Mui Wo, Lantau Island: beaches, laid back atmosphere, small villages and a hotel with a pool. Who needs the real Hong Kong? We certainly didn't for the three days before starting a 5 day Wilderness Medicine course. We pulled Steve out of retirement to teach 9 students (representing 6 nationalities) who work for an outdoor education program based in Hong Kong. They got some of his jokes. Our 5 days at a YWCA facility was plagued by unbelievably loud groups. Some were school kids who ran around screaming. Some were college freshman here for leadership training ROTC style. They shouted, marched, chanted, and sang their school anthem endlessly. Li spent her days with a friend of the course sponsor. She got to central Hong Kong for a day at Ocean World while we dodged the zealous students. We got to end our course with a typhoon, so named Nuri. Though the rest of Hong Kong got a typhoon day and had no school, by the time we got up for breakfast all the transportation services were shut down for the day thus trapping our students here. So we finished the course and watched some big rain squalls and winds gusts, though nothing stronger than what comes down the valley towards our house in Lander. At dinner time we had the eerie experience of being in the eye of the typhoon and feeling the calm. Some of our students were able to make it home, others were trapped here for the night. Now the wind and rain have picked up again, but we hope the storm has moved inland tomorrow in time for our noon flight to Chicago.
So after 12 months this MAY be our last night in China...
Friday, August 22, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
16 Years Ago...
we were 16 years younger and getting married. For my 40th birthday last year Steve gave me a year's trip to China, for his 40th this year I gave him a month in Japan, so for our anniversary we settled for dinner at a small seaside village restaurant in Hong Kong with fresh seafood, cold beer, friendly cats and US versus China in volleyball on TV. So far so good.
Olympic Observations
Before listing the quirks we discovered it should be said that we were excited to be at the Olympics and had a great time watching sports we knew nothing about-quickly becoming expert commentators. We attended men's and women's gymnastics, fencing, wrestling, table tennis, beach volleyball, judo and water polo. The venues were well done with plentiful squatty potties and a surplus of volunteers. Visitors were well behaved and supportive of all the athletes with a bias towards extra "jiayo's" for the Chinese athletes. We learned water polo is a vicious sport, wrestling wins or losses can literally be determined by a random draw, and beach volleyball feels like a frat party.
We were, however, glad to get out of Beijing. Besides it being a big, hot, noisy city, there was a sense of tension that was discomforting. Perhaps it was the ever present police and armed troops or the endless security checks. Even more concerning was the inconsistency of these security checks at different venues.
We were also glad that we are healthy, heat tolerant and good walkers. We spent at least 2 hours each day on crowded buses or subways simply getting to the outskirts of the venues. From there add another one or two hours walking to or between venues and standing in security lines. We were frustrated at maps that showed a key subway station which was in fact closed and the lack of easy transportation between venues. Having spent a year in China we recognize that improvements that were no doubt made to the city transportation system, but felt that many people likely defaulted to taxis given the challenges of negotiating the public system even though all buses and subways were free if you held event tickets on that day.
Our biggest frustration was the food. The Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG) did well by their sponsors including McDonalds and Coca-cola. Outside food and drink were banned from any venue. Once inside the Olympic Green your only food choices were McDonalds (two of them, spaced widely apart) and snack stands featuring Coke, water, OJ, Fanta Orange soda, popcorn, chips, Snickers bars and a sugared fruit cup. If you spent 6 or 7 hours a day on the Green as we often did, food stress was a reality. The areas around the Olympic green were emptied for security reasons so leaving the area for food was not an easy or close option. The contrast between the health and fitness of the athletes and the horrid food choices available to spectators was laughable.
Overall though, our 5 days were memorable and successful. And now we can enjoy the close up action on TV with the rest of the world!
We were, however, glad to get out of Beijing. Besides it being a big, hot, noisy city, there was a sense of tension that was discomforting. Perhaps it was the ever present police and armed troops or the endless security checks. Even more concerning was the inconsistency of these security checks at different venues.
We were also glad that we are healthy, heat tolerant and good walkers. We spent at least 2 hours each day on crowded buses or subways simply getting to the outskirts of the venues. From there add another one or two hours walking to or between venues and standing in security lines. We were frustrated at maps that showed a key subway station which was in fact closed and the lack of easy transportation between venues. Having spent a year in China we recognize that improvements that were no doubt made to the city transportation system, but felt that many people likely defaulted to taxis given the challenges of negotiating the public system even though all buses and subways were free if you held event tickets on that day.
