Its been a month since I last wrote: a busy month with rather too much working and helping out AIESEC, but compensated for with plenty of fun too, including another trip skiing/snowboarding and a trip to the Great Wall, where I finally fulfilled one of the many things on my list to do -see the Great Wall in the snow.
It was indeed beautiful, though somewhat dangerous as we were rock-climbing up parts of it (same part as we went to last May, but only then there was no snow on the wall)! The great thing about Beijing is that it is just so easy to hire a van (with driver), grab some friends and go hiking for the day to get some fresh air and some exercise in the mountains around Beijing; some are as close as half an hour away (though the air there is not as clean an those further away).
China has been in the news this month for 3 main reasons: the economy (of course, like everywhere else... who knows if there is light around the next bend of the tunnel), Hilary Clinton coming to China to try to save the climate and the economy, and Tibet -as it is a month of anniversaries in Tibet, none of which are particularly good ones, and all stem from the first one -when the Dalai Lama was forced to flee the country (50 years ago); with riots 20 years ago and 1 year ago (as you might remember as it impacted on the Olympic Torch journey).
In order to prevent anything else happening this year the government has restricted travel to Tibet and many of the Tibetan areas in other provinces for all foreigners, including journalists, and has even taken down the internet and mobile phone networks in Lhasa. They have always been monitoring them, but it is a new thing to take them out of action altogether! China Mobile has said there are repairs and network issues that are ongoing, but last year they had 99.something % reliability. This year will be a bad year for their statistics i think.
The other highlight of the last month was watching Spurs lose to Utd on penalties. A highlight because, well, we played the best team in the World and didn't get slaughtered -and, there is some hope (misguided, i am sure) that we might still finish in the top 8 this year. Plus the bar i watched the game at was full of Spurs fans, so we could all grumble and moan together. A problem shared is a problem halved!
Spring has arrived now; we were skiing in the glorious sun, and now it is time to get rid of our thick jackets. Hell, i have had lunch outside for the last two days! It has been a long 5 months of winter, but bring on Summer.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Fire on Chinese New Year
As you might have read the Chinese new year holiday finished on Monday night with a festival known in English as Lantern festival, and it finished with the customary bang and not-so-customary fire at the almost-finished 5 star Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Beijing, which is owned by CCTV and adjacent to their awesome new HQ. Hearing about the fire we walked there (roads were closed) at about 10.40pm and were mildly impressed by several small fires on several floors of the 34 floor building.
But, upon returning home and twittering/you-tubing the fire we realized we missed the real fire: Indeed, if we'd been an hour earlier we'd have seen the entire building on fire and balls of fire coming out at some point. What a shame! Classically CCTV admitted an employee got carried away and ordered fireworks that were so impressive they required a license to set them off. He had no license or clue how to set them off and they managed to set the building on fire! With the new CCTV building supposed to open soon and begin broadcast, it must be problematic that the building will need to be destroyed (noisy and inconvenient) and rebuilt (to save face); and rumors abound that the hotel has another purpose of balancing the CCTV HQ (built on same platform) which complicates matters further.
After a few days of ridiculously late nights working, I've just returned from Guangzhou where it was a wonderful 27 degrees for a team building and planning trip. We went paint-balling which was great fun; although i am not sure if its a good idea that the first time i met my colleagues i shot them! We also did some planning and had training.
On Friday we used our oven for the third time - to bake brownies: the first time was making muffins, though the second time was cooking baked potatoes, and to be fair we did cook roast chicken before the brownies!
It finally rained earlier last the week. I say finally because there had been no precipitation for more than 100 days: a record even for dry Beijing. But the government saved the country, seeding the clouds to make it rain for a few hours at least. When the government can control the weather they can also ensure an accurate weather forecast, so everyone was prepared! In fact their expertise in this area may well be more advanced and in the West and something they can export!
And today, I touched down in Beijing to -3 and two inches of snow. A 2 and a half hour flight was a difference in 30 degrees!
Sunday, February 08, 2009
China and Climate Change
"Dao Liang said the following: you know, Americans use 7 times CO2 per capita as Chinese. Then he asked: why should China sacrifice our growth so that the west can continue to profitable and stupid. Anybody here has an answer for him? I don't."
About that comment. Well, you know, I have a very good answer to that question. Yes, USA uses more energy and produces more CO2 per person than any other country, and USA will suffer...from droughts, floods and hurricanes, lack of tourism. China will suffer as well. China will suffer worse, and because China is poorer, China will not be able to cope as well as USA will. That is not fair. It is especially not fair, because USA, over the last 150 years, has generated thousands more CO2 than China has, as China has only had factories for 10-20 years (and some before that, but not much). BUT, and this is the problem, China will suffer. If China just blames USA, will that save Chinese lives? No. Will that make USA more willing to work with China -being called the enemy? No.
I agree it is not fair. But, when you look at the facts...which is that a lot of Chinese people will suffer; no matter whose fault that is, we need to look at what is the best way to stop them suffering in the future. That solution involves encouraging other countries, like USA, to reduce their CO2, but that is hard to control. The only thing China can control, is its own emissions. And for the same of its people, China is, in the next 5 years, going to realize this. Criticizing other people will not save Chinese people, or stop Global Warming. It is not fair. It is definitely not fair. But that is the way it is. Ideally, of course, China, USA, everyone will work together to reduce their CO2 -and i hope that will happen. China is trying to reduce how much CO2 is released per unit of GDP, but China has said it will never consider reducing its total CO2 emissions until after China gets to about 5,000 USD GDP per person (i think) -currently on about 2,300 USD per person. But China cannot wait that long -the longer China waits, the more China will suffer, and the harder it will be to get to that level. I think, soon, Chinese government will realize this. Climate Change is going to destroy China. It might not be China's fault, but China has to do everything it can to try to stop it. And that means reducing its total emissions. Yes that will harm the economy (and nowadays the economy here is bad), but there is no choice.
