Accidentally in Code

Tag: travel

  • North Korea, July 2013: Day 1

    North Korea, July 2013: Day 1

    Our journey starts at Beijing Airport, which is my new least favourite airport, I think. It’s a tough decision between there, and Bangalore. In the mass of instructions we have received, which I printed, but skimmed rather than read in detail, I have missed that I am supposed to be at the airport at 10am, and arrive closer to 11am. I was enjoying a full night’s sleep, a last delicious breakfast, and unfettered internet access. Our (western) guide who is flying with is, is freaking out, but calms down once I arrive. Our flight is delayed anyway, so I’m glad I took the time for this last bit of relaxation on what is set to be a hectic trip.

    The internet free portion of my vacation starts earlier than expected. OK, I have internet at the airport, but not Twitter. I had forgotten how rubbish the internet in China is – the hotel must have a VPN so that it hadn’t affected me up until now. But I was in China in 2009 when the rioting up North caused them to block Twitter. I should have remembered! I turn on roaming to send one last tweet as we wait for takeoff. And then – internet blackout.

    As we land, the guy next to me starts frantically taking pictures. I’m in a middle seat, so can’t see much, but think I catch a glimpse of some fighter jets. That’s when it hits me – 1. I’m in North Korea. 2. Military is Serious Business here.

    The trip through customs is surprisingly painless! I haven’t managed to fill out a bunch of the forms – they are hilarious, are you carrying weapons? How about published works of any kind? I also cannot spell Pyongyang without spellcheck/autocorrect. The guy is pretty chilled out about it though, quite sweet and friendly even. He just wants me to make sure my address is on there. I’ve neglected to write “Australia” so there is some confusion.

    Next, there is a minor search of my bag, the guy there is also quite sweet and helps me unpack/repack it. Some of my friends have left their phones behind, I’ve compromised and am only carrying 2 (of the 4 that I have), as it is a vacation and not work. I’ve listed that I have 2 phones, one iPad, one Kindle, and one laptop and… nothing. I’m braced for much worse! All he says is “two?” questioningly, and I try and explain that I work making cellphone apps, but he doesn’t understand and doesn’t care so I’m free to go. I’ve had far worse experiences at US and Canadian customs.

    We are collected by two Korean guides, and take the bus to the hotel. People are out and about in the city, dressed in western styles – although possibly the women are a bit more feminine, it’s rare to see women there wearing trousers (pants!) for example.

    The tour guide gives us a brief introduction to North Korea, always referred to by them as “The Democratic Republic of Korea” or “DPRK”. Interesting to me is how she talks about it like it is all of Korea, and even counts the 10m Koreans living outside of Korea (either North or South). She talks about the Japanese occupation of Korea. It’s clearly the major event in their history. I miss Wikipedia, which allows me to look up history on the go, as I didn’t really study any in school (complicated reasons to do with the British school system that I won’t go into here).

    We drive past the Eternity Tower, which we are told symbolises that their dear leaders are always with them forever, even if they are dead.

    Arriving at the hotel, it looks quite grand on the outside but the revolving restaurant is distinctly retro, and the food is shocking (no vegetables, luke-warm). There is no soap in the bathrooms. Our room is very basic. In my limited reading, I had discovered that this was the #2 hotel in the city. I am quite surprised to discover how little it takes to qualify as that. That being said, the views from the revolving restaurant are pretty great. We are on an island, but not in a “ooh lovely, an island” way, more in a “kept away from the masses” way. There’s no leaving the hotel grounds without a guide. It’s like jail, or if you want a nicer analogy – boarding school. Where I always felt I was in captivity…

    I barely have time to freshen up, and then we are off to the Mass Games. I take only necessities, leaving my passport in the room, so when the (Korean) guide demands it, I don’t have it to give to her. I’m not happy about just handing it over – my passport lives in a case my lovely friend Dave bought me that says “without this I’m nothing”, and that is exactly how I feel about my passport (is this an expat thing? Discuss). So I ask why I have to hand it over. I get some garbled reasoning about having to get a stamp in it from the Chinese, but that doesn’t explain why they have to have it the whole trip. I go somewhat Software-Engineer on her, picking holes in the logic and wanting to know why why why until she eventually admits that she doesn’t exactly know… but that I have to hand it over anyway. The western guide is clearly unhappy with my lack of blind compliance. Oh well.

