This morning the group rolled out of bed at different times, said our goodbyes to Larry, and gradually shook off the effects of our celebrations last night. At around 11:30, a team of us went back to the knock-off market to get some (hopefully) Beats headphones. After devising a legitimate reconnaissance, strategy, and bargaining plan, we set out around the complex. We emerged successful, nabbing 10 pairs for under $40 each. Authentic or not, these things sound great. We celebrated with some authentic Chinese Papa John's and then returned to our hostel to plan our evening activities.
At about 6:15, we left once more for the Bund district near Pu Dong to go on a river cruise on the Huangpu River. We got to People's Square as it was lighting up and sang for the crowd of curious locals who were intrigued by 15 white kids in the middle of Shanghai. Yesterday we were asked if we were a basketball team; that's significantly better than descriptions we've received before!
With the local onlookers growing, we decided to earn our strange, new-found publicity and sang a few songs for them... just as some Chinese cops drove through the large throng of people gathering around us. After we finished singing the cops approached us and kindly (though it didn't look like it) asked Wayne to have us sing on the sides rather than in the middle of the pass-way next time.
We then headed toward the river and found a steamship that we could take on a cruise of the river. The boat was beautiful and inevitably some of the guys (me) thought back to Crystal. The cruise was an hour long and we were continually amazed by the lights of Shanghai. None of our cameras needed the flash on because the city glowed as clear as day. The office windows of the tallest and widest buildings turn into the biggest electronic billboards I'd ever seen, animated and continually changing. The boat churned through the river and we got to witness the beautiful downtown from almost every angle.
We got back just in time to enjoy the newly restored wi-fi, catch up on email, blog (well, just me) and catch up on scores from our favorite teams back home.
We'll catch you soon!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
F for Fake
VGs slept in today and then went to the knock-off market in downtown Shanghai. It's a giant 4 level mall-like complex in the heart of the city where copyright law and trademarks come to die. I started off with a few goals: a watch, sunglasses, and maybe a soccer jersey for Euro 2012. I came out with a Tag Heuer "authentic" Carrera watch (not worth $3,000) for $50, a pair of "Ray Bans" (maybe) for $20, a Rooney England jersey for $10 and a pair of cufflinks for $3. Success.
Other highlights: John Anderson destroyed the jersey store, getting 6 NBA jerseys. Paul and Keith added a few of their own. River got Beats by Dr. Dre (he hopes) for pennies on the dollar. They also found some (maybe) Ray Bans and then Keith and Dreddy got some probably-not-Rolexes for a great price. All in all, the group proved that Capitalism can succeed in China.
In an hour we're heading off to our last full group dinner before River flies out on Friday. Tomorrow night we'll celebrate with a river cruise on the Huangpu.
Cheers!
Other highlights: John Anderson destroyed the jersey store, getting 6 NBA jerseys. Paul and Keith added a few of their own. River got Beats by Dr. Dre (he hopes) for pennies on the dollar. They also found some (maybe) Ray Bans and then Keith and Dreddy got some probably-not-Rolexes for a great price. All in all, the group proved that Capitalism can succeed in China.
In an hour we're heading off to our last full group dinner before River flies out on Friday. Tomorrow night we'll celebrate with a river cruise on the Huangpu.
Cheers!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Shanghai - last performance
After all meeting up at our hostel in Shanghai, we took the metro and had a surprisingly easy journey to our final performance location, the restaurant Kathleen 5. We sang with a beautiful view of the Shanghai skyline for the very last time this year, and for some, the very last time as VGs. After the gig we hung out with some of the folks from the UVA Club of Shanghai at the rooftop bar of Kathleen's. Later on we went out with Darci to the skybar at the top of the Radisson Hotel and enjoyed views of the city though most of the lights are required to be turned off by 11pm to allay the light pollution. We stumbled happily back to our hostel and are planning today's activities now. In the cards are trips to knock-off markets, some good authentic lunch, and then later tonight our final dinner with the full group and Cigar night. We'll catch you all soon.
Shanghai Arrival
VGs took an EARLY morning train but we are all in Shanghai. We met Keith and are all settled in to our hostel. We'll enjoy a few hours of free time and then we're singing for the President and the UVA Club of Shanghai for the last time.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Culture Exchange
After our post-wall rest, we took a combination of cabs (devils) and the metro to Renmin University to perform for students and the Renmin University Choir (RUC.) At first only the cabs arrived but our metro-stars arrived just in time, sweaty and exhausted...and ready to perform!
