Rome, 2006

Frank and i went biking some 50+ km through the countryside by Frankfurt. We covered all kinds of terrain and were quite exhausted afterwards, and running so late that we missed all but Brazil's last goal. The France-Korea match was rather nice to watch, though - we sat surrounded by a bunch of Koreans cheering "De Ha Mingu" (sp?) among other things, and their enthusiam was wonderful.

Got home at around 1am, which left 30 minutes to pack and make it to the train stop to catch the 30 minute train back into Frankfurt (which i just made, thanks Frank!), where i waited about 35 minutes for a 2 hour bus ride to the Hahn airport, for the 2 hour flight to Rome, Ciampino, and took a 1 hour bus to catch the 30 minute metro ride to Termini, the central train station. Been up for a while now, but i'm right close to Termini in the same internet cafe that i always go to in Rome. I don't think the employee recognizes me, but i recognizes her, she's the same Peruvian woman who was working here before.

Now I'm off to wander around Rome, again. Probably nothing too fancy, like the Vatican or the Colloseum, but something less dramatic like the outskirts, to see all the crazy apartment buildings they have there.

I've a lot of older posts i should make, but don't have the time right now. Look for old posts later on, i have to backdate a bunch of them.

birthday party

My mom's wanted a new cuckoo clock for quite some years, so as she's close to der Schwarzwald (where cuckoo clocks are made) now's her chance to get one. Siegfried drove us to the area, with Heinz (who says he needed a new head after last night) coming along as a translator. While there, we saw what claims to be the largest cuckoo clock in the world cuckoo at 2pm. Think i got it on video too.

Afterwards we walked around the largest waterfalls in Germany as well as through some other small towns in the area. On each small town's central plaza is an area where a large screen has been set up. When a football game is on, the plaza fills up with people coming to watch it on the big screen and enjoy the many shops set up around it. Also, the town buildings are lined with German and other flags. I've heard various Europeans say how strange it is to see U.S. streets lined with U.S. flags, but the World Cup changes everything, being partiotic takes on a new meaning. It's a wonderfully festive time town throughout the country.


We returned around supper time and Dorle made me some good vegan fried rice with tofu, and i was told that Rebecca had invited me to a party to celebrate her and a cousin's recent birthdays. The party was a gathering of 30 or so locals in their 20's, along with a lot of local beers and buckets of sangria with long straws in it.

It was a great party, and luckily for me plenty of people spoke some degree of English and spoke with me throughout the night. At times everyone started speaking German (or Schwabian (sp?), to be exact) but i just sat back and enjoyed the interpersonal interactions.

Ended up getting home around 3:30-4am, another well-worth it long night.

Just like the ketchup

6:30am taxi to Chinggis Khaan Airport. 3 hour wait, then 6 hours aboard an Aeroflot Russian airplane with very small seats and the largest bathroom i've ever seen on a plane. 5 hour wait in Moscow airport, a dingy little place with poor organization. 3 hour flight to Frankfurt and my father greets me holding a bag of clothes. Frank is around the corner and Siegfried's outside fretting over the car. Franks bids goodbye (for now) and we head off to Backnang.

2 days ago i was racing across the Gobi Desert at 40 kmph listening to Cloud Nine Music; now i am racing on the Autobahn at 200+ kmph listening to an automated German voice giving directions.

Heinz is a jolly old man having a family gathering. I meet a plethora of people that i met 25 years ago but do not remember, and i meet Rebecca, a cousin (almost everyone here is a cousin of mine, to some degree) who was only in her mother's womb when we were last in Germany.

Many beers later i am (at my mother's request) drunkeningly explaining all the photos and people in my mom's photo album to Rebecca. Eventually everyone heads off, and we get driven to Siegfried's.

The Omen

The last day of Desert travel was a little more uneventful than the rest; my mind is too blanked out (maybe overwhelmed by my stench?) to think of much more to say; i also have to rush through a few errands before the end of the day. If all goes well, i'll be in Frankfurt in about 30 hours.

One good point to mention - on the way back we passed by some tourists heading out of UB for 20 days (desert and western forests). One of them was Italian, from Rome. Figure that's a good omen.

Go Go Gobi

After an hour of broken paved road the driver veers off onto a dirt road. In places the road diverges into two or more paths, only to converge a hundred feet ahead. It is bumpy and dusty, and the further out we go, the windier and chillier it becomes. The landscape slowly changes from small, rolling hills, no trees, some grass, to flatter, broken sandy land with sparse plant clumps. The sky is blue with some clouds, at times a few drops sprinkle down.