    The Mass Games is the most extraordinary spectacle I have ever seen.  There are kids at the back changing the pages of books to create these incredible backdrops. Meanwhile, hundreds of people are involved in each dance. It’s so coordinated, and I never catch anyone looking out of place or out of time. The part with the children doing gymnastics and skipping is mind-blowing to me. I cannot imagine that many western children being so fit and coordinated. My friend Arya and I go for the first class (150 EUR) tickets – it’s totally worth it, the view is incredible and the table in front of the seats is handy for taking good pictures!

    I don’t really understand a lot of what is going on but key things I noticed:

    • Mention of the Olympics. I had no idea NK was in the Olympics! If only I had Wikipedia. I will look it up when I get back to The Internet.
    • Space (presumably refers to this).
    • Russia – featuring Dancing Bears. A show of affection for Russia?
    • People separated by divide. I gather this refers to the split between North and South, which the guide mentioned in her introduction.

     

    On the way back to the hotel, our guide tells us that it consists of 100,000 people. They have the event every year since 2007, and usually it has a 3 month preparation time, although this year there was only 2 months to prepare (no explanation as to why this was the case). Mostly it is the same show, but there are some changes to reflect recent events (in this case, I guess the olympics and the space sections?). She sings a song for us, called “Arirang”  and promises the whole story on our way to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). She also tells us a story about a couple split by the invasion of Japan, it has an unfortunate ending – the husband kills the man who fancies his wife (even though his wife has done nothing), and storms off in a rage. The wife then kills herself. In general, I’m not a fan of possessive/abusive relationships branded as “love stories”.

    I take an indirect route from the bus to the hotel, hoping to escape the guides and spend one last night with my passport. Would it be weird to sleep with it? In the end I get very little time with it, as I get lost trying to find my way to my room – we are on floor 16, but I’m trying to get to floor 6, which is impossible, as that section of the hotel is owned by the Chinese, who have a casino there too. No sooner do I make it back to the room than the phone rings. Our western guide has tracked me down, and my passport is wrested from me. I photograph it and ask for a receipt. He looks at me like I’m mad. I’m just to hand it over. Huh. Apparently this was all in one of the emails I didn’t read fully. I don’t really have any choice other than to cooperate.

    There are two phones in our hotel room, but only the one in the bathroom seems to work – it’s the only one that rings anyway. This hotel is so ghetto!

    I’m exhausted so it’s time to sleep – this trip is going to be mad. It’s a little weird to be without my phone, and I keep going to check it as something to do when I’m waiting for the elevator etc, but it’s not as bad as I thought. I’m resigned to it, although gutted that I won’t get to check in on fourquare all over NK. That would have been SO AWESOME.

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  • Hong Kong, July 2013

    Hong Kong, July 2013

    I hadn’t been to Hong Kong since 2007, so I was keen to revisit on my way to North Korea. Last time I was spoiled by friends and colleagues of my dad, and had friends there – I remember delicious food, seeing the Peak, Disneyland, the Science Museum (where I discovered my driving was very fuel-efficient), and shopping with a Legendary Shopper. This time I planned on a more anti-social experience, getting in some quality Cate-Time before going on a tour where I would be with other people 24/7!

    I stayed at The Mira. It’s a lovely hotel – luxurious and hip, but not in a intimidating way. I felt pretty ambivalent about the afternoon tea there, but the breakfast was great (apart from some poorly labelled sesame – peanut sauce), and the other hotel bars were good for snacks. It’s close to a mall so I ate across the road at the Yunyan Sichuan Restaurant one evening – I wasn’t a fan of the main I ordered, but the vegetables and desert were nice. I used the hotel car service to get to and from the airport, it was comfortable and low stress after a long flight! Best thing about The Mira was the spa area – the pool is beautiful, great for a swim after a long day. I did that two evenings, and it was so relaxing. Little warm for serious lap swimming, but for 40 lengths or so it was fine. The spa was amazing, I got a lovely body wrap and massage which left me feeling blissed out. Incredible 30% off deals at the spa right now, too. Highly recommend.

    Sunday I was aiming to stay outside all day to beat jetlag, so I headed to the Chi Lin Nunnery. I was hoping to walk there (about an hour), but after getting trapped on the wrong side of a highway and lost in a mall, I gave up and took a cab! Once I got there, it was incredibly beautiful and peaceful. The soothing sound of chanting, I don’t think a recording, although I couldn’t figure out where it came from. They have lots of statues of holy things, which you mostly aren’t allowed to photo, but you can kneel in front of and zen out. I’m not religious, or even spiritual, but it’s a nice environment to contemplate things. I peered inside one to see an office with a computer – a little bit of technology in something otherwise old and timeless.

