And my blog has moved to www.kailukoff.com!
I now have my own domain name and a WordPress site, fancy schmancy. No seriously, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to blog. Beats blogger, hands down. Ask me if you have any questions.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Do Work Son!
Kai too has entered the ranks of the gainfully employed! Last week, I started working at a small internet startup in Shanghai called BloggerInsight as a Market Research Analyst. We do market intelligence by crowd sourcing opinions from bloggers. In short, Western clients (web businesses) pay us to answer their questions about the Chinese market. We create an internal forum for bloggers to provide analysis, the best of which we package into a report for the client. In turn, we compensate the bloggers for their contributions. It works because Western firms cannot connect to the grassroots web community (particularly in China) while bloggers struggle to monetize their expertise. <But it's almost more accurate to say that I work for a dynamic duo that incubates startups: Lucas and Markus, young American and Austrian entreprenuers, respectively. Their model is to run a website for a few months to test for traction. If it doesn't take off, it's off to the next one. Startups are generally launched under the larger Web2Asia umbrella, a larger company co-founded by Markus. One startup recently launched in China is called 88dishes, a localized edition of Mjam, a growing online restaurant-order service in Europe. So while BloggerInsight is a primary project, there's always more on the burner.
True to internet form, the work environment is delightfully casual. The boss came in jeans and flip-flops on my first day and things start at a comfortable 9:30am. The office is called 88spaces, a "co-working space for hackers, techies, creatives, entrepreneurs and independents. A creative hub where you can work independently, together with other like minded people." Plus, there's a comfy Ikea sofa and an Xbox on the way. This job has me reaching for the internet startup Kool-Aid.
Finally, I’ve settled into a new apartment with two solid British friends, Max and Will. The apartment is comfy, but poorly insulated, so I dread the Shanghai winter. Despite the cold, I plan to spend a couple more years out in China... and so far so good!
Monday, August 24, 2009
The Family Travels East
One year into my self-inflicted exile, my family came out to visit for three weeks. The timing was perfect: I had just concluded my year of Chinese studies JiaoTong University and since returning to Shanghai have just started working at an internet startup (which will be the topic of my next post). My family and I shared wonderful travels through Shanghai, Guilin, Hong Kong, and Bali. See photos!Shanghai
My parents are not city people and had low expectations for Shanghai. Fortunately, we were able to exceed them. My father had imagined China as more of a police state (based on his travels to Russia, and other former Soviet-bloc nations), while my mother appreciated a window into my local life here:
- Dinner my Chinese friends, at which we introduced them to fortune cookies, which are never offered in Chinese Chinese restaurants.
- The $1 麻辣 (numbing spicy) soup restaurant I frequent.
- Neighborhood scenes of men strolling the streets in pajamas accompanied by the evening sounds of Chinese instruments.
- The Urban Planning Museum, with a detailed model of the entire city
- The Shanghai Museum, with an outstanding collection of jade carvings
- And Suzhou, the nearby city of many gardens, in support of my father’s dream of constructing a Japanese rock garden in our backyard at home; he’s on a mission to survey all kinds of shrubs and boulders.
- We sampled a diverse range of Chinese food from Shanghai, Sichuan, Taiwan, Dongbei (Northeast), Canton, and Xinjiang; we ate our way through China.
Guilin
I've been disappointed in a few previous travels through China (see the "Rural China" entry), but the Guilin area was a stunner. It's known for its soaring karst limestone peaks, which look like they were lifted from a Dr. Seuss book. The Chinese say Guilin 山水甲天下 (Guilin's scenery is number one in the world!).
