adventure time

Ahoy,

We met my parents in Salt Lake City for an adventure. My dad wanted to go to Yellowstone, but after some research I discovered it is closed in November due to snow. So I arranged a trip to Capitol Reef and Bryce. My mom asked 'Is it famous? Because I only want to go if it's famous...' She has to impress for friends.

First thing my parents told me when we met them at the airport was that my mom had found Chinatown. And it was 18 miles away. So we went to Chinatown which was all of one little strip mall on a street of strip malls. Probably the most underwhelming of Chinatowns we've seen. We walked in and out in under 10 minutes.

Capitol Reef was about 3 hours east of Salt Lake City and we were on our way. We stayed right outside the park so we could go straight there the next morning. There were cows grazing right next to the hotel. The town right outside Capitol Reef is pretty small. The last time we were there, A and I arrived too late and everything was closed. So we went straight out to dinner upon arrival.

I managed to get my folks out on 3 hikes the next day: 3 miles, 3 miles, and 2 miles, which is more than I can say for some of my friends. We hiked through a canyon to an arch while my parents stopped to admire every tree. We saw quite a bit of the park, and a fallen long horn sheep in the middle of the trail. When we finished the hike, we saw rangers heading in - one of them with a shotgun. I suspect the sheep had some sort of spinal injury because his hind legs were not moving at all. Capitol Reef has a lot to offer, but we had just missed harvest season. Apparently, you are allowed to pick fruit from the many orchards there left over from Mormon settlers. It is also probably the least crowded park we've visited, which we really appreciate compared to Yosemite in the summer.

My mom was complaining after each hike hoping it was the last one. She only wanted to go on one hike, she kept insisting. So the next day, we went on one hike that was almost 8 miles.

It's about a 2-3 hour drive south from Capitol Reef to Bryce. We took the scenic route and made it in time to grab dinner in town. I thought it was a small town given how popular Bryce is. I had been to Bryce a while ago and was eager to show A how cool it is. I've always thought it was so unique. We took a hike that went down into the hoodoos and saw a lot of different views. That hike was so varied and really gives a satisfying taste for a first trip. It was perfect weather for Bryce - just before snow and ice, and not muddy at all. We encountered ice only once at a waterfall, just enough of the elements for some excitement.

We spent our last day back in SLC. It was a Sunday so most things were closed, which didn't occur to me would be a problem until we got there. We spent the day wandering around the city. It's somewhat sleepy and suburban, which is not a surprise for a Capital city. A and I went to a bourbon bar to end the night, which had surprisingly good food for a good price and really good cocktails. Also, it was not busy at all. LA standards really make us appreciate smaller cities. I probably wouldn't like to live there, but it's nice to visit.

best,
jt

3 weekends in tents

Ahoy,

I had booked 3 weekends of camping back to back: Joshua Tree, Yosemite, and Yosemite again.

That first weekend in Joshua Tree rained so much! Lightning and thunder - the works! We happened to be camping outside in a tent during one of the most torrential rains of the year or past couple years. It rained for what seemed like all night. Fortunately it didn't start until after we were in our tents, probably from 11pm to 5 or 6 am. I was awake for much of it. Water started to come into our tent. It's waterproof to a certain extent, but there really was a lot of rain pouring down at a moderate to heavy pace for a long time. This made it really difficult for me to go to the bathroom. I really needed to pee, and I thought it would slow down at any minute. But it did not. I decided to just change my outfit so I could get it wet and change back into my pajamas. But when I got outside, I realized I totally forgot my headlamp. So I meanderingly made my way to the bathroom. A slept through this whole fiasco.

We awoke to a relatively undisturbed, but soaked campsite. Elsewhere in town and in the park was a different story. Apparently there were people stuck in their cars overnight, the roads were closed and washed out, there were boulders in the road, etc. All the park rangers were warning us extensively. But once we got into JTree, everything seemed fine. It was less crowded and more puddly, but we had a great time bouldering and scrambling around that day.

