October 07 - Beijing Part 2

This blog is a continuation of my trip to Beijing.

One big highlight (and lowlight) of the trip was the food. I’m becoming a lot more adventurous in what I will try, so this was a real test for me. The first night out we started with appetizers at the night market. It’s a street with stall after stall of just about anything you can imagine…on a stick. They cook it for you on the spot and each one seems have more strange things than the last. My co-workers had just about everything, but since it was my first day there, I really didn’t want to risk eating anything too weird yet. They took on the ordinary (chicken, lamb, squid), as well as the just plain weird (cricket, scorpion). I’m not saying that wouldn’t eat that stuff if I were starving, but there was perfectly yummy food waiting for me at the restaurant. However, I did have a great time and got to meet someone interesting.

As we walked through the night market there was someone with a big video camera setting up. I recognized the other person with him right away – Andrew Zimmern from the Travel Channel show “Bizarre Foods”. I’m a big fan and went over to see what he was eating. He was so friendly! His assistant even offered to take a picture with me (see the picture 2 post earlier). My colleague from Hong Kong explained that the dish he’s holding is some type of dumpling with a broth inside that you drink first before you eat it. None for me, thanks. I can’t wait until the new season starts, so I can see what else he ate there.

On to the rest of the culinary side of my trip. One night we had a hot pot at Dong Lai Shun Muslim Restaurant. This is supposedly a pretty famous place and the entrance is decorated with pictures from visits by Jackie Chan and Chinese celebrities that I didn’t recognize. They are called “Muslim” restaurants, but it’s not Middle Eastern or Halal food that I expected. Instead it refers to Mongolian style food from the western part of China. You are served thin strips of beef, lamb, and veggies which go into a boiling pot. It was very tasty, as were the seasoned lamb skewers.

The next night we ate Yunnan style food at Cha Ma Gu Dao Shishahai Restaurant. It’s located in an area called the Water Lily Market in Beihai Park. There are lots of restaurants and karaoke bars a few blocks deep around a nice lake here. This food was much spicier – some good, some not so good. The meeting organizers had ordered about 20 different dished and we all got try a little of each:

Favorite: spicy peppers and beef (mmmm)
Least Favorite: stinky tofu (that’s what it’s called and it’s accurate)
Weirdest that I tried: pig’s ear (the texture was not good - chewy skin and crunchy cartilage – and I needed a lot of beer to get this one down)
Weirdest that I didn’t try: chicken foot (claw and all – just couldn’t do it).

October 07 - Beijing Part 1

I had the chance to go to China for a work conference in October. Our group needed someone to attend a meeting in Beijing, so of course, I volunteered. Anytime I can go someplace I haven’t been before, I’m in. I have a lot of thoughts about the trip, so I’ll split up my comments into a few different blogs.

I stayed at the Wangfujing Grand Hotel (see my review on Tripadvisor.com), which is pretty centrally located for tourists. I didn’t have a lot of extra time, but my first morning was free. After a quick check of the map with the concierge I set off for the Forbidden City, or Palace Museum as they want it to be called. She suggested that I walk to the north entrance instead of the south where all of the tourist groups arrive. I think that little piece of advice made a big difference in my visit.

First the walk took me through some interesting streets with local shops and homes, not the hotels and malls I passed on the other days. People were walking, driving, or biking to work. And let me say that there are bikes everywhere, some of them loaded with huge amounts of stuff – vegetables, boxes, anything. While I was intrigued by everything I saw, I think the locals were too. Pretty much everyone stared at me as I strolled along. It didn’t bother me at first, but did get a little weird after a while. During about the first hour at the Forbidden City, I saw only two other “western” tourists.

Inside the north entrance, the buildings are smaller and the walkways have more trees than other parts of the City. This area had more temples and personal areas for the emperor and his family. I arrived just after it opened and it was not very crowded, but very peaceful. The buildings are beautiful, but unfortunately many are in need of restoration. (Note there is a long term plan for this – some of it is set to be done in time for the Olympics, but some further out.)

