Life in the Emerald City

$150 For 4 Hours of Your Time - And You Help Science!

2011-11-16T13:13:00.000-08:00

My Resume

2011-11-09T11:21:00.000-08:00

Amie_Marston_UPenn_Wharton_Resume -

Natural Balance Canned Dog Food Calories Content

2011-11-08T09:36:00.003-08:00

I'm creating this post so that I can reference the email I received from Natural Balance to update a Wikipedia article.

Final Thoughts, Observations and Stories

2009-09-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

SIGH. Well, today is my second day back at work and it already feels like I never went on vacation. By that I mean that slipping back into the day after day humdrum of sleep-eat-work-workout-eat-sleep-eat-work-workout-etc is SO monotonous versus sleep-should I see the Forbidden City or the Great Wall today-eat-explore-get peed on-sight see-eat-milk a horse-sleep-etc.

I actually have to give huge thanks to my co-worker (hi Miranda) for keeping things so well under control while I was gone that I have returned to a very pleasant and stress-free environment. I guess I'm just a wander-lusting vagabond at heart.

Okay, I have some tragic news. This weekend, after downloading 21GB of photos and videos from my trip to my external hard drive and deleting them from the memory cards, I was uploading pictures to Picasa Web when the hard drive got knocked over. Now it makes a horrific grinding sound and the laptop won't even recognize it. I had only got about 90 photos out of about 1000 and zero videos out of about 50 uploaded. All throughout my trip I told people I'd rather have my passport stolen than my camera. You can replace your passport but not your photos and videos. Now they are all gone! I'm just sick to my stomach.

I called around to a few data recovery places and was quoted $1300-$1800 IF they can recover anything!!! OMG!!! I just spent $3500 on this trip and now I'm supposed to spend $1800 to save my photos? I am about to jump off the Aurora Bridge. :(

I asked my computer genius friend Amos if he had any contacts in the data recovery field but he doesn't. He did however tell me I might be able to salvage something by putting the hard drive in the freezer for 24 hours. Evidently this shrinks the metal parts and allows them to run very briefly (20 mins). I just tried it after 12 hours and I got no read from my laptop. So, it looks like I'll be skipping Christmas this year in order to recover my vacation photos and videos. :( Maybe I should just charge each of you $50 to view them. lol

So, if I send in the hard drive tomorrow I might have it back in a week and I will just have to keep my fingers crossed to see what they can recover. When (if) I get anything, I'll let you know when they're posted.

On a lighter note...

Here's a list of things that I'm annoyed by since returning:
* Not being able to leave the house 6 min after showering (having only 3 outfits to choose from was actually a good thing!)
* My time not being my own
* How mundane my life is
* Rain in Seattle

Things I'm joyed by since returning:
* Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
* Soft toilet paper
* Real ice cream! (the ice cream all through Russia and China tasted odd)
* Clean air! (my nose has mostly stopped running)
* The taco truck!
* My BED and down comforter
* Pedestrian right-of-way

I've been thinking there are some things I might not have relayed during my trip because they became so common to me. For instance, did I mention that throughout Russia and China you cannot flush the toilet paper? Since you could in Mongolia, and Mongolia seems to have FAR worse infrastructure, I don't really understand this one. Also, toilet paper is almost never provided so you *always* carry it with you. I coveted many a roll from the odd times I stayed in a hotel. :) There is also never any soap so you always carry hand sanitizer too. In fact, in China, there's almost never any sink!

>Just as I trained myself to throw the toilet paper in the basket, I returned home. The first day back I kept almost throwing it into my wastebasket. lol

>I can't understand why my fingernails would be dirty 10 mins after getting out of the shower, yet at home, they never are!

>Beijing is HUGE. I was on the subway for 1 hour and 20 mins, and transferred 3 times and was still in Beijing! And when we went to the Wall, we drove for 2.5 hours before the buildings and traffic thinned out!

>All over Beijing there are elderly people who wear arm bands that say 'public safety volunteer'. Now, these are old people - in their 70's and 80's - so I don't think they're going to be taking down any muggers. But I wonder if they do actually act as deterrents to crime because Chinese thugs are more respectful of their elders than other thugs in the world, or is it more of a social thing. Does giving these elderly people a sense of purpose contribute to their mental well-being, and therefore longevity? Very interesting.

>I carried a PacSafe slash-proof pouch over one shoulder and kept all my money, credit cards, iPhone and passport in it. Around the other shoulder I carried my camera, also on a slash-proof PacSafe strap. I looked like the ultimate tourist, but I think it was obvious that everything of importance and value was in there and not in my shoulder bag, so it was useless to slash that or steal it. All they would have gotten is a bunch of used, snotty kleenex. lol

>OH! I know I totally forgot to tell you the story of the French guy I met at the hostel in Irkutsk. He was walking along the road late and night and was hit by a car and it DIDN'T EVEN STOP! A local found him lying in the road and took him to their home for a few days to recover until he could get to the doctor, but then they wanted money from him! When he did finally get to the hospital it turned out his ankle was broken! He was only a few weeks into an 8 month trip but he decided to return home to recover. So sad!

>All the clothes I took on the trip (except my cold weather ones) were bought brand new just before I left. Also brand new were my $85 Merrill cushioned, supportive shoes. After just 4 weeks I want to burn all of them. The shoes looked like they belonged to a homeless person, and I seriously think I flattened the arch support! I threw them in the washer when I got home though and to my great surprise, they actually look pretty good again.

>Things I learned while on this trip:
*Yogurt is completely safe to eat even if it hasn't been refrigerated for a day - or even two!
* Never pass up the opportunity to use a toilet in China - at least if you have TD :)
* Always keep a medium amount of cash on hand in foreign countries
* It is possible to make good friends, even if you don't speak each other's language
* Life is too short and time passes too quickly
* There is a whole lot of world to see!

I'm already planning my next trip for August or Sept 2011. Who's coming with me??!! :)

Sept 24 - Going Home

2009-09-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

I was up at 4:30 and really tired! I tried to sleep on the way to the airport but I was too excited. I got there before the check-in counter was even open and started talking to a guy in line. We chatted in the first class lounge and then I went to buy some last minute things - a magnet and tea. I figured I couldn't leave China without buying tea, even if it was in an overpriced airport shop. :)

At the layover in Tokyo, he showed me where the first class lounge was and we looked at my pictures for quite awhile. All the food and drinks are free in the international lounges, where you had to pay in the states. The food wasn't wonderful, but I ate it.

Then I saw they had showers so I took one. It was seriously the nicest shower I had had in over 4 weeks!! The water didn't go from freezing to scalding without touching the knob, the water pressure was better than I have at home even, the towels fit all the way around my body and weren't scratchy and the toilet seat was even warmed!! It was awesome!

Since my ticket was free I had to make a bunch of connections, but with the first class service and lounges, I didn't mind at all. On the flight from Tokyo to LAX, I was on a double decker plane! I was looking for my seat and when I showed the attendant she says 'oh, that's upstairs'. Upstairs! On a plane! That was pretty cool. There were nice storage bins by the window and they handed out cardigans and slippers! But, the blankets weren't as nice as on the flight to Moscow and the seats didn't seem as soft - or maybe I'm just getting used to first class. lol

I had watched the movie 'Angels & Demons' on the flight from Beijing to Tokyo, but we had to put it away from landing with just 10 mins left! It's a suspenseful movie so I was dying to see how it ended and tried to finish it on this flight, but the stupid system wasn't working and they kept having to restart it. At this point, I'd had just 3 hours sleep in the last 2 days, so I told them I didn't want dinner, took a melatonin and crashed.I figured I'd finish the movie when I woke up. Only I forgot!! And now I find out it doesn't come out on video until November so I have to wait that long to see the last damn 10 mins! Doh! Oh, I did get to see Mt Fuji briefly as we were flying out!

I slept pretty good, only waking up a few times. They were serving breakfast when I woke up and I ate. Everyone else on the plane had slept in their clothes, but I had put on my pjs so I went and changed. I don't know why you would pay for all that luxury and then sleep in your jeans!? Since I had slept a good 7 hours, I only had 1.5 hours left when I woke up and breakfast ate up most of that.

We reached LA and customs was a breeze. I had had a banana in my bag but threw it out in the bathroom as you can't bring fruit into the country. There was an agriculture dog and he stuck his nose right in my bag and then sat down, which was his handlers sign that he found something. I explained to her I had thrown it out and let her look and she let me go through. Then, as I was waiting for my luggage, the dog came aroiund again and did the same thing. lol

I sat in the first class lounge and was about to ask for the password for the wifi and then I realized I was on American soil and I could turn my iPhone on! It was quite a strange feeling to be fully connected again, and I actually just kind of wanted to stay under the radar. I don't want to get sucked back into the hectic pace of regular life too quickly. On the last flight, when I saw Mt Rainier, I knew I was home!

I got Shuttle Express home and did a couple of errands, trying to keep myself awake until at least 9:30 or 10:00 to minimize jet lag. I went to the drugstore to pick-up an antibiotic that I have to take after the anti-parasitic in order to ensure it's eradicated from my system. When I got there though, they told me not only did they not have it, they couldn't even get it from the manufacturer! They gave me the name of 3 compounding pharmacies, which are pharmacies that actually MAKE drugs from their chemical components! I called the one in Seattle and luckily they had exactly 60 capsules, which is what my prescription is for. They said that it is a very uncommon one and they won't get in any more now until the middle of Oct! I guess Gobi desert parasites aren't very common in Seattle. :)

Other than that I just went to the library and picked up some movies and the grocery store to restock the basics. I also had a hamburger and fries while opening a month's worth of mail. When I went to pick it up, they literally brought it out in a plastic mail tub there was so much!

I'll worry about laundry and unpacking tomorrow. I'm setting my alarm for only 9 hours sleep as they say to try to get back on your normal sleep schedule as quickly as possible. But boy do I want to sleep for about 16!

Sept 23 - The Great Wall of China!! and Eating Weird Things

2009-09-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's my last day! We got up early and left for the Great Wall at Jinshanling, which is a 3 hour drive outside of Beijing. When we finally got there and got started on the trial to the actual Wall, there were a number of hawkers of souvenirs, but I have heard there aren't nearly as many as at Badaling, which is why I didn't go there. They would say 'I walk with you. You buy book (or t-shirt) later.' We had to say over and over, 'no book. no t-shirt. no souvenir. no later. non. no. no.' It was a little annoying, but as soon as they realized we really weren't going to buy anything they dropped back.

As we got our first glimpse of the Great Wall I got really excited! Now that I'm home I can post a picture to show you. :)Once we got to the Wall the climb became steep and pretty much never quit. It was steep up and steep down. The guidebook said that it is a 70 degree incline in some places. 90 is vertical! Here are some pictures that try to capture that.
This is trying to show that most of the steps were almost as tall as my knees!
Here are some pictures that try to give an idea of how AMAZING the Wall is, but truly, you have to experience it for yourself.
This section of the wall is also less repaired so we had to be very careful.

The Wall is the most amazing man-made thing I've ever seen. It just goes on and on, as far as you can see.
At all the watchtowers, there would be people selling drinks and snacks. I don't know how in the hell they got them up there because most of them were older and liquid is heavy! This guy even had wine and champagne for sale!

As we were getting towards the stopping point at Simatai, I started walking slower and slower. Not so much because I was tired (although I was), but because I didn't want it to end. I will definitely be back on the Wall someday! I used to think I wanted to hike the entire thing, but now I'm thinking 2 weeks would be enough. :)

We saw the tourist umbrellas and we knew we were close to our stopping point.
As we approached, we saw there was a suspension bridge we had to go over to cross the river - and of course we had to pay a fee, even though there was no other way over the river! I had read there was paragliding from the Wall, but I didn't see it so we settled for zip lining instead. You get strapped into a climbing harness and then zip over the river and get boated down the river to the parking lot. It was really fun, but I was so worried about getting a video I kind of forgot to be in the moment. I wanted to do it again, but I was too exhausted to climb back up to the zip line. Just another reason to go again!

The driver was waiting for us and we drove back to Beijing. But, it was rush hour so it took longer. We all agreed to meet for dinner since it was my last night. I still hadn't made it to any markets and Patrick told me about the food market near my hostel. I showered quickly and headed there. It was a string of stalls where you can get just about anything and every animal on a stick and deep fried. They had slug, sea cucumber, silk worms, dragon fly larvae, squid, scorpions, snakes, seahorses.... I ate the snake first and they had put a bunch of spice on it so I couldn't get a true taste, but it was probably for the best.

I had been talking about eating a scorpion since before I left, so I had to find it. Turns out there was only one guy so he wouldn't bargain the price. It was 15 RMB, which is only about $2, but I love bargaining. :) He told me to the little ones were better so I said ok. I ate the first one quick without trying to taste it and the second more slowly. My first thought was literally, 'it tastes a little bit like chicken'. lol I'm serious! Then it just tasted like fried crunchy stuff. But, I ate it! I can't get the f-ing video to upload and I think it's because I have used up all my free data storage with Google, so I'll have to buy more before I can post it.

I didn't eat the seahorse however because he also wanted too much and I thought it was a waste if I was going to eat just one. Plus they're kind of too cute to eat.

We went and met Ida and Niklas for dinner and we ordered a ton of food again. But the bill was only $14 per person! We thought we ordered dove, but ended up getting something that we called 'a bowl of chicken feet' because there were literally 5 or 6 chicken feet in it. And a whole chicken head, eyeball and all! And a few things that were unmistakeably cock's combs. Weird!

After dinner we all could barely keep our eyes open and I still had to pack for the 5:15am taxi pick-up. Yet, I found myself strolling slowly back to the hostel because I didn't want my vacation to be over. I packed until 1:15 and then got about 3 hours of sleep.

Sept 22 - Olympic Stadiun, Summer Palace, Peed on On the Subway and Opera

2009-09-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that I think my little worm is dying. I only went bad toilet once today and it wasn't 90% water like it has been up to now. Yay!

I changed hostels and then set off to do as many things left on my list as I could. Yesterday had been kind of a waste so I still had the Olympic stadium, Summer Palace, Mao's mausoleum, local markets and the CCTV tower on the list. I knew I wouldn't get to all of them in one day so I prioritized. I went to the Olympic spaces and walked around. It was nice, but really just a bunch of buildings. They did have a nice photo exhibit though from the Olympics.

Then I took the subway to the Summer Palace. It was nice, but I still think Beihi (not spelling that correctly) was nicer. There were a few cool artifacts and art though. I didn't spend too long there because I did kind of want to see Mao's Mausoleum and I the book said it closed at 4pm (like almost all tourist destinations in Beijing). I tried to get a taxi back to the subway but all the cab drivers wanted 20RMB when the fare from it was only 10. So being stubborn, I started walking, even though I didn't know where I was going. Luckily a rickshaw came along. He wanted 30 but took 20 and I got my firsat rickshaw ride!