We got 2 weekends in Yosemite as a type of weather insurance - in case it rained one weekend, we could just bail and go another. It turned out to be great weather both weekends. We hiked one weekend up to Glacier Point and spent the following weekend just bouldering and eating ice cream.

A advertised that Glacier Point would just be 4 miles. In reality, it's 4.8 miles to the top and then 4.8 back down. The trail is mostly switchbacks resulting in over 3000 feet of elevation gain. It pretty much took the full day. The next day we went to watch the dawn wall at dawn before checking out the Camp 4 bouldering briefly.

The 2 weekends made it so we could do different things each weekend. And the leaves were changing color, so we got to see the progression of colors over the course of 2 weeks. It was pretty special to experience a seasonal shift since weather in LA is always the same. The first weekend we were able to fit 4 people, camping gear, and a bouldering pad. The second weekend, A had a fun time driving his first wife, the s2k, into the wilderness.

Camping was fun to do for 3 weekends back to back, but maybe it would be advisable to space it out some more in the future. We had all our camp gear out all month. It was nice to be able to put things away after the last trip.

best,
jt

summer in a snap

Ahoy,

Summer flew by in a flash. We had a lot of packed weekends. We made it out to tramway 1 time for a climbing trip. My highlight is always the dumplings after.

We went to San Diego twice. Once to see J, and another time for a beach weekend. The second time, we took the Amtrak. I would definitely recommend taking the train. It was so scenic and relaxing. We watched Terrace House. Adult beverages are allowed, and we witnessed the group next to us down 3 bottles of champagne.

We went up to the Bay once or twice. And we went to Chicago again for my brother's wedding. It was coincidentally on another hot and humid day. But for their occasion we had to be in formal wear.

There was another bachelor/ bachelorette party, in Mammoth and the beach cities respectively.

I went twice with a friend to the flower market to strategize and practice arrangements for her wedding. The LA flower market is really a cool and unique destination. They sell such inexpensive plants in bulk. It is a great experience.

Our weekends got booked up so quickly this summer. It was nuts.

soon,
jt

paperwork

Ahoy,

A and I went to Chicago to sign some paperwork. It was a very simple City Hall affair. In Illinois, you have to get a marriage license at least 24 hours before you can get married. We did not fill it out online before going, so I advise you to do it online first. Even though you have to show up anyway, they'll give you a hard time if you make them type in all your info.

We went on a Friday morning to City Hall. There aren't a ton of people in line for this on a Friday morning. It was fine. A very nice judge married us with a handful of family in the room. All in all, it was not very exciting - not a big deal. There were a lot of people dressed well for a basement office in the city, but it did the trick. It was just what we wanted. And it was a really hot day as we walked around getting pictures. Which was not what I wanted. We made our way from City Hall into Millennium Park to see the bean. It really was unseasonably warm and a slow crawl for our big group. Someone always needs water, or to pee, or coffee, etc. I was happy to push through and not have to go back out for pictures later.

We went onto dim sum in Chinatown before separating for an afternoon siesta. A's friend arrived from Paris and we went for a drink with him. My mom and dad cooked dinner at home that night. It was a lot of food. Some more friends arrived that night.

The next morning, we invited people in town to go on an architecture cruise on the river. I had been on a lot of these as field trips in grade school, but the architecture had changed. Architecture in Chicago is so dense and changes so quickly, it is easy to learn something new every time. We went on to get lunch at Billy Goat's where the owner came out to greet us. Our next task was to decorate our tent at the Bike the Drive festival. It was exciting to see it come together.

That evening was my mom's party. She tried to get me to wear a different outfit, but I, of course, objected. I objected to many things. There was a lot of food. And a lot of people I did not know. We tried to go to bed at a reasonable hour. Our bike ride the next morning had a call time of about 5am. The sun was up really early, so that helped. We rolled out of the house to the train to get to the start station at Buckingham Fountain. Divvy was so generous to be able to get us 30 bikes for the day. We all checked out bikes and rolled out later than I wanted. We were racing the sun because it would be really, really hot later. It was a gorgeous ride. So unique and scenic. It's the one time a year no cars are on Lake Shore Drive.