We escaped the crowds by staying tiny town of Xingping instead of the tourist traps of Guilin city or Yangshuo. Days were filled with leisurely bike rides through the countryside amongst citrus orchards, farmers employing water buffalo to plow their rice fields, and sleepy towns with residents peering out of their cool abodes with curiosity to inspect the passing foreigners. One evening at dusk we went out with a cormorant fisherman to see his flock of diving birds shoot below the water like feathered torpedoes to zero in on hapless fish. Similar to rural TaoYan, we were also able to convince a few rural families to cook for us. Chinese country food is the best: simple dishes with fresh vegetables and little oil or sketchy meat. It’s a shame that's so hard to find in Shanghai.
Hong Kong
My first trip to Hong Kong was but a three-day affair consumed primarily by visa issues, a classic headache for young foreigners in China. While in Hong Kong, we stayed in a run-down labyrinth in Kowloon known as the ChungKing Mansions, also the setting for Wong Kar-wai's Amélie-esque 1994 film, The Chungking Express. The upside to the sketchy surroundings was that I had a handful of futuristic-looking Hong Kong Dollars left over to gorge on the scrumptious, authentic Indian/Pakistani food joints found in the "Mansions." In the end, the visa was successfully sorted (I’m in China as a German citizen) and Hong Kong makes it onto my "revisit in further detail" list.
Bali
We realized my mother's lifelong dream of visiting Bali. The scenery was, like Guilin, criminally beautiful. The sub-tropical climate ensured lush forests and rice terraces brimming with water. One walk through a mountain range led us through fragrant coffee plantations, clove trees, pineapple plants, and other tropical flora and fauna. My favorite stretch of transportation was a one-day bike ride drifting down from one of the island's tallest volcanoes. Along the way, we stopped off to peek in on scenes of local life, such as villagers preparing a ritual feast: butchering chickens, mashing chili peppers, and making banten, the daily offerings to Hindu gods. A few sunny days were also spent on the beach, including two scuba dives over the 130-meter wreck of a U.S. ship, torpedoed by the Japanese in WWII. While the fish and corals weren't on par with Honduras or Thailand, it was the best wreck I've ever dove.
Bali also boasts the inviting islander mentality befitting of a vacation destination. Locals spent lazy hours on the porch stroking their cocks, preparing the birds for the evening fights held at local temples. Bali recalls a simpler, contented life that I could never live. China lacks Bali's restfulness; it's home instead to furnaces firing out relentless progress and pollution.
In Conclusion
It was an unforgettable family vacation. My parents my parents' energy and openness to new experiences as they age astounds me! My sister is a riot as always. Definitely a memory to cherish, it had been too long apart. Next time in South America to visit Maya & the Incas!!!
Coming soon: my next post will be on my working life in Shanghai. As an aside, I'll likely be back to the U.S. (Petaluma, CA bay area) in February—clear your calendars!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Rural China
Jimmy and I decided to explore, which always foreshadows good times. We had no destination or plan, except for a desire to find rural China. It was by far my best trip yet.
Frankly, I’d been disappointed in my previous travels in China. My travels had all, with the lone exception of Wuyishan (see earlier entry), been to major cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou). I’m sick of sites that are so packed shoulder-to-shoulder, full of large tourist groups with flags and loudspeakers. Nor am I a fan of artificial nature (lakes, gardens, and concrete “rock” formations, “supplemented” by chirpy music emanating from speakers). Part of the problem is also that I cannot always appreciate the historical and cultural significance of sites, and the English explanations are poor.
But most Chinese and I also have different ideas about what makes for good travels. Even the tourist information center found it hysterical that we wanted to go to a rural place, one without too many people: “What is there to do there? Besides, that’s simply not safe, what will you eat?” Others advised us: “But that town is so small! Go to Yiwu, there are so many people there, even black ones!”
HuiHang GuDao（徽杭古道）
Fortunately, our trip started with a bang. That is, we played Mafia (called or hitman in Chinese) for several hours, with a wonderful group of five young Chinese professionals we met on the overnight train: Andrew, Helen, Eric, Sarah, and Constantine. They were kind enough to allow us to crash their hiking and camping expedition. Early the next morning, we stepped off the train to join our new friends on their adventure.