Of course America has the same problem. It will also suffer a lot from Climate Change, and it needs, for its own reason (not to help China, but to help itself) reduce CO2 etc. Finally, USA government is realizing this. But USA reducing its emissions will not help China if China's emissions keep going up. China will still suffer. USA will still suffer. Let's hope everyone works together to reduce their emissions.
About that comment. Well, you know, I have a very good answer to that question. Yes, USA uses more energy and produces more CO2 per person than any other country, and USA will suffer...from droughts, floods and hurricanes, lack of tourism. China will suffer as well. China will suffer worse, and because China is poorer, China will not be able to cope as well as USA will. That is not fair. It is especially not fair, because USA, over the last 150 years, has generated thousands more CO2 than China has, as China has only had factories for 10-20 years (and some before that, but not much). BUT, and this is the problem, China will suffer. If China just blames USA, will that save Chinese lives? No. Will that make USA more willing to work with China -being called the enemy? No.
I agree it is not fair. But, when you look at the facts...which is that a lot of Chinese people will suffer; no matter whose fault that is, we need to look at what is the best way to stop them suffering in the future. That solution involves encouraging other countries, like USA, to reduce their CO2, but that is hard to control. The only thing China can control, is its own emissions. And for the same of its people, China is, in the next 5 years, going to realize this. Criticizing other people will not save Chinese people, or stop Global Warming. It is not fair. It is definitely not fair. But that is the way it is. Ideally, of course, China, USA, everyone will work together to reduce their CO2 -and i hope that will happen. China is trying to reduce how much CO2 is released per unit of GDP, but China has said it will never consider reducing its total CO2 emissions until after China gets to about 5,000 USD GDP per person (i think) -currently on about 2,300 USD per person. But China cannot wait that long -the longer China waits, the more China will suffer, and the harder it will be to get to that level. I think, soon, Chinese government will realize this. Climate Change is going to destroy China. It might not be China's fault, but China has to do everything it can to try to stop it. And that means reducing its total emissions. Yes that will harm the economy (and nowadays the economy here is bad), but there is no choice.
Of course America has the same problem. It will also suffer a lot from Climate Change, and it needs, for its own reason (not to help China, but to help itself) reduce CO2 etc. Finally, USA government is realizing this. But USA reducing its emissions will not help China if China's emissions keep going up. China will still suffer. USA will still suffer. Let's hope everyone works together to reduce their emissions.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
A new year -what will it bring?
Chinese New Year has come and gone amongst a storm of fireworks, quite literally. Things have quietened down now but might heat up again in a week once the festive period officially ends. Beijing is not that much fun during Chinese New Year; everyone goes to visit friends and family and stuffs themselves silly for the whole week off. I got assigned to a new, very interesting, project, so had to work 1 day (and am now working flat out, but gladly so).
Me and Andrea flew up to Harbin for 3 days, in the far North-east of China, where the average temperature is 20 or 25 below, but we had a warm spell -it was only minus 15 in the daytime! Wrapped up warm we traipsed around the old town that was built by Europeans and Russians at the turn of the century when the Railway came out here and when turmoil in Europe and Russia during the war led to massive immigration. Most had left once China had become chaotic in the 60s, but their buildings remained and look wonderful; many are in pretty decent condition. The beautiful church has an exhibition of photos inside showcasing what the town was really like, and it's quite well done -something had to be done in the Church as everything else in it was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution!
Every winter Harbin hosts an Ice lights and Snow Carving festival so we visited them and were suitably impressed by the replica (life-size, almost) castles and churches that were built of ice and bathed in LED lights; and both the massive and intricate carvings of snow. The Ice buildings are big, but somewhat like a film set, have nothing on the inside (well, they are solid ice really) so you look at the buildings and ooh and aah, then go on all the slides and go ooh and aah some more. In fact, I discovered that trying to go down an ice slide on one's feet is 3 times faster (and more dangerous) than doing so on one's backside. Faster and dangerous is also much more fun too!
We also went to Unit 731, a division of the Japanese military, that during WW2, performed scientific experiments on prisoners in order to develop weapons and to generally conduct research. The research was not something that would stand up to an ethics test and the Americans valued such research so highly (because they would not be allowed to conduct it themselves), that they let all the scientists off the hook in return for the results. Visiting the few buildings remaining is somewhat eery and the stories told through photos, models and equipment reveals another piece of history and insights into just what human beings can do. The Nazis had similar Units, but not as intensive as the Japanese.
Last stop was a new museum in a restored Synagogue showcasing the history of the Jews in Harbin. There were 20,000 in the 1920s and 30s and, not surprisingly, were running many of the banks and other businesses. The museum was surprisingly well done (by Chinese standards), but that is partly due to the large funding they seem to have and partly due to the connections of those who lived in Harbin then, including Ehud Olmert's Father (Ehud Olmert has visited Harbin and, one presumes, help to get funding for the museum).
Chinese New Year did allow some time to watch some movies: Slumdog Millionaire being the best, Benjamin Button being good, and Red Cliff 2 putting in a credible Chinese showing. Now, though, it is time to get back to the interesting project... Happy Niu Year everyone, so they say over here, since Niu is the Chinese word for Ox (and is pronounced like 'new') -and congratulations to Ian and Hannah on the birth of little Owen, a future Wolverhampton Wanderers superstar I am sure!
