This is a video I took for you guys in Yangshuo, China as we motored down the Li River in a "bamboo" boat made of pvc pipe. Te extrano! Te amo! Enjoy!
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Friday, May 14, 2010
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Journey to Hong Kong
Last week was our Labor Day four-day long weekend break. A certain friend and I decided that since it was his birthday, and since we'd been extended the invitation by recently-made mutual friends (his friends from college--new friends to me), and since it was, in fact, the longest break we get this semester, we should take the opportunity as it presented itself to head off to the exotic land of Hong Kong.
The journey began with a 20-hour overnight train from Shanghai to Kowloon Station. We got soft-sleeper tickets, and both happened to be on the top bunks. At first sight, I was certain that we'd both be sleeping in the hallway due to a sad physical inability to actually get up on the beds, but it turned out that flip-out foot placements in the walls in combination with a variety of strategically placed bars made the climb relatively easy for spry young people such as us (or is it "such as we"?). We got settled in our room quite nicely; our roommates were a young woman from Hong Kong who spoke no English and an old man who spoke relatively great English for someone I assumed was from the mainland (I forget where he was from). At around 5:00 P.M. on the 30th, we were off.
Accommodations (the top bunk...)
Happy birthday!!!
The train was simply fabulous, and I couldn't stop babbling about how much I was enjoying myself...I've always enjoyed travel by train and boat, and this was my first time on a sleeper. I brought a bottle of wine for the birthday celebration, and we enjoyed it in the dining car with an older couple from Liverpool who were traveling around Asia for 30 days. The food was simple Chinese fare--your basic tofu, Kung Pao chicken, sweet and sour pork, etc--and definitely not bad for a travelling kitchen. We spent a lot of time talking and playing cards and reading. The next day on the train wasn't much different...breakfast in the dining car (fried eggs, bread, jam, and instant coffee), and a lot of reading, chatting, and looking out the window.
We arrived in Kowloon at 1:00 the next afternoon and were met by our friend Will, who we were staying with. After dropping things off at his house, downing some noodles and grabbing a pineapple-barbeque roll at the local bakery, we headed off to hang out around the Midlevels escalator area and the Peak.
Protest for migrant workers' rights in downtown HK
Downtown skyscrapers
The Midlevels escalator is kind of the awesomest thing ever--a seemingly neverending series of escalators up the side of a mountain in downtown Hong Kong. The escalators are surrounded by lots of cool little shops and restaurants, and Ming and I eventually headed back a couple of days later to check out some used bookstores, which DO NOT exist in Shanghai. After reaching the top of the escalators, we continued up the mountain in search of the Peak, the highest point (I think) and supposedly best view that HK has to offer.
Views from the Peak
Our strategy for finding the Peak was to walk up the mountain, but after running into signs that said things like "The Peak -->" and "<--The Peak" right next to each other, we decided to taxi it for most of the rest of the way. The path at the top of the mountain was a beautiful reprieve from the concrete onslaught that is existing in Asia--HK incorporates nature into its cityscape pretty harmoniously. It was moderately crowded but still quiet and jungley at the top, and we rounded the mountaintop and took in the fresh air and some great views. After a long wait for the tram back down the mountain, we went to Nathan Road for dinner.
Now, at this point it's important to know that when in Asia, one is constantly harassed by men and women trying to sell stuff, beg, scam, give pamphlets for who-knows-what, and peddle fake versions of anything made by human hand. Nathan Road was no different, and being in walking-in-city mode, I naturally kept my focus forward and ignored the continual bombardment offers. By chance, Ming stopped by one of the men who was advertising a restaurant and took a pamphlet--surprisingly, it looked pretty awesome, and we decided to go.
