Nasty Wine

Okay, China isn't famous for wine, but I was still surprised to see this 'Nasty' wine while in a shop the other day...
Okay, so you might have guessed that this is actually short for 'Dynasty', but still the initial impression is lasting! Giving into curiosity, Ros and I decided to try one of their 'Dry Reds' (12% alcohol) - this is the bottle below.
Let me enlarge the text at the bottom for you:
Yes, that's right people "Constantly drinking this wine is good for your health!"

Dancing in Zhongdian

Zhongdian is otherwise known as Shangri la and for good reason. This is a mixed city (many are in China I'm finding) where old and new sit side by side. The old town is beautiful with a cobbled square as its centrepiece, which is where we spent our evenings. At about 5 pm we'd arrive and feast on delicious yak, veggie and tofu kebabs (about 15c each), then as the sun lowered at about 7:30, the music starts, and the the first of the locals start dancing. Over the next 2 hours the crowd grows with locals the mainstay, supplemented by adventurous travellers here and there. The earnestness of the local involvement during this time was special, and while trying to dance along with them created its share of embarrassing moments, it was a wonderful time where smiles and chuckles were mandatory. Here are some shots we managed to capture...

Early in the eveneing - one cirle only (it grew to about 5 as the night progressed)
Ros getting in on the act
What did I say - it was fun!!!

More Silly Signs

What can I say... (maybe they should have used an 'a'?). Dragon Gate, Kunming. China

Dukes of Hazard parking? Kunming, China

I can't work out what this could possibly be for... Kunming, China

So if your lucky, you might get some welfare. Excellent. Kunming, China

Fantastic 'Chinglish' at the Dragon Gate, Kunming, China

China, here we come!

Introducing... DUDEness

This is me with one of the finest examples of "Dudeness" we found in Vietnam.

After seeing lots of similarly presented elder statesmen of the Vietnamese community, we came upon the moniker of "Dudness". It's more than the clothes: the daytime pyjamas, the scarf, and usually a fedora; more than than the vocation: wandering the streets amiably; it's also about the attitude: the calm facial expressions, the strong overtones of confidence, and a large dose of charisma that make Dudness a special highlight when traveling through this long country of 80+ million.

Upon reflection it seems all the more astounding that the most calm and content Vietnamese appear those of the "Dudness" collective as they are the ones most likely to have seen the worst of Vietnam's troubled and violent history.

If I'm a patch on this guy at 80 (his age), I'll be a very happy man. Have a closer look:

Monk Party

I should start off by mentioning that I'm about to tell a tale that occured several months ago in Sukaithai, Thailand. Ros and I only recently realised that neither of us had recorded this amazing evening - so here it is.
It is very quickly learned in Asia that good food can be found outside of the main streets - especially good CHEAP food. And so it was that Ros and I diverted our course from the main street of Sukathai into what looked like a busy side street. We found plenty of tables, an abundance of food, and surprisingly an abundance of rum also (surprising as most Thai's can't afford to drink liberally).

To our surprise a lady came to us immediately, guided us to a table, placed a full bottle of rum in front of us. Food then promptly arrived, and our new host directed our attention to a large stage where a male singer was performing before 5 stunning dancers who were making some very suggesting pelvic thrusts as part of their dancing routine. A little perplexed we reviewed our environs more closely and realised that we had stumbled upon a private party, and the host had, in the best Buddhist tradition, welcomed us to join them and share in their lavish celebrations.
We also spotted a very nervous looking novice monk (maybe 15 years), and with some effort learned that the party was to celebrate his commencement as a monk (all males in Thailand spend some time as a monk, usually in their teen years). So what better way to celebrate the start of abstinence, celibacy and modesty than by watching about 150 of your extended family go on an eating, drinking and dancing binge, with the hottest babes in town thrusting their groin everywhich way they can?

He was certainly nervous, and so watched from a quiet corner where he was not able nor tempted to look at the stage.

After having a beer in acceptance of their kindness (we couldn't refuse their offers, but it was too much for us to accept a full bottle of rum knowing that it cost them more that it would to feed someone for a week), we were encouraged onto the dance floor...
Suitably embarrassed (both us and the monk), we boogied for about 15 minutes, blessed the monk, and made a speedy exit. We felt sorry for the monk. It was a party in his honour, but there was not one part of it in which he could participate. Not only that, but a few random farang had just hijacked the interest of all the other attendees...

Special Bathroom Bonus

When you check into a guest house, it's wise to check out the bathroom, to be certain that it is at least somewhat clean, determine the hot water status, and to find out if you get free stuff like toilet paper, toothbrushes or even a comb.
During a recent inspection, chaparoned by a middle age lady (of surprisingly mild disposition for a Vietnamese), in a quiet, unassuming guest house on the Vietnamese coast, I spotted a couple of posters as depicted featuring 80s-esq bikini babes as shown. What could be more surprising than that? The fact that they weren't posters. These are tiles - a permanent feature of the establishment!

Sign Language

When riding along a highway in a foreign country, one has to take particular attention to the signs that are posted along the way to ensure appropriate riding behaviour, and to maximise the safety of both those on the motorbike, and the general population at large. (Note, this blog entry will make more sense if read after the one immediately below, that introduces the reader to the motorbiking experience on Highway 1A).

In some cases this has proven a little challenging, and I'll show you why.

Example 1
Pedestrian Crossing. Simple enough really, just an image two children on their way to school.

Example 2
Pedestrian Crossing. Apparently I need to look out for kids who have their heads attached. Good that they cleared that one up.

Example 3
Pedestrian Crossing. In this case I need to look out for particularly skinny kids.
Do they have to survey each town to decide which sign is the most appropriate? If so, I feel pretty bad for the village where the kids have detached heads.

Example 4
Pedestrian Crossing. Okay, something different. In this case I need to look out for running skinny Dad and daughter. Dad will have his breif case with him.

Example 5

Pedestrian Crossing. Okay, in this case I need to look out for the same father/daughter combination, but in this case Dad is going to work first. They really are getting quite specific aren't they? (oh and the people in this village don't have feet, so watch out, they might be moving slowly)

Example 6
Warning (?) Sign. It's a little difficult to determine the meaning of this one. At first I thought it meant "Oh Shit" or "Watch out, danger ahead" and therefore paid special attention to the road around me - seems like a pretty logical way to act, doesn't it?

Example 6 (from further back)
Warning (?) Sign. So if this sign is supposed to indicate a warning, can anyone explain why it was used in this instance? A perfectly straight road, no side streets, very little traffic and excellent visibility. You might suggest the small pile of rubble, but I can assure you that this is nothing. Every village (and at many places in between) you see things drying out on the road: Chilli, salt, rice cakes. And I don't mean beside the road, I mean on the road - so no, I don't think this little pile of rubble constitutes a hazard in the Vietnamese sense. So I have no conclusion as to what this sign is supposed to mean. All I pray for is that I don't see another sign down the road that simply states "?".

Example 7

No floating cars alowed?

Silly Signs (1)

Yes I've given this blog a number, which suggests that I'm hoping to have more of these...

I may have missread some of these signs, but I've done my best a grasping what each one is on about, as shown below each sign:

Warning: Burning in progress to flush out some lunch

Note: Turtles are responsible for cleaning up this area

Happy elephants here

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