Eric and the Elephant

Once upon a time...there was a lovely little elephant who dreamed of her prince charming. One day, unexpectedly, she found him standing in front of her at her home in Koh Samui. Just as she had been told, she kissed him three times to turn him into her elephant prince. However, much to her dismay, his human girlfriend was standing jealously nearby and prevented the spell from working. In the end, he remained his human self, but will be forever changed from his elephant kisses! Ok, cheesy, I know, but check out the video...

Thailand - The Beaches

We keep telling ourselves we are going to blog more often so we don't have so much we want to share in each entry, but then life and travel gets away with us and we find ourselves sitting here in front of the screen wondering what we most want to share without boring you with too many details...so here goes...


Bangkok
Not too much to share about Bangkok really...it's a big Asian city with lots of temples (which we ashamedly neglected to see - we were a bit templed out after China and needed a break). The most notable things we did in Bangkok were get daily massages at a place called Sumali's. One word: Incredible! Enough said.

We also ended up each evening in the Middle Eastern/African district at Nefartiti's Restaurant, which just happened to have the most amazing hookah and shisha Eric has tried (hence, why we ended up there every evening). This was the real deal - great Mediterranean food, and a mix of Middle Easterners smoking the water pipes.

And the last thing we did of significance was splurge on the VIP Theatre at a fancy new mall to see "Bourne Ultimatum." Ok, ok...so the seats were $15 each in THAILAND, but it was the only theater playing the movie at that time and we really wanted to see it. It was a cool experience though...lounge seats that reclined all the way back (careful not to nap!), blankets, pillows, your own special waiting lounge - very posh. And the movie was great - suspense filled and just what the doctor ordered to lift us away from traveling and into the world of the movies where it feels the same as home. After the show, we headed back to the hostel to grab our things, hail a taxi and catch a flight to Koh Samui...

Koh Samui
It took us awhile to get into the swing of beach life and actually relax after our fast paced travel the last few months. But beautiful islands eventually get to you and you find yourself drifting into a serene daily routine that consists of sleeping (including napping), eating, drinking, swimming and sun bathing. We can't complain too much. :)

What we most enjoyed during our time on this island in the Gulf of Thailand was our day excursion to Angthong National Marine Park - which is an archipelago of small limestone islands and crystal clear water. We met some really nice people and couples on the tour from Italy, Singapore, France and even California. After a two hour boat ride to the park, we spent about an hour snorkeling and then an hour kayaking.

Kayaking - if you've never done it as a couple - can be an interesting challenge. It certainly tests your abilities to coordinate your efforts and stay speaking by the end. I think it's safe to say that Eric is better at paddling and steering, and I'm better at looking about and enjoying the ride - that doesn't always go over so well. :) Luckily, we were still speaking by the end, albeit about the need for me to paddle harder. On the kayak journey, we maneuvered through several limestone caves and one even led us to a beautiful sea lake in the middle of one of the small islands.

After kayaking, we had a nice Thai lunch on the boat and then did some sight seeing at one of the islands (check out our photos). We also had a chance to do some diving and swimming from the boat, which was extremely refreshing.

The coolest part of the day though was elephant trekking. We got to meet a couple baby elephants (did you know elephants live until 80-90 years old?)...who loved giving elephant kisses. And we got to go on a short elephant ride through the area. They are such huge animals...and very gentle (or the ones we rode were - thank goodness).

After 5 days in Samui, we decided it was time for a change of scene, so we made our way by speed boat to Koh Tao...

Koh Tao
This island is a backpacker's paradise and known mostly for its scuba diving. There are more than 30 dive shops on the island offering courses and fun dives. Both of us have our PADI Open Water certification, but we decided it would be fun to get our Advanced Open Water certification since it was relatively cheap and would allow us to do 5 dives and get certified to go to 30 meters deep. On our first day, we took a scuba review course to brush up on our skills, and over the following two days we did the course work and 5 dives required including...