Moving to the south, the buildings get larger as you reach the halls where official business was carried out. It’s amazing to see the sheer size and number of the structures, and to think about the people who lived and worked their entire lives here. The key difference that struck me about this site and museums in other places is that the buildings are nearly all empty. There are a few with some antique displays, but most seem to have lost all of their treasures which gives the place a strange feeling. It’s very hard to imagine what it must have been like when filled with officials, soldiers, cooks, etc., as well as all of their stuff.

As I got closer to the south entrance I started to meet the tourist groups coming in the other direction. As I salmon-ed my way upstream through the masses I felt pretty conspicuous, but finally made it through the gates, guards, and traffic to the outside and Tiananmen Square.

Guards and traffic were a common theme for the entire trip. As a tourist I never once felt unsafe in the city, but it is a little weird that there is a police presence nearly everywhere. There seemed to be two types of police – some type of local police in black uniforms and military guards in green. I’m still wondering whether they were watching the people or each other, but they keep everything orderly.

After the beauty and history of the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square was a little bit of a let down. It’s not quite as big as I expected and there’s not much to see. I walked around the entire thing and the most interesting part is the Olympic floral display and count down clock. I was getting pretty tired of walking by this point so I skipped the big attraction…Mao’s body is on display. You are allowed to go in to see it and walk past, but not stop. However, you are not allowed to take anything inside, so you have to go to another building across the street to check your bags and then come back and get in line to go in. I probably should have done it, but at the time it seemed too complicated just to see a dead guy.

Instead I went out looking for a café to get a drink and rest my feet. After not finding anything like this for blocks, I gave up and headed back to the hotel for a nap. I didn’t find anything like it for the rest of the trip either and ended up a big mall with a Starbucks in the afternoon. So much for local culture.

Beijing - More about this pic later.....

You never know what (or who) you'll find at the night market!!

July 2007 - Alaska

While I've been to the great northern frontier a few times before, I haven't written about those trips yet. The other EB will be publishing his blog about last year's trip to Alaska soon, but I'll take care of this one.

Our trip this year was a family visit to my in-laws' new house in Seldovia which just completed construction before we arrived. The whole gang was in town to celebrate the new place as well as the 4th of July.
After landing in Anchorage, we drove to Homer the next day. Homer is literally the "end of the road" in the AK Highway system.

Homer Spit and the end of the road...

To get from Homer to Seldovia, there are two ways - ferry or airplane. We opted for the plane and asked the pilot to take a detour on the way so that we could fly over the Grewink glacier. Since it's receding, I'm glad we got to see it before it's melted!

Seldovia from the air: The new house is just to the left of the rock on the shore.

Seldovia airport:

We spent the next few days catching up with the family as well as fishing. The other EB caught this nice 40 lb halibut. See my record catch below.

Big Fish

Not so big fish:

We also went salmon fishing, which was a first for me. I caught a very small pink which we had to throw back. However, my sister in law had the magic touch and reeled in a whopping 50 lb. king. It turned out it was a white king, which refers to the meat that is not pink like a regular salmon. Turns out they are very rare and she was the envy of everyone at the dock when we got back!

And I'll add with some pride that I learned how to clean my own fish. It's a little icky, but very satisfying to catch and filet your own dinner. (Any guilt quickly left me when I tasted how good it was.)

The 4th of July is the big event in Seldovia, with a parade, canoe jousting, rubber ducky race, and games. Saddly, the defending egg toss champs among our friends and family did not repeat. We spent the rest of the days relaxing, eating great meals, and watching the wildlife. The sea otters and bald eagles put on a great show.

Finally it was back to Anchorage and home, but not before a few last great views of the 49th state.

