January 21, 2010
I woke up dreaming about Beijing. The novel I have been reading keeps on talking about how amazing it is. Shit… so I’m on the opposite side of the world… Does this mean I have to find a way to get there?
A little later that evening…
So, I wrote an email to my friend that I met in Kowloon the first week I was here (the Chinese elevator guy, named Wei) We had been writing brief hellos to each other through email since the day he left. My letter basically explained how the book keeps on bringing up Beijing and how awesome the street pancakes are and how wonderful the life can be. Aside from a mere proclamation, I also said I hope we continue to keep in touch. Wei replied…. That he wanted to buy me a ticket to come up and stay, granting me the chance to agree/disagree with the teachings of my beloved novel. I had many questions to be answered. Did I want to entertain the possibilities with this guy? Should I let someone volunteer to be responsible for me in another city 900 miles from me? Was I sure of what kind of situation I was really getting myself into? I remembered the attraction between us, but I also recall spending only a couple hours with this man. I definitely don’t want a romance… that’s not what this trip is about. But, how can I pass up a free trip to Beijing! I called him the next day and told him that I wanted to come just as friends which I believed it not to be such a remarkable request considering we’ve only met once anyway. He agreed, and the ticket was booked.
January 22, 2010
The events of this day pretty much sucked all the way up into I got into Beijing at midnight. I was out of Mui Wo by 10am and tried to make sure everything was right and ready to go. Wei booked the flight for 545pm in the afternoon, so I was thinking I had plenty of time. The course of the day after this point of poor planning resulted into me missing the ferry boat at 10am, making me late to the visa office before they closed for lunch. Two hours later, I got the bus that had to drive through 5pm rush hour resulting in me missing my flight by 10 minutes. Luckily, somehow without getting discouraged, I worked through each hurtle and got myself out of the country somehow, and on the next plane at 7:30pm with a small fee of 100HKD.
(it’s times like these though that I deeply doubt my abilities to be successful. How the hell does anybody miss all three important parts of a journey, in one day nonetheless!!) And, it’s always just when I think that I’ve got it all handled. Man, if anyone, or source, or energy, or God can tell me what the fuck I can do to remedy that… please spare me the stress and embarrassment!! Sheesh!
Moving on… Wei picked me up at the airport and took me straight to a coworker’s going away party at the Party Place. Ever heard of a 3 story karaoke hotel? Yeah, me neither. Chinese love their American sing-a-longs, haha, Welcome to Beijing.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Happiness is a Warm Gun
January 19th, 2010
Ninety 18 year old Chinese girls came today. It was a nice break from the 3-6 year olds that came the two days before. Well, I take that back, they were great children, but they were also energetic and indisposed. Particularly, when we started digging into the beds. The idea was to let them plant a couple of bok choy seeds, but the second I turned around I came back to find all of the kids were searching for something to put in their mouths. Half of the kids were digging for earth worms, trying to eat them, and the other half already gobbled their bok choy seedlings and had nothing to plant. (haha) Either way, I was excited for a more mature audience. The girls were a delight. They were so happy to get out of class and away from the books and were even more excited to hang out with me, a smiling, English-speaking peer from the United States. This, I loved.
Nightfall
Sharon invited me to meet the Mui Wo crew at a barbeque on the beach that night. The kids were so lighthearted and sweet. A blonde boy from UK, bearded kid from New Zealand, a British Japanese beauty named Iko, Lauren the absent minded but also very beautiful white girl, Corinna (Sharon’s tall and talented roommate), and her boyfriend, Alex. The beach had benches with pits in the middle, available for late night shenanigans of the fishing village to have a drink and light up. I only had one beer and had to get back to Jenny’s for some rest, but was happy to have a night out in town, a change from going to a bar all the way down in Hong Kong’s wooptie- doo drinking district.
Ninety 18 year old Chinese girls came today. It was a nice break from the 3-6 year olds that came the two days before. Well, I take that back, they were great children, but they were also energetic and indisposed. Particularly, when we started digging into the beds. The idea was to let them plant a couple of bok choy seeds, but the second I turned around I came back to find all of the kids were searching for something to put in their mouths. Half of the kids were digging for earth worms, trying to eat them, and the other half already gobbled their bok choy seedlings and had nothing to plant. (haha) Either way, I was excited for a more mature audience. The girls were a delight. They were so happy to get out of class and away from the books and were even more excited to hang out with me, a smiling, English-speaking peer from the United States. This, I loved.