1 deep dive - where we got tested for having nitrogen narcosis (essentially, at a certain depth people may be susceptible to getting "narked" as they say...which is having too much nitrogen in your system at once and getting a bit woozy). Neither of us had any problems, and it's an easy problem to solve - all you have to do is go a bit shallower and the symptoms go away

1 navigation dive - we had to use a compass to navigate a straight line, a square and then go along a certain course. No problem with the first two, but we had a bit of difficulty on the coastal navigation and figuring out who is leading and following (imagine that!). In the end it was a good thing because we had a good talk about how we can improve our "buddy" diving skills and learned how important it is to discuss a solid game plan at the surface before we go down

1 night dive - Eric was excited and I was a bit nervous about this dive...but it was so cool! We went down as one group and each diver has their own light. It's actually not as dark as you'd think down under because of the natural light from above. We even turned our lights off at one point at the bottom to wave our hands around to see the sparking bio luminescence (like underwater fire flies) and swam around briefly in the dark.

1 multi-level dive - we started out deep (30 meters) and were able to see 3-4 sharks swimming around at the bottom. The sharks were reef sharks, so not aggressive. Eric even got pretty close to get some cool photos. We finished the dive in shallower water (12-18 meters) checking out the corals and tropical fish

1 digital photography dive - we are so glad now that we bought a waterproof camera case for our digital camera - check out all the cool photos we took! This dive we did completely on our own and it was a great success. We even saw a sea snake - but didn't get too close considering they are quite poisonous.

After three days of dive mania, we have decided to spend the next few days relaxing (maybe we'll sneak in one or two more dives). We found ourselves the most idyllic beach bungalow (for $15 a night) directly on the beach overlooking the most gorgeous blue water. Now THIS is paradise! We have a little porch to sit out on to read, journal and just relax and enjoy the view. In a couple more days, we'll head by train (30 hours worth) up to the North of the country to spend about 2 weeks in the Chang Mai region.


Until next time...
Mariah and Eric

Hong Kong

We've been on the road for 3 months now and are having some chill out time on the islands of Koh Samui and Koh Tao off the south-east coast of Thailand.

After our epic Chinese tour and cultural immersion, we headed to Hong Kong and indulged in all the western delights we were missing and spent some time with my good friend Ben. Ben has been teaching English in Guangzhou for the last year working with physically handicapped. He was on his way back to China after spending the summer at home and was kind enough to be our "mule" and bring in a few different meds and clothes we were missing or couldn't find while in China.

In the 3 days we spent in Hong Kong with Ben, we explored the Kowloon markets, took the tram to the summit of Hong Kong Island and wandered around Stanley beach (opposite side of Hong Kong Island, feels like Malibu). While all of those cool sightseeing expeditions were fun, we most enjoyed decompressing with Ben about on our time in China and the culture and people we were trying to understand.

Ben, while working at a party-supported school and living in Guangzhou, has been exposed to more of the political difficulties the Chinese face daily that tourists have trouble understanding, or even seeing. We had some great conversations and definitely filled in our understanding of how the government plays a role in the daily lives of those who are working under the Chinese umbrella.

As Mariah wrote about earlier, we are extremely interested to see how China reacts to the influx of western culture over the next year before the Olympics. We are also excited to see how they are able to host the Olympics and have thousands of journalists digging around looking for stories both good and bad.

There were two instances during our stay that caused us to doubt how the Olympics will be run. While we were there, a number of journalists were detained for trying to cover a political group that was against the Communist party. Also, a brand new bridge that had just been built in Beijing to reduce traffic congestion for the Olympic stadium collapsed on the day of its opening when they took the last of the scaffolding off. Now you can always find someone or something to blame in these instances, but the Chinese government instead decided to dynamite the whole site, burying up to 80 people that had been killed in the accident, to cover up the story and ease international fears about Olympic buildings most likely constructed by the same workers...

There are other stories such as this which we did not cover in our previous entry - wanting to focus more on the positive aspects of what we observed and share our hopes for the future of this developing nation. The 2008 Olympic games in Beijing will be a huge indicator of what "face" they show to the world, and how they react internally to the international pressure and scrutinity.

Enough of my ramblings, but these are some of the topics we have been in conversation about with each other and other fellow travellers we've met who've been to China. While we are chilling out and sunning ourselves on the beach, we have also been challenging ourselves to better understand and make sense of how our globalizing world is coming together - and China is a large piece of that puzzle that is yet to be defined.

Best,

Eric

Impressions of China

After a month in China, we've come away with many thoughts, learnings and impressions about this remarkable country. When we've asked others around the world about their thoughts on the future, the most common response we heard was the rise of China. With the growing influence of this nation of 1.3 billion people, it has been fascinating to come here for ourselves and speak to and observe the Chinese to form some of our own opinions.