Me and Andrea flew up to Harbin for 3 days, in the far North-east of China, where the average temperature is 20 or 25 below, but we had a warm spell -it was only minus 15 in the daytime! Wrapped up warm we traipsed around the old town that was built by Europeans and Russians at the turn of the century when the Railway came out here and when turmoil in Europe and Russia during the war led to massive immigration. Most had left once China had become chaotic in the 60s, but their buildings remained and look wonderful; many are in pretty decent condition. The beautiful church has an exhibition of photos inside showcasing what the town was really like, and it's quite well done -something had to be done in the Church as everything else in it was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution!
Every winter Harbin hosts an Ice lights and Snow Carving festival so we visited them and were suitably impressed by the replica (life-size, almost) castles and churches that were built of ice and bathed in LED lights; and both the massive and intricate carvings of snow. The Ice buildings are big, but somewhat like a film set, have nothing on the inside (well, they are solid ice really) so you look at the buildings and ooh and aah, then go on all the slides and go ooh and aah some more. In fact, I discovered that trying to go down an ice slide on one's feet is 3 times faster (and more dangerous) than doing so on one's backside. Faster and dangerous is also much more fun too!
We also went to Unit 731, a division of the Japanese military, that during WW2, performed scientific experiments on prisoners in order to develop weapons and to generally conduct research. The research was not something that would stand up to an ethics test and the Americans valued such research so highly (because they would not be allowed to conduct it themselves), that they let all the scientists off the hook in return for the results. Visiting the few buildings remaining is somewhat eery and the stories told through photos, models and equipment reveals another piece of history and insights into just what human beings can do. The Nazis had similar Units, but not as intensive as the Japanese.
Last stop was a new museum in a restored Synagogue showcasing the history of the Jews in Harbin. There were 20,000 in the 1920s and 30s and, not surprisingly, were running many of the banks and other businesses. The museum was surprisingly well done (by Chinese standards), but that is partly due to the large funding they seem to have and partly due to the connections of those who lived in Harbin then, including Ehud Olmert's Father (Ehud Olmert has visited Harbin and, one presumes, help to get funding for the museum).
Chinese New Year did allow some time to watch some movies: Slumdog Millionaire being the best, Benjamin Button being good, and Red Cliff 2 putting in a credible Chinese showing. Now, though, it is time to get back to the interesting project... Happy Niu Year everyone, so they say over here, since Niu is the Chinese word for Ox (and is pronounced like 'new') -and congratulations to Ian and Hannah on the birth of little Owen, a future Wolverhampton Wanderers superstar I am sure!
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Photos from Philippines 3
A child sleeping on the streets of Manila
Rubbish in the rivers of Manila
A beggar on the streets of Manila
Some of the worst housing in Taguig
Our hut on Busuanga (with me outside)
Photos from Philippines 2
Another crazily decorated side-car in the Coron Xmas competition
Sunrays over Coron bay
Sunrays over Coron bay, orange tinted
A deserted beach waiting for us!
One of the many islands with private beach resorts near Busuanga
Photos from Philippines 1
Flying Kites in Rizal Park
A swimming pool in an unfinished apartment complex that we found very conveniently on our walk!
A highly decorated side-car!
Proud owner-decorator of a side-car during the Coron Xmas competition
Crazy, 2 storey tombs in the Chinese Cemetary in Manila
Friday, January 23, 2009
301st post
4 and a third years into my 'China thing' (yes the 'thing' that was originally going to last 3 months) and i am preparing to go north. Only for 2 nights and 3 days, but that will be enough. It is something I first tried to do 4 years ago, but had transportation problems. Now, I've got up the courage (and bought flight tickets, some progress financially from when i first came here as a volunteer for AIESEC!).
On Thursday me and Andrea will go to Harbin for the famed ice festival and snow festival; apparently there is (surprise, surprise) an Olympic theme to it this year. It is one of the best in the World. It will also be 20 or 30 degrees below, depending on the wind. Hopefully we'll make it back, and might even do some skiing nearby, since there is an excellent ski resort nearby (problem being it is so damn cold, it is not tempting to spend all day outside skiing!).
After the overnight trip last weekend to an excellent resort near Beijing (it was 4 hrs away by car and so much better than the place I usually go only an hour away), I am definitely getting the skiing bug (and the snowboarding bug, though my snowboarding is not as good yet). Due to the distance the resort is pretty empty, so we had lots of fun, despite one friend breaking her ski!
Tomorrow (Saturday) is the last working day before Chinese New Year. Now it is Friday afternoon and it is already hard to work, let alone tomorrow! None-the-less, in return for a whole 5 weekdays off, we need to work an extra 2 weekend days (that's the way it works here -ask the government why); so I will be back in the office Sunday week, once back from the ice festival. And, hopefully, a couple of new projects will be starting which will be nice -a bit more hands-on and hopefully get out of the office.
Chinese New Year is not really very exciting; most people just stay indoors and eat all week with different family. I suppose I'll pop over to the Temple Fairs, which is just like a school fair with sweet and crafts and some theatrical performances. There will be a billion fire crackers and some fireworks to provide entertainment, but that is about all there is to do really. Oh, I almost forgot -I need to go up North!
On Thursday me and Andrea will go to Harbin for the famed ice festival and snow festival; apparently there is (surprise, surprise) an Olympic theme to it this year. It is one of the best in the World. It will also be 20 or 30 degrees below, depending on the wind. Hopefully we'll make it back, and might even do some skiing nearby, since there is an excellent ski resort nearby (problem being it is so damn cold, it is not tempting to spend all day outside skiing!).
