China: From top to bottom to middle

Well, I guess it’s been another few months since I last wrote to y’all, but (just as I always say) I have a great excuse. As you saw from my last blog, I traveled across Siberia (cramped in a tiny train cabin), through Mongolia (getting the shit kicked out of me and robed on the way) and into Beijing (where I celebrated the end of a long, strenuous and unforgettable journey). So what happened after Beijing? Let’s just say I ended up in staying in China just a little bit longer than expected. In fact, I’m still here!

Yep, I’m still in China, believe it or not. I’ve been living here for about three months now and plan on staying for another 3, 6, 9, maybe even 12 more! Who knows? I’m teaching in a “small town” of about 5 million people called Wuxi. (That’s right; a small town in China is several million people). Wuxi (which literally means “No Tin”) is about an hour train ride to Shanghai and is situated in Southern Jiangsu Province, one of the oldest, most populated and most developed regions of the Middle Country. It’s not too big, not too small, and not too westernized. The food is great, prices cheap and the women spectacular! I fell in love with the city instantly and decided to use the time here to learn more about China and East Asia in general.

The past three months I’ve been MIA. I wrote a blog in December about the Trans-Siberian adventure, but so much has happened since. Of course, I’ve been traveling (told you I had a good excuse). Actually, I’ve been traveling a lot... a whole lot. I got here right in the middle of Christmas, New Years and Chinese New Years- meaning I’ve had tons of vacation time.

I arrived in Beijing back from the US on December 5, 2008. After the trans-Pacific flight and went straight to the train station to buy a ticket to Wuxi for the following day. Next, I returned to the same hostel that I stayed at in November in Sanlitun and went out with a few people that I met staying there. It was funny, I ended up going to the same bar that I went to in November and saw a few of the same Chinese people that I met previously! Coincidence- maybe? But more likely those people just go to the same place every night; nonetheless, not a bad night.

The next morning I woke up at the crack of dawn to catch the 26 hour train to Wuxi, my new home for (at the time) 6 months. However, when I finally got to my seat, I realized that that’s exactly what it was- a seat in deed. So, what’s the big deal? Well, 26 hours in a hard seat wedged between two, plump Chinese men wasn’t exactly what I anticipated. I thought I had a hard sleeper cabin, but I guess they took me seriously when I said I wanted the cheapest ticket possible to Wuxi, though.

Luckily enough, a cute, young Chinese girl saw the worried look in my eye and asked me in English where I was going. I replied, “Wuxi.” She chuckled, then said, “come on, I’ll help you get a spot in the sleeper cabin.” After chatting with a few of the crew members, and 100 RMB (about $15) later, I was in. Thank God! That was a close one. I was predicting another dreaded travel experience that would rival my times stuck on a sorry excuse for a bus somewhere in South America’s Andes.

I gazed out the window as we headed deeper and deeper into China. I saw some of the most amazing scenery that I’ve seen in my life, watched farmers plow their fields and ordinary people in small villages live the way the ancestor’s ancestors lived. That’s when I realized how much better traveling by land than air is. When you fly, you really just jump over everything. It doesn’t even bother me that it takes more time, or that it’s more uncomfortable. It’s totally worth it! Oh yea, did I mention it’s a hell of a lot cheaper?

Anyway, the next day after a horrible sleep, I made it to Wuxi. Man was I ever nervous. I had no idea what this place would be like. I got off the train and met up with Alucard, a staff member from my school who would take me to my new apartment. On the way I saw that Wuxi is a pretty nice place. There’s tall buildings in the down town area, and small traditional neighborhoods lining the hundreds of tiny canals that pass through the allies. I started to like the place already. But then, Alucard offered me some traditional food, which I couldn’t resist. Of course, it was fantastic! I had fallen in love with the place only after two hours! I liked it so much that when it came to me signing my 6 month contract, I gave it back to them and told them to go ahead and make it a year-long one instead.

As I mentioned earlier, I arrived in early December, right in the middle of holiday season. So, for Christmas, a few other teachers and I went to Shanghai to celebrate. And celebrate we did. Staying awake all night and climbing to the top of some of the world’s highest buildings was definitely the most unique Christmas that I’ve ever had. A week later, I went to Hong Kong and Macau to party for New Years with my Dad, my sister and her boyfriend. And party we did. Seeing the sunrise every morning and meeting up with a group of crazy random Brazilians is exactly what any new years should be. Three weeks after, we went to Chongqing (a huge city in the interior of China on the banks of the Chang Jiang River) to commemorate the Chinese New Year. And commemorate we didn’t.

