Monday, January 12, 2009
Adventures in Jiangxi - II
There is still enough alcohol (baiju + Great Wall wine + Chinese beer) in my system, plus my last hour spent in a gentlemen's club, that I had to get online to blog about right it now...
We - several FAO members representing Beijing, Rome and Bangkok, plus staff of multiple Chinese institutes and agencies - are back in Jiangxi to execute the duck sampling project that Guo and I so carefully prepared a few weeks ago. Of course things aren't turning out as we expected. But that is supposed to be the fun of field work, eh?
At least this time we are staying in the 5-star Jiang Xi Hotel, just down the block from the 4-star Jiangxi Hotel where I stayed before. If you read the last post, you may recall that this was translated to me as the "Chicken With No Sex" Hotel. It has turned out to be surprisingly comfortable, with truly soft beds, international TV channels (alas - still no Fashion TV!), drip COFFEE, a gym, and an ok breakfast. Fine, I am very satisfied with it. Although, the cooked purple cabbage at breakfast is unnaturally purple, suggesting colorful food additives...
But I digress. We arrived last night on Air China. Instead of the "Chairman Mao Visits the Village" propaganda movie I got flying to Hunan, it seemed to be a somewhat racy show with two adults in bed with a video camera. The usual rice or noodle for a meal. Pickup at the airport by some familiar faces and time in the mini bus to meet and greet the new ones. The laowai then pow-wow'ed over chrysanthemum tea to discuss our plan for the week.
This morning there were many new faces in the conference room, including a guy who I quickly named Mr. No but have decided instead to call the Dark Lord. He never, ever made an appearance when Guo and I came to lay the groundwork and is listed as working for some sketchy, "severe animal epidemic" center and teaching institute. Hmmmm. If you want to know the honest truth as I see it, this guy is a spook. Sent from central to keep the laowai in place. He dominated the discussion, including over the head of the provincial veterinary service director. And even lorded over our trusty contact from the Ministry of Agriculture in Beijing. Things that make ya go, "hmmmm..."
So, I guess there was at least one thing we forgot to bring with us for this sampling mission: a little lubricant to make it all go, um, a little easier. We a) won't be sampling the wild-type ducks we had expected to sample, b) won't be taking any samples ourselves, and c) won't even be going on the farms with the sampling teams. Well, we negotiated to get to go to the first farm for sampling to make sure everything was being done according to our agreed protocol. After that I guess maybe we should go back to Eunich Island?? In the afternoon we got to meet the 30 people that will be doing the sampling for us. I have never dealt with such a huge entourage in field work, not even in Indonesia! Getting bored, a few of us FAOers were figuring out who would be the lion tamer, elephant trainer, and ring master amidst the circus that this expedition has become.
Since there wasn't much else we could do with ourselves today, we decided to go visit the nearby WalMart SuperCenter. Maybe China's 2nd Great Wall? It was, to say the least, chaotic. Especially with everyone stocking up before the approaching Chinese New Year, aka Spring Festival. I took a few photos, followed my gang in a daze, and decided that I would get capture myopathy if I stayed much longer. A few drops of Rescue Remedy and 30 mins on the treadmill made it so much better! :)
Dinner was the not-unexpected baiju-infused affair. I must say that the food was the least exciting meal I've eaten in the field so far. No duck tongue, no liver, no dog meat. Not even that spicy! Where's my numbing Sichuan?? But at least the crab was really good this time. Even if we had to repeatedly explain that we don't eat the guts. This time I had moral support on the baiju and crab guts! The Dark Lord made sure we women sat below him at the table. But I guess that was just as well since my distance from the director shielded me from too many "Marsha" gambei baiju toasts...
Anyway, it was a pretty fun meal with lots of flushed faces afterwards. So it was decided that we wanted to have massages. I kept pressing for 'blind massage' - administered by blind people, thereby supposedly eliminating the image of impropriety. I haven't had one yet, although there seem to be blind massage places on every other corner. Instead, we were herded out back of the hotel to some X______ Club (I'll try to look up the name tomorrow). It sure looked like a gentleman's club to me, and I and my female compatriot from FAO Rome protested that we women have massages in spas, not clubs. Most of the art found along the stairs leading up had either fully-exposed breasts or buttocks. Lots of dimly-lit hallways and many, many rooms. We were offered a face massage or a full-body. Both of us women opted for full-body - I since I couldn't deal with someone messing with my face and then having to manage breakouts for the next 2 weeks.
