Day 37 – October 24 – Shanghai – Beijing

I’m flying today from Shanghai to Beijing rather than taking the train because, although I do love train travel, above 4 hours it takes away too much time from my visits to cities. So, I got a China Southern flight out of Hongxiao airport to Beijing Capital (Peking) for pretty cheap. I did learn something this morning from this flight. Shanghai has two airports, Pudong is the primarily international airport while Hongxiao services domestic connections. Oh, yes, and the people of China have NO CLUE how to use a line. I mean, this place was nuts with throngs of people pushing everywhere. To be honest, it was not as bad as India, but this was an airport, in a major city. They should know better. Well, all the major Chinese carriers (Air China, China Southern, China Eastern, Dragon Air, etc) use the same check-in booths, so there is just one large mob of people pushing to get to the front. It took me about 45 minutes to check in for my flight, but more than that, I was just aggravated and tired and pissed off when I got to the front. But, I made it, I was on the flight, and they gave me milky sticky rice for breakfast, which was unfortunate, but I appreciated the thought. By 2pm I had arrived at my destination, Beijing airport.

I made my way to the airtrain to get to Beijing city-center. My hotel, the Red Wall Hotel, was located directly behind the Forbidden City and near public transportation lines. Unfortunately, after I transferred from the airtrain to the subway successfully, I exited the subway and started walking with my monster backpack towards the hotel in the wrong direction. 2.5 hours later, I arrived at the hotel, but I had seen most of the center of Beijing. My first impression? These buildings are massive with no sense of human scale. I remember Mr Portman, my Western Civilization teacher sophomore year at Loyola and intellectual mentor for this trip since he did something similar during his college years, telling us how when he saw the Pyramids at Giza, they bore no relation to the scale of humanity compared to, for example, the Parthenon in Athens. I would make the point this way: while the towers of Shanghai were incredibly tall, they were designed in an elegant, delicate fashion, whereas the buildings lining Beijing’s inner city were tall, wide, squat buildings with massive columns out front. They were imposing, foreboding. They were likely designed by Party officials to remind the population that the Party and Communist system were large and sturdy, in control. There was no missing these buildings and there was nothing elegant about them. They were ugly and loud, like drunk chicks at Spring Break, but at least you cannot pretend they are not there. Anyhow, I passed these buildings and checked into the hotel.

The assistant manager of the hotel was a young Chinese guy who had spent about 3 months doing an internship with a large US hotel chain in Washington D.C. He was interested in my perspective on the US, so asked if I wanted to go to a traditional Chinese acrobatic show. I said, sure, why not. We went and, while it was really interesting to see this kind of stuff, it was a complete tourist trap. It was a bunch of kids doing summersaults, flips, plate spinning, etc. The coolest was a guy who would balance on various large pipes, moving left, right, back and forward. It was really cool, and then he had a small girl balance on his head using only her head. That was cool, freakish, but cool. No wonder the Chinese won all those medals in the Olympics for gymnastics, they make these kids do absolutely freakish things from such a young age. My buddy from the hotel told me he had never been before, either, so he was impressed with the skill of the kids. The grand finale had the about 15 kids riding a bike around in a circle for a bit, which was oddly reminiscent of how people actually get around Delhi.

After the acrobatic show, we asked me if I wanted to go get a beer and something to eat. I said sure, I was game. I only requested that it was a local place as opposed to some kind of tourist trap, you know, like the trap I just left. He laughed and took me to a place with about three other patrons who were staring intently at a boxing match between a Chinese guy and a Filipino guy. We both ordered a plate of food, and he chose two starters. Then he chose two local Beijing beers, which came in the normal, non-US size of 660 centiliters, or about 2 US sized beers. He asked me if I liked to drink beer, to which I made a universally understandable face. Translation: yes, I like beer, and I bet I like it more than you. So we had a drinking contest, which was just unfair. The guy was like 22 years old and about 135 pounds, just tiny. I, on the other hand, have some experience downing beers. I mean, I’ve been US drinking for years, which is heavy on the beer and light on the wine, so good luck keeping up with me, my Chinese friend. The food was great. We had a fish and a chicken dish, with the chicken dish being very spicy. It was in a sweet and sour sauce, but with a kick. The fish was a whole fish which I had to pull apart myself, which is my favorite way to eat seafood. It should be very labor intensive, otherwise, where is the fun? The starters were seaweed and noodles, which were both good. The seaweed was surprisingly spicy and salty, at the same time, but went really well with the beer.

To make a long story short, I drank him under the table in the drinking contest. I knew I would. How did I objectively come to this conclusion? We each had five beers, but he went to the bathroom 5 times to my 2, and I had to literally drag him out of the bar. At a certain point, I was done, I wanted to get up early in the morning to see the Great Wall, and he was being pushy, wanting to have another beer and another beer. He was toast. He also tripped over a step and tried to grab one of the fish out of the aquarium next to the cash register. I was having a fantastic time watching this. It was a train wreck. At the end, I told him I would run into the bathroom real quick and meet him downstairs. Up until this point, I had an extremely favorable opinion of China. The public transportation was fast, efficient and clean. The airports worked. The hotel was nice enough for the price, and I did not have any issues walking around my area. Then I entered the bathroom at this local restaurant. I was disgusted. Inside was a long trough-style urinal and a small tiled wall behind it. As I walked in, I was almost knocked on my ass by the smell of urine and feces. Then, I look over to the tiled wall, and there was one of the boxing spectators, squatting over the whole in the floor which constitutes a toilet. He was also talking on his cellphone and making very loud grunts as he evacuated his system. I had two questions: (i) who was on the other line of that phone call and (ii) why could he not wait a couple of minutes before calling that person? I used the bathroom faster than I had ever used a bathroom before. I mean, I just had to get out of there it was so horrible. The stench was ungodly. Seriously, it smelled like rotten fish layered in vomit and poop. I would have rather smelled my own socks, but there is no way I am ever going to be barefoot in Beijing after seeing this. So, in the end, I loved the food, defended my drinking ability, and decided that China should not be accepted into the community of civilized nations until every one of its “world cities” dumps the hole and installs a porcelain toilet… with stalls. That and Glad Plugins for the stench. Then, I will take it completely seriously.

Day 36 – October 23 – Shanghai

Shanghai is all about architecture. The city has grown into the financial capital of China, marginalizing the importance of Hong Kong since its handover from British to Chinese rule in the late 90s. I find the city a bit strange, since it is both vertical and horizontal. It is a massively sprawling city, with a vast population, but the business center is massive and vertical. The tallest building in building in China is located in Shanghai, the World Financial Center. The skyscrapers are brightly lit, some with large screens covering an entire side of the structure. Shanghai gives one the feeling that it has something to prove, that it is trying desperately to become accepted as a world-class city. I already think it is, but only time will tell if the financial world accepts it completely over Hong Kong.

We arrived in Shanghai a little after noon. I had to go through customs, getting off a direct train from the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of Hong Kong. It took me around 15 minutes to get through customs, which I thought was pretty funny. I looked gross and smelled worse. After 18 hours on a train, alternatively sleeping and sitting up and doing nothing in the same clothes, I was looking rather unkempt. But, the nice people at Chinese customs eventually let me through to explore their lovely country.

