Chinese Girls

"Vegas of the East"

Not sure what new Macau is - I guess an area they are hoping to build up to a Vegas level.  When I was there in 2002, it was already known that Macau was the "Vegas of the East." However, as you know from traveling to Las Vegas itself, it's a monumental stretch to put the two in the same category.  I remember a few nice casinos with smoky lounges and floors.  But the surrounding areas were kind of like Kowloon, at least in some places.  If smart, and with all the money they have, China will make a new Macau - probably more of what you're seeing.  Lots of buildings need to be torn down.  Hope it can rival Vegas, but Las Vegas is special, as you know.  

- comments to a friend who was traveling around Macau and Hong Kong in 2018

Powerhouses

The part that surprised me was learning that China and India were the world economic powerhouses up until the British Empire.

This 2009 BBC article got me thinking.

Love Hotels

Since it is Valentine's Day, perhaps this post is appropriate.

At the end of this soi is Rose Town Hotel.  A soi or two over to the left, there's Banana State Fashion Hotel.  Both are Love Hotels.

Rose Town Hotel

What are Love Hotels?

14 Funkiest Love Hotels for Adult Fun in Thailand

Love Hotels in Buenos Aires

Hong Kong is modernizing love hotels

Chinese Explorer

 

Who was Ma Huan?

Ma Huan's Yingya Shenglan

Made in Taiwan

Gotta love the long shorts!

buying jade jewelry for Kade

These and that other pair of shorts I bought in Thailand.  I wore them out!

Canadian lady and a local

This is a Canadian couple I met in Taipei and spent a little time with.  A few weeks later they arrived in Bangkok and I introduced them to Kade.  We got together on Khao San Road.

 jade earrings and pendant I bought Kade

A traveller's guide to buying jade

Click here for a map of Taiwan.  Don't forget zoom in and out.

Growing up, all I saw was Made in Taiwan stamped on goods.  Who knew that one day I would have a chance to visit.  Wish I had stayed a bit longer and explored more of the country.

Sleeping Dictionaries

The World of Chinese - Manchu Minority

“One of the siege {of Peking} diarists described an encounter with Manchu women that was ‘like a narcotic when a roar of fever still hangs in one’s ears.’ Many men found local bed companions or ‘sleeping dictionaries’ an excellent and pleasurable way of learning the language.” 

Writings of Lafcadio Hearn, a half-Irish, half-Greek journalist and adventurer

source

Learning about China

source

When I traveled to a tiny piece of China (Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan), and later, as I settled in Bangkok (Thailand) to start my life as an expat, I began contemplating one day traveling into the mainland of China.  Never got around to it, but it's on my bucket list.  I even have an itinerary already mapped out.  Back in the United States, prior to my journey to the Far East, I had read the Rape of Nanking, and I'm sure I watched various History Channel films in which China was mentioned - ones on Vietnam come to mind, and the Japanese push to conquer Manchuria is another.  Other than that, I knew so little about China.  So sitting in Bangkok, in my studio apartment, I started reading a bit more on China, and my fascination grew.  Below I listed the handful of books on China that I have read.  The book written by his private physician (a very thick book, btw) enthralled me!  What's interesting is that years later, during one of our presidential elections, an American I was corresponding with via e-mail, was making blanket statements about China (negative, of course), other countries and various regions, all based on "knowledge" he'd gained from the political machine in the United States.  I remember asking him to name some books he's read, where he's gathered his own information.  He couldn't name any.  That's when I wrote down my few and shared them with him. I also e-mailed this:  Believe me, there's much we don't know about them, their culture, their people, how different countries have interacted with them, how they have responded, etc..  Remember, we are all learning.  I just think many of the knee-jerk responses to China and even our policies aren't always based on a good understanding or broad understanding.  

 

China Wakes

China - Lonely Planet

Sailing Down the Yangtze

(title name may be slightly different)

The Private Life of Chairman Mao

(written by his private physician)

The Rape of Nanking

A Day in the Life of China

Hong Kong Rocks!

 

Asheville friend Sylvia just recently returned from a two-week trip to Hong Kong.  She accomplished a lot - a big bucket list of items, in fact.  Luckily for her friends and family, she started a blog and recorded her activities each and every day.  I certainly had to get my fix each night!  I was particularly interested in hearing of her trip to see the Big Buddha.  To read about it, click here.  Sylvia's main quest (at least in my eyes!) was to take a boat to Macau, China's gambling mecca.  Once in Macau, she was to journey to the casino that purchased Michael Jackson's legendary sequined glove, the one he wore for the first time when he performed Billie Jean at the Motown 25th Anniversary Special.  Incidentally, it was that very night when MJ also introduced the world to the moonwalk!  Click here to relive that performance!  And to see how successful Sylvia was in finding the famous glove, click here.