So, the full-body massage group was lead further upstairs to then wait while rooms were being assigned. We were in full view of a room containing a bed with brass posts curving over the top and some weird straps hanging down. There was also a shower and TV in the room. In the adjacent room we could just see a robe, patterned in stars and moons, hanging aimlessly. I quickly asked if there were a room where the two of us women could have our massages together. We were led upstairs to a room with a double bed. And red velvet curtains/ropes hanging down from brass rails on the ceiling. There was also a hospital-looking double bed IN THE SHOWER. Baby oil, q-tips, tissues, and talcum powder next to the bed. At least a) the art on the wall had a modestly-posed fairy and a clothed gnome and b) they did not play porn on the TV. Two uncomfortable looking young women in short dresses and high heels (one sporting an arrow tattoo over her left breast) came in and told us to lie face-down on the bed. So, we did, side by side. It was not exactly a deeply professional massage. Lots of superficial rubbing and the requisite percussive episodes (will blog that from my family's visit next time!). I have to say the sounds of massage administered through our long-sleeved shirts and pants was somehow a comfort. It took effort sometimes not to laugh at the whole thing, but I knew there was time for it later. I just tried to enjoy my massage as much as possible.
We decided that we really didn't know who was felt more uncomfortable - us or our young massueses. I got photos of each of us posing with our red velvet and one of the shower bed before leaving. It would have been great, but somehow inappropriate, to get photos with our girls. Downstairs we found our bosses enjoying pedicures. More photos for Facebook! My delightful boss had received his full-body massage in a room with straps hanging down. Speaking pretty passable Mandarin, and with genuine curiosity, he apparently had asked his masseuse how they are used. She told him to come back tomorrow night to find out. And, I guess, even gave him a price list?
I made it back to my room by 9:30pm. And thereby ends yet another exciting night in the field in Jiangxi, just in case you wanted to know...
E :)
Monday, December 15, 2008
a first field visit in China
I hope everyone is doing ok coping with the approaching holidays and, for some of us, frigid weather. Fortunately, this week I am in China's southern province of Guangxi, on the border with Viet Nam. Much warmer than chilly Beijing!
I am writing to share my first experience last week of a Real Field Visit in China. It was chock full of field moments both familiar and new and so may bring a bit of levity to your seasonal madness. :)
Of course, none of my field visits can ever go off without a hitch. So, as late as Thursday of the week before we planned to go, the visit was canceled. Only to be rescheduled late on Friday to depart on the following Tues. Typical! I was going out with Guo, my national coworker. The more time I spend with Guo, the more respect for and understanding I have of him. However, in the meantime, he continues to do things I don't fully understand. So every moment is a bit of an adventure.
We left on Air China. Chinese airlines, like Indonesian ones, give you a full hot meal, even on a 2-hr flight. I am intrigued, though, by the fact that all meals come with a plastic fork, spoon, and knife. No chopsticks to be seen on the planes. (Is this some security thing? An attempt at Western acculturization? A space-saving efficiency?) We were accompanied by a very nice young woman from MoA. We arrived in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, after descending through a thick cloud of smog that seems to cover all of southern China. It would make Jakarta jealous! We were met by the head of the provincial veterinary bureau and some other folks. Nanchang is more gritty and slower-paced than Beijing. Chinese cities - like ones on Java - all start to look the same: neon; tall buildings; indecipherable signs; wide streets. To distinguish itself, Nanchang has a big river between the "old" and "new" parts, a small but picturesque lake, and a nice big square flanked by a WalMart. They checked us in to the 4-star Jiangxi Hotel. (Not to be confused with the Jiang Xi Hotel, which Guo translated as "chicken with no sex" hotel. Thank God we did not stay there.) Clean rooms (but nasty carpets), free LAN internet, slippers and a robe, no English-speaking TV, hard mattress - all the hallmarks of a 4-star hotel, I am learning.
Shortly after arrival we went out for my first of (too) many Chinese business meals. We get a private room - size and decor depend on the number of eaters and who is paying. There is a big round table with a turntable for the food and, in the nicer rooms, a TV, couch, and private bathroom. First, they served a cup of green tea. Then, we were seated at the table, putting me usually at the head. The cloth napkins are placed with one corner under your plate and hang down from the edge of the table. They don't really cover one's lap very well, so I'm not entirely sure of their purpose. Out came the much-anticipated baiju - a potent and loved-or-loathed traditional liquor for the many toasts to come. I had my first taste of baiju to the tune of "Ganbei!" Or, "Chug!" The first one went down ok and left a burning, if fruity, aftertaste. The rest were not so easy.