The restaurant advertised was an Indian/Pakistani/Arabic restaurant. We were lead by a bearded man into a shady looking hallway with advertisements for strip clubs all over the walls. He then took us into an elevator that resembled a steel-reinforced cell at Camp X-Ray, and another questionably shady individual entered the elevator and began talking with our escort in hushed voices about "where'd you get that horrible scary big fucking scar on your face." It was at this point I was certain that the three of us were going to be brutally murdered. Turns out, the restaurant was quite pleasant, and the food was absolutely delicious. (Though I suppose that nothing whets the appetite quite like being presented with a delicious and satisfying meal only moments after expecting to be sold into a southeast Asian prostitution ring.) We then headed over to a bar called Carnegies, which just happened to be across the street from the hotel where people were quarantined for 7 days because of a possible M1N1 outbreak. We just roll that hard (actually, by the end of the night I was absolutely exhausted and practically dragging everyone back home).
Saturday morning, we got up early to get out to Lantau Island to see what we first were told was "the world's largest Buddha." At some point later, we read it was actually "the world's largest sitting Buddha," which eventually was changed to "the world's largest outdoor sitting Buddha," and then finally summed up as "the world's largest outdoor sitting bronze Buddha." It was only about an hour into the line that someone mentioned that May 2nd happens to be Buddha's frigging birthday, and that it was likely that every person in Asia was headed where we were. Oops.
Spot the error.
Enormous effing Buddha on a crowded mountain
So the wait was long (decent though--2 hours when we were expecting 4 so all in all, not bad), the tram ride was terrifying (only to me) and beautiful, and the Buddha mountain village was a tourism clusterfuck. Seeing this thing up close, however, was totally worth it. It was ENORMOUS. We hung out for about 30 minutes or so, then bopped off back down the mountain for a quick change at Will's house and then a bus ride to a beach barbeque with Sarah and company at Deepwater Bay.
A Deepwater Bay picture I stole from Ming's camera
Apparently, beach barbeques are a very Hong Kong thing to do. After playing on the beach for a bit while people stoked the fire, we went over to our barbeque pit. The barbequing situation consisted of a large cement area with about 30 or so barbeque pits, each surrounded by four concrete benches. Every single one was occupied. People apparently go out early in the afternoon and spend all day roasting various meats, drinking, and having an overall great day in the sunshine. The whole experience, framed by the beautiful backdrop of the islands and the bay, was a relaxing throwback to summer barbeques in WV or Costa Rica and was the highlight of the trip, at least for me. We left around midnight, and heard the next day that about an hour after we left, the police were called in to stop a brawl in which 20 drunken Hong Kongers started battling with bbq skewers and beer bottles.
S'MORES
Our final full day was spent shopping, which was mostly uneventful...shopping in HK is pretty much exactly like shopping in Shanghai, though I DID find a hot dog stand! (No hot dogs on the mainland...what a pity.) The day ended with a final trip up the escalators for dinner at a great Malaysian mom-and-pop establishment and then a fast jaunt over to the entertainment district (I totally forget what this was called), where we went to a Russian bar with a special room set at like zero degrees Fahrenheit. They give you faux-mink jackets and you stand around sipping vodka in the freezing cold. It's fun for a minute or two, but quickly loses its novelty.
It was really cold.
On the final morning we bid Will adieu and headed out to what we expected to be a leisurely Western breakfast and the airport. Unfortunately, we left 30 minutes too late, got lost and ripped off by a taxi driver who charged us an extra 10 HKD for putting a bag in the trunk for 2 minutes, and couldn't find the restaurant. We settled for an impromptu 7-11-style fast food breakfast on the side of the road instead before catching the Airport Express train and heading for home.
All in all, and despite the rush of the last morning, it was a fantastic time and a great way to spend a much-needed vacation!
The journey began with a 20-hour overnight train from Shanghai to Kowloon Station. We got soft-sleeper tickets, and both happened to be on the top bunks. At first sight, I was certain that we'd both be sleeping in the hallway due to a sad physical inability to actually get up on the beds, but it turned out that flip-out foot placements in the walls in combination with a variety of strategically placed bars made the climb relatively easy for spry young people such as us (or is it "such as we"?). We got settled in our room quite nicely; our roommates were a young woman from Hong Kong who spoke no English and an old man who spoke relatively great English for someone I assumed was from the mainland (I forget where he was from). At around 5:00 P.M. on the 30th, we were off.
Accommodations (the top bunk...)