The subway took an hour and 20 mins and I had to transfer 3 times. (Beijing is definitely bigger than Moscow!) While I was on it I saw a woman opening the zipper of a boy about 3 or 4 years old. I wondered what the hell she was doing because she was pulling his little penis out of his pants, right there on the subway. Then she points to a corner and the kid PEES into the corner of a packed subway car! Un-fucking-believable I think! I've seen people holding their kids under the legs in huatongs so they can pee in the street (forgot to mention that earlier) but this was unreal. I'm standing there thinking that in America (or any other civilized country) the mother would tell the boy to hold it, or she would get off the subway to find a bathroom.

As I'm standing there, I feel something wet hit my foot and reflexively jump back. I look down and the people I'm standing in front have their 1 1/2 year old sitting on their lap, and he's just peeing right on the floor - and my foot! I look at them incredulously and they just kind of smile back. No gestures of apology or embarrassment. Un-fing-believable!!!

I went to Tienanmen Square to see if Mao's Mausoleum might still be open, although I didn't expect it would be, and it wasn't. So, seeing one dead guy (Lenin) on this trip will have to be enough.

I went back to the hostel, scarfed down some American food and met the Swedes (it's probably time I told you their names lol. They are Ida (pronounced E-da) and Niklas) and the Swiss (Patrick) to see some Chinese Opera. Ida and Niklas and gotten the tickets from a tour director and she had told them that even though it started at 7:30, we should leave a 6:00. And we found out why.

We tried to get a taxi for 40 min! Getting a taxi at rush hour in Beijing makes getting a taxi in Manhattan in pouring rain look like a cake walk! Finally a driver pulled over and the 4 of us happily piled in. We showed him our paper that had the address of the opera house written in Chinese, he looked at it for a min, then shook his head no. I was livid. This had happened to me before where it seemed that a driver just didn't want to take you, maybe because you were a foreigner or because the fare wouldn't be enough. But this time it had taken us so long to get the taxi I dug in my heels. I said I wasn't getting out and to illustrate, I locked my door. He kept shaking his head no and Finally Niklas called the tour director and she talked to the driver for awhile. Turns out he didn't know the area. So we got out and went back to trying to find a taxi. All four of us spread out to the four corners of a major intersection and finally got another one. We piled in again and showed him the paper, holding our breath. When he nodded his head okay, we all cheered and I'm sure he had idea why. lol

We made it to the opera with time to spare and watched the performers putting on their make-up. Turns out the opera was in a hotel, which i wasn't thrilled about, but I just sat back and waited to see what it was all about. When the first act started, and the singer started, I almost burst out laughing. It seriously sounded like someone had stepped on a cat's tail. The costumes were great, the music nice and with the translation you could understand what was going on. Although, some of them were quite comical.
It was just over an hour and then I headed back to the hostel.

Sept 21 - First Real Chinese Meal

2009-09-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

I returned the train tickets to Xian today. Two girls in my room said they thought it had been a disappointment, and still having TD I didn't really feel like being on a train for 2 nights anyway.

I've heard that they had to teach the Chinese people the concept of waiting in line in preparation for the Olympics last year, and I think they've already forgotten. You have to keep a constant vigilance on your place, lest people just step in front of you. I also saw a guy that tried to go right up to the window and bypass the 15 or so people in line. Then they opened a new window and people literally ran to get into that line. The guy that had been trying to cut the line tried to step in front of me so I elbowed him good in the side and said 'you were behind me'! Not that he understood me, I'm sure but he definitely got the message!

So, I'm embarrassed to admit that I broke down and ate McDonalds today. I just needed something my stomach could handle. But perhaps it's good that I did because it was gross and bland, and now I really don't feel like I'm missing anything. One funny thing was that Maria Carey's song 'Always Be My Baby' was on single repeat. I think it's their way of getting people not to linger because I could only take about 6 cycles before I had to get out of there.

Then I went in search of the long distance bus station to get info getting to the less touristed part of the Wall. I had also gotten a refund for this tour from the hostel because I hate being on tours and someone else's time schedule. I found the station but there was no info desk. I was tired so I gave up and took a taxi back to the hostel. After a 2 hour nap I felt a whole lot better!

The Swedish couple and another guy from Switzerland and I all went out to dinner. We accidentally ordered SO much food! I think it was mostly because we wanted to try everything. Since I don't think I'm going to get a chance to have a roasted duck, I at least ordered some duck breast. There was also donkey on the menu so you know we had to try that! Everything was very good - except the donkey, which was dark and strange tasting and my stomach just wasn't ready for too much wild food. This is the first truly Chinese meal I have been able to eat, and it was nice. When the check came, it was only $11 per person!
On the walk back to the hostel I stopped at another hostel that is in the same alley (called huatong) and inquired about hiring a car and driver to wall. They said it would be 800 yuan round trip and with 4 of us that's he same as the tour price. I liked this hostel a lot better and it's cheaper, so I think I will move tomorrow.

Sept 20 - Chinese Acrobatics and Amebiasis

2009-09-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

I got up early to meet my friends (turns out they are Swedish, not Norwegian. Oops) at the Lama Temple. It was nice but eventually I felt like I did in Europe - I don't care if I ever see another pagoda or temple (or baptistery, or duomo) again. I also still had TD so wasn't
having the greatest time. After the Lama Temple we went to Bahai Park and it was beautiful! The Chinese National Day is Oct 1 and they are decorating things and building floats and beautiful art with flowers, so it was quite spectacular. It had rained all night so the air was clear (for Beijing anyway) and it was a really nice day. You could actually see that the sky was blue and couldn't look directly at the sun. (I took a picture of the sun the day before where it looks like the moon because of the smog.) You should NOT be able to take a picture of the sun, let alone look directly at it on a "clear" day!!!

We climbed to the top where the white pagoda was, but the view wasn't
as good as at Jinshan Park the day before. We took a wooden ferry
across the lake and then went to an acrobatic theater to buy tickets for that night. Then I went in search of the SOS clinic. This was the third day of TD and I just want it to stop!

The night before I had the hostel staff write down the name and address in Chinese so I could show the taxi driver, but he still didn't seem to understand. So I fumbled with the map, got out in the general vicinity and then spent another 30 min asking and asking until I finally found it. Being Sunday only the emergency clinic was open, but there was no one else there so I was in to see the doctor quickly.

She checked my vitals and then, in a cool mix of Western and Eastern medicine, she looked at my hands and my tongue and said I was quite dehydrated so she wanted to give me IV fluids. She also took a stool and blood sample and came back about 40 min later and confirmed I did
indeed have amebasis, not a bacterial infection. So the strong antibiotic I am taking - which turns out to be an antiprotozoal actually - is the correct medication. But since I've taken it for almost two days and am not much better, she gave me one dose of something stronger to try and stop the diarrhea. But I need to take the full 7 day course of the other to make sure it kills it all. She
said it was possible that the steroid shot lowered my immune response, but most likely it was drinking untreated Gobi water since this takes about a week to show symptoms and I got it 6 days after I started drinking the water. Guess I don't have such an iron stomach after all. Note to self: well water in the Gobi desert is NOT the same as well water in America! Lesson learned the very hard way unfortunately. She also gave me a prescription for pro-biotics to replace the good flora of the intestines after the medicine kills everything. I always do this at home and I wish western doctors would do it too!

Since I wasn't going to have time to go back to my hostel before the show, she gave me a dose of the medicine I have from home. But I hadn't eaten in quite a few hours and you have to eat with the medication, so the nurses made me toast. When I asked if I could have more jam they brought in the whole jar! Lol They treated me very well. (I had made the mistake of taking it before bed on an empty stomach once, and was woken up about 30 mins later with rolling waves of intense nausea!)

The doctor said at first she only ordered 1 litre of fluid, but because my standing to lying blood pressure was 20mm lower, that indicated more severe dehydration so I got 2 liters. She said she was very surprised that I wasn't dizzy with that much dehydration. She asked if I am fit and I said yes, I work out at home a lot. She said that probably helped a lot because most people get dizzy with just a 10mm drop. So it's good to know that I'm fit because I sure haven't felt like it recently.

This is the doctor (right) and nurse that helped me!

Its hard to believe that a single-cell organism, the lowest form of life on earth, can wreak such havoc! I've decided that I'm going to start calling it 'my little worm' because 'my little ameboa' my just doesn't have the same ring. Lol

You know those t-shirts that say 'my grandma went to X and all I got was this lousy t-shirt'? Well, I paid $937 and all I got was a lousy band-aid (from the IV). Okay, I got a few medications too, but those were minimal. The big cost was the office visit, the rehydration ($300+ for 2 litres of saline!) and the lab tests. Seriously, thank goodness for travel insurance!

After the doctor I went to the acrobatics show and it was unbelievable! Ever seen 12 people ride one bicycle? I have now! There was plate spinning, hoop jumping, contortionists... absolutely amazing. I bought 2 DVDs and can't wait to watch them!

I went back to the hostel intending to have some dinner, but the kitchen was closed so it was a couple of packages of crackers for dinner. Oh well, it's probably better for the worm. He's really
fighting back though, because I think I've already lost at least half of the fluid I got at the clinic, in just 4.5 hours! The doctor gave me oral rehydration solution but said that if I can't keep well
hydrated I can come back in for more fluids before I fly home. Since flying also dehydrates you it could be dangerous if I'm already dehydrated when I start.

I decided that to have a better attitude I will list the things i am thankful for:

* that the toilets in the hostel are western, and the stalls small enough to rest my head on the door while going
* that I brought 12 packs of wet wipes
* wearing a dress when you have raging TD in the land of squat toilets (think about it)
* my worm ensures that I don't absorb many calories, so I can eat all the M&Ms and ice cream I want
* that McDonald's ice cream tastes the same around the world
* free toilet paper in the hostel
* that fancy shopping malls have western toilets, and that there are a lot of fancy shopping malls in Beijing
* English speaking medical clinics
* travel insurance
* that I live in America

Sept 19 - Miserable in Beijing

2009-09-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

I slept 12 hours last night and feel much better. I changed to the hostel today and bought tickets to the Wall and Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. Then I went out to see the Forbidden City and Tienanmen Square. I am absolutely shocked at how much air pollution there is here. I am being dead serious when I say it makes the air in LA look as clear as Mt. Everest. All day long it looks like it's approaching dusk and all of my pictures look like they are taken through a window screen. And one of the girls in my hostel said she's surprised how CLEAN the air is compared to 5 years ago! She said then you couldn't even see the skyscrapers 50 meters in front of you. I
have no idea how people live here, and Asian people are known for their longevity! It's really incomprehensible to me.

At the Forbidden City I bought the audio guide, but then didn't have enough cash for the deposit so I went in search of the ATM. Turns out it was VERY far through the FC and when I finally reached it, it wouldn't take my card.

I'm going to whine for a minute here, so bear with me. I have raging diarrhea in a land of a hole in the ground, I have to blow my nose literally every 4-5 min, I walk for almost 30 min not understanding anything about the stunning things I am seeing, and when I finally get to the ATM, it won't give me money. I seriously almost cried. But, I knew my experience was all about my attitude so I bought an ice cream cone and just tried to appreciate the things I was seeing, even if I didn't understand them. As I was walking along enjoying my ice cream cone, I took a lick and the entire top dropped off the cone. With my cat-like reflexes I somehow managed to grab the ice cream before it hit the ground, but now my hands are totally sticky and full of ice
cream. %*#@!!!!!!

I finished my walk through the FC and when I exited I saw this beautiful pagoda on the hill so decided I needed to go there. I also read in the book that it provided sweeping views of the FC, which it did.
BTW, this picture was taken at about 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon on a day with no clouds in the sky! THIS is how bad the air pollution is!

It was a lovely park and I strolled through to the other entrance and took the bus to Tienanmen Square. It was quite interesting to compare Tienanmen to Red Square. I think Tienanmen is much larger.

I lucked out and happened to get there a sunset (although you couldn't tell with the smog) when they lower the flag and a bunch of guys in uniforms march around. This seems to be a big deal in Beijing because there were throngs of people gathered around the flagpole. I actually handed my camera to a girl up on a man's shoulders to take a picture for me. During this time they also close the huge main arterial street behind the flagpole. The process takes about an hour and they do it as sunrise and sunset EVERY DAY!

After that I wanted to get something to eat so went in search of a restaurant recommended in the guidebook. I had a good map and was sure I was in the right area, and asked numerous people, but I never found it. So I ended up going back to the hostel and just having dumplings.

Sept 18 - I AM IN CHINA!!

2009-09-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

I woke up with all the activity at 7:30 and was feeling better. I tried to find something I could eat and ended up eating some slightly sweet bread I had with me. The Chinese countryside is really pretty. There are a lot of farms and the train followed along a river for awhile, and I took some nice pictures. But, it's hard to take pictures from the train because the windows are so filthy. The Russian trains were much cleaner. To get the good pictures, I opened the window and stuck my head out.
I found the nice Norwegian couple and I decided to share a cab with them to see if I could also share their hotel room and split the cost. Taxis are dirt cheap here. We drove for probably 15-20 min and it was 19 Yuan, which is about $3! They charge 2 yuan per kilometer and none for waiting time (like in NYC).

It's also more of a pedestrian friendly city. There are separate lanes for bikes - and there are a lot of bikes! There are regular bikes, electric bikes, motorized bikes, mopeds, rickshaws... masses of them.And when they need to cross lanes of traffic, or a bus or taxi comes into their lane to stop they just deftly steer around it. If a bike is coming too close to a car, or if the car needs to turn across the bike lane, the car just beeps the horn. The bikes do the same for pedestrians. It seems to be an efficient system, as I have seen some crazy antics - bikes going against traffic down the middle of the street and pedestrians standing in front of an oncoming bus - and haven't seen any accidents yet.

At the hotel it turned out I couldn't share their room because it only had two small beds and no room for a rollaway. I had been planning on staying in a hostel that was 65 yuan ($10) and to get my own hotel room was 198 yuan ($30) but I was so exhausted I just stayed there for one night. There was a little bit of a fiasco in getting a non-smoking room - or rather, a room that didn't reek of smoke. See, there is no such thing as non-smoking in China, except perhaps at a 5-star hotel. I had to sniff 4 rooms before finding one that had enough room deodorizer sprayed to mask the smoke smell. The Norwegian couple had a 'no smoking' sign in their room and I tried showing it to the hotel staff, but it didn't seem to do much good. Later, my friends told me they read the sign more closely and it only says 'no smoking IN BED!' I can't believe they have to have a sign for that!

