Yangbian Great Wall

There is alot to see and do in Beijing and in China. You can spend hours exploring the Forbidden City, a week seeing the Summer Palace, or just walk the back street “Hutongs”. There are also many pictures everywhere you look.

But a lot of these places are busy. Filled with other tourists and locals enjoying the same things. When it comes to the Great Wall though you can join the masses and walk alone the ancient relic in newly rebuilt sections, or you can get a little more rustic with your adventure.

I think the best way to see it up close is to go with a small group and hike it.
Dandelion Adventures is great company to try.

We met at the East end of Beijing at 7:30 am and collected our little group. Piled in to an old “Jin Bei” (a Chinese brand of what you would call a your standard mini van,) and off we headed.

Once out of the city and off the highway you get into the hills and switchbacks. Passing people who are on their three wheel bike/truck combos or donkey pulled carts with vegetables and fruit piled on top. We stopped in a small village in a valley. The sun just over the mountains and smoke from wood and coal fires rising up out the crisp morning air.

A little further on we get out of the van and head for the hills. It’s a bit of scramble up the side of hill and the wall just kind of grows out of it. There is still a bit of crusty snow that is wind blow like a piece of plaster pulled of the wall and tossed on the ground.

As you look out across the valley towards the Guanting Lake you can just make out the wind generators. There is a haze that you can see as the clear blue-sky changes to a brown black haze. Not sure if it’s pollution from the cities or from the local coal fires. But it’s cleaner than Beijing. There’s a tough wind when you top the hill and expose yourself, but soon are tucked back in along the trail. We cut down a switch back trail to a summer farming village. The place is normally home to 3 or 4 families, but now it’s abandon for the winter. Tiered field are visible with the remnants of sunflowers and corn, the leftovers from a fall harvest.

We break for a snack and try and get out of the wind. Once refueled its up to the top of one of the hills. It’s not that tough of a climb, but as you look back you can see how high you are and one slip will make for a quick, but long way down. We cut across the top of the ridge and can see parts of the wall for miles. It’s scattered and broken at times, but there is a definite line across the mountains.

We get back up on the wall, a major section that is ten feet wide across in section. It’s old and un-restored. Parts of it are falling off, but still seems like it will survive the next 1000 years without much help.

We get to low sections where an old dirt trail snakes down to a road. It’s another hour or so down to meet with driver who takes us for well earned lunch of pork, steamed buns and other things I couldn’t identify by wolf down like I haven’t eaten for days. It warms me up and as the wine flows my bad Chinese and some broken English translate to a toast to new friends, good food and great times.

It’s time to get warm so we pile into Fan’s car and head for the Hotsprings. It’s a great way to take the chill off and put an end to the knifing wind from the hike. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Harper Pictures

First shot is Qi and Tina from CBC, next is Francois CTV, then Glen from CBC and last but not least the man who comes to China to give you an update on Canada's Economy. Mr. Harper himself. Sorry about the blur.

Obama & Hu

Not much new here so here are pictures from Obama's recent visit.

Internet Boot Camp Death

Here is the tale of a gentleman who sent his son off to a camp because he felt he was spending to much time on the internet. Unfortunately he was beaten to death within about 10 hours. Seems the Chinese will be cracking down on these camps in the near future.

Other than that there isn't much else going on. Waiting for Obama, and Harper to arrive.

It did snow here and we had to crank out a package on it. Seems that the Chinese are taking the credit for it by launching rockets filled with silver iodide. It made for a very pretty Sunday.

Enjoy the internet story and thank goodness for regulation that prevent this stuff from happening at home.

Back at it

As I sit sipping coffee in the Air Canada Lounge I’m wishing I was/were back in my father-in law’s living room. I had been fully relaxed in the 6 days I spent out East. Not sure what it is about the East Coast of Canada, or Don’s living room but it is akin to fishing for me. There are no horns honking, no “chores” to be done, no well to dig, just pleasant conversation about world events and Canadian politics. For me it’s a time to catch up on reading and looking back at the larger picture of life. A place for reflection I guess. So as I’m wrap up my holidays and head back across the Atlantic, I should bring you all up to date on the last month. I’m not much of a writer, let alone a speller, so for give me for not updating this for over a month.

Qi, Ben and I took a little quick trip to south China. Nanning and Guilin to be exact. The first story is about Smile China. Google it, it’s a great charity. It’s about a team of Doctors from all over the world who help train Chinese doctors in new techniques in cleft palate surgery. They perform countless surgeries for those that can’t afford it and encourage the younger Chinese surgeons to look at volunteering and helping others. Something that the Chinese aren’t known for.

After a full day of full access to the surgeries and patients, (access I’ve never seen in Canada due to privacy laws,) we went out for a tour of the night market and had a great local meal with street food.

Next morning it was a seven-hour drive over the mountains and into the tropic of Cancer to Guilin to meet story number two. A gentleman whom felt his son was becoming “soft” due to his excessive Internet use (6-hours on the weekends) signed his 15 year old up for an Internet boot camp.

The young lad was introduced to the $1000 a week camp with a task of running laps. He collapsed after 70 laps in the 40 some odd degree heat. He was able to get up after being beaten with a chair for a while and ran 15 more laps before collapsing again. He was dragged into the shower and beaten some more.

He was taken to the hospital later that night when he could not be woken up, but he died from internal injuries. The doctors say they might have been able to save him had he been take to the hospital earlier.

We also spoke with a 10 year old whom survived 4 week at the same camp. She was beaten on the hands, as she couldn’t stand at attention in the blistering heat.

Several councilors have been arrested but not much has come of the court process. We usually don’t hear about trials and sentencing until after it has all happened. The Chinese justice system likes to keep the media guessing. I’ll post that video when we get that item finished but not the most pleasant story.