I arranged with my very generous friend to bring us food from Maxwell's, a Chicago classic. At the tent, everyone laid around melting in the heat. It was so fun to have all our friends out for a bike ride and picnic. Everyone was so concerned it would be cold, but no one anticipated it would be so severely opposite. It made us so happy to share the experience with friends.

A tried to convince some friends to go climb after. But everyone really needed a siesta. He was unsuccessful, but we went back the next morning for a climb at the most scenic indoor gym around. We went home to loaf around before going out to a bar for dinner and a drink. Our last bike ride of the day took us to Pilsen for some ice cream. We were like a bike gang ripping around the neighborhood. It was awesome.

We had 5 friends staying with us at the house, and it was really such a great experience. I really love that folks were willing to stay with us like a slumber party. It made it so fun to go home and just hang out together. It really was such a fantastic weekend with so many of our friends. We were so happy and touched that people came out for us. I hope folks had a fun experience and found something to love about Chicago.

soon,
jt

too long

Ahoy,

My friends orchestrated a surprise bachelorette party for me. It was so well done. I was so very, very surprised and impressed with what they came up with. They developed an urban scavenger hunt with friends holding clues at all the stops. They picked all these places I would have picked if I were to take my friends on an urban adventure.

The day started with M tricking me into a birthday bike ride. But it was actually for me! We plogged first. I lost my minion balloon walking around a pole too quickly. That was devastating. I am still devastated. We stopped at Pasta Sisters and Boba Guys where I found more friends. We also stopped at the Natural History Museum, library, Last Bookstore, the Perch, and Clifton's. All the clues were like riddles and so well done.

They tried to keep it a surprise. So it was really entertaining hearing about how they tried so hard to keep me in the dark. Someone had mentioned to me that they were coming to visit during that weekend, so I suspected something was going on. It didn't detract from the experience. It was a great day.

I also managed to plan A's bachelor party. They all went dirt biking for the main activity. They went to a Belgian brewery after and ended the evening at Wii Spa. He loved it. And now I don't have to go dirt biking with him!

soon,
jt

Pinnacles 2.0

Ahoy,

The last weekend in April, we embarked on a camping trip to Pinnacles. Remember last time at Pinnacles? We had to cut it short because the RRS got sick. Bummer. This time I was so glad he was in better spirits. On Friday, we drove up the dusty 5 to go into the winding green hills to get to the park. The drive in that portion goes on for a while, but the scenery is a pleasant surprise to find in middle-ish CA.

The pinnacles of the parked formed from volcanic activity and subduction. The pinnacles formations used to be geographically in LA and moved up as the plates moved. Apparently there are some remaining pinnacles here still. As the newest National Park - it was signed into Park status from monument status by Obama in 2013 - it doesn't have as much of the developments for visitors yet. There wasn't a gate to pay - you had to do so at the visitor center, which was more like a camp store with some brochures. But they had It's-Its! Have you ever found those at the camp store?

The raccoons are really incredibly bold. You can hear them as they go from camp to camp trying to nab food because you can hear the humans trying to scare them away. The moon was nearly full while we were there so it was very bright at night. The wildlife sounds are like a symphony every evening and morning. Truly remarkable. The weather was so perfect. The ranger told us that just the week prior it had gotten up to 95. We were treated to highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s. A did just fine doubled up in his sleeping bags. I had considered getting him a sleeping bag liner, but really his sleeping bag is his sleeping bag liner.