I’ve been trying to use public transportation wherever I go, primarily buses, trains and subways. After that extended train ride, I decided I earned a taxi ride. So I jumped into the first unmarked, illegal taxi I could find, haggled down to 25 Yuan (just north of $4), and sped off to the hotel. I wouldn’t call this hotel a splurge, but it definitely wasn’t a hostel. Hostels in Shanghai are awful, I have been told, so I put in for a hotel in the shopping district of the city. I cleaned up, showered, and sent some laundry to the cleaners. I also logged on to my laptop to find that Facebook, my blog (Blogger through Google), and various other sites were inaccessible. This is what some commentators have referred to as the Great Red Wall, an effort by the Chinese government to block content it deems subversive to the regime. Great, I won’t be able to update the blog for a while (but of course you know this if you are reading at the moment…). I was able to Skype with my mom and dad, however, which was nice. It’s always good to talk with them, especially when it is free and includes video!

I grabbed my camera and walked through the city. I don’t know that much about Shanghai, or what there is to see, so I decided to just walk towards The Bund, the area I do know about. But we’ll get to that. I walked down one of the main boulevards, passing several new glass and steel hotel/retail developments. It looks like a city has been grown in a matter of days: hotel, shopping mall, office building, repeat. So far, I hadn’t seen anything to impress me or show showcase what is culturally unique about Shanghai. I had just passed about 8 McDonald’s and 7 KFCs. Where is all the Shanghai crab?

I arrived at the People’s Park, a kind of Union Square of Shanghai. The modern art museum is located adjacent to the park, and there is very interesting interplay between modern and colonial architecture in the area. There was one very intriguing tower which looked like a spear, a main tower with an enlarged pointed top, that rose above an old colonial-style clock tower. Very interesting. I walked around the park for a while before getting stopped by three Chinese people, probably in their late 20s. As usual, I was rocking out to my iPod, so they made a motion at me, and I removed my headphones. Are you American, they asked. I nodded, and asked how they knew. I had been wearing sunglasses (it was around 4:30pm and the sun was low in the sky) and they said that they had been told that Americans always wear sunglasses, no matter if there is sun or not. I laughed, and agreed. I told them that it is a law in the US that everyone needs to wear sunglasses between 9 am and 5pm to protect against blindness. Wow, they said, really? No, I’m kidding, I replied, I just like sunglasses. They laughed. We talked for a bit about where they were from (north of Beijing) and how they had come to Shanghai for holiday since it is warmer than the North. They asked me about California and New York, about what I thought about China, and about President Obama. They said they were very impressed with him. Great, I’m a fan, too. They thought it was funny that I had come to Shanghai. As they put it “there is no Chinese culture here.” Interesting, glad I’m just doing a night then. They said all the culture I will want to see is in Beijing. They gave me some good ideas of sites to see in Beijing, which I appreciated. We split up, and I thanked them for their ideas and complimented their fantastic English.

After the park I walked through the main shopping street, choosing not to enter any of the stores since I really don’t need anything and these stores will not be selling the type of souvenirs I am interested in purchasing. I finally arrived at The Bund, the pedestrian walkway on the riverbank. Unfortunately, the entire strip is being cleaned, renovated and updated for the World Expo in 2010. Honestly, I do not really know what the Expo is, other than a continuation of the World Fairs, which dropped into obscurity after Montreal’s Expo in the 70s. But Shanghai and the Chinese tourism board has advertised this thing to death. There was a countdown clock in the hotel, along the street, and also at the airport. They are marketing this as Shanghai’s answer to the Beijing Olympics. So, The Bund was closed. Fantastic. And it is the best vantage point to view the Central Business District across the river. I walked to the tourist tunnel, what I thought was a pedestrian walkway beneath the river connecting the two sides of the city. No, this was (1) a tourist trap and (2) just plain ridiculous. A tunnel was dug under the river, and some genius probably said, hey, instead of just having a walkway or a normal subway line, how about we install a purpose built, slow as hell, people mover with some glow sticks and Christmas lights stapled to the walls of the tunnel? We’ll call it, the Shanghai Experience! So you pay an exorbitant amount, walk down about 75 steps to a super heated and humid waiting area, and board a tram with glass walls. People are pushing their way to the front, excited to see what comes next! I thought, maybe they’ll have something playing overhead talking about the history of Shanghai or current events in China. No. This was like Space Mountain at Disneyland on crack. The slow moving tram starts through a tunnel lit up in circles which turn on and off quickly, probably inducing seizures in some unfortunate souls. Then, overhead, you hear random words like “Cobalt” and “Fiery Lava” which are accompanied by weird shapes and colors projected on the walls of the tunnel. There is a screen with whales swimming on it which lifts up as the tram approached, and those waving arm inflatable tube people stuck in the middle, so the tram runs right over them. It is just weird. Flashing lights and colors, balloons getting plowed and random words does not make for a pleasant or enlightening experience. No, I just couldn’t wait to exit the weird tunnel of horrors and get to the other side of the river.

I got out and immediately saw the TV Tower, a large structure with two large, purple orbs separated by a tower in between, resting on a tripod. It is a huge structure, and quite striking, reminiscent of the Space Needle in Seattle or the CN Tower in Toronto. It is well lit, a necessary trait in a city of lights brighter than Vegas. The line to take the elevator to the top was very long, circling the base of the tower twice. I walked down to the waterfront, looking across to The Bund which had previously been obstructed from view. From this vantage point, the promenade was lined with stately Colonial buildings, well lit in soft white, a departure from the garish colorful lighting of the new CBD. This is a beautiful view. I continued walking, passing about 35 Japanese and Chinese people who had dutifully lined up with tripods and cameras awaiting the perfect time to capture their photos of Shanghai’s waterfront. I don’t have a tripod, I just make due. And, I have been satisfied with my photos thus far. I walked past several McDonald ice cream stands, which seem to be popular, and a Hagen Daaz café, which was packed with people, on my way to the monumental towers of the CBD. It took about 10 minutes to get from the waterfront to the two tallest towers in Shanghai. Looking straight up at these behemoths, I was amazed. They are fantastic examples of modern architecture. The lines are clean but create this sense of twisting as they reach towards the sky. It was all really cool, if a little soulless.

I walked back to the hotel, stopping at a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on the way. Ice Blendeds are yummy.

Day 35 – October 22 – Hong Kong - Shanghai

I took the Cathay Pacific red-eye from Delhi to Hong Kong. The flight was okay. The plane was older than all the other Cathay Pacific flights I had been on, I guess this route is not a priority for the airline. I did sleep, a lot, though.

Upon arriving, I went through Hong Kong customs, which is a breeze. Really no problems at all. I booked it to the post office inside the airport, where I was able to ship that carpet home for a very cheap price. It was only about $40 to ship a 9 kilo package. Hopefully it will get to the US. They said it could take up to two months, which is fine. I will just be getting back to LA in two months.

I took the airport express to Kowloon Station, where I transferred to a shuttle bus which took me to Hum Hung station, the main train station in Hong Kong. There I bought a train ticket to Shanghai. This is not what you could really call a high-speed train in the tradition of the Shinkansen in Japan or the TGV in France. No, this is more of a put-put train. It only leaves every other day for Shanghai since the train actually takes 18 hours to travel between the two cities. I splurged and got one of the “soft-sleeper” cars with only four berths rather than the cushion-less option with six berths. I did not want to be the lone man with a family of five sharing the same room. That just doesn’t sound positive. So I boarded the train and found out that I was only sharing the cabin with a middle-aged Chinese woman who spoke no English. We were cordial to each other. I smiled, helped her with her bag, and she nodded back. We both got ourselves situated, and she went out to explore the train. I got more comfortable, taking off my boots and using the extra pillow and blanket from the empty bed to create a makeshift chair on my bed so I could read and type. When she came back, she lay in her bed for about four minutes before exiting, again. She came back quickly, sat down, faced me, and said “excuse me, your shoes… smell… terrible.” I freaked out. Dear god, my boots smell that bad that she had to exit the cabin, ask a stranger who speaks English how to translate, and then deliver it with such… vitriol? I quickly grabbed them and stashed them above us in a small closable compartment in the wall. She nodded, satisfied, and went to bed. In my own defense, she had the smelliest food I have ever had the displeasure to whiff, and her own shoes smelled pretty horrible themselves.

