Mike's Guest Post!

Melissa and I arrived in Beijing on Monday, May 12. We flew through Toronto, where we discovered the difference between Americans and Canadians--they call a Bloody Mary a "Caesar." Air Canada's TVs with movie choices at each seat made the 13-hour flight bearable, and before we knew it, we were in China. After we landed, Jen informed us that Beijing had just experienced an earthquake. She had thought she was having a dizzy spell in her office, on the upper floor of a high rise, when someone yelled earthquake. We would soon learn that the earthquake was far more significant south of Beijing. Chinese media covered the quake extensively, and we followed the news on nytimes.com.

The main purpose of our trip was to see Jen and Will, with the added bonus of seeing China. Seeing Jen and Will was wonderful. We were impressed by how well they have made their way in Beijing. Will's Chinese is amazing, and Jen's ability to maneuver without knowing the language is equally amazing. That said, she knows more than just a few words and is able to communicate just enough with cab drivers, waitresses, and merchants. Watching Jen barter for souvenir silk bathrobes, t-shirts, or miniature buddhas was one of the highlights of the trip.

Beijing has everything you would want in a city to visit, or to live in for a year. There is always a new street to discover, a new bar to go to, another sight to see. Melissa and I explored the Forbidden City, and later sat at a nearby rooftop bar with Jen and Will, having drinks overlooking the Forbidden City's rooftops at night.

Jen joined Melissa and I for an incredible 4-hour hike along the Great Wall. Imagine hiking through some of the most beautiful mountains you've ever seen, combined with passing through guard houses that evoke childhood fantasies about exploring castles, with the fact that you are walking on a centuries-old wall built to keep the Mongols out--that's hiking the Great Wall.

From the Peking Duck and Dumplings to Guinness at an Irish Pub, and from seeing the Temple of Heaven to seeing the Olympic stadium, we had a great time. Best of all, we loved seeing Jen and Will, where they live, and how well they have done in Beijing.

A little dose of home

I know it’s been quite some time since my last post – but who has time to write when you have all your favorite people visiting? We have been busy enjoying time with our guests, including my Mom and Mark, Ryan, and most recently Mike and Melissa. And Will’s parents arrive in Beijing tonight – so look for some more pictures from their trip soon!

I worry sometimes that I’ll forget all the little moments of this year, at times it certainly feels surreal. Having our friends and fam here has made it seem even more real – we were able to make some great stories – Cheng-deh!, and even more vivid memories - the hike from Jinshanling to Simatai , the tobogan run down from Mutianyu...and of course get a few laughs in along the way. For people to get a chance to see our little corner of the world here in Beijing has been wonderful – from the everyday life, the challenges and the benefits of being a foreigner, and of course the amazing sights.

It’s been so special to share our lives here but even more special to just get a chance to hang out with the people we miss so much! And while we wish of course everyone could make a visit over here, now you’ll have the chance to hear even more great stories and perspectives on life in Beijing and traveling in China!

So here are a few highlights and pics from our visitors!

Mom & Mark

When my Mom and Mark were here I was lucky to take a few days off – we saw the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall and enjoyed many yummy dinners ranging from pizza at our local expat hangout, to amazing Peking duck. Mom and Mark then went on to Xian to see the terracotta warriors, then to Shanghai and Hong Kong! Of course they liked Beijing the best!

Great Wall at Mutianyu

Ming Tombs

enjoying a beer at The Tree

And then Ryan visited!

When Ryan was visiting we made an overnight trip to Chengde, which should be just about a 2 hour drive North from Beijing. As we learned, if you take the bus it’s about 5. Chengde was great – but it was the laughs with Ryan and Will that made it. I learned a few lessons on that trip including to add a little time cushion to bus rides in China (and perhaps bring a cushion in case you need to sit on the floor), avoid the boiling tripe if you can, always bring an umbrella, and sometimes if you go running through the rain you’ll find an amazing, massive Buddha at the end making it all worthwhile:)

Behai Park in Beijing

Ryan and Will building at the Great Wall at

And then to Chengde!

The Mountain Resort

Puning temple

I also learned that Will has a unique sense of hiking attire….yes…this is the man I am going to marry!

And then Mike and Melissa arrived!

Here are a few pics - but Mike wrote his own post for their visit - check it out below!

hike from Jinshanling to Simatai

drinks at Face Bar

and Tsingdao at the Rickshaw!

Recharge in Malaysia!

We just got back from a little "springbreak" getaway to Malaysia - it was just what we needed - fresh air, sunshine, and most of all a little R&R....

