Tag: Travel

World Vision Cambodia

Travel

This post will be related to my work, non governmental organizations, and serving those in need. If you want to keep reading, please come sit and have some tea. 🙂

At the computer~

So I’ve been working for World Vision for the past couple of years and it has been an amazing journey. Working for one the largest relief and development organizations in the world has been extremely educational and taken my abilities to the next level. Throughout my career here, I have met some fascinating individuals and have embraced fully how World Vision approaches helping those in need.

In my experiences working in international development, I have learned that things can become very complicated. You have your massive corporations whose annual revenue surpasses more than most countries annual GDP’s. There’s a LOT of power and influence that comes to serve economic interests and growth. And at most times, this comes at the cost to those in the most need, the “poor.” Then there’s large NGO’s like Oxfam, Red Cross, World Vision, Mercy Corps, Save the Children. The mid level organizations and the “Mom and Pop” non profits, usually serving a small community. Let’s not forget the other organizations utilizing volunteers, missionaries, there are churches and there are governments too. Lots of players in the game so to speak.

Sometimes, the “people” who need to be assisted, get overwhelmed by the saturation of agencies and “help” that is brought in. Most NGO’s wants the same result. We want to see people in need get the assistance they require so that we can reduce child mortality, help people get better nutrition, proper medical care and availability and provide opportunities for growth through education, skills building and micro loans. It’s all good, but with all the various interests in the soup, are people really being helped?

What am I saying? I’m saying that, yes, there is a TON of need out there and people whose lives are meager. That’s not to say that people aren’t eating, (at least not in Cambodia), but no one is moving up. I’m saying that, “development” is complicated and isn’t the easiest process. As an anthropologist, traveler and NGO employee, I fully understand this and I know about the failures in the past, and this is what has partially inspired my journey to Asia, because, I HAVE to know that my organization, World Vision, is providing for the needs of the people. I know WV is helping immensely and has for many years. It’s my job to know about our many projects, initiatives and history. I have heard the testimonies of people who visited our work. And trust me, there are a good many success stories. But I need to know firsthand from the locals how World Vision has helped. I know in my heart people are being helped, but call me Thomas, I need to see it, I need to hear it from my brothers and sisters. My brothers and sisters in Cambodia. 🙂 For me, it would double my passion in my work for World Vision.

So I excitedly went to World Vision Cambodia today. One of our largest offices in the Southeast Asian region, our organization has been here since 1970. We assisted during the Khmer Rouge, the wars, helped in agriculture, malnutrition and primary health care and currently have 1,500 employees in the country. It was a good place to choose to explore because of our history here.

World Vision Cambodia National Office

As I entered the premises, I saw the many World Vision vehicles parked outside. 4×4’s and trucks, it was quickly realized, this isn’t a support office. 🙂

Care for a ride?

I was warmly welcomed to my appointment (more like a cool welcome since it’s already pretty warm outside ) 🙂 and was introduced to the offices visitor representative. We had a good conversation, dropping names to each other about who we both knew in the US office, talked about the work here in the nation and what my particular objectives were while in country. Then I was able to meet the National Director of World Vision Cambodia and had a very good chat with her. After my visit, I was given the opportunities to visit our projects in the “field.”

World Vision Cambodia has 38 field projects and also projects in the cities assisting those who are victims of trafficking or street children. After my visit to the office, I walked into the adjoining office of Vision Fund Cambodia, a micro finance institution birthed from World Vision. Vision fund Global currently serves over 650,000 individuals with small loans and the portfolio extends over $350,000,000. You ask what the interest rate is? Well, in Cambodia it’s 1.7-2.5 % depending on the loan. Not bad. Not bad at all.

At the Vision Fund Office. Maybe I'll get a loan for that mango farm I've been dreaming of starting...

I had a fruitful and informational talk with the banking manager and really learned that Vision Fund Cambodia is one huge success story. The mission of VF is to “provide financial services to help the poor liberate themselves from poverty.” Boy, do they do that. Some statistics to show you:

*The loan portfolio has grown from $3,445,767 in 2005 to $30,017,044 in 2010.

