What I Could Have Done . . . (A Reflection on our East Asian Trip)

It was a long day of traveling, but we arrived back at our apartment just before 10am. This was quite a feat since we left Taipei at noon of the same day and had to change planes in San Francisco. We each took a nap that practically paralyzed us. I think we slept through my alarm going off for about an hour. Nonetheless, we are almost back on some semblance of a normal schedule and I've had some time to import my pictures and video.

For me, this was a trip that marked a return to a couple countries I had not been to in years, but also an introduction to some new locales as well. And if I were to be completely honest, I could easily make another return trip as I feel that there is much more to explore.


In many respects, most of the cities visited are not generally viewed as tourist hot spots. With the exception of Beijing, none of the others have anything iconic that really jumps out. And things like that always appeal to me. It gave us a chance to really see something for the first time as other people do not typically go out of their way to go to some place like Taipei.







United retired its fleet of 747s last week with one of its final flights going from SFO to Incheon airport. I don't know if this bit of history factored into the large number of standbys going to Seoul, but we found ourselves going to Tokyo-Haneda  instead and buying a ticket from there to Gimpo airport in Seoul. Hotheads like Trump and Kim Jong-un did not really dissuade me in any way from going, but events of this nature usually lead to flight cancellations from other "normal" people. Needless to say, it was a bit of a surprise to see such a high volume of travelers going to Seoul, and at the end of October of all times.

So what did I wish I saw in Seoul? Well, the iconic DMZ is nearby. I am fascinated by the visual of soldiers from North and South facing off and I feel like it's very relevant right now. Unfortunately, the timing of our arrival didn't really work out with a visit to the DMZ. It is closed to visitors on Sunday and Monday which was pretty much when we were there. Nevertheless, my primary reason for a stopover in Korea was to meet with some of my former students, and I feel that mission was successful. Their input will be put to good use in a future documentary of mine.

After Korea, we entered a series of different cities that in some way or another either claim to be or are claimed by China. Confusing, yes? With our first stop in Beijing, we were very much aware that we were now in a communist country due primarily to the lack of efficiency or logic with . . . anything. People need money to buy train tickets and cannot use credit cards? Put the ATM in the most inconvenient spot in the airport. Passengers using transit visas for entry into the country? Put the visa desk in a practically inaccessible section far from passport control.

On my previous visit to China, people had ogled me like I was some kind of novelty. People would take pictures of me without permission, stare at me from uncomfortably close proximity, or in some cases even touch my hair without warning. Needless to say, I wasn't too keen on these things, and I warned Nicole of the possibilities. Fortunately, in the 13 years that have passed since my previous visit, the Chinese seem to be more accustomed to folks that look like us. And with regard to food sanitation and other environmental issues associated with Beijing, Nicole had previously visited India, so Beijing was a picnic. The pollution in Beijing was bad, but when we visited New Delhi last year, it was shrouded in a dense smoke. One point to China.

That being said, there were a large amount of folks who would loudly clear their throat, hawk up a giant loogie, or in other cases launch a snot rocket nearby. This did not settle well with Nicole. Now maybe it's the pollution getting to their sinuses, but more realistically it's just culturally acceptable given the frequency we witnessed it happening. Fair enough -- the Japanese like to slurp their soup and frown upon nose blowing, the British find normalcy in eating really terrible food, and Americans find a way to  celebrate ignorance on a daily basis. Every culture has their quirks, but there's something just profoundly disgusting about hearing a man unashamedly (and loudly) hawk up a good one, cut you in line, and then shoot a snot rocket close to your feet. Unacceptable. Points deducted from China.

It was with great pleasure that we left Beijing and proceeded to Hong Kong, which is still "China," but also does its own thing. No visa was required. And it certainly didn't seem like mainland China. The subway was very easy to use and I was able to pay for the airport express connector with credit card. Smart. It was a clean city that was highly modernized. Countless people were playing tennis, running, or taking part in other sports or aerobics. One could immediately see how this city wants to distance itself from that other China. It's culturally quite different.

One had to hunt to find the communist Chinese flag flying over any building. More often than not it was the five-petal orchid flag of Hong Kong. And to be fair, Hong Kong is not now and never was communist (at least in the economic sense). British rule set up a major financial powerhouse and created a large amount of the current infrastructure (including food sanitation and clean water). When the Chinese regained control in 1997, they had the sense to not ruin a good thing. So as it currently stands, Hong Kong is a mostly independent, democratic, and capitalist state. That doesn't mean Beijing hasn't tried to get its hands involved. Google 'Umbrella Revolution' for more on that.

