Things you can't do outside a pool!!

Spoony!!

I received baby poon's 2nd week shots today. Jeff and Carmen look so good in these pictures. The lighting is perfect! I am sure Jeff's been practising for these shots!!
I had a long discussion with GT today about naming the baby and we thought up and discarded quite a few...of course I haven't decided on the Indian one yet...
What we both agreed to is that his name should begin with S. So in short, he would be S Poon. Or Spoony , to friends. It's a catchy, cute and rare nickname. GT said the name would look great on his sports jersey too! however, Papa Poon has to agree :-))
I am sure, I will wait until he grows older and tell his friends to call him Spoony! Ouch! I am so bad!!
Here are some snaps...

Labels: Babies

Baby Poon has arrived!!

Ladies n gentlemen,
The waiting is over! The God of hiking has a baby now. And he is soooooo cute! Jeff and Carmen are expected to return to HK next year...I can't wait to play with this baby!

Labels: Babies

Knocked out and left in the cold

For the past 14 days, I have been left in the cold. My homepage (yeah, the one you are viewing right now) did not load up. I asked Blogger Support to help but no response came back. Finally after trying out various options I could republish the page. That means may be I will get some of my sanity back.

I have bought a new and faster PC and am still struggling with installing all the s/w I had before. The free soundboxes don't work and hence, I may have to buy a cheap but good pair soon. Tomorrow? I don't know. There is still so much to do.

Have you ever experienced that somebody loves you but cannot be with you for some reason from their past? You are not the only one. It's quite common place. And the reasons seem to get more complicated everytime.

I went back to the fortune-teller since what she had predicted over the past few months seems to match quite accurately. Not only for myself but also for others. How I wish I can ride it to Feb 2007 (loss of money or not). It is an important part of my life and I need to keep faith. Just a few days more. I am honest.


Meanwhile, I have bought myself the new ipod shuffle but I miss my Sponge Bob Square Pants the most. I love you SBSP.

Rhea enjoys her massage!! Granny's the bestest :-))

I have a world to save !! - SupArinMan

Labels: Babies

The best trip I have had so far!!

Hi! I am back. This post has been delayed due to the 1000+ pics I had to go through before I finally sat down to write about my China trip. It was fantastic trip. Read on…



25 Oct 06 - HK -> Changsha -> Chengde
26 Oct 06 - Chengde -> FurongZhen (Hibiscus Town) - > Jishou
27 Oct 06 - Jishou -> YinChuan (Phoenix City) -> Zhangjiajie
28 Oct 06 - Zhangjiajie
29 Oct 06 - Zhangjiajie -> Changsha
30 Oct 06 - Changsha -> HK



Day 1 – Destination : HUNAN

We headed to the Airport bus station by Jusco before 7am. We saw an old couple there who were part of the tour (we were to learn this later).
Our Wing On tour (DYG06T) briefing had been a shock. It looked like we were the youngest people there with the average age of the tour being well over 60. We were worried that many old people would not be able to walk so much and to be frank a 6 day long hectic trip is a bit too much even for the young…hmm.. young at 30…hahaha…Who am I kidding? I had done 60 minutes non-stop on the elliptical at California Fitness on the previous day with around 5 more hours of walking thrown in…that was my preparation. ;-)
Having reached the airport by 8 am we were sure that we could be checked-in in time for the 9:30am flight.



CR Airways was a surprise. They were too slow to process and were handing out Dragon Air baggage tags. May be its just that I am getting used to superior service at Cathay Pacific…We joked that it’s the same staff team (that mans the check-in counters), also doubles up as security personnel and air-hostesses. Soon we were on a bus ferrying us out to the middle of the tarmac to board the jet. The crew was quite focused on rushing about doing their tasks and seemed to completely ignore the passengers until you waved or rang for them. The only announcement I could make sense of was the one made by the captain, the rest was heavily accented. Since this was a special flight and a cheap one, only cakes, juice or tea were served. Soon we were airborne and flying up north-west.