I honestly cannot recall all that we ate in that meal. And not because of the baiju. There is just SO MUCH FOOD at each meal it makes me hurt. Fortunately, there is usually at least one clear soup and lots of veggies. Pork, tofu, and fish are usually also served, along with other tidbits like shrimp, liver, clams, goose, duck, mutton, crab. Yes, and dog. But more about that later. I will generally try anything new once. I tend to avoid the fish because all the freshwater (read: farmed) fish here taste muddy to me. And heaven only knows what kind of growth promoters, antibiotics, and other things are in that fish flesh, too. The rice doesn't come out until the end and so does not play a prominent part of these meals. The shrimps and crabs are cooked whole, necessitating a tedious and messy process to get to the good parts. The crabs are small and prized more for the guts (including the females' eggs or roe) than for the actual meat. Since I don't like the guts, I don't eat them. I wonder what the server thinks when she takes away my plate with all the 'good' stuff still on it while I obviously labored over the skimpy bits of meat! Everyone serves themselves from the dishes on the turntable, either with a spoon or, more commonly, their own chopsticks. The feasting is frequently punctuated by toasts. I have no idea what was being said, but they would figure out to say "Marsha" to get my attention when I was to be included in the toast. It is a point of respect and pride to down your whole drink for the toast. This quickly presented a problem with the baiju. My stomach immediately got wise and threatened to revolt. So I couldn't drink the whole glass anymore - I could only sip. Not a good way to save face. Fortunately, they had also served us corn juice. Weird at first but soon recognized as a counter to the irritating baiju. At the end of the meal, a plate of fruit, almost always including watermelon, will be served.
After this first meal, we checked out Nanchang. The "new" side of the river has a lovely riverfront park with a fountain & laser display set to music. It was great! We took that in and walked all around. Ostensibly to let the baiju get through the system before heading to bed. Antacids help it to go away faster, too. :)
Breakfast at the hotel was nearly all Chinese, despite the hotel info stating they also served Western food. A whole huge row of pickled vegetables and another of plain or bean paste-filled buns. Bland pastry-like bread items. Noodles and porridge. Various dishes similar to what we had at dinner. NO COFFEE. Or even tea! All to the accompanying entertainment of a live auction of scroll artwork. Reminded me of the obnoxiously-loud demo displays in Carrefour. After the first breakfast, I made tea in my room (thank goodness I had thought to bring tea bags with me!) and plundered my carefully-hoarded-for-just-such-an-emergency Clif Bars.
On day 2 we went out in the field to visit duck farms. Our entourage, loaded on a mini bus, included folks from different departments in the province, the China Animal Health and Epidemiology Center, the National Reference Lab, and the counties which we were visiting. We drove out of Nanchang onto roads atop the river levees. The first farm raises wild species of ducks - mallards, spot-billed ducks, and a type of goose. Very interesting. Would have been more interesting if Guo actually translated for me more than he feels inclined to do. Lunch was served at a township government office, after a meeting in their communist-themed meeting room. Sickle and hammer on the wall and all! My new strategy at meals was to switch to beer instead of baiju. Much nicer on the tummy and more ganbei-able. We also visited a 100,000 head layer duck farm that hopes to expand to 1 million ducks. The rest of the afternoon was spent checking out a famous temple along the river. Our guide spoke some English and shared a bit of info with me. However, I was really ready for my hotel room.
Dinner was another huge affair, made more do-able by the beer instead of baiju. I suppose I was feeling emboldened, although I don't know why. So, I knowingly ate the duck tongue. Not bad, except I didn't like the crunch of the tracheal cartilage. :( I also tried some sliced cold meat with a spicy dipping sauce before thinking too far into what it might be. Then Guo quietly said, "You remember when you told me to tell you if you had eaten something only after you had already eaten it? Well, you just ate it." Yes, dog. I ate dog. Truthfully, I think one of the dishes the night before had been dog. I asked Guo about it, but he had denied it. The cross-section piece of tail amongst the other pieces seemed suspicious to me, but we never did figure out what it was. The cold meat the second night, though, had clearly been identified to Guo as dog. And, as I was eating it, he made a face. I challenged him to eat some, too, which he did. In retrospect, it was very unfair of me to make him save face that way. I am sorry I made the challenge. Anyway, both dog dishes were - sadly - really good. But after the realization of what I had done set in, I felt guilty to all of dog-dom for having eaten a canine friend. Point made - I certainly won't knowingly eat dog again.