Yea, that was no typo. No partying in Chongqing. I got some of the worst food poisoning that I’ve ever had in my life. I lay on the hostel’s communal bathroom floor throwing up the entire night while the sound of fireworks and firecrackers echoed off the walls and into my ears. I felt like I was in hell! It was freezing cold, I was sick and lying on the dirty, piss smelling tiles with loud noises ringing my ear drums. And that my friends is how I bought in the Year of the Ox, the same year that I was born in 24 years ago.

What a long 3 months. Damn, I still can’t get over it. And now you know why I haven’t written! Give me a break already! (Oh yea, and plus I didn’t have my computer since Chinese customs decided to hold on to it for a few months). And for the record, if you plan on coming to China, never, and I mean never, use the mail service. Getting my lap top through customs was a pain in the royal emperor’s ass.

However, I think my 3 month honey moon period here is finally slowing down. You know, when you first get to a new place all you want to do it go out, see everything and meet everyone; so much in fact that you forget to do some of the things that you came to do in the first place. Now I’ve had time to learn the language, practice calligraphy, make local friends, learn more about the culture and history and start up Kong Fu lessons; all of which I really wanted to come to China in the fist place.

I’m also coming to my element and catching the writer’s bug again. The “Mongolian Incident” put a damper on my blog since I was so upset about losing all the pics from the Trans-Sib (one of the highlights of my multi-year world-wide trip). I though that the blog wouldn’t be the same with out photo evidence. But time heals all wounds and the blog must go one. So, for the next several months, you’ll be hearing about my crazy stories from China and elsewhere around East Asia.

Don’t worry (as you probably weren’t anyway), just because I’m staying here more time than expected doesn’t mean I’m cutting my trip short. The way I look at it is that this trip has no plans and no time limit. It’s over when it’s over. Only staying in Russia 3 months and China for 12 is already 2 big changes, who knows what others will come along the way? I know I’m excited! So from Wuxi, China, ill keep you posted, whether it be 1 week, 3 months or nine years from now! Zaijian!

Chongqing, Chongqing, China

Downtown

A pretty cool looking alley

An outdoor market. There's about 1,000 of them in this city. This is why I probably got food poisoning!!!

A man fishing on in the Chang Jiang

The cable carts of Chongqing. The prefered way to travel around the city by locals

The skyline. You may think that it was quite a foggy day, but your wrong. That's just the blanket of smog from all the polution!

Shanghai

A row of bikes downtown

The famous skyling of Pudong, Shanghai. Just a little different from Chongqing, eh?

Hong Kong

The crowded and cramped streets of HK. Seriously, I don't know how they built this city. Everything is pilled on top of eachother. Look at this!

A bus blocking the view of HK's world renowned architecture. I tried taking another pic of this, but another bus got in the way. Really, this city is that crowded!

A Buddhist temple. It's funny, There's more of a Buddhist tradition in HK than the rest of China despite being under British rule for so many years. Why? Well, the rest of China turned communist and eliminated religion. But not in HK.

Another view of HK on the last day of 2008

Macau. Kind of looks like Vegas. In fact, I'd say Vegas and Macau are the two most similar cities in the world! Same hotels, same casinos and same cheap buffets.

Don't worry, there'll be plenty of Wuxi pics later on...

What a Long Strange Trip It's Been

Y'all probably think I'm dead by now or something crazy like that since it's been more than a month since I've written the grand blog. Well (thankfully) you're wrong. My excuse: not necessarily being lazy, or experiencing writer’s block; it's just that I've been on a long strange trip across 3 continents, 4 countries and nearly all the world's time zones. So give me a break!

On my last blog, I told you how I had no clue where I was going or where I was going to end up. I had many options, but at the last second I chose East- right across the infamous Siberian tundra. And how? Well just as any good citizen of mother Russia would travel- train. Yep, I took the Trans-Siberian. Why not??? (Keep in mind, the summary of this voyage is about 1/1000 of everything. It is just impossible to describe so much on this tiny blog. So, use your imagination!
I left Moscow that Saturday night knowing that I would have 4 nights on the train until I reached Irkutsk- a small city in the middle of Siberia roughly 100 km from Lake Baikal. Those four nights were absolutely insane! My cabin itself was interesting. A former member of the communist party and a young girl returning home from seeing her boyfriend in the Ukraine were the 2 permanent members. Our other roommate kept changing (since the Trans-Sib makes many stops along the way, picking up and dropping off passengers constantly). Nonetheless, the third person for the first night was a mid aged guy named Aleks returning home after visiting family in Moscow.

