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In our ongoing attempts to maintain some level of sanity (the 50-60 hour workweeks don’t help this venture) we’ve taken the opportunity this year to spend nearly every long weekend outside of Tokyo. While this may not be the cheapest formula, it has proven to be one that works considerably well. Thus, quick trips have become a way of life and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future or until I run out of places (yeah, right…that’s totally going to happen) I want to see.
Given Monday was Labour Thanksgiving we opted to spend our weekend in Hong Kong. A quick 4 hour flight later and we were on the ground and ready to explore. As it turns out, we liked HK a lot more than we had anticipated as the outdoor cafes, boardwalk and general atmosphere was very welcoming.
The views weren’t too bad either…
One fun little note: Each night there is a laser show at 8pm with laser beams being shot off of the roofs of some of the biggest buildings. Our second night in HK, we had a little Dim Sum (yum!) for dinner and then just sat along the board walk until the light show began promptly at 8pm. While it might get a little old after a while, it was free and quite entertaining (well, we are easily entertained).
That said, we had a great time just sitting on the boardwalk watching the people pass by. We did just a bit of shopping (though there was no lack of shopping options) and managed to pick up some new (small) pottery lions to be added to our book shelf ‘o adventures.
Sadly, as of this morning I’m left to wonder where our next adventure will be. We’re headed home for the holidays next month (yay!) but were also planning a trip to India for my birthday in March. Unfortunately, it seems like that option is now off the table. We are quite thankful this evening though that those of those we know who are currently in Mumbai and the family of a friend of ours are all safe.
Oh well, off to ponder…
Hmmm, where did we leave off???
Samba – Done
Awards – Pleasant surprise
After Party – Mildly entertaining
5AM Wakeup Call – Painful
Somehow I managed to get out of bed and get M moving in the process. Working on only 5 hours sleep we somehow managed to get showered and dressed in thirty minutes time, which worked well since our 6AM car turned up at 5:30.
Yes, today was going to be a long day…full of twists and turns.
After blindly walking down to the main hall in the pitch black with the bitter cold biting our cheeks (not to mention my bald scalp) we checked out and soon found ourselves in the back of a car being driven through the wilderness at warp speed wondering if he was going to stop somewhere along side the road once we fell asleep to kill us with a shovel buried inside the trunk.
Instead though he kept cracking open the window every couple of miles, so my fear of being whacked was soon replaced with whether he needed fresh air to keep awake, but as M would tell me later he was actually trying to be polite for us as he passed gas the entire trip to the airport.
(M wonders: How in the world did you NOT NOTICE THAT SMELL?)
Once we arrived we knew we had the challenge of getting a flight somewhere ahead of us. You see our flight to Tokyo was canceled the day before and we had to make a connection to Hong Kong. I know what you’re thinking…and M tried, oh how she tried to get us a direct flight to Hong Kong.
It was quite a bit like this experience:
(p.s. That show is hilarious)
Sadly, no on could be bothered to listen as we sprinted between two terminals (sent from one to the other and then back via a 10 minute shuttle bus each way). Three airlines, twelve “customer service” representatives and multiple people yelling at each other in Mandarin later we found ourselves on an Air China flight back to Tokyo. We’re still not sure why or what they were screaming but it seemed to be the norm for the airport. That said, it was a lovely airport.
During this ordeal we couldn’t help but notice two groups of travelers flashing American passports being flanked by their own teams of cameramen looking a little too giddy to be at the airport in Beijing at 8am. Oddly enough, it seems that we found ourselves in the middle of CBS’ “Amazing Race” with two teams on our flight. Without giving too much away, I can assure you that all of the panic and suspense of the actual show comes from some really great editing. On this particular day we found ourselves watching the double mint twins in matching sweatshirts, bleached teeth and badly dyed red hair preen the entire time for the cameras.
M had to remind me a few times that something are better thought than said aloud and that when calling people “twits” and such it’s best to do it at a volume they can’t hear you.
Forthunately the flight itself wasn’t bad as a nap and bag of M&Ms calmed me down considerable after being cut in front of by the camera crew multiple times had me rather annoyed.