This performance was the highlight of my trip thus far! The Renmin U students were so welcoming and friendly and we had a blast singing for them. The RUC, however, was even more amazing. They were so grateful to have us perform and said that they were honored to sing with us but, in truth, we were humbled to join them. They sang for us after our hour-long set and they sounded absolutely amazing. More than that, however, they were some of the sweetest individuals we've met and we were grateful to learn about their group, talk with them about singing and life in Beijing, and exchange songs, stories and singing anecdotes. We are truly thankful for the wonderful students and singers at Renmin U and the RUC. They arranged a wonderful concert for us and then gave us even more in the form of their songs and their kindness. They completely changed our perceptions of Beijing and we hope, very much, to have the chance to host them in the future!
In case you haven't heard about them, look them up: The Renmin University Choir. They're wonderful singers and even more wonderful people!
Tomorrow we wake VERY early and take a train to Shanghai. There, we'll meet Keith and our party will finally be complete. Cheers until then!
-Simon
This performance was the highlight of my trip thus far! The Renmin U students were so welcoming and friendly and we had a blast singing for them. The RUC, however, was even more amazing. They were so grateful to have us perform and said that they were honored to sing with us but, in truth, we were humbled to join them. They sang for us after our hour-long set and they sounded absolutely amazing. More than that, however, they were some of the sweetest individuals we've met and we were grateful to learn about their group, talk with them about singing and life in Beijing, and exchange songs, stories and singing anecdotes. We are truly thankful for the wonderful students and singers at Renmin U and the RUC. They arranged a wonderful concert for us and then gave us even more in the form of their songs and their kindness. They completely changed our perceptions of Beijing and we hope, very much, to have the chance to host them in the future!
In case you haven't heard about them, look them up: The Renmin University Choir. They're wonderful singers and even more wonderful people!
Tomorrow we wake VERY early and take a train to Shanghai. There, we'll meet Keith and our party will finally be complete. Cheers until then!
-Simon
The Great Wall
Warning: This will be the worst blog posting of them all (I hope) so read carefully and don't read at all if you have a light stomach.
The group rose early this morning for breakfast and then a trip to the Great Wall. Joe and I rose a bit earlier than most and took a trip to the bank! When we got back we enjoyed the breakfast provided with the tour and then our entire group boarded the bus to the Mutianyu section of the wall. Our guide was Chinese but learned English with an Australian accent so it made for some great listening. We learned a lot on the way over and then all became silent as we caught our first glimpses of the wall, known as the world's largest cemetery because of the estimated 1 million people who died building it in its 20 iterations.
When we got there we were set free by our guide and immediately took cable lifts to the top. John Anderson narrated while I filmed the journey up. As soon as we reached the wall-level, we continued climbing. We expected a trek but we didn't expect SO MANY stairs! Our party first decided to climb to stations 1-4 and so we went right and immediately began climbing up, and up, and up. At the first station we were exhausted... and this was five minutes into our visit! Some of the stairs were over a foot high and they alternated with ones that were nary a few inches tall. We went on, chugging 5RMB waters like they were mother's milk, until we reached the last of the first four sections. This was the end of the reconstructed and restored areas of the wall and past this there was a sign warning against going further.
We went further (like everyone else) and got a taste of what the ruins of the wall were like: grass and weeds bursting through 700 year old stones, toppled towers and railings, and a good amount of "presents" left by tourist hikers who thought they were unique or rebellious in venturing off the beaten path.
At the sight of those "presents," most members of our group turned back and decided to explore the rest of the restored wall. Climbing down the 60 degree steps proved to be only a bit easier than going up and we made it back to the entrance. Great, now we have 20 stations to go! We continued climbing and taking scenic and staged photos until about station 14, leaving 10 on the table, and we were going pretty much full realistic speed most of the time. Some of the more adventurous VGs (John Dreyzehner) claimed to scale the entire 7km wall section but we felt accomplished with our 5km in the beating sun.
The way down was a treat - a long toboggan ride down to the park entrance featuring some drafting, bumping, and VG battling. When we got back we bought some souvenirs for friends and family and then headed further down to our lunch included in the tour. This lunch was at Mr. Yang's Cafe and proved to be the best one of the trip, yet. It was a full dim-sum lunch with some amazing delicacies and lots and lots of rice. Your author proved to consume just a bit too much rice and this fact bit him in the very worst way on the ride home. Helplessly I flagged down our guide about 10 minutes into our 1.5 hour ride and begged him to stop our bus at a restroom, or restaurant, or anything. He found me a restroom... in the middle of a run-down town... and 'rest' room is the loosest way to put it.
We stopped and I apologetically hobbled to the front of the bus, clutching my dignity in one hand and shoving my class ring into my pocket with the other. The guide laughed and led me to the horrid scene: an open cement room with four squat-holes on one side and only God knows what below. One catch: no toilet paper. Almost no Chinese bathrooms, and certainly not my rural tomb, come equipped with toilet paper. I shuffled back toward the bus, careful not to upset the contents of my angry belly, and saw that the VGs were documenting this most embarrassing moment with my new camcorder. I pleaded with them for tissues until Dreddy came to the rescue with two small napkins. These would be my only relief.