So, that was how the train ride went. We didn’t speak to each other, we just both watched the scenery speed by, going from the sea to hills and mountains. It was a nice ride, no major starts or stops. Next stop, Shanghai.

Day 34 – October 21 – Delhi/Agra, India – Hong Kong, China

We woke up bright and early to see one of the most famed sites in the world, the Taj Mahal in Agra. Not to ruin the surprise for you, but getting there is long, arduous, and not very interesting.

The American guy we met the day before, Rich, decided to join us, so our car went from two to three Americans. We got out of the hotel, to the car, and started out. Unfortunately, we really didn’t start for another hour. We had to go to a travel agency on the other side of Delhi to get a hotel voucher for Tim. Tim had asked the travel agent repeatedly if he could get all of this worked out prior to our departure so we would not take any time away from the Taj Mahal. Yeah, that didn’t work. The travel agent was full of, excuse my French, merde. So, we started out the drive at 7, not 6 am. But we did get a nice view of some highways we haven’t traveled yet. Score?

Then, we start the drive and hit traffic almost immediately. For about 45 minutes, we moved a mere 1/4 of a mile. There was no traffic light, and the people have NO CLUE how to drive unless someone is telling them exactly how to do it. Not only that, but all the drivers lay on the horn the entire time. Honk Honk HONK!!! It was aggravating to say the least. It was difficult to sleep with the drive really leaning hard on the brake and the horn. But its okay, we are going to see the Taj Mahal! Then the driver makes a pit stop, halting the car almost in the middle of nowhere, getting out, and walking to a small hut in the road. That is when the car is surrounding by people trying to sell us crap. And this was crap. Buddha and Hindu statues, wallets, elephants carvings, bracelets, and all manners of medallions and postcards. The best was the snake charmer, who opened a basket and played a flute. The cobra sprang to life, rising up, moving from side to side, and then settling back into the basket. It was actually cool to see. They tried to get us to buy this crap or pay for the show, but we didn’t even flinch. No, nothing for you. We are not going to support the preying on hapless tourists just because you can. When the driver got back, we told him never to do that again. We have no interest in buying crap on the road.

So, next stop, Taj Mahal! Not really, we went to breakfast. Or, at least, the driver wanted us to eat. We weren’t hungry, so we just sat by the car while the driver ate his breakfast. Two men who were standing at the front to the driveway came running up to us, dragging two sacks behind them. But, those sacks were actually monkeys, dressed up in costumes and with make-up on them. One was a girl and the other a boy, and when the men clapped, they would jump up and down, like frat boys at a Sir Mix-a-Lot concert. It was really sad. The animals just looked depressed. I would be, too, if someone dressed me in a tutu and told me to jump for the foreigners. I only jump up and down for snicker bars. We bought some overpriced water and then got back in the car. Fine, we told the driver, you are full, now get us to Agra.

We arrived in the city around 11am, ready to see the Taj Mahal. But the driver first tried to get us to let him pick up his friend, a “free” tour guide. This was it. NO. We have no interest in a tour guide. He is useless to us. So, no tour guide. The driver dropped us off and the top of the walkway to the Taj Mahal, and said he would return to retrieve us in 2 and a half hours. After rebuffing three more tour guides, we got into the main plaza before the security check. You may only bring in yourself, your camera, cellphone and a bottle of water provided with your admission. Rich and I were hungry and noticed some nutrigrain bars left behind at the security check. They were still in the original wrapper, so we grabbed them, much to the chagrin of the security guard, and we just downed the suckers. They were good and very necessary.

Upon entering, we walked through a tunnel before the Taj Mahal. I was ready for it. I walked through the tunnel and entered into the grounds with a view of the mausoleum in its full glory. Words cannot describe the majesty of this structure. It is breathtaking, glittering white in the strong sunlight. The whole layout is perfect, with the long reflecting pool mirroring the building in its calm waters. As I sit here and try to come up with words to express my thoughts, I am stunted. I don’t have anything. I have been looking so forward to this moment, expectations were sky high, and they were met, nay, exceeded. This building is a concrete poem, a song which has taken form. It is meticulous in its perfection, blinding in its magnitude. The only thing I think is close to this is the Vatican in Rome. Similarly, it is large, but not imposing like the Pyramids in Egypt. It is of human scale, but just barely. Maybe in its uniform white color does it give us an impression of simplicity, because it obviously isn’t simple. It is as complex as the space shuttle. It is an illusion, trickery on the mind to make one think that it is simple. Because it is utterly perfect, the mind cannot comprehend anything other than its perfection. Well, this building is perfect, of course, what else would they do? Isn’t it obvious? This is the perfect structure… there is no other option or alternative. It is what it is.

The one funny aspect of the Taj Mahal is entering the mausoleum on the interior. The door is small leading into the center, but the people have no semblance of a line. No, they push and shove, trying to fit 10 people through a door that can barely fit two people. Near the front, I saw an older Indian woman struggling to exit. I helped her through, letting her cut me. She immediately grabbed for three people behind me. No way, I was helping you, stop pushing MORE people in front of me. So I pushed her through, cut off her three cohorts, and got out. Damn, figure it out, people. Use a line!

We walked around the grounds for over two hours, taking pictures, again, with locals and taking pictures of me doing stupid things in front of the Taj Mahal. I loved it. It was, as I said, perfect. We left, dropping Tim off at his hotel in Agra, and started back to Delhi airport, for me, and Delhi train station, for Rich. The traffic was horrendous. There was no line, no lanes and no method to the madness, but we got back. It took six hours, and I was barely on time for my flight, but we got back. I was happy with the day. It taught me that some things meet and surpass expectations. It was great, a lot of fun. We had some ridiculous interactions with each other and with the driver along the way, getting aggravated and tired with the wheeling and dealing. By the end, I think he respected us because we refused to be pushed around like normal Westerners. So I learned something, let the driver eat, but tell him not to pick up the guide. He’ll still get you there all the same, but boundaries are set.

Another thing I learned: Sometimes, it’s about the journey, not the destination. Not today, it was all about the destination.

Day 33 – October 20 – Delhi

Another day, another Delhi. Today, Tim and I booked our car for tomorrow to go to Agra and visit the Taj Mahal. The car is going to drive us bright and early to the site, wait, drop Tim off at his hotel in Agra, and then return me to the Delhi airport to catch my flight to Hong Kong. We are paying more than we would like, but, hey, that is how life is. We negotiated with the agent at our hotel, in whom we have almost no faith, and decided to stop carping about money and just pay. However, as we are leaving the agency, we bump into a third American, Rich from New York. We tell him our plans and he says he might jump into our car if it works out with his schedule. The possibility that we might be able to split the car a third way is a definite positive, and we leave the hotel to start our day, on an optimistic note.

