tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81486441044838584802024-03-12T18:40:56.898-07:00tpaulleeCultivating Human GoodnessT.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-83407288436617017682023-04-04T21:43:00.001-07:002023-09-18T15:27:06.287-07:00Road Trips Maps Collection<p>Map collection of recent road trips in chronological order</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;">"Lessons from revenge travel" like the Scotland/Ireland Trip was posted separately.</span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;">======</span></div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wEUFDC0ryYA6IDax3AxWO5mulo_abPNI8Q1qZAExfWbeG38_nJ9JiacoeRTLSoI2Mf0KFKTnm36CM7rXYRjGR7k5TF1meuIV0qDpRd79s2-OfQZABeH4OCztYnnyAf_VQ2aH66HMKTqIqU6UeUbBS8O0atS3E60tLSmMvkAEs0EmZdd8UodXbD8hLdQ/s1066/09-2023-Iceland.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="1066" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wEUFDC0ryYA6IDax3AxWO5mulo_abPNI8Q1qZAExfWbeG38_nJ9JiacoeRTLSoI2Mf0KFKTnm36CM7rXYRjGR7k5TF1meuIV0qDpRd79s2-OfQZABeH4OCztYnnyAf_VQ2aH66HMKTqIqU6UeUbBS8O0atS3E60tLSmMvkAEs0EmZdd8UodXbD8hLdQ/s320/09-2023-Iceland.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;">September 2023 Iceland Trip</span></div><div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SGcxjyM7yIyfgEoskk2HFIWPTqZArCmMGfqAlT_E3-MQoYp3CIOprQnt4PSKF4CftxVmrglJys6HQcjW0PFM3boSOkwkXpi7Mdm_CavBjylWkhJkdx1aObo4Q9jkyNz3rYs4WOLTCcw6YXLuqy1z3fSwQDBi_k5AZKU5FFO4Xx8k-SaOlQf51a2b/s1090/NZ03-2023.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1090" data-original-width="1061" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SGcxjyM7yIyfgEoskk2HFIWPTqZArCmMGfqAlT_E3-MQoYp3CIOprQnt4PSKF4CftxVmrglJys6HQcjW0PFM3boSOkwkXpi7Mdm_CavBjylWkhJkdx1aObo4Q9jkyNz3rYs4WOLTCcw6YXLuqy1z3fSwQDBi_k5AZKU5FFO4Xx8k-SaOlQf51a2b/s320/NZ03-2023.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;">March 2023 New Zealand Discovery Trip.</span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><br /></div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBvu-HACNc5Gpt-pq6Rjc9TC2V6gzwR0C5tQmoomQsUUpbNj0POxh3m49RjWnMAduVJ9Qop-XcgYMW1GfZSmj-YbGgxaHXKDaebGv_nZ-DYeiZRus1duyMjQSmWjO4Kr6CDAsajz6wTde-9Brqb31pTaFVmdNgcpYII7-733EBKguHaVjUx6FroMB/s1600/ScotlandIreland-2022.png" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBvu-HACNc5Gpt-pq6Rjc9TC2V6gzwR0C5tQmoomQsUUpbNj0POxh3m49RjWnMAduVJ9Qop-XcgYMW1GfZSmj-YbGgxaHXKDaebGv_nZ-DYeiZRus1duyMjQSmWjO4Kr6CDAsajz6wTde-9Brqb31pTaFVmdNgcpYII7-733EBKguHaVjUx6FroMB/s320/ScotlandIreland-2022.png" width="320" /></a></p><p>June 20, 2022 Scotland and Ireland Trip (originally scheduled in 2020, but canceled due to Covid-19, and further postponed in 2021 due to