THE BLOG IS BACK! Well, let's not count on it for now. I haven't shown the ability to post consecutively daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, or bimonthly posts for some time now. But if I've learned anything from Phish, it's that you can milk a comeback/reunion tour/farewell tour as long as you want..I think they managed to do it for maybe 4-10 years and kept ticket prices going up every time. Good business model.
I am currently on the harmonious line in the middle of Jiangsu province. Jiangsu province is just north of Shanghai municipality and the harmonious line is the dubiously named portion of the now infamous China bullet train from Tianjin -> Beijing -> Shanghai. I'm not sure if it extends further in Fujian, at which point it would coincide with the section of track where the famously unharmounious events happened some months ago. That would be ironic, and well a small glimpse of a strange, unexplainable but widley accepted understanding of China. That something named the harmonious line would bring disarray, chaos, government officials fleeing the country, and the rescue workers valiantly pulling a baby out of the wreckage after they had pronounced everyone dead. A wise China-hand, Lucas Robinson, put it this way when I asked him about this story, he without pausing, bluntly replied, 'you know I bet they paid someone and put that baby there'. And honest to god, it made complete sense and I have since then adopted his view.
I believe maybe 51 weeks ago I came out with a blog post cursing travel in China during the national holiday. What better way to celebrate the founding of the PRC then for every god damn body in the country to mobilize? Why couldn't they just light fireworks, grill some meat, and have a beer? Anyways, I find myself dragged into this predicament yet again thanks to my FOB friend Josh Tom. Being the loyal friend I am (I write this line only because he was supposed to come to BJ but instead opted out), I am travelling to see him and welcome him to China 5 weeks late. Obviously any noob is unable to resist the lure of glorious China's multitude of Unesco Hertiage Sites and other worldly places. So for now, I am on the harmonious line to Shanghai to spend the weekend "playing", as you would say it in Chinese, at my favorite nightspot I have ever been to in any country (and that number is growing), have dinner with Natalie and Will, then on Monday go to Anhui province to hike Huangshan, one of China's 4 majestic mountains (I don't make this crap up). Finally we will swing around through Hangzhou and hold hands by the West lake, wait, no we won't, but that's what your supposed to do because it's so magnificently beautiful there. I do hope to make a photo album of silly brides wearing their wedding dress and sneakers in famous places, because, as anyone who has been to SE ASIA knows, that's just what you do after you get married. It doesn't hurt that everyone likes to get married during the October Holiday (so cliche) and go to Hangzhou to walk around West lake holding hands.
So stay in tuned for the next edition, hopefully with photos (more likely when I'm not on the harmonious line and can actually use a mouse instead of a damn track pad).
Oh yeah, and just in case you were wondering..I'm sitting in the 2nd car, so hopefully the death would be quick and painless :)
