Is hiatus latin for hating it when you just can’t blog? I feel the need to post something here explaining my absence – that I might be absent for a little while. No particular reason other than I’ve just got writer’s block at the moment. I will be back, I do have stories and photos to share. In the meantime, I will update my Twitter feed occasionally and you can always read my status updates on Facebook.

It’s the burning times in Linyi, but don’t worry, the witches are fine. The fields, recently emptied of their latest crop of wheat, are burning across the countryside. What have been beautiful days with impressive visibility are now hazy and smoke-filled. The smoke of burning fields is one of the major contributors to pollution in our area.

The DH reports that from the air the burning fields are obvious. I’m curious to see what that might look like and today I’ll get my chance. I’m flying from Linyi to Beijing so that tomorrow I can get my passport renewed at the US Embassy. Grrr.

I figured that the burning times were coming soon since last week I noticed a lot of cars driving around with wheat stalks sticking out from under their cars. In order to speed up the threshing process, the farmers here lay their wheat out across the local roads. When the cars drive over the stalks, the seeds separate from the stalk and some of the stalks end up stuck in the undercarriage. Just another part of the routine here in semi-rural China.

Welcome to World Blog Surf Day, featuring food!

As an expat, or even as a traveler, you quickly learn that Americans are fairly finnicky eaters, and in the beginning of my expatriate life, I was no exception. I will never forget the look my newly-acquired (by marriage) Spanish Aunt gave me as I carefully separated the fat from the meat on the lamb chop she had just prepared for me. Little did I know that this one indiscretion would brand me forever as “the Americana who discarded the best part of the meal.”

After that, I fully intended to bravely tackle any sort of food placed before me. I would become “the Americana who will eat anything.” It didn’t take long to put this goal to practice. We were visiting the DH’s brother and his family in Logroño, a city in the heart of the La Rioja wine region. The narrow streets of Logroño’s old quarter are lined with restaurants and tapas bars. Every establishment has its specialty, from quail eggs to stuffed red peppers. It is a foodie paradise. One afternoon we stopped in a small eatery for lunch. (Side note: in the evenings you usually grab a small bite and drink standing up and move from bar to bar frequently.) I found a table while the DH scooted off to the bar to order a few snacks. He returned with a big smile on his face and soon enough dishes were delivered to our table. Everything looked delicious, as it almost always does in this region, and country for that matter.

I spied a familiar looking shape – fried mushroom on a slice of white baguette. Superb! I love the meaty mushrooms of La Rioja. Before the DH could say anything, I took a huge bite. But wait, what was this strange texture? Mushrooms usually melt in the mouth but this one was hard and chewy. The DH laughed. He had ordered pig ear. Pig ear! Was that ever difficult to swallow. It was easily the worst thing I had ever eaten.

Oh, how I’ve grown. Living in China has provided me with countless food adventures. I’ve eaten scorpions, grasshoppers and silk worms. I am no longer shocked to see animal stomach, intestines, throat and other parts floating in my stew. What would a chicken dish be without the head on the plate, staring at me?! I even ate a webby duck foot, as my friends looked on, eagerly anticipating my reaction. I don’t think that is something I will repeat!

I have come to understand that in the US’s sanitized, pre-cut, individually-wrapped world we are perhaps missing out on some real delights! Or not! Haha. I have to admit that 10 years ago I avoided fat like the plague, but now I love the flavor of jamon iberico with it’s strip of fat or the wonderfully fatty pork belly famous in China as a favorite of Mao Zedong. And while I did not love the way those grasshopper legs got stuck in my teeth, I had the best time laughing about it with the DH and a group of Chinese friends. Andrew Zimmern I am not, (Holy cow, that guy is brave!) but I am a lot closer to my goal of being the Americana who will eat anything. I will never, however, sink my teeth into a fried mushroom again without a little investigation!

What kind of “strange” things have you eaten?

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To continue your foodie tour of the world, see Camille’s blog! He’s writing about food in one of my favorite countries, Thailand. And I must agree – hole in the wall restaurants typically produce the best food, true here in China, too!

Posting about World Blog Surf Day on Twitter today is our reporter, Thandelike. Anastasia Ashman (Thandelike) is an American cultural producer based in Instanbul, and is a creator of Expat Harem, the anthology by foreign women about modern Turkey.  Her Tweetstream focuses on women, travel and history, and she shares resources for writers/travelers, expats, Turkophiles and culturati of all stripes.