Nightfall
Sharon invited me to meet the Mui Wo crew at a barbeque on the beach that night. The kids were so lighthearted and sweet. A blonde boy from UK, bearded kid from New Zealand, a British Japanese beauty named Iko, Lauren the absent minded but also very beautiful white girl, Corinna (Sharon’s tall and talented roommate), and her boyfriend, Alex. The beach had benches with pits in the middle, available for late night shenanigans of the fishing village to have a drink and light up. I only had one beer and had to get back to Jenny’s for some rest, but was happy to have a night out in town, a change from going to a bar all the way down in Hong Kong’s wooptie- doo drinking district.
Monday, January 18, 2010
continued...
January 18th, 2010
So, Jenny works as a teacher for young scholars all over Hong Kong, inviting school programs to spend a day at her home, they come to help her plant her garden beds, return the goods back to the Earth, and mindfully extract only what is essential to consume. This week she is hosting over 200 school children from all over the islands, teaching them to be a part of the food process, rather than just the consumer. She has allowed me to come and help with her camp in exchange for accommodation and meals, very much similar to Peter and my relationship, only this time I get a little more interaction with other walks of life, rather than sitting in from of a computer screen…I can actually practice what I’ve been preaching.
I admitted to never planting a garden myself, “Well, that’s what you’re here for!” was her reply and I spent the early hours of each morning taking a crash course on how to sow the seeds, for the afternoon would be the time I would turn around to teach it.
So, Jenny works as a teacher for young scholars all over Hong Kong, inviting school programs to spend a day at her home, they come to help her plant her garden beds, return the goods back to the Earth, and mindfully extract only what is essential to consume. This week she is hosting over 200 school children from all over the islands, teaching them to be a part of the food process, rather than just the consumer. She has allowed me to come and help with her camp in exchange for accommodation and meals, very much similar to Peter and my relationship, only this time I get a little more interaction with other walks of life, rather than sitting in from of a computer screen…I can actually practice what I’ve been preaching.
I admitted to never planting a garden myself, “Well, that’s what you’re here for!” was her reply and I spent the early hours of each morning taking a crash course on how to sow the seeds, for the afternoon would be the time I would turn around to teach it.
Weapons of Good Health
This morning marks the first morning of my gardening adventures. Ark Eden is run by Ms. Jenny Quinton, her two Philippino house servants, and Sharon, a beautiful Chinese girl, whom I’ve come to adore greatly through my stay. The outfit advocates P Coil, self sustainability, and permaculture; recycling, reusing, growing, and replacing resources in the land we live on, rather than ignorantly destroying them.
Finally,
P Coil is a lifestyle manifested off the idea of what the world would be like without oil. They don’t drive cars, use plastics, water heaters, electrical appliances, or gas to survive. Although it sounds a little archaic, these hippies swear that they will be survivors of the inevitable Apocalypse when the world finally manages to deplete itself of resources. Jenny has some friends of this breed; luckily she only considers the life. She doesn’t overkill it.
Self sustainability is essentially two aspects 1) being productive 2) never visiting Walmart for stuff you think you need. The ideas work out very well when it comes to food, Great Value brand is pretty much poop anyways. Only… now, I feel compelled to share the only notable example in which I disagree... soo, instead of using laundry detergent, these people go pick the buds from the soap nut tree, dump them in the washer, and hang the clothes out to dry. No chemicals, no store, no machine. Unfortunately there are just some ways I’m not convinced. Although my jeans feel much crispier, I don’t know if I enjoy finding splinters in my ass from the soap pieces and nut shavings stuck in the fabric, as well as having to wait four days for my clothes to be dry. Just some things….
Finally,
Permaculture is these two things combined… developing a community, environment, and pseudo-social structure intended to harmonize human beings with the earth.
Zombie Autopilot
January 16th, 2010
After not falling asleep until 5am this morning, the afternoon felt a little hazy, but the weather was beautiful enough to pull anybody out of a funk. I didn't come alive until about 11am. I poured myself some tea, rolled out the yoga mat on the porch, and laid in the sun to feel more like a human, less like a zombie. At around noontime, I decided it would be best for me to shower. But, then quickly learned that a shower wasn't going to work out since the little stream that comes down from the mountain to fill up our hot water tank chose not to trickle today...Consequently, making a bath impossible and suddenly, the hangover much worse.
