Cowing Around

China: Tu Lou 福建客家土樓

2012-01-30T09:43:00.002-05:00

Tu Lou, which means "dirt house" are ancient apartment style buildings made a few hundred years ago. So before I go one to write more about them, I have to say, they are indeed amazing!

There are over 20 000 Tu Lous of various sizes in Fu Jian Province. Tu Lou are built by Harkka people. In direct translation, Harkka means "guest people". They got their name because they were migrants from inner China a thousand years ago. Since they are not indigenous, they are referred to as "guest people". They have their own language, and they are known for being very hardworking and thrifty. Taiwan has a sizable population of Harkka community, so again, this is getting familiar!

The Tu Lous exist in three shapes. Round, square/rectangular and oval. Back in those days, the community needed a way to protect themselves from attacking robbers and bandits, so they invented such structure to enclose themselves. There are no window on the bottom floors facing outside. The windows on the top are not for fun either. They are for spotting and defense against intruders. All of the living amenities face inside.

Entering the Tu Lou, we were immediately greeted by a shrine structure. It's like a building within the building. This is where the residents worship their ancestors. Surrounding the shrine are kitchens where families cook meals. Then, there are the rooms, much like modern day apartments where there is a common corridor with individual rooms and common stair cases.

So how is this amazing?

Well, the material is strikingly amazing. It's made out of dirt, on soft foundation. There were no steel bars, so they used bamboo, and they are all still standing today despite centuries of earthquakes, typhoons, rain, sun, usage etc.

Secondly, in the west, it wasn't until the industrial revolution when people REALLY embraced the concept of living in tight community with shared spaces. I mean, just look around. There are plenty of land for everyone to build their dream home. They can very well have their own courtyard, their own pond to raise ducks and fish, land to farm their own crops and a physical land that they can pass down to their own family. They didn't. For unity and safety sake, they chose to live together, sacrificing the comfort, the ownership and freedom for more sustainable future.

Thirdly, just the concept of living more than one level is a rather big break through conceptually in my opinion, especially a few hundred years ago, when all they had was a need, but no experience or technical knowledge. They used what they had, which was dirt unlike various empires that built their cities using slaves to transport precious material from far way. They also found ways to make use of bamboo, which served the purpose well as strong but flexible rebars.

Then, the Americans thought they saw nuclear missile launch sites when they were peeping on China using their spy satellites because of the strange shaped houses. So they sent their researchers and discovered these hidden treasures. America Fuck Yeah!

Of course, the down side of opening these precious sites to tourists is, while they get the funding to be protected, they also became tourist traps. The locals start to sell souvenirs and they became the exotic creatures in a zoo... or safari. They no longer live the way they would have normally, but live to let me photograph, which I gladly did. I guess there is always a price for everything, just like the fee we had to pay when we entered the region.

and MANY MORE photos HERE!!!!! Click! Click! Click!

China: Xia Men and Zhang Zou 厦门_漳州

2012-01-30T08:59:00.004-05:00

It's a strange trip for me for a few reason. First being that it's so close to Taiwan that we got the same weather. The same rain, the same clouds and the same coldness in the air. It's also during the Chinese New Year holidays so the entire town was basically empty. Everyone has gone back to their home town, leaving just us... and the restaurant and hotel staffs who stayed to serve annoying tourists like me. So when we went to the supposedly main shopping street, it was rather empty. When we went to the supposedly tourist hot spot, it was not too crowded. You can consider us lucky being in China where there are 13 billion of them. At the same time, everything we saw was planned and set up by those who were paid to serve us.

Secondly, because the locals speak very similar language as Taiwanese do. This is because Xia Men, or rather Fu Jian Province is where most Taiwanese came from, hundreds of years ago as immigrants. The language is still preserved rather well. Taiwan grew earlier than China in terms of entertainment, so people in Xia Men watch Taiwanese media a lot. It's like the US media to the rest of the world. The rest of the world end up knows much more about the Americans than the Americans know about the rest of the world. In this case, People of Xia Men knows more about Taiwan than we do about them.

Thirdly, there are "Taiwanese merchandises" here everywhere. It's like as if people come to Xia Men to experience Taiwan! So for us Taiwanese to come all the way here to shop in Taiwanese stores... well, felt like we never left Taiwan.

In a way, we paid to come to a mirror site.

However, it's really strang...ly familar because this is technically our origin. The architecture style, the language, the food. We felt the relationship. We share the same stories, the same idols and the same history. Taiwanese were joined by folks from other provinces during the mid century due to the Chinese civil war, and the Taiwanese culture expanded in variety. It is very interesting for me to see what's the "original". What's the real deal and how they have been integrated, progressed and developed. I won't say that Xia Men is an entertaining place to visit, but I definitely felt it was a good trip.

Also, Xia Men was also one of the hot spots where immigrants moved from China to South East Asia. Having lived in Singapore, I saw familiar names of wealthy contributors that helped built my school, stories about their success and contribution to the Chinese migrant community and their value to me directly, as a student who have benefited through the education that I received, and as a person who have returned, as a milestone really. It's a pleasant surprise, one to be remembered.

Sorry for the lack of downtown photos... just contemporary highrises and such. I like the rotten stuffs better anyways.

There are MANY MORE photos of Xia Men, Click HERE!!!

The Democratic Rookie

2012-01-15T23:58:00.004-05:00

Last weekend was Taiwan's Presidential Election as well as legislation-maker elections, which is equivalent to congress and senate elections. It's a big deal, but none too unfamiliar to Taiwanese. Taiwan has long gotten used to this process of emotional seasons where beliefs, opinions, rumors, framing, violence, agreement and disagreement happen all at the same time. Strangely speaking, this was my first time at the voting booth.

Since I've always been away, I never made it to a single voting until this year. For a time, Taiwan's voting turn out was low because people don't see change happening, because people don't find the candidates worth voting for. "They don't deserve my vote!", many said. What happened was, bad politicians get their way and continue to get elected, and those who complained continued to complain.

This year, as much as 80% turned out to cast their votes. For good or bad reasons, the majority felt the need to voice themselves.

Politics is a touchy thing. It consists of only subjective opinions. No matter how one reasons his or her point of view, it will always be personal. However when millions of personal opinions come together, the result becomes objective.

Many still have much dislike towards "politics", like as if "politics" is a thing that they can avoid. Politics is every where. It's in the office, in your home, between your friends, between your neighbours, and between your pets. Politics is the struggle for structural relationships, how resources is distributed and how the system is defined. To "dislike" politics doesn't make sense, because that means one willingly becomes a victim of the system because he/she refuses to participate in it.

Another common reaction towards politics is, avoid discussing it at all cost!

Most Taiwanese are rather opinionated about who they vote for. It's a known fact that taxi drivers love to share their views. There have been cases where the passenger are told to get off the car because the driver and passenger couldn't agree with each other. There have also been cases of divorce because of political ideology differences. Sounds rather silly? Yes it is. So people basically have learnt to avoid talking about it altogether. What happens then, is the media became the only source of voice and opinion. Talk shows invite groups of "political talkers" to "talk", like as if they are experts you ought to get your opinions from. People, however, stopped talking about their own opinions, and a strange gap is formed between individuals, guessing what each other really thinks.

When I was in grad school, we adopted a very harsh form of "self-improvement". Our critic sessions have no hold backs. We present our hard work before our peers and receive harsh critics. We questioned, dissect, challenge, tear apart and bash the concept that the artist/designer worked so hard to shape. We even disagreed among ourselves who were judging the piece. At the end of the day, there is no hard feeling because we all know that we spoke from our hearts and there was only one thing on everyone's mind, which is we want the best for our friends.

So why can't we do the same for our political opinions? Why can't we all realize that no matter what the individual thinks, it's all for the country's good? What freedom do we have if we can't even speak from our hearts among ourselves?

I am no political activist and I will probably never come close to participate in political event, however I will continue to vote, because I am in politics, I don't want to be a victim, and voting is the single most effective and direct way to make politicians responsible for their actions and words.

To me, democracy is mature only when every one feels comfortable to openly talk about their beliefs responsibly. We are not there yet.

Photo Entry: Jian Guo Flower Market 建國花市

2012-01-08T09:50:00.002-05:00

The Jian Guo Flower Market is a weekend flower market that occupies a the underneath of a raised highway. Most of the space under bridges and over passes in Taipei are used as shops or parking lots. Jian Guo Flower Market is definitely the most iconic flower market in Taiwan where you can find all kinds of floral and gardening products, exotic plants and flowers and.... pets to adopt! Well, the pet part is really not a part of the market. An animal rights protection group set up a booth there for donation collection and to ask people to be nice to doggies and kitties. I was not sure if those pups were up for adoption, but it did attract a lot of attention, and temptation!

Chinese New Year is just around the corner, naturally the theme was all about Chinese New Year products, like flowers and decorations for this festive season. Any one who likes Orchids definitely should visit the market!

Photo Entry: Hualien and Taroko Gorge

2012-01-05T23:37:00.002-05:00

Hualien is nick named as the "back mountain of Taiwan". What this means is, Hualien is like the garden of Eden of Taiwan, a well preserved pure land that is better left under developed. Hualien is also one of the least accessible cities in Taiwan. Since the main route that connects it with the north was damaged by the storm, the traveling to Hualien by car from Taipei is a pain. Most people travel by train or plane, making tickets hard to come by.

Hualien is indeed one of the most beautiful and well preserved cities in Taiwan. The people here do present appreciation and gentleness towards their environment. There are bicycle lanes everywhere, bicycle shops and rentals to serve tourists. The city is rather slow paced and quiet. Backed by mountains, Hualien's Taroko gorge is arguably the most iconic and must-visit spot in Taiwan. The altitude of the river drops rapidly as it descents from its origin to the ocean, and the speed of the water carved a deep and narrow path into the granite mountains. Along with indigenous culture, this is a very different part of Taiwan.

We were there on new year's weekend, very cloudy, so it was not the best condition for photos. However, the conclusion is, I definitely want to be back some day.

Photo Entry: More temple

2011-12-30T09:29:00.001-05:00

Photo Entry: More farm life.

2011-12-30T09:28:00.000-05:00

Photo Entry: Pineapples!

2011-12-30T09:27:00.000-05:00

Photo Entry: Night Market

2011-12-30T09:22:00.002-05:00

Photo Entry: Grandpa's Star fruit plantation.

2011-12-30T09:15:00.002-05:00

Photo Entry: The Cutest Police Station!!!

2011-12-30T09:13:00.002-05:00

Spank yourself, not the kids.

2011-11-12T11:40:00.003-05:00

Ok this has nothing to do with travel, but the cow has a pile to off load, so bare with me.

This photo can't be more terrible, but what can you do when you are stuck with a lousy phone camera trying to snap a quick shot in the middle of the night?

So what exactly is this? Big foot sighting? Aliens over Taipei? Some celebrity making out in the public? I wish!

Well, long story short ( but this is where the long story begins), I was at the public track doing my jog tonight and noticed that the playground is surrounded by warning tape and the playground itself is half taken down with parts laying all over it. Well, must be getting an upgrade! What's next? Playground with iPads for kids to play using their fingers?

Actually, I didn't take this photo because the playground is down, but the fact that kids are still all over it. OMG SOMEONE'S GONNA GET HURT LET'S SUE THE GOVERNMENT AND CONTRACTOR AND THE MAYOR AND THE PARENTS AND EVERYONE WHO DIDN'T SUE BEFORE I DO!!!!!! Hmmm.... this aint the US, so we don't do stupid things like calling the cops because the Mac D didn't have your favorite cardboard-tasting chicken nuggets. Alright, enough bull crap, back to business.

Months ago I was having a conversation with a friend. My point then was I think the concept of "lawn" is one of the most destructive things men/Americans ( since America = the world) have done to the planet. It's non-productive, doesn't yield any food. It doesn't support nearly as much life as the forest. It doesn't help keep the planet cool nor retain heat. It costs a lot of human dollars to maintain it, on stupid things like all the water in the world to keep it moist, all the fertilizers to keep it fat and greasy, all the pesticides to keep it mean.... and what do we get? A place for American men to display their manhood by riding on his pretty 4-wheeled lawn mower so that he can be the alpha male of the neighbourhood? That's right, it's neighbourhood spelled with an "U"!

Ok, enough unnecessary bashing. I learned this from watching American stand up comedy.

So my friend said he wants a lawn because he wants his kid to have a soft, safe and natural place to play..... OOO!!!! PLAY!!! What's a word! Who invented the word "play"? Kids? No, the mighty know-it-all adults did. We defined what play is and what's not play. We tell kids to "go play with your sister" and "stop playing!". We invented the definition of "toys" which means apparatus for playing, like as if you can't be playing if you are not using an object certified by the adults as toys.

See, my grandma is a bad cook, but she's damn good at one thing - making rice dumplings. Making rice dumplings involves wrapping half cooked rice in leaves and cooked in boiling water for hours. It takes very good technique in wrapping the rice, because if packed too loose, it will break apart in the water. If packed too right, it will burst. So I asked her how she learned it. She said, when she was young, they were dirt poor, so she started to "play" by wrapping dirt with leaves and became good at it.

Leaves and dirt are toys to her. Wrapping dirt with leaves is play for her.

Think about it, or rather, try to remember. When we were kids, what "crazy" things did we do? Did we stop letting our curiosity run wild just because there's a tape that says "keep out"? Or did that actually stimulated even more curiosity that drove us reaally crazy?

Play, as mentioned above, is what adults create because for some reason, adults have forgotten how it was like to be a kid. To a kid, play is simply the action of exploration due to curiosity. Play is to fulfill the desire to fill in the blanks. It's a natural part of the human being, and the only thing that is stopping humans from exploring freely is..... adulthood.

So let's think about it again, phrases like "go play with your sister" or "stop playing!". Let's substitute it with a more mature word, explore. Does it still make sense? No it doesn't, so it doesn't make sense to tell a kid when to or not to play, or what to or not to play with. To them, everything can be a toy, and every action can be a play. Just because it may not fell in line with your expectation does not make play negative. So adults, stop being stupid and play with your kids.

As for this photo, it's interesting and comforting to see the kids just climbing all over the dismantled playground despite the warning tape. Perhaps, they are playing "search and rescue"..... opps sorry, I meant hide and seek.

China: Pandas

2011-11-09T11:18:00.002-05:00

Well, pandas... what else can I say?

Few more panda photos here.

China: Cheng Du and about 四川-成都

2011-11-09T10:41:00.003-05:00

Cheng Du is the most unlike-China city you can imagine, in the sense that people here are really laid back. No rushing traffic during rush hours, although it still is rather chaotic. Cheng Du is the capitol of Si Chuan province, famous for its ultra spicy cuisine. People of Si Chuan are also known gamblers. Machong is the regular pass time and the police don’t care about games in the public. Every house hold has a table out and if you are an addict, don’t come to Cheng Du!

Every household has a table of gamblers.

Looks like Cheng Du folks are really active at night.

It’s really hard to organize my thoughts about Cheng Du since there are so many different aspects that I want to mention. Ok, lets start with religion and temples.

Unlike Taiwan, temples in Mainland China are usually very ancient. Of course, it’s because this is where the main bulk of Chinese history took place, therefore the artifects. The remains of religion is especially precious in Mainland China because of the Cultural Revolution, during which the Communist party campaigned to get rid of the “old”, meaning old thoughts that differs from communism. The campaign included destroying all temples and religious presence. Ancient temples that survived mostly are left with half of its original assets. It’s such a shame because other culture can claim 5000 years of civilization.

Since the cultural revolution, religion is one of the sensitive topics in communist China. Even though the presence of religion is slowly coming back, it is still a heavily guarded territory. It’s impossible to separate the Chinese culture from religion, but that’s what the communist is trying to deny.

Ceiling religious painting being painted over during the cultural revolution.

The streets of Cheng Du is also interesting. Sitting on the tour bus looking out is an amusing experience itself. First thing I noticed is, of course the massive bicycle scene is gone, people roaming on the streets on scooters. This is no surprise since Taiwan has more scooters. What’s surprising is, everyone rides really slowly. It’s kinda hard for me to adjust to this sight because with the same scooter styling, riders in Taiwan zip through the traffic like roaches fleeing from the light. Here, they crawl like snails. Then I realized that China is much more advanced than even the western world on one thing. Electric scooters. All of the scooters are electric, and probably speed restricted one. Like Taiwan, people use their scooters in unimaginable ways. A family of five on a little poor two-wheeled fella is the common sight. Transporting cargo on the poor scooter is also a common practice, but converting a scooter into a cargo hauling pick-up makes me feel really bad for the poor scooter. I mean, talk about milking the last electron!

A scooter full of live chicken.

Local innovation to beat the rain.

China is also a strange place in terms of… well, everything! Here’s how I will summarize. On the streets, you can see all kinds of cars. From fugly three-wheel cars to exotics. It’s a world of availability. As long as you have money, you can get anything you want. So it has compact cars that you cannot find in the US, as well as rare exotics that you don’t see in Taiwan. Chinese brands are also doing much better than before with decent looking cars on the road. Lifestyle wise, there’s the spit-everywhere anywhere culture, as well as ultra high-end designer fashion. When you mix all of them in one big pot, you get Si Chuan cuisine. Intriguing but hardly appetizing.

However, it’s a process that China has to go through. I think it’s impossible to be in a position where one needs to catch up rapidly yet retain the positive value of traditions. It’s hard to judge what’s worth preserving and what needs to be left behind until you’ve walked it through. For China, what it has that the western world doesn’t, is resources and capacity. It’s amazing how well the hardware aspect of the city is developing. However, it seems that there is a building pressure between the daily expense vs local’s wages.

Talking about development, the Wen Zhou Earthquake that shocked western China took place just three years ago. Honestly, in most parts of the affected area, you will hardly notice the damages, because the communist accomplished one thing that the democratic west can’t, that’s leadership. At times of disaster and critical moments, it’s no time to consider “rights”, but do what’s needed. China mobilized troops from all over the country, many of which died on the way due to exhaustion because the only way to reach the affected areas is by foot. The government implemented plans and rebuilt much of the ruins with considerations of lesson learnt from the past. In fact, much of the Jiu Zhai Gou’s modern hotels are the result of this re-organization. Till today, the earthquake is still very much a part of Cheng Du people’s life in the sense of how much they’ve learnt from the recovery. The scars will always be there, but with that, new courage will take them much further.

A table of ultra spicy left overs.

I bet even the stray have spicy tongue.

Cookies that wishes you "Win every gamble!"

Traditional costumes rental for tourists to take photos of themselves.... argh....

A very special and lost kind of folk art. Heated molten syrup being dripped onto cooled surface and hardens into graphic according to the artist's craft, made into candies. Each piece is unique and intricate. It's hard for me to stomach such delicate piece of art.

