December brought a month of travel, and countless new adventures. The excitement that it brought encouraged me to try the language classes again, and continue making efforts to learn the culture and make new friends. During my second semester I was much happier. I retook the Chinese language track and succeeded. I made countless local friends, knew the owners of local bars, clubs, and restaurants, I navigated the city like I had been living their all my life, I became much better at eating foreign food, and I learned many valuable lessons from the experiences I had. By the time I left, Chengdu had become *my city*.

I’ve definitely changed. I’m much more confident in all of my abilities. What made me anxious in the past is no concern to me now, but at the same time I’m more aware of my surroundings, and more vigilant in some ways. I’m both more open minded to different worldviews, yet at the same time less tolerant of things that I perceive to be a waste of my time. I learned to be more patient in some situations (having to wait hours for a bus in rural-nowheresville) and less patient in others (dealing with certain attitudes, and people who throw fits if the trains aren’t running on time). I’m more driven to attain my goals, but also have learned to slow down and do it at a pace that isn’t stressful.

Was the journey to China stressful at times? Moreso than anything I’ve ever done in my life. But I grew from it, and would do it again in a heartbeat. I hope to return to Asia someday and maybe teach English again, possibly in Japan. It’s been a hell of a ride, and maybe this time next year I’ll be updating from abroad again! I’m going to leave this blog with a quote that has always inspired me under the most dire circumstances.

“When one must, one can.”

I had many good and bad experiences in Vietnam. The south part of the country (especially Saigon/Ho Chi Minh) was very Americanized and the type of compact metropolis you would expect from most urban cities, but still had a very unique feel to it. I saw all the big things in Saigon (war museum, tunnels, etc) and then I traveled up through Xue to Hanoi. Hanoi was a drastically different experience. The city itself was very unique, structured like an old french city, very sprawled out difficult to navigate. I got lost more than a few times in Hanoi, but still managed to find everything I was looking for (Crashed b-52, the parks, museums, Ho Cho Minh mausoleum). Vietnam taught me some important lessons about vigilance while traveling. I met some great people there.

Day 5: Went on a trek up to visit a local Hmong hill tribe, and spent most of the afternoon hiking around local waterfalls and rice paddies. The Hmong treated us to a fantastic lunch: Pork stew with rice and veggies. The rest of the afternoon was spent on an elephant ride through the jungle and browsing through the Kitsch night markets. Had some amazing Mediterranean food (Jerusalem Falafel!), and encountered all manner of shady characters come nightfall. (There was a man just standing in the center of an alley wearing a Balaclava and watching me. Kind of unnerving!)

Day 6: The mosquito size had approximately tripled, earning them the status of dogsquito. Chiang Mai was just starting to become familiar, so we geared up and started out for Chiang Rai: a small border town near Laos. The place was majestic, but not somewhere I wanted to stay overnight. I continued northeast, arriving at Chiang Kong several hours later. Chiang Kong was a small, quiet border crossing. I talked to a few expats living there and got the impression that the only thing that changes in Chiang Kong is the slow, steady influx of travelers crossing the Mekong between Laos and Thailand.

Day 7: Rock and roll! With my urban-camo bandanna wrapped around my head, unshaven face, milsurp bag slung over my shoulder, and ripped denim, I was finally had the southeast asian-backpacker look down. I was packed into the bed of an aged soviet truck with several other equally motley looking travelers, and jaunted to the border crossing. The border crossing into laos was possibly the coolest thing i’ve ever done. I entered the country by crossing the Mekong on a fastboat and then jumping onto a rock on the opposite bank. I vaulted off of a boat into a new country!

We were stuck in another border city, and were told if we missed the fastboat, we would have to spend the night….The fast boat…that was an ordeal. I didn’t fit into the fastboat, but somehow was crammed into it and endured a 9 hour trip down the Mekong into Lang Prabang, Laos. By the time I got off the boat, my shins were bloody and my feet were numb. Wouldn’t do that again. I shared the boat with a few Brits who I got to know very well (and got into many perilous situations with!) over the next few days. We veterans of the boat ride all shared some local beers with a meal of beef and lamb in pralang (?) sauce.