Briefly the first night, we stopped through the Bacon Ranch to see the old homesteaders' set-up. The next day was our full hike of 9.5 miles. From the Old Pinnacles Trailhead, we hiked up to the High Peaks, into the Talus Caves on the west side, and back to the start on some really easy, flat trails. The high peaks were some really cool volcanic rock formations that are showcased more on the west side than east side. The trail had some really steep stairs that were drilled into the rocks by the CCC during post-depression days. It was a lot more secure than the chains of Angels' Landing. There was scrambling and headlamps necessary for the caves. And we were able to spot some California condors, recently recovering additions to the park. A lot of variety on this trail.

My first order of business was to have an It's-It once we got back to the visitor's center. The RRS sat around looking at climbing books, while I impatiently pestered him that I was ready for ice cream the moment we stepped in. He picked another hike for us on the East side. It included a walk through the woods, more caves, a reservoir, and more pinnacles. A lot of bang for our buck. I reluctantly did not protest despite our mileage doubling when we found out it was too crowded at the trailhead to drive there, which was difficult for me to get over mentally. Alas, the group wants what the group wants. It was a faster walk on the return to get to dinner over campfire! We got in over 15 miles that day. I was not so stoked for all of them, but it was a successful day nonetheless. I need to work on being less grumpy and not defaulting to 'no' so it was good for me. A is always good at making me do things that are good for me. 

Other things I learned is that when camping with L and E, we should assign one couple to prepare dinner each night. We always cook too much food individually. This was also the inauguration of my new hatchet. I had been waiting since the winter to test it out. A got to try his hand at making a fire without assistance from the kindling I made. This was such a fun trip. What a shame our next camping reservations aren't until October.

happy trails to you,
jt

Guangzhou, passing through

Ahoy,

Everybody was incredibly pleased with the modern comforts of the train ride to Guangzhou compared to the refugee bus we took to get to HK. We took a taxi from the train station where my parents were almost duped. Right after you get out of immigration and customs is a counter with official-looking signs for taxi service. They quoted us RMB220. I, of course, am not interested. My mom, of course, is ever so gullible. They go as low as RMB180 before I convince my mom otherwise and we into the not so far distance where the regular taxis that are not trying so hard to swindle you line up. The final taxi bill was RMB45.

After wandering around our adjacent pedestrian shopping street, a cultural park, and Shamian Island - where expats once lived, so there's a lot of western style architecture - my parents insist on eating at this big restaurant that calls out your ticket number like bingo cues. It was good. My initial reluctance for waiting in line here subsides as I settle into my impending reality that we will be back in the morning for dim sum. Fortunately, the hotel pool here has later hours and a stellar view, also ping pong and a sauna. A is more than happy to play with my dad. He is surprised when my dad gives him the run around. Dad is spritely as ever.

Our next and only full day in Guangzhou finds me leading us on a blustery and lightly rainy day on the subway to Yuexiu Park. It is surprisingly large and extensive. We wander through many parts of it eventually making our way to Dr. Sun Yat-sen memorial hall and museum. I wait in long lines here with other adult humans to get stamps in my book. I have seen nowhere else where they take their stamps so seriously. This gives A time to read everything, but probably still not enough time. My parents are hangry by the time we get out. We walk through Peoples' Park, where the beginning of revolutions take place. At an underground mall food court, we have a late meal before continuing back on the Zhongshan #6 Road to the Shangxiajiu pedestrian mall back to our hotel.

Our flight back stateside is the next morning and A has once again given us an unrealistic, if optimistic, bedtime. My parents go with us to the airport because a) their bus back to Taishan departs from the airport, and b) so they can parent us a little longer. They don't think we can check-in and get our plane tickets and want to feed us. I am grumpy, but they convince us to eat with them mostly because I deferred to A. A appreciates it more than I do at the moment, but it is a nice way to end our time together this trip.

Our flight home goes off without a problem. I watch so many movies and sit with my eyes closed for what feels like forever. I am relapsing on beating this jet-lag. My parents will be back in Chicago tomorrow and I wonder if we will ever see those places or people again.

safe travels,
jt

Hong Kong 2.0

Ahoy,

After almost leaving my dad at the rest stop, we got dropped off at the border to go through customs and immigration. There are tons and tons of buses doing this same thing. Everybody goes in line through the process getting pushed and tossed around. My mom likened it to the refugee experiences she's seen on tv and in newspapers. Although technically a part of China, entering HK still requires the same pleasantries of going from one country to another. We exited China and entered HK according to my passport stamps.

