Nothing much to write about here. We visited camellia nurseries by day and had a farewell party that night.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2506670120991.95998.1680191390&type=1&l=c873166b54
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Busy Day in Chuxiong
The photos attached to this post were all taken February 7. The events depicted in these photos have been described in the blog post entitled “Big in China.” This was one of the most active and varied days on the tour and between us Nancy and I took over 100 photos that day. I have tried to par them down to a manageable amount but it was difficult. If you find this album a bit much I apologize.
(A note to the Camilla enthusiasts: The morning tour was of a famous camellia garden located here in Chuxiong. I have included only a couple of the flower photos but Nancy is working on assembling an all-camellias all the time blog post and photo album so stay tuned.)
So, brief description of the photos. We start with a couple of Nancy’s camellia shots just to whet the appetite of the camellia lovers in the crowd.
Next is the entryway to the park. It was to the right of this entry that we spotted the folk doing t’ai chi. There follows one shot of the first group we spotted, one shot of me following along with them and then a third shot of yet another group practicing a few minutes later a short distance away.
Then we have kids at their folks flower stand, the ornate ceiling of one building at the museum followed by a shot of one of the complete dinosaur skeletons on display at the museum. More detailed descriptions of both the area and the museum can be accessed at the links below.
There follow two aerial views of Chuxiong taken from a building we visited for a reason I can no longer recall. The rest of the photos were taken by me when, accompanied by world’s best student guide Jason, I wandered around Chuxiong all afternoon while Nancy attended the ICS conference.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2502468855962.95910.1680191390&type=1&l=8aeac3bd90
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/yunnan/chuxiong/
http://www.chinadiscover.net/china-tour/yunnanguide/yunnan-chuxiong.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuxiong_Yi_Autonomous_Prefecture
(A note to the Camilla enthusiasts: The morning tour was of a famous camellia garden located here in Chuxiong. I have included only a couple of the flower photos but Nancy is working on assembling an all-camellias all the time blog post and photo album so stay tuned.)
So, brief description of the photos. We start with a couple of Nancy’s camellia shots just to whet the appetite of the camellia lovers in the crowd.
Next is the entryway to the park. It was to the right of this entry that we spotted the folk doing t’ai chi. There follows one shot of the first group we spotted, one shot of me following along with them and then a third shot of yet another group practicing a few minutes later a short distance away.
Then we have kids at their folks flower stand, the ornate ceiling of one building at the museum followed by a shot of one of the complete dinosaur skeletons on display at the museum. More detailed descriptions of both the area and the museum can be accessed at the links below.
There follow two aerial views of Chuxiong taken from a building we visited for a reason I can no longer recall. The rest of the photos were taken by me when, accompanied by world’s best student guide Jason, I wandered around Chuxiong all afternoon while Nancy attended the ICS conference.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2502468855962.95910.1680191390&type=1&l=8aeac3bd90
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/yunnan/chuxiong/
http://www.chinadiscover.net/china-tour/yunnanguide/yunnan-chuxiong.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuxiong_Yi_Autonomous_Prefecture
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Opening Day
Here are some photos taken February 5, the opening day of the ICS convention. The ceremonies began with a long walk down a city street to arrive at the reviewing area where a stage had been erected and folding chairs arranged for the audience. Various Chinese dignitaries and the ICS President made speeches. Flags were raised, fireworks were set off, music was played and dances were performed. Quite the spectacle as they pulled out all the stops to welcome the visiting camellia enthusiasts. The fourth picture in from the left in the first row attempts to capture the incredible enormity of the welcoming committee. Colorfully costumed locals lined both sides of the street for what seemed like miles. In this photo the line behind us (off camera) was at least as long as the one before us that you can (sort of) see.
Quick notes on the last three photos:
First is Nancy with the artist who painted the scroll you see behind them. We found his shop touring the mall during the time allotted for wandering around. We purchased one of his paintings and plan to frame it to hang in our downstairs room.
Second is Nancy being interviewed for Chinese TV. This interview was broadcast but we missed it because we were at the theater seeing a show of local traditional song and dance.
The last photo is the actors and actresses at the show pulling visitors on stage at the close of the show. Northern California camellia enthusiasts should be able to spot a familiar face.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2482309872000.95261.1680191390&type=1&l=9579b9ab64
Quick notes on the last three photos:
First is Nancy with the artist who painted the scroll you see behind them. We found his shop touring the mall during the time allotted for wandering around. We purchased one of his paintings and plan to frame it to hang in our downstairs room.
Second is Nancy being interviewed for Chinese TV. This interview was broadcast but we missed it because we were at the theater seeing a show of local traditional song and dance.
