My Not So Weekly Run-Down: 1/21/2010

Where Am I NOW??

One reason I haven’t updated this blog recently (and why my weekly update is nearly a week late), is because much of this week we have spent on the road.  It’s literally been planes, trains, and automobiles since we left Shanghai, and it wouldn’t shock me if I use a boat as a means of transportation before we get back to Yanji. 

The following maps should give you an idea of where I have been:

In the above map you will see what we did last week.  The blue line represents our flight from Shanghai to Guilin on Tuesday, January 12^th.  We spent one night in Guilin, and then took a bus down to Yangshuo on Wednesday (this is represented by the red line).

The second map depicts the past four days of our journey.  After spending five days in Yangshuo (which is an amazing city where we literally could have spent our entire vacation), we took the bus back to Guilin in order to board a 19 hour sleeper train for Kunming (these are represented by the red and green lines on the below map, the blue line is there because I’m not very good with Paint).

After staying one night in Kunming, we boarded a sleeper bus (that’s correct, a sleeper bus, as in a bus with bed like structures in it) to Jinghong.  This is represented in the above map by the red line. 

Do you understand where I am?  To the Southeast of Jinghong, you can see Laos, which is our next destination (but more on that later). 

Three Things I’m thinking about This Week:

Ok, now you’re just being rude

For the most part, I really like hostels.  In my opinion, hostels are the perfect way to travel for twenty-somethings looking to see the world.  Not only are they cheap (I’m fairly certain I spent more money on beer last week than I did on accommodations), but if you find the right hostel you will meet a lot of really cool and interesting people, and in China these people usually have really cool stories.*

*This is, more or less, how we decided to go to Laos.  When one traveler tells you to go somewhere, it is pretty much meaningless unless you really trust them, but when tens of travelers tell you how awesome a destination is, and when this destination shares a border with an area you were already planning on going (in this case, China’s Yunnan province), then it’s time to consider going there.  So, we’re going to Laos.

However, the problem with cheap hostel accommodations is that more often than not you are sharing a room with people you do not know.  Usually these people turn out to be similar travelers that are looking to share stories, get meals together, and drink together.  I like these people. 

Sometimes, though, your roommates suck, and in Yangshuo for a night, we had one such roommate.

The first night we got to Yangshuo, we immediately went up to the bar and starting drinking with the other travelers in our hostel.  Most of them were great and interesting people, and we had an awesome Tuesday night.  After going to sleep drunk, everybody was expecting a great night of sleep.  Then (at what I can only guess was 6 AM, but I refused to pick up my phone to check) a phone rang.

Usually this wouldn’t be a problem.  Maybe somebody was leaving the hostel early in the morning, or somebody had to wake up for an excursion.  Neither of these would be a problem, and I rolled over and didn’t pay any attention to it. 

However, the problem was that the person in the bunk above mine (an incredibly stupid Australian girl) began to have a conversation with her sister on the phone.  This was in a room with five other people that were trying to sleep at SIX IN THE MORNING.

After the conversation went on for about five minutes (and I obviously couldn’t sleep), I thought of saying something when the Israeli girl in the bed next to mine asked the girl to either go in the hall or end the call.  Apparently, the Australian girl thought she could talk quietly or something and she continued the conversation.  As I again considered yelling at her from my bed below, the girl got louder and louder.

Again, the Israeli girl asked her to leave the room to have her conversation.

Not moving from her bed, the Australian girl continued her conversation, and I strongly considered reaming her out when the Israeli girl said, “OK, now you’re just being rude.”  This promptly ended the conversation.

It was worth it

I previously wrote about my quest to get tickets for Avatar, and I wanted to write a fully fledged review of the film for this blog.  The problem is: I have nothing to add to the conversation about the film.  Yes, the visuals were stunning, and yes the story sucked (thanks to Dip for that hilarious link). 

All I can say is that this is one film that NOBODY should wait to see on DVD and that EVERYBODY should see in theaters (that means you Cindy and Barry, and unfortunately probably Mike as well).  I can’t imagine how mediocre this film would be on a television, but in 3D IMAX it is one of the most remarkable visual feats I have ever seen.

This is what everybody has said, so I see no reason to write much more on the subject.  The question now, is whether a film with such a mediocre and predictable story deserves to win Best Picture.

Consummating My Marriage

The last time I wrote, I mentioned my love affair for my laptop.  This week, I think I consummated my marriage with it.

Everybody talks about theft on trains and busses (especially when you sleep on these trains and busses) and I am not prepared to take any chances with this laptop.  As long as I am travelling, this thing will either be locked up somewhere, or pretty much attached to me.