After the overnight trip last weekend to an excellent resort near Beijing (it was 4 hrs away by car and so much better than the place I usually go only an hour away), I am definitely getting the skiing bug (and the snowboarding bug, though my snowboarding is not as good yet). Due to the distance the resort is pretty empty, so we had lots of fun, despite one friend breaking her ski!
Tomorrow (Saturday) is the last working day before Chinese New Year. Now it is Friday afternoon and it is already hard to work, let alone tomorrow! None-the-less, in return for a whole 5 weekdays off, we need to work an extra 2 weekend days (that's the way it works here -ask the government why); so I will be back in the office Sunday week, once back from the ice festival. And, hopefully, a couple of new projects will be starting which will be nice -a bit more hands-on and hopefully get out of the office.
Chinese New Year is not really very exciting; most people just stay indoors and eat all week with different family. I suppose I'll pop over to the Temple Fairs, which is just like a school fair with sweet and crafts and some theatrical performances. There will be a billion fire crackers and some fireworks to provide entertainment, but that is about all there is to do really. Oh, I almost forgot -I need to go up North!
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Thoughts of the Philippines
Dad and I had a long discussion about how to adequately describe a city like Manila or a country like the Philippines. We have opinions of both. but are they fair? How does one convey a sense of poverty, mess and run-down buildings as well as endless shopping malls, fast-food chains and smiley people, let alone the areas we have not seen, where the 60 families that own 60% of the country's wealth (or more, apparently) probably live or where the Muslim freedom fighters in the South continue to rebel? Of course China or America have similar problems I suppose.
It is hard to see if the future will be any better for the Filipinos. Despite the huge influxes of money sent home from overseas Filipinos, the population is increasing too fast. Despite the beauty of the country, and its size, few tourists go there -and too many of them for the wrong reasons (sex). The country has few resources. However, the lovely Filipinos continue to smile.
As I previously mentioned, there are the problems of the fishermen who have dreams of less poverty (and often some help from technology like cyanide) and thus over-exploit resources, like fish. is it even possible, fair or desirable to restrict this -their dreams or their futures? Balancing short-term needs and long-term needs makes sense, but in reality (as Game theory tells us), is it possible for us to accept limits and not try to 'grow'? We'll see how the modern world does now that the word 'growth' is a bad word, not a good one, in the context of profits, sales, market shares and economies.
It is hard to see if the future will be any better for the Filipinos. Despite the huge influxes of money sent home from overseas Filipinos, the population is increasing too fast. Despite the beauty of the country, and its size, few tourists go there -and too many of them for the wrong reasons (sex). The country has few resources. However, the lovely Filipinos continue to smile.
As I previously mentioned, there are the problems of the fishermen who have dreams of less poverty (and often some help from technology like cyanide) and thus over-exploit resources, like fish. is it even possible, fair or desirable to restrict this -their dreams or their futures? Balancing short-term needs and long-term needs makes sense, but in reality (as Game theory tells us), is it possible for us to accept limits and not try to 'grow'? We'll see how the modern world does now that the word 'growth' is a bad word, not a good one, in the context of profits, sales, market shares and economies.
Busuanga
An island much bigger than we expected, Busuanga depends on its fishing and nascent tourism industry. An hour flight south of Manila followed by a 45 minute bus ride and we ended up in Coron town, opposite Coron island. A week in the small town and it felt like home, with a local bakery to boot!
We were there to island/beach hop and scuba dive. There were never more than a couple hundred tourists in the town, staying at cheap backpacker places, though there were more staying on the ten or more up-market resorts situated on smaller (sometimes private) islands in the area. Coron was really just a delightful local rural town that bustled around its market and town square, especially on New Year's Eve with a popular outdoor disco and well attended firework display.
On the 30th there had been a competition amongst the motor bike + sidecars that are the main form of transport. They sit up to 10 tiny kids or 3 Western Men. With first prize of 700 USD, the quality of entrants was high: the goal to dress up the machines all christmassy and there were plenty of innovative designs and much hard work. Several days had been spent creating nativity plays on the roofs, painting a scuba-diving Santa, making lights and reindeer and all sorts. It gave us something to do in the evenings apart from eating and drinking with all the other divers in town, which kept us busy and happy all week. In fact the food in Coron was very good, particularly the chocolate mousse at the Bistro run by a French guy!
We spent two days on beaches around the nearby islands and exploring some lakes. The snorkeling was nothing too special but having a beach all to oneself with the boatman BBQ-ing some fish for lunch was nice! I spent four days scuba diving, getting my PADI advanced and also Nitrox qualifications. Nitrox sounds very cool, but is just breathing air with more oxygen in it than usual, which increases the time diving at depths. This is useful when you are 35m under water and swimming inside a 140m long Japanese ship from World War 2, something I did 6 times as well as a few smaller boats.
Exploring these wrecks was incredible. The sense of adventure and challenge; the sense of history and atmosphere; the sense of excitement and (limited) danger navigating through corridors, rooms and around pieces of metal all added to the usual thrills of diving. I was (using a torch in order to see anything) swimming through propeller shafts barely 1m x 1m, control rooms, storage rooms, engine rooms and holds looking at and touching bottles of beer, a tractor and a bulldozer and all sorts. Though visibility was not that great there was still lots to be seen outside the wrecks too, such as a crane used to life sea planes off the ship in to the sea and plenty of fish and coral life. I won't go on any more, but there is a reason why the area in in the top 5 in the World for wreck diving.
