Growing old is not an option... growing up is

Obesity in North Korea

2011-12-21T06:52:00.000-08:00

After Kim Jong Il is dead, North Korea's obese population is immediately halved.

falling German satellite

2011-10-22T18:01:00.001-07:00

So, what are the chances the German satellite will crash in Israel??

2011 US Kayak Polo Nationals

2011-09-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

I had a wicked time playing in the 2011 US Kayak Polo Nationals this past weekend. It was held in Omaha, NE. Weather had been surprisingly warm and pleasant (didn't use enough sunscreen though, now my lips are chapped and skin's peeling). Our epic win against San Francisco Golden Gate Breakers (GGB) was captured in the below videos, I was yellow team #51 in a red kayak. Enjoy it!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Hey, where are the Mario Bros?

2011-07-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

While mountain biking at Big Bear this past weekend, I came upon these 2 huge mushrooms, the biggest I've ever seen! Their diameters are at least half a meter. Note that the one on the left was already uprooted when I saw it.

a trip to North Korea

2011-05-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

I joined a tour group and visited North Korea for 4 days at the end of April. As a Chinese citizen, it's very easy and cheap to visit NK. The first and last days were mostly spent on the train going between the Chinese border and Pyongyang.

Pyongyang train station

We stayed all 3 nights in NK at a hotel in Pyongyang. To minimize our contact with the general population, the hotel is located on a small island in Datong River, it's very isolated from the rest of Pyongyang, and we were not supposed to leave the hotel at night.

羊角岛Hotel

During the day, we were driven around in a big bus with 2 guides/minders and 1 video-grapher. It's only OK to take photos when the guides tell you when and where to take photos. However, nearly all of us managed to snap many "forbidden photos" and successfully get them out of NK. When you leave the country, a NK soldier will take away all the cameras and inspect the photos, any photo deemed "inappropriate" will be deleted".

view of Pyongyang from my hotel room

Pyongyang

My favorite part of the trip is to the DMZ. Soldiers from North and South Korea are just meters away, so intense! 1 people, 2 countries, 2 ideologies are separated by the world's most heavily guarded border, very surreal.

NK soldier explains the DMZ to us, the only soldier in NK we were allowed to take photo of and with

in case of a ground invasion, the little rock pinned under this giant block can be removed to allow it to fall on to the road and create a blockade, there are dozens of these lining the road in DMZ

the place where cease-fire was signed between the UN and NK

the Joint Security Area, the blue houses are administrated by the South, white ones by the North, the concrete line running through the middle of the houses split the two Koreas

opposing forces face to face

that little concrete line makes the two countries worlds apart, freedom stops right there

Australian PM Julia Gillard visited the DMZ from the South on the same day we were there

S Korean soldiers at DMZ

NK soldiers, they all look very short and skinny

It is widely known that food in NK is in short supply. Almost all of our meals consisted of steamed rice and little dishes of pickled vegetables and a little bit of pork. No beef is on the menu as all the cows (and there aren't so many of them) are used to do farm work, even if a cow gets too old, you must have a special permit before you can butcher it.

NK produces lots of copper, these dishes and utensils are all copper, as well as all the pipes in our hotel.

while waiting for the train to Pyongyang, we had our first meal in NK. Everything was cold.

the famous Pyongyang cold noodle. Our guide told us they make better one in China b/c they have better ingredients in China

our last dinner in NK was hotpot, each person only got this little plate of vegetables and a couple pieces of pork, even no rice, it was pathetic, also a reminder of how serious the food shortage is

Pyongyang Metro is as magnificent as a subway system can be. It is more than 100m underground and stations are decorated with beautiful art (though to serve as propaganda tools) and multiple chandeliers.

Pyongyang Metro

a long way down

Pyongyang

soldiers pay respect to Kim Il Sung's statue in Pyongyang

it is only allowed to take a photo of the statue with 100% of the statue in the frame

Pyongyang

Mt. Myohyang is one of the most famous mountains on the Korean peninsula, its all year round mild temperature, beautiful landscape and diverse flora make it a must go place for tourists. It is also here two palaces were built to house the gifts from all over the world given to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, of course, most gifts are from China.

the palace that houses Kim Il Sung's gifts

the palace that houses Kim Jong Il's gifts

Victory Gate in Pyongyang

good looking and nicely dressed female traffic police officers are a highlight in Pyongyang

The original bridge linking China and NK was destroyed during the Korean War, now a new one called China-Korea Friendship Bridge sits side by side to the destroyed bridge.

China is on the right side of the river

the bridge that got destroyed by the US bombing during the Korean War

at night there's not a single light on the NK side (left side of the river), whereas on the Chinese side lights are beaming all over the place, lighting up the dark sky and people are enjoying themselves. What a stark contrast!

CicLAvia

2011-04-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

7 miles through downtown LA was open only to pedestrians and cyclists today. I rented a hybrid bike for 24 hours at a mere $10. It was a sunny day and perfect way to admire this great city!

first marathon (attempt)

2011-03-20T23:31:00.000-07:00

There's only so few days of the year when LA's weather gets so sucky, and today during the marathon was one of those worst days.

After 18 miles in the ridiculously heavy rain and wind, I was too cold, wet and tired to continue. My torn calf didn't kill me, but the weather certainly did!

Big thanks to my friends Laura and Jeff for their living right on the route and taking me in, giving me the much needed hot shower, hot chocolate, dry clothes, snuggie, ramen and then taking me to Umami Burger!

Now I really have so much more respect for those career long distance runners, and everyone who finished today!

The other comforting part is that I've raised over $700 for the children at the LA Blind Childrens Center.

naming a revolution

2011-01-28T17:35:00.000-08:00

Rose revolution, orange revolution, jasmin revolution..... and now lotus?? Why are they all named after flowers or vegetables? Can we please name the next one 'steak revolution'? I love steaks!

the more we produce, the poorer we get...

2011-01-18T12:28:00.000-08:00

Each European Union cow gets $2.50 a day in subsidies, more than what a billion people (in poor countries) each have to live on every day. American cotton farmers receive more in subsidies than the entire GDP of Burkina Faso.

aiding Africa with aid is a joke

2011-01-05T11:50:00.000-08:00

It weakens institutions, distorts markets, feeds corruption, exploits the poor, enriches the elitists, and only funnels more resources and money out of the continent.

loser beats winner?

