Me in Liwan in Quangzhou

Guangzhou is not a tourist destination - it is unmistakably a hub for wholesalers and manufacturers of consumer products.

There are only two "happening" activities in this city.

There is (of course) the Chinese New Year.

Then there is the Canton Fair, held twice a year in the spring and fall. This is a period to avoid if you are not a industry buyer or exhibitor.

Notwithstanding all this, going to Guangzhou suits me right now. I was there 3 times in the last 3 months.

I love staying in the Liwan district - it reminds me of our Chinatown/Tanjong Pagar district in the 70s, only much bigger. There is no need to travel any place for meals - small eateries within walking distance of the hotel offer comfort food that brings back memories of unfussy, unassuming nourishment for the stomach and the soul. Traditional Chinese confectionaries that still bake up simple old-school biscuits like 雞蛋餅 (egg cookies sans butter) that make me smile as I recall favourite snacks from long ago . Small shops manned by inter-generational family members peddling unrelated wares. Toddlers and young children watching people and activities with curiosity and happy grins. Cantonese dialect flowing easily and naturally in snatches of conversation as I poke in every nook and cranny of the neighbourhood.

Me. In Liwan. In Guangzhou. Where I re-live the simple happiness of my childhood years.

Seven months on

I am back.I am whole again.

It's been seven months since I last posted anything. Seven months of disappointments with certain persons, many setbacks at persuasion to seek resolution and reset off-track decisions. I finally accept that certain persons cannot be saved from themselves and the only thing left to do is let events run their collision course.

In these seven months, I sought consolation for my troubled mind and spirit.In these seven months, I made short trips China. And on one of these trips, I got reacquainted with a long forgotten love - semi-precious gemstones.

The Liwan district in Guangzhou is the place to pick up any quantity of any gemstone imaginable. I came back with strands (read kilos) of  happy beads, nuggets and rocks.

I make stretch-bracelets when I need quiet and focus. Many of my creations are on the wrists of friends, old and new-found, women I have just met who needed some cheering up.

To see big smiles and brightly lit eyes - I know I am finally, really and truly, back and whole again.

A snowy kind of May

It was a good time to make a side-trip to the resort town of Banff in the Canadian Rockies. There was snow everywhere - on the rugged mountain slopes, on the ground, on roof tops. I loved the feel of the sun on my face even as I bundled up against the cold cold wind that blew throughout the day.

It was too early for the full invasion of clueless and mindless tourists. I shamelessly and openly gawped at the few out-of-season tourists doing the usual bizarre stuff that clueless and mindless tourists do. Like having their pictures taken standing on thin ice next to the sign that said "Caution - Thin Ice". Like lying on the snow striking a pose that resembled a sit-up.

I walked away from the jarring people, blocking them out of my mind's eye.

I gave myself over to the sheer beauty and majesty of the surrounding rugged mountains and backcountry wilderness.

I want to remember the smell of alpine meadows on a day in May. I want to remember that I was happy and at peace with myself.

Asian Foods of Vancouver

Vancouver is the most Asianized metropolis in North America.

I stayed in Burnaby, an eastern suburb of Vancouver; I could have been in any Chinese city. The place is very Asian. Specifically, it is very Chinese.

The best eats in town is Asian. So, for the few days that I stayed at the Hilton in the Metrotown neighbourhood of Burnaby, it was Asian meals 80% of the time.
Just for you, imp, for asking: here is the obligatory sriracha chilli sauce found in every Asian restaurant in North America.
Our Alaskan King Crab dinner deserves special mention. For starters, this is my first real Alaskan King Crab meal. The monster crab was obscenely huge at 5.5kg. It was served up 3 different ways: we had steamed crab legs, battered and fried crab meat, and egg/crab fried rice.
Definitely, Asian food is the way to go when in Burnaby-Vancouver.

Food culture of Bakersfield

Many good things about Bakersfield never change - stuffing one's face with food followed by ice cream made the old fashioned way is one of them.