At the end of my trip I had another half a day in Manila which allowed me to visit the National Museum; which is actually very good. Of course, I am biased, as half of the displays are about the discovery, recovery and contents of a late 16th century Spanish ship and thus includes a lot on underwater archaeology. It was all very revealing and related to the diving I had done and I was easily sucked further into the underwater World.
This was the first time I had dived on a boat of 20 people and it made the whole experience more 'typical' than just small boats of a few people or diving off a beach. After the dive everyone bantered about how it was, who saw what etc. Interestingly for every dive, we had to pay a fee that went to the marine conservation park supposed to be monitoring and protecting the area from locals, but the locals still often took pieces of the ships to sell as scrap. Fees for the lakes on nearby Coron island went to the local tribe who had been given the island and thus maintained it as almost an independent country with their own laws and everything; probably getting fairly wealthy from tourism!
We saw and heard all about the bad practices of the local fishermen: using cyanide to stun fish and catch them which destroys the coral; staying underwater (to catch fish) for 5 hours breathing air from the surface down a tube which paralyzed tens of fishermen every year from decompression sickness and various others that poverty and over-population inevitably lead to. Philippine's ineffective government is trying to do something about it, but success will not be easy.
All over Busuanga and the rest of the Philippines, urban and rural areas alike, was, as last year, extraordinarily large amounts of evidence of Philippine democracy. Local elected officials never hesitate to show-off what good things they are doing for their citizens even when those good things (bridges, roads, markets, buildings etc) have not even started, or look like they will never be completed! Some of the signs by these projects really should embarrass some of these leaders as it shows their inability to get things done. Even for the motorbike competition on the 30th, there was a tent up with signs about who was responsible for bringing the event to the people of Busuanga!
Manila
Upon arrival in Manila and exiting an international airport that seems too small for a city of 12 million, the taxi driver comfortably informed me everything would still be open on Christmas day. He was wrong of course, as the Philippines is a catholic country, however the homeless and beggars were still on the streets. Not a great Christmas for them, though at least they are warm. I wonder if their existence begging in Manila is really better than at home in the countryside so they stay, in hope of something better from the capital -along with thousands of others on the streets and hundreds of thousands in slum-like dwellings.
Me and dad went to see the crazy Chinese cemetery where rich Chinese were buried in tombs that were the size of actual houses; some had two storeys, others air conditioning for when mourners came. The remarkable tombs that are elaborate and expensive (and built there because the Chinese were not allowed to be buried in cemeteries with Filipinos) are even more remarkable as they are sited alongside a river; the other side of which was an entire town made of corrugated iron. Oh the juxtaposition and irony.
Those inhabitants' living conditions were incalculably worse than their deceased neighbors, yet as with Filipinos across the country, many in poverty, they were all smiles. Indeed, they never came to us to beg, like those in the tourist area. Almost as surprising was the stubbornness of one of the cemetery's security guards (who dubs as a tour guide) who was not willing to negotiate down from his asking price of 7 USD to give us a one hour tour around the cemetery.
Earlier on Christmas Day we'd seen the opulent Manila Hotel, charming old town of Intramuros (developed under the Spanish hundreds of years ago) including a well-restored fort, and the new developments by the harbor.
Evenings in Manila's bars and restaurants are marked by prostitutes making up 2/3rds (literally) of the clientele (they keep clients buying drinks which keeps bars happy) and beggars outside, necessitating security guards at entrances.
The next day we ventured to a local town by a lake, which was marked out by their transport. Sited along disused train tracks, the kids kept themselves busy ferrying residents to-and-fro using home-made carts that seemed remarkably fast and well designed on the train tracks. We wondered into an almost finished fancy apartment complex nearby and used the swimming pool before returning to Manila.
There is a business district (bigger than i expected when i visited on my way back through Manila to China) and some nice areas, but Manila is not a pretty city; the few nice old buildings that survived World War 2 are lying abandoned in most cases. It's a city of too many people and not enough housing or jobs. A shame really; the people are nice and although it's mainly the middle classes in the lovely Rizal Park relaxing, playing and buying food and kites from the poor street-sellers, the area to one side where I watched 30 or so people playing chess, provided an opportunity to talk to locals and see how class barriers can be bridged, and how a simple game of chess can provide joy and smiles to all -for free.
None-the-less it is wise to lock taxi doors as beggars occasionally try to open them at traffic lights whilst children, knowing no better or no other life, knock on the windows looking sad before giggling and turning back to their friends to play.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Off for a break
It's got too cold for me, so I am off to scuba-dive, hike and explore Busuanga, an island in the Philippines for 10 days or so. Merry Christmas, Happy new Year etc, and i am sure i will provide updates from the island.
Monday, December 15, 2008
number 5
Another birthday in China. The 5th. Wow. More dinners and drinks over the whole weekend and a trip skiing on sunday which actually included as much drinking (on the deck, overlooking the slopes) as skiing. Well, the sun was shining and there was blue skies and long queues for the ski lifts so.... after the drinking we thought it a good idea to go snowboarding, since the queues were shorter for the beginner's slopes (and it would take us longer to get down, making the most of the time up to the top)! I'm still recovering from the snowboarding, but did get close to the form of 2000 when i last snowboarded!
There are a few photos of the US trip on the blog (adam.nomadlife.org) as well as hundreds more on the flickr site (flickr.com/adamsphotos go to 'sets' and 'West coast USA').
