon Wall, a huge tiled wall built to provide privacy for the emperor and also ward off evil spirits. It was really magnificent.
We spent a good three hours wandering around in there and had some lunch before exiting through the main gate and checking out Tianmen Square, also awesome. Then we strolled down the Wangfujing street, the 5th Avenue of Beijing, also cool.
By that time it was really hot out and also getting late in the afternoon, so we took the subway back to our area. The hotel Icy booked for me was just a block away from her familys apartment, so that was very convenient (she got me a discount at the hotel too- 50% off!) Icy realllly hooked me up, and continued to do so!
We took short naps and then met up to go to dinner. Her friend Alex was going to join us. We walked to the restaurant she picked, and outside happened to run into a family friend of hers. The man was very nice and shook my hand. It turned out that he was a VIP at this restaurant, and told us to order whatever we want! Awesome! So, again, we ordered way too much food. The menus were huge, and every dish had a picture next to it. We ordered a lot of stuff just so I could try it I think. Anyway most of it was all delicious.
From there, Icy, Alex and I took a cab to the Hutong, the bar street, and met up with two more of Icys friends. We strolled down the street a bit before finding a cool looking bar and sitting down. The bar was called Salud, and I didnt realize it at the time, but it was a bar Benny had told me to go to since he knew the owners. Coincidence. All the bars had big projector screens for watching the soccer games. We had a Tsingtao beer, which I liked, and were enjoying the atmosphere for a while. Then, like 20 or 30 foreigners walked in..I thought they were maybe Italian at first...they were all darker skin and darker hair..some of them had hair that was curiously curly however.. I kept an eye and ear on them, trying to figure out where they were from, and then! I heard some hebrew! So I went over and introduced myself and said some things in hebrew, whcih was really exciting for me! Of course they were very pleased haha and I chatted with one of the guys for a bit, it was a good experience, and definitely got me wanting to pick up learning hebrew again. We reviewed the words I knew and he taught me some more. They didnt stay too long, I think they were planning on hitting up a lot of bars and having a big night out, but he gave me their contact info so maybe I will contact them and go around with them next week....Icy will be leaving early next week, so I will be on my own a bit, and it would be cool to have some people to go places with. Anyway, we'll see... Ah, before they left, it seemed they had ordered more drinks than they wanted, like, 10 shots of different kinds of rum..they gave them all to us! We didnt realy want to drink very much but we sampled, they were yummy. Very sweet.
Aaanyway, we left around 11:30, and unfortunately I didnt get too much sleep that night..but got up early again today to meet Icy and see what else we could see before heading out of town for the weekend. We went to Deitan Park, the smallest of 4 beautiful parks in Beijing that represent the earth, heaven, the sun and the moon. We strolled around and saw people practicing different kind of dances, chi gong, chinese yo-yo things, badminton, table tennis, etc. It was very nice and relaxing (I was pretty tired) and it was really nice to sit in the shade. We explored a bit more before getting lunch at a very famous restaurant, again, delicious, and then I came back to the hotel to pack up my things.
At 2, Icy and her father came and picked me up in his company car (with his company car driver) and we drove about one hour north to a suburb where they have a villa. A beautiful villa. A freaking beautiful villa. They come every weekend almost in the summer. It is in a development, but still. It was very new, finished just last year, and decorated beautifully by her mother. There are mountains nearby which I could see from their backyard, which had a little gazebo and a fish pond. Her mom came later and made a delicious dinner. I showed them my pictures from Africa and then Icy and I took a little walk around the neighborhood. The moon was nearly full, and strikingly red. It was pretty incredible.
Super exhausted, I am writing this now around 10:30, about to go to bed. Tomorrow morning I am leaving at 8 to go see the Great Wall. I am going by myself becasue Icy has some other things to take care of, I dont mind because she has been an incredible host so far. I really could use a day to sleep in a little though and catch up on some rest..I will probly get to do that Monday morning, after staying at what should be a cool and hip hostel in a more touristy part of Beijing. Well see how that goes.
Ok, excited for tomorrow! Goodnight!
[Just to clarify since the tenses might seem off, this last bit all happened Friday, the 25th, and the Forbidden City was on Thursday. Saturday I went to the Great Wall. I left Uganda on Tuesday, the 22nd, and Arrived in Beijing Wednesday afternoon, June 23rd.]