Before heading to our tropical getaway of Kota Kinabalu, we made a pit stop in Kuala Lumpur. First I have to say the airport is definitely one of the nicest I've ever been in. We stayed in the airport hotel and felt like we were in the rainforest....not your sterile, cookie-cutter layover.

In KL we enjoyed the diverse scenes, people and cuisine - including roti canai (see the chef making this and me enjoying it below), as well as rendang curry and teh tarik, which is like a sweet chai tea (the tea is made frothy using a special pouring technique from a hand held high into a container held in a hand below.)

This is a picture of a spice market we stumbled upon.

We toured around KL and saw the famous Petronas Towers and the old railway station. We also went to a beautiful orchid garden. Everything was so lush and green!

Then it was on to Kota Kinabalu! KK is the capital of Sabah, located on the island of Borneo. KK is famous for its beautiful beaches, Mount Kinabalu, and good diving. We mostly enjoyed the beautiful beaches and the amazing views!

Here's a picture of me in our hotel room - you can tell that I hated it:)

Here's the view from our room, just amazing!

We enjoyed our evenings watching the sunset....

We also went to a local market where Will got his coconut milk fix...and we chatted with some of the vendors and checked out some of their specialities.

Here's a picture of us in the lobby of our resort....

enjoying dinner.....

Here is our last sunset in Malaysia from the airport!

Western Mass Does Beijing

Five friends from a little town in Western Mass, spread in different cities across the U.S...across the world...end up in Beijing, China for a little vacation....who would of thought?

If someone were to ask us at Anne T. Dunphy, oh say 10-15 years ago, do you think you'll ever climb the Great Wall of China, visit the Forbidden City, stroll around Beijing, China with the same girls you play at recess with....eventually went to prom with, graduated with, grew up during college with...hmm, what would we have answered? The world certainly seemed a lot bigger then, or maybe it was smaller. In any case - we may be older, we may live in far away places, but some things never change...we are Western Mass girls at heart and when we get together, in whatever city, we can't help but have fun...

Here are a few pics...enjoy!

...Checking out the Lama Temple

About to enjoy some Peking duck!











A little good fortune










More yummy dinners and laughs....

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

We enjoyed a pint of Guinness tonight at our local Irish pub in celebration of St. Patrick's Day! May the 'luck of the Irish' be with you today -- and may you enjoy a few pints of Guinness as well!

Art & Cooking

This past weekend we took advantage of Will's last weekend before school resumed, and spent Saturday and Sunday playing. We started our day on Saturday at our favorite brunch spot, the Vineyard, which is in a hutong near the Lama Temple. We ended up running into several senior managers from my work - guess they know where to get a good english breakfast too!

Then we went to the 798 district - an area in Beijing we've heard a ton about and have been looking forward to exploring. 798 is is an old factory district, which is now filled with tons and tons of cutting-edge art galleries. We just happened upon the opening of a really cool exhibit, from an artist who lives in a small town near the Yangtze River, home also to the Three Gorges Dam. In 2009 the artist's town will be submerged in water to build what is supposed to be China's largest contruction project since the Great Wall - a massive hydroelectric dam. The artist's photographs were amazing. He took pictures of residents in his town at familiar sights, and using digital techniques pictured them submerged under water, wearing masks and snorkels. Only here would we have the opportunity to meet the artist, have a glass of wine while looking at his photographs - and wonder how things can be so easily destroyed, to build something new and modern.....something we see almost too often it seems in Beijing.










We wandered around the other galleries, including a very cool exhibit by an Italian artist, which featured interactive mirrors and cardboard mazes. I'm not sure yet about the deeper meaning of the exhibit, but nonetheless it was fun to wander around the maze and look at ourselves in the images.







Saturday night we went to our favorite Indian restaurant in Beijing -- but I have to say we haven't found Indian food here that rivals Cambridge (especially Punjabi Dahba!)




Sunday I took a cooking class with our friend AJ. It was a lot of fun. The class was in a hutong near a neat street, Nan Luo Gu Xiang, which has a lot of fun shops and restaurants. We learned to cook 4 dishes, mostly Sichuan (spicy) style. We'll have to see if I can replicate any of the dishes at home.









Well - the next blog i write will be when the girls from home are here! Emily, Caty, Tara and Kate arrive TOMORROW - i can't wait!

Konnichiwa!

Sushi, sake, sights....what more could you ask for?