Changsha – The airport is a tiny one. I had to fill up an extra arrival card since I do not hold a China Card. It took a few minutes to pass through immigration and gather for the tour bus. The HK tour guide met with the local tour guide and both of them herded us towards the bus. We got the last seats on this home-on-the-road. I was pissed off at first. I hate sitting on the last seat. However, as the days went by, we got used to it and thankfully. For example, on one of the days the A/C started leaking on the seats in front of us…of course the driver fixed it.



The first stop was TianXin Pavilion. This is a sort of park that has witnessed quite a bit of history of Changsha. There were quite a number of mahjong tables and a large group of older people were busy at it in teams of four. On the trip, I learned that mahjong is really quite popular in China.



We set off for Chengde after the lunch. The cuisine was local Hunan style. We had expected it to be spicy but it was not. The presentation made it look quite unhygienic too. I helped myself to rice, soup, vegetables and fruits.



I can easily see why interior parts of China can be a nightmare for the Indian vegans. However, there were quite a few choices – lotus, saan chhoi, chhoi sum, potatoes, onions, carrots, etc. So stop complaining, maan!!



Chengde – We arrived around 6:30pm at the first night halt. It was a 3-star hotel. Hahahaha. The funniest part of the trip was the toilet bowl. It’s an innovative design. My amusement turned into appreciation when I noted that almost every hotel on the trip had a similar but different design of toilet bowl. I am referring to the inlet and outlet.



However, it does get choked if you are not careful enough. When you are in China – DO NOT PUT TOILET PAPER INTO THE TOILET BOWLS IF THERE IS A WASTE BASKET NEXT TO IT. Just put throw it into the basket. Otherwise, prepare to be embarrassed!! You would have to call your room service and explain on the phone first. Then show it to them. And then show them (using dumb charades actions/codes – depends on your luck) how it could be cleaned. If you are lucky it will get cleaned. Night one. Strike one!
The food tasted great that night.



It had rained a bit that afternoon and was still drizzling in the evening. Hence, we had decided to not to venture out into the wet roads. Someone informed us that there is a ‘downtown area’ in Chengde. It is accessible by cab and one can go shopping. I had a good laugh and a good night’s rest.



Day 2 – Long hours in the bus

After an early wake up call and confusing breakfast later we took the bus and headed towards Jishou. We crossed it and went to Furong Zhen (aka Wangcun village). This old town was the setting for the famous movie – Hibiscus Town, which had created quite a stir when it was released.



The Hibiscus town has over 2000 years of history and I had a nice and HURRIED time there. I took a lot of pictures of the shops and the local people as we headed down to the Mengdong river and back up again to the main road.



The funniest part was using the public toilet there. Actually it’s a common thing in China to pay 1 Yuan if you want to use the toilet. It ensures that someone would be paid to clean and maintain it. I appreciate that.



But what I cannot appreciate is why the toilet stalls do not have any doors on them? They have walls on 2 sides that that are just 3 feet tall and no doors. It was quite embarrassing to walk into some restrooms with people shitting in these open cubicles. Some were reading newspapers and watching others. YUCK!!



Towards the end of the walk I went further down to a school which had a dried up swimming pool...it looked quite scary and reminded me of the movie...DORM



After the Hibiscus town, we headed to a 3-star hotel in Jishou. It was built in ancient style with a lot of woodwork. The food was quite bad and the place was full of mosquitoes…from the rain. Our rooms had a walking closet. Yeah, and on the other side you actually walk out into the washroom through sliding doors!! How embarrassing really! I wondered which moron would design such a layout.
It was quite chilly on the first two nights. Thanks to my last minute check on the weather we were carrying additional clothes and wind-breaker.

Day 3 – Happy Birthday!!

We left the hotel and headed for the Phoenix city (aka Feng Huang Cheng). Home to the famous late writer Shen Congwen, this is an old city with over 1300 years of history. We paid a visit to the writer’s home which was filled with tourists busily elbowing their way around.