I returned to my nightmare chamber, put my nose into my shirt, and carefully did the deed. I emerged a broken and humbled man a minute later and climbed back onto the bus to a round of applause from the rest of the tourists and the VGs. I sat on the bus for the next hour wondering what had become of me.
Now we've all returned to our hostel, showered (thank God,) and are resting before heading out to Renmin University to perform for students and the general public in the Law Building. Come join us if you're free!
The group rose early this morning for breakfast and then a trip to the Great Wall. Joe and I rose a bit earlier than most and took a trip to the bank! When we got back we enjoyed the breakfast provided with the tour and then our entire group boarded the bus to the Mutianyu section of the wall. Our guide was Chinese but learned English with an Australian accent so it made for some great listening. We learned a lot on the way over and then all became silent as we caught our first glimpses of the wall, known as the world's largest cemetery because of the estimated 1 million people who died building it in its 20 iterations.
When we got there we were set free by our guide and immediately took cable lifts to the top. John Anderson narrated while I filmed the journey up. As soon as we reached the wall-level, we continued climbing. We expected a trek but we didn't expect SO MANY stairs! Our party first decided to climb to stations 1-4 and so we went right and immediately began climbing up, and up, and up. At the first station we were exhausted... and this was five minutes into our visit! Some of the stairs were over a foot high and they alternated with ones that were nary a few inches tall. We went on, chugging 5RMB waters like they were mother's milk, until we reached the last of the first four sections. This was the end of the reconstructed and restored areas of the wall and past this there was a sign warning against going further.
We went further (like everyone else) and got a taste of what the ruins of the wall were like: grass and weeds bursting through 700 year old stones, toppled towers and railings, and a good amount of "presents" left by tourist hikers who thought they were unique or rebellious in venturing off the beaten path.
At the sight of those "presents," most members of our group turned back and decided to explore the rest of the restored wall. Climbing down the 60 degree steps proved to be only a bit easier than going up and we made it back to the entrance. Great, now we have 20 stations to go! We continued climbing and taking scenic and staged photos until about station 14, leaving 10 on the table, and we were going pretty much full realistic speed most of the time. Some of the more adventurous VGs (John Dreyzehner) claimed to scale the entire 7km wall section but we felt accomplished with our 5km in the beating sun.
The way down was a treat - a long toboggan ride down to the park entrance featuring some drafting, bumping, and VG battling. When we got back we bought some souvenirs for friends and family and then headed further down to our lunch included in the tour. This lunch was at Mr. Yang's Cafe and proved to be the best one of the trip, yet. It was a full dim-sum lunch with some amazing delicacies and lots and lots of rice. Your author proved to consume just a bit too much rice and this fact bit him in the very worst way on the ride home. Helplessly I flagged down our guide about 10 minutes into our 1.5 hour ride and begged him to stop our bus at a restroom, or restaurant, or anything. He found me a restroom... in the middle of a run-down town... and 'rest' room is the loosest way to put it.
We stopped and I apologetically hobbled to the front of the bus, clutching my dignity in one hand and shoving my class ring into my pocket with the other. The guide laughed and led me to the horrid scene: an open cement room with four squat-holes on one side and only God knows what below. One catch: no toilet paper. Almost no Chinese bathrooms, and certainly not my rural tomb, come equipped with toilet paper. I shuffled back toward the bus, careful not to upset the contents of my angry belly, and saw that the VGs were documenting this most embarrassing moment with my new camcorder. I pleaded with them for tissues until Dreddy came to the rescue with two small napkins. These would be my only relief.
I returned to my nightmare chamber, put my nose into my shirt, and carefully did the deed. I emerged a broken and humbled man a minute later and climbed back onto the bus to a round of applause from the rest of the tourists and the VGs. I sat on the bus for the next hour wondering what had become of me.
Now we've all returned to our hostel, showered (thank God,) and are resting before heading out to Renmin University to perform for students and the general public in the Law Building. Come join us if you're free!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Forbidden City and Awful Cabbies
We met at 11AM and headed to the metro station. On the way, Wayne bought dumplings for everyone to eat because we had a long trek and very little time ahead of us! We took the metro to Tiananmen Square and then traversed the massive plaza south to north. We passed the "Maosoleum", the Beijing Museum and the Chinese House of Parliament before crossing the street (underground) and emerging in front of the Forbidden City.
After going through what seemed like an endless set of ornate and enormous gates, we finally reached the ticketing stand. We got our passes and went inside... through a further-unending set of gates and giant-sized red doors. Wayne led us on a speed tour of the Forbidden City as we saw all of the highlights - the main hall, the emperor's chambers, the concubine's dwellings, and the quarry-rock garden.