We had the opportunity to converse with a number of the locals - especially young people who speak English - and have had many friendly encounters with people of all ages simply by smiling and saying Ni Hao ("hello"). We've asked many questions - some simple...and others more difficult, which we often saved for our tour guides who are used to being asked direct questions about Mao, The Cultural Revolution, The One Child Policy and so on. As you might expect, what you read and hear about China in the States is very much from the Western perspective sprinkled with our propaganda. And what you see and hear in China is very much from the Chinese perspective with their propaganda. Perhaps "truth" (if there is such a thing) lies somewhere in the balancing of the two perspectives.

In general, our impressions of this rapidly changing country have been very positive and optimistic. But we also encountered situations and people that left a bad taste in our mouth. Knowing that we have only skimmed the very surface of this complex and growing nation, we would like to share with you some of what we liked and disliked about our experience...

What we loved...

• The friendliness of Chinese people to foreigners - In general, we have been overwhelmed by how welcoming the people are. While some novelty of Western tourists is wearing off in big cities, it is still very much present in most the country. People are excited to come speak to you - even if they only know a few words of English. They smile at you, wave at you and often watch you with curiosity. And they love to take photos with fair haired individuals. While at Mt. Emei Shan, in a 10-minute period while waiting for Eric, I was asked to pose in 6 photos and was photographed by others from a distance. I felt like a movie star!
  


• The opening up of China - This was most apparent when speaking to the Chinese youth in their 20-somethings who have experienced the drastic changes in the last 10 years. In comparison to the past, people can speak much more freely about their opinions and beliefs. And while censorship is still present, it is becoming less strict all the time. People can now choose what they want to study and choose their own professions (The down side is that the government is no longer responsible for finding jobes for everyone and gives no garuntee that after university there will be enough jobs). The youth are hungry for the opportunity to prosper based on their own talents and ambitions and all say that they want a better life.
  


• Focus on family - The Chinese have a great appreciation for family values and expect to put family first. Families tend to be very close and support and help each other on a regular basis. This might mean having several generations living under one roof, children financially supporting their parents or grandparents, helping immediate or extended family on the farm or with the local businesses, and so on. Some children leave home to go to university in another city, but most stay local and those who do go away often return to their home to be near their families.
  
  One changing, and potentially negative, element in Chinese families are the growing number of very spoiled and self-centered only-children due to the One Child Policy. When the policy was first instituted, cousins served as siblings so kids learned the basics of sharing and caring. But now, with no cousins or siblings, parents are often putting too much attention and money into their one child. To help with this growing phenomena, the government is beginning to allow couples who both come from only-child families to have 2 kids.
  


• Sense of social community - As we mentioned in our other blog entry on China, the older Chinese LOVE to gather in the evenings and mornings in public squares, parks, tea houses and outside their homes on the sidewalks to play games, dance, sing and exercise. There is a very close-knit neighborhood feel even in the midst of big cities. People don't come home after work and go into their homes and hole up. They get outside to talk to their friends and neighbors and they love to socialize and be an active part of their communities.
  


• Pride and excitement for the 2008 Olympics - Beijing 2008 is everywhere! The country is gearing up for this big event in every way possible and using it as a good excuse to improve its local and national infrastructure in terms of transport, tourist sites, local amenities and more. There are so many building and restoration projects all over the country you can't even believe. It's the talk of the nation on TV and radio stations, on billboards and in newspapers. There is even a campaign in the capital city to help teach better "manners" to its residents to impress the world (e.g., no spitting/hawking on the streets and floors, stand in line and wait your turn). It's a very exciting time for China and a perfect time for this event to take place here to showcase how China is changing and emerging as a major nation on the world stage.
  


• Deep rooted traditions and history - Having been around for so many thousands of years, the historical and cultural past of China is awe inspiring. We had the opportunity to learn about some of their favorite holidays including Spring Festival, Chinese New Year, and China's National Day. We also got a chance to practice the art of calligraphy, observe the religious traditions of prayer and offerings and learn about some of their prized artistic traditions such as Chinese paining, folk music, Kung Fu and Tai Chi.
  

What we didn't love...