*The clients have grown from 25,347 in 2005 to 108,047 in 2010.

*88% are women borrowers

*Average loan size: $324

*Payback rate: %99.5

It’s working people.

I asked the banker, who’s in charge of the money in the family. He said, “the woman is.” Oh really? “Yes, if husband gets paycheck, he gives straight to wife.” The girls in the bank started to smile, I said “So is this really a good idea?” The room burst into laughter. Haha, good times.

But really, having the woman of the household is smart because, let’s face it guys, they can be just a bit more responsible at times. If a guy, who is a member of a patriarchal community, cannot provide for his family as much as he wants and has no chance to move up, because he has tried tirelessly and so did his Father, he may just resort to drinking some hard stuff and smoking tobacco. When really, the little money the family has should be saved and used for better purposes. I can’t blame the man, he’s poor, and wants an escape outside of his life. My point is, give the money to the woman, she’s more likely to utilize it better, so that her children are fed, possibly given an education (which is moving up) and combining this cash with her micro loan to make more money to provide for the family. In Cambodia, this is working VERY well.

So, after having yet another encouraging conversation, I hopped on the back of a motorcycle, which are the common form of taxi here to get back to my guesthouse. Picture me reading reports on the back while the moto is zig zagging in between cars and other bikes. No big deal, this is CAMBODIA mate!

World Vision Scooter anyone?

As I came back to my guesthouse, I was welcomed by some of the Tuk Tuk and moto drivers, who I’ve befriended the past few days. One of the drivers took me to World Vision just a few hours before. “So, did you have good time in World Vision?” Yes, yes it was good I told him. “World Vision VERY GOOD, Very Good!” As he was giving me a moving thumbs up and looking me in the eye, both serious and thankful in glance. “Yes, thank you” I said. “No, World Vision Very GOOD! They help Cambodian! I know! I have been here, World Vision Very GOOD!”

That was all I needed to hear.

Tuk Tuk driver friend and I

The most amazing bathhouse in the world

Travel

One word.

찜질방

Oh, I forgot, in english it’s Jjimjilbang

What a trip. What an experience. Rejuvenating, invigorating and healing.

Water. It’s amazing, isn’t it?

So, my friend and JD were told about these Jjimjilbangs or Korean bathhouses and to go visit one. Now, I’ve been to a couple of bathhouses in my day, some in the states, which are mostly spas at nice hotels, then there’s the mineral spas I’ve been to in Switzerland, the hot springs in the natural forests of Oregon and the Pacific coast, and I’ve been to a couple in China as well.

This isn’t your ordinary bathhouse, and you’re not here to just “soak.”

Bathing here in the Jjimjilbangs is communal and they have bathes for the men and for the women. So you’re gonna get naked with your fellow gender and after you’ve finished soaking, you put on the complimentary jjimjilbang shorts and t-shirt and proceed to a myriad of different options for everyone, of which I will shortly explain here.

First off, Let me say that Korea is a collectivist culture, and that sharing life in community is extremely important. All of us humans look at the world different, you know? And perspectives in the east are quite different from perspectives in the west. So, for instance, if I was to ask a Korean and an American to look at a fishtank with a fish swimming in it, the Korean may describe all the backgrounds about the tank and rocks and filters, while the American may describe the fish in detail and not mention one thing about the tank. My point is, people look at things differently and it’s all beautiful. So, this bathhouse, the Jjimjilbang, really makes Korea unique and wonderful in its own way because of what it is and how it’s experienced.

So JD and I go to a Jjimjilbang that comes recommended by a couple of locals. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of these bathhouses around the country and city. We proceeded to go to the Spa at Garden 5, and paid $10 a piece, to which we were given bracelets with an electronic key and clothes.

We get showered and get soaking in the warm tub, then the hot tub (109 F , 44 C) to the cold tub (70f) to the steam, to the sauna, to the cold shower, to the warm tub, to the sitdown shower, to the sauna, to the laydown tub with jets, to the warm tub, to the cold tub, to the sitdown shower, hmmmmmm, I think I want a massage…Charge my electronic key, 30 minutes later I feel I’ve had all my sins forgiven.