Our biggest frustration was the food. The Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG) did well by their sponsors including McDonalds and Coca-cola. Outside food and drink were banned from any venue. Once inside the Olympic Green your only food choices were McDonalds (two of them, spaced widely apart) and snack stands featuring Coke, water, OJ, Fanta Orange soda, popcorn, chips, Snickers bars and a sugared fruit cup. If you spent 6 or 7 hours a day on the Green as we often did, food stress was a reality. The areas around the Olympic green were emptied for security reasons so leaving the area for food was not an easy or close option. The contrast between the health and fitness of the athletes and the horrid food choices available to spectators was laughable.
Overall though, our 5 days were memorable and successful. And now we can enjoy the close up action on TV with the rest of the world!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Qingdao Beaches-Lessons Learned
The City of Qingdao is situated on the east coast of China. A former German enclave it is full of European architecture and food, mixed with modern Chinese zaniness. We have spent our week exploring various beaches. Here is what we have learned.
1. When facing the upcoming international spotlight, hosting the sailing/windsurfing portion of the Olympics and dealing with the largest algae bloom in history use your greatest resource-human labor. Qingdao has dealt with this potentially fatal blow to the sailing races, a sea thick with algae soup, by using thousands of people to clean the sea by hand. In addition to people walking the beach bagging algae, most of the beaches have tractors scooping the stuff into piles for easy removal. The battle wages with increased ferocity every time the tide comes in. Of course according to the government, the sea is cleaner than it has ever been (it doesn't look bad). And in the words of the young Olympic volunteers, "Don't believe the advertising, there is no problem." In other words, don't believe the western media. I have to say though the sea weed wrapping around your legs while playing in the surf is unnerving.
2. Beach number 1-no umbrellas or tents, no digging or drawing in the sand, no changing or urinating on the beach. Swim in the shark proof net. The bans against litter and smoking went unheeded.
3. Beach number 3, apparently all of the above are fine, but move when the tractor comes to scoop up seaweed or your stuff will be plowed up.
4. Shilaoren beach. If you wish to change in the VIP changing rooms, 50Y ($8). We didn't even price the regular changing rooms or the changing tents because it was too crowded. We're pretty good at changing under clothes on the beach. Given the number of men walking around in see through underwear we figured that was a minor infraction. 2Y to wash your feet in fresh water. 1Y to use the toilet. You could pay someone to hold your stuff. Who knows how much to park your car on the street, but when there's not enough room to park parallel to the curb, simply pull straight in over the curb. The bottom line is this, if you can charge money for it, someone will.
5. When taking Bus number 304 to get out of town be prepared to be sardined into a non-air conditioned bus, completely overloaded with hot sweaty people, and hope you don't have to shove your way out to get off. Even the cops shake their heads, but do nothing. All this luxury for fifty cents.
1. When facing the upcoming international spotlight, hosting the sailing/windsurfing portion of the Olympics and dealing with the largest algae bloom in history use your greatest resource-human labor. Qingdao has dealt with this potentially fatal blow to the sailing races, a sea thick with algae soup, by using thousands of people to clean the sea by hand. In addition to people walking the beach bagging algae, most of the beaches have tractors scooping the stuff into piles for easy removal. The battle wages with increased ferocity every time the tide comes in. Of course according to the government, the sea is cleaner than it has ever been (it doesn't look bad). And in the words of the young Olympic volunteers, "Don't believe the advertising, there is no problem." In other words, don't believe the western media. I have to say though the sea weed wrapping around your legs while playing in the surf is unnerving.
2. Beach number 1-no umbrellas or tents, no digging or drawing in the sand, no changing or urinating on the beach. Swim in the shark proof net. The bans against litter and smoking went unheeded.
3. Beach number 3, apparently all of the above are fine, but move when the tractor comes to scoop up seaweed or your stuff will be plowed up.
4. Shilaoren beach. If you wish to change in the VIP changing rooms, 50Y ($8). We didn't even price the regular changing rooms or the changing tents because it was too crowded. We're pretty good at changing under clothes on the beach. Given the number of men walking around in see through underwear we figured that was a minor infraction. 2Y to wash your feet in fresh water. 1Y to use the toilet. You could pay someone to hold your stuff. Who knows how much to park your car on the street, but when there's not enough room to park parallel to the curb, simply pull straight in over the curb. The bottom line is this, if you can charge money for it, someone will.
5. When taking Bus number 304 to get out of town be prepared to be sardined into a non-air conditioned bus, completely overloaded with hot sweaty people, and hope you don't have to shove your way out to get off. Even the cops shake their heads, but do nothing. All this luxury for fifty cents.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
