Brazil: Paraty daytime continued...

 
 
 
 

Brazil: Rainy Divine Festival Day in Paraty

Day two in Ubatuba, Brazil and the Sun god was NOT interested in aiding us in our mission to attain pure beach satisfaction. So we drove to the village of Paraty, where they were having a Divine Festival. There, we ate authentic "country Brazilian" food (like cow tail) served to us by a one-armed gypsy who claimed to have two wives.
 
 
 
 

Where Is Brian? Ubatuba, Brazil

A few hours south of Såo Paulo is a little coastal town called Ubatuba. Normally, this place would be bustling with tourists and surfers, but this is the beginning of the off season, which explains why we're the only ones staying at this Pousada (bed and breakfast). The weather is, well, disappointing so far. Apparently, we just missed a week worth of sun. Now it's pretty much overcast with alluring hints of blue sky here and there.

Food-wise, there's an abnormal number of pizzerias along one main street, the common self-service BBQ buffet places, a few japanese/sushi places, an arabian restaurant and a mexican place.

More to come...

Hong Kong: Ocean Park

Ocean Park, located in Aberdeen on the south of Hong Kong island, is a strange theme park / aquarium that's been around since the late 1970's. While it's no Six Flags or Disneyland, it does have a strange charm, and stunning views of the China sea. It's aquarium "atole" tank is one of (if not the) largest in the world, filled with GIANT rays, groupers, sharks, eels, tuna, and assorted sea life. The park even has mascots, though the character designs are a bit odd -- a sea lion and a... fairy?

Getting up to the park from the bus drop off consists of 5 slow-moving covered outdoor escalators with cool air and audio greetings in different languages. On the sides are news clips showing the park's historical milestones. Some of the rides are available at the earlier mountain levels, but most are all the way at the top, and others are reachable by the harrowing gondola Sky Ride that connects the two park sections. The only ride I tried (other than the Sky Ride) was the typical log-splash ride, very refreshing in the 100F heat.

Just when you think you might be in some less popular American park, you go to one of the refreshment stands -- reminding you immediately that you are in Asia -- duck legs, octopus balls, soba noodles, dried squid and unfamiliar tea drinks are on the menu along with Coke. Few American foods.

This is not a flat park, and it does require a lot of walking, which feels more difficult due to the heat (in June particularly). I saw a pair of plus-size women (American or British perhaps) who appeared to be having difficulty. Fortunately, my personal training sessions the month before really came in handy here and the rest of the trip. All the insides of the buildings (like most in Hong Kong I visited) have magnficent air conditioners.

Main entrance, before you go around to ascend the escalators:


The Sky Ride: Two cars going in two directions moving peacefully along the mountain, with views of the bay and China Sea.



It's a bit like riding a Christmas ornament, no?


The dolphin & sea lion show (more photos pending) was amusing. Wasn't certain if the marine mammals understood English, Chinese or both, given that England owned Hong Kong for so long and now it was back under Chinese rule. I was surprised to see the opening act, a Caribbean band consisting of one American and two guys who might have been South American (but definitely not Asian).


Sunset over Aberdeen:

Hong Kong: The Peak

Victoria Peak (or "The Peak") is this amazingly high mountain reachable by tram that has an air-conditioned mall/observation deck shaped like an Imperial Star Wars vehicle on top, surrounded by beautiful hiking paths, giant man-eating rubber trees, and views of the China Sea. It was clear within minutes of arival that I should spend the entire day and evening there.








Inside the observation deck is a multi-floor mall of souvenir shops, coffee shops (including one that has snagged the best corner glass window looking out onto the skyscrapers below), restaurants, an Internet café, and most importantly, the BEST AIR CONDITIONER IN THE WORLD!

(Ok, I have no idea if it really is, but when you've just traversed blocks worth of 100+ F humid sweaty Communist heat, the shear intensity of commercial coldness enveloping you like an ice pack of Capitalism feels oh so good.)

Nearby, there are hiking trails leading around the top and down to the bottom of the other side (which view Aberdeen and the China Sea). Even though it was hot, the beauty of it all and overpriced caffeine kept me trudging sweatily forward. And I knew that once around again, there'd be that oh-so-nice blast of freezing air. Along the path in parts, mysterious driveways to presumably hidden mansions or resort hotels, some with "for lease" signs. (If I remember correctly, it was $28,000 Hong Kong dollars a month for one of them -- a mere $3,500? Wow! It was $8000 a month for a small place on Telegraph Hill, San Francisco during the height of the Dot.com boom. Maybe one of the man-eating rubber trees has diminished its value.)

