Mongolia : Day 1

As we were too cheap to fly, and too adventurous to pass up a partial ride along the famed Trans Siberian Railroad, we began our Mongolian adventure with a 30 hour train ride.

From Beijing Dou

Here's the three of us, looking chipper, preparing to board our 7:45am train out of Beijing.

As you can see, we settled into our hard-class sleeper bunks quite quickly.

From Beijing Dou

The gentle rocking (aside from the occasional inexplicable jolt) of the train lulled us into semi-consciousness. In between naps, we watched the northern Chinese countryside zoom past us.

From Beijing Dou

I do mean that literally.

From Beijing Dou

At some point in the late afternoon, someone looked out the window and mumbled, "hey, the Great Wall..." We took a short break from Big 2 to snap a quick shot:

From Beijing Dou

We ate. A lot. And eventually, the sun set.

From Beijing Dou

Then things got really interesting. We hit the Chinese border around 10. But, apparently, the Mongolian rail engineers weren't really talking to the Chinese ones, because the rail gauges are different. So we had to wait for 3 1/2 hours inside a customs checkpoint while the wheels were changed. We braved the mad crowds and loaded up on snacks using some advanced elbow technique.

Since the three of us had been feeling kind of sick, we had each eagerly popped a tylenol cold (drowsy!), only to have it hit us while in the waiting room at customs. Justin snapped this picture of us struggling to stay awake.


We got back on the train by 12:30, but spent the next two hours stopping and starting our way through the Mongolian border. Being startled awake by the salute of an imposing Monglian border official in leather boots, woolen coat, and Soviet style hat was certainly a new one for me. Finally, we were through, and we could sleep.

I awoke early, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Gobi desert. My geography's poor, but this might be it:

From Beijing Dou

*shrug*

The landscape was drastically different from China. People had warned us that Mongolia would be cold. Really cold.

From Beijing Dou

We pulled into Ulaan Baatar slightly late, around 2pm. We stumbled groggily off the train and met up with the owner of the hostel we would be staying at...

All in all, it was a pleasant train ride. M and I got a little depressed when we realized the train beds were more comfortable than our bed at the apartment. A sad sad realization. I'm not sure if I could last all the way to Moscow, although Justin and M certainly seem to thrive on the train.

Anyway, that's it for our first day. You can look forward to more later!

Back from Mongolia

Sorry for the week long hiatus, but we were in Mongolia on Visa trouble = Vacation #2. We couldn't exactly blog as we were trekking through the Mongolian countryside on horseback, but expect a serious play by play soon. I've got to jump right back into work tomorrow and next week, so you can blame Marilyn when you come up empty-handed as you rapidly click the refresh button. ;).

Wax Politic

Update: Here are Evan's thoughts on the issue

I’m slightly uneasy about tackling politics here, but this is something that’s been so much on my mind and in the press that I feel a need to vent. I will say, however, that I’m not going to talk about policy. Lately, what’s been on my mind is personality.

I have long said that one of my most important characteristics for a president is, well, character. But, I’m not so delusional as to believe that I can really know the truth about these candidates. Just about everything we know about them is spun, one way or another. So, to be honest, I’d mostly given up on voting for a president whose character I believed in.

Following this election from overseas has certainly been interesting. The editors of the New Yorker begin their eloquent endorsement of Obama with these sentences:

Never in living memory has an election been more critical than the one fast approaching—that’s the quadrennial cliché, as expected as the balloons and the bombast. And yet when has it ever felt so urgently true? When have so many Americans had so clear a sense that a Presidency has—at the levels of competence, vision, and integrity—undermined the country and its ideals?

I can’t speak for you guys on the home front, but this presidential election feels remarkably urgent. You’ve heard the reasons time and time again: the economic crisis, the wars, the way the rest of the world views us right now, energy, the environment, etc…These are serious times.

It’s hard to deny that Obama is inspiring our generation. Young voter registration is at record levels, and turnout at his events has been remarkable. I find myself wanting to (metaphorically) join the throngs, the wave. But I hold back, I’m hesitant. I’m afraid because it seems too good to be true.

Can Obama really be as well-tempered, as remarkable, as good as he seems?

After 8 years of decline, it’s hard to hope. It’s too…(wait for it) audacious. Is change really possible? Or is this just a pipe dream?

The level of support that Obama has garnered has brought him to near Messianic-levels. As if he alone can save our nation. McCain’s campaign even poked fun at this with their shameless web ad, "The One", where they compare Obama to Moses.