Why bother with $300 strollers?

Bamboo baby carrier.

Chef pulling a kind of sugar treat called "Dragon whisker candy".

Old lady making more flower head wears.

World's largest Buddha statue, took three generations of folks thousands of years ago to finish it.

"Du Jiang Yan", a world heritage site. It is famous for its ingenious way to divert the strong Ming River's water into smoother current, which allowed the locals to use the river as a trade route and provided Cheng Du stable water supply, all before hard tools were even available!

Small toy figures made of dough.

Restaurant waiter.... scary.

He played the most beautiful, echoing tune of the night.

Real summons from the emperor.

Another Sugar craft master.

Tea house.

Shoe repair service.

Painting done inside the glass. Not sure how it's done.

Skin shadow puppet.

Another Cheng Du folk's favorite pass-time - ear wax cleaning!

Three-wheeled scooters are everywhere.

Pandas EVERYWHERE!!!

WARNING!!!!! DO NOT BRING YOUR WIFE/GIRLFRIEND/MOM/SISTER HERE!!!!!

MORE Photos here, a lot MORE!!!

China: Jiu Zhai Gou 四川-九寨溝

2011-11-09T09:51:00.002-05:00

After Huang Long, it was a 3 hour ride to Jiu Zhai Gou, so we spent a night at the hotel before heading to the site. Being at such a remote place, with the known lack of resource and inaccessibility, it’s hard to imagine the luxury that we had at the hotel. It’s a long story I guess, so let me explain this a little.

Jiu Zhai Gou used to be an unknown place. Back in the 70s, Jiu Zhai Gou area was used for logging until a researcher visited the place and was so impressed by the land that he wrote a letter to the state official to plea for preservation of the area. It worked and the government turned it into a preserved land and it became a national park in 1984. The lives of the locals have always been rather harsh, however, Jiu Zhai Gou and Huang Long brought much wealth to the area.

Jiu Zhai Gou means 9-village gorge. The 9 villages are Tibetan villages inside the preserved area. Since the government took over the land, the locals lost their lifestyle of farming and provide for themselves. So the government gave them exclusive rights to set up businesses within the preserve selling services and souvenirs. Over time, they got smart and rent those spaces out for a hefty sum, therefore don’t even have to work! The government also gives each money considerable sum as compensation for taking their land, much like how the US government subsidizes the native Indians. The locals therefore aren’t poor at all. Tourism also helped the region prosper. Other than the subsidized money, they rent rooms to tourists and guides. Once there was only one inn in the entire area, there are hundreds now and still unable to accommodate all of the tourists. There are five star hotels, and a 7 star hotel is just about to open. The hotel we stayed in is owned by Holiday Inn. It’s huge, lavish and world-class. It’s hard to imagine being able to enjoy buffet in a hotel dining hall in such deep mountainous area. It almost felt… wrong.

Well, one bad thing about the hotel is, even at this freezing temperature, they don’t have indoor heating. The locals are used to it, and since we are the last group to stay at the hotel before they close for the season, why bother?

So now, back to Jiu Zhai Gou. It’s a big place. It reminds me of Zion National Park in Utah. Both are valleys. You can’t drive in the park, but the buses will take you to the various sites and trails. Both are very well maintained and both are gorgeous. The only main difference is, Jiu Zhai Gou is pack with people. China, 1.4 billion of them, scary!

Even with the crowd we had to fight to snap photos, this is considered very mild because we are at the end of the season. The tour guide said they usually have to fight with twice as many people and the entire place is like a human conveyer belt. For it, it’s always like a war zone having to deal with so many people, I cannot imagine a single bit of enjoyment if we are here during the peak season.

People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People People x 1.4 billion!!!

Jiu Zhai Gou is located at a lower altitude, so high altitude sickness isn’t a problem here. The mountains are very sharp-looking, since this entire region, much like the Himalayas, are newly formed mountain range, therefore are still sharp and edge unlike the Appalachian in the American South East. The water here has an unique green tone to it. Actually, the water is crystal clear. It’s the algae on the bed of the lakes that makes the water look green. The water itself has high content of mineral so it is not safe to drink.

Jiu Zhai Gou to me is mostly about the natural beauty. Being with a tour group and only a day to enjoy the place hardly gives me any chance to experience the local culture and understand the real lifestyle. It’s really just “touch-and-go”, not my preferred way of visiting a place.

In any case, it’s definitely a once-a-life-time kind of must-visit place on this planet. I just wish the crowd is not as over whelming, to give the place the calm that it really deserves.

One of the bigger Tibetan villages now nothing more than a tourist trap.

Very unique formation of vegetation and landscape, called "Bonsai in the water" because of the plants that grow out of the water, each has its own characteristic like a Bonsai plant.

A very rare moment of silence.

Panda everywhere!

Cleaning workers taking a nap in the middle of the crowd.

Quite an amazement. High heel and skinny jeans to hiking?

Outside the park area.

The communist loves bill boards....

Night musical play about Tibetan and the Qiang culture.

As a part of the tour, we were pulled into a government run tea store, selling local teas and sucking more money out of us.

This is not poop. Just how they package tea leaf.

Young ladies telling us to BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY!!!!

Tea leaves compressed into brick form with blessing. NOT FOR SALE!!!

MORE MORE MORE Photos here!!!!

China: Huang Long 四川-黃龍

2011-11-09T09:41:00.003-05:00

Si Chuan is really the Jewel province of China. It embodies lots of natural and cultural contents and sites, a very good starting point for any foreigner to learn more about China. It’s not like the coastal cities, Shang Hai or Guang Zhou, which are over crowded. Cheng Du is really laid back, very unlike the typical China. The world famous Jiu Zhai Gou is located in Si Chuan Province, some 300+km from Cheng Du. It’s deep in the mountains. To get there, you can either travel by land (13 hours of mountain roads) or by air. The obvious answer is the latter, although it’s not as easy as it sounds.

The nearest airport to Jiu Zhai Gou is Jiu Zhai Huang Long Airport. Why such a long name? It’s because the two main landmarks that the airport serves are Jiu Zhai Gou and Huang Long. The airport is situated at 3448m above sea level, the third largest high altitude airport in China. High altitude sickness is not to be taken lightly, but it’s really complicate and abstract with regards to who may get it. However, the symptoms can range from massive headache, swollen eyes, diarrhea to oxygen deprivation and death. The best cure is... just get the f*ck down. To prepare for such low oxygen condition, you can take certain herbs to increase the red blood cell in your body. However these are just to reduce the risk, not eliminate it. If you don’t exercise to begin with, you are just asking for trouble. There are also portable oxygen canisters for purchase in case you need the extra gasp of air. They are just like spray paint cans with a nozzle for you to breath in.

There is no specific reason to who will suffer from high altitude sickness, so everyone was kinda nervous. We will know when we get there. The Jiu Zhai Gou area is also populated with both Tibetan and Qiang people, both are minority groups in China. The high altitude and inaccessibility of the region means resource is scarce. The lower atmospheric pressure also means it’s impossible to bring water to 100 degrees because water will boil before it reaches the temperature. This means cooking is much harder here than at lower altitude, which also means food suck generally although I don’t really think it’s bad at all.

Dude riding a bicycle up the mountain at close to 4000m above the sea level.... talk about CRAZY!!!

Back to the journey, since Huang Long was much closer to the airport, we were shipped there first. Snow arrived before we did and the mountain top were blanketed. Along the way, we could see Tibetan villages and the cute hairy cows. These cows are unique to Tibet and they brought them to this region, which is already much lower in altitude. The population is sparse, but the colors are striking. It was quite refreshing to be in such a pure place with brisk air….. oh, brisk air, that’s right, air that makes you giddy.

Bill board at 4000m above the sea level.... sigh.

See, it takes about an hour to get to Huang Long from the airport, so the bus stopped over at a over-look area in the mountains to let us take some photos. I got off the bus and snapped the mountains, then walked over to the Tibetan monuments to snap more, and then turn back and headed to the bus. Right as I made my walk back, I suddenly felt a moment of dizziness. High altitude sickness kicking in? Perhaps, but for the first time, I realize that I forget to breath. You see, in lower altitude, there is more than enough oxygen that we don’t need to breath as much as we think we are. Here, I forgot to breathe since I was taking photos, and the subsequent breaths were not enough to replenish my lungs, causing the lack of oxygen intake. After a few moments seated, I was back to normal. It was nothing to be worried about, but this was my first experience of the mountains. For the rest of the way, I can hear the oxygen canisters being used on the bus. It’s much like the breathing sound of the Darth Vader without the corny voice.

Huang Long is a scenic site managed by the Chinese central government, just like Jiu Zhai Gou. Hardware wise, I have been really impressed so far. The airport is really well maintained, much better than many of Taiwan’s airports, and to think that it’s built at such remote place, it’s definitely a feat. The roads here are top notch too, very well paved, very well maintained. Again, much better than Taiwanese roads. The facility at Huang Long, obviously, are well maintained too, except the forever spitting Chinese.

Inside Huang Long is a long stairs that takes you up the mountain slope. Huang Long is famous for its pools of clear water stacked along the slope. It’s hard to figure out how the pools are formed, but I think it’s the accumulation of minerals as the water flow over an edge, causing walls to build up. But what do I know? I’m not some expert geologist. In any case, there is a long portion where the slope is lined with yellow crescent shaped pools, like a scaly skin. That’s why Huang Long is named this way, which means “Yellow Dragon”.

There is not much more to explain about the beauty, so I will let the photos do the talking.

More photos HERE!!!

China

2011-11-09T09:39:00.001-05:00

Everything is made in China, but I haven’t been to China. China is just across the waters from Taiwan, but due to political reasons, it was only until recently that direct flights are allowed. In the past, Taiwanese have to fly to a third country to enter China, such as Hong Kong, Japan or Korea. Again, politics. Even now, planes cannot fly the straight route across the waters, they have to make detours to avoid certain air space. Politics.

For some/many reasons, I haven’t had good impression of China, making it a not-so-desirable place to visit. Plus, I am not fond of what the Cultural Revolution did to the people, as well as how its government bans media access. Of course, China is huge and every place, city or province is entirely different. It’s unfair for me to continue to carry such judgment without visiting it personally.

My first experience of China started in Taiwan. Well, on the plane actually. We rode on Air China, which is China’s main state run airline, so it’s supposed to be top notch. This is also the first time I rode on a commercial flight when the plane starts to move before people are seated. And it proves to be a consistent phenomenon for the rest of the journey. Meal wise, I think it’s pretty much like what you will expect on a North West or United. Nothing to be proud of.

After three hours, we landed in Cheng Du, the capitol of Si Chuan.

Before I continue, all I know about Si Chuan is its spicy cuisine and pandas. Since I don’t do well with spicy food, it’s hard for me to imagine what my days are going to be like.

Cheng Du airport is huge. Well, the main terminal is quite small…. For now. As we landed, the plane rolled on and on and finally arrived at the destination spot. As the plane was rolling, all I could see was construction, miles of new terminals being built. It’s massive, bigger than any single airport structure I’ve seen. I makes me wonder how will they resolve the people transportation issue.

As the plane stopped, we walked down the stairs to hop onto the airport bus. Again, a long ride to the main terminal and to the immigration. Then we exited the terminal to the tour bus. Hmmm… here’s what I don’t get. It’s a big airport with lots of traffic, but very poor traffic organization. I cannot imagine the chaos that will cripple the place when the airport is in full operation.

Tainan, again.

2011-11-08T05:33:00.002-05:00

Well if you are familiar with my blog, you will have seen many posts written about my grand parent’s little farming town, as well as tons of photos around the farms. You know what, I never get sick of writing about the fruits and vegetables, as well as the people and culture here. I also never get sick of taking photos of the fruits, trees, animals and people here either. To me, this is where Taiwan’s roots are and should be preserved. With aging population and increasing gap in development, my selfish wish is that the town will remain as it is, because to me, this is the last and the most important thing that needs to be remembered and told as a Taiwanese.

Farmers selling their harvest of the day at the local market.

Perhaps I am repeating myself over and over again from previous posts, agricultural towns like this are forgotten. Across culture, farmers are always the bottom of the pyramid. They work really hard, earn every cent using their blood and sweat. They have to be subjected to the mercy of mother nature. One bad storm can take every bit of their year’s worth of effort and invest away. One disease out break can destroy the entire region. A few bad distributor can ruin the market price and force the farmers to give up their crops for next to nothing. Yet those who dine in super expensive restaurants, who pay ridiculous prices for their meals, or people who complain about the price of produce in super markets, don’t have any idea about what farmers go through to bring food to your table. Farmers in Taiwan aren’t looking to make money. They just want to break even so that they can continue to do what they do.

Everyone, and I mean everyone was helping my mom pick the best fruit out of the bunch.

Farmers/vendors are like sisters, helping each other out by helping each other sell their produce.

My mom wanted more fruits, so the vendor took us to her farm to get more!

Even 50cents will be jealous of her bling smile!

"Ya say wut!"

Living in the country side is also really romantic. To Taiwanese, I doubt any one will relate the word “romantic” with old uneducated farmers who can’t even read. The truth is, traditional Taiwanese are much easier to understand and get along with. This is because they grew up in a world where there is much more than just money. You see, if you live in the city, you hold jobs that make money so you can use it to buy things you need. So you may be a lawyer, an accountant or a secretary. When the economy goes boom, money becomes worthless and everyone suddenly becomes poor and lost. They are out of job, no money and destroy the city through protests and riots blaming others for their own failures. Here, when the economy goes boom, the farmers are left with nothing but their own produce. It’s FOOD! Not only that, they are also left with their neighbours and their produce. People exchange produce as a way to maintain relationship on regular basis. It’s like a good gesture of exchange gifts. No one mandates this, and everyone does it out of their own will. Even my grand parents who have retired from commercial farming, they still get stuffs from relatives and friends who still grow things on their land. There is no shortage of food and friendship.

Near by "Monkey Mountain". Tourists show up and vendors sell them bananas to feed the wild monkeys. I bet they are so sick of bananas.

In the United States, the concept of farming and food distribution is so industrialized and institutionalized that all people think about are processed food that come in boxes, bottles or cans sold in super markets. Fresh produce and farmer’s market is the hip trend. People get so excited to go to the farmer’s market thinking that they are really buying from the farms directly.

How about shopping for produce in a market surrounded by farms?

The good thing about markets here is, you can’t get fresher produce. Many of the vendors are farmers themselves and they bring their produce to the market depending on what they have that day. It’s not their main job, but what the heck. They get to chat with their buddies and BFFS while attending to their stands. It’s actually very common for one vendor to look out for the other. For example, when my mom was looking at some dragon fruit at this one stand asking about its sweetness and freshness, the ladies from neighbouring stands join in to help sell the fruit, saying it’s great and sweet. When my mom looks at a vegetable, vendors start to make suggestions on how to cook it. And when my mom is looking for papayas that this vendor happen to run out of, she points at another stand that has papaya and said,”Let’s go there and I will help you pick the good ones.” Is it really about money? I think it’s more about the fun. It’s the fun of being genuine, being honest and proud of your offering. The offering being the experience that you are giving and receiving. It’s really about social interaction that is the final product of this simple exchange, something that takes place in an entirely different manner in the city. Here, people don’t compete with each other. Each knows his strength or weaknesses, and help each other by compensating for their lackings or compliment their strengths. In times of hardship, it is communities like this that recover the quickest because the community is not built on hardware, but relationships and trusts.

Whenever I take photos of the farmers selling their produce, they always say,”Don’t photograph me, I am so ugly.”

Then continue,”… photograph my bananas and pineapples. Aren’t they pretty?”

Humble about themselves but proud of their achievement. This is the classic Taiwanese grass root spirit.To me, they are the most beautiful people.

"Hello, Sweet and Sour!"

"Longan, a type of fruit, which directly translate as dragon-eye"

Farm tools metal smith.

Neighboring town farmer's market.

Now more photos around the farm area.

After elections, farmers use the election flags with prints of the candidates as scare-crow. Politicians so scary that even the birds are wary!

Corn

Cabbage

Farm equipment like this is uncommon here. They are usually rentals used only once or twice a year. During the harvest process, cranes and birds flock around the vehicle to pick up the scraps.

Bananas

Bamboo

Pineapple

Sugar Cane

Guava

A water seeding plant called "Lin-Jiao". The seed pod looks like a bull-horn, very interesting. It grows on the under-side of the floating water plant. Farmers will have to comb through the whole pond on little boats, flip the plants one by one to find the seed pods and flip the plants back so it will live. It's a very tedious work, definitely not something you can harvest with a machine.

Organic mini tomato farm.

Not sure what this is called in English.

Tainan is also famous for its street treats.

Instead of birds, the poles are now lined with cameras.

Who says Japanese food must be expensive?

A famous temple in downtown Tainan.

Night Market in downtown Tainan.

Back to the farm!!!

BIG TITTIES!!!!!

Asparagus

"Fiber-gourd" A kind of gourd that people leave to dry until only the fibers are left, and use it as scrub pad. The most natural and sustainable cleaning gear!

Grandma digging for bamboo shoots.

Fiber gourd and flower.

Grandma's radish.

Local Temple

Neighbor town market.

Abandoned old house.

Believe it or not, MORE PHOTOS HERE!!!

Yi Lan

2011-11-08T05:25:00.002-05:00

A last minute decision, we did not want to waste a Sunday. Yi Lan is on the north eastern coast of Taiwan. For a long time, there were two roads to get there from Taipei. One is the mountain route that takes you through the windy mountainous roads. The other is along the coast by heading north than east. Both take about two hours, longer when traffic is bad. However a few years ago, a third route was built that reduced the travel time to a mere 40min. It’s a tunnel 13km that cut across the mountains, taking the traffic directly from one end to the other. Needless to say, the two other routes suddenly became the “detour” and everyone depends on the new tunnel for their commute.

The new tunnel is also famous for the most consistant and worst traffic jams in Taiwan. Every weekend towards the end of the day, it will clog up quickly. It’s more faithful than the old faithful, in a bad way.

Of course, what this means is there are a lot more visitors to Yi Lan from Taipei, which boosts the tourism, and also opens opportunities for locals to commute to Taipei more frequently.

As a coastal city, Yi Lan is known for fishing ports and sea food. Being on the bottom of the steep mountains, it is also known for the scenary. Others visit Yi Lan for the beach and water activities. In general, it’s like the backyard for the city folks in Taipei.

We did not have any destination this time, just driving around from point to point. So there’s just random photos. As usual, I am a temple freak, so lots of temple photos.