2010-12-08T00:31:00.000-08:00

I totally agree with Namibian president on the current deadlock in Cote d'Ivoire. No power sharing deal.

during our company's Thanksgiving lunch at an Asian restaurant

2010-11-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

My Mexican colleague mistook wasabi for guacamole, no offense, it was just hilarious!

wasabi

guacamole

now I've realised

2010-11-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

Aid to Africa is just another name for colonisation.

Pat down search at US airports

2010-11-19T08:26:00.000-08:00

So after a pat down, can I say to the TSA agent: "woooo~ can we do it again" (winking at him)??

2nd training

2010-10-31T19:25:00.000-07:00

Ran 10km today in 1hr 7min, I felt much better than last weekend :)

1st training day

2010-10-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

Had my first run today, 6.8km in 1hr 29min. I feel like I need to lubricate all the joints below the waist. I hope to break 10km next time!

Update: as my friends pointed out to me, I think I must have misread the time. I can't be that slow?!

my very 1st marathon

2010-10-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

Just registered to run the LA Marathon on March 20, 2011. From now till the run, I'll be fundraising for the LA Blind Childrens Center. The money will go to help visually impaired children. Please check out my marathon mission page (http://www.active.com/donate/blindchildrenscenter/gewu), you can donate whatever amount you like, every penny helps!

dear cancer

2010-10-08T01:07:00.000-07:00

Please leave women's boobs alone...

BBQ, beers, friends, kayak polo, good weather

2010-10-06T18:17:00.000-07:00

Had an awesome time in Charlotte, NC playing in 2010 US Kayak Polo Nationals (and had a crash on 1 of the polo girls)! Can't wait to see all of you at the next tourney, Cup of the North?

happy birthday DR Congo

2010-06-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

After 50 years, what's there to celebrate?

World Cup 2010: England 1 v. Germany 4

2010-06-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

The English players should get an "austerity package" in their next paychecks.

break

2010-06-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

Time for a break. Tomorrow I'll start working again at a new job. At the same time, I shall plan and fine tune my next travel.

are we eating our future to death?

2010-06-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

remember Mamadou?

2010-05-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

Received a phone call from my friend Mamadou in Mauritania earlier today. His wife is pregnant and expecting their first baby in 5 months! I am so happy for this wonderful couple, and I am forever grateful for what they did for me back in Mauritania!

a bug bite in Congo

2010-05-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

I had to pop it before climbing the volcano.

video: Nyragongo Volcano

2010-05-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

travel's end

2010-05-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

Arusha -> Nairobi -> Lagos -> Dubai -> Beijing -> Shanghai -> Los Angeles.

After 4 days in Dubai and a couple of weeks in Beijing and Shanghai, now I've backed in CA. The first time in 10 years I had my birthday in China.

In Shanghai I had a reunion with Nuutti, a Finnish friend whom I met and travelled with in Morocco. And in Beijing, I had a beautiful time with my old friends and Nuutti's friend, Pauliina. I wish best of luck to all my friends and people who had given me help during this trip.

If I were to pick the most memorable countries from this trip, then it would have to be Sierra Leone and Rwanda. But all the countries and peoples have impressed me with their hospitality, cultures and passion for life!

oh, I forgot to mention the Tsetse fly

2010-04-22T03:24:00.000-07:00

I got quite a few bites from Tsetse flies in the Serengeti National Park. Now each bite is bloated like a big lump in my leg and it's filled with liquid-like stuff that makes it look like a bunch of "bubbles", and they are growing bigger...

in Dubai

2010-04-21T23:44:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Dubai just past 1AM this morning, and got picked up by a friend's friend's employee. Still having small fever and bad cough, and taking the malaria treating tablets.

malaria again

2010-04-21T23:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, I just got malaria again, the 2nd time this month already. The symptons were clearly more severe than the 1st time, but still "bearable" to me. After our 4 day safari, I finally bought some medicine from a pharmacy in Arusha for about $8.

theft and fist fight

2010-04-16T04:06:00.000-07:00

Well, that bus journey has proven to be very costly to me. My Sonim mobile phone, iPod, Swiss Army Knife, a souvenir pin from the Kigali Memorial Centre and some Rwandan coins were stolen from my rucksack. I highly suspect that they were stolen while my rucksack was stowed in the baggage compartments in the belly of that bus, and the only persons who had key/access to the space were the bus conductors/baggage handlers who travelled with the bus. While there was another possible time when my rucksack was out of my sight when I put it down in my room of the guest house in Arusha and I went out for about 1 hour. But I just think that the old man working at the hotel reception just seems way too innocent and honest to steal.

I reported it to the police and they detained the 2 young men working on the bus and the old man from my guest house. But when the police let go of another guy who worked on the bus, he acted angrily and aggressively toward me. I just immediately lost control and jumped into a fist fight with him right outside the police station.

Now I've made several trips to the police station, but there didn't seem to be even a remote chance of finding my stolen things. And I was told if the case was to go forwad into court proceedings and the suspects were to face trial, I would have to be present at every single hearing and it was likely to take a long time. Well, I'm going on a safari tomorrow for 3 days and will fly to Dubai next week. So I just had to let it go.

It especially upset me because I got in this shit luck just 2 days before I was to meet my parents here in Arusha and join them for a safari which I'd been looking forward to for quite a while. It sucks that I have to end this Africa trip feeling upset and disappointed. I hope the safari will bring my mood back on the positive side, I'm pretty sure it will :)

the last road trip in Africa, at least in this year

2010-04-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

I took an over 11-hour dusty bus journey from Kahama to Arusha today, this was my last and also one of the bumpiest and dirtiest bus travels during this trip in Africa. My parents will arrive to Arusha from China on Friday, then I'll join them for a safari before I leave this continent and fly to Dubai, via Nairobi and Lagos.

my flip flops

2010-04-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago when I was still in Mali, I looked at my flip flops which had been worn thin, and I said to myself that maybe I would stop this trip whenever they broke apart. Well, yesterday the right one finally gave up its hold. But I still have exactly 3 weeks before I get to China. So I did a rough repair and sort of bandaged it together with tape.