What else, what else. Hmm. Oh yes the Philippines.

About a week before my vacation home we went to see the second round of typhoon Parma that was threatening Manila.

After a minor hiccup of almost missing the flight due to someone (not me) miss reading the tickets and sending us to the wrong terminal we had the Tibetan gods smiling on us and made the packed flight. The Tibetan reference is strictly to see if the Chinese are reading this.

Hold the egg rolls batman, I almost skipped over the 60th anniversary of China.

October 1st China turned 60. What better way to celebrate then have a parade. Would you love to see the military might of the Chinese followed by the Peoples parade? I know I would. Trouble is I wasn’t invited. Actually no one was invited other than a select few special loyal Chinese.

Believe it or not but people where not allowed on the street. Seems the Chinese authorities want this showcase to go off without a hitch. So they banned spectators. Unless you where participating in the parade (which meant that you were most likely wearing a diaper as once lined up, people couldn’t fall out of line until it was over many many hours later). The government, or the party, would not allow anyone on any balconies or allow any rooms to be rent that faced the street or the square where the festivities would take place. Apparently an NHK Hong Kong based news crew was beaten and had there tapes taken while try to shoot one of the rehearsals in the week leading up to the big day.

Well the big day arrived and I didn’t get a phone call at midnight inviting me down to the square like my friends at other media outlets, so I watched on TV like most from the office.

As a bunch of us where winding the day down with some dinner and beers several of us where informed of the Manila trip. So ended my October 1st celebrations as I was on a plane the next day for the Philippines.

Now where was I? Right Manila. Upon arrival we where greeted by Edgar. Edgar seems to have done it all. National Police, VIP security driver, and now he and his brother run a little company that can be best be described as “Anything for a buck”.

Edgar was armed with a pistol most of the time, and a machine gun stashed in the truck. I never felt threatened anywhere we went, but I’m told that there can be some violence in Manila.

Now Ben and I where able to file Friday, Saturday and Sunday thanks to the Internet. Long days, from 7 am to 3 am but that’s the way it goes. Most of the storm passed North of us but we where able to find lots of destruction and meet people as they where trying to put there lives back together. A gentleman we met on Sunday as he left church with his family summed it up best; “I use to like the rain, now I’m not so sure. Perhaps I will again but it will take time.”

Well I’m awaiting the courts to decide who owns what and whether or not I have a job at the end of it, I will sign off and see if I can come up with something else to write about. Cheers!

Here is the Smile China story. It's a large file so you might have to wait for it to load.

Is it interesting? Some days.

I guess I do have an interesting job. I've taken it for granted over the years. Travelled a lot to some interesting places, see some interesting people up close (briefly). So every once in a while I surprise myself and look back as my brain says "that was weird you should remember that." Take this week for example.

Sunday flew to Taiwan to chases the Dalai Lama around Southern Taiwan. Never been to Taiwan before. Beautiful place, hot and humid but beautiful. Drove out to a village that was wiped off the map and watched as a man for peaceful change prayed for the the survivors and the dead of typhoons and landslides. Met and talked to a survivor who seemed to just take it as it comes. He was just hoping to find the bodies of his family so he could bury them properly. Tuesday went on a 3 hour drive over the mountains to a place where a hotel collapsed into a river. Nothing left but an empty space between two other buildings (barely standing themselves). The owner was very willing to talk about what happened. How he and his wife have no insurance but hope to rebuild. The hotel had been in his wife's family for over 20 years. It was there life's work and employed about 20 people.

Flew home Wednesday.

Friday evening had a chance to shoot a sit down 10 minute interview with everyone's favourite former Prime Minister the man who gave us the GST, Brian Mulroney. By the way he is still the same smooth talker and plays to the crowd. RBC banking has him on a speaking/meeting tour through out Asia. I hadn't seen him since the Karl Shreiber stuff, and hadn't had shot an interview with him since march of 2003, when we profiled him for a current affairs show and had a sit down interview with him in Izzy Asper's summer home in West Palm Beach FLA. That was also a weird week Mulroney one day and Conrad Black the next (got in Conrad's house, giggled a little when he jail. Not much but a little.)


So that was my week in TV.

Here is the hotel story if you missed it.

OK so here is my take on Tibet. It has nothing to do with the Dalai Lama and religion. Sure the Chinese want him out of the picture or at least to zip it. My opinion, (personal opinion,) it's about water and natural resources. India and Tibet have four glaciers that feed four major river system. The Chinese, who are currently take all they can out of Africa at an alarming rate, won't let anything happen to the few natural resources they possess.

Personally I like the Dalai Lama. Covered him in Ottawa and thought he was hilarious. Always cracking jokes and smiling. I bit like Nelson Mandela. How can you not like the guy? Besides he's a bit like a panda, cute but you might not want to hug him.

So on to the circus. The DL is a bit like covering Bono. Lots of security, tons of adoring fans all in all a traveling road show worth of any Hollywood star or musician. The Taiwanese fresh from hold the World Games, mustered up 8 tour buses and media handlers. With a very fluid Dalai schedule, we headed out from Kaoshing to a town, actual WAS a town as the place was wiped off the map but the typhoon and accompanying mudslide, Shiaolin village. Since the roads where heavily damaged we walk the last kilometre or so.

Dalai shows up and holds a prayer service for the dead and survivors. Given the heat and humidity my hats off to the 70 sum year old guy.

Next it was back up hill and back to the other side of Kaoshing. Two hours later we the media where just late enough to have him drive by and wave.

If you want to see the story here you go. Other wise enjoy the pictures!