May 2007 - Paris: Day 3

This was our last day in Paris and we got an early start at the Eiffel Tower. Although I've seen it in a zillion pictures and been viewing it from afar for a few days, it was fantastic to get up close! Despite the long lines, we avoided some of the crowds by walking up the first 2 levels and only taking the elevator from there.

Side note: If you know us, then you know the motto... Even though there were a lot of stairs to climb, they were much easier than the circular, worn, uneven ones in the bell towers we're usually taking. These were nice, wide spaced steps with railings!

Back to the tower... The view from the top is everything you've heard about and more. It was probably the highlight of the trip for me and the one thing that really exceeded my expections (which were pretty high because it's Paris after all).

Our next stop was the Place du Concord, and we could just imagine the Tour de France cyclists zooming past the Obelisk. That's something for another trip though. From there we walked side streets to the Louvre, and then back along the Seine to the Tuileries garden. The rain finally stopped to let us enjoy the open spaces of the park.

The last part of our adventure took us back to Brussels on the high speed Thalys train. It runs over 185 mph, but is incredibly smooth. We traveled in 1st class and got to stretch out and savor a last glass of French wine along the way.

As we got closer to Brussels, the train came to a sudden stop with no station in sight. The conductor came on the intercom with messages in French, Dutch, German, and English. We got a kick out of the difference in the ways that the announcer phrased the situation:

In English it was very politely put, "The train has temporarily come to a stop." This was followed by a suggestion to please stay seated.

However, in German, it quite different, "Der Zug kann nicht weiter gehen... (more)" Translated, it roughly meant "The train can't go any further. Don't open the doors and don't get off the train!"

After a short while we did get moving again and arrived to find out hotel was just a block from the Grand Place (see the blog from October 2006). Brussels is becoming one of my favorite places to spend an evening. The restaurants and shops were open much later than on our last trip, so we had a stroll around the city and a great dinner in the Ile de Sacre. We finished off the a final Belgian beer before saying good night and good bye to Europe.

May 2007 - Paris: Day 2

For our second day in Paris, we got up early and headed straight to the Louvre. Like everything else, it was incredibly crowded. With opening of the museum as flood of Asian tourists streamed towards the Mona Lisa. We went to see her, but waited about 1/2 hour until the craziness started to die away. She's not very big or as impressive as some of the other works. I was particularly impressed with Winged Victory and the Veus de Milo, as well as the huge collection of Egyptian artifacts. Napolean's apartments are also a must see. The Louvre is enormous and it's impossible to see and appreciate everything in one visit. The building itself is an attraction and we found ourselves exhausted by late morning.


New and old at the Louvre:







Napolean's Apartments:

We stopped at the cafe in the Louvre to take a rest and figure out what to do next. Eric ordered a Coke and I ordered a Coke Light (Diet Coke for those in the US). His Coke arrived, frosty and refreshing. The waiter brought me a chicken salad sandwich. Hmmm. This time I sent it back and finally got my drink. It was beginning to seem like regardless of what I ordered in France, I would be getting something else. C'et la vie, as they say.

It had started rain, so we decided to see a few more indoor sights. Next stop was St. Sulpice church. If you've read the DaVinci Code or seen the movie, this is the church with the obelisk and the "rose line" running accross it where the monk goes to dig up a clue. It's not nearly on the same scale as Notre Dame, but it didn't have the crowds of people. Inside, it was much more reverent, and the visitors were quiet and not snapping photos everywhere. I actually think I liked it better than the famous cathedral. It's also worth noting that there are a few signs in multiple languages explaining that the line on the church floor is really a marker for one of the Meridians that runs through Paris, and that the obelisk is a monument to recognize the geographers/cartographers who cooperated with the church to map the longitude lines. It also noted that it has nothing to do with a certain movie. Well, it was fun to imagine it anyway.