Day 8: Recovery day, I could hardly even walk. Sent out some postcards, enjoyed some local streetfood (Laos sandwiches, yum!) saw some local theatre, and lost a drinking game at the lao-lao bar.

Day 9: I woke up around 5:00am to see the procession of monks. They walk through the town, and people offer bread and other living supplies. I took some pictures of the temple at the top of the central mountain, and went tubing. Had some fantastic Indian food for dinner, and hit the night market for some keepsakes.

Day 10: Hit the road for Cambodia. Laos was a peaceful, laid back experience, but not much to do but talk to other travelers about the usual (meaning of life, best local liquor, politics!)

Day 11: Cambodia… Siem Reap was a frantic place, and maybe the only one where I felt uncomfortable most of my stay. I spent most of the first day in Angkor Thom, viewing temples. The hawkers were horrible, and mobs of them would try and sell you their stupid shit the second they saw you. The low point of day one was when a little girl threatened to have a witch doctor place a curse on me for not buying her stuff. Their presence just drains you spiritually, and it never ends. Yet somehow, I wish they would have been at the next stop.

The killing fields were the only place where locals didn’t hassle you to buy trinkets, and that made the surreal silence of the place all too powerful. The towers of human skulls and bones are always in sight and mind, and the dark mood is palpable. Even nature seemed to keep it’s distance here. Pol Pot’s evil still scars Cambodia, a country that lost up to 1/3 of it’s population to auto-genocide. Every street is lined with children who have lost limbs to land mines, prostitutes, drug dealers, hawkers, homeless, and burnouts. UXO crews leave the city daily, and every path has explosive hazard warnings.

Day 12: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom. Lots of Temples. I went out alone and found myself in the most shady club I’ve ever been in. The Mafia presence was overbearing. I had a drink with a local who explained more about the social conditions in Cambodia and the power struggles between different factions. Law only existed to protect tourism, and drugrunners, human traffickers, and arms smugglers hold the real power. The club was a front for his organizations operations. This is the only place during my travels where I refused a free drink. Several people there looked very unnerved by my presence. Probably because one of their own was drunk and telling me about all the illegal stuff they were up to.

By far the most awkward moment was when I attempted to leave the club. I had the distinct impression that management was not happy, and they kept trying to convince me to stay with offers of free drinks, drugs, and tickets to local events. In a country where everyone was trying desperately to sell me something for 15-30 cents, offers of “free everything” honestly scared the shit out of me. While I was explaining that I had to leave to meet a friend, one of the “bar girls” jumped into my lap and started opening mouth kissing me like her life depended on it. Ever have the feeling that *everything* in a situation and place is wrong? That everything in the moment is aligning into a perfect storm against your safety? I got the hell out of dodge (some of the security staff honestly looked like they were going to try and stop me), and something tells me I dodged a major bullet here.

Day 13: I woke up to see Angkor Wat at sunrise. A beautiful sight in a wartorn and desperate place. The streets of Siem Reap were just too depressing to deal with, and I spent much of the day watching HBO. No more Cambodia. I couldn’t take another day, and Danielle was even more upset about the place than I was. I hit the road back into Thailand.

Day 14-16: Ao nang! Our bungalow was pretty sketchy. plywood walls, electric showers that shocked, wasps in the walls, HUGE ROACHES. I spent a few days just hanging out at the beach, snorkeling, (almost ran into a HUGE jellyfish) and hanging out with locals.

Day 17: Continued exploring the island on a motorbike I rented. The day turned sour fast as an ATM about 90 miles north of the bungalow ate my debit card. Spent several hours getting it back (no english speakers!), and shortly after got into an accident with a motorcycle. I didn’t have leathers, and I lost a lot of skin, then spent a few hours navigating back to my place, getting lost a few times due to darkness and being shook up from the crash.

Danielle decided to do some rock climbing thing the next day and I couldn’t get another bike rental because they were holding my passport until the tourist police finished their report.

No way was I staying alone in that god-forsaken place, and for new years no less! I went out and consumed a bucket of whiskey, 6 beers, and 2 gin-tonics. It was in this state that I knew I needed to buy a ticket to the island of Koh Samui for my new years countdown!