Covid-19) </p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IVE--8RjQe0_zJcMBNZqKlmKRgwKOnsF-48GYJ4AnJptbaJKjO6kRbEPAEkdew2jk-0n7E0DQxQKIYlabexImskmbk1LDWdhdDvksnB7JAs57TEo7gzFZfwLecLOaShzYanwsPOudSFRySDDHrvlhl0GpqAu82xkjOaxKDM5IR_WFsc2zEci9EMb/s2048/France-05-2019.PNG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IVE--8RjQe0_zJcMBNZqKlmKRgwKOnsF-48GYJ4AnJptbaJKjO6kRbEPAEkdew2jk-0n7E0DQxQKIYlabexImskmbk1LDWdhdDvksnB7JAs57TEo7gzFZfwLecLOaShzYanwsPOudSFRySDDHrvlhl0GpqAu82xkjOaxKDM5IR_WFsc2zEci9EMb/s320/France-05-2019.PNG" width="240" /></a></div><br />May 9, 2019 France Trip<p></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmjEcEj4CDNcGlGX3BzQStQg7MD5FsJpNmdIbKmpfve9QyCyMiQQrN1ja_dtDRYHxsvkeojxUZ3jDfH3gxCMRH-t4VfIvSeFB3XVCA86IMXV9S04Ap-ME1TFA05QiCFZLlUhGwd_FFCRG-tacXP9SLfRo32rUtunXDEFFGDkHd8LZ0sv811T2DeYe/s744/Greece2018-map.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="744" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmjEcEj4CDNcGlGX3BzQStQg7MD5FsJpNmdIbKmpfve9QyCyMiQQrN1ja_dtDRYHxsvkeojxUZ3jDfH3gxCMRH-t4VfIvSeFB3XVCA86IMXV9S04Ap-ME1TFA05QiCFZLlUhGwd_FFCRG-tacXP9SLfRo32rUtunXDEFFGDkHd8LZ0sv811T2DeYe/s320/Greece2018-map.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />May 10, 2018 Greece</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPz68cEe9pXESCdSOCKG8gpKl_Yfb7sBGTz7ELsK8IH8DekE_cB4MvyitjLzX25CaAZUFMOw54GxjUk83ByIPfX2RPy4g2jEI_S-cvionOcd-w2wkHQqVqDtho3m_MuH_BstfYDlyCxil933paWD2Fny_3KxPZLDlIvP8ogOWfU5bUKrAJWRHH-Ey/s958/Portugal-Spain-2017.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="958" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPz68cEe9pXESCdSOCKG8gpKl_Yfb7sBGTz7ELsK8IH8DekE_cB4MvyitjLzX25CaAZUFMOw54GxjUk83ByIPfX2RPy4g2jEI_S-cvionOcd-w2wkHQqVqDtho3m_MuH_BstfYDlyCxil933paWD2Fny_3KxPZLDlIvP8ogOWfU5bUKrAJWRHH-Ey/s320/Portugal-Spain-2017.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>May 4, 2017 Portugal and Spain</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUO_0UDrpJAhcf2O7pwR-ObUr6j6YIaN5etQVG262r2LIGvYSXdu5evgrKjhNKad6f2dVMB74k3-VhEbI-087LVXl6GIZN6kUWZ-zYzdpD5ExpTZp2A0JkTUzsU1YlXjJAyaK7e2LYT86N6-svP5-5yTkx77hQ8EfVqV_kshzrOmQ6KO3o2xE3bW1/s1046/Classic%20Germany%202016.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="1046" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUO_0UDrpJAhcf2O7pwR-ObUr6j6YIaN5etQVG262r2LIGvYSXdu5evgrKjhNKad6f2dVMB74k3-VhEbI-087LVXl6GIZN6kUWZ-zYzdpD5ExpTZp2A0JkTUzsU1YlXjJAyaK7e2LYT86N6-svP5-5yTkx77hQ8EfVqV_kshzrOmQ6KO3o2xE3bW1/s320/Classic%20Germany%202016.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>May 5, 2016 Germany</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEonFTPVxHTIvZIOvNwI-ebaqEDRNuhSB_f30VXoiw9sDUzDuxz6Uo2CjoyhwydtHYjnBKHpv_htipEH41N32Qd4AQQa75hFN_Sn2LRFPaZbjwGFN7t17z8dEjq0pj4ToM9CYIs92qghEJNNPaVu3HLCFaZ4oxC2pgzNnjPAts04cCwOsZ917zB0N2/s1592/Central-Europe-Croatia-2015.