Walking along the old part of the town, we came across various shops and alleys which we peeped into.



The favourite sweet seemed to be the hot ginger candy that was being made in almost all corners of this place. I found the people staring at my hair and face quite curiously; more than that I had aroused on the previous two days.
We walked along the walls towards the river. The rest of the tour hopped on to little boats from which they had a good view of the waterfront. However, in order to protect my camera, I decide not to risk it, especially since the sides of the boats reached about 15-20cm over the water surface. No, sir. Not me!



I chanced upon a school and waved my hand at the students. The kids created quite some noise and ignored their teacher. Looking at me from the first storey window was more attractive. I ran away before someone officially accused me of meddling with the education of so many students. Hahaha.



We visited the home of the famous philanthropist Xiong Xiling who was the first premier of the Republic of China. It was packed with people as well.



Suddenly I spotted a man crossing the courtyard and walking through a door to the backyard. I followed him and soon realized that he was headed towards the toilet there…but by that time it was too late. A herd of tourists had followed me with their cameras ready and almost killed the poor man. How shocked he must have been!! Hahaha…



Phoenix town is also the home of a famous painter – Huang Yongyu. Unfortunately, we could not go to view his work.



We answered nature’s big call at a very tidy home. The caretaker just charged us 1 Yuan for the clean toilet. The couple was quite interested in knowing how I knew Mandarin. I still remember a bit and can understand basic stuff.



And by the way, I have decided to stick to singing K in Mandarin. I find it much easier and more melodious to sing Mandarin songs than Cantonese ones. Of course, exceptions will be made in case of very popular numbers.



A strange thing I found about local people is that most of them squat down and chat on their cell phones. On the street, in the courtyards, you name it and they are there! Wow!
We pushed off on the long and scenic journey towards Zhangjiajie right after lunch.
I was quite mesmerized by the beauty of rural China. The lovely hills and streams along the way were quite breath-taking. Unfortunately I was stuck in the moving bus with shaded windows and I could not take any photographs along the way. It was drizzling quite a bit throughout the afternoon.
I appreciate the flat and good quality roads, the long tunnels and all the safety-railing on the way. The Chinese government is really making an effort to increase the comfort and safety of all road passengers. I wish the Indian government did the same. We have beautiful places but very bad roads linking them. We always seem to hear the excuse that we have so many poor people to feed. We should feed them or do something for them rather than build better roads. But that’s a false argument, surely. The money just ends up into accounts of corrupt politicians, contractors and officers rather than the real poor people. Why not start road construction in earnest and employ poor people to work there and earn their living? Think about it!

Zhangjiajie – We arrived at Zhangjiajie in the evening and checked into a so-called 3-star hotel. This was to be our home for two nights. After a hurried dinner, we went to watch a cultural show. The show looked quite cheap save a couple of acrobatic and juggling events. The music was jarring and it looked like the main host was, well, the MAIN person and in the middle of everything.



It also had a mini-auction of 2 beautiful paintings before the mosquitoes took over and the funnily dressed boys went crazy in the name of folk dancing. Stop! May be this really is the local culture. Hmm. Looked more like tribal stuff though. I learned the ghost hop from the show. There was a guy who sang in both male and female tones. He was from Taiwan. What a bore…
Towards the end there was a display of Kung Fu power. A huge block of stone was placed on the abdomen of a performer who was lying on a bed of very long nails!! Another guy used a huge hammer to break that stone! Wow! Talk about iron balls!!
Another act had 7 very heavy people stand on 4 slabs of concrete. Under the slabs was one human being!!! Oh my God!!
The acrobatic play had involved a teenaged girl hanging from the NECK of another and both of them were swinging from the roof of the auditorium suspended over the audience!!! I dared not to breathe! The host proudly told us that they had won a competition in Poland! Chi Sin!!! I felt so bad that night. I think people go to these extremes just because other people like us pay to watch them!! I felt guilty!!
When the host threw some neon sticks towards the audience one of them landed on the floor next to my right foot. When I bent down to pick it up, the old guy next to me just kicked my hand away!!! I was too shocked to respond. I guess, if I had not respected his old age I would have pulled it away. Chi Sin!!