Happy birthday!!!The train was simply fabulous, and I couldn't stop babbling about how much I was enjoying myself...I've always enjoyed travel by train and boat, and this was my first time on a sleeper. I brought a bottle of wine for the birthday celebration, and we enjoyed it in the dining car with an older couple from Liverpool who were traveling around Asia for 30 days. The food was simple Chinese fare--your basic tofu, Kung Pao chicken, sweet and sour pork, etc--and definitely not bad for a travelling kitchen. We spent a lot of time talking and playing cards and reading. The next day on the train wasn't much different...breakfast in the dining car (fried eggs, bread, jam, and instant coffee), and a lot of reading, chatting, and looking out the window.
We arrived in Kowloon at 1:00 the next afternoon and were met by our friend Will, who we were staying with. After dropping things off at his house, downing some noodles and grabbing a pineapple-barbeque roll at the local bakery, we headed off to hang out around the Midlevels escalator area and the Peak.
Protest for migrant workers' rights in downtown HK
Downtown skyscrapersThe Midlevels escalator is kind of the awesomest thing ever--a seemingly neverending series of escalators up the side of a mountain in downtown Hong Kong. The escalators are surrounded by lots of cool little shops and restaurants, and Ming and I eventually headed back a couple of days later to check out some used bookstores, which DO NOT exist in Shanghai. After reaching the top of the escalators, we continued up the mountain in search of the Peak, the highest point (I think) and supposedly best view that HK has to offer.
Views from the PeakOur strategy for finding the Peak was to walk up the mountain, but after running into signs that said things like "The Peak -->" and "<--The Peak" right next to each other, we decided to taxi it for most of the rest of the way. The path at the top of the mountain was a beautiful reprieve from the concrete onslaught that is existing in Asia--HK incorporates nature into its cityscape pretty harmoniously. It was moderately crowded but still quiet and jungley at the top, and we rounded the mountaintop and took in the fresh air and some great views. After a long wait for the tram back down the mountain, we went to Nathan Road for dinner.
Now, at this point it's important to know that when in Asia, one is constantly harassed by men and women trying to sell stuff, beg, scam, give pamphlets for who-knows-what, and peddle fake versions of anything made by human hand. Nathan Road was no different, and being in walking-in-city mode, I naturally kept my focus forward and ignored the continual bombardment offers. By chance, Ming stopped by one of the men who was advertising a restaurant and took a pamphlet--surprisingly, it looked pretty awesome, and we decided to go.
The restaurant advertised was an Indian/Pakistani/Arabic restaurant. We were lead by a bearded man into a shady looking hallway with advertisements for strip clubs all over the walls. He then took us into an elevator that resembled a steel-reinforced cell at Camp X-Ray, and another questionably shady individual entered the elevator and began talking with our escort in hushed voices about "where'd you get that horrible scary big fucking scar on your face." It was at this point I was certain that the three of us were going to be brutally murdered. Turns out, the restaurant was quite pleasant, and the food was absolutely delicious. (Though I suppose that nothing whets the appetite quite like being presented with a delicious and satisfying meal only moments after expecting to be sold into a southeast Asian prostitution ring.) We then headed over to a bar called Carnegies, which just happened to be across the street from the hotel where people were quarantined for 7 days because of a possible M1N1 outbreak. We just roll that hard (actually, by the end of the night I was absolutely exhausted and practically dragging everyone back home).
Saturday morning, we got up early to get out to Lantau Island to see what we first were told was "the world's largest Buddha." At some point later, we read it was actually "the world's largest sitting Buddha," which eventually was changed to "the world's largest outdoor sitting Buddha," and then finally summed up as "the world's largest outdoor sitting bronze Buddha." It was only about an hour into the line that someone mentioned that May 2nd happens to be Buddha's frigging birthday, and that it was likely that every person in Asia was headed where we were. Oops.
Spot the error.
Enormous effing Buddha on a crowded mountainSo the wait was long (decent though--2 hours when we were expecting 4 so all in all, not bad), the tram ride was terrifying (only to me) and beautiful, and the Buddha mountain village was a tourism clusterfuck. Seeing this thing up close, however, was totally worth it. It was ENORMOUS. We hung out for about 30 minutes or so, then bopped off back down the mountain for a quick change at Will's house and then a bus ride to a beach barbeque with Sarah and company at Deepwater Bay.