The north eastern coast is also famous for its shoreline. For me, this is the beach that I've always visited since I was young. Black sand, eroded rocks and secluded. This spot was the best hidden treasure for a long time, then someone bought the land right by it and built this huge mosque/traditional chinese architecture. No one knows what it really is, but it damn sure is a nice spot to have a home.

Lastly, there's always space for good seafood!

More photos HERE~!

Service? No Service? Good Service?

2011-10-15T12:19:00.001-04:00

USA! USA! USA!

One of the most significant innovation from the land of the free is none other than the drive-through point of sales. How wonderful would no service be! Indeed! Here, the drive-through concept has been taken to a whole new level. Quick and hassle free hair cut in 10 minutes for US$3 only!!!

Actually, I think this started in Japan. You know how their vending machine culture is like….

So here’s how this works.

You walk up to this coin machine, dropped the right amount of cash into it and it gives you a ticket. You wait outside the booth until it’s your turn. When it’s your turn, you go in, sit down, tell the stylist some quick instruction and in 10 minutes, you are all done. The stylists will se a vacuum cleaner to suck your hair clean. No water needed, no hassle and you are on your way in 10 quick minutes. It’s not a neighbourhood barber shop where the retired spend their entire morning either getting their beard shaved or just sitting around laughing at buddies getting their beards shaved. It’s also not your fancy $300 hair salon that not only takes care of your hair, but your nails and your poodle’s nails. It’s also not a place where you sit by your BFFs to gossip about the neighbour’s bitchy wife or mistresses. This is the McDonald’s of the hair styling industry. It’s high tech, efficient and effective. It’s AWESOME for people like me who can’t be bothered to waste money on cutting hair, which will eventually grow back asking for more attention, and time wasted on hair washing or telling the stylist how my shitty day went.

Lot's of business!!!

So this brings me to my hair cutting experience around the world, since this is all about traveling. When I was in Singapore as a student, the school had strict rules for hair style, like no ear-touching hair, hair can’t touch the eye brows etc. Getting a hair cut is more like a chore but a necessity. Otherwise, I would be served with detention. A typical hair cut would cost about $7~$12, and I always try to seek out the cheapo ones, usually not the most guaranteed ones as well.

Then when I was in Detroit, it just felt more secured to go to an Asian stylist even though all I want is to trim like the way it already is. $15 it was, then plus tips. It’s was another “as long as my hair length doesn’t bother me” type of deal. Very low expectations, but necessary when my hair gets in the way of my eye sight when I am trying to pump through 20 marker renderings in the middle of the night.

When I moved to Atlanta, I was very lucky to find many Asian salons. Many of which are operated by Vietnamese immigrants, which is pretty nice because they have fancy deco to rival the ones in Asia, young and well trained Asian stylists, and of course attractive Asian girls cutting your hair. Most importantly (what can be more important than young attractive hair stylists?????), it’s also $15 after all these extra perks!!!

Then to South Florida, where everything is expensive and where I have the most to complain about. It was hard to find a decent stylist. Remember, all I want is trim! All of a sudden, I was paying $25 plus tips for bad hair cuts.

So, what’s really a good customer experience? Service? No service? Of course, it depends on your intention of going to a salon. For me, I can deal with a robot.

辦桌 Ban Dou, the Taiwanese style street banquet

2011-10-15T11:57:00.004-04:00

Now this is a Taiwan classic all over!

There is one thing that is unique to Taiwan. I am not sure if people practice this in mainland China, but certainly not in Singapore or Malaysia. What is it???

We call it Ban Dou, which is in Taiwanese dialect and means a banquet on the street. You see, space in Taiwan is limited. In the past when people have more space, they have banquets and dinners right outside of their house because there’s usually a court yard. In the city, there is no space like that, but people still prefer to hold banquets right outside of their apartments, so what do they do? They block off half the already narrow street and put a big tent over it, lay dining tables and invite their guests over. They will hire catering service who will set up a make shift kitchen on the spot to serve the guests, and woah lah! There you go! So when do people have banquets like this?

Wedding, religious celebrations and funerals. So basically, anything!

Today, we were invited to one. It’s a temple celebration of the temple’s worshiped divine spirit’s birthday. Just like the one I wrote about in 2007, this has a puppet show playing for three days as a gift to the spirit, and the banquet is a part of it. So what do I have to do with this temple or the spirit? Nothing, I am just crashing the party!!!!

Just waiting to get started.

Puppet show stage.

Food ready to be served.

The incredible simple mobile kitchen set up managed by three ladies.

It’s been a looooong time since I last been to a street banquet like this. Actually, this isn’t bad at all because we are not on the road. We are still on the pedestrian side walk, so there is no worry of getting hit by a car. While everyone is waiting and after paying respect to the divine spirit, I headed over to the cooking corner to see what it’s all about. So basically, there is a big steamer to keep food warm and a bunch of already prepared food. What they do is they have a lot of pre-prepared dishes that just need warming and final touches before they can be served. Typically, between these three ladies, they have to serve 10 courses from appetizers to desserts. Actually, there were several courses of desserts, two soups, steam whole fish, chicken, pork dish and a bunch of other tasty classics.

Around the table, well, it’s kan bei time! Toasts were thrown repeatedly from table to table. Friends and family greet each other with alcohol. It’s loud, it’s chaotic, it’s energetic! Soon, it doesn’t matter where your seat is, because you will be traveling between tables with your little plastic cup to toast to whoever you see, and soon, you lose track of where you are. Fun times! So not me.

"Hey, what are you doing? You should be drinking!!!"

Then, story time. The family who’s hosting the banquet owns the temple, therefore worships and supports the divine spirit. So what is this divine spirit? You see, there are tens of thousands of temples in Taipei alone, small temples like this that have a small group of followers. In my opinion, this is not really a religion because there is no set rule or practice. It’s basically an idol that you choose to follow. Taiwanese love to fulfill their insecurity through fortune telling. Asking god for advice is pretty rooted within the Taiwanese culture. Therefore there is no shortage for the demand for temples because people always have doubts and questions about their lives that they want to seek advice on. So they go to these temples, bring some offerings like fruits, meat or flowers and ask the spirit questions. The spirit will give them the advice in various ways, offering either warning or instructions. So that settles the reason why people do it in the first place.

Why do they keep coming back? Does it really work? Apparently so! Well, many believe that when they practice the instructions offered by the divine spirits, they work, so they keep coming back. Do I believe this? I do, because I have experience it. I don’t want to get into the details here, but I start to realize the world that is beyond mine.

When it comes to gods and divine spirits, regardless of religions or cultures, people usually think these idols are holy spirits who are absolutely perfect, so perfect that they are beyond human’s ability to understand fully. Of course, I believe that some of these figures are holy and perfect, but the way I understand about these local divine spirits are a little different. They are as human as we are. They like to be famous, honored and worshiped. They like to have as many followers to show their status. They communicate with other divine spirits and they can be quite fun to hang out with.

The people who own the temples like this usually are people who also hold the position as “Dang Gi”. Which means, folks who have the right combination of body and mind that makes it easy for the divine spirit to attach to him. This is when the spirit takes over the body of the person and use this method to how its powers and communicate with the rest of the people. This is when the person appears to become someone else entirely, but represents the spirit. When the spirit leaves his physical body, he “wakes” up and return to the normal state.

More shots of the mobile kitchen.

Today's menu!

Is the spirit feared? Absolutely, but rather “feared”, I think it’s more like respect. The spirit protects its followers from other bad stuffs, like bad spirits that are trying to get you into trouble, or try to discourage you from bad habits like excessive drinking, as in the case of the person who invited us. Apparently, the spirit told him to drink less. Once, his drinking buddy came over for a drink, and the spirit attached onto the buddy’s body and made him hit his head against the table several times, telling him to stay away from this guy. From then on, no one dares to come to his house for a drink.

I think what’s attractive about the spirit is his humanistic side. The side that human beings can relate to. It is the emotional aspect that makes him believable. He’s after all a humanistic idol, guardian of the good values and virtues that its human followers hold dearly onto. To me, the divine spirit are just the perfect human, all the good traits that make us strong, but tough enough to be our moral gate keeper.

Perhaps they are the so-called “angels” that westerners refer to.

Neighbouring Temple, much bigger and established.

鶯歌 Ying Ge the Ceramic Town

2011-10-15T11:36:00.003-04:00

I live in the town of Tu Cheng, which is a part of “New Taipei City”. When people ask me where I am from, especially non-Taiwanese, I just say Taipei for convenience sake. Actually, “New Taipei City” is not really Taipei, because Taipei is the capitol and New Taipei City is the outskirt city that surrounds Taipei. Regional wise, I am from Taipei, but not from the real Taipei.

New Taipei City is huge, too big I think. It’s like calling all of Tokyo’s suburb as one city. That’s lazy. Taipei itself is surrounded by mountains forming a basin and Taipei sits right in the basin. That’s why the pollution in the air gets trapped and never disperses despite its proximity to the ocean. Tu Cheng sits against the south eastern side of the basin, but it’s not the furthest town in New Taipei City. The town of Ying Ge is the most southern town of New Taipei City, and it’s famous for its ceramic industry.

(Note: All of the stores do not allow photography so I did not take photo of any ceramic piece)

Ying Ge WAS a ceramic town. It used to have hundreds of chimneys towering the city scape, each representing a kiln, which represents a ceramic factory. I don’t even know if there is any chimney left now. However, Ying Ge’s ceramic industry tried hard to survive, finding ways to stay innovative, stay relevant. Years ago, they decided to turn the town into a memory lane. Tourism that is. They revamped the old main street, close it off for pedestrian only and set up a ceramic shopping district. They also built a very nice ceramic museum to show case the industry’s history as well as many contemporary works. The modernization of the mentality of the industry, from a traditional industry to one that is diverse and lively has creates space for young contemporary ceramic artists and designers to have a stage to stretch their arms. The industry no longer go for the mass production model just to serve the lowest common denominator. It now caters for limited edition, highly intricate elegant pieces for all kinds of price points, as well as innovative but practical contemporary design pieces. For many years, I came here to be pleasantly surprised. People who know me know that I am not easily impressed and I won’t spend money unless I am absolutely convinced too. Well, I did find a few very nice tea sets for incredible prices. They were the perfect gifts, one I would offer to friends as worthy pieces of art work.

So this week was the Ying Ge Ceramic Festival and there is no reason why I am not there.

I can’t really remember when was the last time I was here, perhaps two years ago. One thing hasn’t changed. The parking! It’s terrible, almost impossible. Well, let’s try…. Illegal parking on the street and walk back to the site. Nothing is really illegal in Taiwan. Laws are just references.

Immediately there was a big crowd. I am not sure if they get this many people on regular weekends, but it definitely has become a destination. Since it’s a “festival”, there’s one thing that Taiwanese will not leave out. FOOD!!!! And EATING!!!! Yeap, more food stalls and yummy treats.

It didn’t take long before I realize that this isn’t the best time to come here for good ceramic pieces, because the festival means crowd, which means it’s the best time for the galleries to bring out left over pieces that they can put on sale. The galleries were over crowded with stuffs. The shelves are definitely over populated and even the floor was stacked with show pieces. What a shame!

In general, I was a little disappointed from the stand point of seeing good work, but hey, there’s food!

Then there’s something else, something that I should already have gotten used to. Being in the states, there are no shortages of two things/people. Street performers and beggars. Here, I saw a combination of both. I don’t know, I felt kinda of depressed. There was a young girl, probably 15~16, playing violin. She was playing a popular piece which is the sound track of the animation Valley in the Wind by Miyasaki. It has a graceful but sad tune. The outstanding technique and saturated quality of the violin stood out in the chaotic scene, but the tune was an absolute mismatch with the supposedly festive atmosphere. Suddenly, it was not a festival anymore, it was a girl playing for her own school fees. She had a coin box with a sign in front of her asking for kind donations. She has a sad face. She doesn’t belong here. Actually, she doesn’t belong to the situation she is in at all. She should not have to perform on the street on a national holiday ( let along the 100^th anniversary of the nation’s birthday!) and she should not have to worry about her right to be educated.

Then down the street, there was a clown on stilts. This is no ordinary clown. He has a walking stick, a make shift one, just like the ones used by visually impaired folks except his is much longer. He also has a loud speaker, a box hung from his neck and two boards tied to his chest. So what is this all about? Well, he speaks to the crowd explaining to them that he is scared to be on the stilts because he cannot see well, but he has to do this because he is disabled and can’t find a proper job, so he’s here to beg, asking people to put kind donations into the box hung on his neck, and the two boards are crudely made bill boards of the official ID of his two kids, still in school, still need him to support. Again, a awakard presence, an intersection of circumstances out of despiration. Who ever wants to put himself in a crowd of celebration when you are there to ask for help in a desperate situation? Not me.

國立藝術館 National Museum of Fine Art

2011-10-15T11:30:00.006-04:00

So here’s a first, a National Museum of Fine Art in Taiwan. There is an art museum in Taipei, but it’s really just a regional museum, not a national museum. It’s a surprise that Tai Chung was chosen to be the site because everyone complains that Taipei gets all the good stuff. Well, I am glad as well.

Before we got to the museum site, we parked a few blocks way to have lunch first. This is not your typical Taiwan city. It’s open, clean, organized and I actually felt comfortable. This is so unlike Taipei. I think I can live here.

The museum is a new one. The city government was trying to compete for the next Guggenheim Museum but did not make it for some reason. So they built this instead. Architecturally, it’s nothing impressive to rave about, but I like the openness of the facility, which is a good thing since Taiwan is always struggling for space. It is both a pleasant surprise to me and disappointment inside the museum. I was glad that there is finally a place in Taiwan to host major exhibitions and collection, a collection of our own other than those left from the ancient history. However, I was disappointed at the design and construction of the museum. It doesn’t look like a recently built building because the use of materials lay out does not show maturity in the designer’s, or rather, the decision maker’s judgment. This is the moment to shine, but I think they definitely need more buffing compound.

Nonetheless, I think this is a good start. Like I said, I am glad to be here.

Umbrella locker.

清境農場 Qing Jing Farm

2011-10-15T01:14:00.003-04:00

There are several well known destinations in the mountains in Taiwan, resorts if you will. One of which is Qing Jing Farm. Most of these “farms” were established by the government in the past as a means to either house retired veterans or provide something for them to do. Over time, the presence of government influence wears out and tourists take over.

See, because Taiwan is such a small island, over populated, over urbanized and highly polluted. Since young, the concept of grass, or rather “lawn” only exists in dream lands. We ALL dreamed of laying on a nice patch of grass and nap away, but this was such an impossible dream in Taiwan. Even if there is unused land, it would have been used to cultivate food.

Oing Jing Farm is just that dream land that Taiwanese hold dearly to. It’s famous because of two things. Grass land and sheep. I mean, what’s the big deal with grass sheep???? That’s how small Taiwan is, that even grass and sheep are big deals.

Needless to say, Qing Jing Farm is an extremely popular spot and always jam packed with tourists. So why am I here? Well, I have no where else to go either. So I’ve join the rest of the island’s bored population to convince myself that I am not bored.

No that's not my kid!!!

The sheep are HUNGRY!!!! This is a terrifying looking feed dispenser.

I guess I am feeling underwhelmed because I just came back from a month-long road trip through America’s most epic landscapes, driving through the vast open desert and lush green forest, experiencing the wide variety of cultural difference and weather. Yet I spent 2 hours on the road to a spot, supposedly remote and away from the urban life, to find myself surrounded by Starbucks and 7-Elevens. Not to mention the food stalls that are everywhere. See, as long as there’s Taiwanese, there’s food, and as long as there’s food, people eat. It’s a unbreakable Taiwanese cultural law. It’s like…. if you didn’t eat, you aint here.

So, sheep. What about the sheep? They wonder around on the grass land, which is pretty tiny by any American standard of graze land, but they prefer to eat artificial feed from the tourists. And the tourists, instead of just grabbing a handful of grass from the ground, prefer to spend money to buy the animal feed to feed the sheep….. and people are also willing to spend money to ride horses, led by trainers, that walk around a tiny circle on the hard concrete. Seriously, what the hell if wrong with these people???

Cus Taiwan is small, and there’s nothing else to do.

Or really? Perhaps, that’s how they’ve convinced themselves to think.

Just now, the news did a segment about some mountain that has taken countless mountaineers’ lives and my mom was complaining how stupid these climbers are, who took the adventure despite knowing how dangerous it is.

So let’s all go feed sheep with feed that you buy with money and ride horses around a tiny concrete circle!!!!

DON'T MOLEST THE SHEEP!!!

Tea Plantations

Not-so-successful night shots. Damn clouds!!!

More photos HERE!!!

逢甲夜市 Tai Chung: Feng Jia Night Market

2011-10-15T01:05:00.003-04:00

Tai Chung is the third largest city in Taiwan, after Taipei and KaoHsiung. I know almost nothing about this city despite having driven through it a few times, but never had the chance to explore it. I don’t know any one in this city, nor its lay out. Today, I am just a passenger on a car going to somewhere. We arrive at Tai Chung city as a half way stop to spend the night, but to explore its most famous night market, the Feng Jia Night Market.

There is something unique about Feng Jia Night Market, that is, it is right at the door of Feng Jia University. So really, the night market exists because of the student population. I was thinking how amazing it would be if I am a student here. There’s absolutely no way I will be able to maintain my weight!

Usually, night market means two things. Chaos and filth. Since this is the norm in Taipei, I wasn’t expecting any different in Tai Chung. To my surprises, considering the crowd, the streets were quite clean. It’s also interesting how the LED revolution has taken over Taiwan. Since Taiwan is the bigger exporter of LEDs, not only are many road signs now made of LEDs, even the stall signs are LED aided. It’s like the futuristic version of night market, when humanity progress from neon lights to the high tech and efficient LEDs.

The night was great because Tai Chung left me a good first impression. All that’s on the media on Tai Chung are its notorious night clubs and gang related events, but so far I am impressed. The streets are also relatively easy to navigate and definitely better laid out than Taipei. Of course, Tai Chung, being a younger city has the advantage of learning from prior experience. So here’s an option for me if I were to consider where to settle. Bring just 2.5 hours from Taipei, I think I can deal with that.

No, no one's selling dog meat. The girl behind was promoting some thing and the dog was there for show.

Coin operated fortune telling machine!!!!

More night market photos HERE!!!

Grand American Tour:The End

2011-09-22T07:21:00.001-04:00

The plane approached Taiwan as the day was just about to begin. Descending through the thick clouds, the sun was just over the horizon waiting to show its face to the world. I’m back.

Walking out of the airport, there were tons of police and media. Apparently there’s some famous dude coming to Taiwan this morning. I didn’t see who he is, but as I got into the taxi, the photographers went crazy inside the waiting area. Oh well, not for me.