Day 3 was meant to be another day of ducks. On our way out to the reserve at Poyang Lake, we stopped briefly at a small (4,000 head) layer duck contract farm on the berm of a levee. The ducks had access to a sort-of pond and adjacent rice paddies. Then we took off again. Poyang is China's largest freshwater lake and home to hundreds of thousands of migrating waterfowl at various times of the year. We climbed an observation tower to see some wild swans, geese, and ducks at the lake margin, although the air was hazy with fog or smog, I couldn't tell which. It was lovely out at the reserve and so nice to be surrounded by wind, water, green trees, and vegetation. The reserve museum was full of stuffed dead birds, which at least helped me identify some of these species that are farmed nearby. Lunch at the local government office. And then the fun began.
We drove in the other direction from Poyang, past Jiangxi farmland, to another lake. This lake is a drinking water reservoir and has a hydropower plant. It was beautiful - the site for a quiet summer home. Not a site for ducks. Or much local habitation. We pulled up to a self-proclaimed business hotel, walked down to the water, and hopped aboard a boat. The boat took us across the still water, with small islands and large mountains in view, to a pagoda-like docking area. According to Guo, each of these islands (in what turned out to be a tourist park) has a unique theme. I guess tourists go from island to island, checking out what there is to be seen. Our island theme was "eunichs." This revelation prompted Guo to tell me, uncomfortably, that he had seen one such show while in Bangkok but that he had never gone to see another one. We walked along a paved path, past banana palms and ferns, to a building with rows of chairs in front of a stage. As the only tourists in sight, we took the padded armchairs in the front. The show was about to start! Yes, FAO, I went to a drag show on Eunich Island as part of my official duties. Does this fulfill my term of reference for performing "Other duties as required?" There were a couple of group performances, punctuated by two solos by gown-clad individuals. I swear the first solo was lip-synched. The second soloist was more glamorous, and I could not tell if she was singing or lip-synching. Yes, I got photos. Some performers were clearly not genetically female, but a few really had me wondering. We've all seen some darn-good lady boys, so maybe there were a few on the island. At the end of the performance, I couldn't wait to SMS Stacie about my situation. In doing so, I was distracted and not really of a mindset to have my photo taken with the two soloists. So, I declined. If I had anticipated the look of disappointment on their faces, though, I would definitely have taken a whole memory card full of photos. My bad. :( I'm sorry! Maybe we can visit the Isle of Eunichs again when we go back to Jiangxi in January...
Our final day in Nanchang was meant to be hashing out the details of the LoAs for our proposed project. Although they plied us with mounds of yummy little satsuma oranges, some terms were, not unexpectedly, a bit unreasonable. But, overall, it seemed very possible to come to a satisfactory agreement. Yea! Field success! Unfortunately, Guo didn't seem to have my daughter-of-a-labor-lawyer instincts for negotiation. Of course, he was barely translating anything at all for me. And I was furiously texting Vincent when I actually did find out some of what was going on. See, FAO, Vincent and I really do need Blackberries! We left the meeting with a few tensions but also anticipation of the project going forward on schedule.
And that - duck tongue, ganbei baiju, dog meat, eunichs, meat and sausages drying with underwear on laundry lines, no Fashion TV, etc. - is so far what field work in China is all about...
Ganbei to all!
E
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Beijing static cling
Wow, it hasn't even been one month since my last posting, and here I am again! Must be a record for my blog this year. :)
Yes, yes, I finally made it to Beijing. I have now been here just over a month, and I have, I guess, a few things to say about it. I think it would take a long time to really figure this place out.
I arrived early in the Golden Holiday Week at the end of Sept / early Oct. I had only been informed of the holiday the week before I arrived, too late to change my plans. So, I had almost the whole week to myself since the office was closed and my boss was out of town. I settled into the Westin Beijing Financial Street. Needless to say, it was very nice. Especially the on-call bathologist who would draw me a bath with scented oils, rose petals, and a chocolate truffle, upon request. Yea! I tried each of the scented oil combinations but really can't say I found any difference between them.