This town may be off the radar screen of most food reviewers, but I love the good old honest downhome vibe of these places :)

Noriega's

Noriega's Restaurant is the oldest Basque boardinghouse and restaurant in the world; it has just been honored as an American classic by the James Beard Foundation.

A Place to Bask in Basque Culture covers the Noriega experience beautifully.

Luigi's

Another Bakersfield classic, always busy, noisy, friendly and happy to see you again. Their BBQ beef sandwich is as good as I remembered it to be. Luigi's just celebrated their 100th anniversary with 5000 happy hungry Bakersfield residents :)

Buck Owen's Crystal Palace

It's at once a stage, show venue, dance hall, restaurant, museum, country store. And much much more. Like it says in the video, even if you are not a fan of anything country and western, you should still come see for yourself at least once. I will have you know cowboy food done well is a culinary experience in a league on it's own.

Dewar's

And finally, like Huell Howser says, "No trip to Bakersfield is complete without a visit to Dewar's".

Mahjong and Satay

They tell me when I left town, I left two "foreign" experiences to remember me by.

The first is mahjong, which they continue to play one afternoon a week. They tell me the weekly game cemented their friendship over the years.

The other is satay which I made for them before there were Singapore/Malaysian/Indonesian restaurants in California; before pre-mixes for satay marinade and peanut sauce were available in Asian grocery stores. They tell me they have not tasted satay that come close to what I make.

Now that I was in town, could I do satay dinner one night? And this time, one of them was tasked to learn the recipe.

Mahjong, with satay on the side. That's my contribution to this group of friends in this town.

I am proud of that :)

Special People

My visit to the US is all about seeing the special people again who played a role as friend and mentor, shaping me into who I am today: someone I like.

I hope to be able to visit often, and look forward to many home dinners, just like the old days.

Goodbye #2003

The storage unit measured 10x15 ft. Crates and boxes stayed stacked from floor to ceiling in #2003 for 10 years. I tried to clear and close down the facility a year ago, but there was just too many details that could not be worked out.

It would have been the same again this time, if not for the immeasurable amount of help extended to me by a very special couple.

With their generous help in the form of physical labour, local knowledge and unquestioning willingness to accommodate every request I asked of them, I finally and certainly put this 10 year burden behind me.

I ended up with a shipment of 5 small cartons containing a lifetime of bittersweet memories coming with me.

Everything else have found loving new homes and owners.

One of the most difficult items I had to leave behind is this piece of serious toy, made all the more difficult because I know I will never own another again.

It is now in the hands of a really good and responsible man, the only person I wanted to be its new owner.
And so, I start making and storing memories again. In another place. With another man.

The miles fly by

Long flights - my threshold is anything >5 hours - are brutal on the body and soul.

I remember the old days when the only reason airlines fed their passengers at all is sustenance, and movie entertainment involved contorting body and craning neck to get some view of the pull down movie screen in the front of cabin. I remember packing my own meal and picking up magazines at the departure newstand for fortification to make it through the tortuous hours in the air.

Inflight menu and entertainment have come a very long way for front and back of plane. These days, I give myself over to the airline's menu selection and actually look forward to being surprised at how well the food is prepared and presented.

And oh, the luxury of movies-on-demand. So you can watch what you want when you want. I am not much of a movie person, but there is always something watchable, maybe even enjoyable, in the selection of Hollywood blockbusters and other language offerings.

This time, The Tourist lay it on me thick with an endless visual treat of a good looking cast and set location. And afterwards, I sat through Anthony Zimmer to relive the experience in French.

And so, the miles fly by.

Seattle-Singapore

The month long visit to North America finally comes to an end. I leave tomorrow morning 11am from Seattle (2am Friday SG time) for the long flight home.

I am always happy to be in the US.

The biggest event was I managed to finally clear out and close down the storage facility I had kept for the last 10 years. With the help of a very good friend, its contents are now suitably re-situated in ways that does justice to the happy memories they have given me.

I spent equal time in Bakersfield, Vancouver and Seattle. There are many things I love in each place, but if I ever lived again in this continent, I would still return to Bakersfield, and visit every place and every one from there.

More on my thoughts and feelings about this place when I am back...

...the wind sure blows cold...