Near the end of our visit we did an impromptu number, "Good Lovin'," near the garden for a crowd of 150 gathering tourists. After we sang we quickly left (just in case the guards weren't the biggest fans) and then climbed up to a beautiful overlook that gave us remarkable views of the Forbidden City and the entirety of Beijing... at least as far as we could see in the smog. The complex was absolutely beautiful and well worth the voyage over here.... but then our day turned a bit.
Beijing is a bit more polluted and dirty city than we'd expected. It's impossible to see clouds... or even sky from the ground. Instead, you get a mist of grey smog and a dim yellow sun that bears down on you nonetheless. After spending a day outside, we all came back coughing and struggled to sing in the evening. Even from the top of the overlook, most of Beijing was blurred behind walls of smog and dust.
After leaving the overlook we took a long hike back to the metro (the long way around a no-re-entry Forbidden City) and then took the metro to our stop near our hostel in Sanliturn. After a quick turnaround, we took cabs to the St. Regis Hotel, a place nearly impossible for cabbies to find (allegedly) because the hotel recently changed its name. We think they're lying... and that Beijing cabbies don't like tourists.
We performed for the President and over 300 guests and enjoyed meeting the new generations of Wahoos. The hotel was a wonderful venue with great acoustics and we met, before and after the gig, with some remarkable alums and really eager future UVA students. Talking to them about my University experience just made me miss Grounds even more. Afterwards we cabbed back to the hostel but Dreddy, Joe and Paul faced a new kind of awful cabbie - one who looked at our hostel address in English, Mandarin, nodded, and then took them to the completely wrong place and dropped them off. When they finally made it back, Paul, River and I went out for some food and used the point and smile method to order some truly delicious and timely food.
We're looking forward to our trip to the Great Wall tomorrow - the group is aiming to get out of smoggy Beijing proper and see the world's most famous landmark!
After going through what seemed like an endless set of ornate and enormous gates, we finally reached the ticketing stand. We got our passes and went inside... through a further-unending set of gates and giant-sized red doors. Wayne led us on a speed tour of the Forbidden City as we saw all of the highlights - the main hall, the emperor's chambers, the concubine's dwellings, and the quarry-rock garden.
Near the end of our visit we did an impromptu number, "Good Lovin'," near the garden for a crowd of 150 gathering tourists. After we sang we quickly left (just in case the guards weren't the biggest fans) and then climbed up to a beautiful overlook that gave us remarkable views of the Forbidden City and the entirety of Beijing... at least as far as we could see in the smog. The complex was absolutely beautiful and well worth the voyage over here.... but then our day turned a bit.
Beijing is a bit more polluted and dirty city than we'd expected. It's impossible to see clouds... or even sky from the ground. Instead, you get a mist of grey smog and a dim yellow sun that bears down on you nonetheless. After spending a day outside, we all came back coughing and struggled to sing in the evening. Even from the top of the overlook, most of Beijing was blurred behind walls of smog and dust.
After leaving the overlook we took a long hike back to the metro (the long way around a no-re-entry Forbidden City) and then took the metro to our stop near our hostel in Sanliturn. After a quick turnaround, we took cabs to the St. Regis Hotel, a place nearly impossible for cabbies to find (allegedly) because the hotel recently changed its name. We think they're lying... and that Beijing cabbies don't like tourists.
We performed for the President and over 300 guests and enjoyed meeting the new generations of Wahoos. The hotel was a wonderful venue with great acoustics and we met, before and after the gig, with some remarkable alums and really eager future UVA students. Talking to them about my University experience just made me miss Grounds even more. Afterwards we cabbed back to the hostel but Dreddy, Joe and Paul faced a new kind of awful cabbie - one who looked at our hostel address in English, Mandarin, nodded, and then took them to the completely wrong place and dropped them off. When they finally made it back, Paul, River and I went out for some food and used the point and smile method to order some truly delicious and timely food.
We're looking forward to our trip to the Great Wall tomorrow - the group is aiming to get out of smoggy Beijing proper and see the world's most famous landmark!
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Beijing Morning
We're safely and happily at the Sanlitun Youth Hostel in Beijing! We arrived very late last night (this morning) at 2:30AM but our hostel rescued us with a very inexpensive private bus transfer from the airport.
We slept like babies (not crying airplane Chinese babies, mind you) and woke up pretty well rested this morning. After showering in the shower/toilet/sink in our private bathroom, I'm enjoying some wifi and learning a bit more about the Sunlitun area before heading off to change and withdraw money so we can pay for our hostel!