There is very little traffic past the paved road - we will meet no more than 5 vehicles today.

After some time the dirt road turns into a dirt trail - at points the tracks of other vehicles are barely visible. The trail is little smoother than the surrounding landscape, your only reason for following it is that someone else did.

At one point the car starts to overheat. We stop and let it cool down, then drive a while longer. The driver stops at one of the few gers that dot the area and asks the inhabitants something, then we're off. A couple turns later he backtracks to follow a different set of vehicle tracks, and we finally end up at a well. I think this is what he asked about at the ger.

Along the way we've stopped at a few ovoo (shamanistic piles of rocks and trinkets generally in high places), a shrine, at various points just to see the landscape (or because the old Russian jeep needed some work), and at a small town. Now the driver moves into the desert, no tracks to follow, and after another 30 minutes we arrive at the ger we'll be sleeping in tonight.

As dusk descends, the wind begins to die down. Perhaps the temperature differential of the sun's heat against cold ground creates the wind.

We are served soup comprised of pasta, some vegetables, and small pieces of either mutton or marmot.

After dinner we walk into the desert for a bit, eventually going our separate ways. I see some lizards, a few wolf spiders, lots of beatles, some small birds, and a strange insect, looks like a stink bug coloured white and tan. When i can no longer see the campsite, i stop and listen: some wind, and a few birds chirping. It is a very empty place.

Looking up, there is still cloud cover, and no planes. It's like 9/12/2001 - no planes, and no cloud streaks from where the planes had flown. It is quite a different, beautiful sight to behold.

Only in a few spots were there running wires. A few gers we passwed have solar panels on top, some have satellite dishes out front. The owner's ger at our current campsite has both.

I fall asleep easily at night, and wake up easily to kill the multitude of insects that are crawling all over me. I think they are mostly harmless beetles, but i try to kill while i still can.

Frankfurt, Rome

Forgot to mention that i bought a ticket to Frankfurt for the 15th. I'm flying Aeroflot, the Russian airline. The ticket lady asked me if i had life insurance when i said i'd take the Aeroflot ticket - something she didn't ask when i mentioned i wanted the MIAT ticket. Looking up Aeroflot, they have a spotty record, though they've been ok the past 13 years. That's good, right? Ask me in a couple weeks...

I've also a plane ticket out of Rome on the 21st, so most everything is arranged, just need to get out of Gobi alive (and on time) and figure out the leg between DE and IT.

Until 1 week, drink a pint or two for me.

First Days

Haven't done much in Ulaanbataar, just lounged about, walked a lot, drank a lot of beer, and eaten a lot of animal products.

I ordered Kale soup, it came with mutton.

I ordered tofu and rice, the tofu came with chicken.

Luckily beer comes sans animal products, at least none that i am aware of (unlike Guinness).

I've been staying in a hostel that costs a whole $5 a night. In Cambodia that got me a room by myself, with AC (w/o AC was $3). I wish there were less people here, i am too antisocial for this. It doesn't help that a lot of the folks here talk the same as the folks at home, wanting to drink and dance and watch movies all night and make a big event of it. Did i come to Mongolia just to live the same as at home?

There are some folks here that are a little different than the rest, like the 50 year old Taiwanese man who is here researching business prospects (and staying at a hostel...). He claims to have made a fortune in the past via investments in Central America, but that he gave his riches away to his sister and girlfriend. Hmmm, i'm a little old to believe everything everyone tells me.


Tomorrow i head into the Gobi Desert as part of a group arranged via the hostel. There are 3 other tourists - one French man who speaks decent English with an accent, and a Korean couple that speaks very little English, though understand a little bit more. There will also be a driver, but i doubt he will speak much English. I will be gone for 7 days 6 nights, unless something Very Bad happens.
We were told that there is a 99% chance the vehicle will break down, but that in most cases the driver will have it fixed in at most 1 hour. Hopefully i won't have to hike back, but i'm taking my gps unit just in case.

Among other desert experiences, we will ride horses and camels and stay will locals for most of the trip. And we're supposed to take enough water and half the food we will need (the other half to be provided). If it comes down to it, i hope i remember what i read in those books, how to find food and water in rough terrain - i should have brought my cat, just in case the End does draw nigh.