I booked our hotel in the shopping district of Mong Kok on the Kowloon side of HK. Fortunately, we were able to walk to our hotel from where the bus dropped us off, requisite complaining from my mom. We dropped our things and went out to look at the street markets and food. My parents praised the food we had been eating since leaving Beijing, and it would be no different here. We sent my parents home after dinner and A and I wandered a bit more.

Our first day, being led by a friend, we started off to Hong Kong Island at a dim sum place that was truly a unique experience. You have to hover to get your seats. And then you have to harass the cart lady to get food. This restaurant is an example of the epitome of Chinese manners. Pushing, shouting, sharp elbows are a must for getting fed here. My mom was appalled, my dad seemed to be having fun - their usual dynamic respectively. We went on to walk around Hong Kong Central to the Mid-levels. We passed the Botanic Gardens and Zoo again, surprised at how much A and I had seen our last visit. We found the expat neighborhood, eventually getting on a bus up to Victoria Peak. At the top, we had our 3rd McDonald's of the trip, this time sampling the McWings, available only briefly in the States, and the red bean pie. We mostly retraced one of the days from our last time in HK, but my parents had not been so it was worth it.

The following day, my mom very willingly opted out of the adventure of ten thousand steps with me. My dad joined us to the UNESCO Geopark in Lantau Island. It was very sunny. I think we all were a shade of lobster somewhere by the end of the day. One of the 'hikes' was a taxi ride to a reservoir that had some rad looking volcanic geometric rocks. The awe of those stones were eclipsed by my desire to get out of the sun. I wouldn't call that a hike. Our second destination was more what I was looking for. We took a short water taxi ride to an island with a tombolo - a strip of rocks between beaches/land that become submerged during high tide making the adjacent beaches inaccessible by foot from each other. We scrambled around on the beaches and tidal zones. My dad is so rad. A and I went for a dip in the hotel pool that evening. We also discovered the sauna.

Our final full day in HK, we went up to the big buddha. A had been before with his family, but this time we rode the cable car up. It afforded really great views of the buddha on the hill as we approached the top. My parents were starving, so we got lunch at the vegetarian restaurant. It was apparently free that day because of some holiday. My mom thought it was good. After lunch, we walked up the stairs to the buddha. My parents aren't much for religion, so they blasted through the displays and just hung out in the shade. My mom, ever eager to get the physical activity out of the way, led the pack up the stairs (not understanding pacing) so as to get it over with quicker. The RRS, bringing up the rear, per usual, in his quest to read everything. Back at the little town below, we walked along the wisdom path - my mom complaining the whole way, my dad embracing the adventure. It is easy to see how I am a product of both my parents. We got a snack at the little town. A wanted to get one of everything.

Our next stop was Tai O, a historic fishing village where the houses sit on sticks in the water. After walking around the streets/markets for a bit, we hopped on a little boat to go out and see the houses and look for pink dolphins. No pink dolphins that day, but we did see a helicopter make multiple trips to get buckets of water from the ocean to put out fires on the mountains.

The next morning, we went to see the apartment building where my dad used to live with his grandpa in Yau Ma Tei. He lived there before immigrating to Chicago. We had our last HK meal of dim sum before taking a train to Guangzhou. Some of the best don tots of my life live in HK.

safe travels,
jt

Taishan, our familial hometown

Ahoy,

My mom had told her friend in LA that we would be in Taishan, and he contacted his friend with a giant van to drive us all to our hotel in Taishan 2 hours south from the airport in Guangzhou. It felt like a long ride. This part of China was so different from the northern side. It was tropical, lush, and endlessly farmland. The wealth of the area definitely seemed to be in agriculture. The air quality was much better but also dictated by mountains and ocean. Whereas in Beijing, it was so polluted from factories. I will say it wasn't as bad as that time we were in India, which is really now our benchmark to weigh all others against, but it was pretty close. Had we been in India any other time, Beijing would take the cake for worst air quality. When I was a child, my mom would comment her reluctance to return to China was in part due to how it is so much dirtier than what she had grown accustomed to in the States. That opinion has not changed.