On saturday (yes, on my birthday!) i went to an event we (BSR) was involved in around Sustainable communities which was fairly interesting. Highlights were seeing the plans for a new eco-city in Tianjin, that looked really nice on the plans, though rarely ever mentioned anything about the people that are supposed to live there; as well as a senior minister from the Environment Ministry who was incredibly candid and open about the challenges China faces, the reaction of the public (protests, of which he showed many photos) and how the solution starts with talking to the people and using the power of the people to enforce laws and to listen to them.
Not too much else to report amongst the freezing Siberian winds, although i have recognised the benefit of buying 10 sachets of imported Swiss Mocha Coffee sachets for the price of one drink in a coffee shop. Addicted is quite the right word!
There are a few photos of the US trip on the blog (adam.nomadlife.org) as well as hundreds more on the flickr site (flickr.com/adamsphotos go to 'sets' and 'West coast USA').
On saturday (yes, on my birthday!) i went to an event we (BSR) was involved in around Sustainable communities which was fairly interesting. Highlights were seeing the plans for a new eco-city in Tianjin, that looked really nice on the plans, though rarely ever mentioned anything about the people that are supposed to live there; as well as a senior minister from the Environment Ministry who was incredibly candid and open about the challenges China faces, the reaction of the public (protests, of which he showed many photos) and how the solution starts with talking to the people and using the power of the people to enforce laws and to listen to them.
Not too much else to report amongst the freezing Siberian winds, although i have recognised the benefit of buying 10 sachets of imported Swiss Mocha Coffee sachets for the price of one drink in a coffee shop. Addicted is quite the right word!
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Friday, December 05, 2008
Below zero
The Siberian winds arrived in Beijing this week bringing instant freezing to anything in their way. brrrr. Hopefully the snow won't be far off and a day-trip skiing can be organised.
This week my biography was finally added to BSR's web-site, though thankfully they have not yet put a photo up. If you have forgotten who I am, go have a look :)
Unfortunately the sadness of 200 innocent people dying in India has been followed by the news that Zimbabwe has actually gotten worse. A country that could not get any worse, has somehow managed to get worse. Incredibly. Now that people are literally dying in their hundreds daily, maybe the West might care? Well, maybe not. I mean, we could have sorted that mess out 5 years ago in a week. Instead the entire country might, in a few years time, turn into Somalia: where inept governments and miserable poverty creates a haven for terrorists.
On a lighter note i noticed the Chinese government threatening trade sanctions against France because of their support for the Dalai Lama. The rubbish the government spouts about the Dalai Lama is laughable, though the government has improved its PR machine on other issues. To even pretend there is religious freedom in Tibet is a joke (it is officially illegal to talk about or have a photo of him; somewhat equivalent of not letting Christians talk about Jesus!) as is the idea that the Dalai Lama wants independence.
One hopes the goverment will eventually recognise that increasing religious freedom in Tibet is not actually a major threat to the country and will placate most Tibetans without major costs or implications. In the current economic climate, though, we can be sure that the government cannot afford any trade barriers against France -they need all the orders they can get!
This week my biography was finally added to BSR's web-site, though thankfully they have not yet put a photo up. If you have forgotten who I am, go have a look :)
Unfortunately the sadness of 200 innocent people dying in India has been followed by the news that Zimbabwe has actually gotten worse. A country that could not get any worse, has somehow managed to get worse. Incredibly. Now that people are literally dying in their hundreds daily, maybe the West might care? Well, maybe not. I mean, we could have sorted that mess out 5 years ago in a week. Instead the entire country might, in a few years time, turn into Somalia: where inept governments and miserable poverty creates a haven for terrorists.
On a lighter note i noticed the Chinese government threatening trade sanctions against France because of their support for the Dalai Lama. The rubbish the government spouts about the Dalai Lama is laughable, though the government has improved its PR machine on other issues. To even pretend there is religious freedom in Tibet is a joke (it is officially illegal to talk about or have a photo of him; somewhat equivalent of not letting Christians talk about Jesus!) as is the idea that the Dalai Lama wants independence.
One hopes the goverment will eventually recognise that increasing religious freedom in Tibet is not actually a major threat to the country and will placate most Tibetans without major costs or implications. In the current economic climate, though, we can be sure that the government cannot afford any trade barriers against France -they need all the orders they can get!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
China and the economic crisis
Wow, a month has gone by since I returned from the USA; I have not blogged in that time since Blogger seemed to be blocked, but now seems to be unblocked!
Work has been variably busy and variably not-so-busy; whilst playing time has been somewhat restricted because of apartment hunting (and subsequent upgrading of current apartment, once it was decided not to move, for the moment) and the cold!
As with the rest of the world everyone is talking about the economy; as you may have read China's only ever concern is social (and therefore political) stability and the biggest threat to this has always been employment. In the past, with massive economic growth coming through manufacturing goods for the West, the rural unemployed found jobs in the urban areas. But now the factories are collapsing due to the lack of orders from the West.
This is a serious problem and serious not just in the sense of budget problems but in the sense of social stability affecting the country's very existence. So far things have been quite quiet.... some protests by taxi drivers; a huge government plan to spend money on infrastructure and other projects to provide jobs; discussions about how to increase domestic consumption.
For the West, the recession is a problem.... a big problem, but the country will survive. In China, the fear is the problem could get big enough to be a serious threat to the country. The government does not talk about that of course, but it knows it.
If you consider there are 150m migrant workers who are employed in the cities in restaurants, construction and factories -and now losing their jobs left, right and centre; 100m middle-class whose savings are locked up in apartments whose value is collapsing (how to boost consumption if savings are in property that you cannot sell?); 3m students who will not get a job next summer; 600m farmers who are now about to a) sell their land to agricultural businesses to get some income (temporarily, but then be job-less) and b) be unable to find jobs on the land due the increasing rate of agricultural mechanisation/modernisation.