In the pending decades, China will inevitably assume full control of places like Hong Kong and Macau, and it would be a shame. Hong Kong is a really cool city in a very photogenic setting - like Honolulu, but a lot safer and cleaner. That could all change if Beijing really starts meddling. Snot rockets and phlegm everywhere! Let's hope they don't ruin a good thing. I could have used a few more days to explore the other neighborhoods and surrounding islands, but that will have to wait . . .

After Hong Kong, we went to Taipei, Taiwan, a country which by some other measure also claims to be China. Confusing, indeed. We would see businesses called ,"China Tour Agency," or "First Chinese Bank." I won't get it to the whole complicated history of Taiwan's very existence, but Chiang Kai-shek (nationalist), who lost militarily to Mao Zedong (communist) fled along with millions of people to Taiwan, where he claimed to be the legitimate government of China. That actually worked for a while with the U.S., who would pretty much support anyone who wasn't communist. Chiang Kai-shek very much fit that description, but he was also kind of a dick. He instituted martial law and for decades, Taiwan wasn't really a democracy. With countries being forced to choose one "real" China, most eventually chose the one that would prove to be a better trading partner (hint: the communist one). So that issue has plagued international relations for Taiwan and it was mostly recently came to light when Trump referred to the President of Taiwan as having congratulated him on his victory.

That may seem pretty benign, but the mere fact that he referred to her as a "president," implies that the White House was recognizing a sovereign leader of a place that isn't even a country as far as Beijing is concerned. The whole thing is quite bizarre, and for all the blunders Trump has made, the Taiwan thing is somewhat forgivable because the whole one China policy ultimately implies that Taiwan doesn't even exist. But but but, I was there. And it's real. I can assure you. And from what I could tell in my brief time there, it seems pretty put together for being a fake country.

And for a country ("country"?) that also identifies as China, I would respectfully remark that Taiwan is quite different from the mainland. It has its own unique culture and identity. And minus the vast numbers of scooters taking over the streets of Taipei who cannot for some reason make left turns (just go, you'll understand what I mean), most of it is admirable. The subway system is modern and quite affordable. The variety of ethnic cuisine available in the city of Taipei would rival Los Angeles. And despite the aforementioned scooters, Taiwan has some of the lowest crime in the region.

If I had more time, I would have liked to explore the rest of the country, which is reportedly quite beautiful and nature-rific. This was one of the more politically confusing trips I have been on since I now have two stamps in my passport from two different countries that both say "China" on them. By the things I have said about each of the places, you can probably gather which ones I liked more than others. But one has to actually visit each place to form their own opinions.

And even better, it would be good for those phlegm hawkers in Beijing to expand their horizons and realize that when they see people standing in line, it does not give them permission to cut everybody off. Nicole is convinced it stems from a society of only children where everyone thinks it's all about them. Maybe there's something to it... Nevertheless, as I continue to preach, traveling not only gives one appreciation for people who don't launch snot rockets next to them, but it also exposes the problems of one's own country that may not have previously been apparent. If only everyone could have that luxury... And maybe next time when we further explore the area, Nicole and I will have the luxury of being in business class for those long flights.

Last Day in Taipei

Today we ventured more around Taipei. It was a bit chillier than yesterday and a constant mist/drizzle would continue all day long. We took the subway to the end of the line to Xiangshan and did a hiking trail that was really more of a stair climb to get to a vantage point overlooking the city. We could see the mist roll by into the lush hillside below. As you can see, the Taipei 101 building (the tall one) is a very prominent feature in the skyline and towers over everything around it.

After hiking back down, we took the subway to the end of the line at another station to the southeast. A relatively recent addition to Taipei are the gondolas that climb into the surrounding hills. The total distance they travel is about 5km or so. Some have glass bottoms and the line for them was significantly longer, so Nicole and I got a regular bottom one and cut the line. We were shortly on our way. Other than an occasional wind gust, they seemed very stable and safe. The biggest issue was the chill I got as we climbed higher into the misty mountains. At the top, at Maokong station, we disembarked and I was pushing to stop at one of the tea houses for a bit of a warm up. While I was sweating during the hike an hour or so earlier, I was now quite cold in just my t-shirt. The hillsides are dotted with tea plantations, so we were close to the source. Partially as a result of the weather, this very popular attraction was not so popular today, so we got a nice seat at one of the tea houses next to a window overlooking the entire valley.