Peter said my options were to boil a kettle on the free burner and bathe out of a bucket orrrrr... huff into the city once again and find a yoga class with showers, gym, or spa to go to, and basically pay for a hot rinse.
I picked yoga, naturally and went to a really wonderful class of Hong Kong island, and afterward enjoyed a rain shower head and wall full of body jets. yesss.
As if I didn't have enough hoorahs last time I journeyed for a drink, I stopped in Lan Kwai Fong again, but made sure to maintain my weariness of British bastards in sports jackets. I found a bar that looked mostly Chinese and sat quietly.
Not even 10 minutes there, I met a French guy. This man should really have been on the list of no-goes, but he seemed unusually less arrogant than most. Ferrick, from the UK was maybe about an inch taller than me, blonde, significantly less hairy, and probably the least typical French dude ever. We shared a few beers, met up with a energetic married couple from Spain and had a couple more beers at the JW Marriott Hotel. (oooh ritzy) And, definitely rang up the room tab, just having too much fun, chatting and bullshittin'. We laughed up tons of fun, and I'm talkin' weird, kindred spirits, best-friends-from-another-lifetime, newlyweds type of fun.
I attempted to exchange my contact information with all of them because they were such a delight, but when the pens came out and the numbers were written, I realized I had nothing to reciprocate. The only relevant information I could give was my name, and possibly my email address.
Other than that, I was a one night stand.
The similar scenario resurfaced, deja vu from the night before, and the Saturday before, and so on. I'm always blabbing the same excuses...
" well, I don't have a phone because I'm only here for a month. no, I can't give you my address. "
"yes, it's true, I fly back across the world very soon. Maybe we can meet again in the states?"
"i mean, i could give you my US cell number, but would that really do any good now would it?"
With all that said I'm sure I could find a way to reconvene if I really wanted to. The truth is...
and, they... may never see me again. I suppose that's the life of a solo traveler. I just share a couple of laughs and beers and leave off into the darkness... I'll just be that one American girl that you met in Hong Kong one night, that you downed Whiskey shots with, and asked yourself where in the hell did this chick come from? And even though, I'll tell you the truth of just about everything... you won't believe much, and doubt that I can make it back by myself insisting of finding a better way, knowing that I will be okay, instead of just letting me take off into the middle of the night. But then, suddenly, I jet off abruptly, telling you there's only 10 minutes until the last boat departs and I will ride off towards the ferry pier to disappear into the hills of Lantau without a phone or an address. And, either you will remember me or forget, either way... that will be the end of story.
I will probably write about you in my blog, and wish I had a photo of you, like I always do, to go with every wonderful meeting. And then I'll move towards my pillow, leting the words take responsibility for my carelessness, dreaming it away. Goodnight.
After not falling asleep until 5am this morning, the afternoon felt a little hazy, but the weather was beautiful enough to pull anybody out of a funk. I didn't come alive until about 11am. I poured myself some tea, rolled out the yoga mat on the porch, and laid in the sun to feel more like a human, less like a zombie. At around noontime, I decided it would be best for me to shower. But, then quickly learned that a shower wasn't going to work out since the little stream that comes down from the mountain to fill up our hot water tank chose not to trickle today...Consequently, making a bath impossible and suddenly, the hangover much worse.
Peter said my options were to boil a kettle on the free burner and bathe out of a bucket orrrrr... huff into the city once again and find a yoga class with showers, gym, or spa to go to, and basically pay for a hot rinse.
I picked yoga, naturally and went to a really wonderful class of Hong Kong island, and afterward enjoyed a rain shower head and wall full of body jets. yesss.
As if I didn't have enough hoorahs last time I journeyed for a drink, I stopped in Lan Kwai Fong again, but made sure to maintain my weariness of British bastards in sports jackets. I found a bar that looked mostly Chinese and sat quietly.
Not even 10 minutes there, I met a French guy. This man should really have been on the list of no-goes, but he seemed unusually less arrogant than most. Ferrick, from the UK was maybe about an inch taller than me, blonde, significantly less hairy, and probably the least typical French dude ever. We shared a few beers, met up with a energetic married couple from Spain and had a couple more beers at the JW Marriott Hotel. (oooh ritzy) And, definitely rang up the room tab, just having too much fun, chatting and bullshittin'. We laughed up tons of fun, and I'm talkin' weird, kindred spirits, best-friends-from-another-lifetime, newlyweds type of fun.