Still we had quite a ways to go and even bumped into the host Phil Keoghan as he waited for his flight to film the finale in Hawaii. It’s important to note that the running, fighting and begging for seats that you see on TV didn’t really happen and oh yeah, Phil flies business class.
Eventually we got to Hong Kong on another smooth flight and following a quick checkout through customs, caught a cab, and got to our room (with free upgrade) just after midnight.
Needless to say we slept in the next morning, but if anyone wants to race us…we’re game!
After avoiding a starfish/sea horse/scorpion breakfast we found ourselves on a bus headed north out of Beijing.
Two hours later we found ourselves here. Yes, the Commune by the Great Wall. It’s in the middle of no where and yet, still very cool (literally and figuratively). After finding our respective houses/rooms, we took off for lunch and a quick hike up to the great wall. Given Commune is located a bit off the beaten path, we were lucky enough to have a small section of the wall all to ourselves.
Needless to say, it was beautiful.
Not so beautiful? Me dancing.
As promised, shortly after our hike down from the wall we began to practice the samba. After being offered a choice between the smoke machine or bubbles for our performance (Are we taking this a bit seriously?) we spent the next few hours practicing and preparing for the performance. Once we were moderately sure we would not completely embarrass ourselves, we changed into the performance costumes and off we went!
In the end it wasn’t too bad and went by very quickly. Still, we weren’t as good as some of the other offices who had hired professional choreographers from Russia (again with the taking a company skit too seriously!). Following our performance we were lucky enough to settle into some very good Chinese food and win a few awards. I also got to take off the rubber Geisha wig which was probably the best moment of the night – for me at least. And no, there were no pictures of that I will share. The only chance you may have at seeing me in the outfit would be if a certain industry magazine picks up the photos they took and given how well my translucent white skin looks up against yellow fabric, I’m guessing that’s going to be a no.
All in all, it was a lot more fun than we could have ever anticipated.
Sadly, we only stayed at Commune one night before a 5:30 car picked us up to return us to the airport.
Little did we know what the next day would entail…
Hungry?
Really? Why ever not?
Perhaps some scorpions would jump-start your appetite?
Unfortunately we didn’t have a ton of time in in Beijing as our bus to the Great Wall picked us up mid-morning. That said, we did have time to check out one of the markets we’d loved the last time around during the breakfast hours. Needless to say, I ran far and fast once I saw someone actually prepared to eat one of the above skewers.
Lucky for me, this was just a block or so away.
Tomorrow…The Great Wall and dancing the samba.
That’s what my husband refers to life with me as and on this trip, it’s stayed true to form.
We’re still in Hong Kong and having a great time but as this might be going on the “list” I wanted to drop into the internet and see which sites are allowed and which are not by the Chinese government and as you must purchase an hour, I has me some time.
Thus far we’ve had a great trip. Beijing was wonderful as was the awards gala we attended outside the city. The ride back was a bit scary as drives in private cars in China typically are (I’ll save the details for a longer post when we return). The way to HK involved three airlines in a 20 minute time period and thus – It’s Always An Adventure.
More to come (with pics!) by Tuesday.
Apologies for the slacking, to describe the last few weeks as chaos would be the understatement of the year.
Regardless, the Purple Puppy Pickup van has just taken the gremlin away to camp (yes, they have a purple doggy school bus that pulls up to the curb to pick up/deliver your dog – and it’s the norm for Japanese boarding) and we are all set for a weekend whirlwind tour.
Our flight to Beijing takes off in about six hours.
We’ll be in Beijing for less than 24 hours before the company gala on the Great Wall starts. This will involve dancing the Matsukan Samba with six co-workers in front of the Global CEO, Asia Pacific CEO, Japan CEO and all sorts of other people. And I will be dressed in a yellow striped kimono with a plastic wig dancing the matsuken samba.
I will not be providing pictures of this, the highlight of my career. I will however, provide you with a mental image.
I will be wearing this:
Plastic Wig and Gold Tinsel Pom poms included.