 We sat there for a while sipping our tea and eating rice. The waiter was very confused by our order of plain rice and kept returning to see if we wanted meat or something to add to it. I guess we are just strange Americans. After finishing our tea, which was kept nice and warm by sitting on a constant flame, we took the gondola one stop to the Zhinan Temple. It would have been very photogenic if it wasn't for the mass of scaffolding covering the front of the temple.

After that, we went down another stop to the Taipei zoo. Nicole was very keen on seeing some pandas. Unlike American zoos which are quite expensive, the two of use each paid the equivalent of $2 for entry. Not too bad.

We saw elephants and giraffes roaming about, but a lot of the other animals were laying low. I suppose the weather didn't help. We did ultimately see a couple pandas, but my pictures weren't very good because I was shooting through dark glass, so you'll have to settle for this one of Nicole blending in among a family of pandas.





After the zoo, we took the subway back toward the Taipei 101 building. I was hoping to track down a bar on the rooftop of a nearby mall so I could get some good pictures of the building. Unfortunately, the shopping mall in question was jam packed with people and navigating it was impossible. The escalators only went up to floor 6, the elevators were molasses, and we gave up on trying to get to the 10th floor. We plotted our escape and got back on the subway to head back to the neighborhood of our hotel. We ended up eating our last dinner of the trip at a Thai restaurant. I suppose it's not the most authentic Taiwanese meal we could have, but it seems there are more ethnic restaurants here than in Tokyo, so maybe it's fitting. We braved the mist one last time as we walked back to our hotel after a long day out. I listed us for a United flight to San Francisco on the only flight to the U.S. by an American carrier. By the looks of things, we will be in economy seats with the commoners. It would have helped to be able to nap, but that doesn't look too promising. On the brightside, we will at least get seats.

Another Kind of China

Today we left Hong Kong for Taipei. The flights we have been doing seem to be uncommon for non-Asian types like us. The flight attendants never offer us arrival/immigration forms as they seem to think we must just be transferring to some transoceanic flight rather than actually staying. After a lengthy line to go through customs, we took the express train into Taipei. I didn't really spend much time thinking about Taiwan before coming here, so I only had a rough idea of its history and background.

Our first stop after our hotel was the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial area which is like the Lincoln Memorial if Lincoln had made himself a dictator. It's a pretty impressive monument. We were there as the sun was setting, which happens early here so the surrounding buildings and entryways were lit up very shortly after that. Judging by the green landscapes we saw on the train coming into town, it must rain here quite a bit. I used that to my advantage and used this puddle to get a reflection off one of the archways by the memorial.

From there we walked to the Huaxi night market, which is known by a slightly more ominous name of "Snake Alley." Nicole and I both pictured crazed men in dark alleys smoking cigarettes and yelling loudly while ripping snakes apart with their bare hands and drinking their blood on the spot. Apparently that was an inaccurate assumption. In fact, it was more on the lines of family restaurants that just happened to specialize in snake, and served in an unrecognizable form like soup or noodles. I was slightly disappointed.

 We walked around the other areas of the night market and saw all kinds of food, bootleg dvds, clothes, military surplus items, and hello kitty kitsch. It was all very random. We then worked our way to the nearest subway stop which was directly across the street from the Longshan Temple. We decided to check it out. There were prayers going on and many people were lighting incense and candles. The colors at night were very vibrant and the smoke emanating off all the incense and candles created a very dream-like atmosphere.

It's interesting to see how each place we visit is different. Though a short flight from Hong Kong, Taipei feels very different. For one, there are a ton of scooters here, and one is not safe just because they're on the sidewalk. The scooters seem to use these to park, get around traffic, or just because. It's a little nerve-racking. One thing is clear so far, though. Taipei seems to have the fewest tourists of anywhere we've been so far this trip. And I'm ok with that.