The HuiHang GuDao (the Anhui to Hangzhou Ancient Trail) is a path pioneered by a famous “Chinese capitalist-man” of yore to trade his tea. The trail wound through green mountains shrouded in mist, eventually arriving at a designated camping site where we pitched our tents. The evening was a lively one. We had a scrumptious meal, roasted bread over it, and sang songs around the campfire. For a short time, we also joined an adjacent party of university students who were roasting a goat on a spit. They also played “Truth or Dare,” though their game was tame by Western standards: dares included “Ask the foreigners to participate” and “Guy and girl must hug.”
It was two days of constant Chinese speaking practice, and our friends patiently tolerated our many mistakes. We discussed everything from Tang Dynasty poetry and Jared Diamond to US-China relations and dystopias. See photos.
Greetings from the YaoLin (瑶琳) Police Force
After parting with our friends, we headed off to a beautiful area of China (Tonglu County, in Zhejiang Province, southwest of Shanghai), determined to find another spot to hike and camp. Our first night upon arrival in YaoLin, however, we checked into a budget hotel. After wandering the tourist town and eating dinner, we returned to an uproar at the hotel. Apparently, foreigners are not permitted to stay at hotels in this town, a law which I erroneously thought had been abolished in China.
We paid a visit to the local police station to clarify our overnight accommodations. It took six sleepy police officers to enter our passport and visa information into the computer (“What month is July?”). After 1.5 hours, the police van drove us to a new hotel across the street from our original hotel, where we repeated the entering of passport/visa info routine for another hour. Four more policemen joined in on the “action”—perhaps this is how the government keeps the Chinese masses employed? Then the hotel boss joined us and distributed fancy cigarettes to all, a fitting China ending to the evening.
TaoYuan（桃源）
The next day, we took a gamble on a town at the end of the road. The tiny village of TaoYuan turned out to be a great find. There’s a meadow for camping, hiking in the hills, a babbling brook, and a nearby reservoir, good for fishing and pneumonia-inducing swimming. We also befriended some villagers who invited us for dinner. 
The dishes were local, vegetarian, and tasty: bracken and fresh garlic, bamboo, cabbage, green beans, and peanuts, all whipped up in a large wood-fire heated wok. We were invited to return anytime and plan to visit again soon.
In the evenings, my pyromaniac travel companion would light a healthy fire, over which I would roast a simple bread of flour, baking powder, and water. We topped it off with some honey that we had purchased in the village, fresh from the comb. It was a sweet trip. See photos.
CD Offer—Limited Time Only!
“Jimmy & Kai’s Excellent Adventure,” is yours for $19.99 plus tax. Tracks include:
• Stinky Shoes Blues
• Ain’t No Party Like a Roast Goat Party
• I Shot the Sheriff, but I did not Shoot no Jimmy
• Zhe ge Waga Baga of Mine, I’m Going to let it Shine
• Zhe ge Kending Keyi Chi
• The World’s Greatest [Hiking/Roasting/Thwacking Stick]
Order in the next ten minutes and I’ll even throw in a free AutoRoaster 3000, which will simultaneously roast up to 3 breads over the fire (a $79 value).
Frankly, I’d been disappointed in my previous travels in China. My travels had all, with the lone exception of Wuyishan (see earlier entry), been to major cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou). I’m sick of sites that are so packed shoulder-to-shoulder, full of large tourist groups with flags and loudspeakers. Nor am I a fan of artificial nature (lakes, gardens, and concrete “rock” formations, “supplemented” by chirpy music emanating from speakers). Part of the problem is also that I cannot always appreciate the historical and cultural significance of sites, and the English explanations are poor.
But most Chinese and I also have different ideas about what makes for good travels. Even the tourist information center found it hysterical that we wanted to go to a rural place, one without too many people: “What is there to do there? Besides, that’s simply not safe, what will you eat?” Others advised us: “But that town is so small! Go to Yiwu, there are so many people there, even black ones!”
