Around the World (1987) - shoshtrvls

Day 42 (continued)

shoshtrvls — Fri, 11 Sep 1987 00:00:00 GMT

Dinner and Nirula's and overnight only.

Day 22

shoshtrvls — Sat, 22 Aug 1987 00:00:00 GMT

This was a tour day, part of the package deal Barbara booked in Bangkok. The morning was spent just outside of Chiang Mai in an area I think is called San Kamphaeng, which is full of various "factories" where they produce hand the made items for which Chiang Mai is famous. However, the tour was just one factory after another where you spent about three minutes watching the craftsman and twenty minutes telling your assigned salesperson that you didn't want to buy anything.

Some of it was interesting though. The first factory produced lacquer and silverware and was definitely the best (they also had the best shop with some very interesting little f...cking dolls and antique buddha I almost bought). Next came the silver factory. What was amazing there was how some of the artisans copied some very intricate designs only by sight. After that was the teak shop, pretty boring after about two seconds of watching someone with an awl. The fourth shop made umbrellas and fans from both paper and silk. The last (finally!) was the silk factory which did hold my attention because the weaving seemed so difficult (but monotonous as well). Barbara bought birds for merit-making.

From there we went to lunch at a Japanese restaurant (!) which was quite pretty and had a couple of monkeys out front. After lunch we began the long, terrifying, but beautiful bus ride up to Doi Suthep, a buddhist temple located on a mountain overlooking Chiang Mail, a city infinitely more appealing than Bangkok. The temple was pretty uninspired except for the view which was quite hazy the day we were there. So we walked around the temple for a while (which you need to take a tram up to) and then looked at some jade factories/shops just below the temple. The bus had a tv in it on which our driver was watching professional wrestling wrestling while waiting for us. Anyway, it took about two hours to get back to Chiang Mai -- everyone slept.

Once we got back to Chiang Mai, Barbara and I made arrangements for a three-day trek to the hill tribes. Summit Tours had been recommended to us but they were closed so we went next door to a place called Galare Travel and hired a guide (the owner) whose nickname was Oot -- the sound a pig makes, he explained. He seemed nice, knowledgeable and trustworthy and so we were set.

We then went back to the hotel for a while and then had dinner at a fairly decent outdoor restaurant where we tried a really interesting banana-like fruit. Afterwards, we walked through the night bazaar for a bit and I began down the path of becoming an international smuggler by buying a supposedly antique wooden Burmese buddha. Antique or not, since the export of ANY buddhas from Thailand is forbidden without government approval, I had taken the first step.

Day 21 (continued)

shoshtrvls — Fri, 21 Aug 1987 00:00:00 GMT

The hotel in Chiang Mai -- the Chiang Mai Plaza, was really nice, very posh and Barb and I sat in the lobby/bar, listening to a pretty good lounge lizare act (Barb even thought it was a record!), drinking and writing in our journals.

Two notes on things I noticed in Bangkok (which also held true for the rest of Thailand). First, all the doorways were raised. At Jim Thompson's House they explained that the raised doorways were to keep out evil spirits. Also, there were little shrines everywhere, usually white with red (a sacred color) smeared all over and flower garlands hanging on it. Interesting.

Day 17

shoshtrvls — Mon, 17 Aug 1987 00:00:00 GMT

I awoke around 6:30 - 7:00, thinking we'd be docking any minute. Well, we were near Hong King -- near Aberdeen, but we had to wait outside the shipping lanes for a while (during which they served breakfast) and then we "docked" in the middle of the Harbor, i.e. we dropped anchor and a ferry and dock came out to get us.

We got off the ferry somewhat north o Ocean Terminal; I and two others took the wrong bus but finally got it together and got to our respective abodes -- I finally checked into the Y (no tub!) around 11:30. Then, walking around I ran into Claus; we window shopped all afternoon and then met up again for dinner -- Mexican in Hong Kong (and not too bad). Then we met Jimmy and his girlfriend (the New Yorker and Belgian) and headed to Ned Kelly's, an Aussie bar with a great jazz band. First it was just the four from the boat, then another couple, then a foursome, etc. -- it was great. I kept thinking that these were really terrific times: interesting people in interesting places, the best of times so to speak.