Since it was still raining, we headed over to the Army Museum and Napolean's tomb. Much of the Army Museum is closed for refurbishment, but, of course, you don't find that out until you've already bought the ticket. However, Napolean's tomb is worth a look, though. The building, the tomb, and the surrounding monuments inside are pretty impressive. They really challenged my Anglo-centric view of him as some kind of maniacal despot bent on destroying Europe. Here you see him as a great strategist, general, and leader. (I'm not yet convinced he wasn't the self-centered crazy man we've been taught about, but he's more interesting to me now.)

There is a display of one of his uniforms and many personal items. It reminded me of a strangely similar display at the Maritime Museum in London dedicated to Nelson. It really gives you a different perspective on these world events.

After a drink and a nap, it had finally stopped raining so we headed out to find a restaurant. Our walk gave us the first good view of the Eiffel Tower, and it was amusing to see the reporters covering the French Open using it as a back drop for their interviews. What better way to prove you are in Paris?

Once again we came face to face my nemesis...the Parisian waiter. This time we ordered steak filets, and all signs seemed positive. However, when he came back to say they had no steaks left, I wasn't surprised. Eric opted for chicken instead. Now, I've been told that meat is generally served much more rare in Europe than in the US, but I didn't expect that rule to apply to poultry. His chicken arrived pink and nearly raw, so it was sent back to kitchen for another round on the grill. I'm starting to think they are out to kill us.

When we finally did get our food, it was great. We finished it off with an excellent Bordeaux and then some Creme Brulee. All is forgiven. Yum.

May 2007 - Paris: Day 1

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything (that wasn’t for work), but a recent trip has sparked me to start again. Since we just got back from Paris, I’ll start there, but then I’ll get back to last year’s trips so there should be some more activity here in the next few weeks.

This latest trip started as a random comment by the(other)eb. He casually mentioned that there was a conference and training session in Belgium that his company might attend. It turned out that the person who was supposed to go couldn’t. He volunteered and the rest just happened. I know that for most people, the idea of going to Europe for a long weekend seems crazy, but there you have it – it’s what we do. Looking back, we’ve spent 3 of the last 4 Memorial Day weekends in Europe. More about those trips some other time.

Anyway, since we were *just* in Belgium last fall, we decided to meet in Paris since neither of us had been there and it’s one of those “must see” places in the world. I was in Vegas the week before for a tradeshow and left there to fly to Paris. Eric met me there after coming in on the high speed train from Brussels. The contrast between Vegas and Paris was a dose of culture shock.

We arrived around noon and set off to find our hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Tilsitt Etoile just off the Arc du Triomphe. My review of the hotel should be posted on Tripadvisor.com soon, but I give the location a thumbs up. After checking in and dropping the bags we headed out to explore the city. We made a pact not to try to do too many things in the short 3 days that we had, but instead relax and let things happen. We didn’t have much of a plan, other than a few key sights that everyone told us we had to see.



At this point we stopped at a café for lunch and immediately realized we were going to have to be more selective about where we ate. We ordered ham sandwiches (baguette et jambon), but the waiter brought us ham omelettes. What? I was too hungry to argue, so we ate them and called for the check. Our second surprise was that we were charged 8€ each for our Cokes. Yikes! Expensive lesson learned.

Leaving the café behind we went to visit Notre Dame. It’s unusual and beautiful, but the experience was slightly tarnished for me because of the huge crowds of people. There were hundreds in line, as well as some who just walked up and pushed in ahead (the American/English idea of a queue is nonexistent).



Once inside, the cathedral’s stained glass windows are everything you hear about. However, the crowd of people talking and tramping through make it feel a little less sacred and special. Back outside, the carvings and gargoyles are fantastic. We especially liked this one of St. Denis who was beheaded and now holds his own noggin (2nd from right).

After Notre Dame we walked around the Ile de Cite and the Latin Quarter, and then to a café for a beer before dinner. This time, we checked the menu and prices first (beer and wine are cheaper than soft drinks). After a great Italian dinner near our hotel, we went for a walk, or really, more of a wander. We ended up at Porte Maillot and then headed home to the Arc, happy, full, and tired!