HuiHang GuDao（徽杭古道）
Fortunately, our trip started with a bang. That is, we played Mafia (called or hitman in Chinese) for several hours, with a wonderful group of five young Chinese professionals we met on the overnight train: Andrew, Helen, Eric, Sarah, and Constantine. They were kind enough to allow us to crash their hiking and camping expedition. Early the next morning, we stepped off the train to join our new friends on their adventure.
The HuiHang GuDao (the Anhui to Hangzhou Ancient Trail) is a path pioneered by a famous “Chinese capitalist-man” of yore to trade his tea. The trail wound through green mountains shrouded in mist, eventually arriving at a designated camping site where we pitched our tents. The evening was a lively one. We had a scrumptious meal, roasted bread over it, and sang songs around the campfire. For a short time, we also joined an adjacent party of university students who were roasting a goat on a spit. They also played “Truth or Dare,” though their game was tame by Western standards: dares included “Ask the foreigners to participate” and “Guy and girl must hug.”
It was two days of constant Chinese speaking practice, and our friends patiently tolerated our many mistakes. We discussed everything from Tang Dynasty poetry and Jared Diamond to US-China relations and dystopias. See photos.Greetings from the YaoLin (瑶琳) Police Force
After parting with our friends, we headed off to a beautiful area of China (Tonglu County, in Zhejiang Province, southwest of Shanghai), determined to find another spot to hike and camp. Our first night upon arrival in YaoLin, however, we checked into a budget hotel. After wandering the tourist town and eating dinner, we returned to an uproar at the hotel. Apparently, foreigners are not permitted to stay at hotels in this town, a law which I erroneously thought had been abolished in China.
We paid a visit to the local police station to clarify our overnight accommodations. It took six sleepy police officers to enter our passport and visa information into the computer (“What month is July?”). After 1.5 hours, the police van drove us to a new hotel across the street from our original hotel, where we repeated the entering of passport/visa info routine for another hour. Four more policemen joined in on the “action”—perhaps this is how the government keeps the Chinese masses employed? Then the hotel boss joined us and distributed fancy cigarettes to all, a fitting China ending to the evening.
TaoYuan（桃源）
The next day, we took a gamble on a town at the end of the road. The tiny village of TaoYuan turned out to be a great find. There’s a meadow for camping, hiking in the hills, a babbling brook, and a nearby reservoir, good for fishing and pneumonia-inducing swimming. We also befriended some villagers who invited us for dinner. 
The dishes were local, vegetarian, and tasty: bracken and fresh garlic, bamboo, cabbage, green beans, and peanuts, all whipped up in a large wood-fire heated wok. We were invited to return anytime and plan to visit again soon.In the evenings, my pyromaniac travel companion would light a healthy fire, over which I would roast a simple bread of flour, baking powder, and water. We topped it off with some honey that we had purchased in the village, fresh from the comb. It was a sweet trip. See photos.
CD Offer—Limited Time Only!
“Jimmy & Kai’s Excellent Adventure,” is yours for $19.99 plus tax. Tracks include:• Stinky Shoes Blues
• Ain’t No Party Like a Roast Goat Party
• I Shot the Sheriff, but I did not Shoot no Jimmy
• Zhe ge Waga Baga of Mine, I’m Going to let it Shine
• Zhe ge Kending Keyi Chi
• The World’s Greatest [Hiking/Roasting/Thwacking Stick]
Order in the next ten minutes and I’ll even throw in a free AutoRoaster 3000, which will simultaneously roast up to 3 breads over the fire (a $79 value).
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Team ECK in SE Asia
Over the Chinese Spring Festival (mid-January to mid-February, Emily, Chloé, and Kai (Team ECK) frolicked in Thailand and Laos. See photos!