From the airport to home, I realized that there have been a lot of changes in the past year, more than any “year” that I’ve noticed. The airport is still under renovation after under heavy critics from the public of being out dates and embarrassing. I definitely agree. The immigration process is much quicker. The luggage conveyer were spitting out baggage more efficiently, although still a ways off Singapore’s Changi Airport. Getting onto the road, the road surface seems new. The roads are also installed with LED road signs powered by solar panels. Wow, that’s a first! Along the way, I see that the Taipei University campus is fully operational. Getting off the ramp, it’s been modified to have another continuing extension to another part of the city. Onto the local roads, the city drew up some bike lanes for cyclists although it really doesn’t make sense to have to share it with pedestrians. However, Taiwan’s traffic isn’t all that friendly either, so I guess it’s a compromise.

It’s 6.30am in the morning. The air is hazy as always, but businesses are already going at full speed. Food stands are packed with people accumulating energy for the rest of the morning. Markets are busy and even used car dealerships’ lights are already on. That’s the typical Taiwanese entrepreneur spirit. Most people work for themselves, therefore it’s up to them to put in the extra mile to make the buck.

So far, the biggest challenge I am facing is really the perspective of ethics. Having lived abroad for most of my life, I’ve learned to live in the most honest and respectful ways. Getting back home, my mom was telling me that she got a bunch of pears from this fruit stand for real cheap because it was at the end of the day and the stall owner had to discount them. 8 for NT$100, which is about US$3. Well, I am sure that somewhere in Confucius’ teachings, one will find teaching of not to take advantage of people in their vulnerable states. Which means, I’d not have liked to take advantage of the discount just because the lady needed to sell out before she closes for the day. The pears are fine, and there is nothing wrong with anything. So why should I pay less? Yes, I sound ridiculous. Why not take advantage when it doesn’t hurt? I don’t know, I just know that my mind doesn’t operate like any one here. So much for a start.

Grand American Tour Day 31: Later!

2011-09-22T07:19:00.002-04:00

So here I am, sitting at the Seattle airport waiting for my plane to take off. It’s a 2.10am flight, will get to Taipei at 5.45am…. what a timing!

It’s at least another 1.5 hours before boarding, so here’s time to reflect before I get tooooo tired.

The decision to leave is both a carefully considered and abrupt one. How so? It’s matter of time that I will be leaving. I know it and I plan for it. It is abrupt because I was on the other side of the decision for quite some time until the moment when I felt that it’s time. Making this decision means a few things. It means that I am giving up a job that I am just warming up to. It means that I am giving up steady increasing savings, a routine lifestyle of 9-5, knowing what I need to do the next day, knowing that I can afford to waste my weekends because there is a next one, knowing that I will either go for a run or to the gym every day after work. I also gave up my access to a reliable car, one which I’ve had for just as much time as I’ve been in the states. I am also giving up what I am familiar with, after almost 10 years of being in the country. I am giving up speaking English on the daily basis, discussing, debating and writing in this language which I’ve learned to use much more than my native tongue. So what am I getting myself into? Well, I have to relearn how to write Chinese, learn how to type the way Taiwanese type, and learn how to speak Chinese at the level that I do with English. All the professional and technical terms that I learned in English, all the words of expression that I think with, I have to translate them to Chinese. I also don’t have a local presence in Taiwan. I don’t have a bed room, let alone a bed. I don’t have a phone, not that I have a lot of people to call in Taiwan in the first place. So I don’t know a lot of people. I will be staying with my parents, which is not uncommon, but that means I don’t get to live exactly to how I’d like it. I will get free meals, but as a family. It’s not better or worse, it’s different, and all it is, is getting used to the difference in conveniences and sacrifices.

But first, I made the decision to take this road trip. I knew it was going to be a massive undertaking, but I also thought that if I can’t even follow through with this, I won’t be able to pull through what’s coming ahead. So in a way, I am torturing myself. This trip is long. Sometimes it doesn’t feel so, especially when I am enjoying a particular spot. For example, when listening to the live band at Antones in Austin, that’s where my mind was. However, as I was driving across Texas towards El Paso, my mind was full of doubt. It’s always during the transition where I start to have thoughts of pulling out, because I do have a choice. After Boise, I was basically on a shut down mode. I made the decision to drive to the west coast, up to the north west corner before heading down to Seattle. The drive was much longer than anticipated, and the depressing weather did not help either. But I pushed up, almost in a numb way even though the road was simple awesome and I was having a blast driving through the twisty forest roads. When I arrived at Seattle, well, I just want to chill. Seattle is a great and energetic city, a very progressive one. To me, it’s the kind of city when you come as a visitor, but your mind keeps thinking how it will be live to be a local because it is that attractive. The demographics is very diverse, probably second to Vancouver and Toronto. It is very different from the rest of the country. It’s got it’s own mind and perspective.

That said, it’s been an interesting drive across the country. From Florida’s tropical coastal climate to the Spicy New Orleans, to the surprising young Austin then the Mexican town of El Paso. Scottsdale’s extremely hot desert weather and landscape was definitely a shock, and spending one full week starring at the red rocks of the canyons really gets into you. Then, it’s the farmlands of Idaho and rotten egg smell of Yellowstone. The clouds dominated the sky of the north west, it was like taking a mist shower constantly in the dense lush forest of the Olympic National Park. Finally, I arrive at one of the best cities to live in and very fortunate to be staying at a buddy’s place and not some motel.

Speaking of motels, I lost count of the number. I should have taken a photo of each room number. That would be awesome. During this trip, the rooms that I stay in varied quite a bit. From the very nice studio setting in Extended Stay in Austin and very unique themed furnishing of Victoria Inn in Kanab to the cheap beach front hotel of Flamingo Hotel in Panama City Beach and the trailer-like Bay View Motel of Neah Bay. I want to mention Days Inn of Bastrop, TX because the staff, Mike, was extremely helpful and accommodating. I heard that they suffered quite serious wild fire a week after I left, so I hope everything is fine over there. I also want to mention that Bay View’s trailer-like room is fully functional and I have nothing to complain about. So don’t lose faith in them.

I didn’t meet as many interesting people as I thought given that this is a month-long trip. However, I appreciate the friendliness of the mechanic just outside of Lafayette, LA, the flock of German tourists in the Arizona-Utah area, Jim and Barb and the goldens, horse, rabbits and birds, the helpful people at Neah Bay and of course friends who took me in along the way. Oh, also, the very nice folks at Monument Valley who towed the car out of the ditch… how can I not mention and thank them! Plus, the mechanics at Iraan, TX who fixed my tire so I can get on my way and drive 300miles to El Paso.

That said, it was a trip of luck. Luck that got me safely at Seattle. When I was stuck with a flat tire, I was lucky that I was able to put the spare on fairly quickly. I was lucky that I had a GPS that told me about the auto repair shop just 15 miles away. I was lucky that it was still early in the afternoon so the shop was still open. I was also lucky that the tire was fixable and I was on my way in no time.

I was also lucky that the couple with pick up truck stopped to help tow the car out of the sand pit at the right time, lucky that they had the equipment to do so. I was lucky to spot the rusting classic car parts laying in the open with the sun set directly behind them, lucky that I had my tripod with me to take those awesome shots. I was lucky that the night at Zion National Park was clear and was able to see a falling meteor breaking up as it burns in the atmosphere. I was lucky that when I was being stopped by the Border Patrol, I had my papers since I was leaving the country anyways. Phew on that one! So this trip has a lot to thank, and I can’t thank more by sharing it.

Parting with my car was probably one of the harder things to do. It reminded my of my experience of looking for a family to take my dog before I came to the US. Days before I sold it, as I was driving through the twisty forest roads, I kept thinking that this is the last trip with the car, and this is probably the best thing I can offer back to the car. To take it across the country, onto the variety of roads and surfaces that most cars don’t ever get to. It did favor for me by living up to expectation for all ten years, even till the last moment, when the new owner drove it away. It was still just as solid as it was. It’s a sad feeling, but I am glad that it is living strong in someone else’s hands.

Sitting here at the waiting area, I’m glad I have time to think about what happened. I guess when I get off the plane and onto the cab for the 45min ride back home, I will have time to think about what’s next. In the mean time, I am breathing the American air ( I won’t go as far as to call it “air of freedom”). Soon I will be stuffed into a tube and when I get out of it, I will be inhaling in the polluted Taipei air. Well, not looking forward to that. So I will save this entry, close the document, shut down the laptop and wait for the announcement to board. Yeap, see you on the ground.

Grand American Tour Day 28 to 30: Seattle

2011-09-22T07:09:00.003-04:00

So today, I woke up fresh. It’s the first day that I don’t have my reliable buddy waiting for me to go to places. The road trip has ended, and I was trying to find the energy to convince myself that there’s more to see. After satisfying my body’s basic needs with a bowl of Pho and tie loose ends at the bank, I took the clumsy and cold bus to downtown. The excuse was, I needed to get a book for my sister and it’s available downtown.

I was at Seattle three years ago. An old buddy of mine from elementary school days lived here and we had a blast, but the trip was short and I didn’t really have a good look at the city. So today, I went back to Pike Market, the tourist trap. Seattle, like Vancouver and Toronto, is an extremely diverse city in terms of demographics. Lots of people from different parts of the world. Lots of Asians. The guy who bought my car is from Cambodia. The bus driver looks Chinese. So far, it seems that I have encountered more non Caucasians and Caucasians. Pike Market is also very interesting. If you go to Boston’s Quincy Market, it’s really a local Boston cultural place. So it’s more of an Irish/Caucasian run market. Pike Market is very different. It’s famous for people tossing fish left and right, but to me, it’s more interesting for the fact that quite a number of businesses are Asian based. Chinese restaurant, food stalls, arts and crafts…. You name it. It seems that Asian culture and presence has be very well integrated into Seattle’s social fabric. The locals are used to it. It’s a part of what defines Seattle, and will probably feel weird without it.

So today, I went by a Cantonese style bakery, the one that my buddy insist that I try its Cha Shiu Bao (Chinese BBQ pork bun). I personally isn’t impressed by it because I didn’t feel it was anything unique. It’s a good bun, well made with solid ingredients, but not to an “amazing” standard. Anyways, I stopped by and ordered a steamed BBQ pork bun. I guess I just want to relive the memory three years ago. I guess it just helps me feel like I know what I am doing. I guess it makes me feel less strange to this place. I guess I just want to do it to I can tell my friend how he should be jealous of me.

The streets of Seattle is also filled with interesting characters. However, ever city has its unique set of characters. Detroit’s street bums, Ft Lauderdale’s beach bums, New Orleans’ “stand-still-and-get-paid” street performers, NYC’s subway musicians. Seattle seems to be a very laid back city. The street homies are gentle. They ask, but don’t push. People are generally polite and helpful even when not asked to. At the book store, the young cashier did more than just being a cashier. When I was at the bus stop ready to get my cash out for the fee, a young guy beside me explained to me that since we are in the “free-ride” zone, I don’t have to pay until I get off the bus. The bus drivers are nice and interactive. Everyone thanked the driver as they get off the bus. One kid even chatted with the driver before he got off,”Looks like summer’s leaving sooner than expected!”

It seems that everyone in the city is trying hard to do his part, by making it easier for each other to pull through the day. Just as the day ends, something was happening at the horizon. It was the sun peering through a hole in the dense clouds. Finally, I see something that I really desire. It was also a nice conclusion of the day, makes me feel better about tomorrow.

So I am done, mentally. I don’t have any desire to get onto the street, just want to chill in the apartment. I am lost, not knowing what to motivate myself with. Looking at the lagging blog posts that I am typing now, and the folders of photos to process, I feel defeated, by myself. I don’t really think of this as something too big for me to achieve. It’s just about following it through. At some point, enthusiasm becomes a chore. I just need to complete it, so that I can complete it. Referring to my experience in grad school, I was on the last leg of my preparation for my thesis work. All the theories and content are solidified, in my mind. I had strong belief in what I cooked up, so all’s left was the execution of presenting the theory in physical forms. It was just a matter of chore, and I had the same feeling. Couldn’t wait to get it done and over with, and to move on. Move on to what? To implement my theories and ideals in the real world. No more idealistic but useless talks, no more preaching. I just want to do it and prove it. Right now, this is the point. Leaving and ending this stage of my life, I made this decision because I want to put real effort into practicing my ideals. How is it going to work out? That’s what I will find out. It probably will be painful, just like this very moment sitting on my arse waiting for the transition period of change to take place. It’s anticipation mixed with anxiety. It’s what makes life uncomfortable but exciting. I wonder how much longer my physical body can take such stress. My mind? Still sane… well, at least I think so.

Click HERE for more photos of Seattle!!!

Grand American Tour Day 27: Parting with a good’ol friend

2011-09-22T07:06:00.002-04:00

Today is a day to say good bye. Good bye to an old friend who’s been absolutely reliable and kind to me. It’s given me lessons that I will continue to learn, apply and benefit from. It has given me experiences that I will never forget. It propelled me to places that I’d never have been to without it. Today, I am selling my car.

I guess this brings the sad memories of the time when I was about to leave Singapore for the US, when I couldn’t keep my dog and had to find her a better family. Today is that day that I have to relive. Today, I have to find the right owner for my car.

Well, it’s pretty straight forward. For the price that I am asking for, I think it’s a steal for the buyer. The first person made an offer, but I wanted to see if the second person will buy it with the asking price which is actually way below the market value. I am not looking to make money out of the deal, I just want to part it in a clean way. Sure enough, the second person didn’t take long to decide. In no time, I was at the DMV with them. I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. I want to take the last drive of my car, take off my plate and put on the new plate with my own hands and see it being driven off into the sunset with its new owners. I hope it is in good hands. I made sure they know that I loved this car, a lot. It’s definitely a moment for me, I hope the car will create memorable moments for them as well.

So this is it.

As I passed the car key to the new owner, I realized that there’s nothing left on my key chain.

When I left my job, I returned my office key.
When I left my apartment, I returned my room key.
When I sold my car, I passed on the car key.

My friend joked that I am no longer the lord of the ring. It’s true, they took my precious!

Well, when I made the decision to leave, I am giving up pretty much everything that defines my lifestyle. Everything from having a job to having a bed. Am I free now? I wouldn’t ever consider myself to be free, because there is no freedom. A person confines himself through the building of his lifestyle. Right now, I am deconstructing my lifestyle, not brick by brick, but with a demolition ball.

The car is gone. I’ve got no ride. So has this trip come to an end? I don’t know. I sat at my friend’s apartment for the rest of the day posting about the lost of my love. It’s not really to the point of grieving, but I just don’t have the heart to do anything else. I guess it’s because I am shedding myself and I feel naked. Plus, Seattle has been rather cold! May be tomorrow I will get over myself and stand up like a man. May be tomorrow, I will accept that the bus is my new best friend. May be tomorrow is the day when the new stage of my journey starts. May be I need to go to bed already.

Final mileage. 7007 miles on this trip.

Grand American Tour Day 26: Cape Flattery to Seattle

2011-09-22T06:57:00.002-04:00

Waking up in the morning, I realized something. This trailer-like tiny room is actually very comfortable. It’s very basic, but every thing worked as it should. The bed was fine, the sheets and pillow were clean. The heater worked fine, and the shower was hot. Towels were provided and I had my own soap and shampoo. So there wasn’t anything to complain about. Plus, I had bonus wifi!

Right across the street was a nice restaurant. Nice in the sense of clean, simple with plenty of big windows to look out into the fishing port. Every local I met was polite, friendly and helpful. This is not a middle-of-nowhere town after all.

Cape Flattery is just a few miles away from Neah Bay, separated by beautiful Olympic forest connected by twisty roads. That’s my cup of tea! As I was driving on the roads leaving town, there were a bunch of hand painted signs, signs that illustrates the problem that native Indian community faces. Alcohol and drugs, which of course lead to more problems. In general, I feel that, even though the community seem to be in a vulnerable state from the stand point of survival and struggling with challenges, it is tightly knit, just like the small village that my grand parents grew up at. The signs are not just some standardized manufactured signs issued from the government telling people to stop taking drugs in an cold, emotionless and authoritative manner. They are hand painted with personal touch with messages that speaks right into the heart of the locals. It’s about a better life, not just things that will get you into trouble.

The drive to Cape Flattery is, needless to say, an enjoyable one. The trees are shorter, thinner and smaller as I approached the coast. Then I arrived at the trail head and to my surprise, there were quit a few hikers. Just yesterday, feeling that I was in a remote town, I thought I will be the only one on the trail and was feeling a little resistive to hike it by myself not knowing how long it is. Well, I have a lot of senior folks around me to make me feel less unwanted.

Talk about forest bath! If you have watched Miyasaki’s Prince Mononoke animation, you will know what I am talking about. Moist air with lush green where algae covers the landscape along with ferns and temperate trees. The hike is simple. The trail is easy to walk, and in no time, I was at the end of the trail.

“Is that it?!” I asked, starring into the white fog of….. nothing. Well, this is the most north-western tip of the country, and I drove 7000 miles to see nothing but white. At least I have a photo to prove it.

Here's the view of the most north western corner of the country. Sigh.....

So it wasn’t much of a hike at all, good! Now I am finally on my last drive, heading to Seattle!

Between Neah Bay and Port Angeles was the last stretch of twisty roads. Thinking that this will be the last time I am driving my car on an enjoyable route, I just want to live every second of it. However, instead of pushing for hard braking, I strive for minimum braking instead, modulating the speed with how much gas I put in and choosing the right gear. The result is smooth driving cruising around the corners in a way that both the car and I will appreciate. I think the road trip is the best I can ever give to my car. It’s amazing how many different types of roads and surfaces it’s been through. Straight open roads of Texan highway, high speed turns in the desert canyon mountain pass, dusty and hot desert off road that even SUVs fear, endless salt plain of the Bonneville Salt Flats, mountainous and scenic pass of Yellowstone and lastly, lush green and twisty roads of the Olympic Forest.

But wait, there’s one more that it hasn’t experienced. Ocean.

As I was driving towards Seattle, I have two options. I can either take the land route and detour to Tacoma before heading north to Seattle, or I can take the ferry. Just another experience to fulfill, I took the ferry. It’s a lot simpler than I imagined, just like taking a bus. For once, my car didn’t have to do the traveling, and enjoyed the ride as the rider, not the horse. Just one more to add to the resume I guess.

That that’s it, Seattle! Now, it’s city driving time. Short unpredictable turns, dodging traffic and pot holes. I guess my car has really seen it all now. Tomorrow is a day that I have mixed feelings about. It’s the end, but also a beginning of a great relationship.

Click HERE for more photos!!

