The Year of the Pig

While we still had the chance, Kim, his wife, Kyle, and I went to see Mao's dead body and got up really early this morning to visit Mao's Mausoleum. When we got there, there was a long queue of other morbid onlookers waiting to get a glimpse of this womanizer. Fortunately, the queue moved quickly and I was able to see his right side basking under a heat lamp, enclosed in a class coffin like a show piece at a museum, in ten seconds. I went back in line that stretched out for a great distance around the mausoleum to get a ten second glimpse of his left side.

We took the subway back to Wudaokou, then transferred onto a bus to take us to Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace). This time, we went to have a look at the most popular area of the ruins and took the North East entrance but then we realised that we had to pay for admission. To get around this problem, Kyle and I took the back route and hopped over a low fence to breach entry. While we were able to, Kim's wife couldn't conceive doing such a thing, so sadly, Kim stayed behind with his wife while the two of us continued forth.

When I went to see Ludo give a speech at the Bookworm, I was introduced to another CSer by the name of Daniel, and he had invited me out to his reunion dinner party on the eve of Chinese New Year. I brought Kyle along to the gathering in Sihuidong, which couldn't have been further away from Wudaokou. I was surprised to meet so many Singaporeans there, all schoolmates of one another.

The party went off to a good start as we found ourselves quickly integrating with the friendly and social Singaporeans with introductions. The home-cooked food that was served moments later was a treat! Before long, we were out in the courtyard of the apartment complex, lighting off Chinese firecrackers along with the rest of the country. With everyone out lighting these explosives into the midnight sky, it was like WW3 had begun. And this went on for hours on end. Watch the video!

It was like nothing I've ever seen.





Chinese New Year 2007 Marathon


Chinese New Year 2007 Bombardment

Ludo @ The Bookworm!

CouchSurfers, Hospitality Club members, and friends:

It has been a while since there was a formal CS/HC get-together and as our numbers are growing so fast in town, it is about time for another chance to see who's joining the fold, meet new faces, and keep the strong community vibe alive! Mark this event on your calendars:

----------------
CS/HC Gathering & Speaker Event
Monday February 12th 6.30pm, Free

6.30-7.30pm Pre-event social: CS/HC members Gathering
7.30-9.30pm Speaker Event: Hitch-Hitchiking the World in 5 Years

The Bookworm
Building 4, Sanlitun Nan Jie, Chaoyang
6586.9507

----------------
On January 1, 2003 Ludovic Hubler stuck out his thumb in Strasbourg, France, and he has been hitchhiking around the world ever since. Varying his means of transportation from camel-back across the Sahara to Scientific Ice-breaker ships in Antarctica, 5 continents and 120,000km in Ludovic continues his journey having not spent a single penny on transportation. A frequent lecturer at schools, communities, and conferences, Ludovic will be sharing his reflections on a variety of issues from globalisation & environmental issues to more personal reflections & lessons learned on the road. Do not miss this one time only event in Beijing featuring a remarkable speaker.

Ludovic Hubler's website

CCTV media coverage (Shanghai)

An interview with Ludovic Hubler

Beijing Museum of Tap Water.

I bought coupon books from a group-buy Squid had arranged a little while back and as I was flipping through the pages of savings towards museum admissions of all sorts, I came across a free admission coupon for the Beijing Museum of Tap Water. "There's a museum of tap water?!" I said to myself with a whimsical and quizzical look on my face.

So for the sole purpose of wanting to write an interesting blog about the Beijing Museum of Tap Water, I had organised a group of friends to join me for an outing.

In an obscure part of town, we finally located this obscure water museum surrounded by dry soil, dead plants, and a lawn of dead grass too late for any amount of water for revival. As lawn decorations, large sections of water pumps, turbines, and plumbing were placed sporadically about the place.

Inside the actual museum, there were interesting displays of how this place supplied water to the Forbidden City in the ancient past, and how water is supplied and distributed around Beijing at present. But despite all the heavy machinery used to purify, sanitise, and filtrate particles at a microscopic level, the water that comes out of the tap is still not fit for human consumption. Pair that with the constant threat of a water shortage and Beijing's got itself in hot water, pun intended.

With all the new developments in and around Beijing as it gears up for the undeserving 2008 Olympics, the city muddies the waters, both literally and figuratively speaking. I hope city planners and government officials aren't treading water around this growing concern, and find the strength to chart through uncharted waters. Come hell or high water, they're going to find themselves like a fish out of water if they continue to treat this issue like it's water under the bridge.