The last photo is the actors and actresses at the show pulling visitors on stage at the close of the show. Northern California camellia enthusiasts should be able to spot a familiar face.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2482309872000.95261.1680191390&type=1&l=9579b9ab64
Monday, February 20, 2012
More photos
No words today. This was a travel day from Kunming to Chuxiong. Hopefully, the pictures will be enough.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2467497061689.94924.1680191390&type=1&l=349897a6fd
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2467497061689.94924.1680191390&type=1&l=349897a6fd
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Speaking of stereotypes
New photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2459758628233.94773.1680191390&type=1&l=81a6c87569
Warning. This is not a real blog entry. If this were a real blog entry I would have something intelligent to say. Haven’t noticed anything intelligent in previous entries? Well, you have a point.
While we are on the subject of dumb stuff allow me to wax eloquent in the one area I excel – namely, dumb stuff.
One of the things that struck me most about China was the extreme lack of organization. No one seemed to be in charge and the schedule was changed every day, more than once. Contrast that to Japan where a mere three individuals were in charge during the entire tour and the schedule was only changed twice, once due to weather conditions beyond the control of the tour guides.
A phrase remembered from my youth kept popping into my head. “Chinese fire drill.” According to dictionary.com this is a noun, which is “informal” and “sometimes offensive.” (Gosh, you think?) I have no desire to offend anyone but I will beg your indulgence here briefly to explain. Dictionary.com says the phrase means, “A state of chaotic, often clamorous disorder.” Such a state recurred repeatedly on our trip.
One example: When going to Shangri-la, which is located at an altitude of over 10,000 feet, one of our group requested and received bottled oxygen (readily available in small shops in Shangri-la). This request, however, set off great waves of consternation among our hosts. A group consisting of our bus’ assigned guide, a doctor, a local government official and various other unidentified individuals, spent some time trying to convince the oxygen user to stay behind. No deal. This group then conferred with a larger group in the parking lot in full view of the bus. The aforementioned delegation re-entered our bus to let the individual in question know that he/she (I am protecting identity here) would be allowed to continue only if the individual signed a waiver letting China off the hook for any responsibility for whatever damages might ensue. This was readily agreed to but then another hasty confab was held in the parking lot following which we were informed that every single passenger on each bus had to sign an identical waiver. We all agreed and off we set about one hour behind schedule.
Having aired these comments let me hasten to assure you that, despite bureaucratic rules that made the USA look all loosey-goosey the vast majority of the folk we met, both official, commercial and just plain ordinary were friendly and charming.
Footnote #1: “Chinese fire drill” also took on a second meaning in the late 60’s or early 70’s when it began to refer to a game played by college students (male undoubtedly). The game worked like this: Once a carload of students was stopped at a red light someone in the car would yell “Chinese fire drill.” At this point everyone had to exit the car and get back in again sitting in a different seat. This was all to be accomplished before the light changed to green. Many of those self same students are today in their fifties and sixties, leaders of government and industry. Go figure.
http://www.word-detective.com/back-x.html
Footnote #2: While on the subject of racial stereotypes I, being a lifelong basketball fan freshly returned from China, find the current enthusiasm over second year NBA player and Palo Alto native Jeremy Lin fascinating. Stereotypes are meant to be shattered. "Lin-sanity." I love it.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/02/17/sports/s003849S55.DTL
http://blog.sfgate.com/wwong/2012/02/15/linsanity-2-redefining-american/
Warning. This is not a real blog entry. If this were a real blog entry I would have something intelligent to say. Haven’t noticed anything intelligent in previous entries? Well, you have a point.
While we are on the subject of dumb stuff allow me to wax eloquent in the one area I excel – namely, dumb stuff.
One of the things that struck me most about China was the extreme lack of organization. No one seemed to be in charge and the schedule was changed every day, more than once. Contrast that to Japan where a mere three individuals were in charge during the entire tour and the schedule was only changed twice, once due to weather conditions beyond the control of the tour guides.
A phrase remembered from my youth kept popping into my head. “Chinese fire drill.” According to dictionary.com this is a noun, which is “informal” and “sometimes offensive.” (Gosh, you think?) I have no desire to offend anyone but I will beg your indulgence here briefly to explain. Dictionary.com says the phrase means, “A state of chaotic, often clamorous disorder.” Such a state recurred repeatedly on our trip.