Day 4 – Beauty on Earth?

The first stop for the day was at the Yellow Dragon (Huang Long) Cave in the Suoxiyu natural reserve. The cave is made of limestone that has been eroded (or dissolved) by running water over hundreds of years. The colourful artificial lighting makes it appear like a magical world. The stalactites and stalagmites are a great place to teach kids some geography.



I walked away from the spot towards the neighbouring village and sat down on the road for sometime. It was very peaceful. It made me feel so complete!



After lunch back at Zhangjiajie, we headed for the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park which is part of the World Natural Heritage site Wulingyuan. The tickets cost RMB245 per head and could be used for 2 days.



After queuing up and passing through the e-channels (YEAH! They actually took our thumb prints!!) we boarded the bus to the lower station for the TianziShan Cableway (a part of the TianziShan natural resource reserve). The ticket cost RMB52. There were a lot of Korean tour groups and one of the tour guides was creating a lot of trouble and noise. I took her photograph and after that she was quiet. The spectacular 360degree view to the top of TianziShan mountain was breathtaking. The closed windows made it difficult to take any snaps and it was very chilly!!
At the top of the mountain we took a bus to another scenic spot Yuangjiajie – the breakup point.



The place was so beautiful with tens of tall pillar peaks covered with terrace forests. However, it was quite hazy at times and too dark at others.



We walked further along the path to the so-called first natural bridge in the world. We went further around to the Five Ladies Expedition scenic point and then on to the Enchanting Standing by crossing a more modern (steel and iron) Heart-linking bridge.



From there we took a bus to the Bailong Elevator. The ticket cost us RMB53 and the ride took us from the top of the mountain to the valley (326m).



We returned to the hotel for dinner and turned in early.

Day 5 – There is more to it than just peaks!

The first stop was at the mini-train stop of the Three Sisters peak.



The first sister is holding a baby on her back, the second on her front and the third one is pregnant...what an imagination...hehehe...

From there we went to a spot called – stream winding around four gates. Wow, what a name! From there we walked 7.5km along the Golden Whip stream to Laomo Wan.



The walk was full of beautiful spots. The hills on both sides and the stream in the middle, with the sun playing hide-n-seek, made it quite a photo opportunity. However, most tourists were making a lot of noise. The tour guides were using portable loud speaker units and that quite destroyed the peaceful feeling at times…it was almost perfect!



At the end of the trail, we took a bus to the cable station for Huangshi Village. After the scary cable car ride, we were quite enchanted with the high platform forests. The way up is a hiking challenge with 3800 steps to reach the top. You can take the cable car back to the station like we did for a total of RMB92.
From the foothills we took a bus to the entrance point of Wulingyuan. We took another minibus to a restaurant for lunch. Then we boarded our tour bus back towards Changsha.
We stopped at a silk store and herbal medicine store on the way. We received a 15 minute foot massage there.
We stopped again along the way for dinner (it was a 6hour drive!!). The moon looked so romantic! Hehehe.
Back at Changsha we checked-in at a 5-star hotel and had a well-deserved body massage. Only that it pained more than it relaxed!

Day 6 – Flying back!

After a early afternoon check out we left the tour group to go find KFC on our own. It involved a 3 km of walking to get there!! We skipped the memorial park and stayed out of the sun in the bus. An old couple got lost in the park and the others took 30 minutes to locate them!! Hahaha…
I chanced over this beautiful laughing baby boy who was having his first bite of KFC!! He performed a dance for us and insisted that he be allowed to drink cola from the pet bottle cap. Wow!



We took the 7:50pm flight back to Hong Kong. It was great to play with the cats after almost 10days!
All I can say is that it was a well-deserved, beautiful trip. Some challenges were thrown in and handled well. It’s a great place for photography. Click here to view some of the snaps.

Until next time, MEOW!!