Scaredy Cat, Scaredy Cat / Shenzhen, China

With time ticking away, two completed trips to the top of Victoria Peak and several belly fulls of authentic Chinese cruisine (which will remained unnamed as I am not totally sure what it some of it was?)

50 minute subway to Shenzhen SEZ (Special Economic Zone) and the border point at which to enter Mainland China. Almost sounds exciting doesn't it? Think again.

This city that has long been regarded as an ugly, business-oriented and souless kit town. I am not even remotely thinking of arguing with that. What I will say is that I am always up for an adventure and it was here that I first ate chicken feet (a bit chewy, but otherwise not too bad), saw the first McDonald's to open in Mainland China (wow) and received the most sensational massage/haircut, with emphasis on the massage (NO, not THAT kind of massage) that I will probably ever receive over the course of two hours for the paltry sum of $3.

I arrived early in the day and and while marching around the enormous bus/train station was approached by a overly friendly and ambitious Chinese dude (you gotta watch out for those guys since most everyone else I met wanted nothing to do with me). He helped me find the right bus (harder than it sounds since everything is in Chinese and the foreign phrase section of my Lonely Planet just wasn't cuttin' it). I ended up working out a deal with him to show me around for the day in exchange for about $10 which considering all that I got done and that I didn't want to spend the next 8 hours waiting in the station it turned out to be worth it.

Aside from the 3 points I mentioned above there was the market. Ah, yes, I always seem gravitate towards the markets. I don't what it is about things that are both 'nasty' and 'edible'. Might have something to do with my fondness for Fear Factor, but who knows.
He's saying "yes, and here's the mainland's first McDonalds" and I'm saying "So yeah, that's great and all....but could you show me where the dog market is, I wanna see the dog market". He happily oblidged and before I knew it we were traipsing through another festering maze of pungent produce and raw meat of every description (or lack thereof). I've got a pretty strong stomach when it comes to this kind of thing, but this time it was a little different cuz it was pretty hot that day and I was wearing shorts and sandals so with every step I could feel the gentle splattering of whatever it was that made up the indescribable slop on the ground. Not too appealing, but whatever. Sadly as it turns out we were too late; all the dogs and snakes had sold out...hmmmm popular item? Of course there was no shortage of the regular fare like squawking chickens, geese, and squealing pigs, plus a bonus array of pigeons, turtles and even some caged up kitties...yeah it's not just a rumor and no I didn't eat one (that I'm aware of). When it was said and done I got back to the bus on time and was on my way inland to a little place called Yangshou.

Dim Sum & Den Some / Hong Kong

I'm sure most of you have heard the expression 'what a difference a day makes' right? Well, I'm a little further down the long and winding path which I have chosen and there have been 12 such days since the last time I was able to update this site. For some unknown reason I was unable to access the blog at any point in mainland China...which is a shame, because since then...uh, I've had several things to report (by several, I mean..about 500!!!). The following will be my best attempt at summing them up in a relatively entertaining fashion while simultaneously trying to preserve my fingers and your eyes by not making it too painfully long and/or breaking it up in several shorter doses. Having said that, you'll be pleased to hear since leaving Japan I have not seen (or heard) any sign from the girl in "The Grudge".

Ni Hoa Hong Kong! A city of contrasts and almost 7 million people, where 60 year old motorcycle taxis rattle along side late model Ferraris competing for space in a buzzing metropolis that has long since used up that resource. I made my flight, crashed in the airport and hopped the first bus into Tsim Sha Tsui, the 'backpacker ghetto' of Central Kowloon, checked into a 'luxurious suite' got cleaned up and headed out to explore. What I found was a the closest thing I think the Chinese have to New York City. With an inescapable blend of glittery store fronts, modern high rises, crumbling apartment blocks and dusty neon signs. Cars honking, music blaring, people yelling, the smells of a dozen noodle shops and bakeries wafting through the air, it's nothing less than a bombardment of the senses! I could go on forever really, but I won't.

If you ever get a chance, go there, see for yourself, wander the streets, take a tram, eat dim sum where the menu is ONLY in Chinese and definitely get to the top of Victoria Peak so you can peer down from the viewpoint (1810ft above sea level) at one of the most breath taking cityscapes on the planet!

ps. If you can, take your better half.

PHOTOS>>>PHOTOS>>>PHOTOS

Ok, it took me 3 hours in a Hong Kong cyber cafe, but I've done it and there are pictures waiting for eyeballs...so make haste and click on the link below to see some things that I have so far.

Please note, the pictures will get better as we go along, but then I guess that's the idea. Hope you like'em...be sure to read the 'titles' and 'descriptions' for a little irreverant insight.