These are a few of things I discovered during that first few days: I love having cable news again, the Heavenly Bed took some getting used to, a bad smog day in Beijing will make your nose burn just from walking around a little, a McDonald's burger here has some nasty special sauce we don't have at home, this city is HUGE, the tourist maps are terrible for navigating, and the metro is too much for me to take very often. After a few days I finally got tired of being only in my own head, without anyone to talk to, so I called my boss' wife. She was delightful and invited me up for lunch with her lovely daughters. They live in a hutong, or traditional Chinese courtyard house. Their neighborhood is a hutong with a bunch of expats living there with their kids and families. So charming! It was nice to have someone to chat with, and we went out to check out a chic new hutong neighborhood near them, full of cafes and bars. The streets were packed with mostly nuvo riche Chinese taking in the atmosphere; it was my first taste of getting through busy Beijing streets.
Other initial observations: Life would seem pretty normal, and then I would pass through Tienanmen Square or past a Chinese Army soldier standing guard somewhere. At that point it would seem like I was on Mars or somewhere else I had only imagined. Overall, the security infrastructure seems to pale in comparison to places I was hanging out in Jakarta and Bangkok. Although many of the embassies have walls and gates, they don't seem very blast-proof. And the sidewalks next to some embassies are surrounded by green wire fences and poor uniformed soldiers who stand in one place all day. At first the seeming "lack" of substantial security actually made me a bit uncomfortable. Have I already worked for the UN too long?? But then I remember, oh yeah, this is China. They would probably swarm on any suspicious person or vehicle, like ants defending their nest, and crush them. Anyway, it seems pretty safe here.
Language is a huge barrier here, bigger than in Jakarta and probably even Bangkok. Even after the Olympics. Taking a taxi is especially tricky for someone with little or no Mandarin. I highly recommend having the address written out in Mandarin and a cell phone handy to call your destination for directions. The metro can be distressingly jam packed, so I have opted to bike commute.
Bike commuting in Beijing. Lots of people do it, and there are "dedicated" bike lanes on most major streets. I am convinced, though, that the traffic is much more dangerous here than in Jakarta. I saw at least 3 traffic accidents in my first couple of weeks here, a much higher rate than in my year in Indonesia. Chinese drivers DO NOT CARE NOR TAKE TURNS. Everyone is out for him or herself; I have no doubt that the accident rate here is very high. Cyclists do not wear helmets or use lights, unless you are an un-hip foreigner. The most dangerous trend, though, (in terms of probability of having an accident, maybe not for damage likely to be caused) is the folks who ride AGAINST the bike lane traffic, at night and in the evening. Remember, no lights. I admit to doing it, too, (only now I have lights and a helmet) but only because crossing big busy intersections is probably more dangerous than potentially hitting another cyclist. Cars simply don't care, and right on red is their right of way. Even though my commute to and from the FAO office is only 10-15 minutes, my stress level goes right up on my way home in the evening. Although my helmet dooms me to permanent bad-hair days at work, I think I am glad to have it.
What else to say? I haven't eaten much Chinese food yet. Or at least much good Chinese food. I had some at the Westin that was good, but it was so terribly awkward to be the only person in the restaurant - and having the entire wait staff hovering over me - that I didn't eat there again. The other Chinese food I have had has been lunch ordered in at the office (for about $2) and eaten with the staff. Some of it is pretty good, but it is generally kinda bland. And has now lost its charm. I generally dislike eating out alone, although I do it at lunch a lot, so I haven't felt much like exploring. Especially considering the potential of ending up in a restaurant where English is not spoken or on the menu. I am working on my Pimsleur Mandarin language CDs when I cook dinner (pasta! salads!) in the evenings, but I am still stuck on "I don't speak very well." We haven't even come close to the topic of food yet...
I have done a little shopping (including the 2nd-largest Ikea in the world), went hiking twice just outside Beijing, and have tried out the tango scene. Maybe all topics for later.
Cheers,
E
Thursday, October 16, 2008
One Month in Bangkok
Yes, I am back again, catching up. But I promise it won’t be nearly as long as the last one!! At least, I don't think it will...
I spent September in
Stacie was in town from
It turns out that one of the leaders of the opposition (PAD) party had a residence and a TV station at the end of the street running past FAO. The PAD supporters barricaded off the street in case other forces, such as the pro-government supporters, tried to interfere with the residence or the TV station. Inexplicably, FAO had been the only UN agency in
The FAO office is in an old section of town, along the river. There are 2 buildings – a lovely old house called
My typical work day started out with a few minutes of CNN to allow my brain time to wake up before getting out of bed. I would get ready and go down to breakfast, where Aman, the server, was awaiting me. With CNN to catch me up on the overnight happenings, I would happily tuck into my orange juice, fruit, one large banana pancake, bacon, and coffee. Every now and then I would have scrambled eggs or an omelet, but the banana pancake was just so light and yummy! Each morning I would usually take a tuk-tuk, or 3-wheeled motorcycle taxi, to work. It was just too darn hot to walk. I don’t like to start my day at work with sweat already running down my back!