[Update] just been to the local market here in Gisenyi. A dude stitched it up and fixed it for me for a mere US$0.70

Genocide memorial service in Kigali

2010-04-08T01:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I attended the memorial service that was held at the Kigali's sport stadium. The genocide began exactly 16 years ago.

Throughout the service, people's (mostly women's) cries and screams pierced through the sobering silence at the stadium. Some wounds are so deep that they will remain open and continue to hurt, and there seems to be no curative to ease the pain. Everytime I heard the cries, it felt like my heart was being stabbed, and yesterday my heart was stabbed over and over again.

At the end of the service, president Paul Kagame gave a long speech. It was mostly serious and centered around the Genocide and politics. But for some parts, it was also somewhat casual and even a bit entertaining, it made the audience laugh quite a few times. I really like and admire this guy, under his leadership Rwanda has transformed and progressed incredibly!

now I'm negative

2010-04-08T01:34:00.000-07:00

Just been to the hospital in Kigali yesterday, the blood test confirms that malaria is now out of my system. Hooray!

Nyiragongo and lava lake

2010-04-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

While I was (~~maybe still am~~) having malaria, I climbed Nyiragongo (3470m) in DR Congo. It is an active volcano that has a huge lava lake inside its crater, some say it's the largest pool of lava in the world. The view from the top was absolutely breathtaking! I camped at the top for 1 night.

(bullet-riddled park sign)

(bullet hole)

(park ranger)

(view of the valley and Lake Kivu)

(sunset)

(drying socks, everyone was soaked in the rain)

(tents and sunrise)

It's worth noting that this park had been closed for years due to rebel activities, and it was only reopened about a month ago.

I'll upload some p~~hotos~~ videos later...

I'm tested positive!

2010-04-03T04:14:00.000-07:00

Oh crap! I've just been tested positive for malaria here in DR Congo.

I've been feeling slightly feverish and having dry throat for a couple of days. Taking no chances, I went to a hospital called Heal Africa in Goma yesterday. The result came back this morning and I'm indeed having malaria, though it's a less serious form. Now I have to take 3 anti-malarial tablets in the next 24 hours.

Tomorrow I will climb volcano Nyiragongo.

uh oh! I got caught

2010-04-02T05:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning when I tried to cross Lake Kivu from Bukavu to Goma, the immigration officials at the port found out that I didn't have a Congolese visa. My passport was confiscated and I was taken to the local office of
Ministère de l'Intérieur where I was made pay $183 for a full one-month tourist visa. $183 for a visa!! Bloody hell! They also put a 7-day transit visa on my passport, which supposedly made my yesterday's illegal entry legal, because they back dated it. They told me that they wanted to be lenient with me and didn't charge me for this transit visa which would normally be $50. Of course along the process, a few dollars of mine were thrown into a couple of officials' pockets so that they could "buy some credit for their mobile phones".

And I was back at the port in time to catch the ferry to Goma.

illegal entry into DR Congo

2010-03-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

I did it again: crossing the land border from one African country to another without a visa when I really should have one.

After traversing through northern Burundi and Southern Rwanda, I showed up at the Rwanda/DR Congo border at Bukavu, south of Lake Kivu. I had read from a guidebook (published several years ago, so it's not really that up to date) that it was possible to buy an 8-day Congolese visa for $35 at this border. But, as you have probably guessed, things have changed, they no longer issue visas at this crossing any more, and I was told to go back to Rwanda.

The story would have ended here if I just simply followed their instruction. But, I didn't want to give up this easily after I had already come this far. Here's my observation of this border crossing: a potholed road links DR Congo to Rwanda, the Congolese immigration office (in a small concrete hut) is by the road. While local people come into the office and have their travel papers stamped, there's really no soldiers or police who keep an watchful eye on the flow of people travelling through this post. Basically, it seems almost like people just voluntarily come to the office, get stamped and then wander into the country at will. And there are always dozens of people passing through here at any given moment. Plus, it was pouring really hard when I was there, which made the scene even more chaotic.

So I was standing at the doorstep of the immigration office, if I turned left, I would go back to Rwanda; if I turned right and kept going, I would be in Bukavu, DR Congo in just a couple of minutes. And the minibus that took me here was already waiting for me (the only foreigner and the last passenger to return after the immigration) along with my fellow Congoless passengers.

What would you do if you were me? I just casually left the immigration office, boarded the minibus and continued into DR Congo. That was it, there was no more checkpoints beyond here. So I've illegally entered DR Congo without a visa, I just hope that it will be as smooth when I leave here.

bed bugs

2010-03-31T01:26:00.000-07:00

I stayed at a super cheap hotel in the Myanzi area of Bujumbura, Burundi for only Burundian Fr 6,000 (less than $5) per night. The result is, after the first night I already had about 50 bites on me from bed bugs. During the second night, I would wake up every half hour or so and comb the bed sheet to find and kill any bed bugs that I could see. Some were big, some were small. But they all had one thing in common, whenever I crushed one to death against the bed sheet, there would be first a popping sound, then followed by a blood stain on the sheet. My blood!

I must have killed over 2 dozen of them last night! :(

"Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"

2010-03-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

After a day and a half travelling on bus, I finally arrived to Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. A short bus ride south of the city and on the shore of Lake Tanganyika is a monument that marks and many Burundians believe where, contrary to the more widely established location further down the shore in Tanzania, Henry Stanley famously uttered "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?".

After a bit Googling, you will see that the famous meeting actually took place at Ujiji, Tanzania. However, the two men did travelled together to this spot in present-day Burundi.

Tomorrow I think I'll cross into DR Congo.

headed for Burundi, DR Congo and Rwanda

2010-03-27T00:39:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I'll take an over-24-hour bus to Burundi, from where I'll continue to DR Congo and Rwanda.

shaving with Swiss army knife

2010-03-27T00:35:00.000-07:00

My electric shaver had run out of power in Morocco, and I was stupid enough to not have brought the charger. So I've been using the scissors on my Swiss army knife to shave.

how to get to Lagos airport on public transport

2010-03-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

This is how I did it. Note that I took this trip during afternoon rush hour, so the fares could be slightly cheaper during less busy times.