One example: When going to Shangri-la, which is located at an altitude of over 10,000 feet, one of our group requested and received bottled oxygen (readily available in small shops in Shangri-la). This request, however, set off great waves of consternation among our hosts. A group consisting of our bus’ assigned guide, a doctor, a local government official and various other unidentified individuals, spent some time trying to convince the oxygen user to stay behind. No deal. This group then conferred with a larger group in the parking lot in full view of the bus. The aforementioned delegation re-entered our bus to let the individual in question know that he/she (I am protecting identity here) would be allowed to continue only if the individual signed a waiver letting China off the hook for any responsibility for whatever damages might ensue. This was readily agreed to but then another hasty confab was held in the parking lot following which we were informed that every single passenger on each bus had to sign an identical waiver. We all agreed and off we set about one hour behind schedule.
Having aired these comments let me hasten to assure you that, despite bureaucratic rules that made the USA look all loosey-goosey the vast majority of the folk we met, both official, commercial and just plain ordinary were friendly and charming.
Footnote #1: “Chinese fire drill” also took on a second meaning in the late 60’s or early 70’s when it began to refer to a game played by college students (male undoubtedly). The game worked like this: Once a carload of students was stopped at a red light someone in the car would yell “Chinese fire drill.” At this point everyone had to exit the car and get back in again sitting in a different seat. This was all to be accomplished before the light changed to green. Many of those self same students are today in their fifties and sixties, leaders of government and industry. Go figure.
http://www.word-detective.com/back-x.html
Footnote #2: While on the subject of racial stereotypes I, being a lifelong basketball fan freshly returned from China, find the current enthusiasm over second year NBA player and Palo Alto native Jeremy Lin fascinating. Stereotypes are meant to be shattered. "Lin-sanity." I love it.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/02/17/sports/s003849S55.DTL
http://blog.sfgate.com/wwong/2012/02/15/linsanity-2-redefining-american/
Sunday, February 12, 2012
A Chinese Quickie
Today was largely the long drive from Lijian to Shangri-la, several hours. We made one stop at Leaping Tiger Gorge. An absolutely fabulous scenic one hour hike along the side of a rock cliff above a raging river brings you to the spot from whence the name is derived. The hike in is about one mile on a path literally carved out of the rock cliff. Leaping Tiger Gorge got its name from a spot where the river narrows and there is a huge rock in midstream which the water diverts around on two sides. The legend is that the tigers would cross the river by leaping from the shore to the rock to the opposite shore. A statue of a tiger has been erected there to mark the spot.
As usual words cannot describe this adequately so you are required to wait until I can post the photos.
When we arrived in Shangri-la I (for the fourth time this trip) left my camera on the bus. When I went down to retrieve it our guide Nora told me that either I or Nancy could sit at the head table with the local dignitaries. I told her Nancy would be glad to (she is the president of the Napa Valley Camellia Club after all). So Nancy, the Chinese TV star, sat with the dignitaries and I hung with the Aussies where I managed to remain reasonably sober. No mean trick while drinking with Aussies at 10,000 feet elevation.
After dinner one of the Japanese camellia lovers performed magic tricks for us. He was quite good and very funny.
It is, by the way, colder than a well digger’s backside in Idaho here complete with snow on the ground and the whole nine yards. (That enough clichés for you?)
Bed calls. More later.
As usual words cannot describe this adequately so you are required to wait until I can post the photos.
When we arrived in Shangri-la I (for the fourth time this trip) left my camera on the bus. When I went down to retrieve it our guide Nora told me that either I or Nancy could sit at the head table with the local dignitaries. I told her Nancy would be glad to (she is the president of the Napa Valley Camellia Club after all). So Nancy, the Chinese TV star, sat with the dignitaries and I hung with the Aussies where I managed to remain reasonably sober. No mean trick while drinking with Aussies at 10,000 feet elevation.
After dinner one of the Japanese camellia lovers performed magic tricks for us. He was quite good and very funny.
It is, by the way, colder than a well digger’s backside in Idaho here complete with snow on the ground and the whole nine yards. (That enough clichés for you?)
Bed calls. More later.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Random Stuff
IMPORTANT! Some hacker either here in China or elsewhere has broken my password and accessed my email accounts. If you have received an email from me that diverts you to Canadian drug ads, Viagra sales or that informs you we are stranded and need money please ignore them. Hopefully the problem is fixed now but I have done all I can do from here.
We are now pretty high in the mountains. The scenery is gorgeous, snow capped peaks, etc., and the weather cold especially after dark. Tomorrow we go even higher when we move to Shangri-la at about 10,000 feet. Most of what we saw today will make much more sense and require less verbiage when it can be accompanied by photos. For this reason I am going to abstain from long winded explanations (like this one) and just write about some random stuff I have noticed that either does not require photos or for which photos are hard to come by.