A Deepwater Bay picture I stole from Ming's cameraApparently, beach barbeques are a very Hong Kong thing to do. After playing on the beach for a bit while people stoked the fire, we went over to our barbeque pit. The barbequing situation consisted of a large cement area with about 30 or so barbeque pits, each surrounded by four concrete benches. Every single one was occupied. People apparently go out early in the afternoon and spend all day roasting various meats, drinking, and having an overall great day in the sunshine. The whole experience, framed by the beautiful backdrop of the islands and the bay, was a relaxing throwback to summer barbeques in WV or Costa Rica and was the highlight of the trip, at least for me. We left around midnight, and heard the next day that about an hour after we left, the police were called in to stop a brawl in which 20 drunken Hong Kongers started battling with bbq skewers and beer bottles.
S'MORESOur final full day was spent shopping, which was mostly uneventful...shopping in HK is pretty much exactly like shopping in Shanghai, though I DID find a hot dog stand! (No hot dogs on the mainland...what a pity.) The day ended with a final trip up the escalators for dinner at a great Malaysian mom-and-pop establishment and then a fast jaunt over to the entertainment district (I totally forget what this was called), where we went to a Russian bar with a special room set at like zero degrees Fahrenheit. They give you faux-mink jackets and you stand around sipping vodka in the freezing cold. It's fun for a minute or two, but quickly loses its novelty.
It was really cold.All in all, and despite the rush of the last morning, it was a fantastic time and a great way to spend a much-needed vacation!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Vitamins C and D
So my hair is bright orange and the sun is shining. How can life, honestly, get any better?
The four-day holiday was a massive success. All was kicked off on Wednesday with a sleepover at Cindy's family's luxurious Pudong palace and an all-day barbeque on Thursday which ended with our friend Dave passed out on a toilet with the door open. Friday was spent at a delicious cajun restaurant called Cafe du Monde for brunch, followed by hair dying and nails did. Saturday brought the fabric market for summer clothes, lunch at Whisk, and a huge shopping spree at Ikea to outfit my kitchen (I have a salad spinner, ya'll). I slept all day yesterday. Like, all day, really. Until about 8:00 pm. It kinda sucks, actually, and I have to wonder if I was secretly ill or something to be able to physically sleep that long.
So that was my weekend, and with every passing hour I'm more and more happy that I'm staying on for another year. I can't wait to go home and visit everyone this summer, but really, life is so much bigger here.
The four-day holiday was a massive success. All was kicked off on Wednesday with a sleepover at Cindy's family's luxurious Pudong palace and an all-day barbeque on Thursday which ended with our friend Dave passed out on a toilet with the door open. Friday was spent at a delicious cajun restaurant called Cafe du Monde for brunch, followed by hair dying and nails did. Saturday brought the fabric market for summer clothes, lunch at Whisk, and a huge shopping spree at Ikea to outfit my kitchen (I have a salad spinner, ya'll). I slept all day yesterday. Like, all day, really. Until about 8:00 pm. It kinda sucks, actually, and I have to wonder if I was secretly ill or something to be able to physically sleep that long.
So that was my weekend, and with every passing hour I'm more and more happy that I'm staying on for another year. I can't wait to go home and visit everyone this summer, but really, life is so much bigger here.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Get sprung.
Couple of quick things:
-Got a massage yesterday and the ankle feels like a million bucks. Since Andrew threw out his back and nobody else wants to play tennis with me today, I'm going to walk to Xujiahui and BACK with Cindy. It should take up the majority of the evening.
-I'm more ticklish than I thought I was. During the aforementioned massage (around 20 USD for 2 hours and lots of oil) I could not stop giggling. Apparently, my toes are really sensitive.
-Today. is. BEAUTIFUL. I'm taking my cartooning class outside.
-Happy 21st birthday shoutout to the bro, who's visiting in June, fingers crossed.
-Got a massage yesterday and the ankle feels like a million bucks. Since Andrew threw out his back and nobody else wants to play tennis with me today, I'm going to walk to Xujiahui and BACK with Cindy. It should take up the majority of the evening.