That night, Aleks and I took down some beers and communicated in my broken Russian and his not-so-perfect English. Right before we were about to call it a night, however, two Russian Air Force pilots boarded our carriage. Oh yeah, and did I add that they were completely wasted! Aleks saw them and immediately told them I was American. "Great," I thought to myself, "these guys are really going to love having an American on board after all the problems our two countries have been having!" Nevertheless, they were as cool as they could be. They told me that the Americans and Russians are brothers. I couldn't believe it! In fact, one of the guys (who I later found out was a general) gave me his hat. That's right, his Russian General Air Force hat. A fantastic souvenir. You wanna see a picture? Oh wait, I'm getting to that part...

The next day, Aleks and the two army guys took off, meaning new passengers would take their place. Of course, my luck, a soccer team of a bunch of guys my age was next in line. There were about 10 of them, and, of course, they were all drunk (if you haven't noticed, drinking of the Trans-Sib is very common...). Of course, they found out that I was a foreigner quickly, and without hesitation, they told me to come in, take a seat and join the celebration with vodka and food. We had a feast in their cabin! Several roast chickens, bread, salad, vodka, beer, fruits- you name it. They kept offering everything they had to me; the minute I finished something, someone would be piling more food onto my napkin. I tried to be polite and say "no" after a while (since I thought I was eating all their food) but they refused. Good ole Russian hospitality! I soon found out that they had just won a soccer tourney and they were all returning home on the train/celebrating their victory. They had the trophy to prove it. Wanna see it? I told you, wait!!! I celebrated with the team the entire night probably waking up everyone on the entire train in the process. Nonetheless, a great time! Probably one of the most fun nights I had in Russia after 3 months of living there.

The next day, I woke up with a splitting hangover with no idea what time it was or where I was. You see, on the Trans-Sib, you're constantly crossing time zones, thus becoming "train-lagged." It's like jet lag, except it’s a slow, painful process. It plays a number on you, I guarantee! I also saw that the good friends on my soccer team had gotten off. That third day was all about resting. The partying/train-lag/lack off sleep/ exhaustion from the swaying and "klunk klunk" of the tracks put me in a daze. I took time to peer out the window, seeing nothing but the typical Siberian landscape- wide open plains traced with tall, skinny trees and the occasional wooden house villages. Everyone once in a while, we'd make a stop, giving us the opportunity to get some fresh Siberian air and sample local food from the vendors. This was definitely the highlights of my day on the train.

I used that night to catch up on reading and get some rest. However, my internal clock was all messed up due to the train-lag. It was the middle of the night and I was the only one awake. I took my book of choice, "The Gulag Archipelago," and went to the deserted hall way. And that’s when things started getting weird. I just happened to be on the chapter where Solzhenitsyn was describing the transportation of the prisoners on the Soviet's vast RR system. The more he described it, the more I personally felt involved. Every thing he mentioned about the trains I was literally hearing it, feeling it and experiencing it first hand. It was almost like I was in another world, or like I was hallucinating or something. There I was, all by myself in the middle of the night with my mind in a tailspin on the same tracks that millions of prisoners have passed decades ago. Then, suddenly, I read the line where the author mentioned how we ordinary citizens complain about the fatigue of train travel and cramped space of four people in our tiny cabins. "Yep," I thought. But then he back fired, saying how that was nothing what he went through since the prisoners were stuffed into the same space I was in like cattle (often 20-25 people in the 10X8X8 rooms!) with no bathroom for days on end. Oh yea, and Solzhenitsyn made the point that this wasn't even the worse of their worries! Wow! I snapped out of my daze quickly, put the book away in awe since I felt like he was speaking directly to me, and hit the sack.

The next day I awoke to the same bleak Siberian landscape that I had been seeing for days. I realized that by this point, the train was starting to play tricks on me, and messing with my head. That's what it does to you, a tight, cramped area, mixed with no shower + train lag + the confusion of everything + no fresh air + ahhhhhh! The list doesn't stop! I knew I had to be strong for just a few more hours since Irkutsk was coming up.