Afterwards, VGs and Larry are going to visit the Forbidden City. I'm sorry but it'll be difficult to post photos from mainland China: while Google and Gmail are allowed, Blogger and any blogging software is blocked. I'm accessing my blog through the UVA Anywhere VPN (still a student?!) However, the speed of this service is slower than normal internet, though I'm still grateful for it.
But keep posted for more updates on the VGs' travels in China. Tonight we'll perform for President Sullivan and the UVA Club of Beijing at the St. Regis Hotel. If you're a UVA alum or family member, come join us at the reception!!!
We slept like babies (not crying airplane Chinese babies, mind you) and woke up pretty well rested this morning. After showering in the shower/toilet/sink in our private bathroom, I'm enjoying some wifi and learning a bit more about the Sunlitun area before heading off to change and withdraw money so we can pay for our hostel!
Afterwards, VGs and Larry are going to visit the Forbidden City. I'm sorry but it'll be difficult to post photos from mainland China: while Google and Gmail are allowed, Blogger and any blogging software is blocked. I'm accessing my blog through the UVA Anywhere VPN (still a student?!) However, the speed of this service is slower than normal internet, though I'm still grateful for it.
But keep posted for more updates on the VGs' travels in China. Tonight we'll perform for President Sullivan and the UVA Club of Beijing at the St. Regis Hotel. If you're a UVA alum or family member, come join us at the reception!!!
Strange Travels
We are currently sitting in the Wenzhou Airport waiting for our 9:25PM flight to Beijing. From there we'll catch a transfer bus provided by our hostel to the Sanlitun Youth Hostel.
Several of us enjoyed one last Dim Sum meal this morning (for breakfast... biggest breakfast we've ever had) with Hong Patterson. Afterwards, we dashed through the pouring rain, and then under shelter via the many connected walkways through Hong Kong malls.
We got to the airport and checked in to our flight from Hong Kong to Wenzhou (and then to Beijing.) We're now flying through Wenzhou because China Eastern Airlines cancelled our first set of flights (through Shanghai) and replaced them with ones that would get in after the Beijing public transportation would cease for the night. At check in, first, we had some trouble with Min's name because Orbitz incorrectly registers dual first names as one first and one middle name.
Then, when we got to the airport, we found our 2:55pm flight was moved to 4:15pm, rendering our connection in Wenzhou very difficult. The flight ended up being further delayed to 4:45pm and we missed our connection entirely.
Flying in to Wenzhou we saw that it looks like an awful place to be. The weather called for sun and yet the pollution and lack of greenery renders the city drab, dark and desolate. This must be where happiness comes to die - we cannot wait to leave, and yet we've had some trouble!
After a remarkably roundabout series of conversations and bargaining with the China Eastern booking agents on the ground in Wenzhou, we've gotten on a 9:15pm flight to Beijing. In compensation for our delays, we were provided with dinner: a cardboard box full of massive bowls of Ramen noodles, another box of juice-box style green teas, and dessert - a fully box of whoopie pies for each VG. Our hearts may stop by the end of the flight to Beijing.
Knock on wood that everything goes well with our remaining travels tonight. I'm on a UVA Virtual Private Network because, though Google Hong Kong is allowed in mainland China, Blogger is not! I'll do my best to continue blogging throughout our trip.
Wishing you all the best from glorious Wenzhou!!!
-Simon and the VGs
Several of us enjoyed one last Dim Sum meal this morning (for breakfast... biggest breakfast we've ever had) with Hong Patterson. Afterwards, we dashed through the pouring rain, and then under shelter via the many connected walkways through Hong Kong malls.
We got to the airport and checked in to our flight from Hong Kong to Wenzhou (and then to Beijing.) We're now flying through Wenzhou because China Eastern Airlines cancelled our first set of flights (through Shanghai) and replaced them with ones that would get in after the Beijing public transportation would cease for the night. At check in, first, we had some trouble with Min's name because Orbitz incorrectly registers dual first names as one first and one middle name.
Then, when we got to the airport, we found our 2:55pm flight was moved to 4:15pm, rendering our connection in Wenzhou very difficult. The flight ended up being further delayed to 4:45pm and we missed our connection entirely.
Flying in to Wenzhou we saw that it looks like an awful place to be. The weather called for sun and yet the pollution and lack of greenery renders the city drab, dark and desolate. This must be where happiness comes to die - we cannot wait to leave, and yet we've had some trouble!
After a remarkably roundabout series of conversations and bargaining with the China Eastern booking agents on the ground in Wenzhou, we've gotten on a 9:15pm flight to Beijing. In compensation for our delays, we were provided with dinner: a cardboard box full of massive bowls of Ramen noodles, another box of juice-box style green teas, and dessert - a fully box of whoopie pies for each VG. Our hearts may stop by the end of the flight to Beijing.