We went to the Red Fort first thing today. It was packed with tourists, both foreign and domestic. The domestic price was about 60 rupees while we were charged more like 250. A steep price, but definitely worth it. The walls to the fort are massive. Walking in one has to pass several military fortifications with middle-aged men pointing machine guns at one’s head. One of the best parts is seeing some of these bunkers manned by guys who are fully and obviously asleep. Feet kicked up, hands behind his head. I mean, the guy was in deep REM cycle sleep. I thought to myself, I hope he doesn’t wake up with a start and think I’m a renegade Brit trying to take the colony back for the Queen. I’ll walk through this area quickly. Through the main gate is a long covered passage which served as the fort’s main thoroughfare when it was used to house soldier’s families. Now, the shops were all devoted to tourism souvenirs and kitch. We passed this part quickly. I stepped out from the dark avenue of stalls into the blinding light of a large, grassy courtyard. The sheer size of this complex is not fathomable from the outside. This is a city within a city. Stretching as far as I could see to my left and right were barracks, some nicer than others, about 5 stories tall. This fort could garrison an impressive army back in the day. There were some old, rusty bicycles lying near some trees, probably still being used to navigate the immense property. In the center, down a long walkway surrounded by green park, was a long, squat structure of red stone. There were intricate arches all around the building, giving it a dignified look from up close.

To the left of this structure was a large white building with intricate carvings in the white marble. It was gorgeous. The whole thing was roped off, probably because the authorities want it to remain free of dirt and grime which would inevitably come from hundreds of thousands to millions of feet trampling over the site on a daily basis. I really enjoyed studying the details of the carvings on the marble. The geometrical designs and decorative carvings were beautiful. Sites like this remind me why so many people love India. It has so many treasures, many from the mixing of several great cultures and artistic traditions. I still just can’t get over the pollution, crime, over-crowding and hustling which takes place and makes it hard for a tourist to want to come back. It is just gross and dirty. This fort, with its efficient functionality and incredible artistic treasures, is one of those examples of the mixture of form and function which makes India unique. I do appreciate what I am seeing, but I don’t think I would want to venture back here. Just saying. We continued to walk around the site, pausing at intervals to relax on the green grass and just take in the whole site. Parts of it, like the officers’ quarters, were like an East College, elegant and beautiful. Others reflected the military use, like the lookout towers and spaces for rifles or other weapons. It was really interesting.

After the Red Fort we walked up to the Spice Market. The Spice Market is really just a street which acts as the main spice and food exchange in Old Delhi. The smells that filled the area, nutmeg and coriander and coconut, was intoxicating. It was so strong and so good. The stores were usually staffed by men but the main customers were women. I obviously had no idea what they were saying, but it looked like the women had the upper hand in haggling with these men. They would get a couple of scoops of spices in bowl, weigh it, and the men would shout a price. She would shout back a lower price, prompting the men to scoop some spice out and agree to that price. Then the woman would add an even larger scoop back to the weighed amount, sticking to her original price. The men would give up, agree to her price. It was funny to watch. Daily life in Old Delhi.

After we took a tuk-tuk to the Akshardham temple. It cost us 50 rupees each way, and we didn’t go inside. No, we didn’t because they don’t allow cameras or bags. I was not about to leave my absurdly expensive camera in a coatcheck and explore a temple. Tim felt the same way. I cannot think of a more horrifying experience than losing my beloved camera at this point in the trip. I would be able to take pictures of the Taj Mahal, Great Wall or kangaroos. That would be an insurmountable loss for me at this juncture. Who wants an around the world trip without documented proof of a kangaroo petting session? I know I don’t! So we left, enjoying the insane traffic back to the hotel, even coming up close and personal to a horse-drawn carriage at one point… which was going faster than our vehicle.

At the hotel, we asked about a restaurant. They pointed us to Karim’s adjacent to the mosque. So, Tim and I went, and it was fantastic. It looked like the restaurant has done really well, because they had about 5 different rooms to eat in. I think they had one kitchen, but as more and more people came to eat at Karim’s, they had to open more dining rooms. I had the half chicken curry, which had the perfect amount of spice. It was light, but flavorful. I was in heaven. That, along with the best nan I have ever had. It was more thoroughly cooked than nan back home, but it was even more light and fluffy in the middle. It was the perfect consistency for picking up the remnants of the curry sauce in one’s plate. We also had a kebab each, which was nice. I didn’t need more than one, all this food was more than enough for me. Tim had a chicken briyani, which was also darn good. We sat there, at a table not unlike what one would find in a highschool cafeteria back in the US, but it was perfect. No drinking the water for us, a couple of colas really hit the spot. We also loved the green chili sauce which gave an added kick to the nan and curries. Yum, that was perfect.

Walking back to the hotel, we noticed a large sign promoting the fireworks which had kept us up and terrified of dying in an inferno the past two nights: Cock Brand Fireworks. Really? Awesome, I’ll just take a photo of that and laugh to myself whenever I see it. Yes, I’m immature. What else do you want from me? Tim and I had another beer on the roof and toasted to our day in Delhi. It was chaotic, sometimes rewarding and sometimes an utter failure, just what we had come to expect from the city. And we were full. Well-done.

Day 32 – October 19 – Delhi

I’m going to start this posting by giving some insight on why I chose the cities and countries I chose for this trip. I wanted to visit places I had never been to before, places with cultures and traditions very different from Western traditions, which I am familiar with. Asia, in particular, has held a lot of appeal. I had never been to Asia before, yet I have several friends from Asia, so I have places and people to visit. Whether it is Asian influences on food or architecture, music or movies, there is significant reason to be interested in the impact Asian life has had on the US. So, spending an extended period of time in the region sounded like a fantastic opportunity. The BRIC countries, Brazil, Russia, India and China, are quite interesting as the current engines of global economic growth. Traveling through China, India and Russia would be interesting both culturally and intellectually (Brazil will have to be another trip. I’m going to have to ask Paola Gilsanz, intellect extraordinaire, to show me around Brazil sometime in the near future.) India, was high on the list. I’ve had several Indian friends who have raved about the cities and the countryside in India. I’ve come to the conclusion that India would take longer than the amount of time I would be able to dedicate to it on this trip. So, spending a couple of days in the capital, New Delhi, and making a pit stop to the Taj Mahal, sounded like a good compromise.

You know those commercials that place incessantly on CNN (and, especially, CNN International) about “Incredible India?” Yeah, I have NO IDEA where those videos are shot because the India I am seeing at the moment is absolutely terrible. When I went down to the travel agent associated with the hotel, the young man (more like a kid) who worked there was not very helpful. I wanted to take the train to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, but he insisted a car was better. It took no less than an hour of haggling to get the price down to around $120 for the round-trip transportation, including admissions to the sites. In the travel agency, I met another American named Tim. Nice guy. We decided to travel around Delhi together, splitting cab fares and such.

We walked around Old Delhi, the area around our hotel, first going to the Red Fort. It is a large citadel constructed by the British during colonial rule. It is very impressive from the outside. Unfortunately, it is closed on Mondays, so we only got to take pictures. We jumped the gate and took pictures in front of the main gate until a couple of soldiers told us to move away. It was worth it, I’m sure tomorrow this area is going to be teaming with tourists. We walked down the main street, passing the old train station, with its dignified colonial architecture.