And this is just the start; we all need to hope that the economic problems only last for 2 years and that China can survive them. Not just for China's sake -but China's impact on the World is now so great, that other countries are all dependent on China. Hell, every multinational company is here trying to make money, because they know they can't make any at home right now!
There is hope though... hope that chinese government and citizens spend their money in China to increase domestic consumption which keeps the factories open and workers employed and provides profits to local and foreign companies. Increasing consumption is hardly a solution to climate change and related environmental crises affecting China, but.... at least it is a short-term solution.
In the mean-time the West's so-called solution to the crisis is for indebted governments to go into more debt to try to trasnfer money to already indebted citizens, in the hope they will rack up more debts spending that money buying stuff. Some how i think the solution of 'borrowing money to spend money' is not going to solve the problem... it is what created the problem.
We just need to accept that we should only spend what we have, and not try to create a society based on spending what we do not have. We'll just end up back in this mess again in the future. This is (hopefully, short) adjustment period where we try to pay off our debts and then, afterwards, not get into so much debt again and just spend within our means. But is that just wishful thinking and gross over simplifaction?
The Chinese people and government have saved money, so they can spend it. This is better than borrowing money to spend, for sure. Maybe the solution is that FIRST we save money, THEN we spend; rather than FIRST we spend money, THEN we try to save! Anyway, we'll have to see what happens as Western governments pile up debts to try to spend their way out of recession. Hopefully the governments' economic advisers know something I don't and their temporary solutions will actually create an economically sustainable society once this crisis is over. Hopefully.
Work has been variably busy and variably not-so-busy; whilst playing time has been somewhat restricted because of apartment hunting (and subsequent upgrading of current apartment, once it was decided not to move, for the moment) and the cold!
As with the rest of the world everyone is talking about the economy; as you may have read China's only ever concern is social (and therefore political) stability and the biggest threat to this has always been employment. In the past, with massive economic growth coming through manufacturing goods for the West, the rural unemployed found jobs in the urban areas. But now the factories are collapsing due to the lack of orders from the West.
This is a serious problem and serious not just in the sense of budget problems but in the sense of social stability affecting the country's very existence. So far things have been quite quiet.... some protests by taxi drivers; a huge government plan to spend money on infrastructure and other projects to provide jobs; discussions about how to increase domestic consumption.
For the West, the recession is a problem.... a big problem, but the country will survive. In China, the fear is the problem could get big enough to be a serious threat to the country. The government does not talk about that of course, but it knows it.
If you consider there are 150m migrant workers who are employed in the cities in restaurants, construction and factories -and now losing their jobs left, right and centre; 100m middle-class whose savings are locked up in apartments whose value is collapsing (how to boost consumption if savings are in property that you cannot sell?); 3m students who will not get a job next summer; 600m farmers who are now about to a) sell their land to agricultural businesses to get some income (temporarily, but then be job-less) and b) be unable to find jobs on the land due the increasing rate of agricultural mechanisation/modernisation.
And this is just the start; we all need to hope that the economic problems only last for 2 years and that China can survive them. Not just for China's sake -but China's impact on the World is now so great, that other countries are all dependent on China. Hell, every multinational company is here trying to make money, because they know they can't make any at home right now!
There is hope though... hope that chinese government and citizens spend their money in China to increase domestic consumption which keeps the factories open and workers employed and provides profits to local and foreign companies. Increasing consumption is hardly a solution to climate change and related environmental crises affecting China, but.... at least it is a short-term solution.
In the mean-time the West's so-called solution to the crisis is for indebted governments to go into more debt to try to trasnfer money to already indebted citizens, in the hope they will rack up more debts spending that money buying stuff. Some how i think the solution of 'borrowing money to spend money' is not going to solve the problem... it is what created the problem.
We just need to accept that we should only spend what we have, and not try to create a society based on spending what we do not have. We'll just end up back in this mess again in the future. This is (hopefully, short) adjustment period where we try to pay off our debts and then, afterwards, not get into so much debt again and just spend within our means. But is that just wishful thinking and gross over simplifaction?
The Chinese people and government have saved money, so they can spend it. This is better than borrowing money to spend, for sure. Maybe the solution is that FIRST we save money, THEN we spend; rather than FIRST we spend money, THEN we try to save! Anyway, we'll have to see what happens as Western governments pile up debts to try to spend their way out of recession. Hopefully the governments' economic advisers know something I don't and their temporary solutions will actually create an economically sustainable society once this crisis is over. Hopefully.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Seattle
The last destination was Seattle where I had a couple hours downtown in between changing flights. The first impression was that there were a lot of crazy people beggars around on the buses, by bus stops and in the touristy areas making everyone slightly uncomfortable especially the two chinese girls on the bus whom were slightly harassed (eventually the crazy man just got off the bus whilst insulting the guy on the bus who told him not to cause problems).
Pike place market is a fantastic market; less food nowadays and more crafts but still it is very much unlike the Farmer's Market in LA... here the food is fresh and green, wholesome and sustainable, local and creative; smelling fantastic. Amongst the shops is the starbucks where it all began -now a tourist attraction in itself and doing great business from people like me wanting a coffee there!
The main attraction though is the Pike place fish stand which I'd heard of several years ago from a very cool short video about how they motivate their staff and run their business. Amongst the 'lessons' the most memorable was CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE which is still the welcome message on my phone (not that i turn my phone off/on often). Think about it and it makes a lot of sense.