From the Obalende Motor Park on Lagos Island take an Oshudi bound minibus. Note that there are 2 routes to Oshudi - up & down, wait for the Oshudi up minibus as it follows a shorter and more direct path. If you carry a big rucksack (like I did) or have lots of luggage, you have to be patient and wait for a bus that has room in the back for luggage, most minibuses don't have. In rush hour this leg of the journey cost me N150 (N100 for a seat and N50 for the luggage). If you take a minibus without room for your luggage, you will have to pay for 2 seats.

Once you get dropped off at Oshudi, where there are other waiting buses, immediately get on one that goes to Nacu. This one cost me N70.

You will be dropped off right at a taxi park, as long as you mention that you are going to the airport. These shared taxis have 2 destinations - domestic terminal or international terminal. Wait for the taxi to fill up, and it cost me N50 to the international terminal.

camping at Dar es Salaam airport

2010-03-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

Having slept at Lagos airport the day before, I arrived in Dar es Salaam around midnight last night. The taxi ride to city center cost around $20 and I was stingy enough to refuse to take it and decided to sleep by the Arrivals gates, wait till morning and take the public transport.

Initially, I slept on a long bench. But I was being constantly and brutally attacked by mosquitoes, so I rolled out my tent and slept in it.

I was surprised that throughout the night nobody bothered me or tried to remove me, except a couple of passers-by curiously poked my tent and asked why I didn't sleep in a hotel.

goodbye West Africa

2010-03-23T03:46:00.000-07:00

Will fly out of Nigeria for Tanzania tomorrow.

A Long Way Gone

2010-03-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

I've just finished reading this book today. It was given to me in Sierra Leone by Yeniva and her students. This book tells such a powerful story!

"you are under arrest!"

2010-03-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

This morning at a minibus terminal in Lagos, a policeman came up to me and yelled at me sternly "you are under arrest!" I froze for 2 seconds and the notoriously brutal and corrupt images of the Nigerian policemen and soldiers took hold of my mind. I didn't feel scared by him and decided to be cool and just play along, I said with a big smile "oh, reeeeeeeally?" Then he laughed, too. It turned out that he was just trying to mock me. And I was a little amused.

for the 1st time I made some money in Africa

2010-03-20T05:19:00.000-07:00

Today in Lagos, I made N10 by teaching an okada boy how to write his name, Sofa, in Chinese. Now I can go buy 2 500ml sachets of drinking water! :D

I don't like supermarkets in Africa

2010-03-20T04:44:00.000-07:00

First of all, they are mostly only affordable to the well-off locals and rich expats; secondly, if the change that they should give back to you is too small, they always just keep it and make you take the loss.

For example today in Lagos, I bought a 1L bottle of juice for N245. I gave N500 to the cashier lady, but I was only given N250 back as change. When I asked about the N5, she just handed me a small candy (as if she was giving it to a begger) and said they didn't have N5 change. I was upset because firstly , as customer, why should I take the loss for their fault for not having small changes; and N5 can get me a 500ml sachet of drinking water on the streets. So I protested against the injustice and asked to return the juice and have my N500 back. I spoken loudly because I wanted to make a scene and to make people there see that this is NOT right. Maybe to other customers, N5, N10 or even N20 is no big deal and they are rich enough to "forget" it. Well, to me N5's monetary value is also very trivial. But I just really dislike this kind of practice! So in the end, I got my N5 back, and I will not go back to this supermarket again. I have encountered this same unpleasant practice in Ivory Coast as well. So are Africans really poor or rich?!

after north and west, now it's east Africa

2010-03-17T06:12:00.000-07:00

Now it's been confirmed, I'll fly from Nigeria to Tanzania next ~~Thursday~~ Wednesday and travel around in East Africa for a few weeks. Then my parents and a bunch of their friends will fly into Tanzania, and I'll join them for a safari holiday, then we will all fly back together to Beijing via Dubai, and that will mark the end of my trip this time in Africa.

driving in Africa

2010-03-17T05:57:00.000-07:00

Is so bad and dangerous that in Nigeria when you travel long distance (intercity), they often ask you to provide your next of kin's telephone number...

Lake Chad, and Fulani nomads

2010-03-17T05:43:00.000-07:00

Back in Kano now. I'd spent 2 nights at/around Lake Chad. The first night I slept at a Christian pastor's house. The second day and night I spent visiting Lake Chad and then was invited to stay/roam in the bush with a family of Fulani nomads. These nomads had come from their hometown in Diffa, southeastern Niger to this bushland, which was once part of Lake Chad, 3 months ago in search of pasture for their herds of goats and cows. Of course to them, there's no border or passport.

(children playing music at an Evangelical church-run school)

I was very fortunate to be given the chance to roam with the nomads and spend a night with them in this dried part of Lake Chad. I didn't have to pay any money, it was all because I had been in the same bush taxi with a member of this nomadic family, Ali Gorjo, who happened to be a Christian convert. So he introduced me to stay with his pastor friend for the first night, and then took me to his family in the bush. I was surprised to see how he, as now a Christian, lived perfectly in harmony with the rest of his family who is Muslim. It's like to them, religion comes second after their goats and cows, which are their true livelihood.

(my horse for a day)

(we settled here the night before)

(Fulani nomads)

The day I was leaving them and their camp in the bush, Ali, one of his brothers and mother were bringing a cow to the market to sell so that they could raise some money for the family. Life is hard for these nomads, especially during this dry season.

At the end of my stay, Ali's mother gave me a calabash, on the outside it had beautiful carvings which she did it herself. Then one of Ali's brothers' wife gave me another beautifully carved calabash that she had carved herself. I couldn't thank them enough.

in Kano, Nigeria. Maybe I'll head to Lake Chad next

2010-03-12T06:40:00.000-08:00

(indigo dye pit in Kano)

Arrived here by bush taxi from Zinder, Niger. I will be in Kano for 2 nights. I'm thinking about going to see Lake Chad next.

