SNOW AND THE CHINESE RAILROAD

This time of year in China, the populace is headed out of the factory towns in the south, on their way home to their families in the northern provinces to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

It is a mass exodus from the cities that essentially shuts down the entire country for 10 days. Many of these people travel by rail.

The Chinese railway system is antiquated and slow. I'm talkin herd of turtles slow. It can often take several days to get home.

Right now, most of Northern China is experiencing the worst winter weather in 50 years. Record low temps and tons of snow. Good for ski resorts, bad for travel. The railway system has essentially shut down.

As of today, over 500, 000 Chinese people are stuck at the Canton Railway Station among others.
They cant get home. And the weather is getting worse.

The moral of this story is:

I will never again complain, when the LIRR is running late.

NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE

I am a native New Yorker
I have ridden in hundreds of NYC Taxi's
Once in a while, there are nervous NYC Taxi moments.

But...

Riding in a Chinese Taxi - Frightened my hair white!!!
I have never been so terrified in my life.
I have never been so convinced that I would die in a fiery car crash
as I was yesterday.

There are roads in China
Wide Highways and Byways
And there are lines designating the lanes
I dont think that the drivers see them at all.
they straddle them
they try to fit 2 or more cars inthe same space in one lane
I think that swerving in and out of traffic is a skills part of the Chinese Drivers Test

Semi-trucks have the tendency to STOP - in the middle of the road- when the rest of us are speeding along at 80km/hr

Dont worry if you miss your left turn - the Taxi driver will stop in the left lane
back up
and try again!!

Oh look - pedestrians in the road
Do you think drivers stop for them here??
No
Walking across the road yesterday at lunch
from the factory to the restaraunt
Was like playing a game of FROGGER
Luckily - I won

The moral of this story is:

I will never be nervous in a NYC Taxi ever again.

FRESH MEAT

So...I have had several meals since I have been in China

The fish is, so far, my favorite - the freshest fish, best sushi I have ever had

They catch it and serve it all in the same day

But the other consistant thing is the meat

Pork and chicken especially

The meat tasted BETTER than anything I have ever had

I know that part of the reason is that all the animals used for food

are allowed to roam free

No cages

Seriously, everywhere you walk, especially in the factory areas

there are chickens roaming free in the streets

They also dont feed the animals and fowl with any additives or hormones

And there is one more sure way to know

That the meat on the table is the freshest you can find

SO FAR IN CHINA...

...I have seen...
More cars than I ever thought could fit on one roadway
I decided that since there are several BILLION people in this country
that everyone over the age of 4 has a license and isnt afraid to use it

And I have decided that driving is sport in which one decides exactly what the street signs and lights mean

Sometimes - the lights are RED and GREEN at the same time

I cant decide if it means - Go but maybe not - or stop if you want - but everyone else is going.

I have seen...
A man
on a bicycle
dragging behind him
2 large
PIG carcasses
I had ham with breakfast
I think I just threw up a little in my mouth

I have seen...
Chinese Toilets
It's a hole
in the floor
toilet paper
optional
I'm not kidding
They actually do flush
Tho I'm not exactly sure of the point

Words I have learned:

Thank you - Se Se
Hello - Lei Ho Ma
Goodbye - Bye Bye (again, not kidding)
Ough Oy Lei - I Love You

HK to CHINA

So, going from Hong Kong - where East meets West - and everything is huge, and opulant and clean - to Mainland China - has been culture shock even for this American in Asia for the very first time.

In Hong Kong - Everything written in Chinese (Cantonese to be exact) - has English subtitles- thanks to many decades of British rule.

In China - not so much
If I had to find my way around on my own - I would get so lost, you would never see me again.
Shame on this spoiled American, who for a split second thought - "Why isnt everything in English?"

In Hong Kong - if there is poverty- you dont see it anywhere

In China - The poverty is so palpable you can taste it.
Yet...
These same poor people - are some of the proudest people I have ever met.
They hold their heads up
They work on farms and in crowded factories
They dont beg on the street looking for handouts
They feed their families
They dont think they are entitled to a welfare salary
They put back into the world, what they take from it.
They work hard
They play fair
Family is everything.
I think I like them best...