Day 12 (continued)

shoshtrvls — Wed, 12 Aug 1987 00:00:00 GMT

The ride back to Beijing was about two hours, during which everyone slept. From the Beijing-Toronto Hotel, I again journeyed to the Beijing Hotel for a coke in the lobby - a definite gather place for tourists from all over. There I met two Stanford B-School grads who were traveling for the summer and had just arrived in Beijing. We talked for a bit and they pointed out a nearby Opera Hall on the map. So my evening plans were set. I walked up Wangfiying (?) street and easily found the theater in a little alley to the right. I bought my ticket and began the search for dinner, eventually finding a long row of food stalls. Everything was only 20 fen and very good -- I had egg rolls, skewered meat (hopefully port and not cat) and a few other things as well. This was a definite find.

The opera was something else. There were three acts (three separate stories) with an intermission after the second. The first had three male characters who, I think, were fighting over a woman. The second was three women, one requiring forgiveness from another, with the third acting as an intermediary. The third act was the best with incredible costumes and acrobatics (and of course I ran out of film). This one seemed to be about two warring armies and about twenty to thirty actors were involved.

Peking opera is really different. The music is loud banging on traditional instruments (discovery of my earplugs from the bar exam was really welcomed) with only a few semi-melodic passages played on stringed instruments. What little actual singing there is is a high-pitched whine. Mostly though the actors talk or simply mime. Much of it is really acrobatics and sword fights. The costumes and makeup are stunning and a lot of posing goes on. It was definitely an event I'm glad I saw.

After the show I attempted to walk home but when I arrived at the Overseas Chinese Hotel rather than the Beijing Overseas Chinese Hotel, I realized that the hotel was just too far and so I grabbed a cab home.

Day 12 (continued)

shoshtrvls — Wed, 12 Aug 1987 00:00:00 GMT

Another half-hour and we were at the Great Wall. The drive itself was beautiful -- luscious green mountains, spectacular scenery. The road parallels the train tracks from Russia -- it must be a magnificent trip. Arrivig at the Wall is another thing entirely -- thousands and thousands of tourists and all the accompanying tee shirt and gift shops. Still, the Wall itself is really amazing as it snakes up and down the crest of the mountain range. You can climb either to the left or the right -- quite a trek to the top. It's very steep in parts, people sliding all over. but the climb was well worth it -- the view and the majesty of it all was really overwhelming. Apparently you can continue on -- fewer tourists and the Wall not yet restored in some parts but I was definitely too tired (and running short of time). So Paul, his mum, and I headed back down for some souvenir tee shirts and cold coke.

Day 11 (continued)

shoshtrvls — Tue, 11 Aug 1987 00:00:00 GMT

After regaining my strength, I set off through Tianamen Square to find the acrobatics hall. I stopped to buy orange sodas often during the day (usually 40 fen, with a 10-20 return on the bottle). The street to the south of the Square was interesting enough, really just a lot of shops selling various things, but because I wasn't really used to navigating the hutongs with the map, I overshot my destination considerably. I walked back through one of the hutongs parallel to the main street -- much more interesting -- narrow, dirty, very real. I finally found the acrobatics hall, purchased a ticket, and then debated how to spend the intervening two hours. When I realized that I was extremely close to one of the recommended Peking Duck restaurants ("Is that No. 41 on the [Lonely Planet] map?" I was asked later in the evening -- a popular guide book and destination), I decided to try my luck.

The place was crowded but not too crowded. Mostly Chinese with a few westerners. The way to get a seat was to stand behind someone until they were done. You then had about two seconds to site down before someone else did. I got lucky and rather quickly a table opened up with just one vacant seat. Even better, one of the diners was a Chinese man (there with his wife and daughter) who had just returned from two years at Brandeis in Boston! So we talked about traveling, the difference in cultures, etc. The duck was excellent. Served with pancakes, hoisin sauce and onions, it is to be eaten like mooshu pork, i.e. rolled into a burrito-like pouch.

After dinner I headed back to the acrobatics hall. There were very few Chinese in attendance -- mostly westerners and Japanese tour groups. (In fact, I had met several of the westerners earlier in the day in the hutongs, duck restaurant, etc.) The show was great. Mistakes were made, but all in all quite interesting. There were several different acts ranging from magic to juggling to balancing. Quite a spectacle lasting about two hours.