    Then I went to the Kowloon Walled City, stopping off en-route for a delicious BBQ pork bun (I love love love BBQ pork buns) which I ate in a nearby park – relaxing moment, one of those that I try and mentally capture, because travelling alone can be hard. The Walled City has an interesting history as an ungoverned settlement, and it’s also really pretty to walk around. After chilling out for a while, I headed to the Temple Street Night Market to see if I had remembered how to bargain! I hadn’t, so I overpaid for some pretty things, but not horribly, and I managed to get a cellphone case and screen protector for my new Nexus 4 – something I had been unable to find in Australia! So that was good. And the usual bracelets, including something that was claimed to be Pink Jade – I’m not sure about that, but I am sure it is super-pretty. And faux-Toms, with Canadian flags on them. Seems wrong to buy faux-Toms, but… Canadian flags! That is awesome.

    Day two (Monday) I went to be cultural, starting with the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Lots of beautiful art, and I really enjoyed the modern section. There was something called The Eden, which featured simulated “people” walking around, meeting, and reproducing, starting with Adam and Eve, and eventually dying out. I found it gripping! I’d had an idea for a digital ecosystem like that for so long now, but I haven’t made it because I don’t have all the variables figured out – that made me realise that it doesn’t need to be perfect to be compelling.

    After lunch at Din Tai Fung and a wonder through a park, I headed to the Hong Kong Space Museum. This was aimed at kids, but I still found bits of it really cool – like the section on manufacturing in space! Space chemistry! Apparently you can make things in Space that you can’t make on earth, because they will have different properties, so the international space station will have manufacturing on it. I had no idea about this! Fascinating! And there was a model space ship that you could wonder around, and details on Astronaut suits – how they keep astronauts warm, and safe. They had things that you could play with, including a gyroscope thing (lame), and some more exciting ones, a flight simulator, a low gravity simulator, and another one that I couldn’t see properly as I wasn’t willing to queue.

    I bought a ticket that would get me into 7 museums for $30 HKD, but probably would have been better to just pay per museum, as many of them were closed on Tuesday and I only saw those two. I finished the day with a wonder along the Avenue of Stars (beautiful views), and the Star Ferry at sunset – which was spectacular.

    Day 3 (Monday) didn’t get off to the greatest start, with the sesame/peanut sauce. Then I took a cab over to the tram that would take me up to Peak, and the cabbie had hacked his meter to rip off tourists. I argued with him, but eventually decided to pay the extra 165 HKD (just under 25 AUD) rather than risk it. I later spoke to the hotel though and showed them the (fake) receipt he had given me and they – I found this really impressive – tracked him down using the security cameras, and reported him! The view from the Peak was pretty incredible though, and I had the most delicious BBQ pork buns of my trip whilst looking over all of Hong Kong. The restaurant was a tad over-priced, but worth it for the view. Then I walked down from the Peak (painful, it’s a steep hill and was raining) but took a route through the botanical gardens, which are beautiful, had dinner at a restaurant Fourquare recommended (food was pretty good).

    By this point I was totally done in! So I spent my final day chilling out – leisurely hotel breakfast (no peanuts this time), serious spa time (amazing), and in plenty of time for my flight at the airport. My flight was delayed, so I got to try two of the Star Alliance lounges. The Singapore Airlines one has delicious food (Häagen-Dazs!) but no bathrooms. United has less good food but clean bathrooms, and toothbrushes.

    I wan’t entirely sure how much I’d enjoy HK by myself, but it was actually great. There were a couple of times that I would have preferred to be with someone (like when the cabbie was being a jerk!) but eating dinner out alone wasn’t as scary as I remembered it being in China, and I found plenty to do. Someday I’ll go back with someone, eat on the dim sum boat again, stay at the Intercontinental and chill out by the Infinity Pool, and take afternoon tea at the Penninsula… but there’s plenty to do otherwise. Worth a visit – but I say that about pretty much everywhere!

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  • How I Learned To Love Solo-Travel

    How I Learned To Love Solo-Travel

    Danbo underneath an exploding bubble!
    Credit: flickr / Christopher Bowley

    I didn’t travel anywhere by myself until I was 22. And then I spent a year as an international hobo. It was scary to set off by myself, but I met people everywhere I went – some who I’m still in touch with, and some who were only in my life for a short time.