Grand American Tour Day 25: Seaside to Neah Bay

2011-09-22T06:49:00.002-04:00

So this morning, I went back to Cannon Beach to take a final look since I arrived here late the day before. Well, you can’t get more typical. High end beach vacation town. Not a gas station. No fast food chain. Every business is geared towards high end spending like art galleries, restaurants and resorts. Strangely enough, there’s a small basketball court and a concrete skate park in the back of the town, no kids though. I guess the senior tourists aren’t fans of sports.

There are also residential houses in town. I doubt these are locals. I doubt there are any real locals. Each house is beautifully maintained. Almost every structure here is made of wood, very New England style. In fact, I’d think that I am in Maine or something.

Heading back to Seaside, even though Seaside is also a tourist town, it is a much more diverse community. You can tell that people here are “normal”, as in, you can believe that they do live here. There are many different types of businesses here, from auto repair to window installment to dollar stores. It is definitely not nearly as glamorous as Cannon Beach, but it has much more “reality”.

So the clouds didn’t leave. It’s going to be cloudy and moody all day. It’s just my luck. Apparently, it was sunny for a week and a half until my arrival. Just like the last time I was on the west coast, it was nothing but gray.

However, this is quite different. It is like God put a low ceiling with cheap florescent lights on me. The cloud is like a blanket that covered the whole sky, hanging low making me feel that the world is a lot smaller than it used to be. After 7 hours of drive, I understand why people say the North East is the most depressing area in the US. It indeed is. I’ve never felt so depressed on a drive before. It’s strange, but I was depressed. On the drive, I cannot stop myself from thinking about sad things that happened. Even though the Olympic forest is impressive….. I mean, VERY IMPRESSIVE, and that the roads are just plain awesome to drive on, my mind was appreciating the time. I just felt negative the whole way.

Driving through the forest, I soon realized that the main industry here is forestry and logging. The whole area is controlled forestation and deforestation. There are signs to indicate when the plot was cleared and when it will be cleared again. Every time I enter the Olympic National Park, the logging will stop. And every time I exit the park boundary, I will see empty pockets in the forest. It is interesting because you will see different plots with different stages of tree growth. However, seeing tree stumps poking out of the undergrowth reminded me of tombstones, and the mess left from logging looks like the aftermath of a massacre. The entire region can’t be more green though, but scars will always be scars.

The drive today also took me through the towns along the shore. What an eye opener. I guess I was thinking of the towns along the shores of California, most of which are affluent tourist towns for the rich. Washington state’s coasts isn’t as pretty. Towns like South Bend, Aberdeen and Hoquiam are dominated by two industries. Forestry and Fishery. Simply said, people here are either fishermen or loggers. The towns are not pretty too. In fact, it reminds me of Benton Harbor or Detroit. I guess due to the moisture from the ocean, pretty much every house looks stained and moldy. Many are abandoned or run down. It just makes me feel miserable, and the cloudy day certainly didn’t help. I don’t know why. This looks so unlike the America that I’ve seen. This is so….. used, beaten, worn… The route kinda forced the traffic through the local streets, and there was no cover up with tall polished office buildings. When I think of Washington State, I think of Seattle. This changed my mind.

This region of the country, as I observed, has a large of native Indian residing here. In fact, I just went to get my $10 “Recreational Permit” since I am now on Indian Reservation Land. Now, I am in Neah Bay, a remote small fishing town on the North Eastern corner of the state. Here, the gas station only has regular grade gas and diesel. There is no cell phone signal here and most businesses close at 7pm. I am in a motel, and my room is more like a trailer than anything else. Actually, I am very shocked to be able to steal wifi here….. there’s WIFI in this town????

I think all this depression is because, after two weeks of being with a noisy companion, I am suddenly alone, traveling for hours in the woods, tree after tree, turn after turn. The scenery is beautiful, but it doesn’t seem to change much. It’s quiet. In the past, I find peace in silence. Today, it was loneliness.

Tomorrow, I will pay a visit to the most North Western corner of the country, the Cape Flattery. I am predicting that I will be the only one there given that it will be a Tuesday. There seem to be a hike to the tip from the parking lot. I will be alone, in the middle of no where. Will I find peace? Actually, I just want a bit of sunlight. Enough already.

Click HERE for more photos of forest and stuffs...

Grand American Tour Day 24: Drive to Cannon Beach

2011-09-22T05:56:00.003-04:00

Day 24 marks the beginning of the end. Today, I start the last leg of the trip, the Pacific North West.

Today, I also part with my traveling buddy. After sending him to the airport, I am on my own again, just like the way it all started. It’s also the day when I had to tell myself to just go for it and finish it up.

To be honest, I am tired. A big part in me just want this to end early, but a bigger part in me wants me to commit to my own goals. This is what defines me. I live up to my own promises.

Driving towards the west seems pretty much the same at first. Desert landscape with shrubs much like east Idaho and much of northern Utah. One thing was a little different. Cops. Today marks the 10th anniversary of September 11th and everyone is tightening up security whether there’s a need or not. Today, there were a lot of cops on the Idaho-Oregon border. State Trooper patrol car with K-9 unit parked on the side of the free way that stopped a dark grey Prius and trip searched the car. The driver and passenger just sat on the hood of the cop car a few steps away from their Prius and looked helplessly while the cops flip the car inside out with a black Labrador standing by. What were they searching for? Explosive? Drugs? I don’t know, but it looked unusual.

Of course there’s the regular patrol catching speeders. I just wonder if this really does anything for the security of the state, or was it just to show to their supervisors that “someone is doing something about it”.

As I drove towards westward on the highway, I found myself going up and down, left and right through a mountain pass. It is still desert and there wasn’t much green, but it was interesting to emerge from the mountains into a flat plain, only to be followed by more twist and turns.

The Columbia River Gorge followed. At first, it was rather boring. Just cliff face with bare rocks. The sun was beaming down and the air was hazy, so it made the day looked hotter than it really was. Driving along the river gorge, there was nothing around it. It was much like the Pacific Coast HWY where you have a road and very little flat land because of the vertical cliffs. However, the river seems to be a very popular spot for water sports as there were many docking locations with people jet skiing on the seemly calm water.

Portland.

It was also interesting that there were many loading docks for the ships with huge silos. I am not sure what was being harvested and transported. I can only imagine it being rock material from the gorge. There was also a “dam” that doesn’t hold water. I think it just used the moving water to generate electricity in the middle of the river.

As the drive nears Portland, the landscape changed. The green became more lush. The cliff face became more populated with vegetation, and shrubs were replaced by tall pine trees. Suddenly, it looked more like Gui Lin in China.

Half way through the drive, I looked at the clock. Initially, I planned to stay over at Beaverton because most hotels at Cannon Beach are extremely expensive. However, I really want to capture the sunset and some night shots at the beach, so I stepped on the gas pedal to the metal and gunned for it.

So first, I had to drive through Portland. I have visited Portland once before and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I am not stopping this time. I was really going for the sunset!

The GPS says I will arrive at 7.24pm. I don’t know what time the sunset will be at. I looked at the sky and there is the sun in the clear cloudless sky. I kept telling myself that I am going to make it. So while dashing through the forest twisty mountain road, I was trying to strike a balance between the fastest I could go without being pulled over. It is Sunday night and every one is going home from their weekend destination. This means I was almost the only one on my side of the road while the other side is jam packed. Good for me, and I was flying. The sun kept dropping lower and I kept starring at my GPS telling me how much distance I’ve left. Then I climbed over a ridge and suddenly, the sun was gone. Everything was white. Foggy, grey and dark. What happened? Soon enough, I was approaching Cannon Beach (after 1.5 hours of mad driving and anticipation), and then I realized that there’s a strong front that came in and covered the entire beach with low clouds with really strong wind. All that effort I put in trying to make it through the forest proved to be worthless. I was stuck with a lousy windy weather with no sunset and no stars. Plus, it’s cold here.

So I went to get some food. It tuened out to be the worst meal of my trip ( Considered I had tons of grocery store deli sandwich, bad Chinese buffet and instant ramen). I had KFC for dinner.

Shower pressure is strong and internet works just fine. I guess I can’t be more glad.

Affording Experience

It is interesting driving from Cannon Beach to Seaside, two beach towns just a few miles apart. Cannon Beach is filled with high end resorts with high end stores and restaurants. There’s not a single franchise business that I could find. Everything is private. The streets are filled with older folks who can afford this kind of accommodation, and I just seemed to be out of place.

Seaside, however, has many motels and fast food restaurants. The streets are not as well maintained, more casual and definitely, affordable-looking to me. Checking into the hotel, I was waiting for a couple who was in front of me at the desk. The guy was in suit and the lady was in a gown. Not the high end suits and gown. Perhaps, something that I won’t even consider wearing. Well, here’s a newly married couple, probably just got out of the church checking into the motel for the night. The guy paid in cash. Probably very hard earned cash, and the lady can’t wait to get off the gown and get some food.

Then, I ran into them at KFC.

I guess the world is indeed very big and there is also a wide range of people and resources. It is interesting that whether you are a billionaire or street bum, when you get married, you want “the” experience. The experience of getting married in a church, wearing gowns and have some fun in a desirable location as honey moon. The difference is the scale. But, you just gotta have it.

The world is just so real, so cruel sometimes. Luxury condo beside the slum. High end vacation resort beside tent city. Million-dollar wedding beside a brief session at the chapel and a $90/night room with KFC for dinner. Everyone wants to have dreams. Some live in it, some drown in it.

Grand American Tour Day 23: Boise

2011-09-22T05:55:00.002-04:00

Visited the gun range, washed my car (only to be covered with dusty dirt right after) and did some quick night shots.

Grand American Tour Day 22: Drive back to Boise

2011-09-22T05:52:00.002-04:00

Nothing much happened today other than getting up early back to Yellowstone to try to catch sights of elks and driving the same way back to Boise. Oh meh, just some elk photos.

Few more photos here!!!

Grand American Tour Day 21: Yellowstone National Park

2011-09-22T05:39:00.003-04:00

Chilly morning at Yellowstone.

Two degree Celsius. That’s the temperature of Yellowstone in the morning of early September. I never expect to have to break out my winter jacket for this trip, but I did. It was quite a surprise. Well, it was sort of a pleasant surprise because I have not had such crisp air for a long time. The air actually smelled like tea. I guess it’s the dew in the air mixed with the fresh prairie grass in the surrounding area.

Yellowstone National Park is much bigger than any national park I’ve visited on this trip. It’s the first national park in the world, therefore is a significant in history of man’s appreciation of his environment. In another words, Yellowstone contributed to the birth of countless national parks all over the world.

Yellowstone is also a super volcano, constantly brewing water like a ever boiling tea kettle. Over 2/3 of the world’s known geysers are found here, so there was plenty of rotten eggs to smell.

Another thing that I really want to see at Yellowstone, which I haven’t got to witness much on this trip, is wildlife. Moose, bear, wolves, eagles, bison, elk….. I want them all!!! Well, there were plenty of bisons. I mean, PLENTY! Definitely not nearly as much as before when there were millions of them. These are interesting creatures. Big head with tough body, yet acts like a gentle beast. Of course, no one dares to piss one off, so when they march in the middle of the road creating miles of stuck traffic, everyone just kept it to themselves.

Otherwise, that was it. Not a whole lot of elks to be seen. The bears and wolves and moose are further north and east of the park, and all I saw was ravens instead of eagles. In this respect, I was quite disappointed, but it’s Yellowstone. It’s always good.

Also, since Yellowstone is still recovering from the fire in the late 80s, there are a lot of young trees on the slopes of the mountains. In a way, it looks like an aftermath of a disaster, but shows youth instead of age, just like the ever gushing geysers.

The last spot we wanted to check out before the sky gets dark is the Mammoth Springs. It’s a big rock with various spots of springs and mud holes, and from the pictures in the brochure, it’s like a giant fountain. Then we got there, and…. I think someone forgot to turn on the tap.

Water? Trickles of them. Most of the springs are dried up. I guess the geysers do change from time to time, and what we are seeing are just the left overs. Ouch! Seriously, someone turn on the damn tap!!!

So the night wasn’t in our favor too in terms of trying to capture some starry night photos. The clouds moved in and blanketed the sky. Oh well, I will just try to enjoy the crisp rotten egg smell in the air.

Yellowstone Fall

Bisons resting on the meandering river bed.

Old Faithful Fanatics

Not very impressive at all!

Someone peed in the pool....

MORE MORE MORE Photos HERE!!!

Grand American Tour Day 20: Drive to Yellowstone

2011-09-22T05:33:00.002-04:00

The drive to Yellowstone is a long one, but took us through some unexpected landscapes and towns.

Driving out of Boise was predictable. Farmlands as well as deserts, but something along the way created a different out look. The craters of the moon monument. It’s basically a huge area of lava rocks, inhabitable, but took over the landscape like god crumpled Oreo Cookie crust all over the land. It’s just black rough rock that goes on and on. I wonder how it was to carve a road to cut across it.

Well, that aside, there was the town of Arco. Arco is just outside of the lava rock area. It’s really in the middle of nowhere, but it’s a functioning town. I decided to stop for an oil change since it’s due, that when we hear about the story of Arco.

Arco has been around for quite some time. However what put it on the map was quite something else. Nuclear technology. So I was told that Arco was the first town to be powered by Nuclear power, for one hour, as an experiment. Outside of Arco is Atomic City. This is a government establishment by the department of energy where they research on Nuclear energy and dispose Nuclear waste. Highly secured place. It’s a town of its own as well except that outsiders aren’t allowed to get anywhere near it. Driving along the lone freeway, it was miles of miles of restricted zone signs. It reminds me of Area 51 where the entire area of nothing is fenced off.

Each highshool graduating class of Arco will climb up there and paint the year which they were graduating.

Getting an oil change.

World's first nuclear power generator.

Atomic City is between Arco and Idaho Falls. Driving pass Atomic city at around 5pm, the previously deserted highway suddenly is populated with cars from no where. It’s like they all just suddenly climbed out of the desert rocks heading home. It was weird, but it’s their unique way of life working in the desert restricted zone.

Past Idaho Falls, we headed towards West Yellowstone. The sky was getting dark. There were pockets of clouds and rain mixed with the setting sun. Soon, we arrived at the hotel, getting ready to store up energy for the anticipated Yellowstone Nation Park.

Rain and sunset at the same time.

Grand American Tour Day 19: Boise

2011-09-22T05:31:00.001-04:00

Today was a relaxing day, just hang out with the dogs and horse, clean the car and enjoy the mountain top breeze. So nothing much.

Grand American Tour Day 18: Salt Lake City to Boise

2011-09-22T05:21:00.002-04:00

The drive out of Salt Lake is fairly interesting. As we were driving into the city, we were moving away from the canyon desert scape into the salt lake area. Driving out, it was interesting to see that the land began to turn into lush parie with tall grass on moist land over rolling hills and the old western wooden barns sprinkled over the landscape. Livestock like cattle grazed casually all over the mountains. It was full of life, not like a tropical exotic jungle, but gentle, subtle and relaxing.

Stopped by a Mexican restaurant which happened to be television featured, excellent food!

The land really changed as we got into Idaho state. The same prairie, the same farm land with cows grazing, but the rocks are different. From ancient and solid canyon red rocks, the Idaho land consists mostly of young volcanic rocks formed from lava that cooled down not that long ago. Of course, that’s a relative term. To humans, everything is very old.

The rocks are almost black in color, but painted with vibrant colors from algae and other plant matters. In a way, it is more colorful than the single-hue red rocks in the Utah canyons. The canyons here are also different. Lots of rivers cut into the rocks forming gorge, although not as grand as the grand canyon, offers opportunities for every one, especially the locals, to enjoy the nature. I mean, how often do you get a majestic waterfall as a city park?

Driving across Idaho also teaches about the American agricultural industry. On one side of the highway, there are the free grazing cows on lush green. On the other side are industrialized farm land where cows eat from troughs and live on their own crap. Over the landscape are also gigantic machines, long pipes on wheels that spray chemicals onto the vegetation in a circular pattern. There were very few people on the field, if any, and everything is automated.

There is also pretty high concentration of Mexicans all over Idaho. It’s no El Paso, but close. City parks and pockets of neighbourhood. I guess agriculture brings workers, and Mexicans are handy folks. That said, other than grocery store cold sandwiches, Mexican food were the next most food that I’ve consumed on this trip.

Then I was closing on my friend’s place. He said he lives in the mountain only accessible by dirt road. He said he has elk and wild turkey visiting him every day. He said he’s got two loving golden retrievers and a horse, and a Porsche Boxster. Sounds damn good to me.

Getting off the free way, there’s 19miles of road to cover before I will get to his place. 19 miles of winding roads along the river in the beautiful gorge of Snake River. This is more like a place where I go for the weekend, I can’t believe that this guy lives here! So there it is, on top of the mountain, two loving golden retrievers awaits.

Neighbour's dog.

Daily visit from wild turkeys.

Grand American Tour Day 17: Salt Lake City and Bonneville

2011-09-22T05:09:00.003-04:00

There are what we call Mecca places for car enthusiasts. First is the Nurburgring which I am dying to go. The second is the Bonneville Salt Flats. So what’s Bonneville Salt Flat? It’s basically a large dried flat plain of salt as a result of dried salt lake. It’s flat and seems endless, ideal place for speed record breaking and simply…. hooning.

I don’t really know what it will be like. Will I be able to drive onto the salt flat and have a go or will I just be allowed to stand on the side and take photos of practically nothing? How will the salt be like? Will it shred my tires or will it just be wet and sleek? How will be the surface be like? Bumpy or smooth?

Well, I am about to find out.

So after 1.5 hours of driving west of Salt Lake City, we turned off at an exit. This exit only goes to one place, the Bonneville Salt Flat. The road takes you miles into the salt flat, then it ends. There was no building or structure, just a sign that tells you that you are there, and warning against the use of fireworks and glass containers. There it is, the Bonneville Salt Flat. Without thinking, I drove down the little slope onto the salt. The first bit was bumpy. I guess the traffic gets heavy thus the bumpy surface. Then as I went further, the surface becomes smoother, the salt became whiter and cleaner, and I was like a dog unleashed in a dog park.

Foot on the gas pedal, well, not to the metal though. I quickly realized that it’s not as easy as I thought. Taking the car up to 60mph, I started to feel uncomfortable. Will I hit a pot hole that I can’t see? Will I lose traction and spin out? Will I bounce on a bump and flip over? All these questions means I should play it safe. After all, I still have to depend on my car for the miles I have ahead. It’s not the end yet, and I should not play like it is.