I was feeling great, and so was JD. We enjoyed conversation and all these Korean men were enjoying talking and sharing life with each other. There were also a few little boys, running around having a blast. I would have loved this as a kid! As I watched the kids jump from the cold tub to the warm tubs to be with their Dads, the thought dawned on me that probably most of these older men in this Jjimjilbangs had been doing the same thing with their Dads back when they were little ones as well.

We put on our provided beige shorts and shirt and proceeded to walk to the communal area of the bathhouse. This wasn’t a wet, tiled area, but an area that had more saunas, “resting huts,” movie rooms, restaurant, cafe, communal family floor areas, ice rooms, and yeah, there was salt rooms, yellow charcoal rooms, and the theme overall was Relaxxxxxxx. Relax, relax, and enjoy family and community.

We went to the movie room, watched some of a movie on nice Lazy-boy chairs, went up to look at these odd clay ovens that people were walking in and out of. It literally looked like an OVEN. There was no way I was not gonna go in there and experience it. I grabbed a mat and walked in…..

Welcome to the Oven

As I sat in this Pine tree sauna, sitting in a circle with 4-5 other participants, my body began to sweat almost immediately, and as I sweated I noticed my body had never sweat like I had seen before. Instead of the normal sweat that one would receive from working out, or laying on the beach for a long time, my skin started to sparkle and each little pore in my body let out the smallest mass of water. I was staring, fascinated, while smelling and feeling the heated pine, which was coming from these clusters of pine wood leaning against the circular sauna.

It didn’t take long to feel hot and good, so after 7-8 minutes, I split and proceeded to go to the “Ice Room.”

Picture a massive refrigerator, and move into the next room, you’re in the freezer. 🙂

Again, refreshing. My body is thanking me. Patting me on the back, saying, “You’re a good man, Shawn Saleme.”

I lay on some rock salt, understanding the healing properties of salt in general. I lay down on a floor, I drink some water. I watch as the families are enjoying fellowship together, couples laying holding each other, kids laughing and playing. It’s beautiful, it’s absolutely beautiful and I am thankful.

It’s really experiences like these, that make me want to continue to travel and live life beyond. It reminded me why I love to travel, to experience life of others in other countries. The cultures, the histories. We are a community of 7 billion on this planet and we have lots to learn from each other and lots to share with each other. Thank you Korea for sharing the Jjimjilbang with me. It truly was, one memory that will stay with me for quite some time.

Let’s add a song to this post:

Swimming in the Cube

Uncategorized

You ever swim in a massive bubble cube that lights up at night into a colorful kaledeiscope? Oh. I guess they don’t have them everywhere. Sigh~ se la vie

Here is where Michael Phelps won his 8 Golds and made Olympic history. The Watercube is part of the Olympic Village here in Beijing and it was something I had been wanting to check out. The stadium is absolutely massive. Remember what it looks like?

There were lots of people about the Olympic area, enjoying their holiday with the family, taking photos. It was a nice hot day and so my roommate Andrew, a Scottish architect, and who also swam competively were keen to check out the famous watercube and do a few laps..

It was refreshing to be in this Olympic size pool, swimming underwater and being all waterguppy like. I love water and being able to swim in it. In this populated metropolis of Beijing, one can find a peace of mind swimming and moving in this pool. If I ever worked here, I would probably make myself here once a week.

MUSIC!

Yesterday, I trekked with an Israeli rock climber and a German trans siberian train traveler to one of the several major music festivals happening in Beijing this past weekend. Here is the perfect place to see the creativity and artistic flavor be tasted in this country. Through the tens of thousands of 20’s and 30 somethings, music was listened to, Chinese folk, metal, rock, pop, electronica. 5 stages I believe, people dressing up, hairstyles, clothing styles, and a sense of rebelliousness. This generation is not like anything of the previous that accepts what is given to them and says thank you. In time, this generation will stand up and I pray people don’t get killed.