Wish i'd taken the train

4200m and -10°C outside. I've been higher and colder before. Part of the plane wing (fuel tank?) has been shaking since takeoff; as long as it stays on for another 2 hours i'll be fine.

6400m and -25°C. The height of some of the highest peaks in Peru, and i've been colder. The mountains outside are awesome fog covered creatures, and wooded.

Still rising - the landscape is clear, no fog like Beijing, and the mountains are dry, some green interspersed throughout. In the distance, the fog covered mountains are still visible. The plane part that was shaking no longer is, and is still on the plane.

Levelling off, i see a sloped dam with a fat, winding lake behind it. The river bed in front is thick and dry, appears silt-covered. Perhaps a recently built dam?

Further, rolling hills and terraces throughout - straight lines of differing contrasts cutting through the curved hills. Small towns abound, projecting small roads like sun rays. There are a few circular farms like the ones found in the far midwest and west of the U.S. One or two factories.

Small sand dunes and a few bushes. Only one road cutting through them, very small settlements of but a few houses, and Mr. Bean is playing on tv. A few lakes as well, but no rivers visible - perhaps collected rainwater from infrequent storms?

Only sand, we follow a river but i can't tell whether or not it's dry. Keep my eye on it; if we crash i'll make my way towards it.

Sand doesn't even look wind-blown now. Either it's not sand or it is hot, dry, and no wind down there. This must be Gobi.

Beginning approach to Ulaanbaatar, still dry outside, but some vegetation. I see a few white dots - Ger camps? I guess they are real...

Hills now, and a winding dragon-like river - lots of extending rivulets - with many more collections of white dots speckled about.

Real buildings in increasing density along the riverside, forest along the mountainside, and spots of snow? Perhaps i shouldn't be wearing shorts.

City density, and some strange shapes by factories - conical but no point, and large. I'd say nuclear power, but not here, and they don't appear cement (later i realise they are next to the power plants, all which appear to be coal based).

Landing gear down, we're on final approach. Looks like only a single runway, and the airport has only 2 gates.

I'm in Mongolia now.

Beijing Extras

In many ways the city reminds me of a Latin American city; it is dirty and poor with pockets of wealth mixed in. A fancy modern building lines up one one end with a 4 lane paved road lined with other modern buildings, and on the other side with a half dirt, half paved barely single lane road lined with shacks and poorer houses.

Half the taller buildings look like typical 50's and 60's communist generic block structures found throughout the world. The other half look very modern, each one a different experiment in space, lighting, etc. Many make extensive use of fancy atriums, facades, decorative tops, and more. As there are quite a few tall buildings in Beijing, i imagine an architecture class could learn quite a bit from what's been worked with here. The cityscape is also peppered with cranes, implying that in a few years there will be even more interesting buildings.

There are many cyclists here, and lanes dedicated to the cyclists, but in practice these become largely irrelevant; cars are very aggressive and the throngs of cyclists must fend for themselves.

One final (for now) note: aqui son muchas chicas que parecen a mi prima; her nickname is truly appropriate.

Beijing Day two

One of those planned tour deals, similar to the ones i took in Peru. The main events were the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall, but the tour also included stops at a jade factory and a school of traditional Chinese medicine. Neither of the latter two would have been bad, except that in these circumstances the stops were geared solely towards selling us stuff.

The tactic reminded me of Bangkok's more devious methods, where the taxi driver insisted that the Royal Palace was closed and that we should visit a jewelry shop. I wonder if the scam will propagate to Peru, and if it does, how long it will take to get there. What is the velocity of scams?

The scams left me with but two hours to walk 7km through to the highest point of the Badaling section of the Great Wall, and 7km back. There is a lift that takes tourists most of the way, but using that didn't seem right - workers bodies are buried in this wall, having toiled to death building it. Least i could do was walk along part of it. Parts of the wall slope at 45, 60 ° angles. Parts of these slopes have steps, parts don't. Walking the non-sloped parts reminded me of climbing around sandstone in Utah.

I made it to the top and back with 20 minutes to spare, and had plenty of time to shoot, look, sit, and ponder. Cycling throughout the year has paid off.

Beijing Day One

Make it to the hotel in time to find the channel the Pistons are playing on, in time to watch everything but the first couple minutes, in time to watch them lose.