The Cast of Characters
Emily is a cheery, clever girl from London, who will occasionally burst into song and produce photo slide shows. Luxembourg is home to Europe’s second largest petrol station and Chloé Kayser. While Emily and I are more organized than not, Chloé is off the charts, so served as the de facto trip mother. When Emily located her sleeping bag one freezing morning, I wondered why Chloé was so happy, to which she replied, “We’re a team. If one of us is cold, we’re all cold.” Our team bonded fast.
Thailand
In my mind, Thailand sets the platinum standard for tourism: friendly locals and superb food, sights, and weather, all at everyday low prices. Superior to China and all the countries I’ve explored in Europe (Germany, England, Italy, Spain) and South America (Mexico, Peru, Honduras). It’s one of the few places I’ve traveled without speaking a lick of the local language (together, English, German, Spanish, and Chinese cover a good swath), yet English was ubiquitous and decades ahead of that spoken in China.
Bangkok
Bangkok is just as advertised: colorful, bustling, and seductive (and yes, beware the ladyboys). My favorite experiences: wandering side streets in the old town, stopping every block for a new snack (who knew green mango and chili would be so tasty?) and visiting a silk-making home business. It was also in Bangkok that we became addicted to MSR (Mango Sticky Rice).
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai’s temples are a sight worth seeing. To explore, we rented electric scooters (I being a scooter veteran after Honduras last summer). Emily and Chloé were initially terrified, but quickly caught on. I expect them to join the Hell’s Angels biker gang soon. There was one dicey incident of involving a one-way street—is it my bloody fault that the Thais drive on the wrong side of the road? Yet aside from a few bugs in the mouth (yum!), we escaped unscathed.
Speaking of bugs in the mouth, I also foolhardily challenged Chloé to a bug-eating contest. Never ever challenge a half-Cambodian girl to a bug-eating contest, especially not with a mango sticky rice on the line. We both persevered through six varieties (a draw), the last and largest of which was particularly gruesome. Even Emily got into the act: as I sorted the bugs, she asked, “Are your hands clean?” “No.” “Well just kidding, I’m about to eat bugs.” Bugs aside, the deliciousness continued, at even lower prices (~$2 for a full meal of pad thai, panang curry, tom ka gai soup, and MSR!). As Emily said, traveling in Thailand is like being the banker in Monopoly.
Mae Salong, Thailand
As an off-the-beaten-path excursion, we headed to Mae Saelong, a small village in the mountains of northern Thailand settled by Thai hill tribes (minority groups) and former KMT families who fled China after losing the Chinese Civil War. It was a great to surprise the villagers with our Chinese and celebrate the Chinese New Year! If you ever make it to Mae Salong, I wholeheartedly recommend the Shin Sane Guesthouse.
Mekong River
We took a two-day boat down the Mekong River, a rite of passage for backpackers in Laos. The highlight was a boat crash. I looked up from my book to see our captain yelling hysterically in Laotian, before we promptly smashed into the riverbank (the rudder had broken). We fortuitously missed the rocks by a hair, so no serious damage was done aside from a nice jolt. We spent the night on a remote bit of the Mekong river, where Emily and Chloé nearly slept in the claustrophobic arrangement of heads squashed together in the narrow end of a tiny two-person tent. Like I said, our team bonded fast.
Luang Prabang, Laos
LP boasts innumerable temples and stunning surroundings. It was by far the most photogenic of our travel destinations. At one temple, we ambushed some Chinese tourists with our language skillz. When they overcame their initial shock, the tourists remarked that I was traveling with two beautiful girls (měinü, 美女), upon which Chloé, misunderstanding beautiful girl for American girl (měiguó, 美国), replied, "I'm not [beautiful], I'm from Luxembourg!"
Unfortunately, Chloé also had to leave Team ECK at this juncture, for an unanticipated return home—our trio was down to two. I considered showering once in a while, so as not to scare off the rest (and one remaining) of my travel companions.