Not knowing really where else to see in Hong Kong, I waited until the sun set, as more and more locals and tourists arrived by tram to take snapshots of the city. I heard more English spoken around me than in I had in weeks. Hong Kong at night is gorgeous -- not quite as sci-fi as Shanghai (the buildings being older) but still having animated lighting.

Up next: Forget Hong Kong Disneyland. Ocean Park is the place to be!

Hong Kong Overview

Hong Kong was an unplanned stop. Had intended to go there, but with my girlfriend and some planning. Unfortunately, my her project got extended and we decided it best I go off by myself. No matter, I had my Lonely PLanet book along with me and Hong Kong should be (so I thought) filled with English speaking people.

After securing a hotel via the train station agency, I got some dim sum and walked around:


Hong Kong is like the San Francisco Bay with a much larger Chinatown. Now, add way more skyscrapers. No, more! Keep adding them. Then, make one of the mountain peaks WAY higher than the others, even taller than those skyscrapers. Make Angel Island and Alcatraz a lot bigger. Cover them with skyscrapers too. Go on, do it. Get rid of the Golden Gate Bridge, and crank the temperature and humidity WAY up. Put an amusement park high up on one of the mountains. No wait, spread it out over two and put a gondola between them.

Good, there you go:






Up next, views from "The Peak!"

Back to China

After Osaka, I flew to Guangzhou to visit my ex-girlfriend, and then took the train from there to Hong Kong. Sadly, I did not get any photos of Guangzhou, but if you want some idea of what it's like, go see the documentary "Manufactured Landscapes". (It also shows great footage of the old Shanghai, the areas my friends there didn't show me much of, now being paved over with buildings like the ones in the photos I've posted.)

Guangzhou is more what I imagined Communist China to be like. Functional, but not pleasant. By this time in the summer, the temperatures were up to 36 Celsius and 80% humidity. Lots of cement structures, some covered with Microsoft Windows background-like patterns, some with brass birdcage balconies. The Mega Center island is vast, covered with imposing university block fortresses. From the view we had, there's a gargantuan cement freeway that arches up off into the foggy distance and back behind to some unseeable entrance. A symbol of hope, or a reminder that getting off the island is a steep climb? (Actually, there is a subway line but it was closed due to the floods a month earlier while I was there)

We went to a grocery store. There, along with the usual aisles of cereal, coffee and sauces, was the live food section with tanks of big fish, crabs, frogs, turtles... Much like you'd find in an outdoor Chinatown. But for me the big surprise was the frozen crocodile -- its distinctive tail lying there in the ice next to a large fish. We stuck to the small fishes for our dinner, which were delicious.

Downtown, we saw the old art institute (I thought it looked much cozier with its green vines and sculpture garden, but apparently it was too noisy). We visited a shopping district, where one can buy all kinds of insanely cheap gadgets, handbags, toys, and whatnot. We also saw abandoned, unfinished hulls of buildings which failed commercially, or were never completed because the owner jumped off the top to his death, scaring away occupants. Never destroyed either, so they sit there as a perpetual reminder that not all growth is positive.

High-speed Osaka Tour

Roughly a year ago, I met a young Japanese man here (Mr. Takuya) in Los Angeles, who upon finding out I would be in Japan, invited me to dinner in his city, Osaka. Because I left Kyoto late, and because the rendezvous point I arranged through his friend over the phone (since she spoke better English) was farther than anticipated (via train) from my hotel, I was about an hour later than we had intended. Oops. Fortunately, the three ladies waiting for me spotted me instantly (not too many Americans, I guess). We then all piled into Mr. Takuya's car waiting outside.

We did a quick driving tour around Osaka. The conversation that evening was quite humorous given the language barrier, but everyone had little electronic dictionaries. This made it work well enough. Mr. Takuya drove, while I chatted with the ladies in the back seat. They told me they were students (from Tokyo, Hokkaido, and Kyoto), who had failed their Japanese entrance exams, so they were all studying together in Osaka. They pointed out various Osakan landmarks and I tried to catch a glimpse of them between buildings and trees in the way.