-I'm more ticklish than I thought I was. During the aforementioned massage (around 20 USD for 2 hours and lots of oil) I could not stop giggling. Apparently, my toes are really sensitive.
-Today. is. BEAUTIFUL. I'm taking my cartooning class outside.
-Happy 21st birthday shoutout to the bro, who's visiting in June, fingers crossed.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Things That Cindy and I Do That Are Gay
- We take long walks together side-by-side, listening to our separate iPods.
- We sit and smoke hookah in silence, listening to love ballads.
- We sit on the same side of the otherwise empty booth at brunch.
- I double her to the gate on the back of my bike while she puts her arm around my waist and carries our parcels.
I guarantee there's more where this came from...
Meanwhile, inheritance may be coming through. Tristan MAY be coming to China and traveling with me this summer! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Balls.
Mary got me crutches from the clinic today so I can get around. Fuck sports injuries.
In other news, my nails are growing back.
In other news, my nails are growing back.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Epiphanies
A few days ago I had two epiphanies. One was bad, one was good. (I never said I would always be an entertaining writer.)
First, earlier in the day it hit me like a brick that I can't be counted on. I was frustrated at my fickleness for something or another, and because I like to boil everything down to one simple sentence, I was searching for a way to pin down the trait in that way. Then it came to me: I can't be counted on. Like, pretty pathologically. This would be a suitable honest-to-goodness answer in a potential employee application: What are your weaknesses? I can't be counted on. What a horrible trait for someone to have...I am making serious conscious strides towards changing. At the very least I recognize it as a huge problem (or rather a major pain in the ass for all my friends) and am in the process of taking baby steps towards improvement, like keeping dinner plans.
Cindy and I were discussing this at dinner at Element Fresh later that evening when I had the realization that I have become who I've basically always wanted to become: a silly kid living in one of the largest cities in the world, moderately well-to-do, having fantastic warm and fuzzy moments in a nice atmosphere on a daily basis. Afterwards, we rode through Xujiahui complaining about traffic when we looked around and realized that we were in the middle of a twelve-lane intersection. Twelve. And this is a daily thing for us. We don't live outside the city, in a suburb or smaller community. We live in it. The closest Starbucks is in a seven story mall surrounded by other malls that are larger than seven stories. It's rare to wait more than five minutes for a taxi outside the school gates. On a late night we can hit four or five different venues. No matter how much I may complain or how homesick I get, my life here is incredible. China ain't all bad.
Beer and karaoke to celebrate.
First, earlier in the day it hit me like a brick that I can't be counted on. I was frustrated at my fickleness for something or another, and because I like to boil everything down to one simple sentence, I was searching for a way to pin down the trait in that way. Then it came to me: I can't be counted on. Like, pretty pathologically. This would be a suitable honest-to-goodness answer in a potential employee application: What are your weaknesses? I can't be counted on. What a horrible trait for someone to have...I am making serious conscious strides towards changing. At the very least I recognize it as a huge problem (or rather a major pain in the ass for all my friends) and am in the process of taking baby steps towards improvement, like keeping dinner plans.
Cindy and I were discussing this at dinner at Element Fresh later that evening when I had the realization that I have become who I've basically always wanted to become: a silly kid living in one of the largest cities in the world, moderately well-to-do, having fantastic warm and fuzzy moments in a nice atmosphere on a daily basis. Afterwards, we rode through Xujiahui complaining about traffic when we looked around and realized that we were in the middle of a twelve-lane intersection. Twelve. And this is a daily thing for us. We don't live outside the city, in a suburb or smaller community. We live in it. The closest Starbucks is in a seven story mall surrounded by other malls that are larger than seven stories. It's rare to wait more than five minutes for a taxi outside the school gates. On a late night we can hit four or five different venues. No matter how much I may complain or how homesick I get, my life here is incredible. China ain't all bad.
Beer and karaoke to celebrate.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
So I was having a chat the other day, and...
...I've been talked into circumnavigating the globe. Whaterya gonna do?