I attempted to exchange my contact information with all of them because they were such a delight, but when the pens came out and the numbers were written, I realized I had nothing to reciprocate. The only relevant information I could give was my name, and possibly my email address.
The similar scenario resurfaced, deja vu from the night before, and the Saturday before, and so on. I'm always blabbing the same excuses...
" well, I don't have a phone because I'm only here for a month. no, I can't give you my address. "
"yes, it's true, I fly back across the world very soon. Maybe we can meet again in the states?"
"i mean, i could give you my US cell number, but would that really do any good now would it?"
With all that said I'm sure I could find a way to reconvene if I really wanted to. The truth is...
this mysteriousness is a strange and powerful feeling.So, I have a little red notebook full of wonderful travelers or fellow Chinese... that.. I will always remember.
and, they... may never see me again. I suppose that's the life of a solo traveler. I just share a couple of laughs and beers and leave off into the darkness... I'll just be that one American girl that you met in Hong Kong one night, that you downed Whiskey shots with, and asked yourself where in the hell did this chick come from? And even though, I'll tell you the truth of just about everything... you won't believe much, and doubt that I can make it back by myself insisting of finding a better way, knowing that I will be okay, instead of just letting me take off into the middle of the night. But then, suddenly, I jet off abruptly, telling you there's only 10 minutes until the last boat departs and I will ride off towards the ferry pier to disappear into the hills of Lantau without a phone or an address. And, either you will remember me or forget, either way... that will be the end of story.
I will probably write about you in my blog, and wish I had a photo of you, like I always do, to go with every wonderful meeting. And then I'll move towards my pillow, leting the words take responsibility for my carelessness, dreaming it away. Goodnight.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Fairies Kick Ass!
January 14, 2010
I spent the morning working on articles for Holistc asia and helped Peter plant fruit trees by the creek and collect wood for our fire pit. No water pressure today so I was dirty for the evening. Besides that I had a bed to fall into that night I truly felt like camping, even down to the smell of smoke lingering in my hair and the dirt underneath my fingernails. I was so tired by the end of it, I didn't even care, but hopefully the water will be back tomorrow so I can wash myself, and my sheets, respectfully.
Peter wrote an awesome poem about our day.. it was about getting dirty, giving back to the land, enjoying small delights, walking around in the gulleys, and ending his rhymes with something about fairies kicking ass. YeaH!
I spent the morning working on articles for Holistc asia and helped Peter plant fruit trees by the creek and collect wood for our fire pit. No water pressure today so I was dirty for the evening. Besides that I had a bed to fall into that night I truly felt like camping, even down to the smell of smoke lingering in my hair and the dirt underneath my fingernails. I was so tired by the end of it, I didn't even care, but hopefully the water will be back tomorrow so I can wash myself, and my sheets, respectfully.
Peter wrote an awesome poem about our day.. it was about getting dirty, giving back to the land, enjoying small delights, walking around in the gulleys, and ending his rhymes with something about fairies kicking ass. YeaH!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Ricochete!
January 12, 2010
What a beautiful morning!! And Peter is in great spirits, too. He said that he's mourned his loss of love for two days too long now, it would be very un-yogi-like to continue and allow it to linger. The gray period has passed, and the sun is smiling. :D
We had a couple pieces of stale rye toast and a fresh Pomello off of the tree, had a funny conversation about American politics and headlines, and how crazy us Americans truly are, especially from the outside looking in.
After breakfast, I showered and geared up. I couldn't wait to get out on a hike all the way up the peaks of South Lantau and down to the fishing village of Tai Po. I planned the hike to take me anywhere from 3.5 to 5 hours resulting in a 7-9.5 km walk.
THE CLIMB
I hopped on the bike and rode it down the hill and around the mountain on the other side of the Ferry pier, stopped at the Mui Wo market and bought a batch of cherries, bottle of water, and an Asian pear. My adventure started at around 11am at the Nam Sham campground. The sun peaked high in the sky and by noontime I was ontop of my first summit.
A little gay video I made before my camera died and I got lost on the top.