Finally, night fell again, my last night before my destination. But, of course, I wouldn't get off that easily. Some psycho entered my cabin (drunk... of course). He told me he was a diamond miner, but I'm pretty sure this guy was involved in some kind of illegal activity. I just got that weird feeling. Plus, the girl in my cabin leaned over to me at one point and said, in English, "I think he's dangerous!" That night, I tried to get some rest, but the psycho next to me kept acting up. He had a 45 minute sleep schedule consisting of: 10 minutes of silence, then 10 minutes of snoring, then 10 minutes of talking in his sleep, the 10 minutes of going on a rampage (aka- smacking the wall and hitting the bed with his fist) the 5 minutes of all of the above! Just when you thought it was all over (during the 1o minutes of silence) it would start up again. He scarred the shit out of me! I didn't get a blink of sleep the entire night.

Luckily, we arrived in Irkutsk at 5:30 am that morning. I gathered my things and took off like a bat out of hell. But,all that mattered was that I reached my mid point destination! However, I still had one more problem- I was still in Russia, and my Russian visa would expire in 2 days. I had to find a way out of the country fast. I went to the ticket booth and bought the next train out of the country- one that would put me in the heart of Mongolia just before the visa expired. That was a close call.

So I spent the night in Irkutsk (which is by the way an awesome city). I'm kind of mad I didn't teach there instead. The people were actually friendly (unlike the notorious Muscovite negativity). Anyway, yea, got to see Lake Baikal and everything. Well worth the stop. But, I had to keep on trucking. Next stop, Mongolia.

The train departed the following day. After spending about 8 hours crossing customs on the border, we finally reached Mongol territory. Another night passed (along with another agonizing night's rest) and I made it to Ulaan Baatar. I was so excited to get there, I had always wanted to visit Mongolia. The temperature was well below freezing, but it didn't matter, I still grabbed my camera taking shots of just about everywhere in the entire city. Yep, you heard me, amazing photos, but wait, still not there yet...

Three days later, a few British guys I met traveling in Russia showed up at my hostel. We decided to sign up for a tour into the country the next day to sleep in gers and check out Mongolia's incredible natural beauty. However, that night had to call for a celebration... of course. We went out, had a great time, but, unfortunately (or actually luckily) one of the Brits had too much to drink and had to return. Me and the other guy decided to stay since Ulaan Baatar, surprisingly, had good night life. Well, to make a long story short, it got late and it was bed time. And that's where the fun began.

We went to the street to hail a cab, naturally. One pulled up, stopped next to us and I tried negotiating a good price. Next thing I know, "POP!!!" on the back of my head. I opened my eyes and I was on the ground getting kicked by several big Mongolian guys. One then jumped down and held my arms down while the others ravaged my pockets. I kept struggling, but there was no hope- I was getting mugged and there was nothing I could do about it. Once they got what they wanted from me and my friend, they took off, never to see the bastards again. So all those wonderful pics I was speaking about- yep, gone. Not to mention a lot of my money and my wallet with ID and credit card. As you can imagine, that sucked, definitely the worst travel experience that I've ever had. But you know what, that's life, it happens. And if you’re willing to travel around enough, it'll happen, you bet your last buck it will... literally.

The next day I woke up, beat up, bruised down and pissed off. I couldn't let this incident though stop me from my 3 day excursion into the countryside. If you don't cry over spilt milk, then you shouldn't cry over a camera, wallet and money now. The next three days we were away from the hustle and bustle of Ulaan Baatar in the middle of nowhere, just what I needed. We spent the night in gers with nomadic Mongolian families, ate some damn good food, checked out an ancient Buddhist monastery and rode horses. It was quite spiritual in a way. Seeing all the monks in the monastery plus the simple life of the nomads made me realize that hey, my camera is just a material item that can be replaced. In the words of the old grandpa living in one of the gers we stayed at, “they can steal your camera and your pictures, but no one can steal your memories.” Wow, deep stuff right there, but you know what, he’s true. So I cannot show you evidence of my wonderful journey, but that really doesn’t matter. They are with me, and I guess that’s the most important thing of it all, ain’t it?