    And now, I travel alone all the time. For work, and for pleasure. There is too much I want to do and see to wait for the perfect travel buddy, and it turns out that often when I’ve just decided I’m going, someone is happy to come with. I’ve discovered that being willing to go alone means that sometimes you don’t have to.

    But it can still be hard – one morning in Hong Kong recently I ate some poorly labelled peanut sauce, had an allergic reaction, and then got ripped off by a corrupt cabbie. That was definitely a day I wished I was with someone else!

    Anyway, here are some things I do to make it easier to go alone. This definitely is not tips for budget travel! I don’t do that at the best of times, and certainly not when I’m alone. It’s stressful enough.

    • Embrace Introvert Time. I’m an ambivert, which means that I need to keep my social time and solo time in balance. Experimentation has let me know that 3-4 days of not speaking to anyone is fine, but I probably couldn’t cope with more than that. So if I go for 2 weeks, I break it up into social sections (places where I know people) and solo sections. If it’s a short trip, or I’m starting with solo-time, then I’ll people myself out before my departure by going out every night. That way, when I arrive at my destination I’m due some alone time and happy to embrace it!
    • Always Have Data. I have very little sense of direction, but that’s OK, because I have a ridiculous number of cellphones (being a mobile dev) and so the first thing I do on arrival is acquire a SIM card (or, in Tokyo, it was a portable wifi device). This can seem overpriced, but I’m happy to pay ~$40 for a few days – I know that it allows me to be more adventurous with where I eat (recommendations and foursquare), and take fewer cabs (maps means I don’t get too lost and cab it home because I’m too exhausted to figure out another way). It also makes me feel safer – if I’m in a cab alone, I can track the route they are taking and make sure it’s not out of my way.
    • Stay Somewhere Comfortable. Other solo-travellers swear by hostels as a way to meet people, but I’m not sold on the idea. My experience of hostels are that they are uncomfortable and feel unsafe – and I’ve never stayed in one alone (that may be skewed by the fact that the last one I stayed at was a converted jail). I want to stay somewhere I can get directions and recommendations from the concierge, relax quietly if I’m feeling overwhelmed, and order room service if I’m sick, or my flight’s delayed and I get in too exhausted to go out and find food. Exploring can be stressful, but sleeping must not be.
    • Start With a Long Walk. I love roaming about cities by myself, plug in some music, set a park as a destination in maps, and go. So that is always what I start with – as a bonus, daylight and exercise are the best things for jetlag! This is not an activity that can easily go wrong – I’ve never not had a great wonder around anywhere I’ve been. Once I’m roamed around for a while, appreciated the aesthetics, I’m much more relaxed and feel more orientated to explore other things.
    • Maximize Alone Activities. Things I love to do alone: read, walk, museums/art galleries, spa-time. Things I’m OK doing alone: eating lunch with a book, shopping. Things I find doing alone stressful: eating dinner (esp at the weekend), going to the movies/theatre. So the more things I pick from the first category, the happier I’ll be and the less I’ll miss having company.
    • Minimize and Space “Prefer Company” Activities. I went to a show alone when I was in Prague – this was an achievement for me! But it has to be something that I really want to do, and one show in 3 days was probably as much as I was going to enjoy. I tend to skip dinner, or eat at weird times, especially at the weekend, which makes it easier for me to eat out alone. Sometimes I practise doing things I don’t really like to do alone whilst at home – like going to a restaurant I’ve been meaning to try by myself, or going for brunch to my favourite place alone. Maybe someday I’ll go to the movies alone!
    • Stick With Status. I have status on Star Alliance, and I stick to flying with them, especially when I’m alone. Lounge access when a flight is delayed and I’m exhausted is really handy. Some places will allow you to leave a bag at the reception rather than carting all your belongings to the bathroom, which makes it easier. The chairs are more comfortable, there are snacks, and I don’t feel I need to be as paranoid about continually watching my stuff – I can relax with a book, or even take a nap. This might seem a little diva-ey, and depends on flight lengths and times etc, but when I was stuck in Singapore Airport from 3-7am, I was really glad to be somewhere that was a bit more comfortable and (I feel, perhaps irrationally), safe.
