Thoughts while on my way to China

China is a country I decided years ago I would boycott and never visit because of my sympathetic alliance and fondness of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. In 1951, China invaded the small peaceful country of Tibet.  In 1959, the Dalai Lama, fearing for his life in the wake of a revolt, fled over the Himalaya mountains to Dharamsala, India, which is still his current home.  Since then, there has been many threats from the Chinese government against the Dalai Lama and those who are his allies.  

Well, the boycott had ended and I am traveling to China on business.  I have really mixed feelings and am conflicted about this, but in the end have succumbed in order to meet with work colleagues.  I realize it is the Chinese government, and not my work colleagues, who invaded Tibet, but my heart aches for what happened to the Tibetan people.

Gritty City Kind of Girl

This was an observation made by an ex boyfriend of mine.  He said I liked, and even thrived, in what he called gritty places...he was absolutely right!

We traveled quite a bit together.  He always choose the extravagant, lavish, posh destinations, and I mostly picked the more "grittier""real" places.  I didn't feel the need to play on the same remote island beaches or stay at the same hotels as the uber wealthy.  That impressed me for a quick moment, but did not inspire me.  Throw me in a small far away town in Central America, Europe, or the Himalayan mountains and I feel right at home.

So now I find myself in Singapore...not my kind of place.  My kind of place is where unpretentious people live life, where egregious wealth is not on full display, where accumulating masses of possessions is not valued. I'd rather be where all people, locals and travelers alike, come together and share in the same experiences.  I guess in order to know that about myself I have been fortunate enough to experience many situations, cultures and places and am proud to be labeled a gritty city girl!

Impressions of Tokyo

What an impressive city.  I have never visited a place where everything is always on time including trains, busses and people.  It is beyond my comprehension how this can happen in a city with a population of 9 million.  I can only guess that people's time is highly valued here.

 

The underground metro system is complex but well organized and I had no problem getting around to the places I wanted to see.  It was helpful, though, that my friend Brian who travels here 4 times a year loaned me his metro card and loaded it up so I didn't have that to think about! I found it interesting that most of my work colleagues commute by metro at least one hour each way to get to the office; the cost of living here is higher than I thought.

All the people I interacted with, from the lady at the post office with her poodle, to an expat waiting for a train, to my work colleagues, and everyone in between, were genuinely friendly, respectful, polite, and calm.  I did not encounter one stressed out person.  Also, the city is very safe.  People are out at all hours and no one locks up their bikes.  Lots of people ride bikes, many leave them at an area near metro stations, and there is no fear of theft! 

The food was amazing.  I got to eat all kinds of traditional foods like sashimi, uni (sea urchin), tempura, miso soup, noodles in broth, and many things that I didn't even question!  Everything was fresh and beautifully presented.  My work colleagues were surprised I chose to fumble my way through meals using chopsticks and didn't ask for silverware!  Also, salad is served at breakfast, which was awesome since I have to admit I was missing my kale and chia seed drink! 

If you like good food, friendly people, a sense of order, large cities, are not intimidated by a language you probably can't read or speak, I highly recommend Tokyo.