• Lack of basic social "manners" - Probably the most frustrating part of the Chinese culture is the absence of consideration for strangers and an "out for yourself" mentality when in large groups. While Confucius' behavioral laws may apply to family, friends, colleagues and neighbors, they do not apply to strangers on the street. This means that a great majority of Chinese do not know how to wait in line (you are likely to get crushed in the crowd when boarding a bus or subway), have no problem hawking and spitting in public on streets and even floors, allow small children to alleviate themselves (number 1 and number 2) on streets and sidewalks (and as we discovered sometimes on buses), often get up before performances are over and do not clap, and in general can be very pushy and impatient.
  
  This lack of consideration also applies to driving...pedestrians beware - cars, motos and bikes will not yield. And the unstated rule of the road is the bigger vehicle has the right of way - so if you're smaller, get out of the way. Some of these cultural differences may be slightly worrisome if the Chinese continue to become more influential. Hopefully, as the country continues to develop, some of the basic social norms of respect and courtesy will filter into the mainstream.
  


• Squat toilets - You're used to what you're raised with...and we were not raised with these. We have managed just fine, but have had to practice our squatting and aiming abilities. What we dislike the most is that a number of these toilets don't flush, so they get quite smelly and gross quite quickly. There are many that are clean and pristine, but it all depends on where you are. Train toilets and train station toilets tend to be the worst, so you just have to plug your nose and get it over with as quickly as possible!
  


• Gap between rich and poor - China is becoming increasingly wealthy, but not everywhere. The cities are beginning to look a lot more Western and many people are migrating there for better opportunities and jobs. And there is a huge focus on "getting rich" in the younger generation. But the countryside and other parts of China are still quite poor and undeveloped. Most farmers still use only manual techniques and many people in rural areas live in one or two room concrete block houses - though, interestingly, most people have a TV.
  
  The poor are not necessarily unhappy...in fact, many seem quite content with their lives, not having known anything different. Life is simple and as long as basic needs are met, perhaps this isn't all bad. What is disheartening is when basic needs cannot be met, or when the poor are taken advantage of and treated badly by those who are rising on the social ladder. We were told some very sad stories of how the rich treat the poor, especially in big cities - often ignoring their existence completely, mocking them, or even throwing things at them. This probably happens everywhere in the world, but the economic and social divide in China is very pronounced and basic human respect we were told is not always present. It will be interesting to see in the coming years how this divide is either bridged or widened. And how the focus on wealth and riches will play out in a country that is becoming more consumerist all the time.
  


• Outward appearances and saving face - A major part of Chinese culture is the need to impress with outward appearance and save face in any situation that could hurt one's pride or ego. What this means is that while external appearance are impressive or grand, below the surface things may be falling apart. The Chinese are constantly undertaking grandiose building projects (e.g., Three Gorges Dam, huge bridges, buildings, etc.). The projects tend to be completed at breakneck speed and are quite awesome to the eye. However, there certainly have been reports about questionable quality and durability of some of these projects. And because of the need to save face, when something does go wrong, there is a tendency to point fingers or hide facts so as not to damage one's reputation. This can play out very negatively in government and business affairs (and the government still controls many aspects of the country).
  
  Or, as we found, it can also play out negatively on train dining cars. On two separate trains, fights broke out in the dining car involving train staff and passengers that usually hinged on saving face. In the first scenario, the train chef came to the rescue of a waitress who was being yelled at by a passenger after she had spilled hot tea on the passenger's lap. By the end of the dispute, the chef had to be held back and his knife taken away as he was defending the pride of the waitress and both sides were getting very violent. Quite an interesting display to show how this cultural phenomena plays out in everyday life.
  


• Environmental concerns - China is going through its industrial revolution - but 100 years after everyone else. The consumerism of the West and desire for lower prices is fueling China's growth. But to produce products at such cheap prices, you have to have cheap labor and loose environmental standards so manufacturers can do what it takes to get the job done. While environmental concerns are starting to become a topic of discussion for the Chinese due to pressure from around the world, it is still not a top priority. Their main focus is on economic growth and development and it's highly unlikely they will sacrifice that for the environment at this stage. This could be a major problem in the years to come.
  


• One Party - While China still claims to be socialist (though they are looking more consumerist and free market all the time), what really makes them a communist nation is the fact that there is still only one party - the Communist Party. Many Chinese feel positive about their government (and even Mao) and credit it with the unification, and now development, of their nation. However, the downside of one party means that there is no opposition, no questioning and no balance of power. Party favors, corruption and shady dealings are still quite common, but of course have no way of being publicized to the general public. You only know of them if you or someone you know is involved. And while the "watch your neighbor" practices are much less than before, it does still happen (i.e., with the One Child Policy, your neighbors and community are supposed to hold you accountable for having only one child...if you break the rules and they don't report you, they will also get a small fine for your lack of obedience).

