Teacher Jim

I met Jim in Zhuhai, China, where we went through a month long TEFL course together. Following the course I went down to Thailand and met up with him again in his previously established realm of influence, which he generously shared. He then returned to China for work and I returned some time for play. I think he's still sifting through the teaching opportunities, but here you see him at his 9 pm English hour at the now defunct Sansook Place in Thailand and have a good time wading through the sewage-y floodwaters of Yangshuo, China. Perhaps those were the days.

China flashback #3

So you've seen this picture before on facebook and now you see it here. I think this image of me and Meili Mt. (6,740 m or 22,107 ft) sits deep in my heart for the fact that it a) documents me at the highest altitude I've ever set foot on, b) captures my neck in it's hairiest glory, and c) shows me in a happy state, refreshed by a taste of snow and ice after months of Southeast Asia jungle.

China flashback #2

I don't know much about what was going on. I know I was headed south and they encouraged me to wait for the bus with them. I know I had to pose with them in various photographs. I know that when I came out of the supermarket with my breakfast we witnessed a small car accident. I remember the kid with the cigarette disappeared for a time and then returned with a taxi van. I'm sure it wasn't long after we loaded into the vehicle that our driver was confronted by an officer of the law, and at that point he drove us all over to the police station. We never saw that driver again. I'm certain these kids dictated some kind of statement while I wondered back and forth from the taxi and the office where all this was taking place several times over a period of a long time. I recall getting into the front passenger seat a policeman's car and being driven down to the dock along the Mekong River. At one point I asked if we were going to a particular city and got shushed by the youngsters. As soon as the officer had driven away from the dock we all hurried into another taxi and left the river with the speed of thieves. I know we were pretty uncomfortable packed in this new taxi and the fighting cock was taking up more space than that one woman would have liked. We definitely sang along to "Yesterday Once More" three and half times. And the taxi sure didn't take us all the way to where I wanted to go.

china flashback #1

muslim chinese food (featured on the green board in the upper lefthand corner) could be the best in all of china. so there i was looking forward to eating some when this yung fellow whips out his phone - a phone twinkling with more blinking lights than even LAX probably - selects a song, turns the volume up to "ridiculously loud and distorted," takes a drag on his cigarette, and then bursts forth in what i understood to be completely sincere, heartfelt song. i thought he might be crying. no one else in the restaurant seemed to notice or care.

Stop and stare

At mealtime in China I could often catch the Chinese watching with fascination as I ate with chopsticks. In Thailand folks stare at my arms in awe of my arm hair.