It was a fun festival, I met a lot of “Cool” Chinese. A nice change from the day to day busy beijing. This park that hosted it was great.

Ciao for now, photos to follow….

Updates in Beijing

Travel

Greetings from the internet cafe, would you like an update?

Welcome to Beijing

Well here it is. I am in Beijing still and plan to be here for another week. I’m visiting local hospitals to learn more about the infrastructure of how AIDS is approached and also meeting with local Chinese who have been involved in education and prevention. I’m also continuing to meet people where I can learn more about how younger people think about China, the changes and their perspectives on charity. If China does indeed become the strongest economic superpower in 25 years, will they be open to give? They don’t really give too much now when it comes to disasters, so….whats up?

I should be off to Korea in a week, gonna visit a friend.

Weather is good overall, mostly around 25 degrees celsius. That’s 70’s in fahrenheit. I’m meeting all kinds of people around the world, and some really inspiring ones. Here’s a story for ya ：）

So I was on the 6th floor of my hostel at the lounge looking out at the view of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen sqaure. As I was chatting, I noticed a guy sitting along in his wheelchair. I was curious how he got up to the 6th floor because the elevator only went to the 5th floor and he didn’t have any handles on the back of his chair. In fact, his wheels looked pretty custom and this is China, not the most easiest place to navigate with a wheelchair. I was curious, so I approached him to shoot the breeze.

OH MY GOSH, this dude was cool. I come to find out this guy is Peter from the UK. Peter，who‘s in his mid twenties，was in a motorcycle accident 5 years ago and lost his feeling from the waist down。 But this is not limiting him to travel the world and that‘s exactly what he’s doing。 He‘s traveling all over Asia in his chair，（which is custom by the way， hard rubber tires， easy to take off spokes etc） and setting an example for any other person who may be a paraplegic。 He was such a nice guy！

As we talked，he told me of his time in Bangladesh。Bangladesh！That‘s gnarly people，think about riding your chair through traffic crazy with cars， buses that dont stop，taxis，motorcyles， bicylcles，pedestrians。 Wow！Then he went to bring in more chairs to Bangladesh and educate about how to have a community that makes things handicap accessible！He was able to arrange chairs for people and set up vocational training for those who have similair injuries in their country。Such a champ！After his three months there，he trekked to India， Nepal and Tibet and went to Taiwan，Korea，Japan and now he’s in China， going to the Northwest to Kazakhstan， Krygestan， Azerbaijan，across the Caspian sea ， Georgia， Turkey back to Europe and the UK！Go Peter！ Yeah man， if you thought it was hard to travel，look at this mate！ He is doing this on his wheelchair！

I saw him go down the stairs， BUMP！BUMP！BUMP！Straight up man， just rolling down。 I watched him get in and out of his chair and I actually asked to try it out myself to get a feel for it。 It pops up pretty easy，but man， I gotta say I love to meet people like Peter in this world。He‘s traveling to be an inspiration for those who may be bummed after an injury or never had the chance to walk， and he’s raising awareness to countries where it is difficult to be a person who is `handicapped。` Godspeed Peter！

check out his blog，he calls it `Rolling back Home`， loveit。PS。He wants to be the first paraplegic to skydive SOLO in the Northern hemisphere~！YEAH！！！



Working in China

Travel

Did you know….

That China is the most populated country in the world? 1.3 Billion, yes. Well I’ve been noticing all KINDS of jobs that Chinese citizens do. Besides all the shops, finance, government and construction jobs, they clean most everything. Buildings, subways, streets, alleyways, every night, even street asphalt arrows, so that keeps a number of people in work. There are a lot of people selling their goods, whether that is a couple toys in the subway station, fruit, Chinese flags, socks, candied apples, electronic t shirts. There are a good many jobs in this city of 15 plus million.