After a few weeks in Mongolia living like a true nomad (I told you the idea about being a nomad in my last blog in Russia!) I headed to Beijing. I passed 5 days in China’s capital celebrating the end of my long ass trip. It truly is a great feeling knowing that you have completed such a long and strenuous voyage. I said hey to the Great Wall, Peking Duck and Beijing’s infamous party district “Sanlitan” then called it a trip. I took the flight over the Pacific to make it home just in time for Thanksgiving. Despite having a wonderful time in the Middle Country, I wasn’t sad about leaving China. I knew I would be back soon- REAL soon. In fact, that’s exactly where I am now…


To be continued

That's All

The title for my one month summary in August was "1 Down 5 to Go." The one for October was "The 1/3 Mark." So, since I planned on staying a total of 6 months here, naturally, the name of October's entry should be "Half Way There" or something corny like that. But, there's been a slight change of plans... Me? Change of plans? Never!

Actually, October's entry will be my last one from Russia's capital. Remember the problem I was having with the visa? Well, it turned out to be bigger than I anticipated… Actually, a lot bigger! The process would have entailed me flying home, driving to Houston (2 hours away from my home) back and forth a few times a week for about a month and having to buy a new visa (which I guarantee you ain't cheap). On top of that, I'd be missing several weeks of work- and several weeks of work is several weeks of no pay. This is utterly impossible. In all, I'd be losing, literally, thousands of dollars. Not cool in the slightest.

My visa expires November 1st, meaning I can't stay here. I've heard horror stories about foreigners over staying their visa. The Russian government is one entity you don't want to mess around with. Laws here are not in any way shape of form meant to be broken (unlike some other countries that I have visited). OK, so, if I can't stay here, then the next logical conclusion is to go home, right? Well, that's what I thought at first too, but home isn't exactly the best place to be at the moment. Remember, I'm from Louisiana, a state in the USA. The same state that has been ravaged by 2 hurricanes last month and the same country that is on the verge of an economic meltdown. Home is not the most desirable place on the planet right now. Nevertheless, I still planned on going home despite all the crap going on. But, I guess the airlines are feeling the heat from the crisis as well, since I just found out (not getting into too much detail) that the flight I was going to take is now out of the question.

Now, I am faced with a dilemma. I can't stay here, and I can't get a flight home in time before my visa expires. Where can I go? If I head north I'll reach Finland, where I don't need a visa. But, from there, I'd be even more isolated than I would be here. I could perhaps go south, but that would put me right in the middle of Georgia and Chechnya (international conflict zones). Not the best place to be at the moment. I could run west and head to Europe. Europe is safe, fun and pleasant; definitely a great place to be. Nonetheless, the Euro would bankrupt me faster than Lehman Brothers! East also seems like an option, but Kazakhstan, China and North Korea all require visas, meaning I can’t enter. As you can see, I have options, but none are ideal. But, I'm under the gun, I have to make a decision and make it fast. I don't have time to just sit around blogs all day! So, now, I must be a true nomad, pack up my things and go, head wherever the wind takes me while trying to avoid international war, strict visa requirements, wallet breaking cities and extreme isolation. Wait a minute! That's it! Nomand! I think I have an idea… This just might work!

Now you know Moscow. You've seen the famous landmarks, you've learned about the people and culture, you've tried the food, you've walked down the cramped, cold allies, you've relaxed in the gorgeous parks, you've sampled various vodkas, you've experienced remnants of the all-mighty USSR, you've gone to street festivals, you've lived in a bloc apartment, you've partied all night at a typical Moscow club and you've even taken an overnight train to spend the weekend in Saint Petersburg. You have experienced Muscovite life, everything from the pains to the pleasures, for the last 3 months. Now you know what it's really like.

OK, I've got to go. I'll be out of contact for many days, but don't worry, the blog will continue. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will stop me from writing this story. Plus, I have a weird feeling that things are about to get real interesting. Stay tuned, you're not going to want to miss this!

Red Square and the Kremlin

Two weeks ago, I got a tour of Moscow- in particular Red Square and the Kremlin. Here is a photo collage of everything I saw:

An ancient church inside the walls of the Kremlin

A HUGE cannon. Actually, it's so big that it doesn't work. It was psychological war. In fact, an invading Tartar army saw it one day and retreated!


The front building of Red Square. This building is actually vacant, the government can't decide what to do with it

The front entrance to Red Square- covered with tourist and street shops selling icons from the USSR

An Orthodox church in Red Square

Lenin's tomb. Perhaps one of the world's most famous mummies

Two carriages from Catherine the Great. They were pretty much like the Roles Royce of the 18th century

This makes the Liberty Bell look like something from "Toys R Us"

A government building. Maybe Putin and Medvedev were inside of it at the time???