However, I did do one thing that I can’t on regular roads or parking lots. Spinning out. It’s a front wheel drive car, so I can’t do regular donuts, but I can make tight turns to kick the back end out and have fun with it, and I did.

Of course, the biggest reason why I want to come here to badly is, this is also the place where glamor car photos are taken. It’s stereotypical, iconic, old, or whatever you call it. I just know that when I was doing car renderings, we always render it like as if the car is either in the desert or on the salt flat. So here I am, experiencing the real thing, with my own car, and taking photos of my own car in this iconic setting. One more box checked.

After all the fun, what I did not realize is the amount of salt that gets suck onto the car. Under the mirrors, the wheel well, suspension, chassis… you name it. The first thing that I did when I got back from salt flat was head to the car wash. Blasting the salt off the car isn’t hard, but trying to clean every bit of it was really something. It got into every corner, corners that I could not reach or see. It took several washes down the road to get rid of all of it. It was nasty. But was it worth the trouble? Absolutely! All I have to say is, if you want to drive on the salt flat, don’t do it with your own car.

So back to Salt Lake City. What’s there? My impression of Salt Lake City is the Utah Jazz, the glorious days of Karl Malone, John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek making it into the finals against the Chicago Bulls, against the mighty Michael Jordan. However, they will always remain as those who didn’t get there, although great, not the greatest. I personally have great admiration for these three players. While the field was all about rock stars and one-man team, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek were playing solid old school basketball. They were consistent. They delivered.

So other than streets that are named after Karl Malone and John Stockton, what’s there in Salt Lake City?

Churches! To be specific, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which is more commonly referred to as the Mormon Church. So our friendly personal friend, who’s a Mormon, told us that Brigham Young led Mormons to settle in the area and thrived. The LDS Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake is like the capitol of the Mormon Church where international broad casts are made. It’s a grand operation, much more than I can imagine. In a big way, it’s like running a country, only much more effective and efficient. Right beside the convention center is Temple Square where the outdoor ground is opened to the public, as well as visitor centers. Religious factors aside, one thing that was very evident from the construction of the buildings as well as the conduct code of the church members is determination and dedication. I don’t think I can find better words to describe the spirit of the Mormon Church.

A part of being a Mormon for many members is mission. Guys go on a 2-year mission while girls have 18 months. Being on the church ground, I’d say 50% of the people within sight were missionaries, girls to be specific, stationed at the church ground to talk to people. All good intention, but I have a suggestion. I think all visitors should receive a tag. Once the visitor have been approached by a missionary, he can put the tag on him so other missionaries know he’s been approached before. Otherwise, it gets negative after a while of repeated approaches. I mean, we had to start to avoid them.

Like all major cities, there were homeless folks asking for help, only this is right outside the church targeting visitors. I guess the world is a complicated place. Chinese temples also tend to have beggars because of the visitors. I really don’t know whether to mix these all up. Sympathy, greed, compassion, exploitation… I guess, I was just find the complexity when there’s such intersection of promise and despair.

Outside of churches, Salt Lake City is a very clean city. Very well maintained scape with beautiful historic houses. The weather is beautiful too, reminds me of the mid west… the good version of the mid west. Surrounded by mountains and ski resorts helps too!

More photos HERE!!

Grand American Tour Day 16: Arches National Park

2011-09-22T03:10:00.003-04:00

MOAR ROCKS!!!!!

So far we’ve been looking at rocks. Rocks, rocks and more rocks. Arches National Park is where you see some really animated rocks. Rocks that come in all forms of shape, most of them monumental in size, some more corny than others. The rocks are formed by erosion from both wind and water. It’s a wonder how nature builds and destroys at the same time, yet produces beauty no matter what the process is. I guess beauty is defined in human terms. Perhaps the lizards just don’t give a shit.

The arch formations are indeed impressive. They are massive, often forming an amphitheater effect creating echo as we shout against them. Other than rocks, the trees, much like those in Monument Valley, are extremely organic. I don’t really know what they are. They have needle-like leaves and form like a mini bonsai tree… except these are full sized. There is no logic to how they grow since many plants tend to grow towards where the sun light is. These just don’t seem to be following any rule.

Two of the most iconic arches in the national park are Landscape Arch, which is the biggest in the world, and Delicate Arch for its iconic shape. Well, the day was hot. Even though the hike to Landscape Arch is only a mile, it was not really all that exciting because the arch, since we cannot get close to it, was not as impressive as we’d expected.

The hike to Delicate Arch is a relatively long one. It involves climbing over this huge rock, and we don’t get to see the arch until the very last turn…. And I mean the VERY LAST TURN! Is it worth it? Well, the hike is actually rather enjoyable. The arch itself…. Well, I think it looks like someone’s butt and legs, but it’s up to the individual to imagine what it looks like. After all, I took some shots as the sun was setting, but we were in a rush to get the hell out, trying to make our way to Salt Lake the same night.

What was more interesting was the town of Moab. I guess I should have known better, it’s the capitol of mountain biking! It’s actually a lot more than that. Moab is the capitol of outdoor sports. Sky diving, ATV, mt biking, dirt biking, white water rafting, jeep, Humvee rides…. You name it! It’s a shame that I am always in a hurry and can’t spend more than one day at hot points like this. That’s life, got to take what I can get and enjoy it the best way I can.

Double Arches

Drive in Arches

Click here for more photos!!!

Grand American Tour Day 15: Monument Valley

2011-09-22T02:56:00.004-04:00

YeeHaw!!! That’s what my car will say!

Today is a day of putting my car to the test. A Honda Prelude takes on a 14-mile desert off road course. It was the Monument Valley tour. See, you can either hire a tour guide and ride the jeep, or just drive your car onto the beat up road and hope you don’t have to call for help. My Prelude handled it like a piece of cake, over taking those pretenders and off-road wannabies like cross overs and the terrified family sedans.

So how was the valley? Well, it was the valley, big ass plugs that stood there to be seen. Yes it was big and grand, but somehow, it just wasn’t as impressive as how I expected it to be. I don’t know why. May be it’s because along the 14 mile restricted road was peppered by Indian craft stands and house rides. May be it’s the awkward porter potties that stood along with the natural monuments like as if they have equal right and appropriateness to be there. It felt a bit like…. A circus.

At the visitor center was some history of the Navajo Nation. One of the displays basically listed some stats of the Navajo Nation demographics. It basically said something along the line of “we are poor, but we are strong and proud of our culture”. Culture? What I saw was nothing but Indian arts and crafts stands. The only business I have seen so far along the trip, other than the arts and craft stands are hotels and gas stations. Of course, there’s the farming and ranching, but there’s awfully few opportunities given the way they life their lifestyle. Sure, they have the right to retain their traditional lifestyles which is very important. Sure it is not exactly appropriate to judge them using the standard measures of modern society to determine the quality of life ( not everything can be translated into numbers), but it is also a fact that high unemployment, lack of education and resource is a huge problem that pretty much defines the Navajo Nation. I don’t see the native Indian philosophy or culture. What I saw was more like an excuse not to move forward, exploiting nature’s offerings and not establishing a way for future generations to find their future.

The Monument Valley therefore seemed that much less meaningful. Nothing but a bunch of rocks that I had to pay to see.

Talk about big ballzzz...

Any how, we were on the road again heading to Moab where the Arches National Park awaits. As we arrived, we decided to head right to the national park as this will be the only chance to snap some starry night shots. And we did, walked into the pitch-black trail not knowing what’s going to happen. It was more enjoyable than I expected mostly because the walk was simple and the temperature was much more comfortable. The stars were there for us, and the canyon, being in the dark, provided much anticipation for what we were going to see in the day since all I could experience were silhouettes of strange looking objects. I could already feel the rock party that can’t way to start.

"Mexican Hat"

Prelude to Arches. An Arch along the way before we arrived at Moab, just as impressive.

Best of Moab

Arches at night

Few more photos here!!!

Grand American Tour Day 14: Antelope Canyon

2011-09-22T02:47:00.002-04:00

The same horseshoe bend taken in the morning.

Antelope Canyon is one of the most anticipate stops for this trip because of the famous light beams and extraordinary organic rock formations. The tour starts at a visitor center. Being in the Navajo Nation, it means we have to join a tour run by the native Indians. I was on the photographer-centric group where they take us there at during the short time window when the light beams form in the canyon. The ride to the canyon was bumpy but fun. It was basically a pick truck on huge soft wheels. The canyon is a few miles from the site entrance, so the off road experience was a bonus.

Arriving at the entrance of the canyon was kinda of strange. Since I was just at the Grand Canyon and Zion, Antelope Canyon is really more like a crack in the rock, like the back alley in a highly populated metro downtown. The outside of it looked ordinary, like any other rock, but upon entering the opening, it was an eye-opener. Then, it all became a battle field.

There were more than 10 of us in the group, all photographers armed with our cameras and tripods. There are also tons of other tourists in the canyon. It’s a very narrow canyon with a lot of people, like a constipated large intestine. It was a fight to get a decent shot. Groups compete for the best time to be at a particular spot, and group members fight to get the best spot within each site. It was not a pleasant experience, let alone the $50 I paid for the tour. There was no time to enjoy the beauty, the colors, the organic surfaces and the atmosphere. It was a warfare.

The canyon was also extremely hard on camera equipments because of constant sand raining from above. The sand gets into everything, from your hair to the camera lens and tripod. It was bad. There was no way I’d change lens in the canyon exposing my camera to the hazard. You have to decide which lens to use and stick to it. Also, older lens that extends physically when adjusting zoom means the sand will find its way into the mechanics, causing the lens to zoom and focus with difficulty. Therefore silent-wave lens is recommended for such conditions.

No shot came easy. The canyon is actually filled with people, so it was really tough to get a clean shot.

Over all, I did enjoy the canyon. Two hours went by quickly and towards the end of it, I got some moments to catch a breath and immerse myself in the canyon. It was a short moment when it was not about the photos, but about my interaction with where I am.

During the tour, there were several other tours led by different guides. All of whom are native Indians. It was strange, and somewhat comical, that each of them carried a musical instrument, and talked about the canyon using Indian tales to explain the natural formation of the rocks. It all started to feel very gimmicky. Why would I want to hear how the rock pattern looks like a wolf head accompanied by a quick tune on flute, instead of the geological process that created the pattern? I don’t know, but the tourists seemed to take whatever that was thrown at them. In a certain way, it was quite a circus.

The other half of the day was a drive to the next site. Monument Valley. It wasn’t all that eventful except that I managed to capture some lousy sunset shots, and my friend got the car stuck in the ditch. So I’d take this opportunity to thank the kind native Indian couple who stopped by to tow us out.

You may notice that I have not posted any photo of the locals. That’s because many of them don’t like to be photographed, so I just didn’t even try.

Oh and…. Germans! The Germans are EVERYWHERE!!!!!

Click here for MOAR photos of Antelope Canyon

Grand American Tour Day 13: Drive to Page

2011-09-22T02:34:00.003-04:00

We were supposed to visit Bryce Canyon today but we cancelled it because we realize what a drive it will be if we did that. So we designated this day to… drive and enjoy! For me, I was particularly looking forward to the mountain pass that I rushed through at night, the one that took me to 8000 ft with deers dancing around the road.

The route also takes us to the access point of Grand Canyon North Rim. As compared to the South Rim, the North Rim is much quieter like the best kept secret. The view isn’t as “grand” as the south rim, but you can get much closer to the canyon and experience the strong draft of wind that travels in and out of the canyon. It’s definitely a very different perspective.

Old man waiting for the right light to cast on his favorite tree to take the perfect shot.

Flowery landscape on the way to the North Rim.

The way to the North Rim is also very different from the typical canyon landscape. It’s actually temperate pine forest with green prairies and marshes. The road is fast and windy, but comfortable and relaxing. It’s the one where you want to drop your convertible top.

Driving towards the canyon lands means driving into the Navajo Nation where native Indians live. The entire area is protected and governed by the native Indians, which mean very little development, no major city, lots of rock and native Indians with road-side stands selling crafts and souvenirs at the most unexpected places. You’d think they live among the rocks, because there’s no sign of civilization anywhere.

House Rock Valley on the way between the North Rim and Page.

Navajo Bridge across Colorado River, along the Marble Canyon.

Entering the town of Page, we stopped by a spectacular work of nature. It’s the horseshoe bend, a C-shaped canyon cut deeply into the land by a river. The canyon is so deep and narrow that you have to look over the edge of the canyon to see the entire depth. Mind you, there is no fence at all. It is strangely “un-American” because this is one popular site where there is no management or safety measure. Oh well, definitely makes the experience more natural.

Horseshoe Canyon just south of Page.

MOAR PHOTOS HERE!!!

Grand American Tour Day 12: Zion National Park

2011-09-22T02:27:00.002-04:00

One way that I have formulated to save money and time is to get lunch ready in the morning so we don’t have to disrupt the route to eat, and that usually means getting per-made deli sandwiches from the grocery store. That said, I ate a lot of sandwiches during this trip.

Ostrich farm on the way from Hurricane to Zion.

Hurricane is not far from Zion National Park. The drive to the park was scenic, but it only offered a hint of what we will be seeing. Upon entering Zion, I understand what it means by “Spectacular”. It’s really like heaven, a world of perfection within the reality, too good to be true. Every corner is a framed picture. While at Grand Canyon, I felt like ant standing on the edge of a tile crack, Zion makes me feel like I am an ant at the bottom of a crack…in a cookie.

It was a shame that we only had half a day to enjoy the canyon. There’s a wide range of trails and we picked two to explore. I don’t think there can be a bad trail here, because every sight is just so pleasing to the soul.

Zion adopts the same bus system as Grand Canyon, so we didn’t have to drive. There’s also drinking water available at several trail heads. This is the first time when I would say the government is thoughtful.

As night fall, Zion couldn’t be a better place for night shots. The sky was star-packed. The milky-way is easily identified and accompanied by meteorites falling into the atmosphere. We even saw a bright one breaking into two while entering the Earth’s atmosphere. It was phenomenal.

The drive to the next town, Kanab, was not nearly as long as the last one, but it was still quite a haul especially at night. Exiting from the East entrance, the road was very twisting mountain roads with lose gravel, snaking among the canyons before it turns into fast straights and gentle turns. Again, night driving is always more stressful when you don’t know what’s around you. Lucky, it was a smooth one and the hotel was great.

Photo Dump:

MOAR PHOTOS HERE!!!

Grand American Tour Day 11: The Big-Ass Canyon

2011-09-22T02:21:00.002-04:00

Driving towards Flagstaff, the elevation increases and the climate becomes cooler with more green. The weather is still very dry, but the landscape is filled with pine trees and rolling hills. It was like an escape from the oven hot Phoenix, from hell to paradise.

Grand Canyon South Rim is essentially a huge tourist trap. I have been here before when I was young, with a tour group from Taiwan. It was one of those tours where you spend more time on the bus than off the bus. The joke was “Sleep on the bus, pee off the bus”. This time, I was a free man. Free to go wherever I want, free to stop whenever I want, free to pee when and wherever I want.

Things have evolved since for the better. Most national parks in the area now have their own public transport where tourists just ride the buses to different spots of the park as opposed to driving causing traffic jams. Grand Canyon adopted this system which is surprisingly convenient. No long waits, air conditioned and comfortable bus with friendly drivers. Best of all, it’s free.

There’s nothing much to be said about Grand Canyon. It explains itself. Basically, it’s a big-ass crack on planet Earth. However, the canyon start to look the same no matter which angle I admire it from, and before long, I thought I am done with the place.

Nonetheless, it is the experience of being able to feel something as awesome as this in person. The sense of scale is indescribable. It changes one’s perspective about his existence on this planet. Basically, I felt like an ant standing on the edge of a tile crack.

Leaving the park, I didn’t realized that the hotel, in the town of Hurricane, was a good 5 hours away. So we drove, and drove. It was pitch black. There’s thunder storm in the far and the sky was constantly being lit with lightning flashes. That’s when we can, occasionally, get a glimpse of what’s around us at the moment. Then we came across a bridge and realized how amazing the stars are. There was no one around. We knew we were in the canyon, far from anything. So it was time for some night shots. This was the first night shot I took during this trip, so it was more like a warm up for me.

What awaits down the road was my kind of dish. Twisty mountain pass. Having never been in the area before, I had no idea where I was, what’s around me and what’s coming next. The car turned, climbed and accelerated. Then it rained and the road was wet. Going through the mountain pass trying to make up for lost time in the rain when high-beam wasn’t really much of a use, it was more than exciting. Oh, and there were deers all over the woods that I had to watch out for.

Finally, we arrived at Hurricane. We survived the night and looking forward to another day of adventure.

Moar photos HERE!!

Grand American Tour Day 10: Cosanti and Arcosanti

2011-09-16T17:45:00.002-04:00

Scottsdale is an interesting city of architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright had an office here and a street is named after him. Scottsdale is also like an experimentation ground for unique architecture styles. One of which is by Paolo Solerii.

Paolo Soleri studied with Frank Lloyd Wright and began to experiment with the idea of sustainable neighborhood since the 50~60s. In 1970, he finally was able to begin to realize his dream with the Arcosanti project located an hour north of Scottsdale.

There is also a smaller project, the Cosanti project, which is located in Scottsdale where Paolo still lives at. It is opened to the public so my friend and I were able to visit both sites.

So I will let you guys wiki both Corsanti and Arcosanti projects for their history. I will just provide the experience and photos.

Walking into the Corsanti site, first thing I noticed is, this is not about one building. This is a network of infrastructure. There is not a prominent tall standing structure that represents it as an icon. Every building is low below the tree line, therefore it looked more like dewellings among the desert forest. It is very hard to describe the architecture. It is extremely organic. It seems that there is not a particular plan and is still growing. It seems like this is like a plant’s root, growing as needed and available. There are a lot of dome-like strictures, however, with what seems like very primitative technique of concrete using crude molding.

The site also houses foundary to produce wind bells for sale. In fact, the entire site is decorated with wind bells with price tags on them, with designs that speaks the same language as the architecture where they are produced.

Visiting the Corsanti site created a lot more questions than answers. So we headed to the Arcosanti site next.

Arcosanti is located an hour north of Scottsdale close to the I-15 highway. It is 3 miles from the freeway in the middle of the desert canyon. Arcosanti itself is like the magnified version of Corsanti. Instead of a small private residence size building, it is set to be a town community.

Paolo Soleri’s main idea is that he believes that a community designed to be self sufficient, where people don’t need to travel far, will promote sustainable living. Arcosanti is the experiment. In 1970, Paolo was granted the use of land. People flocked to Arcosanti to help with the project. Many of them came as apprentence, learning and building the site at a non-commercial rate. By non-commercial, it has no schedule, no fixed planning or penalties for late projects. Arcosanti does have a main design, but everything takes place in whatever “natural” ways it takes. So far, only a small portion of the entire design is finished, but many of Paolo’s ideas have been put to the test.

