Cascade Crew

[QwkTrip]

Well, I'm back home after 17 days in China. I've seen the best and the worst. As usual after a foreign excursion, I feel very fortunate I was born into the blessings of The United States of America.

[Schultzy89GTA]

Welcome back Jon. When you get a chance give us some of the highlights (lowlights?) of the trip.

Cheers,

-Schultzy

[Kage87Z]

So, how's the drag racing/road racing scene over there?

What're their thoughts on Toyota in NASCAR?

What's that?

Oh.... never mind.

[Dewey316]

Glad you made it back Jon. We would live a little write up, and maybe some pictures!

[QwkTrip]

Well, here's the short version....

I arrived in Beijing to find myself engulfed in the worst smog I have ever seen. The sky is yellow-brown and is continually like that. Visibility is about 1 or 2 miles and it is impossible to get a breath of fresh air anywhere.... and I do mean anywhere. The pollution is terrible and it was like that from north to south and all places in between that I visited, including 4 hours drive into the country side. The entire time I stunk of either exhaust or cigarretes. They live in an ash tray. It was a relief to get back home just to breath clean air.

Most people in the city live in very small apartments. Wages are about 1/6 or less of what you and I are accustomed to. The housing in the smaller towns is less pleasing. Much of the housing in smaller towns is put in place by factory owners as a place for workers to live and sleep. Not very pleasant but not horrible either. Farming communities pretty much build their own homes from stone or whatever they can find. Some look half way decent but the majority are pretty rough and run down. There may or may not be windows and doors covering openings in the home. It did not appear there was running water in many of the houses in smaller towns, as people were carrying buckets across their shoulders.

The major cities are large with very expansive 'downtown' districts that have tall office buildings. Most cars are either Volkswagon with '80s styling, more modern Hyundai, and some newer Toyotas and Buicks. '90s style Jeep Cherokees are fairly common and I think they are still produced in China. I visited the 4 largest cities in China and each had a little different feel. Shanghai had the most international feel and was the closest to something like NYC. Qingdao had the most liveable feel with a community that was more suited for family style living.

From what I saw, most of the land is not tillable because of rugged terrain. It seems every usable piece of flat ground is either built on or farmed. On my 4 hour drive NW of Shenzhen (Hong Kong area) I saw rice patties and water buffalo. Bamboo trees grow plentiful. In the smaller cities bamboo is used as scafolding for construction instead of steel.

In the country side you will see mostly motorcycles and 'tractors'. Motorcycles are used for as much as will allow. They will put cabs on them, truck beds, whatever will fit. The 'tractors' were the most interesting. It looks like a homemade car-truck like vehicle with no sheet metal except the roof on the cab. The dinky little engine just hangs out in the open and it looks like the whole thing will fall apart any second. But it doesn't and they will load them like you would not believe. These are basically the work horse of the farmer. They have small tractor tires and can be driven in the dirt or like a car on the road.

Cleanliness is not their highest priority. The only place I found soap in a bathroom was major airports and the hotel. Otherwise, it's tap water and natural air dry. The public toilets aren't what you and I would consider a toilet. It's a stall with a tile floor that is wet and sticky (you know why). Down on the floor is what looks like a toilet seat but it's not for sitting. If you have to go #2 then you must squat and hope you don't drop anything in your pants. Toilet paper? Didn't see any. If you don't like the air dry method then you could use a towel on the counter that is so dirty it has turned brown-black. It is also very common to see the following: A guy takes a wiz and handles his 'unit' with his hand. He then goes to the sink to wet his finger, but not for the purpose of cleaning. He takes his wet finger and scrubs down his teeth.... yes, the same finger that was all over his 'unit'. Seriously, it's no wonder that Hepititus C is a major problem in China (transmitted by ingesting poop). I had to be immunized for it. If they would just use better bathroom etiquite this wouldn't be a problem.