Unfortunately, my batteries gave out (as they had been doing a lot -- my camera only likes Nimh) and was only able to capture a few shots. Here is a tiny bit of Osakan architecture (probably not its finest) as we drove along:

Then we headed to the famous Dotombori district, filled with restaurants and things to do at night. I had hoped we might go to a Teppanyaki steakhouse restaurant, a favorite example of which is the Osaka Grill in San Francisco (a more refined version of the popular Benihana chain). Many of these restaurants had long waits, so we opted for a Okonomiyaki place (which I had never tried before).

Here are most of us (minus the photographer) in front:


Unlike the teppanyaki steakhouses I've been to, this type of place has you cook everything yourself sitting near the floor in a small private room with a phone to call the waiters with. (Okonomiyaki translates roughly to "grill whatever you want, the way you want.") There were no English menus anywhere, so my hosts picked the food choices. The raw ingredients arrived in bowls. Meats, chopped yams, onions, raw eggs, rice sheets, octopus, dried fish flakes, mayonaise... Other stuff... I have no idea really. The ladies took over immediately, stirring, mixing, combining and then pouring onto the hot grill at our low-flying table.


At one point, we talked about how Osakans and Tokyoites don't always like each other. I asked why. There was a pause, then a lot of typing on personal dictionaries. Mr. Takuya turned his screen towards me and it read "not on same wave length". A-ha!

After eating, we walked around the district. I saw a strange Ferris wheel-like ride thing built into the side of a building, with each car lit up with neon lights in the shape of a buddha(!) Also saw a place to eat fugu (the poisonous pufferfish), which had a nicely illuminated tank of large deadly fishes swimming and quietly daring people to come inside and eat them. We found a temple and each got fortunes written on paper. Apparently mine was very good. One of theirs suggested bad health, another a bad marriage ahead. I was supposed to keep mine, but they took theirs, folded them up origami-style, then attached them to the wooden structure of the temple itself, amidst hundreds if not thousands of other presumably bad fortunes. (What happens when the Temple gets filled up with bad fortunes? Misfortunate leaks out into the city? Yikes!)

Finally, we said goodbye to the ladies and Mr. Takuya took me to visit his Uncle's exotic sushi restaurant, where a whole family party (great aunt, uncle, aunt, friends) had already gathered after hours and eaten. I'm not sure that they were all that interested in meeting a tired American who spoke no Japanese, but Mr. Takuya's Uncle gave us some very good bonito tuna at least.

Then we bid farewell and headed to Takuya's apartment where I met his girlfriend, a friendly Korean woman. She also had a dictionary computer and practiced her English with me. Meanwhile, Mr. Takuya demonstrated his various electronic toys, including a miniature helicopter that floated around the apartment, and a remote-controlled matchbox car. Despite it being about midnight at this point and my consciousness fading, Mr. Takuya decided we should go see the 24-hour electronics shopping store so he could buy me a Gameboy Micro before I left. How generous!

One side note: Japanese GPS is way ahead of ours. Instead of typing in my hotel's address (which I didn't have with me), he was able to type in the hotel phone number and voila! There it was on the map. Coolness.

UPDATE: You can learn how to cook okinomiyaki at home!

Kyoto: Sunshine & Temples

Weather-wise, Japan was sunny for me on the days I left each city. Kyoto rained enough for me to buy an umbrella. Since temples and rain didn't make for exciting photo opportunities, I delayed my train trip to Osaka to check out Nijo Castle (which is not really a castle in the European sense):

Kyoto: Eclectic Shops

You can certainly find American chains in Japan. I spotted KFC, Starbucks, McDonald's, Wendy's, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf -- even a Tully's! But my new favorite coffee chain, sadly not available in the States: Caffe Veloce...


It's inexpensive, has great interior design, good service, and this really cool giant slow-spinning globe with counter seating around it. Mesmerizing!

Then there are the weird, found-only-in-Kyoto places. Like this Octopus Ball shop:


Or my personal favorite, a Captain Santa store! (With his side-kick reindeer... )

Kyoto Overview

Kyoto is a cute little city with a river, canals, old buildings and lots of people walking and riding bicycles. In fact, at night the young men drive their girlfriends who stand on the fender (sometimes holding umbrellas):


Here's a typical old street in Kyoto, which at night would likely be filled with slow-moving miniature taxi cabs:


Kyoto still has many temples. Some are isolated, up in the mountains away from evidence of the modern world, while most are like this one. Right next to a laundrymat, a Coke machine, power lines, and probably has a worker's motorcycle parked in front:


This is an arcade street, almost exactly like the ones in Tokyo or Osaka. It's a covered street of shops. Some touristy. Some farmer's market-like. Sometimes commercial -- Wendy's, Sharkey's Pizza (Wha? That's a Los Angeles chain).


