My first trip outside of Guilin took me to Hong Kong...for about 45 minutes. In order to organize
my thoughts on this adventure I will divide my story up into sections:
1. Preface--For those of you who haven't experienced it, the process of entering a country on a tourist visa with the intention of obtaining a legal work permit while you are there is sketchy, to say the least. This is the process I am in the middle of right now. In order to enter China I had hoped to obtain a multiple entry visa which would be valid for one year and would allow me to stay in the country for up to 90 days before having to leave and reenter. I received my yearlong multiple entry visa but, due to some issues with the visa office, my maximum length of stay would only be 30 days instead of 90. Translation: until I get my work permit I need to leave the country every 30 days and reenter or risk getting booted out. Despite the fact that Hong Kong is technically recognized as part of China, its designation as a "Special Administrative Region" means that going through customs there and returning to China would qualify as "leaving the country"...even though the Chinese government considers Hong Kong part of the country (this all makes perfect sense right??). In order to get to Hong Kong I would need to purchase a train ticket to the city of Shenzhen, once there I would need to go through customs, before getting on another train that would take me into Hong Kong. The train from Guilin to Shenzhen would take about 13.5 hours, then, after customs, the train into Hong Kong would take me another 45 minutes to an hour. My school was paying for my trip so, in order to show good faith, I was going to try my hardest not to miss any school time for this trip. To do that, I would have to leave Friday night and try to return by Sunday. My parents had also sent a package with all of my nice clothes to their friends in Hong Kong, which I planned on picking up during my brief stay and bringing it back with me. In a nutshell, I was travelling all the way to Hong Kong to pick up a box then turn around and come back. To put this trip in perspective: my plane flight, which took me halfway across the world, from Detroit to Beijing took me around 12.5 hours; getting to Hong Kong would take about 14...and I was doing it twice in one weekend. Fun stuff.
2. Preparation--Going into this trip, I prepared for the worst. I've had too many bad travel experiences to assume that things will ever go according to plan. Whatever philosopher argued that humans are in control of their own destiny clearly had never been to an airport or a train station before. These are places jam-packed full of people, none of which actually want to be there, who are either waiting in lines they don't want to be in, paying for tickets they wish they didn't have to pay for, sitting in departure gate chairs they don't want to sit in, and/or eating snacks they don't want to eat. All in hopes that the weather outside allows them to reach their destination in time with all of their belongings intact. Tickets to me are just pieces of paper with arbitrary times written down in order to make you think that everything will go according to plan. My first step was to go to the train station and buy these tickets. I went by myself and, because of my limited Chinese, stood through two wrong lines before I finally figured out the right one. After buying my tickets I learned that I was supposed to arrive in Shenzhen at around noon on Saturday and my return trip would leave at 5:30 PM that same day. This time frame seemed doable at first (provided that these were the actual times the trains would be arriving and departing), but take away the two hours that it would take to get to and from Hong Kong, the amount of time it would take me to get through two separate rounds of customs, and how long it would take to find the building where my package was. I realized that I would be cutting it close and began preparing myself for a longer stay than I had anticipated. My supplies for the trip: my local phone, iphone, ipad, hand sanitizer, mouthwash, toothbrush/toothpaste, deodorant, change of clothes, roughly 300 USD in cash, and enough melatonin to put an elephant to sleep. Because both legs of my trip are overnight rides the tickets I bought included a bed. While this may sound luxurious and comfortable, the tickets were for the "hard sleeper" section which are basically a series of bunk beds (hence the large amount of melatonin). Also, if these beds were anything like the others I've slept on around here, the mattress would be a rock. This would not be an ideal way to spend a weekend but it was still preferable to getting deported, I guess.
3.