As I have been here, I have been talking with the Chinese about their work situations, dreams and goals, and their level of happiness basically. So far my findings are this: The Chinese work very hard. On average, a person who is working in their twenties, will work everyday of the month, be paid monthly and get one day off. If they want another day off in the month, they need to work a double shift, so they’ll work a 16 hour day. Technically their official time may say they worked 8 hours, but this isn’t the case, they work longer than they have to, and they really can’t complain about it, because if you do, you lose your job, and that means no money coming in. And you don’t have much money in the first place, so you’re in a tough position. The solution is to work your ass off, take what you get, and hope for more money. Good luck~

This way of working isn’t a new revelation for me. All over the world, I have seen people working their tails off for peanuts and they have to, because this is what feeds their family.

Coming from the United States, it is good to have a global reality check. This is why I like to travel. I see the world in a holistic perspective, not as just as an American. There is a lot more work freedom and options in the states as opposed to China and many other nations. It’s encouraging to see things in a holistic way, to see things all over the world in one’s thinking, because, the world is coming together faster than it ever has in human history, and as we continue to live together, we will be making more decisions together, communicating more, trading, sharing, thinking, loving more. Well I hope we love more 🙂

So, you can read all the papers and books and watch all the video, but to really get that perspective, you need to go. You need to talk to others about their journey in life. Where they’ve been, how they were brought up, what sort of education one received, and so forth. Talk about your life in return, a relationship has been formed, World Peace is on the way! Just kidding, but understanding each other is a helpful part to avoiding conflicts and hatred.

Right, so what are the Chinese thinking in terms of goals or dreams? Most of what I am hearing is we want to get money, make more money. Yeah, I understand, who wouldn’t want a little extra cash?

I was in the Shanxi History museum last week, and back 4,000 years ago, the locals used seashells as a form of currency. This was because seashells of this type were hard to find, and so people traded with it. Gold was just used as a form of a gift, and I saw these stacks of gold pendants that were previously used. Well, Gold has a different use now than back then. Money has a different value to each person respectively.

As I live here in China, again on the road, already having traveled, I am not as stimulated as I used to get when I was a college student having my eyes opened to this vast world. Now I am a professional seeing things differently. What I am seeing is many similarities. People want to make a living, people want to provide for their family, people want the best for their children, people want love.

Something I noticed again while here, is peoples universal love for children. I was in a market and this family from the Middle East came walking through, and the women were fully covered in their burkas and there was a little baby boy being carried. All these young Chinese women, who were the vendors in this market, were all smiles and talking Chinese baby talk to this little Arab baby, taking photos and touching his hand, all joyful. As I looked at the small eye opening of the burka of the Arab women, I could see their eyes were smiling. And it was lovely.

Well, Thats enough for now. My sis is gone, and I’m off to do some research.

Peace

shawn

Work Hard Chinese Poster 1972

Dumplings, Terra Cotta and…Ping Pong?

Travel

So the journey continues….

We have had just an amazing time in Xi’an, the former capital city of China and
also the region where the famous Terra Cotta army is. If you do not know what
the Terra Cotta army is, look it up here :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army

We took an overnight sleeper train to Xi’an, which was pleasant. There are four
beds in the room and we both slept in the upper bunks. As we trained West, I
had a nice conversation with a young Chinese man who spoke english and also
an elderly Chinese man who had been pushing educational reforms in the country
for seven years. It was nice to have a discussion about the educational system
in China and looking forward. This elderly man told me that China would have
been stronger if it were not for some of the wars and history under Mao. He says
they are on the path to prosperity though and is continuing his projects.

We arrived at the hostel, and it was nice. It was an old courtyard building very
close to the south gate of a city wall that surrounds the city. I love staying in
historical hostels. One time I spent a night in a 900 year old building in Austria.
This building is probably a few hundred years old. Though there is traffic on the
street 50 yrds away, you couldn’t hear any of it inside.

Throughout our few days, we met some very nice people. This is why
I love hostels, they bring people from all over the world into a shared space.
You start a conversation with a simple question “So what brings you to China?”
or “Where are you from?” and the conversation blossoms into this shared inquiry
about each others culture, history, family, hobbies. For my sister, it was one
of her first real hostel experiences, for me, well, I’ve had a lot, even working at
a hostel for 9 month of my life.