The site also holds many performance events making it a somewhat hip place to be for performers. Guests can also pay to stay there. It’s really a weird place. It’s like Cranbrook except you go there to build, participate in different workshops, volunteer to teach and make bells. It’s like a get away, a detour in life to become a monk for 3 months or something like that. It is also like Cranbrook in the sense that the entire place is an experiment and you are there to determine the outcome. I really admire Paolo’s ambitions and his followers’ faith. Faith in their own efforts to make things happen, faith that is grounded with their own sweat.

Talking about bells, that’s where Paolo gets his funding from.

Very few people dare to have a dream. Even fewer take the step to work towards it, and rarely do they find ways to make it happen. Paolo not only has built the foundation for his dream, but created a platform for many to build theirs upon.

I just hope that these folks find their dreams using this as the jumping board. It is just too easy to tag along and call it a day.

For more photos, please click HERE~!

Grand American Tour Day 09: Sedona and such

2011-09-01T01:22:00.002-04:00

The is the beginning of the canyons portion of the tour. The drive out of Phoenix changed quickly when the elevation of the road rose suddenly. The temperature dropped and the vegetation changed. There was a lot more green, more farms and more storms. All around us we can see storm clouds with curtains of rain far away with occasional lightning. The sky was therefore cloudy, not ideal for photographs, but can create interesting compositions.

On the way to Sedona, we stopped by the Montezuma Castle, which is essentially an ancient apartment style building carved into a cliff surface. There was nothing more than a short walk to the site and admire it from below, but interesting to note that the Southern Sinagua people who built took the natural contour of the cliff into account when designing the buildings, and included the concave facade as a part of the design.

Another site was the Montezuma Well. This is a round lake fed by underground spring. The water is crystal clear and the endless supply of water creates lush vegetation at where the water runs off. It was a pleasant surprise to find a paradise-like environment as we walked from the top of the lake (desert-like) to the bottom where the water escapes ( green with lots of vegetation). It’s a wonder what water can add to the environment.

Driving to Sedona was a short and pleasant one. We climbed above 4000ft on I-17 before veering off towards Sedona. The drive was of course scenic, and the canyons were before our eyes in no time. Before we got to Sedona, we stopped by a chapel that is built into the rocks of the canyon. It’s a simple structure, using the cross as the main theme plunging into the rocks and looking out into the canyon.

Surrounding the canyon are, well, wealthy large mansions. Green lawn in the middle of the desert with 4 garages and a big poodle running around in the yard. What a life! What a contrast to the run down establishments of the local Indians.

Sedona is nothing more than a tourist trap with resorts and shops. We were looking for a place for dinner wondering what’s the local specialty…. Sports bar/grill…. Steak house….. BBQ….. Korean vegetarian???

Anyways, Arizona is quite a state. Harsh environments, but this is a proof that with money, anything is possible. Just don’t ask “why”.

Grand American Tour Day 08: Scottsdale+Phoenix

2011-08-27T03:22:00.002-04:00

Today is the chill day. While my friend goes to work (LOL!), I ran around town to get some chores done, like close my bank account, get some clothes for the coming portion of the trip and so on.

First of all, I have say that the intensity of heat is beyond description. It's HOT, like.... oven HOT. Just a few minutes in the sun will make you medium-well. The air itself is hot, and it doesn't really cool down at night either. It's not humid, but not as dry as I thought. It really makes me wonder how it is like to be working outdoors as a profession here? Is it fatal?

Another very interesting side of this part of the country is the weather elements. How can I describe this...... it's like a party of random elements of extreme. First of all there's the intense heat, then there's the dust storms that are basically mini tornadoes. These tornadoes are everywhere although not damaging for the most part. They can be far away or right across the highway. People are used to them so they don't really care. Then, there are lightnings in clear sky because of the dryness. Lastly, there are regional rains that you can see far away, in this heat and the clouds are not really low. So nothing here meets the norm of what I was used to, even though I've lived in both tropical and temperate climates where there's either extreme humidity, heat and rain as well as icy and snowy conditions. The desert environment is entirely different, and it's not clear cut either.

Scottsdale is also like the high end of this entire area, the Beverly Hills if you will. All the ladies are well dressed, all the shops are well kept up and all the cars are expensive. The downtown area is very neat with interesting contemporary architectures, million dollar apartments with unique architecture and planning, as well as homes built into the desert hill slopes that no one can afford. The rest of the city is very clean, everything looks new like a very young city. It's almost too perfect, until you factor in the heat. I guess people are willing to tolerate the 6 months of intense heat for the other 6 months of paradise.

Will I want to live here? It's a dilemma. Weather wise, I cannot stand the heat. It's just too brutal. Environment wise, there's too little green for my liking. I like the randomness of the weather, makes life a bit more interesting. The city is clean, but I do like some grit to diversify the experience a bit. I also find the demographics a little too narrow. It seems that most people are.... well-to-do to say the least.

Phoenix reminds me of the trade towns that are formed when desert nomads meet in the middle of no where, somewhere along the ancient trade routes that their ancestors have established. They bring their own products, meet and exchange, then leave. That's when the "town" disappears, but the cycle happens annually. In the case of Phoenix, it's more like a permanent trade town in the middle of the desert. Geographically, I don't see any reason why there's a city here. I mean, there's no apparent water source, no apparent energy source (other than the obvious solar and wind), no apparent opportunity for food production. So why here? Plus, there are plenty of flat desert land else where, why this exact spot?

I guess I need to do more research. In Chinese, the Phoenix is often the female counter part to the dragon. It's a bird that is reborn from fire( or something like that). May be Phoenix city has the same meaning, a city that thrives among the heat.

I think Phoenix and Miami NBA teams should trade names. Phoenix Heat and Miami Suns. That's more appropriate I think.

Not many photos today, just not the right time of the day, may try to get more another time.

Grand American Tour Day 07: Drive to Scottsdale

2011-08-26T01:14:00.002-04:00

El Paso is interesting. It's not like a typical US city, more like.... Mexico. The whole town is Mexican. In fact, the only non-Mexican are the guests in the hotel.

After gotten oil change done that came with free car wash, I tried to find "downtown". I didn't have a proper map, so I looked on the GPS for spots where the streets are more dense. After driving around for a while, I still can't find "downtown". You see, El Paso is kinda flat and there isn't any distinction in city scape as well, so I can't just look up and find the tallest building. Everything was flat.

Just as I was giving up and time was running out, I pulled up at a gas station and saw a little Mexican burrito joint. Sounds interesting. Since it was almost noon, I decided to lunch there.

One problem, everything is in Spanish and I don't speak a word of it. But that's the beauty of it, let's see how things will turn out!

So I went up to the counter and spoke in broken English hoping that the lady will understand. Actually, I cannot help but to use the "stereotypical" approach to this. This is like when an American tried to speak with a non-English speaking Chinese. Psychologically, one will "lower" the standard hoping that the other party will be able to receive the message, except that this has nothing to do with "standard", but simply the difference in language.

Honestly, there is no need for language when it comes to food. It's all good.

So I got a barbarcoa burrito and another one that has potato and pork. While waiting, I got out my camera and started snapping away, and one of the ladies behind the counter started posing for me. That's what I'm talking about!

How was the food? GREAT!

Great not because of any exotic ingredient of super flavoring. Great because it was simple. Unlike American Mexican food that tends to over load the plate with stuff, cheese and beans, these burritos are just simple and humble. The barbarcoa came with just some chopped onions and cilantro, whereas the other one came with just the potato and pork. Taste is best when its pure. What I like about these burritos is I can taste the ingredients very well and the characteristic of each was well preserved and appreciated. The lady also grilled the burritos a little bit, keeping it warm and a little crisp which adds another layer of texture to the food. It was a humble meal that gives great satisfaction, accompanied by cheerful ladies who seem to cook like as if it was for their kids.

The drive then started. 7 hours of grueling road.... not as bad as the one between Austin and El Paso, but I wondered if I could take two days of driving.

The drive out of El Paso was interesting. First of all, I found where the downtown is. It's actually on the east side of the city. As I was driving out, I saw something unusual, something that will never happen in the US. It's an entire community of small concrete, brick or stone huts littered on the hilly desert landscape. No proper organization or planning. No road system as well. It was on the other side of the highway, and I realized that was Mexico.

Then I turned my head to the east, and there it is, big and perfect looking houses with well planned roads on the soil of the US of A. It was rather ironic, almost reminds me of the photo of a Brazilian high end condo neighboring a chaotic slum. That's perhaps why people from Mexico and the rest of central America are trying to get into the US, the illusion that life will be better.

Driving through New Mexico reminds me of Texas, except that it is more populated along the highway. The landscape is desert plain with bare mountains here and there. Then, the traffic slowed down, and stopped. It was the border patrol road block.

"Are you a US citizen?"
"No, but I got a visa"
"Ok, pull to the side and show me your papers"

What did I do? Alright, here inserts personal feelings about being a foreigner. Personally, I've been a foreigner all my life. Going back home is a reaction to how I feel like I am constantly a criminal without committing a crime. Anyways, not particular to the US, but being a foreigner in general means one has to be a lot more careful with what they do or don't. It's very to violate regulations without even knowing it.

Back to the drive, western Arizona is beautiful. The landscape changes quite dramatically. From flat plains with mountains to rocky climbs, to green laid rolling hills. The vegetation variety also changes from region to region. There was the short brush, then tall thin shrubs and then the iconic tall standing cactus. It's quite amazing that there is so much subtle differences between the different parts of the desert that result in different life form thriving. To humans, sand is sand, dirt is dirt. I guess even the minute difference in the amount of water will result in different type of organisms.

After 20 hours of desert driving, I don't know if I can take any more. The rest of the journey will be different. More deserts, but in entirely different manner. Here at Scottsdale, the air is hot, oven hot. At least it's not humid..... but hot.

Grand American Tour Day 06: Drive to El Paso

2011-08-24T23:31:00.002-04:00

Another "What a day!"

Driving out of Austin takes me to the rural Texas. Actually, there isn't much of Texas that isn't rural. When I was driving towards Austin from the east, it's mostly brown with dry grass and sparse trees. The land is somewhat hilly but not very intense. Driving out of Austin through the west side is very different. The terrain climbs and dips very much and the vegetation is a lot more lush.

So this morning, I spent all of it driving through local roads to meet I-10. From town to town, it is interesting to see the change in landscape (however minute the change may be) and the neighborhood. I stopped many times for various reasons. Check the car, use the rest room, but engine oil, pump gas or just to take a photo. Every gas station I enter, the staffs are pretty friendly. For an odd Asian to walk into a Texan small town gas station is like a strange cow boy enters the saloon. Except, I ain't comin' in for a drink.

Even as agricultural industry takes the dominant place here, other supportive business thrive too. Interestingly, one of these being the iron works business. Every town has one or two iron works factory, and these are not some big factory that pumps out mass produced cookie cutter designs, but small workshops that craft custom-made decorations and ornaments for the farmer's ranch. Of which, some iron workshops are more creative and radical then others. There was even a sculpture park of iron pieces, waiting for the right eye to appreciate them.

Along the way are also many abandoned businesses. Gas stations, grocery stores as well as feed supplies are most of what are left behind. I don't know where they've all gone. Perhaps taken over by bigger gas station chains, Walmarts and Ace Hardware.

50% of the cars on the road are pick up trucks.

75% of the pick up trucks are massive with steel front guard rails and armored bumpers for some real business.

LONG HORNS!!!!!

So it wasn't until lunch time when I finally reached the I-10 intersection. Wow, there's really nothing out there! 80 mph as the speed limit, it was open road all the way. Along the highway, there are exits and entrance ramps constantly, but they go no where! I mean, there's not a single soul, building or sign of human civilization around the exits. So I don't know what they are for.

Then I was just being too cautious and though, oh a gas station! So I pulled off the road onto the ramp only to realized that it was an abandoned gas station. At the same time, there was nothing out there.... nothing, except I drove onto something.

As I was coming down the ramp, I ran over a branch. A seemly harmless branch. Something felt weird, my car handles differently. So I got out of the car and..... really? A flat tire?

I checked my cell phone. Really? No signal?

Alright, time to prove myself as the worthy F1 pit crew. 3 secs per tire!

I put on my fishing hat, my cycling gloves (thanks to Scott to jinx me by reminding me to bring my gloves in case I need to swap a wheel) and got the jack out of the trunk. Then I emptied my trunk in order to get the spare out. After jacking my car up, I put the wrench on and...... alright, first nut is loose. Then second....... not breaking! This is when I learned new things today. When the wheel is freed and you are trying to loosen the nut, the wheel will tend to spin along. You have to position the nut that you are working on at the bottom, because this way, the direction of rotation of the nut isn't in line with the direction in which the wheel spins. You still have to hold onto the wheel, but it's much easier.

In the mean time, two cars came by, looked at me, and left.......

2, 3, 4, 5! Nuts loosen! Now time to put on the spare. The rest was easy. The only think I was worried about is just how far do I need to go to find a auto repair shop?

The cellphone was useless, but the GPS was the savior of the day. 15 miles. That's easy enough!

So off I went into this little town of 1500 people called Iraan. Yes, no spelling mistake, no joke about Iran being a part of Texas either.

This is a really small town. I am not sure what all the trucking in these rural area is all about. Is it some kind of mineral industry? Quarry industry? Oil? I really don't know, but there were all these chemical container trucks all over the place, and I think small towns like Iraan survives on them.

There is a school, but I didn't see kids. The streets are wide, probably for the trucks, and there it was. The auto repair shop!

The shop seems busy with people coming in and out. I walked in ( again, like a cow boy walking into a saloon) and said," Can you help me fix my flat tire"? Sure! Almost immediately, we are like a family. This wasn't like your typical chain car repair place where you have a greet and wait area and you are prohibited from entering the working area. I unloaded my punctured wheel and carried it into the shop and basically hang out there, talked to the guy and the boss, like all the other customers who come and go. In no time, the tire was fixed. I put everything back into the car and off I went. Total delay time? About an hour. Experience? Forever!

So today I felt like I've earned a medal. I've been upgraded to master road tripper for successful neutralizing flat tire situation in the middle of no where, especially in the desert.

Then it was the rest of the drive, all 300miles of it. It was strange that once I crossed the time zone ( CT to MT), the landscape changed suddenly from barren desert dirt and sparse vegetation to a much more lush and hilly terrain. The farms that followed are less about ranching but more about plantations. I am not sure what is being grown, but it's not about livestock anymore.

The landscape is also like a mini grand canyon in the sense that there are peaks that have been eroded away, and I could see the tail end of the Rockies. Approaching El Paso, I see more and more Border Patrol activities with patrolling cars and check points. I don't think they would think my tiny car can traffic any human bodies.

So I am in El Paso. It's blowing warm air, but at least it's dry. Of all things, I had Vietnamese noodles for dinner. It's like the meal that has been awaiting for a long time. Not the best Vietnamese soup noodle, but good for the soul nonetheless.

Oh BTW, 150 miles later, I caught up with the cold bastards who came and left without even asking if i needed help.

More photos HERE

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Grand American Tour Day 05: Austin live music at Antones

2011-08-24T08:56:00.002-04:00

What's great music?

Does it need to have great vocal? Or instrument? Or technique? Or beautiful and handsome looking performers?

No. Great music is those that stir emotions.

Last night, I spent the best $10 in my life. I was recommended to go to Antone's for live music and it was just two blocks away. As I got there, the cover band was already playing. I paid my $10 of cover fee and walked in. It was a very casual setting. Open floor with some chairs and people sitting with their beers listening to the band. At the back is a bar to serve the guests. When I visited Antone's website, it said "for all ages". I guess Texans don't mind mixing minors and alcohol together. Actually, it really isn't a big deal.

Mixing minors and....

So the cover band wasn't perfect. Technique is good but not professional. These guys look young! They looked like a high school garage band, but the music is meaty, I mean, meaty blues. These young guys have no reservation when playing, but shy and humble when addressing the crowd. The crowd kept asking them to play more, and they had to ask permission unlike those rock stars. After it was over, they introduced themselves... 13 and 14 yr olds!

Mixing minors and the big boys. Austin kids do hold up!

The actual band took a while to get ready, but then they started playing.... it was heavy! Not heavy metal heavy, but rock with very heavy beats, rattles the pants! The technique was amazing. Drummer was beating the hell out of the stick and drums, and the guitarists are definitely having fun themselves.

$10. That was it. If I lived here, I'd go there a couple times a week at least. It's way better than hollywood movies in some stinky theater on blurry screen. This is live, the real deal!

Grand American Tour Day 05: Elgin and Austin

2011-08-23T19:33:00.002-04:00

Elgin is another historic town east of Austin. There really isn't a whole lot to say about it except that when I was checking out the train station, I heard some voice coming from the dense bushes. Then a bunch of cops walked out of the bush with equipment boxes and evidence envelopes, and a dude in hand cuffs. It appeared that they are CIS bringing the suspect back to the crime scene to reenact what he did..... ok.

When zombies rule the land, it's good to have a Texan to be on my side.

So why was I at Elgin if there was not much to see?

BBQ!!!!! A local highly recommended a place, so I came! No good BBQ is too far of a drive. After all, it was only 1657 miles!

How was it? Ok, so I got the pork rib + brisket combo. The brisket was solid! Good flavor and firm meat, not chewy. Skin is perfectly charred too! The pork rib is also good, almost fall off the bone type, but just enough to hang on to the bone until you try to pull it off with a dingy plastic fork. This is definitely a good BBQ place. Is it the best I've had? Not really, but I think this comes down to personal preference.

Then off I came into town.

They say everything is bigger in Texas. Yes. EVEN THE SUN IS BIGGER!!!
Today is just hot with the sun beating down like a ruthless SOB. After taking shelter in the state capitol building and history museum, I went down to the river park across from downtown. Over all, I like Austin. It's small, but it has a lot of diversity. The streets are clean, the facilities are well kept up. It is also quite unlike a Texan capitol I think. Austin is a very progressive city with good urban design. Sure, it's not busy like Houston, but I'd much prefer to live in a smaller city than one that is just too chaotic. In a nut shell, Austin is like the baby version of Atlanta.

So tonight will be Blues night. Will be heading down to Antone's some live blues. Need a cheap bite first!

MOAR photos HERE!!!

Grand American Tour Day 04: Drive to Austin

2011-08-23T00:12:00.003-04:00

What a day!

Amazing things happen when I am not on routine.

Therefore.....

To have an amazing life, I will not live a routine life.

That's what I thought today.