Knock on wood that everything goes well with our remaining travels tonight. I'm on a UVA Virtual Private Network because, though Google Hong Kong is allowed in mainland China, Blogger is not! I'll do my best to continue blogging throughout our trip.
Wishing you all the best from glorious Wenzhou!!!
-Simon and the VGs
Friday, May 25, 2012
A Day at the Beach
I apologize for the brevity of today's blog. I think I caught a bug yesterday and exacerbated it today on the beach so I'm writing this before I nod off to sleep.
We woke up very bright and early to meet at 7am at Central Station. There, we took cabs to the Hong Kong International School and sang for high-schoolers there. The performance went very well and afterwards we invited the musically-inclined audience members on stage for a beat-boxing clinic and also taught, and then sang with them on Sweet Caroline. JQwest crushed the solo, as always, and made many new female fans.
After the HKIS gig, we took a bus to Peabody Hutton's home in Stanley. We changed and then all headed into Stanley. Some of the guys went directly to lunch at the Stanley Market while Harry, Swope, Logan and I hightailed it to the beach. After finding and purchasing sun screen, we took a dip in the water (some of us went further than others, Harry) and laid out in the hot, hot sun. The sun soon overpowered us and we headed into Stanley Market for lunch.
After lunch we retreated from the heat to the Hutton's home and met the rest of the group, leaving the beach with the same idea. We cleaned ourselves off and then took many extremely necessary naps.
At 4pm we took a bus back into Central and then hiked in the heat and humidity to the China Club in the Old Bank of China Building. After some missteps and circles, we finally arrived, soaked from head to toe in sweat. We must have terrified the folks at the door.
After resting in the A/C, we warmed up and then sang for and mingled with President Sullivan and her guests at the China Club. We all had a great time interacting with UVA Administration, Faculty, alums, current students and even some prospective students who were interested in learning about UVA. (You should go here!!! It's great!!!)
Now, most of the group is going out for one last night on the town while I head off to an equally enjoyable sleep session. We'll update from Beijing tomorrow!!
We woke up very bright and early to meet at 7am at Central Station. There, we took cabs to the Hong Kong International School and sang for high-schoolers there. The performance went very well and afterwards we invited the musically-inclined audience members on stage for a beat-boxing clinic and also taught, and then sang with them on Sweet Caroline. JQwest crushed the solo, as always, and made many new female fans.
After the HKIS gig, we took a bus to Peabody Hutton's home in Stanley. We changed and then all headed into Stanley. Some of the guys went directly to lunch at the Stanley Market while Harry, Swope, Logan and I hightailed it to the beach. After finding and purchasing sun screen, we took a dip in the water (some of us went further than others, Harry) and laid out in the hot, hot sun. The sun soon overpowered us and we headed into Stanley Market for lunch.
After lunch we retreated from the heat to the Hutton's home and met the rest of the group, leaving the beach with the same idea. We cleaned ourselves off and then took many extremely necessary naps.
At 4pm we took a bus back into Central and then hiked in the heat and humidity to the China Club in the Old Bank of China Building. After some missteps and circles, we finally arrived, soaked from head to toe in sweat. We must have terrified the folks at the door.
After resting in the A/C, we warmed up and then sang for and mingled with President Sullivan and her guests at the China Club. We all had a great time interacting with UVA Administration, Faculty, alums, current students and even some prospective students who were interested in learning about UVA. (You should go here!!! It's great!!!)
Now, most of the group is going out for one last night on the town while I head off to an equally enjoyable sleep session. We'll update from Beijing tomorrow!!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Peaking Too Early
This morning Wayne woke up early to exercise... I did not. Needless to say he was quite a bit fresher than I was when we arrived at Central Station to meet Larry, Harry, Joe, Swope, Jacob and Kevin. The eight of us took the MTR to Shau Kei Wan station and then took a local double-decker bus to Tai Tam. There, we begin our hike of the Dragon's Back trail which had been suggested to us by Debbie Blount.
The trek began fairly modestly, through level and wooded terrain with occasional small waterfall. Soon, though, we began ascending higher and higher up Hong Kong Island and as we rose we enjoyed some of the most remarkable views, and windy conditions, that I've ever experienced! All around us we could see beaches, water and the gorgeous greenery of the island. We reached the peak... and then another peak... and so on until we finally hit the highest point of our journey.
We continued on, descending in serpentine fashion, until we finally got down to the road. From there, we took another bus to Shek O, a small beach village which we'd spied from our high hike. We got some dim sum there as a group and then spent a half hour on the beach, wading in the water and resting on the beach.
To get home we took the bus back to Shau Kei Wan and, the metro to Central, and then finally a cab to the Mid-Levels. Now we are resting up before our pub crawl tonight with alums!! I'll snap more photos and put them up shortly!