Luckily they lose in time for me to make it to the MIAT office before they close, and am able to purchase my ticket to Ulaanbataar.

From the MIAT office, which i'd taken a taxi to, i decide to walk to Tiananmen Square, or at least try to. If i travelled with others, would they be so lenient as to spend their first day (of only 2) in Beijing wandering around, not sure if they would see "the sights"?
Is this Barbara's answer?

Tiananmen Square is just down the road - i've a pretty good sense of direction. I'm one day early, but can still feel the tension. The square, and indeed most of Beijing attractions, is covered by cameras and guards. Are other places in the world like that now?

The Forbidden Palace is across the way form the Square; each side of the Square holds a major attraction. The Palace is a huge complex that delivers less corruption to the surounding cities, similar to what a capital does.

The restaurant i eat at has such delicacies as dried fungus, fried ass, and twice cooked dog in pot (at least the labels claim these tasty treats). I get the taro pineapple in sweet and sour sauce. There are lots of food vendors on the side street; though i didn't check them out thoroughly i think they had some corn on the cob - not quite a traditional Chinese dish - in case the pineapple is filled with cat (not quite the end of the world yet). The chef is making what i think is dumpling pastry, and a fish in the aquarium has been staring at me since i arrived.

First Day in

4:40am
Walk through the Bird Flu Quarrantine folks, waiting for the immigration oficer to grunt at me in disgust, like the Japanese fellow did for not having an address i was staying at. She doesn't.

4:55am
I see my bag, i'll grab it and walk through customs and they'll say nothing to me, barely even look at me as i walk by.

5:00am
I'm really in China now. Too early for the Hotel Reservation place at the airport, but up ahead is a 24 hour cafe with what appears to be a fairly well-stocked bar.

5:15am
It's hot - 21°C or so - and the chinese noodles (with beef, oops) are steaming hot too. Hopefully they know how to make a Bloody Mary here - that should cool me down a bit (hey, i's 5:15pm MI time!) I eat while wondering where i'll stay tonight, what i'll do in the upcoming days.

5:30am
A couple Spaniards walk in, and a Chinese man, all speaking Spanish. At LAX, China Airways flights depart from the same concourse as TACA, and on the flight here were a substantial number of Spanish speakers. I wonder if the language will follow me around the world (probably will - we notice what we want).

5:45am
Finished soup, waiting for waitress.

5:50am
Mumbling my way through explaining a Bloody Mary - she doesn't get it. How can a waitress not know "vodka" or "Smirnoff" or "Absolut" when there's a bottle of it behind her? Tsing Tao it is, and i'm back to pondering the more important, pressing issues at hand, like where i'll watch the game that's scheduled to start in just over 2 hours, if my time-math is right.

6:05am
Trying to remember the 2 Chinese characters i tried to memomorized on the plane: "exit" and "open". Still remember a couple of phrases in Serbian, which impresses a couple friends, and a few in Khmer, which impresses no one (yet!). I also wonder how long til my accent kicks in. During the Belgrade trip, it took under 2 days for me to start speaking with a latino accent.

6:06am
A large group of airport employees has gathered outside, a woman speaking to them. The Spaniards are speaking about garlic manufacturing and processing. I'm wondering what work e-mails await me - if i had my way, i'd still handle all the mail i normally do, but i don't know that they could take the delay (ok, as is there will be a delay anyways). I like my job, and love being able to do so much from around the world. If i had my way, this is all i'd do - travel the world and put in hours wherever i am.

6:20am
The employees are going their separate ways and i notice there is now someone at the hotel reservation counter. Must go ask for a hotel with the Pistons - at this point i still don't know they'll disappoint all of us.

6:22am
Just finished my first Chinese beer in China. Now to find a place to stay.

California CA

"Fourth quarter, 82 76, Pistons." [crowd cheers]
The pilot was nice enough to read us the score once a quarter, though no true fan would have been flying last night, and no one should have doubted the outcome.

It's a little nice to be gone; the moment i stepped on the plane, all my fears and apprehensions dissipated. I'm no longer worried about what i'll do for a place to stay, where i'll eat, what i'll do, how i'll get home. Those are now problems to solve, not problems to worry about, and as such i am sure i will solve them.

My niece had a little flag for me - a small sign that read "I [heart] [photo of me looking goofy]", topped by a small heart balloon. I think that's the first time i've gotten off the plane to be greeted by someone with a sign.