You Cant Make This Stuff Up

I e-mailed to say hey, I'm just a drunk, in town for the night
Point the way to an evening of spirituality and fellowship
I got an e-mail back
from a complete stranger
who knows EXACTLY who I am
she came to my hotel - picked me up
we chatted in the car about
sobriety, the spirit, failure, success, gratitude
I walked into a room filled with slogans and literature
and 12 and 12 on the wall
In CHINESE
I wanted to steal them to take home with me
but that wouldnt have been very sober behavior :)
The meeting space is a full time one
housed in a government building
The Chinese govt charges this group of drunks the exact sum of
$1 - PER YEAR
Yes, you read that right

The accents were different
there were a few other Americans
An Aussie and a Kiwi (New Zealander)
And of course - several Brits
I was the lone New Yorker
The format was a little different
but the program is the same
sharing of experience, strength and hope
reaching out to the newcomer
I shared...
I needed to...
Sitting there, when the meeting first started
I felt overcome by emotion
Tears came down for a moment
as I realized
We are everywhere
This hand lives in all the world
I can never have an excuse to ever take another drink
because no matter what state, what country, what part of the world I may be in
I am responsible
The hand of AA IS always there
and for that
We are ALL responsible

The Cutest Thing Ever

Ok - so I thought I had seen it all
In miniature

Mini Soaps
Mini Toothpastes
Mini Skirts
Mini Deoderants

I mean - they make a miniature sized everything
but the one thing
I had never seen
was miniature condiments

I put an apple and orange to either side to give you an idea of scale

I am saving these as gifts for my favorite spicy food luvin girl!!!

Living In The Day

I have been taught to live in the day
That all we really have is today
yesterday is a memory
and tomorrow isnt here yet
It's the perfect way of living
but
I have a conundrum
how can I live in today
when it is already tomorrow, where I am?

NY Time - where most of you are - Sunday, Jan 27th - 9:02 pm
HK Time - Where I am - Monday, January 28th - 10:02 am

See my problem?
So I guess for the next week
I get to live in tomorrow!!!!
Tell Cheryl I will be milking this for as long as I can!!!

And by the way
Dim Sum for breakfast??
This is my kind of country!!

HOTEL, MOTEL, HOLIDAY INN

So, my company put me up at the JW Marriot in Hong Kong
Have I mentioned just how much I LOVE my boss!!
I'm not an extravagant girl
I usually look for deals
Hotels.com
Priceline
etc
But...O.M.G.

ABLE TO LEAP TALL BUILDINGS - NOT!!

I am a native New Yorker
When I walk the streets of Manhattan
I never look UP
NYC has some tall ass buildings

NYC aint got nothin on Hong Kong
EVERY building in this city is a skyscraper

THE FLIGHT!!

PART 1 - TAKE OFF

Note to my Jewish Mother who has the worry virus running through her veins - Mom - after that conversation we had on the phone this morning - you might not want to watch this video

I am not afraid to fly
I actually like flying
but there is that one moment
as the plane is hurtling towards the end of the runway
trying to go wheels up
where I wonder about the science of aeronautics
and I think
I hope we make it....

See Mom - we made it!!!

PART 2 - Sunset, Sunrise, and Sunset redux - aka - How I crossed the International Date Line

So - it is a little weird - in the course of only 16 hours - to see 2 sunsets and a sunrise - but - thats exactly what happened. I forgot to take the picture of the 1st Sunset - it had me that enthralled

But here is the sunrise - we were somewhere between the North Pole and Northern Russia

And here is the sunset - only a few hours later actually - we were already in Northern China by then...

Right as we crossed the International Date Line, and in that moment it became the next day

(which I have to admit is a little freaky - I mean imagine if you are flying, and at midnight the day you leave, it will be your birthday, and you cross the IDL at exactly midnight - you dont get a birthday that year!!)

I looked out of the window and saw the reddest moon I have ever seen - I tried to take it's picture, but it didnt come out - so you will have to take my word for it - it was breathtaking...

Packing Procrastination

I hate packing
did I mention that I hate packing
I try to pack just enough
and I always over pack
right now, I think I might be under packed
what do you think??