I followed an extremely narrow and steep path lined with rocks and boulders, and had to stop and wait every so often to let the wind gusts pass and not blow me off the course. The first leg of the trip challenged my stamina in ways I hadn't experienced before. I didn't realize that I was potentially going to walk the entire east coast of Lantau island on a summit, despite any feelings of vertigo or loneliness. I also didn't know that the trail would take me at least five hours, perpetuous climbing with jagged rocks and slippery moss. I was in for it, unknowingly. The bottle of water ran out halfway through the trip and all of the trailheads were written in Chinese, certainly not blatant enough for me to decipher. Not to mention, all the way up to this point in my life I've been working with a fantastic sense of direction, always forgetting the map or what it said, as well going around in circles and showing up late to things due to always getting lost. I suppose this will be one last time I was going to give my survival skills a chance to rise above patterns of habit.
A mixture of questions clouded my mind. Should I be out here alone? Can I physically make it over this bluff? And, more importantly, am I even going the right way? The peak at Sunset Point was a bit further than my video footage and equally as breathtaking, but also tremendously treacherous, or so it felt so, being that I was alone.
Then, I saw Tai Po through the thicket, and at this point calculated about an hour and half of walking back to civilization. 4:04 pm.
Liberation. Once I knew I was headed home, I seemed to take more frequent breaks, and sit at every available rock to soak in the scenery. I started inviting the violent wind gusts, instead of running from them. I enjoyed the breeze running through my hair. I liked the loose gravel and slippery rocks, weaving in and out of the thick bush and open plateaus. Screw being scared of being out there. I was in for the tackle. This was my time. I was seeing Hong Kong from a different view, a very high one at that.
The bus ride back was long, but I felt so wonderfully accomplished and way more confident in my navigation skills. Success!
What a beautiful morning!! And Peter is in great spirits, too. He said that he's mourned his loss of love for two days too long now, it would be very un-yogi-like to continue and allow it to linger. The gray period has passed, and the sun is smiling. :D
We had a couple pieces of stale rye toast and a fresh Pomello off of the tree, had a funny conversation about American politics and headlines, and how crazy us Americans truly are, especially from the outside looking in.
After breakfast, I showered and geared up. I couldn't wait to get out on a hike all the way up the peaks of South Lantau and down to the fishing village of Tai Po. I planned the hike to take me anywhere from 3.5 to 5 hours resulting in a 7-9.5 km walk.
THE CLIMB
I hopped on the bike and rode it down the hill and around the mountain on the other side of the Ferry pier, stopped at the Mui Wo market and bought a batch of cherries, bottle of water, and an Asian pear. My adventure started at around 11am at the Nam Sham campground. The sun peaked high in the sky and by noontime I was ontop of my first summit.
A little gay video I made before my camera died and I got lost on the top.
I followed an extremely narrow and steep path lined with rocks and boulders, and had to stop and wait every so often to let the wind gusts pass and not blow me off the course. The first leg of the trip challenged my stamina in ways I hadn't experienced before. I didn't realize that I was potentially going to walk the entire east coast of Lantau island on a summit, despite any feelings of vertigo or loneliness. I also didn't know that the trail would take me at least five hours, perpetuous climbing with jagged rocks and slippery moss. I was in for it, unknowingly. The bottle of water ran out halfway through the trip and all of the trailheads were written in Chinese, certainly not blatant enough for me to decipher. Not to mention, all the way up to this point in my life I've been working with a fantastic sense of direction, always forgetting the map or what it said, as well going around in circles and showing up late to things due to always getting lost. I suppose this will be one last time I was going to give my survival skills a chance to rise above patterns of habit.
A mixture of questions clouded my mind. Should I be out here alone? Can I physically make it over this bluff? And, more importantly, am I even going the right way? The peak at Sunset Point was a bit further than my video footage and equally as breathtaking, but also tremendously treacherous, or so it felt so, being that I was alone.
Then, I saw Tai Po through the thicket, and at this point calculated about an hour and half of walking back to civilization. 4:04 pm.
Liberation. Once I knew I was headed home, I seemed to take more frequent breaks, and sit at every available rock to soak in the scenery. I started inviting the violent wind gusts, instead of running from them. I enjoyed the breeze running through my hair. I liked the loose gravel and slippery rocks, weaving in and out of the thick bush and open plateaus. Screw being scared of being out there. I was in for the tackle. This was my time. I was seeing Hong Kong from a different view, a very high one at that.
The bus ride back was long, but I felt so wonderfully accomplished and way more confident in my navigation skills. Success!
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