Is Not Chicago

I have successfully made it to China! I write to you from an internet cafe across from tianeman square and a block from the Forbidden City in Beijing. My last days in Thailand were a blast, though tiring because I really tried to live it up. After scuba in Ko Phi Phi, I hightailed it to Riley beach for some rock climbing. Railey is a bit remote; you can only get there by boat. I took a ferry from Phi Phi and then had to jump onto a small longtail boat that came out to sea to meet the ferry. It was all pretty interesting and would have been a lot more fun had it not been a torrential downpour outside! Eveyrthing I had was wet and stayed that way becayse Railey is so humid. But the sceneray and the climbing is worth it. There were literally hundreds of climbers on all of the walls. I just did a half day with a local guide named Saki at a spot called One-Two-Three Wall. It was a bit humbling though because next the route we were on could have been world-class climbers on a route I could never even attempt. I have been so sore in my arms and hands for the last two days.

After Railey, I spent one night in Ao Nang beach – a much more touristy place where the vibe is not dreadlocked hair thai guys smoking pot on the beach, and instead package tourists buying t-shirts. I did have a good time though hanging out with a group of Irish girls.

Back in Bangkok, I made sure to go big as well. Jason, I met up with the Canadians we met on Phangan and it was their last night too. We definitely had a good time. I ended up finishing the night at an illegal afterhours club with some Thai teenagers and drinking with a very inebriated captain in the Thai navy. It was hilarious. Also, if I have not mentioned it yet, Thai girls are pretty ridiculously good looking. I’ll definitely have to put up some pictures.

Anyway, I have since arrived in Beijing and met up with the group. They are VERY photography oriented (imagine 8 people carrying the biggest cameras you have ever seen everywhere), but it looks like it should be fun. And it is so nice to stay in relatively fancy hotels (my place in Railey had mosquito nets and an outhouse – to give you some comparison) and not have to worry about where you are going when. Everything is taken care of and it is quite nice.

I have only been here for one night, though we spent the morning walking through the old Hutongs (old laneways) of old Beijing. Last night we went for the best Peking duck ever (probably because I am in Peking!). Anyway, I am off to see the Fobidden City! See you all soon!

Brian

Yesterday morning I awoke bright and early (well, as I said before, not as early as hoped, but still early) and I headed to Tsukiji fish market. This is the largest fish market in the world where hundreds of tons of fish come in every morning. They have giant auctions for the best fish. Those happen around 5am, so of course I missed out on that. All the guidebooks say it’s best before 8am, and they’re right. I showed up at 7:45 and it was pandemonium. Hundreds of little trucks carrying pallets of fish narrowly averting each other and me. Fish being butchered right in front of me.

Relevant aside: the night before I was out for sushi, and there’s a tank back behind the counter. Usually you just assume they’re just for show. But at one point one of the chefs picked up a net and scooped out one of the fish. And he sliced it up right there. Oh, it tried to escape. That first cut, the little guy jumped about 4 feet across the table. And the people next to us at the counter had the pleasure of enjoying the freshness.

Back to Tsukiji, everyone walking around and picking out the best fish for themselves. I’m sure I ended up eating something later that day I saw that morning.

Then at 8:00, everything immediately slowed down. It didn’t completely stop, but it wasn’t the insanity it had been 5 minutes earlier. After a little more walking around, I headed home to wash the fish stench from my body before heading down to Fuji.

For the first time since Monday I have internet access and a new camera and some cool new pictures. And of course, I don’t have my cable to connect the camera to the computer. Awesome.
I am currently at a Manga cafe in Tokyo. A Manga Cafe is a giant complex where each person has their own booth with a computer and a Playstation. Then there’s shelves and shelves of comics and video games. Appearently this is where a lot of Japanese kids will hang out until 5am after missing the last train.

I spent the day down in Fuji Go-ko, or Fuji Five Lakes. It’s about two hours west of Tokyo and supposedly offers some of the nices views of Mt. Fuji. Before this trip I had my heart set on scaling Fuji, reaching the top at dawn for a spectacular sunrise. However, when I asked the guy at the tourist information center I wanted to climb it today and wanted to know how cold it was, he and the other workers there just laughed at me. You theoretically can do it this time of year, but it’s very dangerous, and none of the huts for resting and eating along the way are open. So in the end I was talked out of climbing, but still going down to the lakes for some Fuji viewing.

And of course, the weather was bad, it was very cold and very cloudy–actually, quite a good thing I didn’t try to climb it today. So I only got one clear view of Fuji all day from the bus, and I didn’t have time to get my camera out. But it’s a damn impressive mountain.

And this just means I have to come back to Japan and climb it during climbing season.

But the good thing about today was I made it to the Tsukiji fish market, although not as early as I would like, thanks to Jenny Tison, Geronimo’s, and Jack Daniels. And I do thank you for it, even if you will never be a champion professional hopscotch player, Jenny. And I may have to get myself on the wall without you.

I will post a description of the insanity that is Tsukiji when I am able to post some pictures.

Last night was a Roppongi night, and it was good, so tonight might have to be one as well.

p.s. yama is Japanese for mountain.