We wandered around aimlessly for a bit before stumbling across the Jama Masjid Mosque, the largest mosque in India. It can hold 50,000 worshipers and is still the center of Islam in the country. Before entering, Tim and I had to borrow sarongs from the front vendor since we were wearing shorts, which is unacceptable, similar to the Vatican. Different from the Vatican, however, is that no ticket is necessary to enter unless one has a camera. Then the admission fee jumps to several dollars. Damn. I was given a sarong which could have been the same tartan design as that off William Wallace. It was pretty hilarious. Also, this thing was massive, so it had to be worn high, making me look ridiculous. All for the love of culture. The mosque is massive. Upon entering one’s gaze is drawn up to the two large minarets flanking the wide façade. Three large onion domes in the Arab design are topped with shining gold points. The red and white stone is immaculately clean, a wide departure from most of the surrounding area. The main plaza is surrounded by an elegant arcade with three large gates looking down to the bustling city below. The view from the gate opposite the main structure includes a fantastic view of the Red Fort in the distance. We bought tickets to climb the minarets, hiking up the spiral staircase for what seemed like forever. Don’t forget, it is friggin hot in this country, around 99 degrees and humid, and I’m wearing a heavy cotton moo-moo over my normal clothes (Dear god, I was wearing a Scottish plaid moo-moo, wasn’t I? The horror.) At the top of the minaret we were treated to a spectacular view of the city below in full swing at midday. Delhi is teaming with people, people on top of people.

We stopped for lunch at the McDonald’s on the main street, about 10 minutes away from the mosque. Most of this area is lined with street food, which, although looking inviting, makes my stomach cringe in anticipation. Since we could not find a location which did require prophylactic Cipro dosages, we went to McDonald’s. In India, there are no beef or pork products. So I had chicken nuggets. A little taste of fried American goodness, hit the spot.

From here Tim and I went to the Lotus Temple, a building in the newer part of town with an adjoining park. The temple was constructed with a modern design to mimic the shape of a lotus blossom. It is very similar in design to the Sydney Opera House. It also reminds me of the Self Reliance Fellowship at home in Pacific Palisades, California. One enters through a park which is a welcome respite from the insanity and traffic of Delhi. The temple rests on a hill, surrounded by small pools which reflect the structure’s white walls. Inside, the ceiling undulates, making several nooks for quiet reflection. We sat inside, enjoying some time for quiet reflection. I reflected on how much I wanted to be out of the traffic and pollution of Delhi, to be honest. I don’t think it matters how much one prays, the sky in Delhi is going to remain a yellow-reddish hue.

From the Lotus Temple we negotiated rates with the tuk-tuk driver. In order for him to take us back to Old Delhi, we would have to stop by one of those stores where they try to sell one souvenir crap and give the driver a tip for stopping. We were resolved not to buy anything. As we walked through, looking at Buddha statues and Hindu carvings, we looked at the carpets. They actually made some beautiful carpets, some pure silk the others with a yak and silk blend. There was one which I was interested in, but they started the price at $2,000. That is way out of my price range. So I told him, although I liked it, I could not afford it. Come on, man, what would you like to pay for it? Let me know your price. So, I started at 20% of the price… $400. Oh, no, we can’t do that, how about $1,800, came the reply from the owner. No, I said, I really can’t go about $400, but thanks for the offer! I really had no issues about walking away at this point without the carpet, which the owner obviously gathered from my attitude. After about 15 to 25 minutes of going in circles, and me nearly walking out several times, they got to $500. So, I bought a carpet. But part of the deal was that I would have to carry it with me. Fine, I am going to lug around a 5 foot by 7 foot silk carpet for the remainder of my trip. I am going to see if I can ship it from a post office around here.

Afterwards we went to India Gate, the equivalent of Delhi’s Arc d’Triomphe and Champs Elysees. I’ve been seeing lots of Champs Elysees knock-offs on this trip (Vientiane, also). Come on, get your own monument. Around India Gate we took several photos as the sun set. The monument is made of a rosy stone, like sandstone, so it almost glowed while the setting sun shone all around it. We made a couple of circles around the actual structure when a couple of Indian kids came up to me and tapped me on the shoulder. They pointed at a camera and then at the monument. I said, sure, I’ll take a picture of you in front of the Gate, and walked toward the camera. No! they cried, and a smaller boy sheepishly approached me. Take the picture with you, he said. Huh? I’m confused. You want to take a picture with me in it? I’m kind of weirded out by that, but, sure, I’ll take a picture with some random locals. After I took one photo with some local teenagers, more and more came running up, until there were about 25 kids surrounding me. It didn’t help that Tim found this absolutely hysterical, prodding more teens to join the circus that was developing adjacent to the India Gate. After a couple of shots, I bid my new fan club farewell, and we walked down the wide boulevard, admiring the Gate as it became lit up while the sun set.

Tim and I returned to the hotel, deciding to have a beer on the rooftop of the Hotel Tara. This was the final evening of Diwali, resulting in every breathing person in the city with fireworks left after the first two nights of festivities to contribute to a massive, uncoordinated assault on the city’s weak structural integrity by blowing up M80s, roman candles and flares. There was an explosion every few seconds, reverberating through the cement canyons of Delhi. We drank our Black Label beer (not bad) and enjoyed the free show. Hey, if the city is going down in a fiery inferno tonight, I’d like to watch it from the roof rather than just roast in my room. We watched some kids launching sparklers from the roof next to us, running around the roof with unmitigated glee. Then, as we were about to call it an evening, some pretty large fireworks were launched from the just outside the mosque, incredibly close to our rooftop location. We were able to see the show perfectly, enjoying the smell of the smoke as it wafted past us. It was pretty cool to watch. This wasn’t some orchestrated show, this was spontaneous, real festivities by an interested population. It was great.

Random Musings - On Japan

My time in Japan was brief, but I did have the opportunity to meet interesting, fun individuals, whether on the tourist path through Kyoto or through my family in Osaka. As an outsider, I saw a country with an incredible culture, beautiful temples and masses of people walking through canyons of neon lights. The toilets were more complicated and advances than some of the computers in the US. Customs was efficient and painfree – They put a sticker in one’s passport with all the information the Japanese government deems important on a barcode. The trains are incredible. Kyoto, a potent symbol of past achievements in government and spirituality, stands as a monument to a glorious inheritance for the Japanese people. But, with all this, the majority of the people I met were pessimistic. It isn’t only my anecdotal evidence. The suicide rate in Japan is twice that in the US. In a recent poll by The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, the top three words used to describe the current era were “unrest,” “stagnation,” and “bleak.” After years of proclaiming the “Coming Asian Century” on magazine covers across the world, Japan is no longer assumed to be the forefront of that Asian revolution. China is.

Japan saw its economy explode in the late 70s and throughout the 80s. The world grew to accept Japanese cars and electronics. The newly rich captains of industry branched out and bought property in the US, including the trophy of New York City, Rockefeller Center. This was a time for optimism, optimism that found an outlet in building golf courses or buying overseas. But, then, the bubble burst, Japan fell into a deep and lengthy recession. Some economists, including Paul Krugman in the US, have blamed the length of the Japanese recession, on the government’s refusal to really push for a single, powerful stimulus to shock the country back into growth. Interest rates in the country hovered near zero for years. The recession has been referred to as the “Lost Decade” because no growth has occurred, the stock market didn’t return to the frothy levels of the 80s, and a generation has grown up in an economy without any reason for optimism.

The Japanese should be optimistic about their future. They have an incredible infrastructure with which to grow industries that should prove synergistic with the rise of China. They occupy an important position in the world, both geographically and politically. They are the major economy and democracy on the doorstep of the burgeoning Chinese. Their culture influences the world, from car and electronics to fashion and entertainment (although not music, their music is awful). The reasons are their, they have just been depressed for too long to see it.