More Pictures soon! And more updates, so much has happened, I'm almost a week behind here!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Ants, Cake, LANs
I told you already about the safari ants.
Two nights ago, I had another dance with ants. As I was going to bed, I unwittingly smushed a really small ant I felt crawling over me. Thanks to experience gained sophomore yearin Dan Reades room in CLC, I know that when you squish an ant, it releases a pheremone that attracts any nearby (and maybe even far away) ants. It seems a little counter-evolutionary, doesnt it? I squished or flicked one or two more, only making matters worse, before I realized what was going on..and then I looked around on the floor.
Now, I'm not saying they were everywhere...I'm just sayin.
There were a lot... After a while of just trying to keep them out of my bed, I decided to step things up a little. I havent had to use it much at all since I've got here, but I have two bottles of verrrry potent bug repellant. I wasnt sure it would work on ants, so, using some on a qtip, I drew a little circle around one of the ants crawling across the floor. It worked perfectly- the ant could not cross this invisible wall! And was running around in this little circle, trapped. After a little while it stopped moving, I dont know if it died or just got tired or what, but that was good enough for me. I then painted some of this wonderful toxin around the wooden legs of my bed frame. After getting rid of the few that remained on my bed, I was safe! Protected by an imaginary wall.
Yesterday morning I went to the primary school to see if I could do anything with their computer lab. In short, I could not. Things were basically either missing hard drives or wouldnt even turn on, and someone else had gone through it all a few months ago and left notes on how things were. So, I thought my time could be better used elsewhere.
At this very moment, Angela and I are experimenting with a tiny toaster oven she got for her house- we are making two little chocolate cakes! And it smells so amazing. I know they will be delicious, I wish we didnt have to wait for after dinner..
I spent today mapping out the network connections at the complex, labelling all the wires and figuring out what goes where. Once or twice, I had to fix some of the ethernet jacks, which proved to be a little difficult without the proper tools. With a little determination (or the knowledge that there was no other option), a handy little pocket knife, and a little bit of swearing, I got all the computers in administration connected to the network. Success. Once all of the computers in the hospital wards are fresh and clean, we will connect those as well, get the server going, and then hopefully have a fully functioning network where all the medical records can easily be shared. That is the ultimate goal, and I think it is within reach, although it might not happen before I leave (but thats ok).
I am considering going to see the mountain gorillas, of which there are only 200 in the world, all residing in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. What is holding me back, besides not knowing if they are fully booked yet, is the $500 cost. We shall see.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Kasese
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Yesterday, after spending the night with Mercy's family (not the greatest night of sleep ever but, it was an experience..), we took a day trip to Kasese, the nearest bigger small town around. Patrick (Mercy's husband) needed to get some things with their car fixed, and Angela and Jeff came also, as they just moved into a little cabin for their 5 month stay and needed some things to fix it up with. I was on a mission to buy fabrics, beautiful ones, called kitenges (ki-teng-gays), the patterned cloths that the African women make their dresses out of. Kitenge is the Kenyan word for it, I guess (Mercy and Patrick are Kenyan). Mom will be satisfied to know I was very successful in this mission! While Jeff found a tailor and was being measured for a suit, Mercy took Angela and I around a market filled with stalls that were lined with these fabrics..covering the tables and hanging from bars along the tops. There were so many to chose from, I got some here, some there, some over there, and a few more from just over there. We had lunch at a very nice and expensive (~$7 a meal) hotel that had a beautiful view of the Rwenzoris. None of the pictures I have taken come close to doing justice to them...they look so huge, and lush, carpeted with green, instead of jagged and rocky.
As I'm sure you all know, the World Cup started Friday evening, I watched with a bunch of people at Mercy's. Almost everyone is watching the games when they are on. It is a big deal for Africa! Last night I watched the UK-US game with Craig and Hannah (two brits who got here just a few days ago, med students).
What else.. I have really been enjoying the macro feature on my camera, the flowers here are so beautiful, and so different.
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Today, I slept in a bit, which felt really good but I missed breakfast. The girls in the kitchen (I say "in," but it is outside) made me something when they saw I was up, I think they like me =). Later I went with some people to Kingfisher Lodge, to eat really good food and go swimming. The lodge was situated on side of a huge hill, looking out at a huge vista, African plains scattered with acacia trees and cactus trees. On our way back from Kingfisher, we stopped at the equator again for some pictures.
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