Paulaner's.

I'd been itching for some German food for some time now, but unfortunately, Beijing has yet to develop a more diverse cultural palette itself. After speaking with Scott about where to go for authenticity and quality, we decided to give Paulaner's a taste test. After calling several friends over for dinner, we were all set for our Bratwurst orgy.

And authentic it was! Paulaner's was nestled within the Luftansa Business Complex right next to the BMW Showroom. Not only was it a restaurant, but it also served as Paulaner's very own beer microbrewery!

My currywurst was a treat with just enough curry spice on the outside, and the just enough juiciness in the inside. With Paulaner's home-brew beer, the bill for myself alone came to around 120 RMB, slightly on the expensive side compared to price:quantity ratio you would expect at Chinese restaurants here, but the experience of biting into something from the motherland and sharing this experience with friends was worth every kuai.

Before Sunrise/After Sunset.

When I first moved into my apartment back in August of 2006, it really didn't look like much. With the bare walls, drab curtains, iron secondary gate, and cold florescent light-bulbs hanging from the ceiling, it resembled something like a prison cell.

Fortunately, IKÉA was there to help with a store just 30 minutes away and with my minimalist zen sensibilities, I managed to convert my living space from drab to fab! Here's a list of items I bought to make my flat a warm, functional, and convenient place to call home:

- FLARKE/KILBY Bookshelf ¥299.00
- GRAM Candle dish ¥7.90
- GOSA GOTT Pillow ¥49.00
- GLIMMA Tealights ¥49.00
- LAGIS Mouse pad ¥3.90
- HALLARE Tealight holder ¥39.00
- FLORERA Block candle ¥19.90
- DOKUMENT Pen cup ¥6.90
- HEJ Tealight holder ¥1.90
- TROFE Mug ¥2.90
- ROTERA Lantern for tealight ¥29.00
- LETTEN Squeegee ¥5.00
- TINDRA Scented tealights ¥29.00
- ALVINE STRA Quilt cover and 2 pillowcases ¥299.00
- BAGN Bed tray ¥29.00
- SPARSAM Energy-saving bulb ¥79.00
- ESPRESSIVO Work lamp ¥59.00
- ORGEL Pendant lamp shade ¥39.00
- ORGEL VRETEN Floor lamp ¥249.00
- BITS Magnetic board ¥49.00
- MYSA FROST Quilt ¥199.00
- JONISK Floor lamp ¥249.00
- SVALKA Red wine glass ¥49.00
- GOPA/RIBBA Frame ¥39.00
- NYTTJA Frame ¥15.00
- GENIAL Liquefying candle ¥12.90
- HOJTA Place mat ¥5.00
- DOFTA Potpourri ¥5.90
- KARENS Vase ¥49.00
- SMYCKA Dried bouquet ¥9.90

Back to Fragrant Hills Park.

My second visit to Fragrant Hills Park was just as fun as my first with Kim. The hike up the hill was just as gruelling too, which would imply that my level of fitness hadn't improved. What was a little humiliating as we were climbing the hill was when old grannies over took us while we took numerous breaks along the way.

Thinking that we could shave off a few minutes from the paved path, Squid, his co-worker, RANDOM0RAMBLER, Kim, and I all took a path less travelled further up, which required some actual rock climbing and gravel walking. But from all the huffing and puffing from our strenuous climb, I think it actually took us a little longer than those who took the pavement with railings to the same scenic lookout.

Out in the distance and through the dense smog of pollution, we could see the Summer Palace, Zhongguancun, and the CCTV tower. The air atop the hill wasn't all that fresh either. Further up the hill, we were able to see even further out over the ridges of other hills, and to my disgust, I saw coal burning power plants and smoke stacks nestled in the valley. It's hard to find beauty here.

RANDOM0RAMBER got his first lessons in Putonghua on this hike as he kept pressing everyone how to say certain words, most of which were insults and swear words. That's how most people get their start in any new language.

In the parks, there were peculiar looking tree stumps scattered all over the place along the pathway, almost blending in with the surrounding nature. With a large hole made to look like a knot in a tree that fell out, RANDOM0RAMBLER and I saw it as a strange tele-transporter, and we were out to look for our Happy Tree Friends. Upon closer examination, we swung the hatch door open and found a rubbish bin concealed inside. The joke was on us.