    • Mid-Week Is Better. People are more social at weekends, and restaurants are less keen to have a table for one. There are more couples about – maybe not what you want to see if you’re travelling alone because you just had a breakup. During the week more people travel for work, or are just going about their regular day. Upshot: I’d sooner be somewhere by myself on Wednesday than on Saturday, and where possible I plan my trips accordingly.
    • Morning/Afternoon/Evening – Pick Two. The biggest benefit of travelling alone is never having to wait for anyone. That could be an opportunity to see more stuff, or it could just be space in your day where you chill out. I know my energy levels, and especially given that I spend most of my time walking or standing leaving at 9am and returning in time to go to bed would just be too much. So if I leave early, I’ll aim to return for a bit in the afternoon and chill before I go out in the evening, or I’ll return early and go swimming or something before bed. I’ll linger over lunch and drink more tea, and read. Putting pressure on myself to be on the go for 12+ hours a day will not make me happy.
    • It’s Not the Trip, it’s a Trip. Something I really want to do in Hong Kong – have afternoon tea at the Penninsula. But I didn’t do that this trip, because it’s an experience I want to share with someone. In Copenhagen, I missed out on the downtown theme park – I love fairground rides, but it’s more fun with someone else. I don’t view my solo-trips as trips-of-a-lifetime, or see them as places that I won’t go again. That takes the pressure off, and leaves me free to do what I want to do on that particular trip, not follow some list of “must do” tourist attractions.
    • A Picture Is Like An Instant Postcard. The data plan means I can tweet or email a photo and include people in my trip, in real time. If I see something that reminds me of someone, I send them a picture. If I see something really cool, I tweet it. People usually reply or comment, and I get a little social interaction.
    • Shop For Memories. Arguably the shared memories of a trip are the best thing you bring home when you go with someone, “Do you remember when we took that Tuk Tuk in Bangkok…?” – you don’t have that when you go alone. My strategy is as follows: I almost never shop at “home”, I shop when I travel. So when someone complements me on my top, or my shoes, or my necklace, it has a story: “Thanks! I bought this when I was in…” – my outfits are made up of memories of adventures, and that is kinda cool.
    • Pack Light (But Not Too Light). I want little enough luggage that I can carry it easily, but not so little that I end up being unable to fit stuff in my checked luggage and have too much to carry about the airport. I know people who swear by carry on only, but (especially with status and priority tags) I almost never have to wait any time for my luggage and I don’t have to worry about hand-washing clothes etc.
    • Be OK To Be Scruffy. I lived out of a small holdall for the entire of last July. I did this by packing about 5 of the same outfit and wearing that every day – leggings and a long t-shirt. Not my best outfit, and after that month most of them got relegated to the back of my closet never to be worn again. But, especially when travelling alone, no-one cares what you look like, and you’re probably never going to see the people you meet again anyway. Priority is comfort, and easily packable. Sometimes guys chat me up, but I’m not looking for that, and I think my baseball cap and sneakers keeps them away – good. I’m there for an adventure, not to “fall in love”. Having a break from looking pretty and making an effort is liberating.
    • Savor Small Moments. I had this moment sitting on a bench in a park with an amazing BBQ pork bun in Hong Kong. I felt very peaceful, and just acknowledged it as the kind of moment that I get whilst travelling solo, but not when travelling with people. I felt relaxed, and free to just do whatever the hell appealed to me in that moment.
    • Do Weird Stuff. I spent about 4 hours in the most beautiful graveyard I have ever seen in Copenhagen last year. I walked for nearly 2 hours to see a giant metronome in Prague. These were highlights – for me – from these trips, but I don’t know anyone else who would really have enjoyed them. I love going along with what other people want to do, I see different things than I would have chosen myself, and reassure myself that I don’t live in a filter bubble. When I go places by myself, I do things that seem frankly odd, but so what – it makes me happy!