Yes, Thai food on and just off the street in
Stacie was around for my first week in
What else to say about the city? Hmmm. My favorite place to go is the weekend market. You can buy pretty much anything there – it is huge! I managed to only buy a few items; I just had too much to haul around already. And, just to prove how small of a world it is, while at the market I ran into two friends from the diving course on
For one of my few weekends in
I drove down with a woman from the regional UN office. We got a bit lost leaving the city but were soon on our way. Getting to the right place in Pattaya was more of a challenge than getting the right road out of
The next morning, we got up early to sit and wait at the dive center. Let’s just say things were about as organized as the directions they had given us to find them the night before. After my truly wonderful experiences with Bali Scuba, I was suitably unimpressed by these guys. In fact, it began to make me a little anxious about diving with them. We drove about an hour south to catch our dive boat out to some small islands that are part of a big navy base. The boat left from a fishing marina and passed small islands out to the dive site. It was a beautiful day. The boat was long and built for diving, with a large dive platform and lots of space for tanks and equipment. The woman who organized the trip had recently completed her Open Water certification and was about to catch her first dive since her training. She was my buddy. We had initially been told we would go out with her dive instructor, but a change in plans had us going out with a relatively new addition to the dive center staff. We sat out the first dive at a wreck site that was too deep for us. As much as I love wreck diving, it was ok to miss that one because the wreck is spread out, it is deep - so the dive lasts only a few minutes at the actual site, and it is dark due to the depth. More sun on the deck seemed fine with me.
At last we reached the site of our first dive. Our dive master had not been to that site before. It was to be a shallow dive to look at some islands of coral reef. My buddy was nervous, but that wasn’t unexpected for her first dive in a few months and right after getting certified. We did a thorough check of our equipment and then jumped in. We went down to just a few meters below the surface. The dive master had my buddy practice clearing her mask and then made me do it, too. I don’t like doing it if I don’t have to, because it messes up my otherwise perfectly-clear mask! Most of what we could see was dead coral. While the dive master was trying to figure out where to go, my buddy was out in front, zigging and zagging all over the place. I followed behind so I could keep them in view. After a few abrupt course changes and more squirreling around, they were a few meters in front of me. That’s when my regulator (the part that one breathes through) blocked up. I went to take a breath and there was no air to be had. I tried again and got a mouthful of water. Hmmm. Training never really covered what to do with a mouthful of water instead of air. In the ideal world of a PADI training video, I would have made the ‘out of air’ signal to my buddy and then used her spare regulator. But she was a bit too far away. So was the dive master. And neither was looking behind to see me start to panic. I was eyeing the distance to them … and to the surface … them … the surface … when, finally, the animal part of my brain reminded me that my last breath was still in my lungs and rapidly running out. I went for the surface. Thank goodness it was a shallow dive. If it had been deep, I would have been in more serious trouble.
Now, you readers who are also divers will think, um, why didn’t I use the purge valve? You know, to purge the regulator. That’s what it is for. And to that I would reply, “Good thinking!” Only I wasn’t thinking about that. I know I had a purge valve. But the neurons that make up that reaction pathway weren’t wired yet when I was down there choking on my last breath. Another option would have been to reach for my own spare regulator. Duh. DUH! Again, I was lacking that particular reaction. In training, they teach you to go for your buddy’s spare regulator if there is a problem. That was the only trained reaction I had and there was no room for clear thinking of other alternatives with the surface and survival urgently beckoning.
Shortly after I reached the surface, coughing and appreciative to take big deep breaths of the sky, the dive master popped up next to me. I told him what happened. I suggested that, silly me, I should have gone for my spare. He told me that the best option would have been to go for my buddy’s. Um, that’s ok if the buddy is near enough. (Which, incidentally, is kind of the dive master’s job – to make sure people keep together and out of trouble.) We hailed the boat to come get us, and I decided to have them change out my regulator so we could finish our dive. The rest of the dive went well, although we were always too shallow to see much coral. After a very uninspired lunch, we made our second dive at a different site. Again, this one was pretty shallow but the coral was soooo much better. My buddy stayed a lot closer, and it ended up being a great dive. Lots of clown fish to see!