I went to take a shower and the shower curtain had so much mold on it I showered without it and let the floor get soaking wet. There was a drain in it so I figured it wasn't that bad.

We went to eat and just kind of picked the first one that looked good and like it would have an English menu. It had some of the items in broken English and lots of pictures. I still had a bad stomach so I tried to order mild food. That's very difficult in China! I ordered broccoli and scallion pancakes and a soup that looked like just broth and vegetables. Yeah, pictures can be deceiving! The soup turned out to be seafood and the only thing I recognized was shrimp. Luckily the Norwegians were hungry and adventurous eaters and the tried the soup. The described one of the things in it as 'fish chewing gum'!

I barely ate and I had to hit the toilet again. This was a nice restaurant in a nice looking hotel, so I was surprised to find a squat toilet. Let's just say a squat toilet is not what you want when you
have TD. But I learned that some squat toilets are very fancy. This one had an automatic flush! We now call these 'fancy shit holes'. Lol

My new friends decided to walk around a bit as it was only 6:30, but I wasn't feeling good so I went back to the hotel. Since I'd had the TD for 2 days now, I started taking antibiotics. I fell asleep at 7:30 and they stopped by at 8:00 to make plans for us to get together on Sunday. After they left I went back to sleep but woke up 3 hours later with another raging TD episode. This is when I decided it was time for the stronger antibiotics!

Sept 17 - Train to Beijing and TD

2009-09-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

I had to get up at 6:30 to get a car to the train station, but the owner of the guest house I was staying at had arranged it for us at no charge so that was very nice.

I should have known something was wrong when I didn't wake up starving like I usually do. By the time I got on the train I wasn't feeling great so I slept for almost 4 hours. When I woke up my stomach was turning and churning. I had been so happy that for 3 weeks I had been brushing my teeth with train bathroom water and drinking untreated well water in the Gobi and hadn't gotten sick. Well, that ended today - I got a raging case of TD. (TD is short for Traveler's Diarrhea.)

I will spare you the details, but I was absolutely miserable all day. I couldn't eat anything and was alternating between sweating and freezing. Luckily I had 3 very nice women in my carriage and they were taking care of me. I slept most of the day, took Imodium and pepto and started to feel marginally better. The only thing I can think of where I might have gotten it is the leftover pizza, but it was refrigerated and I warmed it up. But in retrospect, I think it might have been that the steroid shot for my sinuses lowered my immune response. (I got the TD the very next morning after getting the shot.)

At 7:45pm we reached the border and the SIX hour process began. There were of course the forms to leave Mongolia and the health declaration to enter China. But the really ridiculous, and clearly Communist regime, started when the Chinese officials started opening all the lighting and heating vents to check for contraband, and then they checked everyone's bag in each compartment. I was still feeling weak and was not in the mood for this crap, but luckily one of the women in my carriage was a tour director who had done this trip 5 years in a row and was talking to the Chinese officials and joking with them. They looked through 2 bags in our compartment and then I showed them my small backpack (having hidden my medicine bag under my pillow quickly to avoid problems). I also made sure that my bras and dirty underwear were on top of the bag, and that seemed to work pretty well.

He saw that and pretty much didn't look at anything else in my bag. Lol After that he didn't ask to look in any other of our bags either. They were asking if we had any knives and I thought, yeah like I'm going to tell you I have 2 pocket knives.

One of the women told us a story about a woman whose father was a swimsuit maker and she had him make her a bra with 3 cups, and she would put it right on top in her suitcase and officials would open it, see that bra, and slam it closed and let her go. LOL

Then there was the changing of the wheels. Russia and Mongolia use a different rail gauge than China (and almost the rest of the world) so we had to wait for literally 4+ hours while they took each rail car separately, jacked it up, took off the Russian wheels and put on the Chinese wheels. The carriages jerked so hard it would about throw you out of bed! And throughout all of this the bathrooms are locked and you are not allowed to get off the train. I had to pee so bad all I
could do was lay flat so my bladder was stretched out. My stomach was still churning and I was worried I was going to have to do something else too. :(

Finally, the wheels were changed and we went back to the station where they let us off to use the toilet in the station. At that point it was midnight and I was really ready to sleep. With the TD my sense of smell was really heightened and my stomach would churn at everything. Throughout the night I woke up a few times from strange smells. It was also very difficult to get good rest because the seats are so hard. I am ready for my own bed, that's for sure!

One of the women in my carriage was from Texas and was quite the world traveler. She had been to almost every country in the world. She was very nice, but talked and talked and talked!! Especially not feeling good, she annoyed the shit out of me! The woman who was the tour director was annoying me too. I was eating whatever sounded good (because it wasn't much) and she kept telling me not to eat this and not to drink that. Let's just say I didn't have the best day.

UB Redeems Itself - Kind Of

2009-09-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

I woke up at a decent hour today, ate breakfast, showered and set out to see the Winter Palace of one of the important Mongolian Buddhist temples, the current Buddhist temple complex and the Natural History Museum.

I decided to go to the Winter Palace first. I got on the bus indicated by the guidebook as going to the Palace and some nice Mongolian girl saw me reading the book and asked if she could help. She told me what stop to get off on and even offered to walk with me to find it. I said thank you very much, but I didn't want to interrupt her day and I would be okay I thought. She said it was very far to walk - maybe 1/2 mile. I said that I am a tourist and it's okay for me to walk, I like to see the city.

So I got off the bus and started walking. I saw some interesting buildings and took some photos, then continued walking looking for the "6 temples with a large white one on the right", as the guidebook indicted. I walked for what seemed 1/2 a mile, but then I came to the second river, which was not indicated in the guidebook so I stopped some women and asked. They chattered amongst themselves and then pointed ... in both directions! I retraced my steps and went into a supermarket to ask. Again the man was very nice and walked outside with me and pointed in the direction I had just come from. When he went back inside I asked a different man if he spoke English and told him what I was looking for. He seemed very sure of his directions and pointed me in the opposite direction of the store clerk.

This is the conclusion I have drawn about Mongolians... they want to practice English with you, and I think they really want to be helpful, but they also don't want to admit if they don't know something. This is sweet, but very frustrating as you end up wasting a lot of time walking in circles. This also happened to me yesterday when I was looking for a restaurant. A woman saw me looking at the book and the streets and offered to take me to the restaurant, only she started walking in the direction I was sure it was not. After 2 blocks I said I thought it was the other way, so she stopped someone in the street and asked and they said yes, the other way. She offered to walk with me, but I told her thank you, she didn't need to. Eventually I found it about 1/2 block past where she had offered to help in the first place. Ugh! If you ask 5 Mongolians directions, you will get 7 different answers!

So for the Palace... I walk back the way I had come, almost to the bus stop again! But this time I'm on the other side of the street and I see those buildings I took a picture of closer up. I see they kind of look like temples and one is white. Then I see this little gold plaque that says 'Winter Palace'. Yup, it's the place I took pictures of about 35 min ago! Ugh!

So I walk up and everything looks closed. I snap some photos and then push on the door by the closed ticket counter. I figured, hell I came this far, I'm not giving up without seriously trying to see this place! Miracles upon miracles, the door opens! I walk in and there are a couple of guys mowing the grass but no one seems to pay me much attention, so I waltz in and start taking photos. Only, I didn't get far before a guy came up and told me they're closed. I pointed to the sign that says they are open 10-6 but he points to the winter timetable that says closed on Wed and Thurs. Evidently the Winter Palace people decided that winter had come early this year. So I didn't get to see the Palace I had gone on such a search to find. Ugh.

I was still miserable with a stuffed up head and really tired so I decided I would go to the doctor. I got on a bus that I knew at least went to the main square, which would put me closer to the SOS International Medica, and I figured I would catch a cab from there. Only the bus turned at the square, and instead of stopping at the corner, went another 4 blocks before stopping. Double ugh! At this point I was close to the other temple I wanted to see so decided to just go there before the doctor.

I walked around shooting photos and even got some bootleg video of Buddhist ceremonies! It said no photos but it didn't say no videos so I covertly held my camera on my arm and recorded. Shame on me, I know. Then I went to the main temple where there is a Buddha statue that is 87 feet tall!! That' 3 stories! It's gilded gold and is quite imposing. It's only 2.50 to enter the temple but it's 5 to take pictures. This is the case with everything in Mongolia! (Sorry, I am using a wacky keyboard that won't type the dollar sign. It also has the y where the z should be and vice versa. Ugh!) There are hundreds of these round, gold ... pots for lack of a better word, and people walk around the Buddha and spin every single one of them. This is supposed to bring you luck. I twirled a few on them, but not all. But maybe I should have, or the Universe was getting me back for the bootleg video, because as I was standing there looking at this crazy huge Buddha, a pigeon crapped on my shoulder. Guess I better spin some more pots!

After the temple I FINALLY went to the doctor. It did look kind of far on the map, but the traffic also looked bad, and I didn't want to get stuck on the wrong bus again. So I walked. And walked. And walked. And Walked. I swear it must have been 2 miles! That's a beef I have with the Lonely Planet books - their map scale is a load of crap! I was so tired when I got there I just wanted to sleep. The receptionist asked which doctor I wanted to see and I said the American one. She said the ex-pat doctor on staff was actually from South Africa, but he obviously spoke English. I was in and out in maybe 30-40 mins. $147, a shot in the butt and some pills later and I feel much better! :) The antibiotics I took a week plus ago had cleared up the sinus infection, but my sinuses were still really inflamed and clogged. He gave me a steroid shot (prednisone) for the inflammation, and sudafed for the congestion. I had tried like crazy to get sudafed here in UB before leaving for the Gobi, but that's when I came away with just the TheraFlu stuff. Perhaps pseudoephedrine is only available by prescription here? They are worth their weight in gold to me anyhow! Within 20-30 mins of the shot and 1 pill, I was already feeling better. My head unclogged, my headache went away and my drippy nose finally stopped! Of course the drippy and headache comes back when the sudafed wears off, but it's SO much better than it was.

Feeling better, I was able to enjoy UB's other saving grace - the National Academy Dance and Singing Troup. It was only an hour and 15 min but was really good. There were a number of dance acts with beautiful costumes, some awesome throat singers, contortionists, regular singers and an orchestra. I got some amazing video, but now I'm starting to worry I won't have enough GB for the Great Wall and Beijing. I've got 5GB more of memory cards and about 80 pictures on the card I have in now. I may have to buy another in Beijing. Since I came with 17GB that sounds a little crazy, I know.

After the performance I really wanted to buy a CD of the throat singers but I had zero cash. I had to pay to take photos and I didn't even have enough to cover that. The lady just took all the cash I had and said ok. I asked the woman selling CDs if I could run to an ATM and she would wait. She said yes, 10 mins. So I ran 2 blocks to the nearest ATM and ran back just in time. Then I needed to use the restroom and as I was coming out an artist was selling his paintings and seemed like he really wanted me to buy one. They were actually nice and I selected a small one I can carry easily. It was only 5,000 togrogs, which is only about 3.50, but he seemed super excited to sell it and get the money.

After this I went to the grocery store to get food for tomorrow's train. The cashier gave me my change but it was 1 togrog short. I read in the book that almost no one uses the 1 and in fact I know I hadn't received a few before. As 1 togrog is equal to 0.0007 cents, I'm not too worried, but I did want to have one for a souvenir so I asked holding up one finger and said 'souvenir' so she didn't think I was just being a ridiculous tightwad tourist. lol

After that it was back to the guest house, eat leftover pizza and type this blog post. Now I will take a shower since I have to get up at 6.40 already to get the train. (Also can't find the colon sign. lol)

Night night!

Ulaanbaatar is Disgusting!

2009-09-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

After spending 5 glorious days in the sand, sun and wide open desert with clean, fresh air and no annoying insects, UB is a huge disappointment. The air is visibly dirty and there are these annoying little gnats everywhere that make it almost impossible to breathe. I really wish I was going to Beijing tomorrow, but I will make the best of it. I got back at 3.00 and emailed and blog posted until 6 so have only a few hours left in the day anyway.

I bought a ticket to see the National Academy Dance and Singing Troup tomorrow night because it came highly recommended by the American woman on the bus and a Dutch girl staying in my hostel (called guest houses in Mongolia).

After 5 days of eating Tol's delicious Mongolian food, i decided it was time for a change and went to an Italian restaurant and had minestrone and pizza... and Coca Cola Light! Ahhh,the little pleasures in life. :) I was going to have Mongolian/Irish pub food but there was nowhere to sit that wasn't inundated with a smoky haze. The Italian place let me sit in the back room where there was no one else and near the open back door.

After eating I went to the supermarket and got food for breakfast. Then I took a much needed shower and went to sleep. Pretty dull day.

The Gobi Desert - Day 5, Sept 15 - Goodbye Arburd Sands

2009-09-15T01:47:00.000-07:00

Today is the day I leave Arburd Sands and head back to UB. On one hand I am ready to be on my way and continue my next destination, but on the other I am a little sad to leave the people with whom I have spent the last 5 days with and grown fond of. After breakfast I went and packed ever thing and then went to the library to get a wall hanging I had admired the first day. I also saw a pair of Mongolian wool slippers that were only $14 so i got them as well. I would really have liked to have bought one of the super warm cashmere blankets that say 'Arburd Sands' but they weren't advertised as for sale and it would be so bulky it would be hard to carry for another 9 days. Yes, it's hard to believe I only have 9 more days! But I do feel like I've had quite an adventure, and also quite a relaxing time. And I still have a whole other country (and the Great Wall!!) to go!

It's quite cold today with the wind really whipping. It seems like I've picked the perfect time to leave as it's been getting progressively cooler the last 3 days or so. In fact, next weekend is the final of the season for the camp, and then it closes until next year, opening again in May or June. It was so cold this morning that when I squeezed my tube of Vaseline (for my lizard scale dry lips), it was so hard from the cold that it actually popped the seam of the tube! Good thing I brought along some duct tape!

Before I left I gave each person in camp - the guides, cook and waitress - a small tip and had one of the Norwegians take a group photo of us. I asked Badrakh to tell them I felt like I was leaving family. Then I kissed each one on the cheek and they stood and waved until we were out of sight.

Badrakh was driving me back (in his good 4x that is a *much* smoother ride than the mini bus I came in) and said we would stop at his father's ger. First we stopped at the ger of a family of one of the guides and they gave us curds and aairaig. Then we stopped at Badrakh's father's and he explained that his father was actually coming with us as Badrakh was taking him to the hospital to have a heart condition checked.