For example, on that latter point one of the interesting aspects here is the wide range of clothing styles. Older Chinese seem to prefer the drab utilitarian clothing that was ubiquitous some years ago. The youth are more westernized. Jeans are everywhere. Sneakers are also very popular and the current fashion seems to favor bright colors; red, green, yellow, electric blue and so on. Among young women short (mid-calf) high heeled boots with faux fur around the top seem to be the in thing. Short skirts are matched with those boots and dark colored stockings in a heavier, presumably warmer, material. Young men favor tight jeans, the aforementioned brightly colored sneakers and logo tee shirts (the Rolling Stones is the only thing this old geezer recognized).
Hair styles embody a similar generation gap. Older women have plain, modest relatively short styles. Most men have crew cuts or Western businessman styles. Young women have more fashionable cuts with some perms and reddish dye jobs. The boys seem to favor punk styles involving excessive goo to comb the hair straight up or razor cut short hair on the sides.
The only things missing that one would expect in the US are tattoos and piercings. We have spotted one or two here and there but nowhere near the numbers you would see at home.
Another Chinese oddity for which no photos will do justice is the glass walled shower stalls. Understand, the glass wall is not in the bathroom but rather is the whole wall that separates the bathroom from the bedroom/living area of the hotel room. Kinky, eh? A waterproof curtain can be pulled down but I am left wondering who came up with this idea in the first place. Or how it is utilized. “Hey baby, why don’t you take a shower?” The mysterious East indeed.
Construction is another fascinating item here. Every town we have stayed in or past through has at least one enormous apartment complex under construction. Several of the hotels in which we have stayed appear to have been built yesterday. Our current lodging features the key card door entry now becoming common in the US, the aforementioned glass bathroom wall and a heating system controlled by what we thought at first was the remote control for the TV set.
A brief note for the winos both in California and New Jersey (hey old buddy). Some authentic Chinese red wine was served at the banquet tonight (this town is hosting the camellia shindig in 2016 so they wanted to make a good impression). Imagine the worst Pinot Noir you have ever had and you will have some idea of what it was like.
One last item, you have to love the place names here when translated into English. Today we visited Snow Dragon Mountain and Jade Water Village.
On to new digs tomorrow so I am not sure when I will write again. Be safe.
We are now pretty high in the mountains. The scenery is gorgeous, snow capped peaks, etc., and the weather cold especially after dark. Tomorrow we go even higher when we move to Shangri-la at about 10,000 feet. Most of what we saw today will make much more sense and require less verbiage when it can be accompanied by photos. For this reason I am going to abstain from long winded explanations (like this one) and just write about some random stuff I have noticed that either does not require photos or for which photos are hard to come by.
For example, on that latter point one of the interesting aspects here is the wide range of clothing styles. Older Chinese seem to prefer the drab utilitarian clothing that was ubiquitous some years ago. The youth are more westernized. Jeans are everywhere. Sneakers are also very popular and the current fashion seems to favor bright colors; red, green, yellow, electric blue and so on. Among young women short (mid-calf) high heeled boots with faux fur around the top seem to be the in thing. Short skirts are matched with those boots and dark colored stockings in a heavier, presumably warmer, material. Young men favor tight jeans, the aforementioned brightly colored sneakers and logo tee shirts (the Rolling Stones is the only thing this old geezer recognized).
Hair styles embody a similar generation gap. Older women have plain, modest relatively short styles. Most men have crew cuts or Western businessman styles. Young women have more fashionable cuts with some perms and reddish dye jobs. The boys seem to favor punk styles involving excessive goo to comb the hair straight up or razor cut short hair on the sides.
The only things missing that one would expect in the US are tattoos and piercings. We have spotted one or two here and there but nowhere near the numbers you would see at home.
Another Chinese oddity for which no photos will do justice is the glass walled shower stalls. Understand, the glass wall is not in the bathroom but rather is the whole wall that separates the bathroom from the bedroom/living area of the hotel room. Kinky, eh? A waterproof curtain can be pulled down but I am left wondering who came up with this idea in the first place. Or how it is utilized. “Hey baby, why don’t you take a shower?” The mysterious East indeed.
Construction is another fascinating item here. Every town we have stayed in or past through has at least one enormous apartment complex under construction. Several of the hotels in which we have stayed appear to have been built yesterday. Our current lodging features the key card door entry now becoming common in the US, the aforementioned glass bathroom wall and a heating system controlled by what we thought at first was the remote control for the TV set.
A brief note for the winos both in California and New Jersey (hey old buddy). Some authentic Chinese red wine was served at the banquet tonight (this town is hosting the camellia shindig in 2016 so they wanted to make a good impression). Imagine the worst Pinot Noir you have ever had and you will have some idea of what it was like.
One last item, you have to love the place names here when translated into English. Today we visited Snow Dragon Mountain and Jade Water Village.
On to new digs tomorrow so I am not sure when I will write again. Be safe.
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