My first night there, I went out to get a bite to eat but forgot my camera (Doh!) I walked along the river, discovering that couples were sitting along the cobblestone bank. How romantic! But the intriguing thing to me was that they were all spaced exactly equidistant from each other, perhaps 15 feet or so. That's what I call precision! Many of the restaurants have patio decks that go out onto the bank.

Many strange eating places. Starbucks. I also found a Gyo Koku, a Japanese charcoal grill place that has opened up at many Los Angeles-area locations. Annoyingly, it is actually cheaper in Kyoto! I had drinks at an English pub, an African-themed club, and had some donburi (rice with a heavy curry stew).

Tokyo: Miscellaneous Things to See

I had a very rushed view of Tokyo. With no guide other than my book, and only two days, I went on a few chaotic train ride quests for locations and places. Thus, my photo collage of Tokyo is random and spartan compared to that of Shanghai.

Here's the obligatory swan in front of the Imperial Palace:


Here's an office of Bandai, makers of famous Japanese toy robots, which can be seen along the Tokyo River Cruise:


Here's an izakaya, located under a street bridge downtown. (I like how Tokyo utilizes places we would otherwise block off with barbed wire) If it weren't for the phone number, I would have had no idea it was the place I was looking for. An Izakaya is a Japanese pub with food. There used to be one in West Hollywood that a co-worker told me about the week it was closing. After trying it, we vowed to go there every night till it closed because it was so amazing! Unfortunately, no izakaya I tried in Japan matched that place, but this one wasn't bad. The owner is a British bloke from Lester. He gave me a free glass of sweet potato soszhu:


This building along the river was designed by somebody famous. Supposedly, the shape is a flame, but somehow I don't think that's the first thing that will poop, er pop into your head:


This is a shinkansen bullet train that I took from Tokyo to Kyoto. Unfortunately, during the journey I completely missed the view of Mt. Fuji because my assigned seat was on the wrong side of the train! However, my iPod did conjure up some funny and sublime music choices. Fozzie Bear's rendition of "America," for instance:

Tokyo: Kite Museum

Kites are cool. Aerial illustrations. In some cases, they're practically aerial puppets (telling rather minimalist stories, mind you). So when I read in my Lonely Planet there was a Kite Museum in Tokyo, it became a quest to find it.

Unfortunately, I spent more time taking trains and locating it than I did inside it, because it's very very small. Not quite two rooms, jam-packed from floor to ceiling like someone's attic with kites.




Perhaps an English-speaking guide would have made it more enjoyable, or a less claustrophobia-inducing layout. So I wouldn't recommend going out of your way like I did, but if you happen to be in the right part of Tokyo and have time, check it out.

Tokyo: Puppet House

This is the reason why I don't like organised tours when traveling. What tour would take you to a little store of marionettes in downtown Tokyo? Fortunately for me, the Puppet House (Japanese-only website) was mentioned in my Lonely Planet travel guide.

Upstairs is a small room filled with hand-carved marionettes and finger puppets from the Czech Republic, Germany, and the United States.

Almost all are performable; however, co-owner Takuro Fukazawa explained to me that many are too small for an audience beyond yourself. "Personal puppetry," he calls it. Either way, the puppets are gorgeous, moving or not. He pulled out a "simple" marionette, showing me how to make it walk with balance. Then he handed over the controls to me. Ooops! Well, in my hands, the puppet character exhibited all sorts things: "anti-gravity," "drunkenness"... perhaps "epilepsy." Certainly not balance.

Had I the money and display space I would have bought several beautiful puppets I saw there. Fortunately, you can order them through their website, although it's Japanese-only. I recommend a visit!

Tokyo: Studio Ghibli

My primary reason for going to Tokyo, other than to see the damage from 40 years of Godzilla rampages, was to see the Studio Ghibli museum. Studio Ghibli is the company home of the works of master animator, Hirao Miyazaki. Indeed, his most famous works are portrayed here in exhibits, most obviously My Neighbor Totoro and Castle in the Sky. I probably should have disobeyed all the "Please don't photograph" signs, but it's actually a rather difficult museum to shoot. Lots of fun hidden passageways, stained glass windows, spiral staircases, atriums, patios, grottos, rooms filled with artwork samples & classic literature recreating the sort Miyazaki would have worked in, a giant soft "cat bus" for kids to jump on... Photos of the inside would not do it justice.