The trek began fairly modestly, through level and wooded terrain with occasional small waterfall. Soon, though, we began ascending higher and higher up Hong Kong Island and as we rose we enjoyed some of the most remarkable views, and windy conditions, that I've ever experienced! All around us we could see beaches, water and the gorgeous greenery of the island. We reached the peak... and then another peak... and so on until we finally hit the highest point of our journey.
We continued on, descending in serpentine fashion, until we finally got down to the road. From there, we took another bus to Shek O, a small beach village which we'd spied from our high hike. We got some dim sum there as a group and then spent a half hour on the beach, wading in the water and resting on the beach.
To get home we took the bus back to Shau Kei Wan and, the metro to Central, and then finally a cab to the Mid-Levels. Now we are resting up before our pub crawl tonight with alums!! I'll snap more photos and put them up shortly!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Unreal City
What an amazing first day in Hong Kong. The group easily woke up this morning benefiting from our as-of-then undiagnosed jet lag. Indeed, many of us were feeling right and ready by 6:30. I spent some time taking in the daytime views on the deck at the Pauls' apartment.
Still, it was difficult to meet up with the whole group at our pre-arranged really point, especially since some of us (read: Simon) were more than a bit distracted by the remarkable architecture of the buildings in this city!
After assembling most of the group, we hiked through the Olympic Park to take the tram up to the Peak of Mt. Victoria, a perfect way, we hoped, to get a good introduction to the city. We rode the steep tram up the side of Mt. Victoria and, once at the top, enjoyed as-of-yet unrivaled views of the city. We definitely appreciated why Hong Kong is known as skyscraper city!
We got a quick lunch on the peak and then descended the funicular. Then we took the metro to Tung Chung. There, we boarded a cable car and enjoyed a breathtaking voyage to the Giant Buddha at Pgong Ning. Jacob and I fought off our fear of heights and quickly got used to the smooth and easygoing ride on the high cars. We rose above all of the nearby mountains, received remarkable views of the surrounding bays and landscape, and watched planes take off and land at the Hong Kong airport.
Once leaving the Cable Car we rushed over to climb up and see the Buddha - one of the biggest Buddhist shrines in the world. We didn't have too much time, though, as we had to make it back into Central to perform for the American Club of Hong Kong!
After visiting the Buddha, descending down via cable car (another 30 minute journey!) we took the metro back to Central and then a cab to the Pauls' home to change. Four minutes later, Wayne and I were out the door on our way back into town.
We were greeted by Mr. Peabody Hutton at the American Club, a beautiful multilevel venue with truly unrivaled views of Downtown Hong Kong and Victoria Harbour. We warmed up in the most remarkable "green room" ever, the restaurant at the American Club, and then sang for several ex-pats. Afterwards, we were rewarded with a delicious dinner and heard stories from Mr. Hutton, Mrs. Darci Spuck (our UVA Clubs International Contact) Mrs. Debbie Blount who will be hosting the UVA Event at the China Club.
After dinner, we took the Star Ferry across the harbor to the Kowloon Peninsula and then ascended 118 floors to Ozone, the highest bar in the world. Though the drinks were expensive, the views and the revelry we shared were worth it! Halfway through my cider, though, the Jet Lag started to hit me... and then Logan... and then half of the group. We returned to Central and then to our respective hosts.
Tomorrow is a free day for the guys - some will be traveling to Macau to see the casinos and lose their money, and maybe visit the historic Portugese district. Others will be sticking around Hong Kong and hiking the mountains surrounding the city.
Still, it was difficult to meet up with the whole group at our pre-arranged really point, especially since some of us (read: Simon) were more than a bit distracted by the remarkable architecture of the buildings in this city!
After assembling most of the group, we hiked through the Olympic Park to take the tram up to the Peak of Mt. Victoria, a perfect way, we hoped, to get a good introduction to the city. We rode the steep tram up the side of Mt. Victoria and, once at the top, enjoyed as-of-yet unrivaled views of the city. We definitely appreciated why Hong Kong is known as skyscraper city!
We were greeted by Mr. Peabody Hutton at the American Club, a beautiful multilevel venue with truly unrivaled views of Downtown Hong Kong and Victoria Harbour. We warmed up in the most remarkable "green room" ever, the restaurant at the American Club, and then sang for several ex-pats. Afterwards, we were rewarded with a delicious dinner and heard stories from Mr. Hutton, Mrs. Darci Spuck (our UVA Clubs International Contact) Mrs. Debbie Blount who will be hosting the UVA Event at the China Club.