We met some very cool Israelis, who I chatted with about the history and conflict
that exists today, a Finnish guy who worked in building schools in Tanzania with
support from the Finnish government, Chinese travelers from Beijing, American,
British, German, French and Cameroon english teachers, who congregate at the
local pub, which is conviently located below the hostel for expat companionship.
(Some of these english teachers teach far out, so for them getting together on
Sundays and Mondays is the happening thing to do once a week) Italian students
who are learning Chinese in Shanghai, the list goes on~ We actually met a person
from our neighboring hometown! Considering there are only 7,000 people in these
towns, this makes the world very small ! But I love it. I always make so many
friends in hostels around the world. After you meet, you may meet again in life if
one or the other travels to the places you live. It makes life exciting, don’t you think?

You don’t even need to share a dorm with people, I’m almost getting too old for
sharing an 8 bed dorm with a bunch of guys. I’m content with a 4 bed dorm, or a
private. Conversations can happen in the restaurant or lounge as opposed to ones room.

Ok, so I don’t need to tell you how much hostels are great and that everyone at
one point in life should stay at one when traveling. Back to China~

The Terra Cottas were fascinating to see, I’m not going to write a lot about them,
just go if you make yourself out here. If you want more of my perspective on the
Terra Cottas, then read my previous post on the Great Wall, and substitute Terra
Cotta Warrior tomb for the Great Wall. It was a pleasure to see and my sister was
in awe of the whole spectacle. She really was the one who wanted to go, and I’m
glad we did. Take a tour if you do go, its worth it. 220 RMB= $33 USD

PING PONG

So at the hostel on Wednesdays they have a ping pong table downstairs and a
teacher who comes to play and teach students. I had to participate seeing how
China dominates Ping Pong. To say it lightly, I was humbled.

I come down to the basement and I meet the "Master." A man wearing a blue worn
blazer, dark slacks and a sweater. He motions me to the other side and hands me a
paddle. The paddle was the stickiest one I have ever held (not literally sticky, but
a sticky that adds to the spin of the ball when hitting) and we start rallying each other.

EVERY ball I hit back to him flew high over the table. At first I thought it was my
paddle, and then I realized that this guy was putting so much spin on his serves
that no matter how I hit it, it would fly way off the table and I thought "holy s***,
this guy is good." As we played for the next thirty minutes, we practiced and I became
"student." I'm a decent player by my american and friends
standards, but this guy was on ANOTHER LEVEL. I decided to show my respect by
listening and heeding his sharp instructions to me. We would hit back and forth to
each other as he would count in Chinese. The first time we hit 30, then we hit 155,
then he would come and grab my arm and hand show me how to point the paddle
a certain way and how to swing, enforcing what he was saying in Chinese, even though
I don't much understand the language, I was picking up what he was laying down.
I was BLOWN away how much my game improved.
I thanked the Master afterwards and went to grab dinner with my Sis. I know my
Dad would of cracked up seeing this lesson happen between student and Master
as we are a family that can appreciate a game of Pong. Jeez!

Dumplings.

I have to mention this one night a few of us hostellers went to get dumplings.
It was a lovely night, where 8 of us got together from all different countries
and shared on the round table of eating dumplings. It was great, so go grab some
one day in your local Chinatown or in China. amazing meal. It’s meals like these
that are shared by people from all over who get together for one night, and will probably
never see each other again, that makes me love life and all it’s variety. I’ll post
a cool panorama shot my sis took later.

OK! Lots more words, so thanks for reading. I am back in Beijing.

Family time at the Temple

Personal Update, Travel

It was Saturday and the day was free for most Chinese in Beijing.

Something I have come privy to while here is that the Chinese work very long and hard everyday. Sometimes they don’t get a day off for weeks. They work most everyday and while their hours may technically be 8:30am-5:30, they end up working till 9pm. I have seen many people who I am becoming friends with tell me the hours they work. They do not get paid hourly, but rather monthly. The money isn’t all too much from what I gather, though I haven’t asked for exact numbers, as I have always considered that a rude question.