My fear is less for the Japanese and more for my fellow Americans. We, too, have fallen into a terrible recession. Thankfully, the fiscal and spending stimuli have been large, even if some economists call them too small. The stimulus has been larger than either party thought necessary in October 2008, but, then again, the damage was far worse than anyone expected back then. I hope that Americans don’t fall into the trap of conceding growth and optimism to China. We, too, have reasons to be optimistic. The US was built on a foundation of dynamism, where innovation lives and breaths. I’m excited about my prospects upon returning to New York. Where else is every nationality of the world represented? It is easier to fall into a trap than to climb out of one. I have great hope in my country and my fellow citizens. I have faith in the current government with its incredible brain trust. Americans can find upside no matter what. Just ask GS.

Day 31 – October 18 – Tokyo, Japan – Delhi, India

Honestly, there is not much to say about today. I checked out of the hotel and got myself ready for a long day of travel. I took the airport express again to Narita (what, do I friggin live at this airport now?) and checked into my JAL flight to Delhi. The flight was delayed and over nine hours, so I didn’t get to Delhi until late. Not only that, but once I got to Delhi, my bags took about 45 minutes to get off of the plane. I found the driver sent by my hotel to pick me up, and we made our way for the center of Old Delhi.

Here is my initial impression of Delhi. Polluted, dusty, crowded and dirty. I got into an old, beat-up car and it took well over an hour to get to the Hotel Tara Palace. It was fine, nothing special. Definitely no Shilla or Park Hyatt. No, this was a concrete floor with a mattress laid on it. It did have plenty of power outlets, though. It was late at night, around 11pm, and there were big BOOMS and POPS exploding every few seconds. As it happens, I am in India during Diwali. If you are a fan of The Office, you will know that Diwali is the most important celebratory festival in India. It is a three day festival, with the first night being the most important. The fireworks were loud and, honestly, obnoxious. Most were just like M80s, loud and with no cool colors or sparks. It just sounded like I was in a war zone. Hopefully, I will be proven wrong tomorrow and I will see the face of Incredible India (trademarked by the Indian Tourism Board).

Day 30 – October 17 – Seoul, South Korea – Tokyo, Japan

Time to take another flight. I really have done an incredible amount of travel over the past week or so. Whether it is flying around on small or large jets or taking trains between Japanese cities, I have been moving and chugging along. So I allow myself to sleep in a little this morning and check out of the Shilla, something I really didn’t want to do. It was a great hotel, the bed was really comfortable, and I didn’t want to move. But such is the life of the Backpacker in a Suit.

At the Seoul airport, I found a great surprise. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf! I know, I’m a dork. But, for those of you who missed this point in my life, the best job I ever had in my life was working at the Coffee Bean in Pacific Palisades. It was about a 15 minute walk from home, which now sounds great, but, remember, this is Los Angeles. No one walks more than 25 feet. A car is life. My older sister, Megan, worked near the Coffee Bean that summer, but she didn’t want to walk to work, so I did. Even though I usually opened the store at 5:30 in the morning. But it turned out well, I got to wear the cool uniform around town, complete with dorky hat. The Coffee Bean was the place to hang out, so I had a lot of friends come and chill at the store, drinking my Ice Blended drinks which I made expertly. This eventually helped me out in college, as Paola can tell you, since I would make lattes or blendeds in my dorm room for people. That same summer, working at the Coffee Bean, I was nominated for employee of the month, since I was so good, and then accused of stealing. It was later accepted that I did not steal, no, I was just working more than everyone else, so the automated system assumed I was doing something fishy. No, I was just taking double shifts. So, yes, seeing a Coffee Bean in Seoul was a short burst of home in an otherwise strange land. I had an Ice Blended Vanilla, if you care, and it was as scrumptious as it would have been in Southern California.

I boarded my Korean Air flight (fantastic airlines, by the way) and arrived at Narita in the late afternoon. I took the airport express train back into Shinjuku and checked into a new hotel, one that was cheaper than the Park Hyatt. I wandered around Shinjuku again, having dinner in another non-descript restaurant which was fine, and went to bed. I have to get to the airport relatively early in the morning, which I am not looking forward to, and I think I will use the opportunity to catch up on rest and some reading. I want to finish The Match before I arrive in India.

Day 29 – October 16 – Seoul

I’m staying at the Hotel Shilla in Seoul. It is an incredible place. I would compare it to the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles. You drive up an unassuming drive which turns twice before rising to a large hotel. The staff arrive at the car door before it has stopped, and the expansive lobby is immaculately maintained. The room is spacious and well appointed. The large bathroom has been updated recently with new fixtures. Once again, Japanese-style toilet freaks me out. This one has a perfume and “sound” button. If you press the sound button, the toilet makes constant flushing sounds, I would assume its purpose is to mask bathroom noises. I’m sorry, but most people know why one goes to the bathroom, and its not to read the paper. That is of secondary importance.

I have a typical Korean breakfast of soup with tofu and noodles. It is actually very good. I am a big fan of Asian spices, so I asked for it to be spicy, and the chef did not disappoint! Spicy! Jay meets me and introduces me to his sister, who runs the hotel. I had to let her know that I think it is an especially run hotel. From there we go to the Samsung headquarters where Jay talks to me about South Korean demographics, history and current events. The armistice line from the Korean War was the actual front on the day the Armistice was signed. Interestingly, it is higher in the East and lower to the West, where Seoul is. The Americans had dug in at a certain point, not pushing the front farther North by that point while the South Korean army had continued a Northerly push to the East, resulting in the diagonal border with North Korea. Seoul is a mere 50 miles from the North Korean border. Pretty frightening. I told Jay how interested I was in the history behind the war, and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in particular, so he offered to see if I could get a tour of the DMZ. After about an hour of chatting, we parted ways. I thanked him for his generosity with his time and hospitality, and I went to the Samsung showroom.

You know what, I don’t need to know about all these cool gadgets and toys. The digital cameras and cellphones are really interesting, and it looks like Samsung is doing a lot of innovation besides increases in pixel count and optical zooms. There is one camera which has an LCD on the front of the camera, so one can see oneself while doing a self-portrait. Or, the LCD will show a short cartoon, hopefully getting a fidgety child to look at the camera for 10 seconds. Cool. There was a case showing their most popular cellphones over the years, which included one of mine. But, the thing that I loved, were the LED displays. These televisions was large, but incredibly thin and had the best clarity I have ever seen. The Blu-Ray dvd of choice at the moment is The Dark Knight. If I were home, I would have rushed out to buy that tv in a heartbeat. Thank goodness I’m not at home. My two inch thick tv is starting to seem clunky to me.

After visiting the showroom, I was off to the DMZ. I had a tour of the areas that are opened to tourists. The whole set-up is incredibly elaborate and secure. At a certain point, you leave your car and can only be transported by designated transport. No one goes within a certain distance of the Armistice Line, and the UN designated DMZ is only two kilometers on each side of the Armistice Line. South Korea has fortified beyond that point, also. There is an observation point that one can go to, but not take pictures. There are no photographs in the South Korean controlled area around the DMZ except in designated areas. At the observation point, there is a yellow line painted on the ground which specifies at which point photo-taking is not allowed. They do not want any tourist photos to inadvertently give the North Koreans intelligence on their defenses. After all, the two Koreas are technically still at war with each other.