His father is 79 and small boned, but when he put on his brightly colored maroon silk robe with black embroidery and a medal pinned to the breast, his large decorative belt and traditional Mongolian wool boots curved up at the toes, he looked like royalty. Then he put on a white straw western cowboy hat and he became a mix of Mongolian and western.

At Badrakh's father's they gave me a bowl of warm milk and I had drunk almost all of it before I remembered that even at home, when I have too much dairy without carbohydrates to help digest it, I get a bad tummy. So on the drive all the way to UB I had the worst gas and Badrakh and his father would always roll the window down for a few min every time I let one. I imagined Badrakh's father saying to him, 'Son, what are you feeding these tourists!?' LOL

I'm now sitting in the Nomadic Journey office posting all these blogs so you are up-to-date on what's going on here in Mongolia! I am feeling better today so have decided to wait until tomorrow to go to the doctor, if I feel crummy again. I don't leave for Beijing until Thursday so I have all day tomorrow. The plan is to sight see in UB and then I will take an 8am train on Thurs.

Will send more post cards (hopefully those of you that I have mailing addresses for have received some already) and will update the blog as more fun things happen! Don't forget to write me!!! :)

The Gobi Desert - Day 4, Sept 14 - Horse Riding, Mare Milking and Yogurt Vodka

2009-09-15T01:46:00.000-07:00

I think I have more than a sinus infection because I slept over 12 hours again last night and feel crummy again. I think it's time to see a doctor and there is a clinic in UB staffed with western doctors, so I will go there when I return tomorrow. Thank goodness for health insurance and travel insurance because the book says office visits START at $195!

I didn't wake up until 10:30, but wonderful Tol still made me breakfast. She made a pancake, but to be honest, I prefer the Mongolian yogurt and granola with the yummy jam, and the dark Mongolian bread also with the jam.

I decided that even though I feel crummy I would still go for a horse ride because I leave tomorrow before lunch and won't have another opportunity. The Mongolian horse lives completely in the wild. There are no barns or stables. They sleep in huddled circles with the outermost ones protecting the inner circle from wolves by kicking. They take turns throughout the night shifting from the outer circle to the inner circle.

Badrakh said I would ride to a family's ger and he and two Norwegian tourists who had arrived at lunch would meet us there by car. He said we would be making vodka from yogurt!

They gave me chaps and a helmet and I got on with no trouble. As the Mongolian horse is much shorter than our domestic horse, I didn't need a boost or step. The horses walked pretty slowly across the desert and I wanted to ask if we could go faster but i thought I would wait until the ride back, after I had gotten a feel for the horse's temperament.

We crossed desert with lots of little hills, akin to ski moguls. Every once in awhile the horses would sink into a hole and stumble a bit. The guide indicated that these mounds and holes are made by a desert mouse (which I've seen hundreds of here!) that burrow tunnels and weaken the sand. I think they are more like gophers or prairie dogs, but as small as mice. They burrow and can stand up on their hind legs, and look more like gophers than mice.

We arrived at the family's ger and Badrakh and Tol began making the vodka. They take yogurt that is 3 weeks old and put it in a pan over a fire. Then they put a huge metal container over it and suspend a bucket in it. Then they cover this with another pan and gradually add cold water. As the steam rises through the cooking yogurt and hits the cold water in the metal pan, it produces condensation that drips (or distills) into the suspended bucket and that is the vodka. I'm still not sure how you get alcohol from yogurt, but maybe because it's been fermenting for 3 weeks...? He made the fire the traditional Mongolian way - with dung instead of wood. It said it didn't smell at all (he said the dung they burn is 1-2 years old!) and asked why we didn't use it in camp? Badrakh said tourists don't like it. Although i didn't say it, I think he should use dung and tell the tourists it's both traditional and eco-friendly!

While the vodka was distilling we got an opportunity to witness 'milking of the mares'. This is when they milk the mother horses - and they do it every hour and a half!! They gather all the foals and tie them up and then bring one over to the mare and let it suckle for a couple of minutes to get the mother's milk flowing. Then they take the foal away and milk the mare. (Before I left home I had been talking about milking camels, but evidently I was mistaken since I never saw them milk camels, just the mares.)

I asked if I might try and after a bit they called me over and said I could! I asked the Norwegian guy if he would take a video for me and I have the most awesome video of me milking a mare!! I've already watched it 3 times! Lol

We had goats growing up and I used to milk them, so I kind of knew the process, but mare teats are much smaller than goat's and it's really hard to control where the milk goes. I got it all over my hands and sprayed my jacket a couple of times too. When I was finished I thanked them and then tasted the milk that had run down my hands. It was surprisingly sweet! And as it dried it was very sticky. I have to say that milking a mare has probably been the highlight of my trip so far!

We had the vodka and then started back to camp. After a bit I indicated that I would like to go a little faster and the guide said to get the horses to go you say 'tshu' (pronounced like 'shoe' but starting with your tongue pressed to your two front teeth.) They began to move a little faster. I know Amos will kill me if I get it wrong but I think it was a trot. ;) After a bit more time I was comfortable with this pace and wanted to go faster. I could also see the camp in the distance and knew we were getting close. The guide told me to stand up when the horse galloped and off we went. I have to say that standing up in the saddle was much easier at a faster pace! I didn't bounce around and it was much easier to keep my balance.

We only got to gallop for a short time before the guide indicated we needed to stop because we were close to camp. I still wanted to ride fast so I asked if we could go for awhile more. We turned around and rode at a good galloping pace for maybe another 15 min and then he indicated we should go back because the horses were working up a sweat. We slowed them to a walk for the last few min back to camp. I asked Badrakh if I could give them a sugar cube and he said he didn't think they would take it, but I could try. I took 4 sugar cubes (2 for each horse) and offered one to the horse I had ridden. He kept turning his head away but I opened his mouth and placed the sugar cube in thinking as soon as he tasted it he'd understand. But Badrakh was right, the horse just spit it out. Lol

I gave wash to Tol and then took a shower. Since I was leaving the next day and knew I wouldn't have an opportunity to properly wash again until I got home, I gave her just about everything, including all my warm clothes except my wind breaker and nylon pants. After dinner I asked if the clothes were dry but she said 'tomorrow'. I explained that I needed the warm clothes to sleep in so she at least went and got those, but there was no way the cotton tights were going to dry in time. So, Badrakh had them bring me another set of blankets and I was very warm!

The Gobi Desert - Day 3, Sept 13 - Searching for Ibex and Knuckle Bone Championships

2009-09-15T01:44:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, there is nothing like waking up to the crackle of a warm fire and the sun shining brightly!

After breakfast I set off with a driver to look for ibex and mountain sheep. He stopped several times and took out the telescope but we didn't spot any. It would have been nice, but the scenery was so beautiful I really didn't care. One of the places we stopped was Sacred Mountain and I tried to indicate to him I wanted to climb it. I don't think he was understanding so I took my hiking boots out of my backpack and pointed to he mountain. He pulled over and indicated that it was very steep. I tried to say I was only going to go part way but I don't think he understood.

I scaled the steep slope quite rapidly and turned around to take photos of the spectacular views. I was about to start back down when I spotted a lake over another mountain ridge, so I continued up a little further. I got a nice shot of an oasis-like lake in the middle of the desert!

As I was coming down I put my hand on a prickly plant and quickly pulled my hand away and pulled the stickers out. But it really stung and I hoped it wasn't something poisonous. I even took a picture of it in case it was and I had to show someone what got me. Now, even hours later, it still stings pretty good but it's not swelling and I can still breathe, so I guess I'll be ok. :)

I knew we were also headed to the knuckle bone shooting championships, which were being held that day, and after another 30 min or so of driving we arrived at a make-shift camp where the games were going on. Badrakh was there and took me around to the different tents and the different games going on. He said it was ok to take pictures so I took many and also videos. I can't wait to share them with you. Essentially, they flick a piece of deer antler at other pieces of deer antler from 8-10 feet away and whomever hits the most pieces wins. To get down to the final champion, the target piece gets smaller and smaller, and at one point they were aiming for a coin the size of a dime.

After a time I asked Badrakh if women cold play too and he said yes, one of the people who would be playing for the championship this year was a woman. So I asked if I could try it and a middle aged Mongolian man indicated to Badrakh that he would like to teach me. Only he wasn't really teaching me, it turned out we were playing a game and whoever lost had to give the winner a bottle of vodka. I'll give you one guess who the winner was.

After I lost Badrakh took us to a jeep that must have been his and gave me a bottle of vodka to present to the man I had lost to. Then we all sat cross-legged in a circle and he poured a shot. Badrakh interpreted that the first shot is thrown into the wind as a gift to the mountains. The next shot the man gave to me and told Badrakh to tell me he was honored as I was the first foreigner he had ever played knuckle bone with. I said I too was honored and asked the Mongolian word for 'cheers' and then drank the entire shot. They all cheered and passed shots around the circle. Most of them put their fingers in it and flicked it onto the air before drinking half and Badrakh told me it was also a gift to the mountains. So I made sure to do this each time I had vodka for the rest of the day - and I did have more vodka the rest of the day! It seems to be the Mongolian drink of choice, which makes sense I guess seeing that they are so close to Russia, and used to be ruled by Russians.

This guy I lost to seemed to take a liking to me and wanted Badrakh to take our picture. He was also kissing my cheek. Badrakh said he told the man he would send the picture to his wife if he didn't behave, and the man replied back please don't send the picture to his wife or she might not let him come to the games next year, and the whole circle roared with laughter.

I wandered around watching different matches and taking photos. I found some kids that had a pet bunny and he let me hold it. The kids were following me around and one spoke decent English. I ended up teaching them to play American baseball and they loved it! We played with an empty water bottle in place of the ball and fashioned bases from something that looked like old roofing tiles and bats from sticks. I was the pitcher for a long time and then one of the boys wanted me to hit so he pitched. It really was fun, and quite a heartwarming experience. I also got a couple of good videos.

I was getting a little bored and ready to go (I had been there probably 4 or 5 hours at that point) but Badrakh told me there was going to be a closing ceremony where they presented medals and drank aairag, which is the fermented mare's milk I'd read about and was determined to try! They had already set-up for the ceremony and the aairag was sitting there in a pot and Badrakh asked if i wanted to try it, but I didn't want to be rude so I told him I would wait for the ceremony. Turns out the ceremony was still a couple of hours away!

I climbed some rocks with the boys I had played baseball with as they wanted to show me some water. They had these small sticks they had sharpened and showed me how they used hem to climb the rocks with. I tried it, but I couldn't keep my balance using the stick, so I told them I would use my fingers. They looked at me a little unbelievably, but when I scaled the rocks with ease they seemed to be somewhat impressed.

We made it to the water and it turned out to be a little tide pool of sorts. They indicated there were 'baby fish' and sure enough, there were. I scooped one up in my hand and offered it to one of the boys who took it, but the other one seemed afraid to hold it. Eventually he did and I think they enjoyed it.

Then I took their picture and they each wanted a picture with me. They really were the sweetest kids. Then they got intrigued by my camera and wanted to take pictures of their families far below with my zoom. I knew I could erase them later so I let them play with it. Each time they took a photo, the one little boy who spoke some English would say "It's good!" and hold his thumb up. Lol

Finally it was time for he closing ceremony and I took some photos of the men getting their medals. After they received their medals they went around the entire circle and shook hands with everyone, including me. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised how warm and welcoming everyone was of me, a foreigner, at a tournament of a game of such national importance. Everyone constantly invited me into their tent for food and into their circles for vodka. The Mongolian people are quite hospitable and warm.

Oh, a side story. All the people shooting knuckle bone sit on these little stools with one knee on a little rug for balance. I really liked the stool and asked Badrakh where I could buy one - if it was collapsible or portable enough to carry home with me. After a time the son of the woman in the championships came up to me and handed me one of the stools that comes apart into 3 pieces so is fully portable. He didn't ask for money or anything, but I asked Badrakh what an appropriate amount was. He said maybe 20, which meant 20,000 tögrög, which is about $14. That's probably a little pricey for a beat-up stool, but I was happy to pay it because I now have a genuine knucle bone chair used by a woman in the championships!

After the ceremony I finally got to taste aairag! It's tart, but I liked it. Actually, I like it more than I do the warm whole cows milk they serve for breakfast, which I think tastes kind of gamey. I find that surprising, thinking milk from a horse would taste more gamey, but maybe it's because it's fermented and therefore tart. They said it was about 4-5% alcohol, and I suppose if you drank bowl after bowl you'd get drunk, but it didn't taste alcoholic at all to me. They also let the littlest children drink it so it can't be that strong.

I'm pretty proud of myself on the food front on this trip. In Irkutsk I had beef tongue and that local fish I told you about. And at the games when I looked at the pot of aairag, it had dust, a couple of gnats and some horse hair floating in it, but I still drank it right down! Anytime anyone asks me if I'd like "x" i say yes, even if I have no idea what it is. I always ask Tol 'is this Mongolian?' so I think she knows I want to try all Mongolian food.

Finally, it was time to go back to camp. It had been 9 hours since we had left that morning and I was quite tired. I took a lovely, and much needed, hot shower, had dinner, visited with the 4 Australian tourists that had come the day before and collapsed into bed before 10pm. Quite a day!

Gobi Desert - Day 2, Sept 12 - Camel Riding

2009-09-15T01:43:00.000-07:00

After a good 11.5 hour sleep I feel much better. My ears are still plugged and I'm draining loads of yuckiness, but I'm feeling more rested. It was pretty cold all night but they have these wonderful quilted blankets that kind of conform to you and snug up against you to keep the cold air out, and a wonderfully warm camel hair cashmere blanket on top of that. I also was wearing some wonderful knitted wool socks i bought from a local vendor on the train a couple days before. (I got them for only $1.50!)

At 6am someone came in and started the fire, although I pretty much slept through it all. Twice in the night I had to pee but there was no way I was going outside and freeze and wake up completely. I had already thought of this before going to bed and had decided I would use the sink catch bucket and just empty it into the outhouse in the morning - and that's exactly what I did! I tried not to let them see me taking the bucket to the outhouse in case it was offensive, but there was no way I was going to walk 75 yards to pee when it was probably 35 degrees out!

When I finally got up at 9:30 I had a yummy breakfast of an omelet and breads with a chocolate spread, cheese spread and delicious jam made from a Mongolian berry that grows in the mountains. And always tea. Russians and Mongolians drink more tea than I've ever seen! I have yet to see anyone drink a glass of pure water!