Straight upon arrival, we went to my mom's friend's son's place of employ where she had ordered a whole roast young pig. My mom had been building our anticipation for this for months. Later, her and dad would comment their favorite food on the trip was the young pigs, which we had on more than one occasion.

It seemed like everyone was a friend, because in the States - if this person is speaking Toisan, then they must know us. For the first time in my life, I was in a place where everyone spoke our native language. It was strange and familiar. I wasn't racking my brain to convert to Cantonese, a more commonly spoken iterative. I found it easier than I was expecting to think and speak in Chinese with my parents and the people around me. Folks were often surprised when I was able to say something coherent. A could not understand anything, but you can often tell when they are talking about you - and it was mostly to note how handsome he is (what else is there to say?). He would smile and wave.

Outside our hotel was the Pearl River and a large park. At night, it came alive with karaoke and folks playing basketball, ping pong, or other sports. We were also near a pedestrian shopping street. Our first day, we went out to my dad's dad's house in the village. It was pretty cool to see this style of old Chinese architecture. The bricks have weathered well over the years. Aside from humidity, there is not much else in terms of weather or natural disaster to consider. There is typically a large room in the center of the building that serves as a living room, kitchen, dining area. This is also where you have an altar devoted to the deceased patriarch/ancestors. To either side of the 'great room' are bedrooms. There is sometimes one side of the house for the eldest and his family, and another symmetrical side for a younger and his family. Lots of life in every house. The houses have wood burning stoves of stone construction with a hole to have the wok sit in. They looked similar to what I had seen in New Orleans.

This first village visit was one of three we would visit to make the rounds and offerings to our ancestors. My dad's dad's was the most barren and empty of all the houses we would see. It felt the least lived in, almost abandoned. And although, there was no one living in any of the houses we would visit, we would notice later my mom's parents' houses felt warmer - as if someone could be living there. We also noted the neighboring chickens and rice patties, an idyllic image of rural China.

Our next visit was to my mom's mom's house of origin. My grandpa, contrary to tradition at the time, moved into the household of his wife's lineage because his family structure was nearly nonexistent with his parents having been executed by the government. My mom told me this recently like it was no big deal. So my mom's mom's mom, having two daughters, came upon the fortunate circumstance of being able to keep her daughter and gaining a sought after son in the household. My grandpa and grandma and my mom and her siblings grew up here. My mom showed us her old bed, an old bike that probably belonged to my grandpa, etc. We dug up some disintegrating photos and attempted to wrap them up to bring home to digitize. Here, it was like the village came to greet us. We walked around outside, and my mom ran into people that remembered her from when she and her sisters kids running around. My mom showed us the well that she fell into and almost died (haha). It was interesting to think about my grandpa milling around the neighborhood, going to work, riding his motorcycle etc. He had a motorcycle before it was common for everyone to have one. Their house felt like it was still being used, like maybe no one lived there, but people were still hanging out and there was still laughter and conversation passing through.

The last house we visited, more than any of the others was the most crowded and felt the most alive. And all the people that came through were related to us. It was also probably the one to have most recently been inhabited. It belonged to my mom's dad's older brothers. My grandpa was 1 of 6  boys. This house belonged to the eldest who stayed in China and is still buried there. So all this family was our extended family of my grandpa's older brother. All the family was coming through before going to visit the cemetery for him. His wife is still alive, and seemed so happy to meet us. Old Asian ladies will never die.

