to ipod or not to ipod

As you move around the city here there are the distinctive white headphones sticking out of most peoples ears that are under 40. (That includes me for one more month.) It's a coping mechanism I guess. When you don't speak the language and the only English words I hear when walking to the subway or home from work are "DVD," "socks, " or "lady bar," it is a way to tune most of it out, including the incessant use of the car horn. It also helps give you the sense of isolation when you crammed on the subway

Now I have walked the 40 minutes to or from work and been pleasantly surprised by couple of people who actually just want to practice their English. It is often a scam to get you to go to an overpriced tea house or art show. So I usually give most of them enough rope to hang themselves then bail as soon as the mention tea or art, I'm still Canadian so somewhat polite.

What I've noticed is I seem to be more engaged by the city without them. When you walk around some of the back hutongs, (backstreets,) you get a lot of looks as a white guy but seem to be greeted with a smile or an acknowledgment of some kind. When you're "tuned out" you don't get so much as a smile. Perhaps it is just spring and people are in a more positive mood with the brighter days and warmer temperatures.

The only draw back is that, and I don't know who said it first, not me, but music is the sound track of life. Think of a song that brings a smile to your face or takes you back to that "one time" event. Carl Dougles Kung Fu Fighting is memory of a shortwave radio in crackling it our in Africa for me. Now it also included about 20 people poolside and numerous beers.

So that's the dilemma to ipod or not to ipod. Not sure, I guess I will just play it by ear.....

Hohai

The weather is turning better and we've had some mild days here. Very pleasant actually. The cherry blossems or starting. Was out to the Great Hall of the People for the National Peoples Congress last week. It's the yearly meeting of the government and is an "open forum". Ah ya, sure it is. We returned later in week for Kim Yong-Il, not to be confused with Kim Jong-Il. Jong is the Supreme Leader of North Korea (think Stephen Harper), Yong is the Premier of North Korea (think Danny Williams).

Enought about that. What I want to say was that it's nice to get out and see some of Beijing. Hohai is an old area that has not been plowed into the ground for the sake of building a shopping mall. It has lots of old hutongs (back streets) with little shops, bars and tea houses. It is on both sides of a lake and other than a bit of a breeze today was a great little walk. I think it will be a great spot for taking visitors to enjoy a little coffee or a beer and sit and people watch.

Here are a few photos off the old camera phone. Enjoy

Working through the weekend. Not my idea of a great time, but since we haven’t been as productive as Ben feels we should be, I won’t argue the point.

So we headed out East of Beijing to Hebei province. Hebei surrounds Beijing. After about and hour and a half we get to San He City. It’s a fairly large city, but still considered a rural area. The premises for the story we are working on is; due to the economic slowdown the Government is handing out vouchers to people in rural areas to stimulate grows. The basic idea is that if washers, fridges, tv’s aren’t being exported like they where, then the millions of rural residence can help pick up the slack.

We arrived at a small appliance store and meet a woman who was looking for a fridge for her mother. It is her mother’s first fridge. Never had one before and thanks to the 13% savings the voucher gives her it makes it the right time to buy. So after the transaction, off we go to deliver it.

Picture if you will your enjoying a nice spring morning and up pulls a very large foreign man with a camera, a translator, 3 government officials and a delivery truck.
I’m sure she would have rather had aliens land then see us lumber in disturbed her day. She was very cordial about the whole process and we where able to pry an answer about what she thought of the whole idea. She thought that it was good for the government to help local people in theses tight economic times.

Once Ben got a not so quick standup done it was back to the store to talk to the owner and get that side. It was interesting to do the whole story with 3 government officials hanging around. Not sure how candid people are in a situation like that.

Finished up around 12:30 then off to lunch. Donkey meat. Yes I said donkey meat. It wasn’t that bad actually. I wouldn’t order it, but I’ve eaten worse. There was kidney, fish, and several kinds of unidentified meats. It wasn’t all bad, dumplings everywhere and beer.

Oh well at least I got over my restlessness.

restless

Well I’m in the new apartment over a week now and starting to get settled in. I’m also getting restless. We have a travel ban in place due to economic problems that seem to be plaguing the parent company. My colleagues at the CBC and CTV are not immune to it either.

I took the job as I saw an opportunity to witness and experience a completely new culture and continent. So far I have been able to find a level of comfort with my new city. I’m able to get around using subway, taxi and good old fashion foot. Buy groceries, get my dry cleaning done, do laundry, all those mundane tasks that we all probably find eat up a day and we sometimes take for granted I can now accomplish in a perhaps butchered fashion, but get them done I do.

So now I’m restless to get out from the smog and haze of Beijing and venture forth and discover the rest of Asia.

Where would I like to go? Well let me see. Cambodia would be good. There’s little trial about to take place that might shed a little light on the death of say 800,000 people. Khmer Rouge ring a bell to anyone. Either of the Korea’s, North or South pick one. Actually looking at the North from the DMZ would be kind of interesting.

Taiwan, technically part of China, but then again so is Tibet. Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Macau. Those are just off the top of my head.

Well I guess we will wait and see. Two and half years to go in the contract, that time will fly by before I know it.

So I will leave you with the above photos of my new apartment and try and deal with my restlessness.

Tom Hanson

As some of the face book friends know this has not been the best week. Tom Hanson, one of CP's top photographers collapsed playing hockey in Ottawa earlier this week. I had the pleasure of traveling with Tom on many foreign trips. Always entertaining Tom was also a great seatmate. He and I would talk guitars or motorcycles over the Atlantic. He also taught me how to survive sleeping on the PM's plan. The secret, bring your thermarest mattress. Lets you crash on the floor of the airbus and actually get some real rest.

I would encourage everyone to do a Google Image search for Tom Hanson Canadian Press. You will see a history of photos that covers the world and Canada over last decade or two.

Last time I talk to him he was congratulating me on my new job in China. It was a brief conversation but I parted with handshake and a promise of beers when Harper finally gets off his duff and engages China. I guess that beer will have to wait a little longer....

Jojo

Not the best news out of Afghanistan today.

Javed Yazamy was his name, but Jojo was what we called him. I first met him in July of 2006 while embedded with Ben in Afghanistan. He, and his "brother" worked as a fixer, cameraman covering the city of Kandahar for us. He had the biggest risk, shooting the IED aftermath and other city events that were to hot for us to go to. If you at all follow the war in Afghanistan you have seen his work.

According to media reports, he was sitting in his car just outside of the govenors palace when a white Toyota Corolla pulled up along side and open fired. He was killed instantly according to the Dr. who pronouced him dead.

Jojo had his faults, but don't we all. He also recently had been held as an enemy combatant by the US military. He spent almost a year in custody and was released without explaination.

At the end of the day he was a character. He helped me, and for that I consider him a friend and colleague. I'm not surprised to hear the news, but I'm saddened by it all the same. He was one of kind, had sly smile and hustled to survive in a very inhospitable place. He will be missed.

At times it's like Ottawa...

Ben and I covered the National Peoples Congress yesterday. Fun how you can be a world away yet still do the exact same thing. NPC is the yearly meeting for China's government. There was a kind of state of the union address that went on for about 45 pages. Turns out it pretty much like covering a thrown speech in Ottawa. A lot of bluster, not a lot of content. Oh well beats watching the on going destruction of the Television industry from home.

Did finally get to Tiannamen Square....