Beijing

To Duck, or not to Duck.

This is the original Peking Duck Restaurant in the heart of Beijing (although I must assume there have been numerous upgrades and minor renovations over the years). Quite the restaurant though, for both locals and tourists alike, and definitely in the five star category. Their ducks are worth their weight in Gold, and they charge accordingly. Apparently, there is one farm only that supplies the special birds to this restaurant, and on an exclusive basis. Definitely worth a look and a bite if you are ever in Beijing.


After a nice bit of glazed fowl, you must travel north of the city to see one of the wonders of the world: The Great Wall. We went by taxi, hired one for the day (which was not overly expensive) so that we had a bit more flexibility than we would have had a part of a tour group. You must travel north to Badaling, where the government has reconstructed and repaired a good portion of the wall for the purpose of tourism. This is an extremely impressive sight, and one which should not be missed.

If you take the trip by coach, you will enjoy a nice quiet ride (so I am told) in air-conditioned
comfort. If you hire a private vehicle, be well strapped in and grab hold of something. The road is a complete mess, the drivers pay no heed to the centre line (actually, there usually isn't a centre line), and everyone passes wherever they can - on the left, or the right, on corners and in the middle of intersections. Quite an experience.

Another of the "don't miss tourist attractions" has to be the Forbidden City. Directly across from Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People, it is a work in progress for the Chinese Government. The "city" is massive. Much larger than I had ever imagined. Much of it is still under renovation, and although we enjoyed the finished parts, I wanted to search out all the little back alleyways and isolated parts. It was interesting to find these buildings, most of them unlocked, and open for exploration. And no one else around!

The original work in marble and wood and stone really is quite amazing, and you can quite easily imagine the grandeur and the pomp and ceremony that once existed within these walls. There are literally miles of walks with thousands of steps, and many singularly unique carvings and statues to see.We spent most of a day within the confines of the Forbidden City, and could have stayed longer had we wished to join the many queues that formed to enter some of the more impressive pavilions.
Rather than spend time standing in line, we went exploring.

Voyage to China

It was December 5th, 2007, and I was off on an adventure. Going east, east to China. I was a bit apprehensive, but looking forward to it at the same time. What would it be like? How would I be received by the locals? Would I be the only white guy in town? Could I eat the local food
from the local shops? And survive? I was in for a few surprises.

There are at the bare minimum, two faces of China. There is the modern, upwardly mobile, trendy population, wealthy and extremely resilient. Then there is the traditional, the less than wealthy population, those who ride bicycles instead of driving Mercedes, BMW's and Volkswagens. I got to see both sides, and was impressed by each in their own way.

The photo above is from the Stanley Market just outside of Hong Kong. Here you can purchase Tom and Jerry's ice cream, or scorpions on a stick. You can sit at a seaside table and enjoy a slice of pizza and a German beer, or scamper down an alley for local dumplings and tepid tea. Either way, completely enjoyable.

The shopping is quite an experience. You can browse through the most modern shopping malls, seven stories high, with all the shops from England, France, Germany and Italy, with the REAL goods. Or, you can go to the Ladies Market in Hong Kong and find the same products at 1/10th of the cost. Hmmmmmmm!



Crowds, crowds, and more crowds. And something else, there is no concept in China for your "personal space". The idea simply does not exist. Shopping is a little like a two hour bump and grind. There were many times I simply had to escape, just to catch my breath, but the experience was so fascinating, I always plunged back in for more.

But I am getting ahead of myself, because Hong Kong was the last stop on our tour. I will be back to show you some photos from the other cities, some of the amazing sights. Too bad I cannot share the sounds and the smells as well. Let me leave you with one little photo that might give some inkling of what is to come.

Plains of Abraham

Well, as I have stated many times in the past, I do not give a rats ass about being politically correct. I do consider the feelings and sensitivities of others, and carefully weigh these against my propensity for stating what I think. So far I win.

Now here we go again. In 1759 the British fought the French on the Plains of Abraham, above Quebec City, and the English won. Took them 15 minutes. Longer than most battles the French have been in. And the prize? British North America.

So why am I upset? Because the National Battlefields Trust of Canada wants to re-enact the battle for this summer, the 250th anniversary of the birth of Canada. But the separatists in Quebec do not want this. It is affront. It is an embarrassment. It is a provocation. They should have thought of this 250 years ago when they set the precedent for French arms sales worldwide: "Never fired, only thrown down once!"

To hell with political correctness. They lost. Re-enact the battle.

Photo Challenge

I cannot resist a good challenge. I located a photo file of my trip to China, and the fourth album was from the city of X'ian, just a bit south southwest of Beijing. I went there to see the Terracotta Warriors underground, but as you can see from photo #4, there was a lot more to enjoy in this most ancient of cities. This is the South Gate in the original city wall (well, maybe fixed up a bit as it is more than 3000 years old).

Famous Last Words

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda.

Famous last words for those who didn't, and now find it is too late. No regrets! But what if (more famous last words) I hadda? Hadda actually gone into archeology in University, like I wanted to? Would I now be in some far forgotten land, burrowing deep beneath the ground in search of some lost treasure, some link to mankind's murky past? Doubtful, I'm not built for that, the trench would have to be far too wide.

So I did not become an archeologist, or an architect, I became a teacher - then realized that "our little darlings" are only little darlings at home, and someone completely different when they are in a pack (as they are in the classroom). Simply could not stand the little buggers. Once I knew I was not made out to be a teacher (after 4 years in university!), I embarked on a checkered career of being a tailor; raising chickens; farming; selling life insurance; selling vaccum cleaners (God, I almost forgot that one!); selling office supplies, then office furniture, and now self employed, selling "pee proof" furniture for retirement homes! No regrets! I met some amazing people along the way.

But, what if I had become a riverman, plying my trade up and down some busy little water route, instead of driving around in an over-sized truck? I might relish the different sights and sounds, the unique smells of the river, the little bite-sized habitats I would have seen on a daily basis.

I wonder if that would have altered my outlook on life at all? Not that I need to alter my outlook on life, at least I don't think I do? What if I had taken that trip to Australia that I really wanted when I graduated from University? What if I had actually married my high school sweetheart? What if my first car had been a Ferrari instead of a 1964 Ford 500, column shift and with an engine too large for a 16 year old lad who had no fears at all.

This could go on forever. We can always look back and wonder "what if"?

Woulda, coulda, shoulda.

Tomorrow is my 59th. I have great friends, great family, a good business, and regardless of my meanderings above, I am perfectly happy with my station in life. But I can't help wondering, from time to time......

WHAT IF?

Words and Phrases

We are constantly assaulted by words and phrases we hate, and ones that are misused or abused by people for whatever reason. I don't know about you, but I would like to eliminate some of these from the English language, erase them from human memory, and make it a criminal offense to use them in print or in conversation.

I list my choices here for any comments you might have, and invite you to submit yours. Just putting mine on the list will make me feel better, I know it will........... OK, so, moving on..........

1. Moving on ....... (yes please, and don't bother coming back)
2. Going forward (where else? You can't go back)
3. D (It's defense! Don't be so bloody lazy!)
4. Funding (don't be afraid - say money)
5. Stakeholders (way too many of these around these days)

Well, now I feel better. I think this actually brought me some closure. Oooops, there's another one that we simply do not need.