There were people our age and kids running around. This could have been another life that was mine. Our family has 3 unoccupied houses in these villages. Everybody in Taishan knows somebody in the States. Apparently a life of leisure is common because someone is sending money back to Taishan from overseas. But the pattern of migration seems only to be that of an exodus. A lot of early Chinese immigrants came from Taishan. Walking through those villages, I wondered if they will become a thing of the past. If eventually, everyone will have a kid immigrate and then their kid will bring them to a Chinatown in some new city, and then abandon their house in the village. Maybe making the occasional pilgrimage, but eventually those visits will be up to their kid - who might or might not know the way, and their grandkids - who might or might not know the language. Eventually, will these houses show up on google maps?  Would it even matter to see them on google maps if they belong to no one? I can't say how I would figure out my way back there. My parents had to call other people to lead them to their villages.

I do, however, remember the way to this great Taiwanese style cafe that is in a property my dad owns. We tried a lot of their menu items - Asian desserts of grass jelly, mochi, condensed milk, egg pudding, boba, fried rice, noodles, popcorn chicken, etc. We also ate at an outdoor restaurant unlike anywhere I've been. You can barely call it a shack, but it has electricity to run ceiling fans. Their specialty was fresh fish; we watched them kill and prep it. It was really good, probably the best I've ever had at a restaurant. This was where we had McDonald's #2. I was so amazed to see they have congee - I had to try it. We also got driven to a little seaside town where A had the best seafood he's ever had in his life. His only regret was that he doesn't have the skill to eat it faster so he could eat more. A lot of fishing ports in the States seem novel and neat in comparison, but this fishing port was really something else. There were all sorts of dried goods and live prep happening. In the States, it's easy to hide the labor and mess of seafood - it looks very ready to consume in packaging on a shelf, but I think presentation is not so much a concern as freshness. If there are no blood, guts, shells, etc. strewn about - that must mean you've had the time to clean up, and if you've had the time to clean up, it is no longer fresh enough.

We also got to see where my dad used to live in the city of Taishan. It looked like it was now a health supplement store. He said he lived in the city from when he was 10 on, so he's a proper city kid. He used to go down to the river outside our hotel to take a bath. My mom lived in the village until she was 18. She showed us where she used to live in the city with my grandpa and aunt. It is still apartment buildings.

Our next destination would be Hong Kong. We boarded a bus across from my dad's centrally located cafe property to take us to Hong Kong. My mom was appalled at the conditions of the ride. We would go on to call it the refugee bus. She has clearly gotten accustomed to the luxuries of an American level of extravagance.

safe travels,
jt

Beijing, a first for all

Ahoy,

We recently came back from China and Hong Kong. My parents wanted to take us to show us their former homes in Taishan, but also for touristing. Our first destination was Beijing, which they had never been to either. My brother and his fiance were with us here and in Taishan. After their departure, my parents and A and I went on to Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

There was a pick-up debacle in which my mom improperly communicated the logistics of our arrival. A and I flew in a day earlier than everyone else, and I was told there would be a driver holding a sign with our names. I looked through the crowd several times before we gave up and got on the subway to what I thought was our hotel. After arriving at the hotel and accessing wi-fi, lo and behold - we were not at the correct hotel. The driver and tour guide had been waiting at the airport for us for 3 hours now. We waited in the lobby for them to come pick us up and take us to our actual hotel, which my mom so willingly communicated to me ahead of time (not). A person with a red flag that read 'chinatours.com' walked up to us and we brushed him away thinking he was trying to sell something. We called him back and realized he was our guy! It was not a sign with our names, but a logo for the tour company. My mom so willingly communicated that info to us (not).

The following day we got to explore on our own. The hotel offers a breakfast unlike any other hotel breakfast we'd ever had. There were full American, continental offerings, but also Japanese, Korean, and Chinese offerings. The hotel breakfast was probably the best food we had in Beijing.