When you arrive via Studio Ghibli bus from the Mataka train station & hand in your ticket voucher, they give you a ticket which is actually 3 animation film frames from a Studio Ghibli film. Neat! Use this ticket to watch the film screening, which in my case was a new episode of Totoro. Brilliant!

Here's the unassuming main gate (Look closely, you can see Totoro and his friends):


One of the many caged spiral staircases. This one is the only way up to see the giant robot from Castle in the Sky:


I almost left the museum prematurely looking for this guy. From the photos, it seemed like he'd be out in the park surrounding the museum. But no -- he's part of the rooftop garden! Luckily, the museum guard took pity on me and let me back in for photos. Here he is in a rare moment alone:


And here he is with me, to show scale and my enthusiasm for having made it to one of the meccas of Geekdom:


If you intend to go, make certain you get your ticket before you leave for Japan! There's no way in otherwise. If you live in the United States, you can buy them here for a specific date.

Shanghai: The Zoo

The Shanghai Zoo is no San Diego Zoo, but it does have a lovely park feel:


No Asian park I've been to gets by without a swan or two:

Here's a comfy peacock. What I found interesting was that at this zoo, you could also see the female, completely white-colored peacocks, but sadly for you, I didn't take any photos of them. Your imagination will have to suffice.

There are a lot of monkeys of different types. Most them are very good catches. Nobody seemed to mind the signs saying "Please don't feed the animals". So everyone enjoyed tossing random food to them.


This assertive young leopard cheetah came over to introduce himself:

These are the non-Giant pandas, that look very racoon-like. Note the loner in the back.

A solitary zebra:

An elephantian mother and daughter moment:

There were other interesting exhibits. The reptile house had a lovely, lively king cobra that spread its hood (something I've never seen up close in a zoo). Giant sturgeon fish. Giraffes. Hippoes. Seagulls. (Hmm??) Yep, bizarre for me since they are too common here in California, but not native to China. It's like when I went to the London Zoo as a child, hoping to see a hedgehog. They're like pigeons over there. Had to go to the Philadelphia Zoo to see one.

Interesting Chinese & Japanese Signage Examples

I was strolling along in Kyoto, looking for temples and a ramen place when I encountered this ominous sign:

Poor kiddies! Look out! There's a giant hand demon with long black fingernails right above you! The sign seems to suggest threats like this can be prevented.

(UPDATE: Actually, this is a sign with a serious message. According to my friend Sam, it's a campaign alerting parents to "Protect your children from strangers." Sad that this is a problem in Kyoto, which felt very safe to me.)

Given this sign found in its pricey but good subway system, Kyoto is home to many Ewoks:

Did not see any riding the train, however. To be honest, I don't know if this is Japanese for "love" or "hate" or "honk for". So it could be this is signage from bitter Stormtroopers now living in Japan.

Then there was this sign in Hong Kong:


How can I do that? My half drunk bottle of Watson's Water is considered a terrorist weapon on local and domestic flights these days. Although I can (and have) certainly brought quite a bit of junk home. Wrinkled subway maps. Museum & zoo tickets.

Food in Shanghai: Donbeiren & Late Night Hot Pot

Next it was time to try Chinese food completely unlike any I've seen in America. For lunch, we tried a Manchurian Donbeiren-style restaurant.

Red curtains wishing us all good luck! (I may need it...)

Fried ... something? I can't quite remember what these were. Tasty though:

Translucent noodles made out of bean curd, covered with colorful thinly-sliced vegetables:

Pork joints. Note the straws meant for sucking out the juice:

Manchurian-style dumplings, with various vegetable fillings:

Then on some night we explored a street where locals go to cure their late-night hunger pangs. Here you can get pretty much any kind of Asian food you want:

We opted for a hot pot place, with a most unique Honey, I Shrunk The Kids-like interior:

It was noisy and crowded. There was a recess in our table with boiling spicy oil. Various plates of uncooked ingredients like green leafy veggies, onions, mushrooms, beef, and live (still hopping!) shrimp arrived for us to slide on into the murky depths.

Technically, we do have some so-called Hot Pot places in Los Angeles, but to my knowledge they are Korean, or the Japanese Shabu Shabu variety. In any case, I'm quite certain they don't have giant illuminated mushrooms sprouting up out of the floor like this place.