(breakfast: bab with sugar)

So dry and so hot

2010-03-11T06:34:00.000-08:00

After Niamey, now I'm in Zinder. OMG, Niger's so dry and hot! Can't really get out and do anything after 11am. My washed clothes and flip flops dry in an hour, inside the room! And my average daily fluid intake is about 5L.

in Niger, no Chad

2010-03-09T05:49:00.000-08:00

After about 19 hours on the bus, I arrived to Niamey, Niger this morning at nearly 1:00am. I didn't check into a hotel, instead I slept roughly in the open air inside the bus terminal's compound on a bench first, then on a foam mattress on the ground. It didn't feel so bad once I had the mattress, as long as I coated my exposed skin with plenty of mosquito repellent. Tonight I'll go back to the same long distance bus terminal and sleep in the open again. Why? Because it's free, and I'll take a bus from there to Zinder tomorrow.

I went to the Chadian embassy in the morning hoping to get a visa (Lonely Planet says visas are available for CFA15,000 and issued on the same day). Well, they are only half right. A visa still costs CFA15,000, true. But now the process will take several months because all the applications are now sent to Chad for approval. So my plan to travel through northern Nigeria and northern Cameroon to reach Chad is now dead.

In Benin, will head to Niger on Monday

2010-03-06T06:44:00.000-08:00

I just arrived in Cotonou, Benin this morning. My rucksack got a bit soaked in the rain while it was actually stowed in the cargo/baggage compartment in the belly of the coach. The border crossings through Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Benin were swift and hassle free, though we were very lucky that the Togoless borders only just reopened today (they were shut for a few days due to Thursday's presidential election). Another coach from the same company had been stuck at the Ivorian/Togoless border since Tuesday.

Shall be in Benin by Saturday

2010-03-04T09:49:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I will take a coach from Ivory Coast to Cotonou in Benin. I'll pass through Ghana and Togo on the way.

44 degrees celcius!

2010-03-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

Today is HOT!!!!

I love street food (2)

2010-03-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

Smartly and skillfully peeled coconuts.

And super yummy grilled beef liver.

Boy scouts in Abidjan

2010-03-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

Outside Cathédrale St Paul, these boy scouts asked me to take a picture for them.

My favourite diner in Abidjan

2010-03-02T08:56:00.000-08:00

This is easily my favourite dinning place in Abidjan, where I always get dragged into locals' conversations or become the subject of them (either willingly or unwillingly). The two boys running this place are from Conakry, Guinea.

A simple menu but all the dishes are prepared to prefection. FYI, US$1 gets you about CFA460.

My 1st haircut this year was in Africa

2010-03-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

Had a haircut today in Abidjan, it cost about US$1. They use numbers here also, so it was very easy for me to explain how I wanted it (most of my French is counting numbers).

Overlander

2010-02-28T11:51:00.000-08:00

A brief summary of my overland journeys in the past 2 weeks:

Bamako, Mali to Conakry, Guinea by bush taxi, 24 hours
Conakry, Guinea to Freetown, Sierra Leone by minibus, 15.5 hours
Freetown, Sierra Leone to Monrovia, Liberia by bus, minibus and bush taxi, 2 days
Monrovia, Liberia to Abidjan, Ivory Coast by bush taxis, motorbike and bus, 2 days

All but one of the vehicles were without a working dashboard.

I love street food! (1)

2010-02-28T11:24:00.000-08:00

In Sierra Leone, a plate of rice served with cassava leaves, plus a bag of water (500ml), under US$0.5

From Liberia to Ivory Coast

2010-02-28T10:46:00.000-08:00

I crossed from Liberia into Ivory Coast on Friday morning, after having spent a night at the border.

(A 16-year-old boy named Justin Popo transported me in the last leg of my journey from Monrovia to the border)

Due to the fact that this stretch of the Ivorian border and much of northern Ivory Coast remains in the hands of the rebels, there're dozens of Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers stationed in the no man's land and a couple of UN armoured vehicles. The machine-gun on the UN's watchtower is pointed to Ivory Coast.

Surprisingly, the Bangladeshi peacekeepers were super friendly to me, and didn't mind at all that I was taking pictures of their installations. However, the Liberian border officials did come out later and stopped me from taking any more photos.

Exiting the Liberian post was simple. The officials did, however, asked for "something small" and "gift", I politely turned it down.

When I came to the Ivorian border post, I was made pay CFA1,000 three times to soldiers, the immigration and the customs respectively. When I refused to pay at the immigration and I slammed their desk really hard, someone who seemed to be the chief came to me and angrily told me that I had no choice but to pay up AND they were the rebels! So there I paid :)

"Grow what you eat, eat what you grow"

2010-02-28T09:04:00.000-08:00

This is seen on billboards everywhere across Sierra Leone.

Today I stood in front of a group of schoolchildren in Freetown

2010-02-22T11:42:00.000-08:00

I went to an organisation called Excel in Freetown today. It is started and run by a very nice lady called Yeniva from Santa Monica, California. Her family is originally from Sierra Leone but move to the US. She had come to Freetown in 2008 and set up this place with her own savings. The aim is to provide a place and an opportunity for the Sierra Leonean children to have a creative and more engaging way to complement their everyday schooling. She allowed me to volunteer and work with the kids there.

I dropped in and introduced myself to the staff and children, and I was given half a day to stand in front of them and sit among them to exchange my knowledge and experiences with them. It was a 2-way learning experience. We talked about China, the Chinese languages and geography and its one-child policy, current economic and political situations in the region, the brutal war in Sierra Leone, how its people have reconciled despite of all the unthinkable atrocities during the war, how Sierra Leone is developing rapidly and its government is going down a positive path to rebuild the country...

It was so much fun and of great pleasure to talk with the next generation and the future of this country! I totally loved every minuted spent with them!!!!!!

I was embarrassed in Freetown, but I'm happy for that!