Vientiane, Laos
The only destination I can’t recommend. The main attraction was some massive Socialist Realist concrete monument, which even the chipper guidebook couldn’t praise, except as an architectural train wreck. It’s a sleepy capital, with a few decent riverside eateries. It was also at an eco-lodge in this area that Emily discovered a massive spider in our room. She spent the night in terror, while I slept soundly.
On the whole, I found Laos less lovely than Thailand. The locals weren’t as friendly—one constantly felt as if one was being ripped off—prices were surprisingly higher, and the food was not as tasty. We did stay on the main tourist track though.
Ko Phi Phi, Thailand
The final week of our travels was spent on the beach, next to the island where the craptastic film, “The Beach,” was filmed. While scuba diving, we spied fascinating aquamarine life: leopard and black tip reef sharks, turtles, octopi, Moray eels, squids, sea snakes, starfish, boxfish, scorpion fish, lion fish, frog fish, tuna, painted spiny lobsters, and stingrays. My favorite was a peacock mantis shrimp:
I also found my favorite beach in the world. This isolated cove boasted jungle behind and tide pools in front, with the most spectacular snorkeling I’ve ever experienced (schools of colorful fish feeding and hunting, plus deep, interlocking caves to explore). Each night was capped off with three sliced mangos, eaten under the stars, on a terrace overlooking the ocean. I miss Ko Phi Phi.
Our route: Shanghai – Guangzhou – Bangkok – Chiang Mai – Mae Salong – Mekong River – Luang Prabang – Vientianne – Bangkok – Ko Phi Phi – Bangkok – Guangzhou – Shanghai.
If Thailand is Jessica Alba—hot, delicious, and wildly popular—then China is a more enigmatic beauty—less universal in appeal and difficult to penetrate—and one that I still struggle to understand at times.
The Cast of CharactersEmily is a cheery, clever girl from London, who will occasionally burst into song and produce photo slide shows. Luxembourg is home to Europe’s second largest petrol station and Chloé Kayser. While Emily and I are more organized than not, Chloé is off the charts, so served as the de facto trip mother. When Emily located her sleeping bag one freezing morning, I wondered why Chloé was so happy, to which she replied, “We’re a team. If one of us is cold, we’re all cold.” Our team bonded fast.
ThailandIn my mind, Thailand sets the platinum standard for tourism: friendly locals and superb food, sights, and weather, all at everyday low prices. Superior to China and all the countries I’ve explored in Europe (Germany, England, Italy, Spain) and South America (Mexico, Peru, Honduras). It’s one of the few places I’ve traveled without speaking a lick of the local language (together, English, German, Spanish, and Chinese cover a good swath), yet English was ubiquitous and decades ahead of that spoken in China.
Bangkok
Bangkok is just as advertised: colorful, bustling, and seductive (and yes, beware the ladyboys). My favorite experiences: wandering side streets in the old town, stopping every block for a new snack (who knew green mango and chili would be so tasty?) and visiting a silk-making home business. It was also in Bangkok that we became addicted to MSR (Mango Sticky Rice).
Chiang Mai, ThailandChiang Mai’s temples are a sight worth seeing. To explore, we rented electric scooters (I being a scooter veteran after Honduras last summer). Emily and Chloé were initially terrified, but quickly caught on. I expect them to join the Hell’s Angels biker gang soon. There was one dicey incident of involving a one-way street—is it my bloody fault that the Thais drive on the wrong side of the road? Yet aside from a few bugs in the mouth (yum!), we escaped unscathed.