I've always heard it rains a lot in the Pacific North West. I now can attest to that fact.

We left Bakersfield April 30. That was the last we saw the sun.

We've been in Seattle and then Vancouver and Calgary-Banff. We are now back in Vancouver, and will leave on Friday for Seattle again.

I exaggerate not, but it has been rain and gray skies 80% of the time we are here. There has been even a day of snow in Banff! In May!! It isn't miserably cold, but having to be bundled up all the time is getting to me. I want to see myself in pretty skinny clothes once in a way, alright?

But that will have to wait till I get back to Singapore in 10 days' time. For the next week and half, I will live in my pile of clothes.

Like they say in a song, "... the wind sure blows cold way out there ..."

ps I think I need only post one picture of me for this entire trip since I have my leather jacket on every time.

On the road

Short update on my whereabouts:

The man and I were in Seattle after Bakersfield. We then left for Vancouver (more accurately, Burnaby). Four days of being around overseas Chinese was enough to make me grateful for a break away in Banff Alberta.

Banff is beautiful in an almost-alpine way. And as if to prove I am right, it is snowing (yes, SNOWING) this morning, in May!

I don't know that we are up to doing the Lake Louise drive, or take the gondola up Sulphur Mountain in the snow. And staying indoors in a log cabin styled hotel room isn't a bad idea.

I can decide all that in a while more. For now, I am happy to check on email and news snippets online.

More to come.

April

was the month
I went back to Bakersfield at the right time.

All the friends were home. Even the ones who now live outside of Bakersfield came home for the week.

The days were a crisp 20C. Wisps of cloud softened the bright sunny skies with pillowy patterns.

I accomplished two important tasks this time in Bakersfield.

1. I met up with the two special women. The 15 or 16 years melted away as we asked after each other and about the significant people in each others' lives. I am just grateful to manage this start to reacquainting with friends I left behind.

2. I cleared and closed the storage unit! (more of this later).

Believe it or not, I actually hated to leave this town that I once couldn't wait to flee.

Either time does indeed heal all wounds, or time distorts history. It doesn't matter; I have my reasons for loving the place now.

Remembering old acquaintances

I am all set for the US and Canada.

I look forward to being in California again. And seeing the old friends. Maybe even manage an afternoon of mahjong with them, for old times' sake.

There are two people in the old hometown I will see again for the first time in 10 years. One is my former employer, who gave me my first job in the US. The other was the editor of our Chinese community newsletter; I was the feature writer of the newsletter for a full cycle of the Chinese horoscope (Rat year 1984 to Pig year 1995). Both women are special to me: if not for their wise counsel, I would never have grown into the person I am today.

There are many more people who have stepped into my life and made me a better person for having made their acquaintance. But I can only do so much each time, and I want to spend enough time with each one to make the reacquainting meaningful.

So, with a little more grace and patience, I will come around to seeing everybody who touched my heart and enriched my life, at least one more time...

Travel Morocco

I've always imagined I'd love to visit Morocco. Specifically, I imagine I'd love to visit Marrakesh. I just never worked out how to go about this trip.

I never figured out how to move around the city once I got there. The friends who've been all loved Marrakesh, speaking of beautiful riads, lovely cafes, good food in beautiful restaurants, great shopping at the souks. They purposefully ignore my questions about the chaos.

I want to be a participant, not merely a spectator. I don't know how I can do that in Morocco. I definitely dislike having a tour guide, usually a self-proclaimed expert, yammering in my face.

This may be the answer:
It all takes place in Fez, but I guess it's similar enough to Marrakesh, right? And the Fes Festival sounds interesting.

I am still thinking about it...

When in France...

I was in France two times - in September a year ago, and again in September that just was.

I remember the beautiful old-world architecture, the strikingly beautiful countryside, the great wining and dining experience. Most of all, I remember the wonderfully hospitable friends and friends of friends who went out of their way to show us the place they call home.

I also remember the surly and resentful treatment I got from the very people whose job it is to provide help and service.