From the observation point one can see the actual line of demarcation and the UN buildings straddling that point. It is a surreal sight. At one point, one of the two countries built a large flagpole which could be seen across the border. Then the other Korea built a slightly taller one. Then the other built a taller one, and so forth. North Korea now has the tallest flagpole in the world. It is kind of absurd. Most of the country is dying of starvation, but they have a really tall piece of steel with a flag on the top. In fact, the country is so destitute, that it cannot afford to change the flag at the top of the pole, so it leaves a very heavy one up there. It is old and obviously fading, and, to be frank, I think it looks pretty sad and decrepit. But, there you go, symbolism is more important to some political regimes than the true poverty and dire situation of its citizens. Another case where misplaced bravado wins the day.

After the Armistice, the North Koreans dug tunnels underneath the border to aid in any future military offensive against the South. The South Koreans inadvertently discovered the tunnels and have continued to look for tunnels since the first discovery. Since the late 50s, four tunnels have been discovered, the latest in the 90s. These tunnels were designed to allow hundreds of thousands of North Korean troops across the border. These have become tourist destinations for the South, much to the dismay of the cash-strapped North. Walking down several hundred feet, I walked through the tunnel, which was incredibly interesting. Upon discovery by the South, the North Koreans digging the tunnel quickly spray painted the walls black in places, so that they could claim that the tunnels were dug as coal mines. Really? What a lame excuse. This kind of delusion is sickening. The tunnels were also very low, since the soldiers from North Korea are pretty short. On average, North Koreans are shorter than their Southern counterparts due to decades of malnutrition.

I met some American soldiers who were touring the site. They were very interesting. The US military has troubled relationship with the population of South Korea, primarily due to a series of scandals over the past decade with US soldiers and the local civilian population. The soldiers I met were very interesting, discussing their role in the region and how it has become a very important base with the burgeoning presence of China to the west, the unpredictable posturing of North Korea to the north, and important international shipping lanes to the south and west.

The DMZ has had one unexpected positive benefit. It has become a nature preserve. Since the area has been completely cleared of human interactions for 50 years, unique plant and animal life have taken refuge there. Hopefully, one day, when the DMZ ceases to be used as a heavily fortified border, and the Koreas are reunited, the area will continue to function as a wildlife preserve and maintain the special habitat it has created.

The final stop was the northern most train station in South Korea. It is actually linked with the North and was used as an international cargo transfer location until the North closed it at their end. You can get stamps there, showing you visited the Seoul-Pyongyang train station, but I chose not to get that stamp in my passport. I don’t know, but I don’t think having the Pyongyang stamp in my passport would endear me to many customs officials around the world, let alone upon returning to my own beloved United States of America. So I stamped a small piece of paper, wondering to myself what I would do with that piece of paper. Eh. South Korean soldiers also stand there, and I asked if I could take a photo with them. They agreed. I asked if they wanted to do a fun pose, and they looked at me with questioning looks. So, I did my grrrr pose, to which they just stared at the camera. I still think it was pretty cool and they would have liked to have had some fun, too, but they played coy. Well done, soldiers. You put me in my place.

Afterwards I got back to the hotel and had dinner. I went out on the town, but there is not that much to explain. The city was very interesting, like Tokyo in the sense that restaurants and bars are on various floors of buildings. Since my Korean is non-existent (I did learn that saying “come see my dog” really fast sounds like “thank you” in Korean), my ability to go out was limited. Tomorrow, back to Japan.

Day 28 – October 15 – Tokyo, Japan – Seoul, South Korea

I started the morning by going to the Tsukiji fish market. This is the place where all of the fisherman bring their tuna and other fish to be marketed directly in the wee morning hours. It is pretty incredible to see the insanity of the auction. Although other people told me differently, I listened to the concierge at the hotel who told me not to bring my camera. She said that it WILL get wet and after the inundation that my poor Canon took at Angkor Wat, I have no interest in really seeing it endure another soaking. I just would lose it if my camera broke or took a turn for the worst. So I walked around, hearing people shouting and gesturing and cheering during the fish auction. Afterwards I looked for the stall with the characters the concierge had suggested. There are row after row of stalls of chefs serving the freshly prepared and newly bought fish. Seriously, the sushi is pretty much squirming right there in front of you as you eat it. The sashimi literally melted in my mouth it was so good. I really really enjoyed it. I sat between two old Japanese men who thought it was really funny that I was there.

After the early morning fresh fish breakfast, I returned to the hotel to pack up and leave. I gathered my things, packed the backpack, and headed downstairs. No real reason to call the concierge to send someone to pick up my stuff as my bag weighs more than the staff. Off to the airport cause I am going to Seoul, South Korea.

Upon arriving in Seoul, I get in the car to go to the hotel. My dad had met a senior guy, Jay, from Samsung recently, and when he mentioned that I was traveling Asia at the moment, Jay graciously offered to show me around if I arrived in South Korea. So, I met up with Jay and several of his friends for dinner. It happened to be his brother’s birthday the preceding day, so we celebrated. I had a fantastic time. Since I got to Seoul in the late afternoon, I didn’t get to see much that day, but what I did see was very impressive. The city is massive with bright, gleaming skyscrapers and people everywhere. There were more coffee shops (including the Coffee Bean, YES!) per capita than probably any other place in the world. Very interesting.

We had dinner where we discussed the game of golf, which Jay and his family are very interested in. It was fun to discuss the game, since I haven’t played in a while. For some reason, I didn’t think bringing a golf bag with me was probably the most efficient use of my space or weight allowance on planes. But we talked about the famous match between Hogan, Nelson, Ward and Venturi played at Cypress Point in the 1950s immortalized in a book by Mark Frost. Jay gave the book to me after dinner, which I am really excited about reading. We talked about the world economy, what’s happening, where I was going, what I had seen so far, and how much fun I have had. It was great to spend some time with people in the business world again (I know, did I really just say that?) and talk about random current events. Jay was incredibly nice to me, I had the best time. Tomorrow I’m going to have breakfast with him and tour the Samsung showroom. Should be interesting!

Day 27 – October 14 – Kyoto – Tokyo

This morning I got up early to walk around the city in the morning light. I really enjoy Kyoto, it has the history and calm attitude I expected out of Japan. People walk around the city in kimonos and sandals. The elderly residents look up at me and give me a nice, bright smile, nodding their heads as I bow my head and smile at them. There are plenty of gardens and shrines to wander through randomly, it is fantastic. I wondered what I would find around the next corner. I walked back to the Buddha statue and sat underneath as the bells tolled again. There was a intangible majesty to looking down upon the ancient city from a perch high above, looking at the meshing of modern cell towers and old pagodas. I think I would rather stay here than go to Tokyo, but duty calls. Time to be on my way and explore what was one of the most dynamic and interesting cities of the 20th Century.