Yep, you guessed it, another church.

And another....

And another... Yes, there were at least 100 churches on the premises. Russia tended to build a new church after military victories or other special occasions.

And the final view exiting Red Square

If you still haven't had enough, check out this video. Its a panoramic view of Red Square

the 1/3 Mark

Well, I’ve just reached the 1/3 mark of my Moscow experience. So you know what that means- it’s time for the September summary. I’m sure you are jumping out of your chair right now, but please, try to contain yourself.

For those of you who regularly follow the blog, you saw that August (emotionally) was quite chaotic. Some days would be absolutely amazing, while others would be compared to living in hell. This was the cause of literally everything being new and culture shock. The good things that I liked were different, making me like them even more. While the negative aspects were, likewise, new; thus making me dislike them even more than I otherwise would. So, how is September, my second month here different since things, basically, just aren’t as fresh as they used to be?

This question answers itself. Everything is starting to become normal. These weird Cyrillic letters that I couldn’t pronounce or read are now pronounceable and legible. I’m at the point where some basic words and phrases are second nature; like bathroom signs, enter/exits indicators and Metro station stops. I know them without even thinking. The same is true with spoken language, I don’t even blink an eye when asking for directions or ordering a beer. It has become as normal as brushing your teeth in the morning.

Continuing, I understand the people a lot better. If they frown, or raise their voices, or push you in the metro, I do the same in return. Instead of being intimidated (like I was in August) I understand that this is just their culture, and the best way to deal with these kinds of situations is to do it right back. Doing this in my home country would be considered rude, but here, its normal- it’s just (for one reason of the other) how life is.

The list goes on: The co-ed bathrooms aren’t as awkward as they use to be, Vodka is smoother and is actually starting to taste good, and the weather (although getting colder and colder each day) is, for now, manageable. It’s a strange to feel you mind adapt and assimilate to its surrounding, I guess that’s why they call it the strongest muscle in your body. It realizes that I have to change my old habits and adapt to the new ones in which I’m currently experiencing. If not, life will become overly difficult and mental and physical health is threatened.

Actually, this is my favorite thing about not necessarily traveling, but living for an extended period of time in a certain place. You learn so much! Apart from the obvious factors (like the history and culture of a certain place) there’s so much more: I now know how to deal with strict, stern and ordered people, something that I’ve never had to deal with in the Americas. I know now how to put up with cold weather. I’m even wearing a scarf for the first time- can you believe that?!?! And, perhaps most importantly, I do it all on my own with no help from the outside, thus making every second of every day a challenge. In the end, you become a stronger person that is equipped to deal with any (and I mean any) situation.

At this moment in time, there have been a few surprised that popped up on me. Can you believe it? Surprises while traveling abroad… NEVER!!! This weekend, I lost my immigration card. For those of you who don’t know what this is, it’s this little small piece of paper that they give you upon entering the country. In my opinion, it’s meaningless. All it does is have the time and date of when you enter the damn country. However, it’s utterly important. One of my students told me the other day, “don’t lose the card; it’s the worst thing you could possible do!” Great, this makes me feel good. Of course, two days after she said that I lost it. A jinx? I think so. The next surprise has to deal with my visa. It expires at the end of October, meaning I have to leave the country back to the US to get a new one. The only problem is that no one ever told before coming that I’d have to do this. My impression was that I could just renew it here instead of having to buy a round trip ticket back home, drive back and forth to the Russian Consulate in Houston several times a week and drop $200 bucks on a new visa. This is just out of control.

So, as of now, I’m here with now immigration card and an expiring visa. But, I guess this is just one more challenge that I have to confront. It’s kind of fun… in a way. Some people get their kicks by skydiving or doing other extreme sports. Me? I love being faced with a major dilemma in a foreign country. I guess I subconsciously bring it upon myself (I guess this is the bad side of having the brain the most powerful muscle in the body). So, I’ve go to act, and I’ve got to act soon; or else my parachute won’t open. To be honest, a malfunctioned parachute is probably on par with dealing with the Russian government.

Ahhh, my crazy life- I absolutely love it!!! In the meantime, check out some of these photos from the month of September:

Palmeni (Russian dumplings topped with sour cream) and grain; definitley one of my favorite dishes here

The view from inside an Orthodox church. (ps- your not supose to take pictures, so don't tell anyone).