The Trip-- My train was scheduled to leave at 10:30 on Friday night so that gave me some time to go out and eat a MASSIVE dinner after school (I wasn't sure when my next meal would be so it felt necessary) and then go back to my room and pack. I arrived at the train station an hour before the departure so I could make sure to load up on water and snacks. Soon enough, the time came for me to board the train. I paused for a moment to take a deep breath in order to prepare myself for the experience I was about to have, then I stepped on. The hard sleeper section consisted of a narrow walkway with enclaves off to the side where the beds were located. There were six beds in
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| My bed |
each section with three on each side. The space between the sides wasn't even as wide as my shoulders. The three beds were separated into top, middle, and bottom. I soon realized that on these trains you either want to top (more headroom) or the bottom (bedside table and storage room underneath the bed); the middle (which had neither) was what I had. Climbing into the bed was awkward because I didn't want to step on the bed below me or grab the bed above. I wasn't planning on wearing my shoes in bed but I also had nowhere else to store them so I had to wedge them between my mattress and the wall. I laid down and laughed to myself as I listened to the conductor tell everyone to "get comfortable" and prepare for the departure. My plan was to read until about 1:30 AM, then take my melatonin and see how long I could fall asleep. Things went more or less as planned and I nodded off between 1:30 and 2. The sleep wasn't ideal but I was ready for that (anybody who expects otherwise would be kidding themselves). There was a toddler in the bed below me who seemed determined to stay up and chat all night, also, the train would stop every couple hours at other stations which would also wake me up. I was awake for good around 9:30 the next morning due to a searing pain in my right shoulder that felt like I had pinched a nerve because I slept on it wrong. This pain would last
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| Border between mainland and HK |
the duration of my trip, wonderful. Despite the pain in my shoulder, I felt relatively well rested when we arrived in Shenzhen around noon. I disembarked and followed the signs towards Hong Kong customs ready to take on the next challenge.
My experiences with customs have varied; sometimes it's a five minute breeze, other times an hour long ordeal. This time, my customs experience entering Hong Kong would end up being the worst part of my trip. As it turns out, there are a lot of people who like to go to Hong Kong on the weekends who would've thought? As I got closer to the customs area, the hallway I was walking down became increasingly crowded until I found myself crammed into a space that clearly wasn't meant to hold that amount of people. The idea of forming a line is something that appears to be foreign to Chinese people and this was no exception. I stood for close to 30 minutes shoulder-to-
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| Customs line from hell. |
shoulder with people in a space so tight I couldn't bend my knees. As somebody who has a particular dislike for lines as well as mild claustrophobia, these 30 minutes were my own personal circle of hell. I finally broke through what I thought was the last of it before I found myself at another round. This round was where I would have to declare that I was going specifically to the island of Hong Kong (as opposed to Macao). This section wasn't as crowded but it did take precious time away from me. I arrived at the train going into Hong Kong at 2:30 PM. I had three hours to get into Hong Kong, retrieve my clothes, come back, go through customs, and make the train. Certainly doable but everything would depend on how quickly I could find the building where my package was. I had an address but I didn't know which subway stop would be the closest. My parents' friends who had my package were both out of town and told me they would leave it with their doorman. I planned on calling them but neither of my phones had service. I would have to go it alone. Getting on the subway I felt like I was in "Mission Impossible." I'm sure some of you have felt the hopeless feeling of riding on a subway while being in a big hurry. You stare at the map and constantly count and recount the amount of stops before your destination, the whole time feeling
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| Road in Hong Kong. HAHAHA get it? |
like you are in a car that has hit every red light it comes across.
My plan once I arrived on Hong Kong island was to get off at the first station I could and take my chances with the car traffic and hope my cab driver would know where to go. I got off and grabbed the first cab I saw and showed him the address (Most locals in Hong Kong speak Cantonese so I didn't even want to attempt to pronounce the street name, Mandarin is hard enough.) After looking at the address the driver absolutely gunned it. I've had some crazy cab drivers before but this was the first time where I actually appreciated it. It was clear that I was somebody who wasn't from the area and he could have easily taken a longer way in order to drive up the fare (which a lot of drivers do) but not this man. It was as if my desperate energy had somehow rubbed off on him. He dropped me off at an intersection and sped away. I surveyed the buildings around me hoping that I was in the right place. I asked a person on the road if they knew where the address I had in my
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| Location of my box |
hand was, they pointed in a general direction and I began walking. Eventually, I saw a building that seemed to match the description I had. I entered the lobby of the building, still not quite sure if it was the right place. I walked over to the front desk but nobody was there. I then looked down to my left and saw a box sitting on the ground. I walked over to it and saw that it was mine. It's hard to put into words the sense of relief and accomplishment I felt as I picked it up. Seeing a box with my name and U.S. address on it after having been through a thirteen hour train ride, a hellish round of customs, three subway connections, and a cab ride so that I could arrive in a building that I had never been to, located in a city that I have never lived in, was a crazy feeling to me. I couldn't help but smile and laugh because, despite everything I had gone through to that point, things actually had worked out for me. My trip was only halfway over and I wasn't out of the woods yet because I still had to get back to Shenzhen and through customs again to make my train. I was exhausted at that point but the adrenaline rush I got from finding that box made the cab and subway ride a breeze for me. Going through customs coming back took about half as much time as coming in and I made it to my train with 45 minutes to spare. When I entered the train I stored my luggage and sat down. I felt like Walter White after blowing up Tuco's office (5 minute
mark). As I sat in one of the seats by the window and watched as the train moved through remote parts of China that I would probably otherwise never see, I was so content and happy with myself that I didn't even care how much my shoulder hurt, or how hungry I was; I didn't even mind the fact that I was stuck with the middle bunk again. Sleep would be a lot easier to come by on the way back.