This entry has actually been very hard to write because we know that our initial impressions and learnings are only a small snapshot into the many complexities of China - its development, people, culture and role in the world. There are no black and white conclusions - but rather a lot of gray and unanswered questions that will play out over time. If nothing else, what we've seen, heard and experienced here has challenged our thinking and encouraged us to reflect thoughtfully on a whole host of social, political and cultural issues. For that, we are very thankful.

If you are interested in reading about China, some books that we've either read or that have been recommended to us include:

• Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, by Jung Chang


• The Long March, by Sun Shuyun


• Mao's Last Dancer, by Li Cunxin


• Journey to the West, by Wu Chengen (a Chinese classic)


• The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck


• Daughter of China, by Meihong Xu


• Mao: The Unknown Story, by Jung Chang

What the Chinese Had to Say About...

We wrote back in July about some of the major themes we are asking people about that we encounter on our travels (i.e., religion, culture, perceptions of the US and thoughts about the future). In addition to the blog on our impressions of China, we wanted to share with you some of the answers we got to these questions...

Religion
As you might know, China has historically been a Buddhist nation and still today the majority of those who are religious are Buddhist. However, Christian faith has also been growing in popularity. There are also some small Islamic communities. During the stricter communist days, religion was not permitted, so a large majority of Chinese grew up in a secular society. Now that the country is opening up and are able to more freely practice religion, some people are turning back to their faith.

From the perspectives of one of our guides, most people that she knows don't believe in anything and are largely secular. In general, she thinks many people don't see the need for or value of religion in this day and age. She imagines, however, that as more and more Western ways are adopted, Christianity will become more prominent since it is the primary religion of the West.

Another of our guides felt a bit more positive about the benefits of religion to society in terms of teaching core values. She said that she has some friends who have converted to Christianity and are now trying to get others to convert as well.

For now, I think it is safe to say that the majority of Chinese are pretty secular and are more focused on improving their lives and wealth than on their spiritual beliefs. But you will still find a strong Buddhist following here - even if it's more cultural than truly spiritual (e.g., the equivalent of Christians who only go to church at Christmas and Easter).

Culture
There is SO much we've learned about China it would be hard to summarize. Topics we've covered with people have included China's recent communist history from WW II to present day, ancient history, political policies, traditional holidays, foods, and arts, marriage, weddings, divorce, children, education, job opportunities, lifestyles, wealth and poverty...and much more. If you are interested to learn more about any of the above please send us an email and we'd love to chat!

Perceptions of the USA
We've asked a few Chinese about this and the general response is always very positive. Most Chinese - especially young people - love everything Western and are quite taken with our movies, music, fashion, culture and what they find on the Internet. One of our tour guides summed it up well in four main points. She said, when people think of the USA, they think...
1) it is a very rich place with many opportunities;
2) it is a very open place - the government, the press, the people, everything;
3) we have great movies and entertainment - which they sometimes believe is our reality; and
4) we think we are the world police and they can't quite understand why we are always butting into everyone's business.

On this last point, our other tour guide mentioned that China views itself as a peaceful nation and she believes it will not get involved in conflict unless it's defending itself. She says China sees itself as a mediator - and balancing power - between the USA, Russia and other major powers.

The Future
What is forefront in the minds of most Chinese is creating a better life, which generally means having more opportunities and acquiring wealth ("I want to be rich") and everything that goes with it. There has been such major change in the last 10 years with China opening up and loosening up, that many Chinese in our generation and below are very excited to take advantage of the opportunities. People are very eager to get involved internationally and many young people want to learn English and one day have the chance to travel globally.

When we asked people what they thought about the future on a more global scale, many had not necessarily thought specifically about it. They are aware that China is growing economically and becoming more powerful, but most are more concerned with their immediate environment and taking advantage of the new opportunities for the sake of their own futures.

Note: Bear in mind that with all of these answers, our "sample size" is very small. However, the responses do provide some insight into the thoughts and perceptions of this country. Most people we spoke with were young people age 17-30 who spoke decent English (tour guides, friends we made on trains, etc.), with the exception of the family we stayed with in Beijing who we also had good conversations with.