The World War II memorial. If you lost 20 million, you'd have a memorial too.

Your typical view of Moscow- Cool street lamps, a large gold-domed church, a Stalin building and spawling sky-scrapers in the far distance.

A memorial dedicated the the 1917 Revolution. It depicts horses from the Reds and the Whites crossing the Moscow River

Are we in the age of globalization or Americanization??? You decide.

I love this picture!

Stalin's Vodka- drink at your own risk of being purged!

I never would have thought that this city would have such beutiful parks

A really cool modern park, just a little different from the green natural one seen above

Street food- my favorite! These little stands are all over the place. They sell shashlik, shwarmas and whole roasted chickens (as shown below). In fact, I'm going to go eat one right now!

The industrial side of town- East Moscow

Just Your Average Wednesday

It’s been quite a while since I’ve updated the blog, but don’t be discouraged, I have a good reason for the delay. First of all, my old college roommate (who we call Tuna… don’t ask) was in town visiting. Second, my dad and his friend (coincidently) decided to visit Moscow at the same time. Third, I’ve been working my ass off! These three factors are plenty. I’ve literally had no free time between teaching and being a city tour guide. However, having visitors did allow me to explore some different sides of the city that I’d otherwise never go to. And that brings us to the chapter of this blog- The Vodka Museum.

While I was working, Tuna would be off on his own exploring the city. However, I got a nice break one afternoon. One of my classes was canceled, meaning I had the whole day free. So what do you do in Russia in the middle of the day with nothing to do you may ask? Well, what do you think- Drink! I called my Russian friend, Albina, and explained to her the situation, “We need a good, touristy thing to show Tuna, any recommendations?” Of course, Albina came through. We met up with her at a metro station on the blue line in the center of the city half an hour later.

When we got off, we found ourselves in a sketchy area outlined with factories, dirty outdoor markets and smelly shashliki (a kind of Southern Russian/Georgian shish kebab) stands. Nonetheless, Albina assured me that it was worth the track through the outdoor markets to get to the museum. In fact, she didn’t have to say much, “free vodka shots” was enough.

We then arrived at this huge compound resembling a typical Siberian town. It was a walled kremlin with wooden architecture, shops and even a church. Pretty cool I must say so myself. It was like a mini Russian-style Disneyland. We entered the Siberian village, walked around, absorbed the scenery, then got thirsty. “Ok, museum time!”

The Vodka museum was quite small, but that didn’t stop it from being covered wall to wall with various vodka name brands and the history behind them. I’ve never seen so many bottles in one room in my life! I got a buzz just from looking at it. Albina took us around and translated all the information regarding the history of Russia’s (and perhaps the world’s) favorite drink. You never would have guessed that vodka had such an interesting history. Also, I learned that vodka just isn’t for getting wasted. If you’re sick, you rub a little bit of it on a hot towel and wrap it around your neck at night while you sleep. When you wake up, done, no more sickness. If you’re cold, take a shot or two, you’ll heat up in no time. Seriously, try it (and when you do, let me know, because I certainly am not). I’ll stick to Tylenol and overcoat, please.

Ok, so as Dave Chappelle’s “white man” character would say, let’s “cut the malarkey.” We saw everything we needed to see, from the Stalin’s, Catherine the Great’s and Ivan the Terrible’s personal vodka to the detailed history of the drink. We were ready to sample some! Let’s get this show on the road. First, we tried one fused with cranberry- not bad. Then, just as we were about to sample the vodka fused with honey, some group of Kazakh tourist walked in and started video recording and taking pictures of us. “What the hell is going on?” I thought to myself. I felt like a celebrity. I guess we were good shot-takers. Anyway, we proceeded with our own business. After the honey shot, we tried one from the Ukraine- again, not bad. And yady yady yada, so goes the story…

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll go ahead and let the three following images narrate the sequence of events. That way, you get three thousand words! A before, during and after shot...

Yep, a few shots of vodka will send you straight to the little kids section of this Siberian Winter Wonderland. Immature? Yea. Fun? Absolutely!

It was a long day of taking ridiculous pictures and playing child games. So long that we built up an appetite. We finished that Wednesday afternoon off with borsch, mushroom and cheese blinis and beer. A true Russian feast!

Oh yea, check this out. Schnapps with my name and college "GW" on it...