2010-02-22T11:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday evening I was standing in front of Freetown's famous landmark, the Cotton Tree. I was peeling a couple of oranges and casually chucking the peels on the ground (I've only been doing this since I came to West Africa, because everyone does it and there are no bins to dispose of rubbish anywhere). But soon, 3 passers-by embarrassed me by telling me to pick up the peels. So I picked up the peels. But I was at first very surprised, because I would not have littered had I not seen locals do it before and even if I wanted to properly dispose of rubbish, there were no bins. But I soon realised how comforting and wonderful this embarrassment was. This tells me that Sierra Leoneans DO care about their country, which is vastly different from other West African countries I've visited. This brought me great joy and from it I saw hope in this small country that has only emerged from a brutal civil war a few years ago.

This is just one of the things I've seen or experienced that make me dare to think that Sierra Leone, if it can continue or even improve its current governance, holds a more promising future than other West African countries I've visited. I salute its people and their compassion!

So I crossed into Sierra Leone, turned around and peed back into Guinea

2010-02-21T07:31:00.000-08:00

Just kidding, no peeing :)

I took a minibus from Conakry, Guinea to Freetown, Sierra Leone. The distance should be less than 300km, but it took 15.5 hours. Because: (1) the roads are very bad, some are paved but are scarred with big potholes, some are just dirt paths (so much dirt and dust when I took a shower and washed my hair in Freetown, it was like mud dripping down my face) (2) the car is in such bad shape that it broke down nearly every hour and it usually took an hour or so to bring it back to life again. (3) the driver was nuts! (4) checkpoints where soldiers stopped and made us pay. I had to pay GF5,000, GF2,000, GF1,000 and GF2,000 on 4 occasions.

Leaving the Guinean border was straightforward, I even took the exit stamp out of the official's hand and stamped the passport myself. The Sierra Leone border consists of 3 different barriers. First is the customs where I was made pay GF5,000 to pass. The second is the security check where an official wrote down my passport info in a big book and said to me "what can you offer for your security?" I knew immediately that he was asking for money. But I would not let him have it so easily, so I shrugged my shoulders and said "I'm a student, I pose no security risk to anyone". Then he said to me with disappointment "OK, go now". That's right, bitch! The third is the immigration where I filled out a little form and was let pass.

Now I tell myself that I will never want to repeat this kind of journey again. And I hope the roads from Sierra Leone to Liberia and further on to Ivory Coast will not be as bad as this.

Quest for visas is over... for now

2010-02-19T11:04:00.000-08:00

Today I obtained visas for Sierra Leone and Liberia. Now I've collected all the visas for the next 8 West African countries that I'll visit. Scoring all these visas is a tale of high visa fees, variable exchange rates (always to my disadvantage), bribes, fake invitation letter and lots of patience.

Coup in Niger

2010-02-19T05:35:00.000-08:00

Just heard the news that there's been a coup in Niger yesterday, and the borders are now closed. This casts a serious doubt on my travel plan as I've planned to reach Niger within the next 2 weeks. Let's see how things develop...

In Conakry, Guinea

2010-02-19T02:49:00.000-08:00

After 24 hours in a bush taxi from Bamako, Mali, I finally arrived to Conakry. My immediate impressions of Guinea are that there are road checkpoints everywhere, and soldiers carrying big guns are also roaming everywhere, it doesn't make me feel so safe at all.

Between the border and Conakry, I was made pay GF10,000 at 3 different checkpoints by soldiers who were holding my passport hostage if I didn't pay. Though, at the second checkpoint, I was able to slash the price down to GF5,000. And at the third checkpoint, I got angry and paid only CFA800 (my last CFA coins from Mali) which was slightly less than GF10,000.

When I challenged the soldiers and asked why I had to pay over and over again when I already paid for the visa. Their answer, you are not gonna believe it. They said the visa was only for "avion"(flying) to Conakry, and if I travelled by road, I had to pay. BULLSHIT! Well, I guess when you carry a big-ass gun, you can BS all you want.

Got lucky at the Malian border

2010-02-17T00:46:00.000-08:00

When I was returning to Mali from Burkina Faso, I thought I was going to need to buy a 5-day entry visa for CFA15,000 at the border and then extend it to a full 30-day visa in Bamako, Mali. But, to my surprise, the border official said my old Malian visa was still good, so I only paid CFA1,000 to enter Mali. I believe they clearly misunderstood my old Malian visa: it is a single-entry visa and valid for 1 month. Since I'd already entered AND exited Mali with that visa, I should have been required to get a new one on my second visit. At the same time when I was at the Mali/Burkina Faso border, there were also 2 Americans, 2 Brits and 1 German, and they were all made to pay CFA15,000 to buy a new visa. Whatever the reason was, I felt very lucky, or, maybe they just liked my smile :D

Now I'm back in Mali, I just hope that every other official would think the same, and I would not encounter any problem when leaving.

Up the Niger River in a pinasse

2010-02-12T12:04:00.000-08:00

After Timbuktu, I took a small pinasse and travelled up the Niger River for 3 days. Seeing the villages and small settlements dotted on the banks of the river, men netting fish in their little canoes, women washing clothes by the river and children herding cows and goats, it is unforgettable. At night the starry sky reminded me of a few years ago when I took a felucca down the Nile. Two rivers, two places, but I felt it became very blurry as to where exactly I was. It felt like the two places were one, under the same beautiful sky. And falling asleep while staring at the stars is the best thing in life!

Obama in Africa

2010-02-11T15:55:00.000-08:00

In just Mali, Obama's image and name are seen everywhere. Most often you will see kids wear a tshirt featuring him and his campaign slogans. And there's countless number of barber shops and small grocery stores that are named after him. Looks like President Obama is more popular abroad than at home.

Timbuktu

2010-02-09T11:55:00.000-08:00

Sand and dirt are everywhere, and it feels like this place should have been swallowed by the Sahara long time ago. It's not as majestic as I had thought of it, maybe any legends that are associated with Timbuktu have been erased by the wind and sand.

En route to Timbuktu

2010-01-29T12:30:00.000-08:00

I left Bamako this morning, after about 9 hours on a bus, I arrived to Mopti. From Mopti, I can either take a boat or shared 4WD to Timbuktu. But I think I'll first stay in Mopti for 2 nights and then decide how I want to reach Timbuktu.

Best things in the world are indeed free

2010-01-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

Ever since my wallet was stolen by that Dutch criminal nearly 2 weeks ago, I have been blessed by the hospitality of both locals and Chinese expats.