     

    Summary: solo-travel is  more stressful, but worth it. Managing and reducing the things that you find stressful (different for everyone), and embracing whatever it is that you love doing alone is key to enjoying it.

    It’s better to go alone, than with a bad travel buddy – or not at all!

  • North Korea, July 2013: The Prequel

    North Korea, July 2013: The Prequel

    At the end of last year, I was 6 months into my complete life upheaval (moving to Sydney) and couldn’t quite contemplate the idea of any New Years Resolutions. So I set myself a goal for the year instead – this would be the year that I would go to North Korea.

    I’ve wanted to go to North Korea for a long time. It’s like a secret place, no-one really knows what happens there. Now I’m back, and I still don’t. But my friends – especially those friends with US passports – have long thought I was mad. One of my Chinese friends said that we would just “sneak in” if I went to visit him and his family in Northern China. Even I thought that was a bad idea.

    Anyway, I was lucky enough to meet Narelle at the start of the year, and she put together A Plan, because she’s an incredibly organised travel genius. I had only got as far as finding some tour operator, and refreshing the page that should have listed tours for this year, which was never updated. Then Narelle put together The Plan, and soon 8 of us were heading on the Victory Day Tour with Young Pioneers Tours. You get your two Korean guides (to watch you, and each other) and also a Western guide, which theoretically makes things easier.

    There are three stories about North Korea. The one the outside world tells. The one they tell the outside world, and the one they tell inside. This trip was an experience of the story they tell inside. Throughout the trip, I struggled to find much relationship between these stories.

    I’d deliberately not done that much reading before we left, unlike my friend Anna who claims to have read “everything about North Korea on the Internet” – and yes she still came on the tour, she even took the train! I have notes and pictures from each day, which I will write up in a post for each day. There was an incredible amount of information there, and to lump it all together would be too much. I realised towards the end that I had some serious confusion about which Kim was which – the 2nd one (Kim Jong-Il) was sick and aged dramatically, and was doing a lot even before his father died – I think when the 1st Kim (Kim Il-Sung) died, he looked younger than his son did.

    There were things that were really odd – in none of my travels, have I ever spent so much time in such grand places. I escaped the group briefly for maybe 20 minutes, which was exhilarating. I longed to see this half-finished hotel, but the western guide was clear that breaking away from the group would lead to arrest, being kicked out the country, and a bad time for everyone else – not just you. Besides, without Google Maps I was lost and disorientated – I would never have made it anywhere.

    Some initial thoughts – over the course of writing about the events of each day, I’m sure I will process all of it – it’s overwhelming, the amount of information – and so these are my partially formed ideas.

    • Our passports were taken from us for the duration of our stay. I was not ok with that, and the reasoning was not clear. My passport was returned to me unharmed, as far as I can make out.
    • People actually seemed very happy, and happy to see foreigners (although soldiers were often reluctant to have their picture taken – no doubt afraid of the consequences). They would smile and wave at us, be happy to have their picture taken by the foreigner. Yes, we were taken to the sanitised bits, and mostly stayed in Pyongyang, but just driving around you would see people – lots of people – dressed “normally” (western) and going about their business. Lots of people on public transport, but private vehicles. We also encountered people in parks, and at the theme park, celebrating what they call Victory Day – I was right at the front of the mass of people as the tanks and other artillery drove through the centre after the Parade. I think we were the first Westerners to get that close – it was pretty incredible.
    • Some things are just confusing, our guides told me that you could leave the country (one of them even had), and that it was fine to marry a foreigner. Pressing the question – but does it ever happen? Gets evasive answers. We saw the hospital and it did not appear to be in much use (this had freaked out my mother – a doctor – after she saw the Panorama episode), although perhaps because of that a couple of patients were displayed to us with their newborn babies. That was probably one of the oddest moments.
    • There are pictures of the Kims everywhere, and in fact when we went to the mausoleum our guide described it as their “holy” place. It does feel religious, and to me (an atheist) the statues don’t seem that different from a lot of the religious (Christian) symbolism that fills many european countries, whilst the rhetoric doesn’t sound so different from the American “God and Country” patriotism. The difference is that the 1st Kim (Il-Sung) died within living memory. Isn’t that in some ways less weird? Liberating the country from occupation seems like an understandable thing to be grateful for. The values of independence and self-sufficiency were very highly spoken of, continually.
    • That being said, some of the descriptions of him seems… overly-glorified? No worse than any other religion though. I’m sure, less harmful than many. In all his pronouncements that we heard, there was nothing that dismissed women, or advocated genocide.
    • There was a celebration of killing “the enemy” that made me uncomfortable. We toured the USS Pueblo on display at the War Museum, on the day that the first westerners got to visit. The museum also featured a couple pictures of injured/killed US soldiers that I found distasteful. We sanitise war in the western media, but when the weapons come out people die. Perhaps I’m just usually insulated from that – the article linked above quotes a US soldier saying “It would have been nice to take out some of the guys, some of them…”.
    • There is no internet access. I actually saw more computers in glass cases on display, than I did in use. It is like travelling back in time. This was less hard for me than I expected. In some ways refreshing. That being said, GPS works fine. If you’ve downloaded maps, you’ll be able to see where you are.
    • My phones (I took all my photos on my iPhone 5, but also carried a Galaxy Nexus) were never checked, nor was my laptop or iPad. They just checked quantities.