That evening we had dinner with some of the dive guys and then we, the 3 remaining ladies from our UN group, went to check out the famed “
The next morning my dive buddy went out diving again, but I chose to indulge this time in terrestrial pleasures. I wen riding went horseback riding with the woman I drove down with and Willy, a guy who keeps horses outside Pattaya. He is German and has lived in
Overall, a good weekend with some valuable lessons learned about selecting dive centers and buddies, keeping my dive buddy close, visualizing multiple options to a problem – ahead of time, and maybe carrying some sort of noise maker to get attention underwater. I hope those lessons are hard-wired in before I need to use them again!
My other trip outside
We met with local authorities and then a nice man who lost all his layer chickens in the last outbreak to hit that area. The poultry houses were on pilings over fish ponds, where the manure would fall through the slatted floor to feed the fish. After our visit there, we made a 400km drive to Nakhonphanom. Our poor driver had been up since 2am to bring the vehicle up from
We checked in to our hotel at 11pm. The next morning revealed the
Our hotel that night didn’t have quite the view of the previous one, but we did manage to catch drinks up in a rooftop hotel lounge. The next morning we repeated the hotel breakfast and meetings with local officials. We also visited a couple that raised local-breed pigs as part of an effort to expand production of local suckling pigs - a favorite dish. The couple had approximately 20 sows that looked much like wild hogs, and the piglets were black or were brown with spots. The unbelievable thing about their production system is the nutrition. They feed these pigs some wheat bran and fresh plant matter (grass, weeds, whatever) cut from unimproved land surrounding the farm. Seriously, that is it. I really can't imagine pig production with fewer inputs. They get maybe a dozen piglets per sow. Unbelievable! I hope they preserve that breed, because it would be a shame to lose this very well-adapted, highly efficient production system. After our official visits were over, we had a few minutes to check out the riverside market in Mukdahan. Much of what was for sale had come across the river from
As much as I enjoyed the yummy meal of spring rolls, I was concerned about eating the uncooked greens. And, boy, did I pay for it later. Our field visit had been Monday through Wednesday. By Friday - before my last weekend in
All in all, I had a good time in
E
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The Very Long Catch-Up
Well, well…
Yes, it has been a terribly long time since I last wrote a blog entry. If there are any dedicated readers left, please accept my apologies! As I said, things in
My last several weeks on the Indonesian project consisted of conducting a semi-structured, participatory group discussion with some poultry collection point operators from
As my presentations were made on my last working day, and I’m not one for self-aggrandizement, there wasn’t a general office send-off. I felt a bit bad about not reminding many of my work colleagues that my last day was nigh, but it was ok. I caught up with some of them later, including a wonderful Sundanese lunch with the entire CREATE team.
I spent that first week of my ‘contract break’ month of vacation in
We left Lombok for
[Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. It certainly wasn’t my last taxi mishap in
Once I finally arrived at the right place, there was my friend, Bleem, with my lovely orange ACE Hardware backpack, containing my hiking boots and a few other items I hadn’t wanted to take to the Gilis and Lombok. Unik had bailed out, leaving Bleem to lug his gear and mine a full 12 hours or so in the bus. Bleem – I am soooo sorry! [I later made it up to him by giving him the pack and my foam sleeping pad…] We piled into his friend’s car for the ride up to the trailhead. Along the way, we stopped at their ‘spot’ along the road for a dinner of siomay. This very nice couple cooked it up in what is basically their house. It was spicy! But good fuel for the climb. Our next stop was at a guest house / home stay place belonging to a guy who has guided and climbed for many, many years. We saw photos from some of his adventures and sipped some tea before I crawled into my sleeping bag for a short nap before we started climbing.
The trail began further down the road through town, past a few more “lodges” and a cell tower or two. The early part of the trail went past some fields of onions and other root crops but quickly climbed up into forest. When I say quickly, I mean that the trail never had switchbacks. Never. It was a straight shot the whole way. Often on a fairly loose trail that likely never receives any maintenance. We took frequent stops to let our used-to-sea-level lungs catch a bit of a break. At those times, we would tend to turn off our headlamps and enjoy the flickering of the lights in the valley below. Somehow, the flickering of the lights reminded me of sea anenomies swaying with the tide. I had been warned that the wind would be strong and cold. Thanks for the warning, Stacie! Eventually I had all my layers on. We stopped at one rest point to huddle off-trail and make some tea. Thanks, boys! We kept climbing and climbing until we crested a ridge above the treeline and with an incredible view. Although we weren’t at the summit yet, this is where we were to stop for the few hours before sunrise. The guys pitched a tent in the lee of a big boulder, and we all crammed inside for some more warm nourishment. Then I curled up under a sleeping bag and snoozed a while longer.