At breakfast I told Badrakh that I would like to take a camel ride after lunch. I decided to go for just two hours because I thought that's all my tush and inner thighs would be able to take the first time around. (Boy was I right!)

Between breakfast and the camel ride I sat in the sun and read and wrote a blog post on my iPhone, and took a short walk and took more photos. I also asked the cook Tol (toll like a road or Toll House cookies) if I could do some wash. They got it out and dug a hole in the sand for the water to drain into. When it was finished spinning she laid everything on the shrubs to dry. I was a little worried that my cotton/spandex tights that I wear to bed and my thick wool socks wouldn't dry lying down like that, but I figured I'd let them do it their way and I would check to be sure they were dry before the sun went down. After my walk I checked them and though it had been only 30 min or so, *everything* was bone dry! The Gobi sun is HOT!

While we were waiting for the camels to be rounded up I got a awesome video of two young Mongolian men in a spontaneous wrestling match. Wrestling is one of Mongolia's national sports, with horsemanship, archery and a game called knuckle bone (more on that tomorrow) being the others.

When the camels were saddled up I watched with awe as they go the camel to kneel on it's front legs, then its back legs and then lay down all together so that I could easily get on. They achieve this by means of an apparatus made from a twig that is inserted into the camel's nostril and then secured, so that when they pull on it the camel submits pretty easily. I know it sounds inhumane, and that was also my first thought, but you have to realize that these animals are a livelihood for the nomads, they are not pets. Their treatment may appear harsh to us outsiders, but I do not think it is for us to judge how another culture lives. They also do care for the animals, like administering veterinary care as I mentioned earlier.

Once I was on the camel and he stood up I had Tol take a photo of me. I think it's going to be a great one! Then we were off! Since the guide spoke no English it was a very quite ride with time to just soak in the beauty of the Gobi Desert. I couldn't help but think 'I am riding a camel across the Gobi Desert! How flipping cool is this?! And how many people - how many Americans - can say that?!'

I took lots of photos, probably too many, but it was so beautiful. As we rode further to what felt like the south, the scenery changed and became less green and more rolling sound dunes. I was surprised not to see any animals, but I saw loads of animal tracks in the sand of all different shapes and sizes. It was almost 3:00 and the sun was quite hot so I imagine all the animals were waiting out the heat of the day.

As we were heading back towards camp I did start to see the nomad's herds of horses, goats and sheep. And sheep! I swear I have never seen so many sheep in one place. They must have literally 400-500 head! As we approached camp the camels knew we were close to home and began to pick up the pace. I'm not sure if 'trot' is an appropriate term for camels, but that's what it felt like.

Up til then I think i was doing pretty good in the saddle. I kept a straight back and loose thighs, and tried to move in rhythm with the camel. But once he started trotting I kind of couldn't help but bounce up and down in the saddle.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the lead camel seemed to have some gastrointestinal issues. He pooped and farted a lot the entire way! And Nicole, I hate to break it to ya, but camel farts smell WAY better than Rocko farts! There is something wrong with Rocko's ass. LOL Camel farts smell about as you would expect - like fermented grass.

I took my first shower at camp and it was surprisingly nice. The whole ger is the shower with shower curtains hung in the middle and a linoleum floor slanted to a hole at the back for drainage. There is a wood burning stove to heat water and a pail of cold water so you can mix boiling and cold to get your desired temperature. You mix it in a pump action bucket that has a shower nozzle attached to it.

Amos, you will be happy to know that even in the Gobi desert, I shaved my legs. :)

The Gobi Desert - Day 1, Sept 11

2009-09-15T01:39:00.000-07:00

I found the office of the tour company quite easily and was there 15 min early. They offered me tea and I was able to connect to the wi-fi and post my blog updates. At 9:30 we were on our way, but made 3 stops first so really got going about 9:50. I didn't think driving conditions could be worse than Moscow... until I arrived in UB. It is nothing less than sheer madness. As in Russia, pedestrians take their life into their own hands when crossing streets or even walking on 'sidewalks'. I put sidewalks in quotes because you can think you're walking on a sidewalk until a car roars up behind you out of nowhere!

But, the drivers in UB are even crazier. If you are making a left turn, no one stops to let you through, you just look for a small opening and gun it, hoping the car coming directly at you will at least slow enough not to t-bone you. This is especially scary when you are in the passenger seat on the side that would be the point of impact!

Then there is the issue of passing. On the way out of UB on the way to the ger (pronounced 'gare' with a rolled r) camp the road was only one lane in each direction. Mini buses and cars would pull out to pass, even on blind corners and hills, and if a car was coming they would swerve back behind the car they were passing, or in some cases just keep passing. More than once I saw the oncoming car steer onto the shoulder because the passing car was completely in his lane! My driver even had to slow down once because an oncoming car was not going to complete his pass before hitting us head on!

Once we got out of the city the traffic became more sparse and he scenery more rural and beautiful. I was still very tired and tried to lay across the seat with my head on my backpack and sleep (with my seat belt on of course!), but the ride was so bumpy I really couldn't sleep. Then we got off the 'road' and began the *really* bumpy part. When I say bumpy I mean that every 20 mins or so I would be lying there and all of a sudden my entire torso and butt would become airborne, with just my feet and shoulders still in contact with the seat! I can't imagine what it would have been like if i didn't have the seat belt on! I took some video to show just how insane of a ride it was. We had been on the 'road' for maybe an hour to an hour and a half, and we went on like this on the roller coaster road for another 3 hours!

Along the way the Gobi desert scenery was just beautiful. Many horses, sheep, goats, cows and hawks were everywhere. The mountains and steppes were also gorgeous. I took LOADS of photos!

When we finally reached the camp (called Arburd Sands) it was a relief. They had a wonderful lunch ready for me and the owner, Badrakh (Baad-rah with a clearing your throat sound on the r) showed me a chapter in a book called 'Horse People' that was written about his father, his brothers and him. He asked if I would like to go on a walk but I explained that I was sick and really wanted to sleep. He told me tea and cake were at 4:00 if I would like it. I slept for about an hour and then did have tea and cake. When I woke up I heard an unfamiliar noise and stepped out to see what it was. There, at the end of camp, was an entire herd of camels! I wandered over and they were spraying something purple into the anus of one of the camels. Badrakh showed me on the can that it was a cure for a parasite. Then I got a video of them roping a camel to the ground in order to administer more medical care. It's pretty dramatic because the camel was not happy and screeches the entire time.

The gers are really nice. They are completely collapsible and portable, but inside are warm and comfortable. It has a double bed and a twin bed, although I am staying by myself. It also has a little table and chairs, a shoe rack and a little sink for washing your face and hands, and brushing your teeth. It has a push spout and bucket enclosed in a cabinet underneath to catch the water. It also has a small wood burning stove for the nighttime when it gets very cold. Because this is a tourist camp they also have a light bulb, but it is run entirely off solar power. In fact everything except the washing machine (yes, they have a washing machine!!) is run off wind and solar power. The refrigerators are completely wind powered! The washing machine is a little portable thing that washes on one side and spin dries on the other, and it runs off a generator.

One thing you have to be careful of though, is that the doors of the gers are really short. I'm only 5'5" and I smacked my head good once. The doors are seriously only 3' tall!

They have a dining ger connected to the kitchen ger, 4 outhouses but with nice toilet seats, 2 shower gers and even a library! It's quite a nice little set-up!

After tea and cake I laid around and read a book. This is the first time in my journey - 2 weeks in - that I feel like I'm truly on vacation. Up til now it's been 'get on a train at 2am, figure out where I'm going to stay that night, lug around 70 lbs of crap, spend just 20 hours in one place, worry that I'm taking the bus the wrong direction, get off a train at 3am, barter with the taxi driver over price' and sick and exhausted the whole time. Now that I am finally doing absolutely nothing I am beginning to feel truly relaxed.

Dinner was again delicious and the dining ger was set up for many people. Badrakh explained that a member of the Mongolian Parliament was coming later that night. It was quite cold and I was wearing 4 layers on top and 3 layers on the bottom, a wool hat and scarf! They started the fire in my ger so it was nice and toasty when I went to bed.

Ulaanbaatar - Sept 10

2009-09-15T01:34:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Ulaanbaatar (or UB as most people call it) and shared a cab with an American couple from the bus. Turns out we were staying at the same hostel. UB is much easier to get along in because almost everyone speaks some English. This was very welcome as I was too exhausted to try and learn a new language.

This sinus infection is still hanging on and I'm becoming quite miserable and sick of being sick. I arrived in UB at a decent hour and had visions of making a quick grocery run and getting to bed by 9:00. Oh the best laid plans...

First I went the wrong way to find the grocery store and walked around for probably 30-40 min before giving up and going back to consult the guidebook. Then I tried to get some money (Mongolians use the 'tögrög') but the first ATM I found wouldn't give me any cash. This was a problem as all I had in local currency was about $1.85 that I picked up from a money changer on the bus after we crossed the border.

Oh, that's a funny side story. As soon as we crossed Russian-Mongolian border some money changers came on board looking to sell Mongolian currency. I had gotten rid of almost all of my rubles thinking I would just hit an ATM for Mongolian currency. But I figured it would be good to have at least some local currency so I offered my 170 rubles (about $5) to the changer but he didn't seem to notice me. He took 1000 rubles from the guy sitting next to me though and went to move on. I tugged his sleeve and offered my rubles again and he made a face and waved me off and continued on. Seems he didn't want my paltry sum of rubles. Lol The next changer came down the aisle and did the same thing to me. But, when they were finished with the rest of the bus they came back to me and bought my pittance. I think I got something like 5800 tögrög and the American woman who had already spent 3 weeks in Mongolia said it was a pretty good deal.

So, back in UB... On the way to finding the big shopping mall with the grocery store I saw a restaurant that advertised free wi-fi. I stepped inside and was very thankful to get a good strong signal. I checked my bank balance and saw I was down to $80 in the travel debit account I had set up, so I transferred some money from my regular checking. Thank god for the Internet! I went on to the mall/grocery store and asked for the ATM. It was on the 5th floor and of COURSE the escalators weren't working. I was so zapped with this sinus infection that by the time I got to the 5th floor I wanted to lay down and sleep. But, I had no choice but to soldier on. This ATM gave me money thank goodness and even gave my balance in tögrögs. As it's 1415 tögrögs to $1 my balance showed something close to two million. I'm keeping that one for the scrapbook! Lol

I got groceries, but of course with everything being so new and foreign I had to wander and look at everything, despite being so tired. I did need to find some sinus decongestant and that proved more difficult and time consuming. I asked a store employee, showing her the two tablets I had left and the name 'pseudoepedrine' written on the back, but she didn't seem to understand. I pointed to my nose and made sniffing sounds and she led me to an aisle and handed me pore cleansing nose strips. Not what I was after, but it was a reasonable interpretation I suppose. I shook my head no and made louder sniffing sounds. She handed me a pack of pocket tissue and I shook my head no and mimed taking a pill and made more sniffing sounds and put my hand to my head to indicate fever or illness. Her eyes widened in recognition and she pointed out of the store and down the stairs. So it looked like I needed to go to the pharmacy.

I paid for my groceries - $19 for 2 bags of about the same size that in Russia cost me $40! - and went to the pharmacy. The woman spoke no English so I was having a hard time. Then a nice man came up and started translating and I left with something I think is akin to TheraFlu. Not exactly what I was after, but better than nothing I concluded.

On the way back to the hostel I stopped at the free wi-fi again and wrote an email to the nomad tour guy asking if it was at all possible to delay the departure by 1 day so I could rest and try to kick this sinus thing. I gave him my Russian cell and asked him to text since I didn't have email at the hostel.

I went back hoping against all hope he would say no problem and I could sleep all day. I had to shower because if I did have to leave for the tour at 8am, I knew it would not be good to have wet hair when it was cold and windy outside. I showered, repacked everything and collapsed into bed at 11:30- well past my original plan of 9:00 - but slept like a rock until my alarm went off at 7:30. I didn't have a text from him so I got up and on my way.

The 90s

2009-09-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

Ever wish you could re-live the 90's? Do you miss seeing music videos from bands like Cheap Trick, Warrant and INXS? How about seeing Cher half naked riding a cannon? (Remember the video 'If I Could Turn Back Time'?) Well, all you have to do is visit Russia as these are the only songs played on trains and music videos played on buses. (Oh, they do like ABBA too.)

It seems that the iron curtain went back up in the 90s. In addition to the music, the tour guide I had at the 'Natural History Museum' talked all about the Seattle Supersonics from the 90s. He talked about Gary Payton and Sean Kemp. He also knew Karl Malone and Shaquille O'Neal. He asked me who the stars were now and I was sorry to have to break the news to him that the Sonics no longer exist - at least not in Seattle - and that I don't follow basketball so couldn't tell him any other of the star players.

The Joys of Border Crossing

2009-09-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

I decided to take the bus across the Russian-Mongolian border instead of the train because I had read it was faster. If that's true I feel *really* sorry for people on the trains.

To cross the border by bus first a Russian official comes on board and looks at your passport and visa. Then we had to get off with all our luggage, have it x-rayed, have a border official stamp our visa and collect our immigration card and then load everything back on the bus. We also had to walk through a metal detector but no one was watching it so no one seemed to care that it went off for almost everyone. That was to leave Russia.

To enter Mongolia you had to fill out a health declaration form with a '+' sign next to various symptoms if you had them: cough, fever, diarrhea, hepatitis, etc. There I was with a runny and simultaneously stuffy nose and cough from this sinus infection but do you think I marked '+' to any of them? Hell no! When I got up there the official called me forward and asked 'niet?' to each one. I said 'niet' thinking maybe I had been caught but she just wanted me to mark a '-' sign next to each one.

When I got back on the bus I asked another American woman and she said they hadn't made her make any minus marks. So, I concluded that I must look sicker than her, or there is just no rhyme or reason to the way things work here. Yeah, I'm going with the latter. Especially since there was no control check getting on or off the bus to do the health inspection, it seemed to be on the honor system.

So then were on to customs to enter Mongolia. We have to unload all our baggage again, stand in line for the immigration questions and put the bags through x-Ray again. When it was my turn the guy looked through my passport, asked me whereIi was going, what was my purpose, etc. Then he studied my picture intently, looking back and forth at it and me. Then he said 'smile'. I cannot overstate the irony of this stone faced Mongolian official in his starched uniform with no hint of kindness or humor on his face, telling me curtly to smile. Evidently he couldn't be sure i was who my passport claimed unless he could match the shape of my teeth... Or something.

There was a little cocker spaniel running around and at first I didn't think anything of it. But when we boarded the bus a Mongolian official came on board with it and it darted between people's feet sniffing everything. It seems a German Shepard would Be more likely, but this little guy could get in between people's feet and sniff everything.