I boarded the Shinkansen bullet train for Tokyo. Man, I really do love this JapanRail pass. Seat reservations are included in the ticket price I paid back in LA, so even if I miss the train I was supposed to be on, I can get a reservation for the next train, 6 or 7 minutes later! Awesome. I took the train to the Shinjuku station in the center of Tokyo. I am using some of my hotel points garnered from my business travel days to stay at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. Damn, this is a nice hotel. It occupies the top floors of the Park Tower which borders a large park and the Tokyo Metropolitan Offices. The Metropolitan Offices is the seat of the city government and the building is designed after Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. I’ll just put this out there, I don’t like the design. Just bad. Come on, there is a different between being inspired and just grasping at straws. The Park Hyatt, however, was fantastic. The hotel has several great restaurants and the bar is superb with a view of Tokyo Tower and other major sites across the city. The fixtures and size of the rooms amazed me. In Tokyo space is at a premium, and the size of the room was significantly larger than I expected. There was no lobby, per say, but you took an elevator to the 42 floor where there were five desks and large armchairs, where one could checkout. By the time I was out of the cab, they had asked for my name and someone was waiting at the elevator for me with my room key. My only complaint: it was really only women working at the hotel and I was not about to give a 4 foot 10 inch, 85 pound woman carry my 45 pound backpack to my room. So I lugged it around with me. I don’t think they get many backpackers at this hotel, but, hey, I like to be unique. My room had a fantastic view of Tokyo Tower and the city at large. It was great.

I walked down into the Shinjuku area and just wandered around underneath the bright neon lights. There was a McDonald’s or 7Eleven every couple of hundred feet, more so than in the States. It just seems that people in Tokyo go and consume, consume, consume. There wasn’t a single person I was who didn’t have a large bag of clothes or electronics clutched tightly in his or her arms. One of the most hilarious moments I had in Tokyo was while I was walking towards a major boulevard to a large pedestrian zone when I literally bumped into this girl dressed as a Japanese anime character. She was wearing a bright pink dress which pointed out almost horizontally due to several petty coats underneath. It had a slick, plastic appearance and looked like it would not move or wrinkle, ever. Her face was dusted white and she had applied large red circles to her cheeks with matching bright red lipstick. Her hair was generously gelled so that it stuck out at all angles like a frightened porcupine. I was afraid that she might run at me with her head down and gouge out my eyeballs. He platform heels were some of the highest I have ever seen in my life, and she obviously had issues walking on them as she teetered precariously atop them. Upon seeing her, I burst out laughing. Had I had a camera on me, I would have taken a picture in her face with the flash, momentarily blinding her, and then ran for it. Any person dressed like this cannot be mentally stable. Instead, she gave me the evil eyes as I laughed and walked away indignantly, or at least she would have looked indignant if she weren’t concentrating so hard on not falling off those heals.

I had dinner at a restaurant two floors below ground, sitting cross-legged at a table and picking the wonderfully pictured foods in the menu. Thank you, Japan, for putting pictures next to all of your food! I had some gyoza, sashimi and skewers. The food was fine, nothing special. It was at least relatively cheap and the Asahi beer was good. Most of the bars and restaurants in Tokyo are located on different floors of buildings, so if you don’t speak Japanese, it can prove difficult to find the place you want to go. I returned to the hotel in order to give my eyes a break after looking at neon lights all evening and had a drink at the hotel bar. Man, that is a fantastic bar. I suggest anyone in Tokyo go to the Park Hyatt hotel bar and have a drink while looking across the city, bright with lights. It is amazing.

Day 26 – October 13 – Osaka – Kyoto

Today I woke up with just the hint of a hangover. It was not that bad, probably thanks to the fact that we stuck mainly to sake. Keeping it to one type of liquor is always helpful, I find. I packed it up, got my backpack ready, and headed to the Shinkansen to take a really quick train ride to Kyoto. Kyoto, as Sadachika commented, is to Osaka as Pasadena is to Los Angeles. In other words, really really close. It was only about 25 minutes away on the fast train.

I found Kyoto to be absolutely gorgeous. It is the old capital of Japan, where the Emperors were for hundreds and hundreds of years. The temples and shrines are older, more elaborate, and better preserved than elsewhere in Japan, thanks to minimal damage during World War II. I spent the first part of the day heading East across the river, to the older shrines up on the hill of the city. I asked the concierge which direction to the shrines and if it was walkable. She said that she would not really consider it herself, but walking would be possible. It would take, I don’t know, maybe 45 minutes? I told her I could handle it. Across from the hotel was a convenience store where I bought a bottle of water and a Snickers bar, you know, the candy bar now trying to be marketed as an energy bar in the US because it has peanuts in it. How stupid do they think we are? It is a candy bar, and I got it because I want candy.

I started walking up the hill, and about 15 minutes up, a large Buddha statue rises to my left. It was MASSIVE! Although it was not close to my current position, I made a mental note to visit it later. I kept trudging up the hill when I saw a very peculiar sight. A very skinny Japanese guy, in a weird bikeshorts-spandex-lederhosen hybrid was running down the hill holding onto the front of a carriage. This carriage was the sort that would usually be hitched to one or two horses. It was carrying two very large people who were giggling uncontrollably. He was using his hands to make sure the carriage would not fall over, but he was not adding to its momentum at all. He was running just fast enough not to be plowed over by the damn thing as it headed downhill at rapidly increasing speeds. At the bottom, one of his friends was waiting to help slow it down as it hit the flat road. Once the rather Rubenesque passengers disembarked, two of the runners pushed it back up the hill. What a random idea. I think the appeal to most people is that if your runner does not run fast enough, he gets mowed down and you, the passenger, go flipping backwards. Fun!

I kept on up the hill to the fantastic site of the hillside Kiyomizu temple. The first thing you get to is the tourist street leading up to the temple which is filled with souvenir and food stands. Armed with water and a Snickers, I walked up to the temple which starts with a beautiful red pagoda perched on a pedestal flanked by small matching bell pagodas. The whole view is quite exquisite when you look down at the city of Kyoto below, blanketed by dense trees in various shades of green. Although it was a cloudy day, rays of sunshine burst through in a handful of places, spotlighting the trees below in an ethereal glow. The whole scene was gorgeous and, if I were a pilgrim visiting the site a thousand years ago, would fill me with a profound sense of spirituality. I continued to walk around the shrine, savoring the smells of incense that hung in the air like perfume. Down below the main site was a water fountain where people were lining up with sticks ending with cups to catch that water and drink it. This water was flowing from the shrine and was considered holy water. I went ahead and drank, as well, saying a short prayer for my digestive track to remain strong and healthy. I treated myself to a honey and vanilla ice-cream, very yummy.

Once I left I passed by a five-tier pagoda, which was closed today, but stunning, nonetheless. I then walked to the large Buddha statue. It was quite striking with the sun hitting it in the late afternoon, turning it into a sandy-pink color. It adjoined another shrine which was built in the 1700s by a noble family. The complex was beautiful, laid out very simply with majestic gardens running across a lake and up a hill wooded with bamboo. The colors in the gardens were a myriad of reds, yellows, oranges and greens, displaying the best Autumn foliage I have seen outside of New Hampshire. The camera does not capture the extent of the colors against the darkening skies. I found myself sitting at the top of the hill, listening to the deep tones of the bells being struck below me. The bells exuded a deep bass sound which reverberated deep inside my chest, shaking me. It was fantastic. Below and to the left was a well-manicured bamboo forest where shafts of dwindling afternoon light shone through clear and strong. The whole scene was reflected in the mirror-like pond next to the temples below me. I felt completely and utterly relaxed.

From there I walked down through a large municipal park called Maruyama Park, complete with rivers and rock waterfalls. I just walked slowly through, enjoying myself as it started to get dark. The area was full of small temples and shrines, and as it became progressively darker, the lamps surrounding all the sites lit up. The ambience was surreal. It had the feel of a carnival or fair with the bright red buildings and swinging lanterns, but the respectful quiet and reverence of a religious building. I was in awe of the entire place. Kyoto is a very special place.