Somehow, the alarm set to wake us up to start climbing to the summit for sunrise didn’t have the intended effect. So, when I stepped outside of the tent, the sun was just cresting the ridge above us. Oh, well! There really isn’t a clear trail from the campsites to the summit – it is just a steep scramble amongst jagged volcanic rocks. It would have been great to see sunrise from the true summit, but maybe it was better to arrive on the summit alive and unscathed. The few hours of sleep utterly renewed me, and I bolted up to the summit well ahead of my disbelieving male companions. Apparently the summit had been affected in the last eruption, making the other side of the top – separated from us by a chasm steaming with sulfur vents – the highest point. However, we were content to stay on one side and take countless photos. This is
Then back down for coffee and leftover siomay. (I got into the last of my Clif Bars – thanks Mom and Dad!) As we packed up all of our tent, pads, and gear, and walked out through an adjacent campsite of Indonesians, I wondered if our neighbors were asking themselves about the crazy bule with her four male, Indonesian porters… Or maybe one guide, one cook, and two porters?? The descent down the steep, loose trail may have been harder than our ascent. Honestly. That, or maybe we just took too few breaks. Still too far from the end of the trail, my muscles were so tired that I knew I was at risk of getting hurt from yet another slip on the loose rocks and soil. During one of the many times my feet slipped out from under me, I caught myself with my hands but managed to injure the big muscle in my thumb. I figured it would be the next fall or two that would lead me to worse injury. But, finally, we made it to the asphalt. And then to the homestay.
Only to find that our ride back was not coming.
While wonderful, the whole trip was taking longer than I anticipated. I was a bit concerned about my parents, especially as I had hoped to take my mom shopping in Yogya. We finally arranged a truck to take us back. With no air con and me in the middle on what has to be The Most Uncomfortable Truck Bench Seat on Java, plus Sunday traffic coming back from
The next morning, it was off to the airport again. At least, as fast as my aching muscles could take me. We flew back to Denpasar,
The next day we got up bright and early to go diving at Tulamben with Bali Scuba. I had given Mom a “Discover SCUBA Diving” experience for Mother’s Day and offered to take Dad snorkeling with us for Father’s Day. Bas, a dive instructor in training, was assigned to my mom for the day, while Dad had another instructor in training to lead the snorkeling group. That left Bert to guide just me around, which was fine with me. It was a lovely day that all enjoyed. I got to see the wreck and sea life much better than I ever had previously – thanks, Bert! It was a fantastic day for playing in the water, and I’m really glad my mom got a chance to try diving again after decades of wanting to. Yea! [Just a note on what was otherwise a great day: do NOT eat at Massimo in Sanur. Abysmal service, mediocre food. Our only real dining disappointment among some otherwise very good meals.]
The next day on
The next morning we made some last-minute shopping runs and then headed back down toward Denpasar. We had to stop while I picked up my wetsuit. It is quite colorful, and I truly felt like I was putting on my super heroine costume, sans cape. Now I really am ready to take on the world! Then it was off to the airport and back to
I was sorry to see them go but was a bit relieved to be still for a little while. I had hoped to get up to see a few sights on
So then it was back to the good ol’ U.S. of A. Dad met me at the airport, and Pashmina apparently was happy enough to see me that I was not punished for my absence by the feline silent treatment. Although the house seemed freezing cold that first day home, it was so nice to be back. I only got to see my parents for a brief time before they took off for
Pashmina rightly scorned me for packing up and leaving her again. This time I was in the good hands of Fr. Bob and
All told, I only spent about 2 weeks in
Although I was tired from my whirlwind
After a few days on my own, my ex-boyfriend, Paulo, came down to pick me up and take me north to visit his farm outside
From
Although the month of August was mostly set aside for R ‘n R, I had lots of business to attend to, including working out travel arrangements, health insurance, lodging, contracts, etc. One such errand required me to make a trip out to
Dom had plans to be out of town for the weekend, so I moved on again to stay at the London School of Economics’ High Holborn Hall Residences in the central part of the city. It was absolutely the most economical place to stay in that part of town, while still being quiet, clean, and very, very convenient to almost everything. What a great find for lodging! I had access to a small kitchen, and they provided a fairly ample continental breakfast. Once I found myself a 24-hour internet café with a scanner, I was all set. I explored central
Another catch-up installment to come soon, if this one hasn't already bored you to death...
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