So then it looks like we're ready to finally get out of there and be on our way! It had been about 2 hours and 15 min at this point and there was nothing for sale - no food, water, pop, nothing- and I'm feening for a diet coke and my nose is completely stuffed on one side and I can't sleep on the bus because the roads (if you can call them that) are SO bad. So I'm getting a little grumpy, but hope this is the end of the torture and we can be on our way to stop for lunch.

We sit there for a bit and I'm talking to the American woman. Then we sit, and sit, and sit. Half an hour goes by and we're wondering what the problem is. We look around and realize that one guy isn't on the bus - and he's the dude that was carrying a case that looked like it held a Samurai sword. Great! So we sit some more and finally about 45 min or an hour later he finally comes out and we're on our way... Or so I think. Turns out there's one more check but at least this time we get to stay on the bus. A Mongolian official comes around and wants to see everyone's immigration stamp or visa. Like we didn't just do this an hour ago!

The whole process took a little over three hours and now I *really* need a diet coke! Hopefully they'll be easier to find in Mongolia than Russia.

Tired in Ulan-Ude

2009-09-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

I just finished posting more about the 3 1/2 day train trip and still need to write about Irkutsk, Lake Baikal and Ulan-Ude, but I'm exhausted and need to sleep. I caught a bad sinus infection/bronchial cough and have been zapped for energy lately. I did start taking antibiotics 3 days ago and feel I am on the mend, but am still very tired. Since I have to get up at 6:00am, to catch the bus to Ulaanbaatar, and I need to shower before they turn the hot water off, so I will sign off for now.

3 1/2 days on a train!

2009-09-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

A note of caveat: I wrote all the following blog posts on my iPhone on the train so wasn't able to spell check, etc.

My train left Kazan at 2:25am and I was so worried about missing it I didn't sleep. When I finally made it there I was laden with 70 lbs. of backpacks and probably another 25 in food and bottled water and I was f-ing exhausted. I barely fit down the aisle of the train and it was pitch dark. So I pulled out my headlamp, which I had remembered to put in an easily reachable location. I finally got my backpack under the bed, pulled out my nighttime toilet kit and went the toilet. But, it was locked. I asked around to people standing in the aisle and they all gave me the arms crossed 'it's closed' signal.

I seriously thought it was closed for the whole night and as I was already drenched in sweat, exhausted and had to pee badly. I was livid. I thought 'I'll f-ing stick my ass out the door of this train if I have to', but it had already started to move and I couldn't get the doors open. I seriously thought I was going to have to pee on the floor! I went and got the 'provodnistik' or male train attendant and asked 'toilet'? He gave me the same arm crossed sign and I got really animated and mimed peeing on the floor. He looked exasperated but held up a finger like 'just a minute'. When he came back he had the key and unlocked the toilet. My roommate made a face and gesture like 'good job!'

The next day, after I had made friends with my roommate and we were figuring out how to communicate, I learned that they close the toilets at the stations and then for 30 min after we leave so as not to pollute the populated areas. (The toilets open right onto the tracks.) I tried to apologize to the attendant I had threatened with urinating on the floor and I think he might have understood. lol

So, I'm exhausted, sweating and had to threaten to pee on the floor, and then I see the toilet and wish I had of. This must be the oldest still operating train in Russia! I'll send iPhone pics and you will understand! At this point I'm pissed and think the next three days are going to be torture! I can't believe I paid almost $250 for this hellhole. When it first pulled up my first thought was it looked like a Nazi train they took people to the gas chamber in. I'm not joiking. It was that awful looking.

But, after an ok night of sleep despite the ridiculously hard seat/bed and almost non-existent bed padding (enabled by my trusty sleep mask and iPhone white noise app), I felt better. But, I was still completely taken aback at the sight of the train and the facilities. I went exploring and found the coal bucket and shovel they use to heat the train compartments, and saw the attendant starting a WOOD fire. She somehow explained it was to heat the hot water. Craziness!

I went to look at 3rd class, or 'platzkart' and was pretty glad I had upgraded. It was stifling hot and afforded zero privacy. Michael had been right to insist I change to 'kupe' or 2nd class. So 'kupe' is a tad nicer but as it is a lot more expensive ($150 more) there are no backpacker or anyone that speaks English. My roommate is 60 and doesn't speak a word of English, but after 2 days we have become friends and even joke around with each other. I had to wash my underwear and hang them in the window to dry and he made a gesture like wearing them on his head. Another Russian man of 72 years that I also made friends with was in our carriage and they busted out laughing. I did the 'shame shame' finger at him and it was just funny.

That's as far as I've gotten in writing so far. Now I am in Irkutsk and want to see the city and make it to Listvynkya before dark so I will sign off for now. There are many more stories about the train, but they will have to wait for later. :)

Photos

2009-09-06T19:54:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos and a video I took with my iPhone.

This is the toilet on the train!

I asked why Russians do this to their beautiful, expenisve cars and I got a quite reasonable answer. The crazier you paint and decorate it, the less likely it is to be stolen!

Matroyshka dolls. There are TEN dolls in this picture!

Train to Kazan

2009-09-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

I took the train at 10pm from Moscow to Kazan on Sept 2nd. On the train I met Michael who spoke some English. He had some very disturbing ideas about Americans. He said he saw on the news that a Russian child came to live with American parents and they killed it. He made the gesture of shooting a gun. Once I understood what he was saying I said 'niet'!! He said 'you don't speak the truth'. He literally thought I was lying. So I spent more than 30 min trying to understand what he meant. Turns out the American parents had left the child in the car on a hot day and it had died. I had to look on my translator to find 'on purpose' and say 'niet', 'niet', 'NIET'! I told him it made me very sad he thought anyone would do that to a child on purpose. I think he may have finally believed me, but that is a scary example of the Russian/Soviet propaganda machine at work.

He also thinks all Americans own guns and all women cry rape. Through a weird conversation I told him about the rapist in Philadelphia that I beat with the bat. He made a "roll your eyes" face and said 'all women say rape'. I explained to him the guy came in my window and was definitely a rapist. He seemed to understand and then asked why I didn't just shoot him. (Again, the hand like a gun gesture.) I said because I don't have a gun. He said 'you don't speak the truth'. I said I didn't understand and he said 'ALL Americans own guns'. I said niet. None of my friends own guns. I explained that my uncle owns guns to hunt but none of my friends own guns to kill people. He seemed very hesitant to believe me.

Then he started asking me if my parents have money. When I said none at all he asked if my friends parents have money, and do we put it together - like in the same bank account? I said no only when you are married. He was making me very nervous with these questions, like he was assessing how much ransom someone would pay for me! I even slept with my pocket knife under my pillow, but he turned out to be very nice and he must have just been curious because I wanted to ring the hotel and reserve a room in Kazan so he called for me. He reserved a room and then he proceeded to insist that he and his work colleague drive me there. He then came in with me and made sure I wasn't overcharged and the room was available.

He said he studies English because he would like to move but it is very hard to leave Russia. Can you imagine not being allowed to leave your country?! He said he doesn't want to live in America though because we are all about the individual person and not the collective, like to take care of one another. He said that Americans don't like black people and I said 'but we have one as our President. America is changing.' He looked thoughtful and finally said, 'this is true.'

Our other bunk mate was a strapping young Russian man of just 20, but he was wearing more gold than Midas, and was carrying a Gucci travel bag and wearing an Armani t-shirt and Dolce & Gabana jeans (he proudly showed me the label). I asked what kind of work he did and he said oil. Michael translated that he works for a Houston firm and he does drilling. Oil brings in big money for Russians and they like to display their wealth prominently.

I put my things in the hotel room and ate breakfast, and then set off to explore the city. The white Kremlin is the city's main attraction, but first I found a gorgeous mosque built in 1723. I saw all the women entering were wearing head scarves so I motioned to my head like 'it is necessary?' she said yes and pointed inside and said 'skolko', which means roughly 'how much' or 'to buy'. I try to be very conscious and respectful of other customs and cultures, so I put my jacket over my head, went in and bought a head scarf and then went back outside to put the head scarf on. I hope I am leaving a good impression of Americans here in Mother Russia.

After visiting this mosque and taking some beautiful pictures, I wandered in the direction of the train station to exchange my 3rd class ticket for 2nd class. A woman at the tourist info office wrote out in Russian for me exactly what I needed and I showed it to an official-looking woman at the station. I explained that I needed a 'bank-o-mat' first, as the train stations do not take credit cards. This wonderful woman walked me across cobblestones in her stilettos, to the station next door with the ATM, waited for me to withdraw money, walked me two buildings further away, stood in line with me, and told the cashier what I needed. She even waited until I had the ticket in my hand and checked it before bidding me goodbye. I said 'spa-see-ba bol-shoy bol-shoy', which means 'thank you very, very much and typed into my translator, 'you are a very kind person'. She said 'puh-zhal-usta', which means 'you're welcome', 'not at all' and 'please'- all in one word! lol

I continued to wander and came across an automotive flea market. I took some pictures and indicated I would like to buy an air freshener. It seemed like too much money so I bartered but she said 'niet'. I pointed to the lesser amount I had written and said 'souvenir' trying to explain I didn't want to pay much because it was just a souvenir. Without saying anything more, she took it down and handed it to me. I pointed to my lesser amount and she said 'niet' and pressed it into my hand and said 'souvenir'. She just gave it to me and would not accept any money. Russia is full of wonderful people.

Then there are the not so great ones. To visit the white Kremlin/mosque women must have all their skin covered and everyone must have their shoes covered. Since I was daring a skort and sleeveless top this necessitated having a Muslim attendant wrap cloth around my waist and shoulders, and everyone had to wear paper hospital booties (which of course we had to pay for).

Unfortunately, I got the male attendant and as he was wrapping my shoulders he grazed my chest. It ran through my mind this might have been on purpose, but I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. But the second time when he more like pressed his hand into my breast I knew it was no accident. If I had have been fluent in Russian I would have told him is it not a sin for a Muslim man to touch the breast of a woman who is not his wife, and not even a Muslim?! I would have told him he should have his hand cut off. But since I can't speak Russian, I just walked away feeling slightly violated. I surely hope Muslim women do not have to put up with that kind of treatment.

As I was taking the train to Irkutsk that night and would be on it for 3 days, I went the grocery store (called 'magazine' here) and stocked up. I will spare you the details of trying to find what I was looking for, but will relate another 'this is Russia' story. When I went to check out it was half an hour to closing time. There were literally 12 people in line and 3 store employees, including the apparent manager, were just standing at the only open check stand. Two guys came up to the line and they only had one beer each. When the employees waived the guys forward I thought they were going to open the other cash register for people with only a few items. But no, they just put them at the front of the line in front of all 12 other people who were waiting; "This is Russia".

The banya

2009-09-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

So the banya. I read about banyas and what a part of life they are for Russians so I knew I had to try it. I went with the one in the guidebook as they recommended it highly. After probably 30 min of charades we agreed to steam bath, venik (exfoliation using oaks branches soaked in soapy water with eucalyptus oil) and 1/2 hour massage for neck and feet.

As I followed the woman into the steam room she disrobed and directed me up the stairs to some cedar benches. Then she opened an iron door in the 2 story brick furnace and began throwing in ladles of water. Within 60 seconds the temperature began to rise. And rise. And rise. After about 3 min it was becoming hard to breathe deeply. I indicated this to her and she told me to put my towel on the floor and put my head between my knees. (Heat rises so get lower was the idea I think.) This did help a little but I swear it was so hot it felt like my eyelashes were burning my cheeks when I closed my eyes tight. She said something like '80' and I think maybe she meant it was 80* C? I don't know what that is in F, but it was insanely intense!

After 10 min (which felt like 30) I couldn't take it anymore. She took me out to the main bath area and had me stand with my back to the tubs of water. She dipped a large bucket and starting at my feet, she poured ice cold water on my legs, back and then over my head, and it felt wonderful! She poured another bucket over my head and then took me back to the steam room. After a few more min in there I had had enough. I went out to the sitting room where the food, water and tea I had ordered were waiting. My heart was racing but she said that was normal. (Again, remember I am miming everything to communicate.)

Then it was time for venik. I layed down on my stomach and she started softly then got progressively harder. Then she had me turn over and put my hands over my breasts and she did the front. Other women were in the steam room and they were standing on the benches trying to get to the hottest spot in the room!

After this it was time for my massage. I like a good strong massage so I charaded to her 'strong massage! Grrr!' let me just give a word of warning to any of you that might be planning to get a massage from a Russian masseuse anytime soon. They take you seriously! That was Wed, today is Fri and I'm *almost* not sore anymore. It was miraculous for my feet but my neck and upper back are still sore.

Moscow and Kazan

2009-09-03T07:23:00.001-07:00

Strasvitzya friends and family!

I have decided to keep this blog rather than email. This way you can read what you want -- or not!

Let's see, has it been only 2 or 3 days since I last wrote? Seems like a week!

Random thoughts/observations on Moscow:

* There are SO many police/military/law enforcement people here! I swear there must be one for ever 2 citizens in Moscow. It's unreal!
*Everyone over the age of 13 smokes - everyone! I'm told this is because cigarettes are cheap - Marlboro is $2 a pack
*Every woman under the age of 75 wears stilettos - like 5"!! And they don't take them off to ride the subway or walk home like the women in NYC.
*Everything is gigantic. The buildings, the signs on buildings, the trucks, the jewels. Large and overbearing seems to be the Moscow motto
*Moscow is HUGE! I heard it was the largest European capital and it must be by a long shot!
*Moscovites have very odd taste in vehicle decorations. I took a picture of a prime example with my iPhone and will send it under separate email because I can't upload
*Everyone under the age of 90 has a job. I can't tell you how many people I saw in various uniform dress sweeping the streets, repairing buildings, cleaning windows, mopping the roofs, mowing the lawn, painting gravestones at the Kremlin wall..... EVERYONE has a job!

So, more about my journey. Tuesday morning was spent doing step one of obtaining the registration for the visa - yes there were two steps that involved returning again the next night between 7-9pm. Then we did the Moscow walking tour. After going to the train station to help a CSer buy her ticket, we wandered in what we thought was the general direction of the Kremlin. Looking at the map proved to be more confusing than helpful and everyone we asked seemed to want to send us in a different direction. We did find our first МАКДОНАЛДС - that's Cyrillic for McDonald's. And why you ask, would I choose Russia as the first place to enter a McDonald's in over a year? Three words - 'Coca Cola Light'. It was almost impossible to find anywhere else in the city, a least under 1 liter.