Charissa and I decided to go to the Temple of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven was a place that the Emperor would perform the annual prayer for a good harvest. It was a huge event that would take place.

The Temple of Heaven was located in the middle of a fairly large park, and as Charissa and I were walking, we came across many Chinese enjoying the park on a Saturday like most any human would. Freedom from the city, get your Zen on.

It was a fairly organized park, with lots of benches, small flocks of birds I had never seen before and trees that were a foot in diameter and about 40-50 ft (15 metres) tall.

As we approached further, we came across a cool looking temple with a large moat around it. A moat is a ditch around the building that is filled with water. The building itself looked lovely with green tiles and we came to find out this was a place the Emperor would “fast” at for three days prior to the ritual. He would abstain from food, drink, women, and the stately affairs.

Then when the day came, he would perform the ritual of praying for the good harvest in the Temple of Heaven.

The Emperor was considered a “Son of heaven” and a person who was considered divine. He was a part of earth and heaven. The colors sybolized this through Gold, Blue and Green. The colors of heaven, earth and the mortal world.

As we trekked around, taking photos, doing our tourist thing, I noticed how many families were around. It was so sweet to see three generations together spending time with each other, loving the young children, walking around. There were also a number of couples who were enjoying each other on the benches and walking.

Family is important and while in China public displays of affection may not be as common as in other countries, the feeling exists and it was nice to see it in a peaceful setting like a park.

We just took a sleeper car to Xi’an and I am staying in one of the coolest hostels ever. More to come~~~!

Xie xie,

Xiao En (Chinese name)

“Let’s go see Mao”

Personal Update, Travel

“Let’s go see Mao.” My sister said to me today as I woke up from my room.

Mao Zedong, the communist leader of China, who reigned from 1945-1976, whose face is on the front gate of the Forbidden city and every piece of currency in the country.

Some call Mao a dictator, some call him a savior, some call him a most unjust man, whose policies killed millions of people, who took away Tibet. Some call him the one who united China, who brought China to the greater world. Whatever he is to whoever, he is still honored around the country, and in the center of Tian’amen square is a Mausoleum with Mao resting, cryogenically frozen and lifted up for display to the public every day except Monday.

Back when I came to China in 2002, it was 10 USD to come see him. I heard the body might be fake, so I decided not to walk through the Mausoleum. Now that I am back and it’s free, my curiosity is asking “what the heck does this look like??”

It’s kinda creepy to have a body of a man, a leader who died over 35 years ago and whose leadership was controversial still be honored and revered. I recognize the amount of propaganda the Chinese received throughout the past 60 years and after Mao died, though his policies were reversed and his strongest opponent, Deng Xiopeng, succeeded him, he wasn’t burnt, or had his face removed from all public arenas. His statue did not come tumbling down, he remained a figure. Fascinating.

Some would say his ideals and figurehead kept a nation of over a billion people together. I mean, what WOULD happen, if China as a whole fully rebelled and sought new ways of living, new ways of freedom and dare I say justice? I’m not an expert nor a Chinese historian, so maybe unleashing China could be chaotic, hurtful and many could die. Whatever could happen is a spectulation, what is happening, is that tens of thousands of people come every day to see his body in the
Mausoleum.

It was like Disney on crack. There were thousands of people in line, all moving at a moderate pace, as you cannot sit and stare at the resting place of Mao. You cannot take any photos, no lighters, no heavy objects, no weapons. You can purchase a white flower for 3 quai (50 cents) to lay down at his statue before walking into the room where he lays.