A looked up some hipster/trendy neighborhoods for us to wander. The subway is easy to navigate, but probably also one of the most complex and extensive networks out there. We did not get on the wrong train once. It took over an hour to get to our first destination - the 798 district, a former industrial warehouse area that now houses art studios and museums. There's something like this in every metropolis. We got off the train and didn't quite know where to go, so we just followed the hipster-looking people to their mecca. Yahtzee!

We saw a Hyundai exhibit where I watched a whole video of Chicago. A got the most expensive cappuccino of his life. It was pretty hot and humid as we wandered around looking at art. I have a pretty low tolerance for art and heat. This day we stopped at McDonald's and got things they don't have here: popcorn chicken, black bun chili chicken, taro pie, and boba.

On the way back we stopped to look for another trendy shopping district near the Forbidden City. We ran into what is known as the bar street and watched some paddle boats play chicken with each other. For dinner, we walked through the giant mall near our hotel and got noodles. I navigated ordering miraculously with nearly no grasp of Mandarin. As we walked into the hotel, the rest of the group arrived.

Our first day being tour guided found us on a trip to the Great Wall, the Mutianyu section. It was probably about an hour drive, but didn't feel like it because the landscape was interesting and our tour guide was feeding us facts. We stopped at a jade factory. My mom was clear right away that we were not buying, only looking. Our guide was trying hard to sell the lift ride up to the Wall. The alternative was stairs. You can guess which option we went with. My mom was probably regretting that decision instantly, but our guide comes here 4+ times every month. The stairs were a shorter jaunt than he had made it out to be. Once on the wall, there were more steps at varying angles of incline and decline. My mom pooped out at the first rest stop, and my dad proclaimed himself one of the 'young guys' to continue on with us. There was a stopping point, beyond which was unmaintained, where we literally ran into a wall and turned back. It was not a very long stretch of Great Wall (not long enough for us to tire of it), but probably once you've seen a bit - you've seen it all. Really quite a remarkable feat of architecture and manpower. There's really nothing that old and storied Stateside.

We stopped for lunch near the Great Wall. It was underwhelming, but we didn't expect much. I drew some parallels of this experience to our Taj Mahal venture. We drive out for the spectacle, see the spectacle, eat at a sub-par tourist place where every tourist goes, etc. It was fine. That evening we went to watch a show near the Happy Valley theme park. There were waterworks, acrobatics, dancing, etc. It was entertaining. I thought it was a low-budget version of something you might find in Vegas. We got deposited back at our hotel where we got dinner at the grocery store nearby. I think it's a pretty fun thing to option the local snacks and instant noodles abroad.

The next day we went to see the local tourist attraction of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Our tour guide walked us through at a slower pace than I would have liked. You can really start to see me itching to get out of my skin when you make me amble through at a snail's pace. It was fine. It was also crowded and sunny, which contributed to my impatience. We negotiated a release from the touristing after popping out of the Forbidden City. A and I led the group to a recommendation from his sister to a dumpling place. And then we wandered around the pedestrian shopping street, stopping for dessert. We discovered the public bathrooms don't always have stall doors. We stopped at the lakes we had been on our first day to rent a pedal boat. It was a welcome respite for my parents certainly. The kids pedaled around for a bit before heading back. A and I led everyone back on the subway to the hotel. My mom remarked how it's cleaner than Chicago. We investigated more food options in the mall for dinner.

Our last day of touristing included the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, an institute for Chinese medicine, and a pearl factory. A has so much more patience than me. Bless his soul. The tourist places are fine. They are old and ornate and not practical in ways that I can't imagine. It still seems like a lifetime of fantasy and story. I'd seen these things in old tv or movies when I was a kid when my parents or grandparents watched shows - and now to see the real life versions from ages ago - it still seems fictional, like a movie set. Our last dinner was Peking duck. It did not disappoint. I think we were all worried given the pattern thus far, but it was a good ending. A was so relieved because his last time in Beijing - he did have bad duck.

The next morning we were off and onto our next destination. The airplane ride down to Guangzhou was about 3 hours. From there, we depart 2 hours by car to Taishan - my parents' hometown.

safe travels,
jt