Finally the trip ended with a security scare at Seattle airport delaying the flight by a couple of hours. It is now Thursday, the day after the big election and the World feels different (well, it READS different in the media). Will it be different? Well, I guess I'll have to go back to the US in a few years and find out!
Vegas
After the too-big portions we drove through the desert (itself an interesting sight) to Vegas stopping at a shopping outlet (every time i am in EU/US i have to buy shoes as Asia does not sell my size even though they make it). We also spent a thoroughly enjoyable few hours in Red Rock Canyon park. Even if Vegas was not next door, that park might still be worth a few hours drive to get there. With molre time to go hiking it must be even better.
My mum and sisters had very much been taken in by Vegas legend and were expecting hotels that took hours to walk through/across and were full of amazing things inside. They saw the stats of room numbers, restaurants and shops and, well, then we arrived and after they had stopped screaming realized that most of the hotels were normal hotels that were more special on the outside than inside. The most fancy parts of Vegas are the designer brand shops that line every hotel. Dior? Saw at least 3. De Beers? Saw at least 2. Gucci? At least 5. Well, since the richest ppl in the Woeld come to Vegas to spend money and have fun, I guess they do decent business and brand-building.
The hotels are impressive and luxurious. They are big with lots and lots of slot machines; but machines are small, restaurants and shops are small and most hotels are very alike -impressive, but alike. For me, i had lower expectations having been to Atlantic City, Macao and cities like Shanghai, Hong Kong, Chicago and New York. I've seen fancy buildings, stayed in fancy hotels and so on. So the reality is not quite up to legend, but arriving in Vegas -at night- is still incredible; to see the neon, the amazing hotel facades and the 'strip' is a sight to be seen. Human kind's impact is worrying.. I hate to wonder how much marble and glass makes up Vegas!!
We met a legend of a driver who was born in Vegas close to 80 yrs ago and had seen it all. Quality old man who deserves to should have his story heard.
What kind of people are in the casinos? I'd be interested in reading the research on who comes and spends what money on what. It seems that most people are the average 'joe'; quite a few older joes and that they spend their money on shows, food and slot machines. I imagine there is a whole other side to Vegas of VIP entrances, gambling rooms, suites, suits and exclusivity.
Some hotel wondering, pool-side lazing and gambling later we hit THE club (apparently LAX is the place to go). It's not so hard to get into and full of rif-raff like us plus a football team and some Arabs throwing dollar bills around the club.
I guess i was shocked by how much sex is in Vegas: in addition to the Casino waiteesses wearing so little there are lots of upmarket strip shows and ads for call-girls. Well, where there is money, there is sex. Where there is sex there are pretty women... so any complaints from me?
The next day we flew over the impressive grand canyon and i decided some day to come back and do some white water rafting through it. Flying allowed us to see the Hoover Dam, the desert, the canyon and even the golf courses that stand out like a sore thumb!
The highlight of the entire trip was 'O' (as in eau meaning water in French) a show that has no plot. And does not need one. A truly incredible piece of theatre which was technically auperb: the choreography, the stage design, the music, and the cast. Not sure if they are acrobats or synchronised swimmers, ballet dancers or professional high-divers. It is an incredible 100 minutes of creativity, skill and athleticism. Nothing much matches it. Go see it.
The last night in Vegas was halloween, and what a night it was. The streets were packed; the low-market casinos were packed; dealers were dressed up and live bands were playing; special themed parties, haunted houses and so on were organised. Finally, almost everyone was dressed up and most had made a major effort with all kinds of creations both boght and home-made. It was a lot of fun. Vegas parties are mostly full of groups of men or couples -not many groups of women were there; so single girls could have a ball as my sisters found out!
LA
A short flight down to LA to meet my mum and sisters and I found myself at
Parts of LA really are full of people with insane wealth, demonstrated in the sizes of their cars, homes and driveways.
It is a city of crazy size -in every sense the opposite of a Chinese city. It's a city of houses. not apartments; cars, not public transport; urban sprawl and poor planning, not centralised and planned urbanisation. It takes 3p0 minutes to go anywhere even if going on a highway and without traffic -ridiculous. Most people i asked were not even sure where the 1 subway line goes, though they did know it went nowhere useful to them!
We did the pure LA trip; seeing it from a limo (well, for a 21st, it's a must-do), driving past the stars houses, seeing the stars on
San Francisco
Arrival at Seattle brought me into contact with the friendly customs guards but very unfriendly security guards. It also introduced me to Seattle's interest in Fish and Chips. Several of the restaurants in the airport specialised in it; however they still need to improve: French fries are not chips! Not that the Yanks could eat any more fries even if they were free...fries come with everything -quite a change from China!
The 4 hr change gave me time to read the paper: election, election, election of course, though nothing too exciting (and throughout the trip it was all CNN cared about, driving me crazy). Arriving at San Francisco and I entered a whole new American World of super proud local residents who refuse to identify themselves with other parts of USA or California. They do love, and rate highly, their city!
I spent a few days working with my fantastic colleagues at BSR as well as going out in the evening and catching with Francesca who had worked with me at Plan and also did some touristy stuff. Alcatraz was fantastic: I loved 'The Rock' movie and going to the prison island was even better than expected with an excellent audio tour and access throughout the prison -though its not possible to enter the huge networks of tunnels etc built beneath the prison when military forts were established there in the 19thC.
A half day cycle ride across the Golden Gate bridge to a park of big trees would have been better had my bike not broken down 500m from the park forcing me to turn back to find a repair shop; overall SF is a laid back, fun and enjoyable city to live in. It is very diverse and friendly and pleasing on the eye with good public transport.
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