Helgens, Russians, and Old Friends

There is simply too much to talk about. I've been trekking all across the Red nation for the past three weeks or so. I don't have a single obligation tying me down until March and that has proven to be a gift that doesn't stop giving.

I got off a plane this morning and am currently scratching my head, trying to decide where I'll go next. Life is pretty sweet right now.

My travels started with an 18 hour train ride to Shanghai. This seems like a daunting way to travel, however there is a certain romantic edge to a train. First off, there is an abundance of fascinating images that fly past your window. Farmers wading knee deep in rice paddies, wild dogs roaming the town alleys, crumbling buildings, mountain-top cottages, endless landscapes, and people living lives that are totally unrecognizable to your own...all passing by so quickly that you can barely grasp their significance. I sometimes sit for hours, listening to my iPod, and staring out the window.

Also, on a train, you end up meeting some really interesting people. On one recent trip I had a great conversation with a guy who wrote for a political news magazine. It's hard to imagine what this publication consists of in a place like China, but it certainly is encouraging that a political magazine exists on some level. Anyway, I spent a good four hours talking to this guy about America, China, America/China, and anything else that wetted our appetites. That's but one example of the interesting people you can meet on the railway. A Worst case scenario is that you end up exchanging silly faces with some 3 year old who can't figure out why you have hair on your face and white skin to boot!

If you're still not convinced, the train is set up in sleeper cars, so you sleep through most of the trip anyway. Plus, it's hella-cheap, as they say on the east coast.

PASSENGERS BE WARNED-- while traveling by train has many advantages, there is one cruel downside that is difficult to even speak of. The only bathroom that is available is a squatter, which is a slightly fancier way of saying that it's a hole. Using a squatter under normal circumstances is a hellish experience, fraught with questions of whether or not your pants are out of target range. On a train, however, this act requires an entirely new inner ring of Dante's hell. It's as shaky as a wooden rollercoaster and that's all I'm going to say on the matter.

Shanghai was a pretty cool city. I didn't get to explore as much as I would have liked and therefore didn't get the feeling that I "saw the city," but the parts I did see were really nice. One thing that made Shanghai a great place to visit was the abundance of Western imports, such Tex-Mex cuisine. A burrito never tasted so good. A few nights were spent with some friends of friends who either didn't speak, or didn't want to speak English. Those nights sucked. I can't polish that fact up.

The next stop on my China tour was Nanjing. In Shanghai, I was with the usual gang (Phil, Andrew, Sam, and Luing), but I headed out to Nanjing all by my self, just like a big boy! The purpose of my trip was to visit a highschool homegirl that goes by the name of Lauren Knapp. She's been teaching in that drag for about as long as I've been in Changsha. She has also been lighting the city up with her folk music frenzy. Nanjing is a huge city, so I've gotta say, it's pretty impressive that she's been able to establish herself in the music community. The first night I was there, she played a show at a cool local bar. A very tight band backed her up while she played some great covers, such as "Romeo and Juliet" by Dire Straits. It's hard to explain, but something really clicked for me during her performance. Maybe it was the combination of only hearing crappy Chinese pop music for the past 5 months and the fact that it was my friend on stage. Throw in a few beers to the equation and I was floating by the end of her performance. It was spectacular to see Lauren. For anyone who knows her, she's doing great and has probably forgotten all about you.

Upon returning to Changsha, my family came to visit me the very next day. It was great to see them, but it was a stressful time as well. My Chinese wasn't good enough for me to act as a proper guide through the mean streets of China. I mean, I know enough for myself, but it's the difference between speaking Chinese well enough to tell a cab driver "Go Left, Go Right" and having to tell a second cab driver detailed instructions. There is a huge difference between these two scenarios and it was enough to give me a annuerism. I took a few days to fly with my parents and sisters to Beijing. One nice thing about having the family here is that I tend to save a lot of money and reap the benefits of luxury.

Beijing was cool. I've been there before, but got to do a few things that I missed the first time around. I went to the "Forbidden City", which is a gigantic palace, dating back hundreds of years, that can be found in the middle of Beijing, a huge and thriving city. It's hard to imagine such a place in New York, or Chicago. I also got to see the preserved body of Chairman Mao. I guess I just don't understand that form of memorial, or celebration. Putting aside the fact that it's fucking creepy, it also seems like the last thing I'd want for people to remember me by. I guess I just keep thinking this neo-mummification is sort of cheap, like it's a Mao mascot or something. I don't really want to see George Washington's body on display like a carnival side show.

Well, I guess that's going to be Part 1

The rest will be posted shortly. I demand to know who still reads this. You must comment.

-T