    By the end of the trip I was starting to wonder – is this about hiding from the world, or protecting a way of life? Communism has been a failed experiment everywhere it has been tried, but Capitalism has it’s own problems. In the US, people who are born poor, are more likely to die poor than in Canada or Western Europe. There is a horrifying racial divide (also read this Quora answer, I defy you not to cry), and crushing poverty – look at Detroit, for example. And the system fails people catastrophically – look at New Orleans.

    Either side I stayed at the Langham Place Beijing Airport Hotel – some much needed comfort either side of a trip that was (for me) decidely “roughing it”. It is exhausting, so building in some R&R time either side is a good idea!

     

  • Prague, March 2013

    Prague, March 2013

    In April, I headed to Prague. Why Prague? I scrolled down the deals on expedia, or lastminute.com and it was a good deal, an appealing city to me (hadn’t been there before, but looked interesting), and the weather appealed to my mood – cool, even chilly, but not wet. It was also my first time in Eastern Europe.

    I stayed at the Corinthia Hotel, it was a little dated, and somewhat out the way but nice enough. The hotel food – breakfast was rubbish and overpriced, I had dinner at the Asian Fusion restaurant there, which was tasty but the service was snooty.

    I do not recommend the spa there though – I somehow accidentally got a chemical peel during what I thought was a standard facial (what kind of facial includes that?) and then had something called “honey therapy”.

    My back was covered in honey and then pummelled. The skin on my back stuck to her hands and, oh, the pain. After a few minutes with tears in my eyes I said:

    “Is this supposed to hurt?”

    She responded,

    “Is honey therapy.”

    Er – OK then. Lesson learned – Eastern European beauty is painful. Next time, just stick to the massage.

    This nearby Thai restaurant was amazing, though.

    My favourite bit was wondering around – I roamed through parks, squares (near the clock, which is very cool) across bridges, up to see a giant metronome, up to the tallest point, and there was a mirror maze which was great for interesting selfies. And the John Lennon wall – I didn’t expect to, but I loved it. So charming, and beautiful, but chaotic.

    Museums – I went to the Sex Machines Museum, where I watched vintage Spanish porn in a room of strangers and saw a lot of terrifying looking devices. It wasn’t sexy, more weird. Perhaps not a good place to go alone.

    The Kafka Museum I unexpectedly found fascinating, despite never having read any of his work. His life as a German-speaking Jew during that time was incredibly hard, and his love-life I found oddly gripping. So many engagements, but never followed through.

    The Museum of Decorative Arts had an exhibition of toy cars, matchbox cars, the history of which was more beautiful than I expected. I loved the sculptures by modern, local artists.

    Going to shows (and movies) alone was, and remains out of my comfort zone, but I made an effort and went to see a light show. The dancers wear bright costumes, and are lit up, on a black backdrop. It’s mesmerising. Seems to be a thing there, and definitely worth checking one of them out! All done by mime, so no need to understand Czech.

    Shopping wise, I got some interesting jewellery – there’s some great little design-ey shops and show rooms, if you wonder the backstreets!

    All in all, well worth a visit.

  • France, March 2013

    I was in France in March, mostly just chilling out with my family and eating delicious food (and OK, shopping) but also we went to this… I don’t know what to call it. Exhibit? Called Carrières de Lumières.

    It’s a cool space – a quarry turned into an exhibition space. Music plays, and the works of Old Masters are projected onto the walls. It’s immersive, and mesmerising, but I think misses the point a bit – the art is not just the picture, it’s also the medium. Seeing Van Gogh’s Starry Night (at MOMA in NYC), or Water Lillies (in Amsterdam) is incredible in person, and pretty cool projected on to a large wall, but it’s very different. I think the space could be used in ways that are… mind blowing. But as it is, it’s pretty cool.

  • Wellington, May/June 2013

    Wellington, May/June 2013

    I was in Wellington, New Zealand for Rails Girls recently, and shortly before that to visit the university. It’s quite pretty, especially around the Harbor, but the weather wasn’t the greatest! Rails Girls was a great event though, I got my first little Rails site up and running.

    In June, I stayed at the Bolton Hotel, which I liked much better than the Museum Hotel (where I stayed in May). It’s comfortable rather than ostentatious, and they have adorable fluffy kiwis!

  • Christchurch (and Surrounds), April 2013

    In April, I was in Christchurch NZ with my friend Alex. We wondered around the city, and checked out Re:Start (a mall made of shipping containers), and Quake City (a museum dedicated to the earthquake – incredibly moving video featuring interviews with survivors). We spent a long time watching a building being torn down by machines (weirdly mesmerizing!), and then did a loop of the surrounding countryside – which made me see why people say that New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

    I really enjoyed Christchurch, people rebuilding their lives after what happened was really heartwarming. And the affect is still fresh – finding a store with out of date fashions in the window was strangely gripping to me.