We continued to wander and enjoy exploring Moscow and we did eventually find the Kremlin and Red Square. I also bought my first matroyska doll that goes *ridiculously tiny*. I took pictures and will also send that via email. We also went to the largest and poshist shopping mall in Moscow, which borders Red Square. Then it was on to St. Basil's which is so vibrant in color and architecture, it looks cartoonish. It's very, very beautiful. By this time we had been walking for 7 hours and I didn't think I could make it one more step. I went back to the flat and promptly fell asleep for 1.5 hours. Of course, this screwed up my sleep schedule and time zones and I was up until 2am visiting with the other CSers.

Oh, I also went back to the supermarket that night and found a handsome security guard that was very friendly. I was trying to find a 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner and the comedy of charades and iPhone translations that ensued was very funny. Once we finally figured out I wanted 'shampoo plus conditioner', didn't care what 'braand', wanted for a woman not man and wanted to spend the 'little money' I had what I needed.

Then I decided I wanted a good beer. So I motioned my new friend over and asked for 'good beer'' and 'brown/dark'. He pointed to "Michelob Midnight' and I gave him a thumbs down and said 'American beer bad'. He thought this was hilarious and evidently relayed this to the stock boy who was nearby and they both had a good laugh. (I ended up leaving with a Czech beer that was delicious!)

One thing he couldn't help me with though was eyeliner. Evidently that is sold in the pharmacy that was already closed. After this trip I *dare* anyone to beat me at charades. Just think how you would mime 'eyeliner'. I tried it all and finally he understood.

Wednesday morning we got up early to see Lenin's Mausoleum and the Armory with a CSer. Lenin's tomb is quite the experience in Soviet militaristic control. You must check all cameras and video recording devices (including phones with cameras) at the left luggage desk. Then you must have your bag searched. When you enter the tomb a military guard is standing there. Notice I said 'is standing there' and not 'greeted by'; military/police in Moscow do not speak to you. (With one or two nicely surprising exceptions.) You enter almost complete darkness and run the risk of tumbling down a flight of stairs because our eyes haven't adjusted yet.

At the bottom of the stairs there is another guard who doesn't speak to you or even look at you. Then you go down another flight of stairs and another guard is there. Then you come into Lenin's chamber where he lays under glass and looking exactly like a wax mummy. (I read in the guidebook that is actually how they preserve him - every year they dip him in wax. Can you imagine being the one that has to undress him for that process? Yikes)

The woman in front of us stopped for a moment to gaze upon his waxiness and immediately the guards (oh yeah, there are 3 of them in the chamber) told her to keep moving. At least that's what I assume he said because he snapped his fingers and motioned her forward. Oh and there is no speaking once you set foot in the chamber. That draws loud "shhhhh"s from the guards.

So as you maintain the slowest possible momentum, you gaze upon Lenin in wax and I guess are supposed to be awed? Interesting indeed. On the way out there are two more guards. Now why I ask did I have to leave my camera when had I even attempted to adjust it on my shoulder, I would have been tackled and shackled by 8 military guards? The answer, as with everything in Russia - money. It costs 20 rubles (about $0.63) to leave you camera, but multiply that by the tens of millions that I'm sure visit Lenin's tomb every year..... yeah.

The Armory was at first impressive, then overwhelming, and then mind numbing in the amount of gold and silver and precious and semi-precious stones it holds. Because Russia has such a wealth of natural resources, and because in Moscow 'bigger is better' the decorative covers of all their religious texts are covered with stones 3 finger widths by 2.5 finger widths, haphazardly thrown around.

After this I continued to walk around while the CSer returned to the flat. That night I was again wrecked and exhausted, but there was a Moscow-wide CS get together at a pub and I couldn't say no. After all, you can sleep when you're dead right? That tuned out to be a 3am night also. But I met a great girl named Katia at the CS gathering and she said she would help me get to the train station the next night. She speaks perfect English and even understands slang like 'twist my arm'. This is *highly* unusual in Russia where most people speak very little or none.

On Thursday morning, even though I was dead tired and somewhat hungover, I got up at 8am, washed and hung clothes and went to buy my train ticket and see the Kremlin and St. Basil's. The train ticket story would take way too much time to explain and would be boring to recite, but let's just say that the CSers and I came up with a new phrase: "This is Russia." For example: Question: 'Why is this car parked in the middle of the sidewalk/street?' Answer: "This is Russia" Q: Why does it take 4 minutes to get the extra 50 rubles the metro woman short changed me?' A: "This is Russia." Q: 'Why did I pay for 4 metro rides but after one my card says invalid... and no one cares to try and help me except 'buy new ticket'?" A: "This is Russia." You get the idea....

After securing my train tickets 1.5 hours later (and that's with native Russian CSer doing all the talking!) I was off to speed walk through the Kremlin to say I had been there. I also really wanted to experience a banya and had read it takes at least 2 hours. My thoughts on the Kremlin: Unless you read Russian, there's not much to see; the militaristic regiment is high (I was whistled at and given a stern 'Neit' when tried to cross outside of the walkway and was approached in person and told I was not allowed to sit on the steps of the Kremlin grounds. ); and the toilet is the wost thing I have *ever* smelled.

The banya however was a whole different story. It was everything I had thought it would be and more. After some 20 mins of miming and negotiating prices I had paid $30 for the privilege of staying in the banya for 3 hours, $45 for a 35 min neck and foot massage, $20 for a naked Russian woman to beat me with oak leaves soaked in essential oils, $2 for a towel and about $20 for tea, water and snacks. But it was worth every penny and more!

I will write more about that later as I only have a few mins of internet left and I can barely keep my eyes open. (It's only 7:30pm here - so much for adjusting time zones. Although getting only 6 hours of sleep on the train last night didn't help either.)

Signing off for now from Kazan - will write more from Irkutsk in 3 days. I'll be on the train until then!

2009-08-31T17:46:00.000-07:00

Good morning from Moscow!

Let me just say first off that I don't think I can ever fly coach again. The first class flight from Chicago to Moscow was a-mazing! The seats were adjustable in about 9 ways and layed about as fully flat as you can get on a plane. They gave you a quilted blanket, socks, sleep mask and your own personal entertainment system I was given champagne as soon as I was seated and for dinner it was marinated cheese and olives and shrimp and lox for appetizers, a very nice salad and for my entree I chose the lamb medallions with marionberry sauce, cilantro mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus tips. This was of course accompanied by all the complimentary wine, beer or cocktails you desired. For dessert they actually brought around an ice cream sundae cart! Talk about heaven!

Okay, so enough about the flight. Upon arriving in Moscow we had to wait on the plane until the Russian health officials came aboard and checked everyone for H1N1. They came on and pointed a temperature gun at each person and then we were allowed to de-plane. I didn't find it that odd until I met a guy where I'm staying who flew in from Singapore and he said they didn't do this check on his flight. Since Asia has had more outbreaks of flu recently I do find that odd.

Immigration, customs and finding the express train to Moscow were all very easy and uneventful. Finding the place I am staying at however, was more of an ordeal. First, I took the wrong exit out of the metro and walked a good 1/2 mile in the wrong direction before accosting a
nice looking Russian woman with 'govnor angliski?' She did speak English and told me I was going in the wrong direction. When I finally found the landmark my host had mentioned in his email (a giant statue of Lenin) I felt better. But then, as I wandered around the big concrete building not finding his next landmarks, I was becoming more frustrated. Not to mention that I had had to use the 'toilet' since before I had gotten off the train - now about an hour ago - and I was carrying 71 lbs, 22 of which was resting right on my bladder!

I accosted another friendly looking Russian woman and she turned out to be my life saver! She couldn't figure out from my map the builing I was supposed to be going to, although we were sure it was very near where we were standing. I asked her if she knew where I could buy a
phone card or even a cheap cellular phone. She proceeded to walk me over to the cell phone kiosk, translate for me and stay for over 20 mins while they activated it, put my SIM card in, etc. She was SO sweet! The phone cost about $40 and I have no idea how many mins I have, but at least now I am connected in Russia! But, I did have to sign some contract that was, of course, all in Russian. I might have promised to name my first-born son Vladimer or to pay Mother Russia 50,000 rubles a month until I die - I have no idea. But I was sure to pay in cash and not by credit card!

Finally, my new Russian friend put the phone into English and bid me good luck and farewell. I pulled out the number to where I was staying and dialed, but got a 'you have dialed a wrong number' twice. Ugh! (Turns out I had forgotten to put the + in front of the number.) So, I
wandered a bit more and finally found the flat where I am staying, I found this through Couch Surfing and it is really nice. There are 6 other guests here in a 2 bedroom flat so it is coy, but not much more so than a hostel. And the price is right - free! There is a couple from France, a guy from Australia, a girl from Brussels and two from Russia. We all made a trip to a Russian grocery store and the Russian girls translated and helped us find very traditional Russian food. I ate some ravioli-like pasta filled with 'little piglets' and was told I had to have it the Russian way - with sour cream. I did have sour cream but also added tomato sauce and the combination was very good.

We all sat around the kitchen talking until 1:00am when I could no longer keep my eyes open because I had been up for god knows how many hours and had very little sleep the last 3 nights. Now this morning I have woken up refreshed and feel I have already completely adjusted to
the time zone. The only problem with staying in the flat versus a hostel though, is that there is only one spare key so we have to arrange for someone to be here all the time. That's why it's 11am and I still have seen nothing of Moscow but the supermarket. But, at 11:30 we are off to do some exploring and I will update again later.

Dosvadanya,
Amie

Must Have Been A Slow Year For Peace

2007-10-15T23:22:00.000-07:00

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last week you know that Al Gore was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts around global warming.

According to Alfred Nobel's will, the Peace Prize should be awarded "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses". I'm sorry, but I don't think Al Gore, or global warming in general, fit this criteria in the least. I'd rather see someone win the prize multiple times than have a lame-duck award given.

Gore shared the prize with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Since the prize can be awarded to a group or organization (and it has numerous times over the years) why not award it to the Peace Corps this year? While their mission is actually pretty lame and too broad to mean much, at least incarnate they are more in line with what Mr. Nobel intended his prize to be awarded for. Or why not Bono? He's never been awarded a Nobel peace prize and he's been working for peace-related causes for years.

I think the Nobel Foundation needs to re-evaluate their Peace Committee; it seems to me there might be some politics creeping into something that should be, well, noble.

Need A Laugh?

2007-10-11T22:24:00.000-07:00

This site has some pretty funny stuff on it. I've pasted a few of my favorites below.

Being a Responsible Citizen is Hard

2007-10-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

I keep seeing all these advertisements for "vote no on this referendum" or "vote yes for that one", and I see bumper stickers and yard signs for all these people up for election (who the HELL is Ron Paul anyway!?). - okay I just looked him up and he's trying to get the Republican nomination for president in 2008. How in the hell is a Republican getting so much support in Seattle?? I thought we were a liberal majority here. Ack!

Anyway, I have always held the opinion that I should only vote on referendums (and to a lesser degree people) that I am fully informed on. So, I look up the website for the upcoming King County/Seattle City/Washington State elections. It's here. So I click on "Measures on the ballot" and there's a page of other links: State, County, Transit, City, that are all relevant to me! I click on the first one "State of Washington" and there's another link to "information on this measure". I click this one and there are 6 measures or resolutions, each with a link to pro/con statements.

King County has 2 measures, each with very lengthy web pages, Transit is only one but also lengthy, City of Seattle has 5 council positions and 2 charter amendments to vote on.... this is A LOT of reading to do in order to inform yourself of all the issues and people I'm supposed to vote on/for!

You know what would be really cool? If they had an audio file you could download that read all this shit to you that you could download to iTunes and put it on your iPod. That way you could inform yourself of all these referendums and candidates while hiking, driving, riding the bus, etc. Genius, right? Although, I just bought a bunch of CDs to learn Spanish on my iPod while I hike, but the concept is still good.

I'm just saying, being a responsible citizen is a lot of work! But, it sure and shit beats the alternative!

I Need A Car

2007-10-02T22:51:00.000-07:00

I finally attended my first chemistry class last night after missing a week due to being sick and --- chemistry is hard! I'm going to be spending A LOT of time studying. I've come to the realization that with class two nights a week for 4 hours each night, all the studying I need to do and still trying to loose a few pounds, I am going to have zero social life. But, I guess that's good because it will keep my mind off how miserable I am without a boyfriend. Before I know it I'll be 50 and single and spending every waking moment in the laboratory... except when I have to go home to feed my 12 cats. Wait, why did I want to go back to school again?

So, the instructor let us out almost an hour early last night, which was awesome, but I hadn't printed the bus schedules for that time. So, I waited until one came that I had printed out a later schedule for and hopped on. Once I picked up the printed bus schedule they have on-board, I couldn't believe the route this one was going to take to get me home. Basically, it was like driving from Seattle to Chicago even though Dallas is your destination. A trip that would have taken 10 mins in a car took 45 on the bus.

Yeah, I got some textbook reading done, but it's not like I really absorbed anything. I was trying to keep from breathing because of the ~~ashtray~~ people sitting next to me and then when I moved, I ended up next to a guy who had so much cologne on I got an instant headache. And trying to focus on tiny textbook print in the dim light of a night bus as you're jostled side to side and suddenly jerked forward as the rookie bus driver comes to a screeching halt --- well, all this makes concentrating a little challenging.

So, I've come to the conclusion that I need a car. I'm really irritated because I have so many other things I'd rather spend money on: a house down payment, new running shoes, a backpack for Machu Picchu, a trip to NYC... Not to mention that I'm the WORST at making a decision when I know that anything I spend less than $20,000 on is going to break down in a month but I really don't want to spend more than $1,000.

I know, I know, I'm just whining now. But really, if you know anyone West of the Mississippi that's selling an older model Subaru or Honda and they have taken really good care of it, please let me know! I don't even care what it looks like as long as it runs well!

This is Cute

2007-10-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

Probably funnier than shit if you have kids, but I still found it pretty funny.

(It's the video in the link below) These are my friends Tim and Jen who have two kids - one just turned two and the other is 8 months. Sometimes reading her blog is the only thing that makes me smile. Thanks Jen! :)

www.theskyhawkandwarthog.blogspot.com

This is Horrifying!!

2007-10-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=killeramoeba29&date=20070929

I'll give you just a little preview with this quote: "Usually, from initial exposure, it's fatal within two weeks"

So there! to all the people who have ever made fun of me for wearing a nose plug when I swim. ... well, okay I sometimes wear one when I'm in a pool too, but that's not the point here. ;-)

Hiking Merritt Lake

2007-09-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

I hiked to Merritt Lake on Sunday (Sept 23) with my friend Chris. It was a pretty short and easy hike (even with 10# extra weight) but it was C-O-L-D at the top. It was the first hike I've done since last Winter where I had to wear more than shorts and a tank top, and I needed more than what I had on! Note to self: gloves and wool hat season is upon us!!