Most people I met were very friendly and kind. Had to throw in something nice to say. And it's true too. I also walked the Great Wall and saw the Forbidden City. Both are things that most people never get to do.

Dinners can be interesting. They really like to drink rice wine and beer. It's not uncommon to see men plastered in the resturaunts. Dinner is another oportunity to share germs. You don't get your own plate of food. Dinner is served in courses one dish at a time. They don't like to mix foods so you either eat it or wait for the next dish. Every dish is placed in the center of the table and everybody just digs in and eats. There are no serving spoons. Just grab your chopsticks and dig in... and don't mind that 4 other people (or more) with rotting teeth and foul breath are eating from the same plate. You do have the option of moving food to a small coffee cup size plate that is your own. But seriously, what's the point? Rice and soup are normally served as individual items that you don't share. But everything else is public domain.

The Chinese food is different than in the US. We generally have complex dishes with thick sauces. They have simple dishes with runny and lite sauces. Most of it tastes okay to good. But they eat a lot of starch and very little meat. Don't think you're going to order General Tso's Chicken or Sweet and Sour Pork. You're more likely to get green beans with small beef shreds and bone shards. The only meat dish I saw with a lot of meat was orange rabbit. It was dry, I didn't taste any orange, and it was too firey hot for me to eat. It's difficult to just get a beef or chicken dish. They use a lot of alternative meats. Deer, rabbit, pigeon, whatever else. And most dishes I saw on the menus used anything but the choice cuts of meat. You like chicken feet? How about fish heads? Maybe the heart or tonque is more your style. I'm not sure what they do with the rest of the animal but the choice cuts usually are not on the menu. And I haven't even gotten into the sea food.... that's where things get really wild. They will eat anything that moves. I'm sure a lot of it is okay, but I'm just not accustomed to it. I need a few more years to ease into the whole food thing.

Talking against the government is strickly prohibited. So is any talk of religion. Let's not forget this is a communist country who's leader ranks among the worst dictators in the world.

There is a lot more to tell but I will quit here. It was a good experience for me. But I can do with just one visit. Oh, one other thing. When you watch the Olympics in 2008 don't let them fool you. They are going to nearly shut down Beijing 6 months before to let the smog clear out. So you won't get the same perspective I had.

[QwkTrip]

Dewey, I have some pictures if you want to host them.

[Dewey316]

sure, e-mail to me at dewey316 "at" gmail "dot" com. I'll toss them up on the server tonight for you.

[Schultzy89GTA]

Wow, what an experience.

I always seemed to come home from overseas with more appreciation for how we live; more each time. I could probably suffer through life on the West coast of Australia, but ya, I digress.

Thanks for sharing.

-Schultzy

[Raiden]

Quicktrip,

good to see you are still around! Where are you living now days?

A good friend of mine is a missionary in China and wow, talk about no talking of religion Glad we live here in teh usa:D

Craiger

[QwkTrip]

Craiger! What's up, buddy! Good to hear from you again!

I'm living in Peoria, IL. I got a job with Caterpillar about 5 years ago and have loved every moment of it. Sure, I'd rather be living somewhere with more natural beauty like the northwest, but you can't have everything. I married a midwest girl about 4 years ago... and she told me to say I have loved every moment of it. Actually, that has been very nice too.

My 'Bird is still sitting in Washington state just as it was when I left 5 years ago - unfinished. I tried to sell it to one of these fine folks last summer until they finally told me to just shut up about it (I missed my calling as an insurance salesman). After 5 years I finally sucked it up and bought a 3/4 ton truck so I can tow the car to Illinois this summer. My wife and I will make a vacation out of the road trip. Then I will sell the truck since I don't need it and can't afford it anyway. After that I'll probably sit on the car another 5 years... or more.... hehe. But at least I get to look at it.

So where are you these days, and what are you driving? Oh ya, could I interest you in a red '89 Firebird? Ready for your finishing touches!