Cormorant Birds and Fisherman, Li River, Guangxi Province, China

It is an idyllic scene: clean, fresh water… green foliage… dramatic karsts… bamboo rafts… a fisherman on the rocky shoreline with his loyal cormorant birds.

What you don’t see:

Eager Tourists Pose With Cormorants, Li River, Guangxi Province, China

There is always more to the story! The Li River cormorant fisherman can be found at multiple stops along the river and in the city of Yangshuo down river, as well.

More Photo Friday, featuring travel photos at Delicious Baby.

Wow, have I not blogged anything since Wednesday? I certainly did mean to blog more this past week. Then my Internet connection at home crapped out and I was <get ready for it> actually expected to do work at work! </what a shocker>. What is this concept? Teach classes? Plan classes? Research library applications for school library? Edit teaching syllabi? What?!! No blogging? No endless news surfing? No Facebook time? 

The nerve. 

Yea, my job is normally quite relaxed and cushy. I can’t deny it. But I’ve been busy lately and have had to sacrifice a little blogging time in favor of spending my after work hours stretched out like a couch potato watching episodes of Medium and/or vegetating. I’m sure you understand. 

Oh, btw, I’m on my lunch break at the moment. Wouldn’t want to give the impression I am shirking my work duties.

West Street in the Rain, Yangshuo, China

Yangshuo, in southeastern China’s Guangxi Province, was once a relaxing stop on the world backpacker trail. Now it has exploded into a full blown tourist town, particularly popular with large Chinese tour groups. West Street runs from the nearby Li riverbank to the center of town and is lined with souvenir shops and cafes. It is mayhem, even in the rain.

See more Photo Friday travel photos at Delicious Baby.

It’s that time of year again – thunderstorms in the afternoon. I’m sitting at my desk, looking out the window at a sky that is a very unnatural shade for 2:30 in the afternoon. I wouldn’t mind a bit, except for the fact that the DH is somewhere out there in a tiny little plane. 

Man I hate flying.

*Update 1600hrs: The DH is safely on the ground. His student has a very serious look on his face, but it was just another day at the office for DH. I’m glad I do not have his job.*

Welcome!

I introduced you to Gumby, my latest blog mascot, back in Whistler, Canada. While it doesn’t exactly have the same ring as “Debbie Does Dallas,” I thought a little travelogue of Gumby’s travels would be a nice overview of our trip and a springboard for further posts on our adventures. 

And just a warning, folks, this is by the far the dorkiest thing I have ever done, (so says the DH), although it brought me great joy doing so!

Shanghai May 19 – 20

We spent Tuesday, our first day, in Shanghai’s French Concession neighborhood,
walking & walking along the shaded streets.

Gumby met up with his cousin, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo mascot.
I think a lot of Shanghainese are confused by this guy.

Wednesday we braved the rain and walked down Nanjing East Road,
a pedestrian shopping wonderland.

Gumby’s cousin was there, too, evidently showing his support for the LBGT crowd.

In the spirit of international harmony & cooperation,
Gumby walks hand in hand with Chairman Mao, on the Bund.

After a little tai chi along the Bund, with a view of Pudong,
our stay in Shanghai unfortunately comes to an end.

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Yangshuo May 21 – 24

In Yangshuo it rains everyday, but that doesn’t stop us from riding bicycles into
the countryside. Here Gumby poses next to rice fields and limestone karsts.

Although Yangshuo is overrun with tourists, calm moments can be found
at the cafes overlooking crowded West street.

On Saturday, we head by car to Yangdi Village, where we catch a “bamboo” raft
for a leisurely cruise down the Li River.

Photo opportunities abound!

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Guilin May 24

Before our flight to Shenzhen, we spend a couple of hours wandering around Guilin. 

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Shenzhen May 25

We stayed the night of the 24th in Shenzhen’s Shekou district at the Cruise Inn, an actual cruise ship that has been dry-docked and converted into a hotel. Here’s Gumby & DH with an aquarium in the lobby. We took a ferry from Shekou to Hong Kong on Monday afteroon.

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Hong Kong May 25 – 31

Our first full day in HK found us on the MTR to Lantau Island.

We caught a cable car up and over several hills, with spectacular views.

There we saw the Big Buddha statue and

visited a monastery. (Bonus mullet shot!)