Like the tight-lipped monsieur or madam working the information booths who would not want to give me information;

Like the airline that cancelled my flight for no known reason and their ground crew would offer no alternative transport to my next destination;

Like the VAT refund counter at CDG where there is a perpetual long queue,

and after all documentation are grudgingly vetted and stamped, the angry monsieur/madam points sharply at the mail drop across from them where I am to mail my precious documents,

and I walk up to the mail box measuring all of 30cmX20cmX15cm (12inX8inX6in) and ram my one envelope into the overfilled receptacle, daring it to burst and dump its contents unceremoniously on the floor in protest.

Francophiles try to convince me that the French are not really rude.

They tell me that the French people are reluctant to speak English because they don't think they speak it well enough.

That I must never approach a French person and ask, "Can you speak English please." Instead, I am to say with a sing-song lilt, "Bonjour, mademoiselle/monsieur", followed by "parlez-vous Anglais, s'il vous plait". Did that. Did no good.

That the French are more reserved, and do not respond to strangers with a smile, unlike, say. the gregarious Americans.

The Francophiles miss my point. I am not complaining about the private French citizen. I am griping about people whose job it is to provide information and/or service. I am saying it is almost a matter of national pride and duty for that country to be not nice to visitors.

Then other friends tell me it is all worse in England/Italy/Germany. I readily and easily take their word for it. I am just not interested to rank them ...

Biarritz and the Basque country

Biarritz on the Basque coast in South Western France was once a small whaling sea town. It became more renowned when Empress Eugenie (wife of Napoleon III) fell in love with the place and built her summer palace La Ville Eugenie (the present day Hotel Du Palais) on the beach.

Today, Biarritz is a popular tourist destination with much to offer: Basque culture and cuisine, beaches, golf, hiking trail, shopping etc.
What I remember most is how strikingly beautiful the place is - a battered coast that meets gentle hills and valleys. White buildings with timber trims painted brown, green, burgundy or navy hug the hill paths, while the majestic peaks of the Pyrenees lie beyond.

Open Road

Under a perfect autumn sky, the friends took to the open freeway and rode 55 km each way Bordeaux-Arcachon-Bordeaux. Like the heroes they still are:)

If you don't ride you don't know
Where I've been and where I'm going
It's all about the freedom of the open road

It doesn't matter if you are young or old
running with the pack or rolling on your own
It's all about the freedom of the open road

Joe Janiak

The Left Bank

The river Gironde runs through the Bordeaux wine region, dividing it into two distinct wine producing zones.

The Right Bank is hilly; the chateaux/vineyards are small (between 5 to 10 hectares), and the owner-operator lovingly tends his vineyard like his garden. The composition of the soil is clay-limestone-sand, and the grape of choice is Merlot. The wine comes across delightfully "fruity".

The Left Bank is flat, the chateaux are imposing massive architectural marvels of turrets and spires, the vineyards are 50-80 hectares or more and the owners are big, moneyed families or business. The composition of the soil is largely gravel, and the grape of choice is Cabernet-Sauvignon. The wine is distinctly berry-flavoured.
If one remembers nothing else about the Left Bank, one remembers the Big 5 of the most prestigious names in wine Chateaux: Latour, Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton-Rothschild, Margaux and Haut Brion.

And I was there. Wow...

Saint Emilion and the Right Bank

Saint-Emilion's fame is due to its wines but also to its historical and cultural inheritance. The walled hilltop village of St. Emilion itself, which has survived almost untouched from the Middle Ages was classified "World Patrimony" in 1999 by the UNESCO.
Ironically, given that St. Emilion can trace its wine-producing heritage all the way back to the Romans and the second century A.D., this village is also on the cutting edge of the push for a more modern style of Bordeaux wine, and the appellation is home to some of the most technically inspired wines in all of Bordeaux.

St. Emilion winegrowers have launched an ambitious, community-based biodiversity project to create miles of interconnected "green" corridors throughout the 20,000-acre region of Bordeaux in a bid for sustainability.

Little wonder that it is one of the most popular destinations in the wine producing regions of France.The attractive medieval village of cobblestone streets and ancient walls has it all - history, heritage and modernity.