So as of two days ago, Cid and I had every intention of flying home together on the 1st of July. We were simply waiting for the paychecks to come in and the money to clear the Pacific and make its way into our bank accounts (at least I was). But then I got into a conversation with Joe. It went like this:
Me: Hey, I think I'm buying my ticket home tomorrow.
Joe: Really? Which way are you going?
Me: By plane, over the Pacific.
Joe: Oh. Well I think a bunch of us are gonna take the Trans-Mongolian Railroad west, through the stones of the Great Wall, across the vast dry spaces and sun-kissed steppes of the Gobi, hugging the glistening shores of fresh-water Lake Baikal, then on to Moscow, from where we shall head to Europe for an escapade so full of mischief and wonder that the gods themselves shall surely weep with uncertainty! You can come with us if you want.
Me: Okay.
So instead of east, I plan on going west, traversing Eurasia, flying back to Pittsburgh over the Atlantic, and finishing my journey having circled the entire world. (Which would put me at least in the top 5 on the Most Awesome People You Know list.) And I'ma do it in 31 days.
***A big thank you to Tim, who I just got off the phone with and was a great influence in getting me stoked about this idea. He also planned mostly every little detail of the following, using his Enormous Brain of Travel Information:***
The Trans-Mongolian Railway is cheap, a very cool thing to talk about at hippie parties, the first of the three life goals I get to say I've accomplished on this trip, and gets me to Moscow, which just happens to be a one-day train ride to Kiev. If all goes according to our planned best-case scenario (and doesn't it always?), Tim will be able to get a few days off and meet me there, where we will frolic with glee in his ancestoral homeland and make our way down to Odessa, where we will catch the overnight ferry across the Black Sea to Istanbul. In Istanbul, I get to FINALLY visit the Hagia Sophia, the most architecturally brilliant cathedral/mosque in the history of the universe and number two of doable life goals in July.
From Istanbul, I can take the night bus to Sofia, Bulgaria and catch a 30-ish Euro plane to Prague, where I want to adventure out and find the family plot in Brandys nad Labem (goal number three). Maybe I'll go back to Hungary while I'm at it. From there, a short flight to Holland...to, uh, see the tulips...then finally to Brussels, where direct flights to Pittsburgh are moderately inexpensive and easy to book. Plan is to book my plane from Brussels (or whichever European city is the cheapest) to Pittsburgh for July 31st. I'm going to do this relatively quickly because if I get a ticket home now, I can't back out of it later, and we all know I have a tendency to do that. I really don't want it to come down to go time and back out with some hollow reason because I'm scared to adventure. I'm never going to get another opportunity presented to me like this again, and I like to think that if I do, I'll be on board.
See you in August.
So as of two days ago, Cid and I had every intention of flying home together on the 1st of July. We were simply waiting for the paychecks to come in and the money to clear the Pacific and make its way into our bank accounts (at least I was). But then I got into a conversation with Joe. It went like this:
Me: Hey, I think I'm buying my ticket home tomorrow.
Joe: Really? Which way are you going?
Me: By plane, over the Pacific.
Joe: Oh. Well I think a bunch of us are gonna take the Trans-Mongolian Railroad west, through the stones of the Great Wall, across the vast dry spaces and sun-kissed steppes of the Gobi, hugging the glistening shores of fresh-water Lake Baikal, then on to Moscow, from where we shall head to Europe for an escapade so full of mischief and wonder that the gods themselves shall surely weep with uncertainty! You can come with us if you want.
Me: Okay.
So instead of east, I plan on going west, traversing Eurasia, flying back to Pittsburgh over the Atlantic, and finishing my journey having circled the entire world. (Which would put me at least in the top 5 on the Most Awesome People You Know list.) And I'ma do it in 31 days.
***A big thank you to Tim, who I just got off the phone with and was a great influence in getting me stoked about this idea. He also planned mostly every little detail of the following, using his Enormous Brain of Travel Information:***
The Trans-Mongolian Railway is cheap, a very cool thing to talk about at hippie parties, the first of the three life goals I get to say I've accomplished on this trip, and gets me to Moscow, which just happens to be a one-day train ride to Kiev. If all goes according to our planned best-case scenario (and doesn't it always?), Tim will be able to get a few days off and meet me there, where we will frolic with glee in his ancestoral homeland and make our way down to Odessa, where we will catch the overnight ferry across the Black Sea to Istanbul. In Istanbul, I get to FINALLY visit the Hagia Sophia, the most architecturally brilliant cathedral/mosque in the history of the universe and number two of doable life goals in July.