Speaking of bugs in the mouth, I also foolhardily challenged Chloé to a bug-eating contest. Never ever challenge a half-Cambodian girl to a bug-eating contest, especially not with a mango sticky rice on the line. We both persevered through six varieties (a draw), the last and largest of which was particularly gruesome. Even Emily got into the act: as I sorted the bugs, she asked, “Are your hands clean?” “No.” “Well just kidding, I’m about to eat bugs.” Bugs aside, the deliciousness continued, at even lower prices (~$2 for a full meal of pad thai, panang curry, tom ka gai soup, and MSR!). As Emily said, traveling in Thailand is like being the banker in Monopoly.Mae Salong, Thailand
As an off-the-beaten-path excursion, we headed to Mae Saelong, a small village in the mountains of northern Thailand settled by Thai hill tribes (minority groups) and former KMT families who fled China after losing the Chinese Civil War. It was a great to surprise the villagers with our Chinese and celebrate the Chinese New Year! If you ever make it to Mae Salong, I wholeheartedly recommend the Shin Sane Guesthouse.
Mekong RiverWe took a two-day boat down the Mekong River, a rite of passage for backpackers in Laos. The highlight was a boat crash. I looked up from my book to see our captain yelling hysterically in Laotian, before we promptly smashed into the riverbank (the rudder had broken). We fortuitously missed the rocks by a hair, so no serious damage was done aside from a nice jolt. We spent the night on a remote bit of the Mekong river, where Emily and Chloé nearly slept in the claustrophobic arrangement of heads squashed together in the narrow end of a tiny two-person tent. Like I said, our team bonded fast.
Luang Prabang, LaosLP boasts innumerable temples and stunning surroundings. It was by far the most photogenic of our travel destinations. At one temple, we ambushed some Chinese tourists with our language skillz. When they overcame their initial shock, the tourists remarked that I was traveling with two beautiful girls (měinü, 美女), upon which Chloé, misunderstanding beautiful girl for American girl (měiguó, 美国), replied, "I'm not [beautiful], I'm from Luxembourg!"
Unfortunately, Chloé also had to leave Team ECK at this juncture, for an unanticipated return home—our trio was down to two. I considered showering once in a while, so as not to scare off the rest (and one remaining) of my travel companions.
Vientiane, LaosThe only destination I can’t recommend. The main attraction was some massive Socialist Realist concrete monument, which even the chipper guidebook couldn’t praise, except as an architectural train wreck. It’s a sleepy capital, with a few decent riverside eateries. It was also at an eco-lodge in this area that Emily discovered a massive spider in our room. She spent the night in terror, while I slept soundly.
On the whole, I found Laos less lovely than Thailand. The locals weren’t as friendly—one constantly felt as if one was being ripped off—prices were surprisingly higher, and the food was not as tasty. We did stay on the main tourist track though.
Ko Phi Phi, ThailandThe final week of our travels was spent on the beach, next to the island where the craptastic film, “The Beach,” was filmed. While scuba diving, we spied fascinating aquamarine life: leopard and black tip reef sharks, turtles, octopi, Moray eels, squids, sea snakes, starfish, boxfish, scorpion fish, lion fish, frog fish, tuna, painted spiny lobsters, and stingrays. My favorite was a peacock mantis shrimp:
Their two [claws] are employed with blinding quickness… about the acceleration of a .22 caliber bullet. Because they strike so rapidly… even if the initial strike misses the prey, the resulting shock wave can be enough to kill or stun the prey.
Some larger species of mantis shrimp are capable of breaking through aquarium glass with a single strike.
I also found my favorite beach in the world. This isolated cove boasted jungle behind and tide pools in front, with the most spectacular snorkeling I’ve ever experienced (schools of colorful fish feeding and hunting, plus deep, interlocking caves to explore). Each night was capped off with three sliced mangos, eaten under the stars, on a terrace overlooking the ocean. I miss Ko Phi Phi.Our route: Shanghai – Guangzhou – Bangkok – Chiang Mai – Mae Salong – Mekong River – Luang Prabang – Vientianne – Bangkok – Ko Phi Phi – Bangkok – Guangzhou – Shanghai.
If Thailand is Jessica Alba—hot, delicious, and wildly popular—then China is a more enigmatic beauty—less universal in appeal and difficult to penetrate—and one that I still struggle to understand at times.
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