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| train tickets |
3.
Conclusion: I know what you're probably thinking, "That doesn't sound worth it at all!" I agree,
the whole trip truly sucked and I hope to never have to do that again. I had experienced sleep deprivation, exhaustion, claustrophobia, annoyance, and, most prominently, doubt. Not just doubt that I wouldn't make it back for my return trip, but doubt over the decisions I had made that put me in this country and in this situation. Nobody should have to go through that just to retrieve a box of their own personal belongings (I also ensured that I wouldn't get deported, but still) however; it's because of how much it sucked that I will always look back on that weekend with fondness. I felt more alive throughout that whole experience than anything I've done in recent years, I plan on keeping those train tickets forever.
Anybody who has ever sucked at golf knows what a bad round feels like. It's an uncomfortable and highly frustrating experience that isn't over quickly. It can cause you to lose your composure and question why you even wanted to come out in the first place. But sometimes, just when you are about to give up, through divine intervention or some miracle of physics, you will knock a 150 yard approach shot within a foot of the hole and tap in for birdie. When the round is over, that is the only shot you are thinking about. That is what keeps you coming back. Finding that box and making my train was my 150 yard approach shot. It was an unexpected victory in a trip full of defeats. It's these victories that make travelling like crack to me and keeps me coming back for more.
Speaking of coming back for more, I will have to make this trip again. Next time I'll make sure to stay longer.
"Going Native" Experience of the Week
Becoming a regular at the coffee shop down the road from CLI. One of the real bummers about living here is that coffee isn't nearly as popular as it is back home. The American office culture of drinking coffee by the gallon in order to make it to 5:00 and not have a conniption fit when stuck in rush hour traffic doesn't really exist. That void is filled largely by tea. Coffee here is looked at as more of a fancy drink that people will sit down and enjoy during their leisure time, because of this coffee tends to be a bit more expensive. However, with my job being what it is, if I don't show up to work with an energy level that at least matches that of my students I'm pretty much screwed. So, having reached the ripe old age of 22 and not being a big fan of tea, old habits die hard. There is a restaurant next to my house back home that I would go to just about every Sunday morning (as well as some Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights) that I miss dearly, so it's nice to have a place here that I can walk into and be recognized by the person who works there.
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| The Encounter Cafe |
Mandarin Improvement Sign
While it was admittedly a struggle, I'm going to count successfully buying train tickets as a sign of improvement. My goal walking into that building was to leave with two train tickets and I achieved that, despite standing through two wrong lines before finally figuring out the right one. Go me.
Funny Sign of the Week
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| This is a pack of condoms.... |
Reason Why I Like This Place
I really enjoy the "family-style" of eating. It makes dining out a more shared experience. Instead of the western practice of everyone having their own personal plate and having mundane conversations like "How was that sandwich?" "It was pretty good, how were those peas?" eating out has a more Thanksgiving-like atmosphere. Because I haven't been here very long I've eaten out with a lot of people I don't know very well, so anything that can stimulate conversation is something I welcome.
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| White people feast |
Random Tangent
As many of my friends back home know, I am a lifelong Red Hot Chili Peppers fan. The first song by them that grabbed my attention was "Otherside" off their album "Californication." I remember being drawn to what I'll describe as an "upbeat and fast-paced smoothness" to their melodies. Despite being a fan of them for so long, I have never been to a concert of theirs...one of the biggest failures in my life. The closest I've come is being denied an autograph by their newest guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, easily a top ten moment in the past 22 years for me. Seeing how they're advancing in age and probably won't make a tour stop in Guilin any time soon, there is a possibility that I may never see them in concert. Due to this disappointment I've decided to take in upon myself to construct what, for me, a perfect concert set list of theirs would be. Right off the bat I know that this could never happen because my ideal concert would include now-departed guitarist John Frusciante, one of my favorite musicians. One rule I made for myself is that, in order to capture the full scope of their evolution over the years, I have to include a song from each of their albums since their beginning in the 80s. I know this is rather self-indulgent but it's my blog and my concert so anybody who has a problem with that can take a walk.