Food in Shanghai: Peking Duck

I had the good fortune of having locals show me around Shanghai, without which I could not have experienced the array of colorful culinary concoctions from northern China. Manchurian "donbeiren", Tawainese, Beijing-style, and Shanghai were all on the menu.

One night, we ate what is notably a Beijing specialty, Peking Duck. We took a taxi to a famous place that presidents have visited:

Our hostess, who leads us upstairs to the pending feast:

Duck I am used to, certainly. But unfamiliar to me were the appetizers my friends ordered for us. Duck feet cooked enough to be soft, but still a bit rubbery:

A plate of tiny, still-living shrimp swimming in a sauce. On the right, fried tofu (okay, that I know). In the middle, much more familiar sautéd shrimp:

Ahh. Here we go. The man with the knife rolls in the main course:

After he's done his magic, voila! Peking duck:

Asian, European, Russian & UFO Architecture in Shanghai

Shanghai is the most architecturally diverse city I've ever been to. While Hong Kong's skyscraper-riddled hills and density make it striking, it's the shear whimsy, cosmopolitan feel, and futurism that excited me about Shanghai. That most sections I went to were filled with people even at night made it seem more alive to me than modern-looking American cities like Los Angeles or Dallas.

We start with the view from my hotel:

Nearby, outside the window of a breakfast place, parked bicycles & motor-scooters.

In another section of town, a very clean street (where I ate Peking Duck) reminiscent of streets in California:

But of course, there are still Pagoda-style buildings, especially on Nanking Rd where the tourists gather to shop and eat delicious Shanghai-style dumplings (which unlike Cantonese versions contain hot tasty liquid).

It's Shanghai at night time that blew me away:

The majestic glowing crown-topped building, behind a Russian-built bank along Pudong:

The upscale shopping streets come alive at night, bustling even during the week:

I found this long, skinny restaurant along the street that is one table wide. The waiters have to venture onto the sidewalk to get around:

There's a Minority Report feel to some of the shopping centers:

No skyscraper in Shanghai seems to have a conventional top. I think most have been built in the last 10-15 years and the Shanghaiese seem to like their color, form, and line to be distinctive:

Shanghai Overview

In the last 15 years or so, Shanghai has grown up to become a brightly-lit beacon of Chinese potential. Its signature cityscape viewable in Pudong is right out of a science fiction movie with Disneyland Electric Light Parade treatment:

Yet some of its traditional architecture can still be found in touristy areas like Nanking Road:

Walking at night along modern, cosmopolitan streets aglow with neon and LEDs aglow with striking colors...

Even its food is colorful...

Shanghai was definitely a favorite place on my Asian journey.

Coming up soon, a closer look at the food, the architecture, and the Shanghai Zoo.

Asia Travelogue coming soon...

2 countries.
6 cities.
11+ train systems.
8 hotels.
3 currencies.
2 temples.
4 museums.
1 theme park
2 hotel rooms not wide enough to open suitcase
50+ gyoza (eaten).
1 Peking Duck (eaten).
Dozens of doomed live shrimp (eaten)
1 frozen alligator in a Guangzhou grocery market (NOT eaten).
6 exotic Chinese herbal medicines.
1,237 Japanese thank you's...

It's the T.I. Super-genius Asia Tour!

I am back from weeks in Asia now, decompressing. My head & stomach are resynchronizing to my body. My brain is adjusting to a dehomogenous society.

But very soon you'll start seeing entries and photos (some from my 35mm, some from my Sony U30 spy camera).

Stay tuned!

T.I. Super-genius Goes to China & Japan!

Yes, fellow intermittent genii, I will be venturing to China and Japan next week. We'll see how well the infamous blog-hostile Chinese firewall impacts my ability to record my travels. While the blogger.com interface will be inaccessible over there, I may be able to email myself entries and if I'm feeling really ambitious, write a script to publish my email to blogger. Or wait till I get to Japan, where it should be doable.

Sadly, yours truly knows hardly any Chinese or Japanese. Fortunately, the flight over is about 14 hours, which means I could listen to my 3 hour in-flight Japanese audiobook maybe four times over, given enough free caffeinated beverages. Ah, but it will have to compete with any in-flight entertainment that ANA Nippon Airlines has to offer, my Playstation Portable, chatty seat mates, and unconsciousness.

If any readers have ideas for what to see or do near Shanghai, Guangzhou, and/or Tokyo, feel free to comment. Already bought my ticket to the Studio Ghibli (Totoro!!) musuem, and a Japan Rail Pass.