 

  

A few years ago my friend Bow flew from Bangkok to Hong Kong.  Behind her, overlooking Victoria Harbor, is the arguably the world's best skyline.  And in Bow's hand, a Venti-something from Starbucks.  Wherever Bow is, there's bound to be a Starbucks!

China’s ancient capital rises again - the BBC

Terracotta warriors playing violins

(Getty Images)

For the article, click here.

In time, I will add some thoughts from my great-uncle and cousin, who traveled to Xi’an several years ago.

The Golden Rule

Confucius

“Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself.”

This was one of the guiding principles of life that Confucius taught his followers, five centuries before Jesus taught the Golden Rule with similar words. - Source

Confucius (551?-479? BCE), according to Chinese tradition, was a thinker, political figure, educator, and founder of the Ru School of Chinese thought.^[1] His teachings, preserved in the Lunyu or Analects, form the foundation of much of subsequent Chinese speculation on the education and comportment of the ideal man, how such an individual should live his life and interact with others, and the forms of society and government in which he should participate. Fung Yu-lan, one of the great 20^thcentury authorities on the history of Chinese thought, compares Confucius' influence in Chinese history with that of Socrates in the West.  - source

Mountain Peaks in China

 

Ever since my wife and I moved to Asheville, NC we have made some wonderful friends and contacts.  We have been very lucky to get to know Kenny Yan (above) and his wife May.  Kenny and I actually met playing badminton a few years ago.   Another shared interest we have is traveling.  Kenny and May take trips to China almost annually - usually for Chinese New Year.  Other times, they take fabulous trips around the U.S. or go on cruises with friends.  Recently, they just got back from New Zealand.  In time, my plan is to post some his images from that trip.  For now, I want to share some images from a trip they made to China.  Not sure of the name of those mountains, but they certainly are impressive.

Taiwan

American Expat Stacy

 

Taipei 101

 Entrance Gate to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

 

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

 

This is my personal video containing pictures (with captions) of a trip to Taipei in the early 2000s.  I was en route to Bangkok after a visit to the USA.  Taipei 101 was under construction then.  One thing that has always stuck with me is that there were some delicious breakfast sandwiches in Taipei.  They had a homemade McMuffin and BLT look and taste, but with a definite Asian twist.  I researched later and discovered that these breakfast sandwiches (and there are many types) are the rave throughout Taiwan.  Here's one that's popular.

 

a postcard I sent home

 

 

Recently, one of Kade's friends gave us some Taiwanese tea.

36 Hours in Tapei, Taiwan - The New York Times

Beijing to Moscow by Train

When a traveler finishes exploring Beijing, they can always jump on the Trans-Mongolian Railway. After several days and nights, they would eventually be in Moscow.

We have all heard of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the longest train journey in the world. It runs from Moscow to Vladivostok, Russia, and takes 7 days. The Trans-Mongolian, on the other hand, runs from Moscow to Beijing via Mongolia, and takes about 5 1/2 days. Click the map above to enlarge to get a perspective. The Trans-Mongolian does link with the Trans-Siberian line, so that's why you sometimes hear the Moscow-Beijing route referred to as the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Some people take the Trans-Mongolian Railway, starting in Moscow. Here is a great video by an Italian tourist who did take the train in Moscow. Others, who start out traveling in Asia first, perhaps jump on the train in Beijing and take it to Moscow. The 5 1/2 days would be the total if you did the entire trip without getting off the train. However, travelers who desire to explore Mongolia and Siberia, usually do a stopover in Ulaanbaatar - the capital of Mongolia - to see Genghis Khan's homeland and stay in a yurt with a Mongolian family. They also get off near Lake Baikal for a camping experience, and then hit a couple of larger cities, like Novosibirsk or perhaps Yekaterinburg, the city where the Romanovs were murdered. Of course, if it's winter, your itinerary and activities would likely be very different. I would prefer the warmer months, but some people say that a winter train ride through Siberia is amazing.

Here's a Smithsonian article about the train experience across Siberia. Also, here's a link to Monkey Shrine, a business that specializes in helping travelers plan their Trans-Mongolian/Trans-Siberian experience. And, if you want to read up on another post writeup I did on the Trans-Siberian Railway, click here. Finally, if you like movies, check out this thriller.

Beijing

Before returning to South Africa for Christmas, Neil and Liz Biggs decided to visit the capital of China, Beijing. As you can see on the map, there's quite a distance between Shanghai, where they had been living, and Beijing. Some people fly between the cities and some take trains or even just drive.

In Beijing, Neil and Liz covered the main landmarks: the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace and, of course, the Great Wall. I posted a couple of videos along with images they took on their trip. The first video shows magnificent aerials of Beijing. The second video (posted at the bottom) is one Liz made.

Sunday afternoon in the Temple of Heaven gardens, in Beijing. People gather in groups and sing, dance, play games and gamble.