Following the show I took a bicycle rickshaw back to the Beijing Hotel where a drunk Texan kept trying to get me to dance with him. His friend was a lawyer and we had a fairly interesting conversation, but the drunk one kept interfering. I finally got up, walked around a bit and then sat down with a group of Austrians who had come to China as part of a Youth Council delegation. They were nice enough but somewhat boring. I got back to my hotel at about 10:30 (very late Chinese time) and tried in vain to arrange for a taxi the following morning to take me to the Beijing -Toronto Hotel where the Great Wall tour met. I finally gave up and went to bed.

Day 45 (cont.)

shoshtrvls — Mon, 14 Sep 1987 00:00:00 GMT

Drove to Cuenca and saw the hanging houses from a footbridge. Dinner there and back to Madrid.

Day 45

shoshtrvls — Mon, 14 Sep 1987 00:00:00 GMT

Drove to Toledo and visited the Alcazar, Museo de Santa Cruz, a long lunch, found a wonderful antique store -- AVIS ALQUILE UNCOCHE -- where mom bought a menorah and we heard all about Spanish Jewish history and the judaica collection. The place had a mikvah in the basement. (Note -- writing this more than 30 years later, when I took Ellery to Spain in 2001, I again found this store and purchased another piece of judaica from the same collection -- 25 years later!).

We went to the Synagogue de Santa Maria la Blanca, Santa Tome Cathedral (where the El Greco painting "Burial de Conte Orgaz" is), the Santa Iglesia Cathedral Primada.

Day 44

shoshtrvls — Sun, 13 Sep 1987 00:00:00 GMT

Waled to the Prado and the Picasso Annex to see the Guernica. Lunch at THE Ritz hotel, took a siesta (love those siestas), hung at a cafe in the Plaza Santa Ana and ate dinner at a tapas bar near the hotel.

Day 43 (cont.)

shoshtrvls — Sat, 12 Sep 1987 00:00:00 GMT

Flew to Madrid and met mom at the airport. We got the car and drove to the hotel (Gran Hotel Victoria) at Plaza Angel. Walked around Madrid -- grand Via, Puerto del Sol, Plaza Santa Ana. Dinner at Pazo de Monterrey.

Day 6 (cont.)

shoshtrvls — Thu, 06 Aug 1987 00:00:00 GMT

The evening tour was kind of hokey but a good view of Kowloon -- the neon signs and shops, the public housing and the few real homes for the wealthy. From there it was onto the bot, even more touristy (and empty) but it was a good view of the bay and Aberdeen. We missed our ride back to the hotel but the walk was short and pleasant.

Day 2 (continued)

shoshtrvls — Sun, 02 Aug 1987 00:00:00 GMT

Dinner was around 8 at the Outrigger Canoe Club with Uncle Martin, Aunt Janet, Scott and Stacey. We sat at a table at the edge of the water with a view of the entire bay. Surprisingly, Scott and Stacey did not seem like complete brats (nice even) although Aunt Janet still seemed a real JAP. We talked about scooters (Scott has one too) and Uncle Martin offered the services of his Hong Kong and Beijing offices to help us plan our China trip.

Day 57

shoshtrvls — Sat, 26 Sep 1987 00:00:00 GMT

Flight home. Lost rug forever. :-(

Day 57

shoshtrvls — Sat, 26 Sep 1987 00:00:00 GMT

Flight home.

Day 56

shoshtrvls — Fri, 25 Sep 1987 00:00:00 GMT

We returned to Madrid, ate lunch at the Parador. At dinner at a tapas bar, we ran into Kim Cook.

Day 55

shoshtrvls — Thu, 24 Sep 1987 00:00:00 GMT

Went to Granada, saw the Alhambra (lunch at P?) and again back to Malaga for dinner with Bernice.

Day 54 (cont.)

shoshtrvls — Wed, 23 Sep 1987 00:00:00 GMT

Dinner in Malaga with Bernice.

Day 54

shoshtrvls — Wed, 23 Sep 1987 00:00:00 GMT

We took a tour to Sevilla -- Alcazar, Barrio de Santa Cruz (the Jewish quarter), lunch at a hotel, saw doves in the Parque de Maria Luisa, took a Caleche ride and saw the Plaza de Espana.

Day 53

shoshtrvls — Tue, 22 Sep 1987 00:00:00 GMT

Went to the beach in the morning, and drove to Marbella. Walked around. I bought a cute little green dress that I'm amazed I can wear. Dinner back at the hotel.