My stay in Mauritania was at a local's house, for 5 days, I slept, ate and drank all for free! And they even helped arrange to have me smuggled into Senegal (illegally though, who cares!)

Then 4 out of 6 days while I was in Senegal, I met these 2 Chinese expats who gave me a bed in their hotel rooms, and fed me for free (including several delicious Chinese meals and an amazing meal at a fancy Thai restaurant)

Now I've travelled with them (in their 4WD) to Mali and am sleeping in a big room in their villa turned company building. Man, I've been so spoilt now, how am I going to travel after I leave these guys?!

Chinese in West Africa

2010-01-22T01:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my lucky day! I was going to take the over-50-hour bus from Dakar to Bamako in Mali. I was prepared to take this super crappy and crowded bus for a hellish journey. But then I met 2 Chinese businessmen at a fast food restaurant, and they happened to be going to Bamako this Sunday, and they have a 4WD. So I asked if I could tag along, they happily agreed, and it will only take about 20 hours in their car! Ha!

I've always known that in Africa I can always count on the help from local Chinese people, like a few years ago, I was sheltered and fed by a Chinese construction company in northern Ethiopia, they even made me dumplings and seafood!!

The next few days are going to be a breeze!!

This is so illegal!!!!!

2010-01-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

Because I couldn't get a visa from the Senegalese embassy in Mauritania (my Chinese passport sucks!), my Mauritanian fixer smuggled me across the border (the Senegal River) and into Senegal in a dug-out canoe and a horse car.

I swear that I did not know I was actually going to be illegally smuggled into Senegal. I thought he had just bribed a Senegalese border guard who would let me sneak in. But now, I've become an illegal alien in Senegal, and I'm feeling nervous all the time. So I'll just try to get to Mali ASAP, and hope that there isn't going to be too much of a problem when I exit Senegal and when they don't see any entry stamp in my passport!

the Dutchman is a fucking criminal!

2010-01-16T08:58:00.000-08:00

Initially, we agreed that I paid $100 to share gas expense and he would take me across Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia. Then later he said he didn't have enough money and his friends in Holland had failed to send him more, so he borrowed another $100 from me.

Along the way, I got food poisoning. When we went to pharmacy and bought medicines, he said they cost Dh1,300 and wanted me to repay him, but I only saw him give the pharmacist Dh400! ($1 is about Dh7.7)

Then on the way, he told me he was jailed in France before for 3 years for smuggling drugs, and to this day, he still could not go to France.

After Morocco border post, at the Mauritanian post he said he had paid 25 Euros for each of us as insurance, so he would deduct that from the $100 he owed me.

Now here at the Mauritania-Senegal border, he left me here and drove into Senegal by himself, AND he had stolen my wallet!!!!

In total, he got nearly $400 in cash from me and stole my wallet which had my credit cards inside.

Remember this Dutch guy's name: Joseph Schaefer Frans, he was born in March 1968. Remember he is a CRIMINAL! Watch out for him!

WANTED!!!

However, luckily, a young Mauritanian man went after him into Senegal and managed to bring back my wallet. So now I'm stranded at yet another border, and will stay at this Mauritanian man's house for a couple of days.

30 straight hours on buses :(

2010-01-11T02:55:00.000-08:00

After riding buses for 30 hours, I've finally arrived in Rabat from the Morocco-Mauritania border. I swear I will never want to be on a bus for this long! I mean, the bus (I travelled with CTM, one of the best bus operators in Morocco) is big and farely comfortable, but it's just so effing boring, now I believe boredom can actually kill.

The bus arrived in Rabat around 7am. I took a taxi and went straight to the Mauritanian embassy. The visa section didn't open till about 8:40, so I had to wait outside for quite some time. The weather in Rabat didn't cooperate at all, it's been raining nonstop. After submitting the application and paying Dh510 for a 2-entry visa, I got a receipt and was told to come back at 5pm. So now I hope there won't be any more drama with the visa and when I return later this afternoon, I'll get that damn visa.

While waiting outside the embassy, I talked with other travellers, and it seems that Mauritania is the only country in the western Africa area that does NOT issue visa at the border at this moment. Also, I met this Dutch guy, Joseph, who will drive all the way to Mauritania when he picks up his passport and visa at 5pm today, and he agreed to let me ride with him and I'll share the gas cost with him.

Now, there's still 6 hours till 5pm, I think I will try to find a place to take a shower and find a McD's!

Stranded in no man's land/minefield

2010-01-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

After around 25 hours of bus, shared taxis and a bit of hitchhiking, I finally exited Morocco, crossed through the no man's land/minefield and arrived at the Mauritania border around 6pm on Friday. I soon found out rumour was no rumour, there was no visa issuing at the border any more. Maybe I shouldn't even have called it "rumour" in the first place, because so many travellers and locals had been telling me that. But I just refused to believe it, I was being too stubborn and too over-optimistic that I just wanted to think it was a rumour.

Now it was already around 7:30pm, the Moroccan border was closed, so I couldn't even cross back into Morocco. The Mauritanian guards told me to leave their post immediately and just head into the no man's land. They didn't seem to care if I had to sleep in the cold desert and in the middle of a minefield. However, they did showed "kindness" of warning me to watch out for the land mines.

As I was ready to leave, other travellers started to gather around me and offered me water and their sympathies. Now I think the scene made the Mauritanian guards start to realise that it would just be a really bad PR if they indeed made a lone foreign traveler sleep in the no man's land. So an officer called me over, he asked to have my passport, and talked on his cell phone for a couple of minutes. Then he indicated that he would keep my passport and send a guard to take me somewhere to sleep. At this point, I was already feeling very relieved. It turned out, they put me in a guest house like place that's made up of a few big tents. The guard told me to sleep in here and not to go anywhere, and tomorrow take my passport and cross back to Morocco.

The lesson learnt: you should always listen to other fellow travellers' advice.

Overstay Moroccan visa

2010-01-06T04:34:00.000-08:00

My Moroccan visa has expired. Now I'm heading south along the coast towards Morocco-Mauritania border, it may take at least 2 or 3 days to reach it. And hopefully I can get a visa for Mauritania at the border.