What a trip. My sis almost didn’t want to go once she saw the spectacle of this massive line wrapping around the building with people in suits and white gloves holding mini megaphones telling you how to behave yourself and what not to bring in as you go in. You need to show valid ID, you cannot bring in cameras, etc…

As we walked in, many laid down these white flowers at the statue. From my eye, i’d say 1/6 of the masses of the people were buying these and then as they entered, they would do a short bow and lay a flower at a flower cart before a giant white statue of Mao seated. People of all ages were doing this. Parents were bringing their children. Was my perception and information of Mao wrong and false? Had he not killed millions of people during the Cultural Revolution from 1966-76? Had he not unjustly taken Tibet in 1959? There could still be a lot for me to learn..

As we walked in the Mausolem room, there were two guards in the front of a glass enclosed room. In front of the room was two fire extinguishers. Guess somebody tried to set this place on fire at one time. In the glass room was another glass case with Mr. Mao laying down, an eerie orange light glowing down on his face and a red flag with a sickle and hammer laying over the casket. As I looked closely at the face, I recognized it had to be a fake. I’ve been to wax museums before, and if this body has been preserved for 35 years, his face would most definitely be sagging a lot more. It was a weird scene.

My sister and I concluded that it couldn’t of been the real Mao under the casket. And if that were true, then WHY is China deceiving all these millions of chinese that come in every year to see his body?? Deception is a part of life here in this country, but I didn’t think it would be on this scale.

Maybe it’s an ideal to live up to, maybe it’s to continue to have his legacy live on. Maybe it’s to keep the powers that be in power, and keep a nation intact. I’m sorry, but I don’t have the highest respect for this man after reading my history. Is my history true? Please comment~

I think it would be difficult to allow this Mausoleum removed, though the mausoleum does say it is a place to honor former leaders of China. Who knows? Maybe someone else will replace Mao in time.

I think I will ask some locals what they think of Mao yesterday and today. What about the youth? This still is a communist nation with secret police, so I’ll be sensitive. But this nation is changing and in a way “awakening.”

Ciao for now~

The Great What?

Travel

Well Day 4 here in Beijing, and it was time to see The GREAT WALL.

Wedding picture on Great Wall

Contrary to popular belief, the Wall cannot be seen from space. This was confirmed by Chinese Astronaut Yang Liwei in 2003.

The Wall stretches out for some 5000 kilometres, and kept most armies out from the North. Especially those barbaric Mongols. Now today, there are multiple areas one can visit the wall at. Yesterday, My sister and I decided to go to the Mutianyu location. We met at a local hostel, was provided with a choice of either Swiss or American breakfast, (we chose the swiss, which included muesli, toast, butter, jam and a cheese slice. some scrambled eggs too) and jumped on a chartered bus, capacity 20 to head to The GREAT WALL.

It was a pleasant drive for most of the way. Some horn honking, which is a bit more commonplace than say, New York city, traffic in this city is pretty all over the place. While it isn’t the most craziest driving I have participated in, it is not as linear and straight as the United States is. Lots of bike, taxis, buses, carts, bicycle carts, pedestrians, scooters. Go when you can, watch out.

I will post pictures, very soon, but the Wall was great. We hiked on and around it for a couple hours and enjoyed reading about its history. The views were nice as we were in a mountainous area. I recommend each person to see this wall at least once in life, maybe twice like me. 🙂

Many many people from all over the world congregated here. I heard Portuguese, French, English, Aussie English, German, Dutch, Fillipino, Japanese, italian etc. It was neat to experience a unique part of the world with all these different cultures.

As I surveyed the wall again for the second time in life, I was reminded of what I truly find beautiful in this world. While visiting the Pyramids, Taj Mahal and Great wall were all a pleasure to see and to appreciate how humans built such structures at periods of our history, they don’t give me that feeling of Wow, this is amazing as much as say, a waterfall, an ocean, mountain, forest or animals in the wild might.

It is something to visit this wall. To think that it was built over hundreds of years. For what? To keep others out. Many people died building this wall and i’m sure many died trying to scale this wall. It is an important part of history and how life was in this time.

In future travels, I see myself seeking out natural wonders of the world, and hopefully participating (from a distance) some of the unique migrations of animals that take place. There is so much to see…

Pictures will come! I promise!

Sunrise on the Jinshanling Great Wall

Much Love, thank you for praying~