Word!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotobot/

From "The Grudge" to Hong Kong

Japan, a city that resembles a perpetually moving keleidascope of neon lit advertisements, flashing street signs and glittery store fronts, with about a 13 million people thrown into the spin just for good measure. Yeah, yeah...so there are a lot of people...no, you don't understand...there are A LOT OF PEOPLE, everywhere, at all times...except when you're shuffling thru the dodgy alleyway late at night in search of your hostel, then it's just you...and the girl from "The Grudge" I have imagined is following me wherever I go just to keep things that much more interesting.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa- aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa - aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa- aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ha ha, seriously my dorm room in Tokyo was just like the bedroom in the movie and I swear I heard that little kid's feet pitter-pattering back and forth. I didn't lift the panel in the ceiling to look, I mean, I might be crazy, but I'm not stupid...ok, I am a little stupid, but not THAT stupid.

It wasn't bad, until I was all alone in the cavernous dimly lit bowels of Narita airport at 2am...I was in the washroom and had all but forgotten that greasy haired little stalker... (yes, you will have had to seen to movie for this to be even remotely amusing.) Then as if by que, over the sound the automatic hand dryer I heard her...Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa - aaaaaaaa - aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

It was coming from one of the bathroom stalls...I didn't go and check. Quite the opposite...I slip slided my socked feet out the door, around the corner and down the shadowy corridor, toothbrush in hand, bolting until I got back to my bed (ie. row of chairs) and that was that...there were a few other people around and she crawls really slow so I figured she wouldn't try anything. Feeeewwww, that was a close one!!!

Ok, so back to reality, for every sq. km in Japan there are 328 people. PER KM! is that even possible, so that's like a person every 3 feet...here's where the 'people everywhere, all the time wherever you go' idea really fleshes out. You won't really get it until your standing in the middle of it, and I did and well, that's enough for now...less internet, more world.

I'm now in Hong Kong...ah yes HK...where the air is crisp and grey and there is a lingering scent of freshly cooked...ass...uh, I'm not sure, but yeah I think that may very well be slow cooked ass. I'm off to investigate, I'll get back to you soon.

Japanimation Station

I`m not gonna lie to ya, Tokyo is a little bit of good...and a little bit of bad. Good, being the frenetic rainbow colored buzz that is all around you and appears to be the lifeblood of this attention hungry metropolis. And bad because from what I can tell, central Tokyo is just one enormous smear of shopping outlets and restaurants connected by a million multicolored train lines...which after two days of endless walking has long since lost it‘s appeal . Having said that, I`m giving Tokyo the benefit of the doubt, because I did walk by an art museum and there was that trip to the zoo yesterday afternoon so I`ll have to make a point to come back one day with a travel guide, a japanese phrase book and a backpack full of yen!!!

Ok, so by this time you should be getting used to the idea that this blog is about as far away from formal as it gets and if you have ever heard me talk, this is about as close to it as you`re going to come for the time being...so with that in mind here are a few excerpts from my personal `Tokyo Conclusions` list.

1. If one chooses to embark on a journey around the world with limited funds, one should NOT choose to start that journey in Tokyo, it`s far too spendy!

2. Cellphones here make ours look utterly prehistoric! Don`t believe me, have a look for yourself...I spent a full half hour playing with them knowing full well I can`t have one...grrrr!
http://900i.nttdocomo.co.jp/main.html (btw. this shows about 8 of the 200 or so you can choose from.

3. Useful things like internet cafes, money exchangers and information kiosks are well hidden while `gentlman`s clubs`, beer dispensers and plinko arcades are on top of you at every turn!

4. Muji, the Japanese answer to Ikea is the greatest thing ever created...I discovered it a few years ago when it made a few things now it`s expanded into making literally EVERYTHING from underpants to washing machines to pre-packaged ice cream cones (which aren`t as bad as you might think though the cone was squishy...is that bad?). I wandered around the six floor superstore for a half hour lamenting the fact I couldn`t buy the hyper condensed cardboard mechano-like DIY shelf unit they had for sale...trust me, it`s very cool...look for it in my studio one day. I did buy a journal book tho, if nothing else I`ll have room to write about the first time I visited the Muji store in Tokyo. http://store.muji.net/ Honestly, I want my life to look like the Muji store.

5. Unfortunately my life resembles more closely a Japanese shopping mall. Full of lots of people on varying levels, a bevy of possible routes to take and many, many other wonderful things. However once I`ve grown weary of it all I can`t seem to find my way out...no I`m serious, how do you say..."Where is motherfuckin` exit?" in Japanese?