HK & Kowloon

We had no real mission of things to do today so it mostly consisted of walking around. If I had one note on how the city could improve, it would be to widen its sidewalks. It's difficult to bob and weave, especially when the British-influence on the island seems to have people walking on both left and right. It gets quite confusing. Anyway, we took a breather at Hong Kong park where we ate snacks and then continued on to the tramway to Victoria Peak. We had to wait in line for a little bit before we jostled our way onto a tram.

The view from the top is nice, and I'm sure it's better around sunset or dusk, but there's really only one view you get. After my 10th picture, I was kind of tapped out. We killed time at the top simply because we didn't want to get back in line for the tram back down. Being essentially the only tourist attraction in Hong Kong, everyone was doing it, so we were keen to move on to other things. When we finally got back down, we hopped on the subway and went back to our hotel to regroup.

I was becoming hungry and I encouraged Nicole to get Dim Sum, as it's kind of a local specialty. She reluctantly agreed as she had eaten an entire margherita pizza the previous night. I merely felt obligated to try the local fare before we left. We tried a few different things, not entirely knowing what we were getting. Each food item arrived separately at the table, so it became a game of guess what's inside the dumpling. Some were better than others. I tried a little bit of everything. The bbq pork steamed bun was the most familiar to me as it was essentially the same as the manapuas I would buy at 7-11 when I lived in Hawaii. Nicole was a good sport, though she mostly concentrated on her steamed rice with enthusiasm as you see here. Though it was not in our initial plan for the day, we decided to take the subway back to Kowloon for the evening.

I had read that there was some kind of laser light show at 8pm every night, so we found a good vantage point and waited. To me, being low was actually better than being up at Victoria Peak at night because the scenery was a bit more dynamic. We could see some of the old junk-style boats head out into the harbor for pleasure cruises while ferries and and other vessels criss-crossed in front of brightly-lit skyscrapers. We weren't expecting much from the laser light show, and were therefore not disappointed.

It was pretty much a random display of spotlights and green lasers that were not frequent or prevalent enough to be terribly exciting. Nevertheless, the skyline was still impressive with or without laser beams. After the show was over, we took some time to enjoy the scenery with fewer people around before walking to an area with night markets in an area called Yau Ma Tei. It is more like what old Kowloon must have looked like.

It was a bit narrower, grungier, and darker than the other neighborhoods we had been in. Nicole bought a knock-off luxury backpack from one of the pedestrian alleys. It was very busy and did not really care to spend much time digging out my camera, so this picture was taken on the cusp of the chaos. Nicole and I tired of the crowds, so we took the subway back to the hotel and called it a night. Tomorrow we fly out to Taipei for an all new set of adventures.

Hong Kong

We had an early morning departure from Beijing and arrived in Hong Kong just before noon. Despite a minor setback with some visa nonsense, it was clear that we were no longer in Beijing. Things were being run efficiently. It was still impossible to buy subway tickets with large notes, but people were at least willing to assist us with our difficulties. We took the airport express train to Hong Kong Island and continued by subway to Tian Hau near Causeway Bay. Our hotel was just a short walk from the metro.

Our first pressing order of business was to find a place to do laundry. After dropping off our clothes, we went to 7/11 for lunch, where I picked up some onigiri and a pound cake. We ate our lunches at nearby Victoria Park. Having never been to Hong Kong previously, I always described Waikiki to people as being Vegas meets Hong Kong. And it's odd I used that comparison because it is shockingly similar to Waikiki. In spite of being a massively populated city, it had the uncanny ability to make us feel relaxed.

Perhaps it was the warmer climate or the familiar chain stores that made it feel like home, but everything just seemed more calming. We walked for a bit along the causeway before taking the subway back across the water to Kowloon. We went to the garden of the stars which celebrates Hong Kong filmmaking. Statues of people like Bruce Lee lined the courtyard. As evening approached, we relaxed down by the water admiring the buildings across the way. It's a difficult skyline to photograph because the skyline just doesn't stop.

No wonder this is one of the most expensive cities in the world. It has nowhere to go, but up. It is very modern, clean, and organized. The subways, while intensely crowded, are easy to navigate. Looking around, it's as if the entire city has been built since 1980. It really seems counter-intuitive that a city so densely populated could be so comforting to these two lowly travelers.

Or perhaps it is because Hong Kong in all its modernity, doesn't have historical sites or things of that nature. It is a city that is simply there to be experienced.