And dancing this:
Now, you’ll note that last week we did a skit (what’s with all the skits???) which required me simply to clap to the rhythm of “We will, we will rock you” and I COULD NOT DO IT. I can barely walk and talk at the same time without tripping over myself. I skinned my palms this weekend falling up the stairs. Thus, a big ol’ slice of humble pie and public humiliation is coming my way this Thursday night.
Thus, there will be no pictures of the dancing.
The wall? Yes.
Beijing? Yes.
The dancing? Hell will be frozen and the devil will be ice skating in a pink ballarina outfit before that happens.
That said, if I survive the dancing, I will be immediately rewarded as we’re slated to spend a long weekend in Hong Kong. We’ve had the trip on the books for months now and were unable to cancel it so we’re heading from Beijing to Hong Kong.
Check back Tuesday for pictures!
Apologies, I spent a little longer celebrating then I’d anticipated.
It still hasn’t sunk in.
While I’ve seen the videos of people pouring into the streets to celebrate, read the exclamations of excitement from friends online and seen the crowds captivated by our new president, I still can not quite to justice to the situation.
You see, I’ve spent the last four years telling many people that I’m Canadian.
I no longer have to do that.
Why claim Canadian?
Because I will no longer have to deal with that awkward pause after I tell someone “Yes, I am an American.” Eight years of awkward pauses is totally more than enough.
Because being claiming Canadian was never followed by “How could you vote for George Bush? How could you support that war?” Saying “I’m American” often garnered that response.
Because on more than one occasion I’ve found myself surrounded by people (mostly British and Australian) bashing America. It’s difficult to defend an administration you don’t believe in.
Now, before you tell me I’m a coward or whatever, understand that I never wanted to be Canadian but that it was just easier and safer to be so. Admitting to being American would be met with confrontations, jokes and other awkwardness that can only be explained through experience. I’m not the first, nor the last expat to not honestly admit their nation of origin, but I am one that is quite excited to be able to be honest once again.
Perhaps it is difficult to explain as many might not be fully aware of how the rest of the world have seen the US for the past few years. Upon hearing our accents in the Ho Chi Minh airport, a family from the Philippines came up and asked who we were voting for in the election. After hearing of our political preferences they explained how happy and hopeful they were that Obama would win. They then went on to explain how sad they were about the status of the United States. This wasn’t the first or the last time we’d heard the sentiment from people who had never even been stateside.
While it may not be polite to talk politics, it happens.
But now, it’s all changing.
The first friday after the election I found myself surrounded by British, German, Japanese and American colleagues and the overwhelming feeling was elation. It took a half of an hour to get the meeting started following talk of the victory and how American foreign policy may change. It may not be much, but it’s a start.
That said, while I am on my soapbox, one step forward was met with three steps backward.
Alas, I will leave it up to someone paid for his opinions.
Apologies if this is a touch unfocused, am too busy squealing like a small child over the election results to focus well. In summary: We’re thrilled. We’ve been claiming to be Canadian for far too long and are happy to see the US may finally start to put itself back together. The speeches this evening by both McCain and Obama were excellent and we’re very excited to have been a part of the election process having voted from Japan.
Now, I must figure out a way to be a little less smug by the time I meet my in-laws for dinner as one should not gloat in the presence of those whose party did not win. I wonder if they’ve figured out yet that I’ve brought their son over to the dark side? Regardless, must practice internal celebrating verses the bouncing/squealing currently occurring. This guy has a very good point.
So, in my attempts to focus, I will now recap our latest adventures in Kyoto.
We left bright and early this past weekend to head down to share the beautiful sights of Kyoto with T’s parents who are visiting. It’s actually a rather busy time of year in the area as the leaves are changing…it is quiet beautiful.
After a quick ride on the Shinkansen we made our way across Kyoto to visit the Golden palace. Given that it was quite a bit warmer this time and the fall light, it was really a spectacular sight to see.
We spent much of the first day just wandering around and taking in the sights of the temples, rock gardens and beauty that is around Kyoto. It was rather leisurely actually.
Sorry to be so brief, but there is celebrating to be done!
Tomorrow I will share a brief missive on how to use a Japanese style Toilet. Why am I sharing this? Because there’s a rather amusing story involving my Mother in Law’s experience that also needs to be told.