First impressions of Essaouira

2010-01-04T03:08:00.000-08:00

Ocean breezes, super fancy hotels, drunk muslims and drug junkies.

Just one reason Morocco is definitely better than China!

2009-12-31T04:14:00.000-08:00

On the bus from Fez to Merzouga, police found inside an unclaimed suitcase full of drugs.

I've been in the desert village Merzouga for 3 days. Every time I see the red sand dunes, they're just as beautiful as when I saw them the first time, and I know I'll miss the sight a lot after I leave here. Only the abandoned water wells remind me that the beauty has a lethal side.

Just one reason Morocco is better than China: it allows Facebook!

Happy new year to ya'll!

Tannerie, backgammon and loads of hash...

2009-12-28T05:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was half stressful and half relaxing, but fun overall.

I got up at 5:30am and walked around the medina to take photos, then I came to the Tannerie where thousands of goat skins are dyed everyday in dozens of small open pits. Goat skins are carried in by donkeys, then they are thrown into specific pits for desired colours. This is all done solely by human hands and feet, which dates back for centuries. I stayed till noon and took hundreds of photos, hopefully will have a couple keepers.

When I got back to the guesthouse, there was an English guy Ben who told me about his trip to Merzouga in the Sahara desert and recommended this tour organiser called Mohammed Sahara. We walked over to Mohammed Sahara's cafe and I was immediately impressed by him and agreed to paying Dh 350 for the camel riding tour with a night sleeping in tent in the desert. Now I have to talk a bit about this Mr. Sahara. He runs a little cafe here in the medina, and says he has family in Merzouga who run the tours. However, Mr Sahara is locally better known for his hash supplies (the sort that you would have on speed dial), even some policemen are his frequent customers. So the cafe is popular with locals, tourists, muslims, christians and others.

At the cafe I also met Ben's companion, Adolf, from Iceland. And Americans Josh, Amanda, Emily, David and a few Spaniards. Everyone was having an awesome time, and I was especially proud that I learned to play Backgammon, and it was fun! Just a couple of hours ago, this girl Emily was robbed in a back alley while walking with her boyfriend, and she was slit in the arm by a machete! We saw her stitched up elbow with medical wraps. Later on we found out that the police had caught the bad guy and who was said to be a junkie. What a night! Finally came back to the guesthouse around 2am.

Tomorrow, overnight bus to Merzouga.

Not Chinese tea vs. Moroccan tea, but Chinese tea + Moroccan tea

2009-12-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

Took a grand taxi from Meknes to the ancient city of Fez today, which cost just Dh 20, or US$3 under. In case you ask what a grand taxi is (you know you did). Well, if you are still in university (that means if you are drunk and stoned most of the time), then a grand taxi is a Mercedez sedan that is older than you, and has 2 passengers in the front and 4 in the back (not counting the dead one in the trunk, jk).

So it is almost new year, most hotels are already full, especially the cheap ones. I had to knock door to door to find a bed that is within my price range which is less than Dh 100, but it is all Dh 150 upward (and my request to pitch my tent on their open roofs were politely refused). Finally, with the help of a young man, whom I tipped Dh 10 later, there is a family guesthouse that has a room (which fits in only a single bed). It is run by a Berber woman, and she wants Dh 90. Now the bargaining begins. After several rounds of serious yet cheerful price slashing by me and compromising by her, we finally agreed to paying Dh 150 for 2 nights. I felt like a winner. Maybe she did, too!

After I settled in and was about to go out and do my tourist duties, she invited me for tea and snack (now we know who the real winner was, haha.... jk). She showed me some Chinese green tea and some mint tea leaves, then she boiled them in the pot together, and added spoons of sugar. So the resulting flavour is strongly minty and sweet! It seemed just what I needed, now I am ready to get lost in this maze like ancient city.

Oh, her name is Titi (roughly translated from the Berber pronouciation). If this guesthouse had a name, I would highly recommend it to you!

Rain, rain, rain, Morocco is wetter than I thought.

2009-12-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

[This Moroccan keyboard layout is so different, and therefore so difficult to type on] Arrived to Casablanca yesterday. After two 9 hour flights and a 4 hour stopover, I was so tired that I slept for 12 hours last night. Cant wait to head further south for some drier weather.

Leaving for Africa tomorrow

2009-12-20T22:23:00.000-08:00

Dubai, Morocco, then West Africa.

What is driving like in China?

2009-12-05T19:17:00.000-08:00

urmmm..... it's like Walmart on Black Friday, but everyday!

1st post from behind the Great Firewall of China

2009-12-05T18:57:00.000-08:00

If you're reading this, then you're most likely living in a country other than China (and maybe North Korea etc).

In here, no Facebook, no Youtube...... even most of the free proxy websites are blocked. And most importantly, my favourite online dating website (haha, just kidding).

So today I finally got fed up and decided to use a paid VPN service to re-connect with the outside world and enjoy once again the free flow of information that I had so long taken for granted.

But still this paid/temporary access to free information cannot take away a strong feeling/fear in me that I and millions other Internet users in China are being watched 24/7. It's frustrating.

So much to love and to hate about China.

NOT happy with the Moroccan Consulate

2009-11-25T14:35:00.000-08:00

I just received my passport back from the consulate and got the visa stamped on it (I was getting worried I might not get it back in time for my flight to Beijing this Sunday). However, they only put down "un voyage" on the visa as opposed to 2 entries that I had applied for and paid for.

The single entry visa costs $31, and 2-entry visa costs $46. So now I think the Moroccan Consulate screwed this(me, to be precise) up and OWES me $15!!

[UPDATE, 7 Dec 2009] After emailing the consulate, now they are sending back to me the $15.

My 1st post, of course it's about food!

2009-11-24T21:30:00.000-08:00

Ever since Jeff took me to the Kogi taco truck in west LA last Thursday, I'd been craving for more. Now one of the Kogi trucks came to Fullerton (where I live) tonight. After waiting in line for well over 1 hour, my aunt, cousin and I ordered 15 short rib tacos, 1 kimchi quesadilla & 1 black jack quesadilla. You know, food like this really gives me an orgasmic feeling. So tonight, I was one happy boy ;)