SET 1 Evolution: I'd like the first set to be dedicated to showcasing their range of sound and the evolution of their music from the early 80s to where they are now.
1.
Deep Kick (One Hot Minute)-It may seem strange to begin the concert with an odd song like this but I chose "Deep Kick" because it is the story of how Anthony Keidis and Flea first met as kids and the beginnings of their band. Also, I think the beginning narration that morphs into one of their upbeat jams is a good way to begin a show.
2.
The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie (I'm With You)-Their most recent hit single. If we're going to travel backwards in time to their beginnings it's important to begin with where they are now. You can also never have too much cowbell.
3.
Charlie (Stadium Arcadium)-Continuing backwards with one of their funkier songs from Stadium Arcadium.
4.
Venice Queen (By the Way)-Underrated song showcasing Frusciante's unique guitar style.
5.
Otherside (Californication)-Definitely need to include the first song of theirs I heard in this section. I like the slow build up that takes place throughout the song until it finally erupts towards the end with another face-paced riff by Frusciante.
6.
Aeroplane (One Hot Minute)-Seen by many to be the crowning achievement of the Dave Navarro era--there weren't many.
7.
Suck My Kiss (Blood Sugar Sex Magik)-Hit song from their first album in the 90s decade. You can sense here that they're beginning to channel their wilder energy into something more cohesive and coherent than their music from the 80s.
8.
Taste the Pain (Mother's Milk)-Their first album after the death of their original guitarist, Hillel Slovak, and the subsequent quitting of their original drummer, Jack Irons. Gave everybody a first glimpse of their current drummer Will Ferrell, excuse me
Chad Smith, and John Frusciante. The most popular song played from this album is "Higher Ground," but I'm sick of hearing it so this is my selection.
9.
Fight Like a Brave (Uplift Mofo Party Plan)-A power ballad with an easy chorus that the crowd can sing along with.
10.
Brother's Cup (Freaky Styley)-Early rap/funk fusion song reflective of the musical tastes of funk legend George Clinton, who was their producer for this album.
11.
Get Up and Jump (Red Hot Chili Peppers)-Aaaand we've arrived at square one. This is their first hit as a full band. Taking place back in their raw cock-in-a-sock days. What they lack in adequate song writing and musicianship, they more than make up for in energy.
SET 2 Quirks: In this set I would like them to show some of the recurring themes they include in their music, as well as any extra talents, bonus tracks, covers, or solo projects.
12.
Around the World (Californication)-One of the genres that Anthony likes to incorporate into his vocals is rap. There are many instances where, in my opinion, this turns out horribly. but "Around the World" is a song where this rapping is at harmony with the instruments accompanying it.
13.
Did I Let You Know (I'm With You)-Flea is one of the best bassists in history but this song gives him a chance to show his skills with another instrument he enjoys: the trumpet.
14.
Ah Yom (The Empyrean)-My favorite song of John Frusciante's otherwise bizarre and ill-advised attempt at a solo career. He does have a good voice (when he's sober) and I'd like to see him demonstrate that live as a lead singer.
15.
Purple Haze (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)-With his funk/rock and roll fusion style of music, Jimi Hendrix was a major influence on the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the beginning. They have already saluted him by covering his song "Fire" but I would like to see them cover "Purple Haze." I think the song fits in with their style and it's always fun to hear classic songs in a different way.
16.
Quixoticelixer (Bonus)-My favorite in a long list of extra songs that weren't released into albums. Although "Quixoticelixer" was recorded with "Californication," It wasn't released until 2006.
17.
Soul to Squeeze (Bonus)-Slowing it down with a more country-sounding song. Recorded with Blood Sugar Sex Magik, it was released by itself as a single. The chorus of this song was one of my quotes in my senior high school year book so it's going in here.
SET 3 Hits: Songs that appeal even to the casual fan, ones that everybody knows and what they are famous for today.
18.
Californication (Californication)-My favorite music video ever.