After dinner, we took the Star Ferry across the harbor to the Kowloon Peninsula and then ascended 118 floors to Ozone, the highest bar in the world. Though the drinks were expensive, the views and the revelry we shared were worth it! Halfway through my cider, though, the Jet Lag started to hit me... and then Logan... and then half of the group. We returned to Central and then to our respective hosts.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
A View from the Top
As I write this, Wayne and I are enjoying the most spectacular view of Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong as guests of Olivia Paul and her family. Sorry if my grammar fails me as I get distracted by the hundreds of high rises and the glimmering lights.
We had an early, early start this morning. Some of the more ambitious Gentlemen stayed up all night at the Fackler home trying to stave of sleep and save it for the morning in order to more easily adjust to Hong Kong time. We got to Dulles by 5:20AM (5:20PM May 21 HK time) and leisurely boarded. Our connection in San Francisco threatened to be a tight 56 minutes but we benefited from a delay in SFO and made the flight with ease.
Alex, Dreddy and I waged a rummy war to start the flight and then John promptly fell asleep after lunch. Alex and I planned to nap through a few boring films at the start of the flight and then awake to enjoy Sherlock Holmes. Alas, try as I might I couldn't sleep during the first half of the flight. I read Game of Thrones and listened to techno music but nothing could do the trick. Indeed, only as the opening Sherlock sequence rolled did I find my eyelids getting heavy and I conked out, only to wake up just before dinner, with the WORST case of dry sleepy mouth ever. After a quick lavatory visit to brush my teeth and wake myself up, we deplaned.
We met Larry at the airport and then took the Express train into Hong Kong station in the amazing downtown Hong Kong. Wayne and I then were greeted by our host, Olivia Paul, and joined her and her mother for supper at the Spice House. After a delicious and bountiful meal, we dropped off our things at their home in the Mid-Levels. We then went out to Lan Kwai Fong, the escalator bar district, with Olivia and Wayne and I relived the London glory days with a Strongbow cider (yep.) Finally, we headed out around 1AM local time and are now looking forward, at 1:26AM to a good night's sleep (7 hours?!)
Tomorrow the group will meet in downtown and then head up to see the Peak of Mt. Victoria to enjoy panorama views of the city. In the meantime, we rest here:
We had an early, early start this morning. Some of the more ambitious Gentlemen stayed up all night at the Fackler home trying to stave of sleep and save it for the morning in order to more easily adjust to Hong Kong time. We got to Dulles by 5:20AM (5:20PM May 21 HK time) and leisurely boarded. Our connection in San Francisco threatened to be a tight 56 minutes but we benefited from a delay in SFO and made the flight with ease.
Alex, Dreddy and I waged a rummy war to start the flight and then John promptly fell asleep after lunch. Alex and I planned to nap through a few boring films at the start of the flight and then awake to enjoy Sherlock Holmes. Alas, try as I might I couldn't sleep during the first half of the flight. I read Game of Thrones and listened to techno music but nothing could do the trick. Indeed, only as the opening Sherlock sequence rolled did I find my eyelids getting heavy and I conked out, only to wake up just before dinner, with the WORST case of dry sleepy mouth ever. After a quick lavatory visit to brush my teeth and wake myself up, we deplaned.
We met Larry at the airport and then took the Express train into Hong Kong station in the amazing downtown Hong Kong. Wayne and I then were greeted by our host, Olivia Paul, and joined her and her mother for supper at the Spice House. After a delicious and bountiful meal, we dropped off our things at their home in the Mid-Levels. We then went out to Lan Kwai Fong, the escalator bar district, with Olivia and Wayne and I relived the London glory days with a Strongbow cider (yep.) Finally, we headed out around 1AM local time and are now looking forward, at 1:26AM to a good night's sleep (7 hours?!)
Tomorrow the group will meet in downtown and then head up to see the Peak of Mt. Victoria to enjoy panorama views of the city. In the meantime, we rest here:
Monday, May 21, 2012
An Ashburn feast after a Weekend of Feasting
After a long, celebratory, and bittersweet graduation weekend in Charlottesville, the group drove in to Ashburn, VA to stay with Joe Fackler's family.
Mr. and Mrs. Fackler surprised us with a veritable bounty of food, including a Chinese Cabbage salad so we could start getting used to the food ahead of time.
We'll all be staying up tonight as last as we can tonight and then fighting through sleepiness on our flight to San Francisco. Then, we'll grab some zzz's on the flight from SFO - HKG to try and easily adjust.
We'll be keeping you updated all trip long so stay tuned!
Mr. and Mrs. Fackler surprised us with a veritable bounty of food, including a Chinese Cabbage salad so we could start getting used to the food ahead of time.
We'll all be staying up tonight as last as we can tonight and then fighting through sleepiness on our flight to San Francisco. Then, we'll grab some zzz's on the flight from SFO - HKG to try and easily adjust.
We'll be keeping you updated all trip long so stay tuned!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)