Gumby said a prayer (lower left hand corner).

That night we had an excellent sushi – sake – asahi dinner with our friend C.

We finished out the night with a drink at the Peninsula Hotel’s top floor bar, Felix.
(Probably the swankiest place I’ve ever been. I recommend the bathroom.) 

What a view of Hong Kong Island!

We spent Wednesday night at the Happy Valley Racecourse, watching the ponies.

We bet 20 HK Dollars on the wrong horse. Oh well. ($2.58)

Thursday was Dragon Boat Festival and a public holiday. We took a bus across Hong Kong Island to the beach-side community of Stanley. We hoped to see a dragon boat race, but it was raining pretty much nonstop, so we wandered through a market and headed to the Aberdeen Boat Club for dinner.

The rest of our time was spent walking around Causeway Bay and window shopping.
The windows are fabulous!

We also did some lounging in our hotel suite.

And sleeping in, too, this was a vacation after all!

Obviously some of these photos were “post-production,” and I enjoyed making them so much that I think I might have just created a new hobby. Now I feel like Gumby needs to be superimposed on all of my photos… He’ll require a wardrobe and props, too… This could get out of hand!

For more Gumby visit his gallery. More holiday photos will be uploaded soon.

I should never have read this article about a French bakery owner and her US immigration problems. It is a heartwarming story and an affirmation of the power of community, a made for Hollywood tale of visa woe and salvation, but it is also completely heartbreaking for me. I shouldn’t read anything at all about US immigration. I loathe US immigration. LOATHE it. I haven’t completely hidden my feelings on this topic from this blog, so this probably comes as no surprise. 

Thanks to US immigration officers in Beijing, I recently lost $3000+ and a whole lot of my sanity. Thanks to US immigration officers in Beijing, a US company lost the opportunity to make over $15,000 from us. We are the US’s dream – we make money overseas and want to travel to the US to stimulate the economy. Instead, we visit Europe, Canada and Asian cities where we spend, spend, spend.

People sometimes ask me why I don’t live in the US. That’s a difficult question. I’d have to say the major reason is that the DH and I really do want to experience more of the world, and since the aviation industry in the US is currently in a slump, this makes sense for us right now. But there is also a part of me that is angry and bitter. After all, I’ve never encountered the kind of immigration officer or community featured in the NYTimes article. Facing a monolith like the US embassy is extremely intimidating and that’s the way they want it. Never have I felt more powerless than when attempting to extract information and answers from the US embassy in Beijing. For now I consider completing further paperwork for yet more visas, but I am completely disillusioned and disgusted with the whole process and while the mentioned article should stir feelings of hope within, it has only left me bewildered and sad. On the other hand, it is nice to see an immigration-focused article that is about something other than illegal aliens!

Alright, now that all this whining is off my chest, let’s see if I can blog something light and humorous? Travel photos, anyone? Because while hating US immigration is a sometimes hobby of mine, it is not something I dwell on… In the words of a Grölsch beer commercial that has become a kind of life philosophy for the DH and I: It ish what it ish.

That would be the Great Firewall of China to those of you not in the know. 

Curious thing about Hong Kong, although supposedly sovereign Chinese territory, it exists independently with a gloriously uncensored Internet. For a week I enjoyed unfettered access to all that is good and subversive on the Web, access which I promptly ignored in favor of actually enjoying Hong Kong and all the other delights it offers, mainly shopping and food. (More on that this week.)

Now I am back in Linyi, back behind the GFW, desperately wishing I could catch up on all the blogspot and wordpress blogs I love so much. My Google Reader account for reading RSS feeds won’t even work and that was my secret weapon. Oh well, this is life. 

Not all is doomsday in the Chinese Internet world, however. I know I harp often on the topic of Internet censorship, it is an important issue to me, but I have to share news of bright spots in Chinese Internet policy. On the flight from Guangzhou to Linyi, I read in the China Daily, China’s English language propaganda newspaper, about a professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology who was ordered to shut down his personal website after he wrote criticisms of corporate bribery. His Internet service provider deemed his posts to be “illegal content.” The professor took the case to court and the judge actually ruled in his favor, finding that “writing critically about issues does not constitute ‘illegal’ action.” (Chen Weihua, China Daily 2009/05/30-31 Read the entire article here.) Hallelujah.