From Istanbul, I can take the night bus to Sofia, Bulgaria and catch a 30-ish Euro plane to Prague, where I want to adventure out and find the family plot in Brandys nad Labem (goal number three). Maybe I'll go back to Hungary while I'm at it. From there, a short flight to Holland...to, uh, see the tulips...then finally to Brussels, where direct flights to Pittsburgh are moderately inexpensive and easy to book. Plan is to book my plane from Brussels (or whichever European city is the cheapest) to Pittsburgh for July 31st. I'm going to do this relatively quickly because if I get a ticket home now, I can't back out of it later, and we all know I have a tendency to do that. I really don't want it to come down to go time and back out with some hollow reason because I'm scared to adventure. I'm never going to get another opportunity presented to me like this again, and I like to think that if I do, I'll be on board.
See you in August.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Happy Endings
So, all were present for a sunny week of spending far too much money, eating a lot, getting pretty drunk, and watching our beloved Jon-a-thon (and Kat and Shawn and Leora and Hanna and Allyn and on and on...) graduate from Brown University. The group is SO hot, in fact, that they made Brown's homepage. (Scroll down to "About Brown.") In case the picture is removed any time soon, here she be:
(Original size was much bigger. I don't know why it shrunk in the saving.)
Here's a day-by-day play-by-play of my vacation's festivities, you know, if you're like, having a slow day or something:
Thursday: Get up at 5am and are almost too late to catch the plane. See Aaron randomly in Harvard Square and stash our stuff in his room while shopping in Boston. He's just finished Harvard Law Review competition and is out of his goddamned mind. Makes a bat out of lettuce. Stay the night with Mandy's lovely friend Rachel from Quaker Cottage and get to meet Kylee. All play Wii.
Friday: Providence in the morning. Mall. Barbeque in the backyard with the families of Shawn, Kat, and Jon. Mostly, Jon's family, Jon, Sam, Mandy and I sit in the parking lot smoking cigarettes and talking about boobs. People leave, we get all dappered up and head out to the Alumni Campus Dance, a Gatsby-esque festival of alcohol that's hard to wait in line for. I manage drunkeness, and we all go to a house party where I meet Ben, my new colleague in Shanghai, by busting in his bedroom door and demanding that we create a code word for cool people that will be allowed in our friend group. That word? "Pelican."
Saturday: During the Baccalaureate, Sam, Rose, Sherry, Mandy, Emily, Josh, and I head to Horseneck Beach. I fall asleep on my tummy and get horrible leg/lower butt sunburn. Lunch at restaurant located by GPS. Excellent chowda. Got the stink eye from old Rhode Islanders. Then Water Fire, a festival themed for and decorated with Salvadore Dali's exploded brain. Got mesmerized by androgynous statue man who gave me a note that says, "Choose to be forgiven. Confession is good for the soul."
Sunday: Graduation hullaballoo. Cut out on the Latin part to get some more chowda, but missed B.B. King. Lots of merrymaking. Angry old ladies. Huge root sculpture. Dog usurped my ice water. Returned to see Jon receive his diploma. Got cheese and cookies. Nap.
Monday: Slept in. Most of day at the mall. Mandy slashed her face pretending to be Tinkerbell. Haircuts. Dinosaurs 3D. Group picture with Alan Shawn Feinstein at Alan Shawn Feinstein theatre. Saw the WV relatives off. Italian dinner in Federal Hill. Decorative cakes. Fountain. Later, Betty Boop.
Tuesday: Lunch @ Zog's. Shopping. Plane ride home. Direct TV on Jet Blue lets me see exactly 1/4 of the season finale of House. Crashed with Tristan in Motown.
So that's pretty much it. About 6 new albums will be on Facebook soon. Get ready.
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