Here are a few pics that Chris sent me (I forgot my camera). He's going to give me a few more soon and I'll post them when I get them. Oh, and there's one of Chris and I with a geocache we found thrown in from the day before. :)

Geocaching Mix

2007-09-22T02:25:00.000-07:00

If you have one of my Geocaching Mix CD's here's the playlist (there are a couple I don't know):

Name	Artist	Album
Lebanese Blonde (Thievery Corporation)	Thievery Corporation	Garden State Soundtrack
Track 06
Let Go (Frou Frou)	Frou Frou	Garden State Soundtrack
Aqueous Transmission	Incubus	Morning View
Track 07
Wonderful Night	Fatboy Slim
I'm a Ramblin' Man	Waylon Jennings
Country Heroes	Hank Williams III	Straight To Hell
Made In Japan	Buck Owens
Echo Mountain	Silk and Saddle
Red Staggerwing	Emmylou Harris & Mark Knopfler	All The Roadrunning
You Can Do It	Ice Cube
Bop Gun (One Nation)	George S. Clinton	Greatest Funkin' Hits
Time of the Season	Blake Lewis
Sexy Plexi	Jack Johnson	Brushfire Fairytales
Banana Pancakes	Jack Johnson	In Between Dreams
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy	The Andrews Sisters	The Capitol Collector's Series
I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow	The Soggy Bottom Boys	O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Can't We Be Friends	Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong	Ella & Louis

Enjoy! :) Make a copy and pass it on, or make your own and share your musical taste with another geocacher.

Would love to have you leave comments here about what you think of the mix. Here is a link to my geocaching profile too: http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=df6755b3-a2a6-44b3-bef5-5266a7d2d25e

Long Update - aka I'm terrible at keeping up with this thing

2007-09-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

Dear god, I can't believe it's been 2 1/2 months since I wrote anything. I would say I've been busy - and I have for the past few weekends - but come on; I have a friend (Jen) with two kids under 2 and she writes every day - sometimes more!

If you want the truth, I haven't written because my life is pretty sad and boring. Yes, I keep busy, but I do everything ALONE! A few weeks ago I went to a really nice dinner ($75 for just me!) ALONE and a couple of nights later I went to a show at the Paramount ALONE. All the hiking I do - ALONE. Horses - ALONE. I need more friends.... and a boyfriend.

Okay, enough self-pity. So, what have I been up to? Well, the last 3 weekends have been good. On the weekend of Aug 24th I went to Dallas to see my best friend Nicole. We had a great time. Went to a bar and flirted with boys, went to her artist friend's studio and threw pottery (course I had to forget my freakin camera for that one), went for a run and a swim and played Scrabble. All that and the only pictures I have are of us playing Scrabble and me looking like shit with no make-up. Of course Nicole looks gorgeous - but that's because she sleeps in her make0up. lol j/k Nicole always looks gorgeous. :)

It's Rocko the pottery dog. (Notice the clay on his ear - that was me. :)

The next weekend I went to Klamath Falls, OR to see an old high school friend that I hadn't been in touch with for 10 years! He's getting a divorce and going through a rough time so I went down to just hang out and cheer him up. He warned me that Klamath Falls is a red neck, white trash town but I thought it was okay. I mean, yeah, there was a lady on her Rascal Scooter with a Confederate flag and a raccoon tail tied to it in Fred Meyer but..... Oh, and there was a wind catcher in someone's yard that was a monster truck in red, white and blue. But redneck, nah. :)

Dave and I did do a nice hike to a pretty lake and I was feeling the slightly higher elevation. I was breathing hard but my heart rate was really low. I need to get more altitude training. (More on why later.)

One thing that put a damper on the weekend was that Dave has claimed Jesus as his savior and believes that anyone who does not believe the Bible is the true and ONLY word of God is going to hell. Now, for those of you that know me, you know how WONDERFUL I thought that was. So, we just avoided the subject the rest of the weekend and watched movies; I watched more movies that weekend than I have in the last 3 months combined. Blood Diamond is great btw.

Then last weekend I drove to Moses Lake for a family reunion. I rented a Honda Element through Flexcar because it looked big enough to sleep in. Not only is it big enough (I fit my double Aerobed mattress in the thing!) it's built for sleeping in. There's a sunroof over the trunk area that's obviously made for star gazing as you fall asleep. It was awesome! As ugly as I have always thought those boxy things are, after driving one and camping in one, I would totally buy one!

After the family reunion I drove to the Lake Kachess campground and crawled into the back for a nice snooze. I cooked some oatmeal and some tea and headed out on the Rachel Lake trail. Man, was it a good one! It climbs gently for the first 2.5 miles, gaining only 700'. But as soon as you hit that 2.5 mile mark you start climbing and gain another 1200' in 1.5 miles! And most of it looks like you'd be getting face fulls of ice cold water if you did it in the Spring. In fact, a couple of times I got confused and started climbing the dry creek beds until I hit an impasse and turned around to find the real trail.

The lake was beautiful and the fish were jumping like crazy. I cooled my tootsies and read a magazine for a bit and then started the descent. Thank god I had the foresight to bring trekking poles because it would have taken me twice as long to get down if I hadn't had them. As an added bonus, my triceps got a hell of a workout. It's two days later and my entire body is still sore. Now THAT'S a good hike!

Oh, I also went on my family's annual river raft trip at the beginning of August. (Man it has been a long time since I wrote!) I'll do a separate blog for that one since I have a million pics to post.

Sea Kyaking is Boring

2007-09-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

So, I went to my first MeetUp tonight to do sea kayaking. They provided the kayaks so I thought why not give it a shot!?

Granted I didn't know what I was doing, but there is no real workout to be had doing it. I think it's more of an endurance sport - like if you paddle for 9 hours against the wind and current you might burn 150 calories.

It was nice to be on the water though and I met some interesting people. But, I think for a water workout I'll stick to rowing.

Annual River Trip - Lower Salmon to the Snake

2007-09-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

We had a huge trip and some interesting folks along this year. One was a sorghum farmer from TN. Don't know what sorghum is? Neither did I until I talked to him for awhile. It's really quite interesting. Here's their website. http://muddypondsorghum.com/ It was the first trip I've been on that my great aunt Linda went on so that was nice.

Since a picture is worth about a thousand words, here are about 30,000 words:

Denny Creek-Melakwa Lake Hike (Rated G)

2007-06-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

Today I did a hike called Denny Creek - Melakwa Lake, but I didn't quite make it to the lake. I got a very late start (hit the trail at 1:30pm). I was almost 2.5 hours in and thought I must be close to the lake, but I had given myself a 4:00 turn around time to ensure I made it back with plenty of light.

At 3:50 a guy on his way down told me I was at least 45 mins from the lake so I decided to turn back. Turns out, I could have made the lake because the descent breezed by!

It was very steep and rocky and was a good reminder to bring hiking poles on the Inca Trail! I was only carrying 15 pounds (much less on the descent after drinking 2 or my 3 liters of water and eating most of my food) and my feet were still hurting. Luckily, I have good knees, but my arches and toes hurt from all the rocky terrain.

I put 5 pounds of popcorn kernels in ziploc bags and put those in my pack. Someone has told me use water bottles for extra weight so that you can pour them out at the top and save your knees on the descent. I may try a combination of that at some point.

The trail head was 2,300' and the lake summit would have been 4,650' so I'm guessing I was at around 3,800' when I turned around?? I've got to buy an altimeter soon!

The entire trip took 4 hours. As long as I paid attention to my energy level and ate enough, and realized that when I started to get cold I needed to put on another layer because I was zapping my body's energy, I was fine!

Here are the pics I took today. There was so much beautiful flora that I had to take pictures of it.

Want to Loose Weight? Bring an Extra Pair of Pants to Work. (Rated PG)

2007-06-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have heard that a new OTC diet drug called Alli hit the shelves today and is selling like hotcakes.

I had heard something about it on the Today Show the other morning and couldn’t quite believe that people would be lining up to buy a product that produces some of the side effects this one does.

Let me quote directly off the manufacturer’s website (http://myalli.com/howdoesitwork/treatmenteffects.aspx):

“alli™ works by preventing the absorption of some of the fat you eat. The fat passes out of your body, so you may have bowel changes, known as treatment effects. You may get:

* gas with oily spotting
* loose stools
* more frequent stools that may be hard to control”

“The excess fat that passes out of your body is not harmful. In fact, you may recognize it as something that looks like the oil on top of a pizza.”

“You may feel an urgent need to go to the bathroom. Until you have a sense of any treatment effects, it's probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work”

Sounds delightful.

Then, the other thing that shocked me was a news article that quoted a worker at a Rite Aid in LA as saying that the women who are buying this stuff out of stock “are not fat”. I mean, if you look like this

I can understand that having oil leak out of your ass is probably the least of your worries, but if you’ve only got 15 pounds to loose, really…. is it worth it!?

The manufacturer’s website goes on to give tips on how to “manage treatment effects”.

“You can use a food journal to recognize what foods can lead to treatment effects. For example, writing down what you eat may help you learn that marinara sauce is a better option than Alfredo sauce”

“While no one likes experiencing treatment effects, they might help you think twice about eating questionable fat content.”

Sounds like they’re saying that eating a low-fat diet is a good idea. Hmmm…. Where have I heard that before? Why is it that people have to have pizza oil leak out of their ass to get that eating a low-fat diet is a good idea?

… and we’re supposedly the most intelligent beings in the universe? Frightening.

Google is the greatest invention since fire; Not sliced bread, fire. (Rated G)

2007-06-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

I created this Google news alert for work today today thinking it was going to be too specific and I wouldn't get any hits. I thought I had narrowed the field too much and I might get a couple articles a week.

And then tonight I get an alert email with with 9 news articles and 5 blogs. And surprisingly, most of them are pretty relevant.

Combine this with scholar, local, maps, news, earth, picasa .... hell, they even own Blogger.com now and this thing is awesome too! Google should just be president of the world. I know, I am recommending that a corporation rule the entire world, but come on, they have an amazing track record. I bet if you asked Google to balance the federal budget, they would. Provide universal health care for all Americans? They could. Save social security? They could. Solve global warming? But, of course. World peace? No problem!

Seriously, in the 2008 Presidential election just write in "Google" on your ballot. It will be kind of like Richard Pryor telling everyone to vote for 'none of the above' in Brewster's Millions, but instead you're actually choosing an alternative.

Trust me, the world will be a better place for it.

Do-It Yourself Disaster (Rated PG)

2007-06-11T21:51:00.000-07:00

I moved into a new apartment a couple of months ago and I still have an entire room full of boxes that need to be unpacked. I bought three shelves at IKEA about 3 or 4 weeks ago and have just never gotten around to putting them up.

A few weeks before I bought the shelves I had bought a stud finder and marked all the walls in my spare bedroom so that I could put the shelves and my dart board up. I decided tonight was the night; I was going to be productive!

I had also gone to Home Depot and bought a cool level that sticks to the wall with 3M tape, all the screws and the dry wall screw support thingys that the nice guy there told me I would need.

So, tonight I got out the step ladder, my recently purchased cordless drill, the level, the IKEA shelf, the screws, etc. I made a mark at the height where I wanted the first shelf and then lined it up with the stud I had marked off earlier. Then I got out the level, found the exact perfect spot for it and stuck it to the wall. Only, once I lined up the bubble, it wasn't quite the exact perfect spot, it was about 1/4" off. So I pulled the 3M tape to try and move the level a touch and, well..... a picture is worth 1,000 words.

Yeah, so much for 3M "non-stick" tape.

But, I was not to be discouraged! I spent the next 45 mins trying to get it to stick to this now bare wall beneath the plaster. I tried another 3M sticky thing (wall's already ruined what does it matter, right?), but evidently 3M tape only destroys paint and plaster, not the actual wall surface; it wouldn't stick at all!

But God damn it I had come this far there was no way I was gonna quit now! So I got out packing tape and taped the shit out of the level and literally taped it to the wall. I really wish I had taken a picture of it because it was really comic, but I had no way of knowing what a tragicomedy this was going to turn out to be in the end.

Now that I had the level shooting its ever-so-faint little red beam all the way across the wall, it was time to line up the shelf mount and mark the holes. I did this, grabbed my drill and the screw the Home Depot guy had told me to use on the stud. I gave it a couple of taps with the hammer to get an indent to place the screw in before drilling away. Then, I held up the shelf mounting hardware, put the screw through the center hole and started drilling. It took a little pressure at first, but then all of a sudden the screw just punched right through the dry wall. Turns out, there wasn't a stud there after all. #%#$@^ cheap ass stud finder!

I tried hammering in another stud screw in the hole I had marked just below and got something solid. I was heartened by this and so decided if I had at least one screw in a stud that would be okay, and I'd use one of the dry wall screw backing things on the other one. I screwed in the dry wall screw thing, put the mounting hardware back up and proceeded to drill the stud screw through the bottom hole and the dry wall screw into the top.

Only, they wouldn't lay flush with the wall. The dry wall thing just started spinning freely in its hole. I had put too much torque on it and just spun a huge hole in the dry wall. And the stud screw was in crooked or something because it wouldn't lay flush either.

At this point, I'd been doing this for something like 1.5 hours and it was looking hopeless. So, I took the mounting hardware out of the wall and looked at my handiwork.

...Then, I went to CraigsList and put up a post for a handy man.

And to think, I was seriously considering trying to install ceiling fans myself!

What lesson have I learned from this? I may not be a high-maintenance chick, but I'm no Tool Time Tim either.

Welcome to My Blog

2007-06-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

After reading a couple friend's blogs over the past few weeks and years (two specific friends I'm talking about) I've decided they're pretty nifty and I'm going to start myself one.

I imagine it will come to be filled with funny stories, stream-of-consciousness rants, personal opinions, general goings-on, and some complete nonsense; I hope you enjoy it all... or at least won't take offense to too much of it. :) I'll try to implement some kind of rating system but I'm thinking it will be pretty basic:

G- Suitable for for all audiences
PG - Typical Amie - Just one or two 4-letter words
NC17 - I'm in rare form - expect either truck driver talk or heavy political, religious or sexual opinions and/or rantings.... or all of the above combined - read at your own risk!!

So, without further ado, on to the story that finally pushed me over the edge to actually creating this thing.

My picture

2007-06-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

I have to post this to link to it in my profile