Got up early getting ready for the drive from New Orleans to Austin. It's going to be a long haul, so I left at around 8am. But wait, I was thinking that the French Quarter must be quiet now, so I drove right into it and took some photos with the car....

Oh no, I didn't.......!!!!

RELAX, THEY ARE LEGAL!!!! Kiddin'

As I was driving along I-10, passing through Baton Rouge, then Lafayette, flying above the beautiful parish (too bad there was no place to pull over for some sight seeing), I stopped by a garage to have something checked out on my car. It turned out to be just a forgotten connector, so it was easily fixed. The guy was impressed with the car and wanted to get the same engine for this 93 Accord. Another score by my Prelude! Earlier on, the valet kid at the hotel commented on the Prelude too. It's like walking around with a hot girlfriend.... ya noe!

So what's the next amazing thing?

As I was driving towards Lake Charles, I was thinking.... Is my cousin still there? I last spoke to her on the phone when Hurricane Rita hit the area back on 05. I've never met her in the US, only back home, back at my grandparents home town, so far far away. And today, I just happened to drive by, happened to be just before lunch, happened to dial her number not knowing if it is still valid or if she's even still in town. She picked up, we met for a quick lunch and off I continued the journey.

It all seemed so random and weird. It's as though I was traveling on a time path and she was on another, and I happened to cross path at the same instant as she did, and we met briefly, almost too briefly and departed from each other again, on our own separate ways. Eventually, we will meet again back home in Taiwan. That's like the home base, no matter how far we've ventured, we know we will see each other back home, some day, but we will.

And for me, this drive is the drive home.

The drive through Texas is really quite neat. Texas, like Miami, is a stereotype that is real. Dry ranches with long horn cattle with iron gates and old western barn houses. I was thinking if I should go right into Austin for the night, but have to pay a lot more for the hotel. Or should I stay outside of it for much better rate and go into the city in the morning. I chose the latter. So here I am, at Bastrop TX.

Then the amazing happened. The hotel is quite alright, especially for the price. The more important thing is, Bastrop is the oldest established town in Texas and has many neat old features. As I was driving around, I passed by this pile of rotting classic car bodies, with the sun setting in the back drop and beautiful clouds.... JACK POT!!!! I made a big U-turn and jumped out with the camera and tripod.

Don't be jealous, because I would too!

So that's an amazing day for me, all things random because I am not on the dead routine that I have always been on. It's a day expecting the unexpected, but most importantly, exposing myself to it. Tomorrow, I will spend some time exploring this little town before heading to a highly recommended BBQ place (It's been down hill for me since Memphis, so this is highly anticipated). Austin is not going anywhere, and I will be sure to enjoy it.

MOAR Photos HERE!!!

Grand American Tour Day 03: New Orleans

2011-08-23T00:04:00.003-04:00

Saturday night in the French Quarter may not be the most accurate representation of New Orleans….. right?

Well, today while the sun is back out, I decided to take a walk in the Warehouses district, where the art district is supposed to be.

( Micheline house?)

It’s a quiet Sunday. Walking down to the warehouse district feels like any downtown on Sunday, without the usual crowd, the traffic, the vibe. It’s as though the city is on break. Oh wait, that’s because all the galleries are closed on Sunday! What? This is not Chick-Fil-A, so it’s just out of laziness that they are closed? Bummer!

This part of the town consists of mostly converted warehouses and lofts. Strangly, a lot of “art districts” in the US are very similar, like Miami, NYC, Detroit and so on. Seems like artists are like roaches that find abandoned buildings and cracks in the wooden panels places that they feel comfortable in and thrieve. That’s fine, but don’t freaking close shop when I’ve driven over 1000miles to see you!

( Who's da rockstar here?)

Wondering on the street in the blazing sun, I had oyster poboy and freshly brewed iced tea for lunch…..

How’s the poboy? I have to say, not that good. The oyster isn’t that flavorful which is unusual. The bread is a bit chewy. The best oyster poboy I’ve had so far is at Sxi Feet Under restaurant in Atlanta. It comes with cole slaw that has wasabi in it, very unique and authentic in its own ways. This poboy pales in both taste and sophistication, and is much more expensive.

It seems that the town is taken over by hotels. There’s Hilton Garden Inn all over the place, using different buildings as different themes. Marriott also has a big presence here. I’d say that 50% of the buildings I walked by are taken over by hotels. If New Orleans is this dependent on tourism, that’s pretty damn risky.

Walking on back towards the French Quarter, I wanted to visit some of the spots that I was at last night with better lighting. Surprisingly, there are way more art galleries on Royal Street than the entire warehouse district! And they are open!

The art galleries on Royal street aren’t the usual uptight high-art type of gallery. They are unique in different ways, unconventional, radical, comical and somewhat local. One eye-catching one is the Blue Dog by George Rodrigue, who started painting this particular image of a dog 25 years ago to illustrate a dog character in a folk tale. Ever since, he’s stuck with it, repeated the same image on pretty much anything you can think of, and like Frank Ghery, he hasn’t moved on yet. After two days of seeing the dog image every where in the city, I am already sick of it.

BTW the dog looks like it’s stoned on weed.

Entering a gallary that has a collection of somewhat more casual pieces, I saw a back door that leads to a back court yard. I was granted permission to walk through it. It was then I realized that every block in the French Quarter has its own central court yard, something that street tourists will not see. It is very interesting how the French-Orleans style architecture extends to the private space. Decks and decks of balcony, some looks more steady and strong than others, defines the community by its usage of space. It’s very tight, but cosy. The tightness reminds me of slum, but the atmosphere makes the space feeling very livable, like old tightly knit communities where old folks will sit on rocking chairs all day at the balcany and kids will help moms hang bed sheets on the railings to dry. I can already imagine the golden days at the French Quarter.

Now, it’s just drunkards, tourists, hobos, skanky dressed girls and drunk skanky hobos who happen to be a tourist. I cannot imagine living in an apartment in the French Quarter. I think it’s way more intense than to live in NYC.

Perhaps that’s why I am a tourist, yet to be drunk or skanky, but close to being a hobo.

More photos click HERE!!!

Grand American Tour Day 02: New Orleans

2011-08-21T12:07:00.002-04:00

Hmmm.... took me damn long to get the hell out of Florida!!! I never knew how big the state is until I had to drive through the pan handle. After about 12 hours, I am finally outta there!

Things went really fast from then on. Alabama, Mississippi then Louisiana. They all just lined up one after an other. Eventually, New Orleans is within sight!

Oh BTW, I managed to do 29.85 miles per gallon on my 14 yr old Honda. I will inflate the tires more and see how much more I can get.

It's weird that human society will disapprove many things, but then set a zone where these disapproved things are approved. Las Vegas, Red Light district in Amsterdam... New Orleans' French Quarter is one such place. It has almost everything except gambling. Sex, alcohol, being homeless, being weird, being drunk, being broke, being filthy rich, being filthy kinky.... you name it. There isn't much to say from me, just enjoy the photos.

Oh, I did try jambalaya, gumbo, crawfish boil and beans and rice on the first night. Need to get oyster poboy next!!!

I also went to Snug Harbor for some Brazilian Jazz. Well, not the best I've seen. I think the drummer needs to hit lighter. He's killing the harmony!

Through Mobile

New Orleans within sight!

Woah, Alaska plate!!!

There are a lot of people who just stand around and expect people to give them money.... WTF?!

Did not get permission from mom.....

These guys are awesome!!!

Click HERE for all the rest of the photos!!!

Grand American Tour Day 02: Seaside and Rosemary Beach FL

2011-08-21T11:52:00.002-04:00

On the way from Panama City Beach to New Orleans, there are some very interesting towns.. Usually, towns exist because of practical reasons for their first settlers. Close to water source for irrigation, fertile land, sheltered port, sheltered from the wind (mountain) or trade needs. When human civilization progress on, there are certain population of the human society that doesn't live like the majority of the race. They don't really need to provide labor out put. They don't really need to work like others, or struggle to feed themselves. It's like as though they don't need to do anything to survive anymore.

( Eight million for the most badass one!!!!!)

So for fortunate folks like these, towns like Seaside and Rosemary Beach are formed. Along the gulf coast of Florida, the sand is white and fine. It's quiet, the weather is superb and there isn't a whole lot going on. So the rich folks move in. These are mixture of vacation rentals and permanent ownership. The towns are built up from scratch, to perfection! There is no cultural root, no history, no fight to be fought. It's just cash(or loans and credits really) with beautiful big houses, perfect landscape, perfect urban planning, teletubby land-like playgrounds, high end boutique stores, organic frozen yogurt shops and art galleries. All set up to serve this special and privileged bunch.

Seaside is a community with more traditional style type of architecture with very similar elements between houses. Where as Rosemary Beach purposely have unique designs to each house. What design? Fusion of old western, traditional American, Mediterranean, Mexican and a bit American Native Indian.... It's .... well, full of culture yet none at the same time.

As I drove by the area, there is such magnitude of luxury that no matter how rich I am, I cannot afford to live in guilt like this. Of course for many, the is the dream that they've fought for all their life. Good for them, just not for me.

More photos HERE

Grand American Tour Day 01: Panama City Beach

2011-08-19T21:06:00.002-04:00

Until today, I never knew how big Florida actually is.

It is narrow, takes about 1.5 hours to drive from coast to coast, but if you were to drive north-south, wow! It's never ending! So after 8 long hours of drive, I am still in Florida.

The vegetation of Florida does change from south to north, so does the terrain. In the south, it's absolutely flat with sparse pine trees or water grass. As I drove towards north, the highway starts to take dives and climbs. The landscape becomes more dense with green and it almost reminds me of Atlanta, except the vegetation is mostly pine trees.

Actually, I don't know if they are really pine trees, just trees with thin trunk and needle-like leaves.

Then I realized what's going on. This is the main activity here, forest industry! What I am seeing are tree farms. The entire northern Florida is tree plantations for controlled logging. I would drive through a patch of tall green trees, then bare, then green, then bare.... It was also interesting to be driving through these small towns away from the main route or tourist attractions. Lots of abandoned shops and businesses, replaced by the big box retailers. There are a lot of very interesting artifacts to photograph along the way, but they are all on someone else's property, and in this part of the country, you want to be aware of the double barrowed shot guns.

So I arrived at Panama City Beach. The drive seemed never ending, and I can finally relax on the famous white sand! Is the sand silky like described? I don't think this is all that fine, but it definitely feels smoother. Whatever, it's a beach, that's all that matters!

The water was filled with sea weed, but warm. I almost wanted to take a dive, but didn't want to climb up the beach looking like the Swamp Thing. Oh well, I will just hit some sunset photos.

Grand American Tour Day 00

2011-08-18T23:14:00.001-04:00

Jobless Day Zero

2011-08-13T01:29:00.002-04:00

Hmm.... reality is still taking its time to sink in. Today feels like any other day even though I spent most of my time chasing different folks down to bid goodbye. After a dinner with Chi and Min, and back home, met Lin, her husband and her daughter, then took a shower and watched a movie on my laptop, I then realized that I do not have a job, and about to embark on a change in life, a change that I decided to make, one that is bigger than anything that I've done for myself. I am strangely calm. Or perhaps, this is the panic side of me that I never knew.

Perhaps, after my road trip, after I've returned to Taiwan and finished whatever I need to get done, I'd realized, again, that life is new. Instead of feeling excited, I may feel anxious because then I really have an open road, road with no lane markings, no direction, no sign, no orientation. How will I take that? I don't know. And just thinking that makes my current situation sort of a luxury. At least, I know what my immediate step is.

How many times in life does one get to hit the "reset" button? I don't know, but it's definitely at least once.

If you have a reset button in front of you, do you dare to press it?

JULY 31st 2011!!!!!!!!!!

2011-07-31T21:34:00.003-04:00

"We now have a baby! Born 2.17am this morning"
~ Franklin

First Authentic Mexican Experience

2011-07-31T21:12:00.002-04:00

After 10 years in the US, I've finally fulfilled one goal, which is to find the real Mexican experience.

Mexicans are everywhere in the country. Mexican food is everywhere in the country. However, it's not everyday where you drive by a Mexican neighborhood, where the majority works for the local agricultural farm lands, and walk into a shack, 11pm at night to order some freshly made quesadilla with barbacoa.

It was a coincidence that we happened to drive by and felt a bit hungry. Strangely, even by the setting where it was dark, with a make shift road sign and poorly lit shack in front of a residential property, we didn't even think before we pulled over. It was like.... the right thing to do.

So what's good food? What is authenticity?

It didn't matter.

We were ordering from a menu (pasted on the broken down food truck) that had no sign of English. We were lucky that the guy taking the order spoke English. We were lucky that we were hungry for everything they can throw at us.

That's made it good and authentic.

Was the meat good? It was well prepared. Was it the best in the world? Probably not, but who cares?

Was the corn tortillas good? Absolutely. It had a strong corn presence in it unlike other Americanized Mexican food.

Was the experience unforgettable? Perhaps I will forget it when I get my butt to the real Mexico. Otherwise, sitting on a fiber glass bench under dim yellow light with Spanish music playing from a made-in-China radio, surrounded by Mexican families who live right across the street while realizing that we are sitting in the front yard of the owner's house..... pretty unforgettable.

This is by no means any different from road side stalls in Taiwan or Penang or any Asian cities. It's just that this will be a treasure to be found any where in the US where everything has been overly commercialized and commoditized. The corn tortilla may not have much value, but experience is not a commodity.

Photo Entry: Lauderdale by the Sea

2011-07-31T21:09:00.002-04:00

Lauderdale by the Sea is probably the lamest name I've heard of a city. It's about 4 miles north of Ft Lauderdale, has a jetty that goes pretty far out into the sea for fishing and hang out spot. It's opened 24 hours, so it was convenient for night shots of the city.

The shot wasn't anything spectacular, but that's just an excuse for this:

"Aint no boring night with a steamy shit!"

Photo Entry: Night at the Glades

2011-07-31T20:58:00.002-04:00

HOLY CRAP IT WAS A MASSACRE(MOSQUITOES)!!!!!

Through out the night, all I could hear was mosquito. It was almost pitch dark and I cannot imagine what horrific sight it would have been if I had some lights. I was literally in a sea of mosquitoes.

The insect repellent did work but I applied it a little too late. Still, I was lucky that I wasn't sucked dry.

I was there to get some sunset shots, but things didn't go too well. A big storm cloud blocked the sun, which resulted in this photo.

As the night fall, the storm cloud remained in the far distance, but the lightning became very active. Coupled with the stars and the lake reflection, here's a pretty stunning shot.

Stars

30min exposure

First attempt at the milky way.... not enough milk.

Condensed milk!

Photo Entry: Air and Space Museum

2011-07-14T23:48:00.003-04:00

Ah HA! This is the long anticipated trip for me. It's been 7 years since the last time I was here, and have been wanting to come back ever since. This is not the Air and Space museum in downtown DC, but an off site facility near Dulles Airport. Basically, it has bigger, more bad ass planes. Planes you don't expect to see else where, all housed in one giant hanger.

So enough said, enjoy the photos!

We were also very lucky that while visiting the Space Shuttle exhibit ( Enterprise), the last ever Space Shuttle launch of the Atlantis happened to be at count down. It was quite special to be there watching it happen.

Behold, this is the B-29 bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

Lastly, a McDonald's mean can cost close to $10 here..... sigh.

There are A LOT MORE photos HERE, seriously, a lot more!!!!

Mixed Messages

2011-07-14T23:30:00.005-04:00

During the visit to DC, we ran into a protest in front of the White House. I guess for the locals, this is a common site. It's an organized protest with permission, so it's peaceful and all. It was interesting how this event was organized.

First of all, there is a group of people who support the air strike on the Libyan government. They are Libyan immigrants who want Gadhafi to step down and appreciate Obama and Nato's actions. The other group is more complicated. I really don't know what they stand for. May be it's just a bunch of random people assembled together to make themselves sound a bit more legit. So here are a few of their agendas. 1. Peace. 2. No War for Oil. 3. White people get the hell outta Africa!!!

So this is not a for/against issue. This is truly about politics, about power, but not along the same logic. I find it interesting that both sides basically got together and put up a show. They actually took turns to rant their rally, and took turns to make their march in a circle. It's highly organized and well executed! I wonder if there are companies, like party organizers, who does this for a living!

And so while all of these was going on, business was as usual. Tourists flocked to the White House fence to make sure they have a prove of their presence in case they need photographic evidence for some murder that took place else where, and the old lady who has been around for ages, showing up with her mission of "mixed messages".

So really, what is this circus about? In central Asia where all you can see is sand and nothing else, there are seasonal trade towns where people come together during a certain time of the year and set up shops to trade different offerings. When business is done, they each head their own ways and the once crowded and happening trading ground returns into a desert. I think this is exactly what politics is. A temporary circus ground that doesn't last.

For more photos, please see HERE

Washington DC

2011-07-14T23:09:00.003-04:00

I've been to DC quite a few times, mostly when I was doing my internship in Maryland. Back then, I didn't really know DC well beyond the typical tourist traps like the mall area, so this time, I asked a friend to show me the real deal!

So what's the real deal? The real deal is where real DC folks live and hang out. Where they eat and spend. So first stop, breakfast!

I guess this must be some famous place. Lots of autographed photos of famous people, lots of satisfied smiles, including ours. The waiters were very friendly, even offered me to take a photo from behind the counter!

One thing about DC that surprised me is how green the city is. Of course, you will probably say," Yeah, it's the capitol, of course they will make sure the landscaping is well done." I am not talking about the perfect lawns or trees on the streets, but flower gardens in the neighborhoods, the private backyards or front porch where pedestrians walk. This is resident's movement, not some institutional policy. All I can say is, I feel the summer!

Next we visited the Eastern Market, which is basically a local market where people come here for crafts, flowers, food and random things. I guess this is a place where people feel like they actually live in a neighborhood.

The infamous Pentagon!!!

Can't remember which money temple that French dude was running.... oh well.

This is quite unique. Modern highrises built over old buildings.

Dupont circle is close to George Town, where filthy rich and ambassadors live. It is also where a lot of embassies are. The architecture here is surprisingly New Englandish... may be I am just ignorant. It reminds me of Boston, but bigger, more spacious and more elegant.

DC has taken me by surprise, in a very good way. I can imagine living here. It has great offerings. Culture, business and escapes. The country side is just a short drive away, with tons of world class museums right down town for free, plus the diversity of culture and people. Not to mention trees, REAL TREES!!! Not those in Florida that doesn't even provide a decent shade. These are REAL TREES with REAL LEAVES!!!!

So to end, I will top it off with more greens!

Thanks to Lew for taking the time to show us around!

To see more photos, click HERE