After spending a few days in Japan, I had to ask Will - you couldn't have studied Japanese, huh? Not that I don't love China, but Japan, Kyoto in particular - I really loved it. I loved the elegance of the city, the kind people, the sense of tradition and protocol, all the details (even the toilet seats are warm - see pic below), and how everything has a purpose and a point - from the random pile of salt on the front steps of a restaurant (in the old days emperors' wives would lure their husband - in particular their horses - to stop at their home by putting salt on the doorsteps; these days it's used to lure in customers.) I liked the efficiency of Japan - how cool is that high speed train! Everything is on time. And the environment is respected - from clean air (much different than Beijing!) to clean streets and well-cared for homes and public buildings. In Gion even air conditioners are covered by neat little wood boxes.

So...here are some pictures and highlights from our trip. We flew to Tokyo and then took the speed train to Kyoto. Our first night we had a great dinner consisting of Kyoto specialties - eggplant, yuba (tofu skin) tempura, and of course sake. Our first day in Kyoto we started off the day at a great little coffee house, and then headed to the Kiyomizu-dera temple - a wooden temple nestled in the mountains.

From there we went to a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Again - so many details and traditions. Our host was very sweet (see pic of her and Will below) and taught us how to drink "thin, green tea." Different from the green tea in China, this was a powdered green tea, that you whisk with a wooden brush. It's very yummy.










We also indulged our fondness for another yummy treat several times on this trip - mochi! (Note: Trader Joe's has mochi ice cream balls if you ever want to try it!)

That night we took a walking tour of Gion (think Memoirs of a Geisha .) Our guide taught us all about the geisha (actually called geicho - see below for a picture of a real geicho!) and how very few actually exist today. She said that businessmen (and yes some women) today prefer to buy expensive cars and electronics, rather than belong to a tea house. Today, only a very few celebrities, local politicians, etc. visit the tea houses and the charming ways of the geisha.

The next day we did a little shopping (we were in search of Japanese cutlery!) and then headed to Ninomaru, once home to the Tokugawa shoguns (picture Samurai swords, etc.) It was really cool. It was also snowing that day which made the grounds even more intriguing. The building has numerous rooms, filled with tatami mats where the shogun and his lords used to sit and discuss issues of the day. Quite obvious was the importance of security - the shogun was always nervous that one of his lords would try to kill him, and take over his position. Therefore there are all these neat little security measures - hidden doors where guards would wait ready to pounce, and most interesting, wooden "nightingale" floors - that made little squeaking noises (and still do!) to alert guards of unwanted vistors.












That night we went to what we thought was a Zen meditation instruction, but what really was praying not to freeze to death and a tradition that involved being whacked in the back with a wooden stick. I definitely need to do more reading up on zen buddhism. It was still really cool though - we were in a meditation room at a beautiful temple in the middle of a snowstorm in Kyoto - if that doesn't bring you instant zen, i don't know what does...














Then...on to Tokyo! We took the speed train back to Tokyo...and didn't stop moving from there. While we found Kyoto calmly invites you to soak it in history and charm, Tokyo very loudly flaunts its modern, busy and (very!) expensive culture. It was fun to soak in all the sights and of course the sushi.

Our first day in Tokyo we headed to the Yasukuni Shrine and Museum, a Shinto shrine, dedicated to soldiers who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. It's quite a controversial place. The weekend we were there was a holiday weekend - Foundation Day - so there were a lot of ceremonies, veterans around, etc. Although very interesting and informative, the museum definitely seems to depict a history of Japan's involvement in certain wars, a little differently than the one we read in our history books at home.

That night we did what I guess a lot of folks in Tokyo do - went to the mall for dinner. The malls in Tokyo are immense - tons of upscale shops and over-the-top food courts. Oh and the line for Krispy Kreme - wow. Although they smelled amazing we opted against a fresh doughnut.

The next day we spent wandering around some of Tokyo's neighborhoods, including Ginza (like NYC's 5th Avenue), where we checked out some really cool paper stores and also the Sony building - with all the latest high-tech gadgets. We also went to Asakusa (an older section with shrines, and lots of neat kitchen shops), and then after a bento box and some sushi, we ended up at Roppongi - an upscale area of town with swanky bars and restaurants. We went to this cool hotel bar and listened to a great jazz band. I felt a bit like i was in Lost in Translation. It was great.

The next morning we got up at 5a.m. and went to the Tsukiji Fish market - the biggest fish market in the world. It was dark when we got there, but pulsing with life! We almost got run over by these little speed carts - everyone is working as fast as they can to sell their fish. I don't think i'll ever see as many tuna fish as i did that day. Then we went to a sushi bar for breakfast and had some of the freshest sushi we've ever had. Although some of it looked a little scary, I tried it all...

Our bellies full of sushi, sake and mochi, we left Tokyo, dreaming of future trips to Japan to come....