    I stayed at the George Hotel. The internet was terrible, and the bed uncomfortable, but they gave me an adorable bear.

  • How To Leave a Country

    For someone who seems to have an incurable fear of forms, I move too often. There is nothing I have found so far that has more bureaucracy than moving, especially if that move requires you to obtain a visa.

    Dealing with the logistics is time-consuming and stressful, but not hard. Dispose of assets: car (the last tie to my ex, so glad that is done with), cancel outgoings: apartment, phone, internet, insurance, electricity, gym membership. Because things were uncertain up until the last minute, I ended up paying extra because many things were cancelled at the last minute. I consider this an investment in an easier life, but maybe I am just disorganized and indecisive.

    Weird, because I bought a one-way ticket out of Canada, luckily I had enough airmiles, so it was cheap (one-ways to and from North America are normally extortionate) and business class – thankfully, after 3 days with little sleep and the last day or so I was too stressed to eat as well I arrived looking and feeling like I had been electrocuted and spent the night in a ditch, and that was with a fully reclining seat and a full night’s sleep on the plane (can’t imagine how I would have been had I flown economy)! But I have a couple of weeks in limbo (in the UK, Copenhagen and Singapore) so the departure from Canada and my arrival in Sydney have been completely separate. I didn’t apply for the Australian Visa or book my flight until after I arrived in the UK. But now I have both (Australian immigration is efficient) and I will arrive in Sydney July 27th.

    You end one life, you start another. Visa, bank account, somewhere to live. Despite having relatively little, I am determined to have less in my next location. Thankfully my friend in Sydney enjoys apartment hunting, my hope is that she will have sorted out somewhere for me to live before I arrive.

    Anyway, I’m not qualified to tell anyone how to deal with bureaucracy. But leaving, that I am good at.

    Truth is, I was heart-broken to leave KW. So much in Sydney that I’m excited for, and I need to live in a city, the city-planning of KW makes everywhere feel like suburbia, an environment I am completely unsuited to. But the community is so vibrant and amazing, and the people I know are so wonderful. I have doubted the decision to leave many, many times, but I was always going to go.

    Glad I have my time in limbo though, I left during pitch night (a story for another blog post) and to go from that huge outpouring of love and many of my favorite people in town to a place where I know one person outside of work, that would be quite a culture shock.

    I tend to say “why not” instead of “why”, so when everything in my life seemed to disappear at once, I said “why not go” instead of “why stay”. The way you frame the question, makes an outcome more likely. And the thing is, I want to have an international life and career, I just expected to go back to Europe now, but I’m not. Sydney is too beautiful, one of my favorite people in the world is there, and the opportunity is really good for me. It’s never a good time to leave, but some times are less terrible than others, and I think less terrible doesn’t come around that often – so I tell myself that I have to take advantage of it when it does.

    But it is hard, and I would talk to people more settled than me and they would quiz me on the how and why, or say they wanted to move to X but hadn’t because of Y, and the truth is, I have all the same fears and concerns, I just do it anyway. I miss my family, have since I left the UK (timezones make it hard), but you only get your twenties once, either you  take advantage of that, or you don’t. I don’t want to be wishing I had lived in X or done Y 10 years from now, I want to do it.

    We had some girl guides into the office the other week, and I listed “economic freedom” as a benefit of being a female engineer. Economic freedom means you can leave a bad relationship if it is not working out, and not be tied by financial considerations. It means you can up sticks and move to another continent if you want that adventure; it also means you don’t have to if you don’t want to. It is the freedom to make your own decisions, and live your own life, confident that you can financially support yourself and others if necessary.

    And I write my profile for OK Cupid, and worry that I seem like a feckless fuckwit. But, whatever, this is my life and I like the adventure, people who judge I probably don’t want to hang out with. And, this is a special time when I’m economically free, and completely lacking in responsibilities. Good chance it won’t last forever (although I’ll do what I can to see that it does!), so I should enjoy it whilst it does.

    How do you leave? You dispose of your assets, you cancel your outgoings, and you buy a ticket. You cry, you doubt yourself, you tell yourself that maybe you’ll come back, you hug your people, you tell them how much they mean to you, you cry some more, and then you get on the plane. It is that simple, and that hard.