6. Green tea buns and curry noodle cups are good. Octopus candy and Japanese corn dogs on not. That`ll learn me huh?

7. One does not need to be here long to encounter a thousand distinct fashion groups, some more risky than others. People of a different culture expressing themselves by the way they dress, accessorize and style their hair. I am toootally cool with that, really!

However, Japanese men who take it upon themselves to become walking interpretations of Rolling Stone (heroin chic) rock legend Kieth Richards should be beaten with the fat end of a guitar, no better yet, they should be bludgeoned several yucalayleys (and no, I don`t know how to spell that). I mean, there are far too many styles to choose from for dudes to be rockin` steel toed cowboy boots, tight ripped jeans, loose frilly silk shirts and 10 pounds of silver all stuffed into child sized velvet blazer and iced with a rediculous frock of poofy dyed hair. I mean, C`mon, are you kiddin` me? Why not dress like something cool...maybe a ninja, yeah that sounds good.

I have found the samurai outfit store, but tomorrow I`ll have to find out where all the ninjas get their gear.

K, that`s all for now, tomorrow I`m headed to Hong Kong so I may have a thing or two to say...

Moshi Moshi

So after months of waiting, preparing and anticipating I finally set in motion the next big trip. First stop Tokyo, Japan home to endless noodle cups, ever present beer vending machines and sailor moon!

I arrived at around 1am Vancouver time so I after 10 hours on the plane I was feeling a bit sluggish, but I rustled some `happy to be off the plane` enthusiasm and headed for the city, which to my surprise was a little harder to do since I can`t read japanese!? ...I mean a few subtitles here and there would have been nice, but no worries. I made my way to the labyrinth train map, nailed down the route I needed to take to get the city and more importantly a bed/shower and used my vast knowledge of the japanese language to ensure I boarded the appropiate train. In other words I said `hello`, followed by a lot of smiling and pointing. It did the trick and after an hour and half of rolling through the misty suburbs of Tokyo arrived dead center of what I will now refer to as `mini-land`, everything... vehicles, phone booths, restaurants, drinks, meals, even this darn keyboard have all be shrunken...my guess is so they can fit more into the city, but that`s just a guess. So I did find my way to the hostel, not the one I was looking for, but nevermind that. After getting over the initial horror of what things cost here I did my best to speak japanese...all 5 words that I know (since I have yet to meet someone who speaks english, again it`s a lot of smiling and pointing).

I did manage to ignore the temptation to order some food from McDonalds in spite of being very nearly too hungry to play the `choosing what to eat by the picture on the package` game which for the record is harder to do than it sounds. I mean, sure there may very well be a donkey and an egg on that package, but that does not mean that it contains any trace of donkey OR egg. I got away with curry noodle bowl, strawberry yorgurt and a mini loaf of bread that tasted more like a donut. Hmmm, I wonder what the donuts taste like?

Ok, so it`s about 7am here and I`m off to explore and hopefully find my way back. There was no way for me to get pics onto this computer so ur going to have to wait for that part. Stay tuned, more to come. Sy-o-nar-ya

Who's Behind the Lens?

Originally uploaded by fotobot.

Picture of me at my hotel in Bac Ha, North Vietnam. February 2004

So where am I going with all this?

Around the World in 80 days, but how exactly? Good question, one I am continually asking myself. I do have something of a plan though I'm certain it will change at least a little along the way. So with no further adue, here is the rough breakdown of the countries I plan on visiting with links to the maps of each place. They are as follows:

Japan, China, Loas, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, England, Scotland, Ireland

Procrastination Station

So yeah, I admit it I was a tad under anxious to get my passport replaced (ie. wait until the last week to do anything about it), but in typical ty style I wasn't worried because I knew that for an extra $30 I could speed the process along in my favor and have a document in 24 hours...or so I thought.

Of course just to make things interesting Murphy's Law reared it's ugly head and put a serious kink in my over zealous plan. I am not going to get right down to the sorted details, however, what I will say about the whole undesirable scenario is learn from my mistake and take care of this waaay before you need to. Still, in retrospect I have to admit it was somewhat amusing (if not rediculous). The 24 hours, much to my horror became 4 days which if I hadn't changed my ticket from this Monday to this coming Thursday I would be straight up f#%ked come border/customs time...repeat after me "NO TRIP FOR YOU!!!"

The good news is my passort has arrived (before they said it would) and I am pretty much on schedule to make this acutally happen. So it's t-minus 3 days and counting before I jet and it's beginning to really sink in that I'm really going...oh my gawd, oh my gawd, OH MY GAWD!

The question is now, can I make it the whole way?

Stay tuned, it's going to be long and interesting haul peppered with colorful blogs and tale telling photos.