Various Odes

Hey kids, this is an old post that I've been meaning to post since Beijing. Lots has happened and we're now in Yangshou, but I'm gonna slap this up to keep the blog semi-current while we try to catch up.

Ode to Frisbee

These last six months have been one of the longest, possibly the longest, time I've gone without playing frisbee since I first started playing I've forgotten the effect that frisbee has on me. During this hat tournament, I was so focused on ultimate I had completely forgotten where I was and all the little concerns we had about travelling (buying bus tickets, making plans, etc). It wasn't until our lunch break when we got lunch brought in and the fare included, dim sum and egg rolls that I remembered, "Oh yeah, I'm in Hong Kong." Anyways, it was really nice to have a break from the little administrative issues of traveling (not that I'm complaining), but that focus on present moment when I play frisbee is something that I realize is really special and one of the many reasons I love the game.

Of course, I'm equally amazed at how out of shape I am. I'm totally sore and can barely walk. The Shanghai Tourney will be bit of agony, but fun all the same.

Ode to HK

I've been to Hong Kong once before and I remember totally loving it. And the second we stepped out of the train station, all the love came rushing back. There is a vibe about that city that I love so much. It's a giant chinese New York at half price. Granted it's exponentially more expensive than any other place we've been to in China ($2.50 for wonton soup? You've got to be shitting me!), it's still really nice. I love the international feel to it, with it's cosmopolitian flair and big city efficiency. I'm sure Simon will talk about the Octopus cards. I swear we took the train just so he could use it. And of course the food is delicious. For some reason or another, we never got around to having dim sum and believe me, I'm coming back with a vengence. I could do without the tropical heat though.

While we were there, we went to see a documentary and talk about community theater at the Fringe Club. This great little art space reminded me of Intersection for the Arts in San Francisco. It was one of the few things performed in English which is nice and it was really nice to see something geared more towards locals than tourists. We're definitely gonna try to check out more arts when we get back.

Ode to Pokey

So I got this great walking stick on the Annapurna Trail in Nepal - really light and strong. It got me through the trail and I loved it so much, I named it Pokey and decided I would bring it back home with me. So I've been toting it around with us the last two months (which definitely hasn't make us look like desireable hotel guests). And sadly, when arrived in Beijing, we hopped on the bus that we believed lead to our hostel, but the surly conductor told us that we were on the wrong bus and shooed us off really quickly. And in my haste to get off the bus, I left Pokey on the Eastbound 823. I realized as the bus was a good 100 meters away. Ugh, I feel terrible about this, I mean really terrible. Like a sinking feeling in my stomach when I think about it. I know this stick cost me less than 10 cents, but still. I had been through so much with him. This may take some time to get over. Oh Pokey, please forgive me.