Stories like this one about Obama helping pay the extra baggage fees for a complete stranger in front of him in line, or this playful column where Rick Reilly from ESPN teams up with Obama for a week of fantasy football. They give me hope that maybe, just maybe, Obama is the real deal. Even if those two articles are just the work of brilliant spin doctors or campaign advisers, which I doubt, he has repeatedly shown his ability to rise above the games and the barbs and run a campaign with a sense of nobility and honor.

At the very least, the fact that Obama has made it this close to the White House does bolster my faith in America and democracy. Call me overdramatic, but America’s presidential candidates have, by and large, come from the same small section of society. Whether you love him or hate him, it’s hard not to admit that Obama is certainly something new for the American political scene. That alone should be cause for hope.

So what is this rambling post? Well, I’m not really sure. I’m not trying to endorse Obama, or sway those of you who don’t support him. It’s just that every so often, as I follow the digital campaign trails, I find myself wondering out loud. Desperately wanting to hope, to believe in someone, but afraid of being let-down, afraid of getting my hopes up, only to realize I’ve been taken for a spin, so to speak.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. If I’ve riled up any McCain supporters, feel free to write me a response. I’ll post it.

Uh Oh

Is there such a thing as time release germy guys? After braving whatever bugs were causing Josh's symptoms for two weeks, I thought I had actually gotten off scot free. But, today I was hit with an extreme case of the sniffles, and I'm wondering if Josh's little buggers had been camping out in my fat cells, waiting to be released at just the right moment.

Apparently (and unfortunately), "just the right moment" is five days before embarking on a 30 hour train ride to Ulaan Baatar, where snow has already begun to fall. Yikes!

I've been wanting to post some nerdy academic stuff about my internship and the festival and such (you know, the REAL reason we're in Beijing for a whole year), but it will have to wait until after I hibernate for a couple days.

Good night!

Firecrackers redux

Saturday, October 19, 7:55 am: What sounds like a skirmish involving light rifle fire erupts on the ground 15 floors below our window. M is startled awake. Either fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I was already getting ready for work. I peek out the kitchen window to see the joyous green and white flashing of a large roman candle, at least a few sparklers, and other random fireworks. I rack my brain as to what sort of holiday it could be. Once I was ready, I peeked my head out the window again: about 20 or so Chinese people of various shapes and sizes are gathered around a small plaza, in the center of which is a blackened stand for what I can only assume was a large roman candle. The light grey cinder block/brick ground is obviously (that is, visible from 15 floors up) streaked with gunpowder burns. Scorched earth, indeed.

Just now, I googled: 'is october 18th a chinese holiday?' to no avail. "Maybe it's October 1st on the Lunar calendar," I wonder bemusedly.

Just now (a new now), M leaned over and said "Are you writing about the fireworks? There were more again today around 9:30."

Just now (newer), it occured to me that maybe an early morning dose of fireworks is China's way of shouting to the world, "HEY GUESS WHAT? WE INVENTED THIS STUFF."

Random Updates

I'm happy to report that we haven't had any problems with the drain lately. We took a tip from Justin and poured Mr. Muscle drain dissolver down the drain. It's this crazy looking chemical that you pour down the drain, wait an hour, then chase it with boiling water and hope that it washes away all the gunk that shriveled up from getting beat up by Mr. Muscle and his chemical friends. We did a test load of laundry afterwards and it worked. Thankfully, if we have any problems, we can now call Joe the Plumber. Oh wait, he's not licensed...

Thanks for all of your notes of concern and sympathy. Clearly, playing the "drain card" really hit a chord with some of you. My favorite quote: when Jirat asked us on skype, "Okay, first of all...why haven't you moved yet?!" And I'd be lying if I said we didn't think about it. If only briefly.

I think I'm healthy again, too. At least I haven't had any crazy debilitating bouts of the chills lately. So, here's to health and clean drains!

It looks like we'll be trying to pull off that Mongolia trip next week, so wish us luck as we venture into the wild unknown. I'm hoping to catch a glimpse of Genghis Khan ;).

That's it, sorry I don't have anything exciting to post.

Dapper Baby?

My sister took her little daughter to be part of a photo shoot for this new kid's clothing brand:



Now there's a voting contest to see who's the cutest of the baby models. You know what time it is. It's 'use our blog as a shameless medium for filial promotion' time! So do your part and vote for little Gwynneth! (She's baby F just in case you weren't sure)

And if you plan on having a baby or getting married (or both) anytime soon in the Pacific Northwest, think about using my sister's friend, who was the photographer.

If you plan on having a baby or getting married (or both) anytime soon anywhere else, hit up Jerry Yoon and Ingrid Chang, arguably the best, but definitely the nicest, photographers evarr.