Day 18: I took a taxi to a bus, a bus to a boat, and then some combination of ferries, buses, and cabs to my ultimate destination: Koh Samui. The full moon party. This was the first time the full moon party fell on new years and a blue moon. 20,000 were expected, 60,000 showed up. Alcohol was sold by the bucket for $3 in this drunken playground. I saw countless people set on fire (jump ropes, flaming hopes, lots of fire in general!) falling off the 100+ foot scaffolding constructed on the beach, and one poor guy even got stabbed. I was in a few scuffles throughout the night, but it was overall a great time. Met lots of interesting characters. Words really can’t do this day justice.

Day 19: The beach looked like the aftermath of the battle of Normandy come morning. I slept on the street and left on the first round of ferries the next morning. Ask me about inciting a riot and causing a stampede! I somehow managed to get back home (again navigating half a dozen means of transit) in a very intoxicated state, and just slept all day.

Day 20: recovery day. went shopping for used books, ate burger king comfort food, watched HBO.

Day 20-23: Relaxed, got ready for shanghai.

Days 24-30: Shanghai! I didn’t keep a journal here, might come back to this later.

Semester 2, China: Semester 1 I experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows of my life. Semester 2 just felt “normal” to me as I adapted to life in China. I spoke enough Chinese to manage, made good friends, and passed my classes. I relied on western food far less, and made so many local friends who I still keep in touch with. It was only in semester 2 that I really felt at home in China. Danielle and I had a nice place, and lots of great memories are attached to it. In April I went to Vietnam, I’ll write about that another day. I navigated Chengdu like a veteran, and feel more comfortable finding my way around some areas there than I do here in Boise. Life just felt “regular”. In June I returned home.

Day one: Flew to Bangkok from Guangzhou, had to deal with taxi scams within seconds of leaving the airport doors. Bangkok has some of the most awesome street food and street vendors around. Explored the city and saw the slew of Christmas decorations. Had alot of fruit smoothies. Great first impression.

Day two: Mostly a chillout day, went to the chatuchak day market, a huge area (35 acres) with over 15,000 stalls and over 200,000 visitors per day! Everything from pets to weapons to clothing can be found here. Took the sky train all over Bangkok. Thai food was delicious, tried lots of different types.

Day three: played 6 or 7 travel agents off against each other for some great flight tickets. Went to a store called Tesco where they had counterfeit versions of everything (like an exact copy of a nintendo system with mario replaced by a panda). Went to an underground aquarium inside of a shopping mall, and the night market in the red light district. Also included in videos: Transvestites cheering on a Maui Thai fight between children. Only in bangkok

I hope to have some updates soon. I have hundreds of pictures from my trip to southeast asia to upload, but it is taking a very long time to get them all uploaded.

Session 1 just ended, and I scored an A in Chinese 1. Session 2 is one week in now, and it is still very difficult, but I’m doing much better than last semester.

We also held a goodbye/christmas party for our classmates who are leaving next week.

And finally a picture of the bike I bought:

In December I will be flying to Bangkok, Thailand and then exploring southeast Asia (while keeping on the main roads, as every few pages of my guidebook repeatedly gives landmine warnings -yikes!). I hope to see the big sights in Thailand and Cambodia, while possibly having time to go to Laos via the Mekong river as well. Should be a great adventure! Here are some pictures and Videos from Dufu’s cottage and the “No. 1″ Club that is popular with students here.

“I Stand Alone”
by Du Fu

A single bird of prey beyond the sky.
a pair of white gulls between riverbanks.
Hovering wind tossed, ready to strike;
the pair, at their ease, roaming to and fro.
And the dew is also full on the grasses,
spiders’ filaments still not drawn in.
Instigations in nature approach men’s affairs-
I stand alone in thousands of sources of worry.

We had two earthquakes this week. The first one was on Monday and it wasn’t too bad, and the second one just happened an hour ago. I’m on the twelfth floor and felt it very strongly. It was the first quake here that I felt physical motion (almost falling off the end of the couch) before noticing things rattling or moving. It felt like a very strong rocking motion in two directions. The quake magnitude was a 5.2 with an epicenter 40 miles away. Heres the data on it I found.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009pma6.php