On our train ride from Guilin to Kunming (which, I’ll reiterate, was 19 hours long), I didn’t know what to do with my laptop.  While I considered burying it in my large backpack, I decided that the best place to keep it was with me in my ‘hard sleeper’ bed.  When I went to sleep that night, I hooked my small backpack (containing my laptop, camera, passport, wallet, journal) on a small hook next to my bed.  As luck might have it, this was the perfect distance above my bed so that the backpack could sit on my pillow.

As I went to sleep that night, I actually slept with my laptop.  My backpack (which I only brought with me to carry my laptop) took up half the pillow and I took up the other half.  Nobody was getting to this thing without waking me up.

Two nights later, I found myself on a sleeper bus from Kunming down to Jinghong.  This sleeper bus was essentially a coach bus outfitted with three rows of six beds that had bottom and top bunks.  Each bed was a little bit wider than I am, and had a compartment at the base so that your feet are under the head of the person in front of you.

I had the lousy luck of being in the middle row, so I couldn’t really put my backpack on either side of me (well, I could have, but I have now become increasingly overprotective of this laptop).  To keep it safe, I decided that the best place to put my backpack was in the small compartment at the base of my bed, between my legs (or feet).

In the past week I have not only shared a pillow with my laptop, but I have also slept with my laptop between my legs.  I am now considering female names for it (like how people name cars).

She is black (although that doesn’t have to influence the name selection) and petite.  Are there any suggestions? 

Tales From Toledo (and I’m not talking about Ohio)

As most of you probably know, my sister Julie is currently studying in Toledo, Spain.  This section is written by her (with only limited edit by myself).

As we stood in the corridor at la Fundación de Ortega y Gasset, tensions were high as each of the students in my program was introduced to his or her respective host parents. 

“Eva Margarita.. No, ella no está aqui”
with this announcement I became slightly more worried.  My host mom had not shown up on time, and still having not slept since 5am the morning prior (in Chicago), I was exhausted, slightly disgusting and really hoped that I wouldn’t have to wait any longer to meet the person I was going to live with by myself for the rest of the semester.  And then she showed up. 
As many people in America might notice, often times mothers try to dress like their daughters or act like “cool” parents (Note: the dad in Modern Family).  The description I received regarding my host mom goes as follows: young-single woman.  There was no indication of how old this woman would be nor was there any information regarding her life, so I was in for a slight surprise when my host “mom” Eva came to meet me. 
I have spent numerous hours talking with Eva since having entered her life and I can still admit that I have not a clue how old she is.  My friends think she is 25.  I think she has to be at least 33, considering that she has a 14-year-old son who lives in Ecuador with her ex-husband, but I would never want to offend her by asking.  Eva looks as if she would be my sister.  She walked into the Fundación in converse sneakers and spandex leggings and when Eva and I were talking about the “rules” (which subsequently don’t really exist in her house), her response was “Julia no sera problemas. Nosotros son jovenes.”  Translation:  Julie there are going to be no problems because we’re both young!  When I asked if I had a curfew or a time that she would like me to be in at night, her response?  “Julie, don’t worry about it because I’m going to be out late too!” 
Now this is only the beginning.  I wish I could say that I felt really uncomfortable and that I was thrown into a really awkward situation, as most students would admit they feel, I feel as if I was thrown into a more spacious college dorm room where rules don’t really exist.  In fact, Eva used to be a bartender so I am curious how our “mother-daughter” relationship is going to progress and whether or not she’s going to follow the rule that host parents are not allowed to drink with their students and we’re not allowed to drink in their houses (Now I know why Notre Dame sends us to this school).
 After first arriving at Eva’s apartment, I unpacked my suitcase and proceeded asking her many questions the directors at the Fundación had provided in order to break the ice and also as a means of asking the tough questions early on while we are living here.  (This is the time when Eva kept responding that we’re both young so our rules are different). 
After Eva had finished baking a cake for her brother’s birthday, which we went to later that night, her boyfriend came over and hung out with us for a while.  Eva’s boyfriend looks as if he is about 25, hence more confusion about Eva’s age, and is hilarious.  I think Eva’s boyfriend’s name is Emiliano, but a part of me thinks this is wrong because that’s the name of our favorite bartender (more on that later) and I probably just heard him wrong*.   In any event, this guy is hilarious and I have a feeling that he is going to be a usual suspect at nightly dinners, etc. 
After meeting Eva’s boyfriend and then later going over to her brother’s house for dinner, her friends came over to watch a movie.  Now, this was hilarious because we watched Public Enemies in Spanish and the actor used to dub Johnny Depp’s voice literally makes him sounds like any one of the announcers on Spanish TV channels in the United States and it is absurd.  Also, Eva’s two friends and her boyfriend brought snacks.  Apparently in Spain everyone eats 3 meals a day and then goes out to drink and then eats snacks (and by snacks I mean a foot long éclair and bags of Spanish chips)**. 
Despite the amount of food I have consumed in my first day in Spain, I think I just might have won the jackpot in host families...but it might be too soon to tell. 
*His actual name is Emanuel.
**This has not changed in the last two days that I have been here and I feel like the girl from Willy Wonka who eats the gum and turns into a Blueberry.