19.
By the Way (By the Way)
20.
Dani California (Stadium Arcadium)
These three songs are included together in this order specifically because they are meant to be a trilogy about a fictional girl named Dani (Teenage bride with a baby inside-Californication, Dani the girl singing songs...-By the Way, Dani California-Dani California). They're all good songs too.
21.
Scar Tissue (Californication)-Slower song from my favorite album of theirs. The slide guitar is pretty cool too. COME BACK JOHN!
22.
The Zephyr Song (By the Way)-My favorite song by the Chilis has changed a few times but, as of right now, this song is holding down top spot. It epitomizes everything I like about this band (especially the guitar solo at 2:08).
23.
Snow (Hey Oh) (Stadium Arcadium)-A not-so-subtle allusion to the bands past history of drug addiction. It's a song that everybody likes but hopefully not a song that everybody can relate to.
24.
Give it Away (Blood Sugar Sex Magik)-Their most played song in live performances, makes sense to save this one for last.
ENCORE
25.
Can't Stop (By the Way)-Upbeat pace with a title like "Can't Stop," this song was made for encores.
26.
Under the Bridge (Blood Sugar Sex Magik)-Perhaps their most popular song ever written.
So here we are, the extent of my fanhood boiled down to one concert.
The subject matter of this week's post is one that I've told myself would never become an important theme in my writing: partying. The reason I've been so reluctant is because too often I see foreigners approach travelling as simply an international bar crawl. I find this unfortunate because I feel that spending your nights drinking and your days hungover is a great way to miss out on the numerous opportunities and experiences that are put right in front of you when you insert yourself in a foreign environment. Now before people who know me from back home begin accusing me of being a hypocrite, I will admit that I enjoy going out and partying as much as anyone (I mean, I was in a frat ok?). But, if there's one thing I learned from my college and fraternity experience (aside from, of course, being the best man I can be, that I can invent the future, and Jimmy John's sandwiches are garbage), it's that you don't need to travel great distances to get drunk and act like a fool (tuition money well spent). So, armed with this knowledge, I have made a conscious effort on my part since arriving here to dial back that aspect of my life and focus more on the things that actually brought me here; but, dialing back doesn't mean cutting out entirely. I am a single man in my early twenties and I won't be able to meet girls if I stay in on the weekends banging out blog posts. I also figure that if I dedicate one post to the party atmosphere around here I'll never have to bring it up again, unless something totally out of left field happens. With this mission in mind, I sucked it up and spent this past weekend patronizing a few local Guilin hotspots, because sometimes in life sacrifices must be made for the greater good (in this case the greater blog post) . This won't be a comprehensive list of every cool place to go here, just what I've done so far.
2. Cats and Rabbits- Located across the street from the hostel, this bar is probably the most popular place for foreigners living in Guilin to go out to on a weekend night. Even though just about all the employees there are Chinese, there's usually western music playing. They will also have the occasional band come through. I feel that foreigners like CnR because it has become a familiar place in an unfamiliar environment. It's small enough to where you can walk in and expect to see some recognizable faces and hear some recognizable songs but not so familiar that you'll forget what country you're in (and if you do forget, the bathrooms will certainly remind you). 
I've been told from several extremely unofficial sources that there are certain Chinese customs that govern the behavior of a person playing a host. One of these customs is that, as a host, if your guests do not leave drunk and happy you have failed at your duties. The reason that I bring this up is because I get the feeling that this custom has been applied to me several times while at Muse (with varying results). Whenever I sit down at one of these booths I immediately get all kinds of beers, shots, and cigarettes shoved in my face as well as people wanting to play drinking games. The rate at which all of these get put in front of me would not be considered a sustainable pace for somebody who wants to hang out for awhile, so I usually need to tell people to slow their roll a bit. Since clearly I'm not from the area many people are interested to hear about where I come from and other things that interest me. I've had conversations ranging from the NBA to Batman to the Ukrainian crisis (and yes the last conversation was brought on while watching the Ukrainian fashion models). A couple weekends ago I had somebody ask me to teach them the rules of "Rock, Paper, Scissors." I thought it would be a fun thing to show them for a few minutes...but man did that game take on a life of it's own. After teaching a couple people they, in turn, went and taught some of their friends and soon enough we had a full-blown RPS tournament on our hands involving around 20 people where the losers had to take shots. This lasted for