Rising up my iTunes Play Count

During my 19-hour train ride, I treated myself (not really, as I’m still working off a gift card) to Girls Versus Suits, the 100^th episode of one of my favorite television programs, How I Met Your Mother.  Overall, I thought it was a great episode both story-wise, and with the overall mythology of the story. 

Both storylines fit it well.  The Barney-centric suit story was excellent, provided some humor, and showcased the shows signature character.  Meanwhile, the Ted storyline really moved the audience closer to meeting the mother, and makes me wonder if we will actually meet the mother in this season’s finale (because, can they really string us along for several more years at this point).

I think this episode was really written with the hard-core fans in mind, and that is absolutely fine by me.  However, if that is the case, I would have loved to see Ranjit make an appearance, and it would have been nice to sear some old season one Barneyisms like Legendary. 

I think the musical number was decent, but I question whether or not it fit the tone of the show.  While NPH is great at musical numbers (see, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog), I just wonder whether a) Barney is actually a musical number type of guy, and b) whether the musical number made sense in the realm of the show.

Overall, I think the musical number took away from the show, because it took away from the other characters screen time.  All Marshall, Lily, and Robin did this episode was sit in the bar and argue whether or not the bartender was hot.  I think they could have been used more effectively here, and they could have added more comedy to the episode.

Overall, it was a solid effort, but I wouldn’t count it as one of my favorites like The Naked Man or World’s Greatest Couple.

Meal of the Week:

Spending approximately one day in Guilin, we decided to do a day trip to the Longsheng Rice Terraces.  While these were only marginally interesting (I think it is the wrong time of year to visit rice terraces), the tour we went with (never take tours, ever) took us to the village of Ping’An where we ate lunch.

In this village we were supposed to eat Bamboo Chicken and Bamboo Rice (which, of course, was not included in the cost of the tour).  Both of these foods are essentially cooked inside a large piece of bamboo.  The rice was just packed into the bamboo (and subsequently cooked), as was the chicken.

Overall, neither dish was anything special.  Seeing as I am well on my way to become a rice connoisseur, I didn’t think the rice was very good (although the hint of bamboo was an interesting taste).  The chicken was decent, but annoying because they seemingly stuffed the entire chicken into the stick of bamboo.  This meant that almost every piece of chicken was attached to a bone and it was very difficult to eat.

I like foods that are simple to eat.

Beer of the Week:

I would never consider myself a beer connoisseur, but when travelling it is always nice to try the local beers to try to find differences.  This week I had two different beers that I had never drank before, and might never have again.  In Yangshuo, the local beer of choice is Liq Beer.  This was a pretty standard beer that came in the taller bottles (for 10 RMB or $1.50 at our hostel) and did a good job getting us drunk.  That is what I would recommend this beer for.

The second beer I had this week was Dali Beer, which comes out of the northern Yunnan province.  On Tuesday night, I was hoping to stay in and work on my blogs, but as I usually do: I had a beer with dinner.  Dali beer was a bad choice for this as it has a whopping 10% A.B.V. and we were (of course) drinking the taller bottles.

Needless to say, I did not get any work done that night, and ended up going out to the bars of Kunming.

Quotations of the Week:

One thing that makes certain hostels great is meeting fun people in them who actually have a conception of the real world (unlike many travelers).  In Shanghai we met a guy (I’ll call him Mike) who had actually worked for a couple years as an investment banker; this quote describes what led him to take time off to travel.

Mike: “So we working on this deal with another firm, and after working on the deal for two months, it suddenly fell through . . . the other firm was Lehman Brothers.”

Picture of the Week:

This is a picture of me climbing in Yangshuo (apparently one of the best climbing locations in the world).  Notice two things: that you can’t see the ground in the picture; and notice what I am wearing.