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1592" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEonFTPVxHTIvZIOvNwI-ebaqEDRNuhSB_f30VXoiw9sDUzDuxz6Uo2CjoyhwydtHYjnBKHpv_htipEH41N32Qd4AQQa75hFN_Sn2LRFPaZbjwGFN7t17z8dEjq0pj4ToM9CYIs92qghEJNNPaVu3HLCFaZ4oxC2pgzNnjPAts04cCwOsZ917zB0N2/s320/Central-Europe-Croatia-2015.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>May 10, 2015 Central Europe - Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia, Venice/Italy<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div><br /></div><div>First Gate1 Tour Group we attended.</div></div>T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-45462889500428009582022-07-10T11:30:00.000-07:002022-07-10T11:30:09.152-07:00Lessons from Revenge Travel - especially internationally<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgER5sSig4WEBO7bTgR0fPkS8j5NS0VHVobVFvoRqyr7LaWY64CN6Wc4EZ-MvNwWiFL1zlrQlLIw00Mi_1glu5Dbi38L9vJMFgrf1P5OTke1Ww_yLgY2-Ks6McdZFTRCtXdKD4fM6Wa0TkH5JyfR4b0dnQeG_jcRqLmtsX47nBlMVmM943exJrqHZVZ/s4032/Positive-Antigen-test.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgER5sSig4WEBO7bTgR0fPkS8j5NS0VHVobVFvoRqyr7LaWY64CN6Wc4EZ-MvNwWiFL1zlrQlLIw00Mi_1glu5Dbi38L9vJMFgrf1P5OTke1Ww_yLgY2-Ks6McdZFTRCtXdKD4fM6Wa0TkH5JyfR4b0dnQeG_jcRqLmtsX47nBlMVmM943exJrqHZVZ/w316-h237/Positive-Antigen-test.JPG" width="316" /></a></div><p>Positive antigen test example.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>This trip of mine ended on July 5 in Dublin, Ireland. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUzLgmUR-univHcJDu_C3r6twF7Hmn6WUPAwGWeOW3BFpYtWoj16hlFLvtA3EUPFtpjPeMs5TLC6HwJy9b8fwu_te4y6oUiEQ6G2RH8xtliwwOzXkkSblfXczqKfbONBh_EvviCxU2kSAVrm2DT8Elr-zRcMoOtbZjiJqEkPWFh0eniygY28nRBMDZ/s1600/ScotlandIreland-2022.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUzLgmUR-univHcJDu_C3r6twF7Hmn6WUPAwGWeOW3BFpYtWoj16hlFLvtA3EUPFtpjPeMs5TLC6HwJy9b8fwu_te4y6oUiEQ6G2RH8xtliwwOzXkkSblfXczqKfbONBh_EvviCxU2kSAVrm2DT8Elr-zRcMoOtbZjiJqEkPWFh0eniygY28nRBMDZ/s320/ScotlandIreland-2022.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Covid impact on a 15-day Gate1 Scotland-Ireland road trip was startling, starting day 1 with 34 people and ending at day 15 down to 25. Note that the 9 dropouts included 5 tested positive after feeling ill, and 4 were their roommates or spouses.<p></p><p>These are the Gate1 tour bus protocols which I think are very responsible and pragmatical. Face masking was required on the bus at all times. When someone was sick, negative antigen testing was required to continue the trip. One can rejoin the group only when negative antigen testing was demonstrated after recovery.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>With these pandemic omicron variants, buses and airplanes are super spreader mediums in my opinion.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIipF2ZpQ8F_oYL1CSnd9z0uaX8hwxgYChBQDNSI5JgAXaPIGju5ta3wGAI_CyDLw-TBF0g2rTWe88klBtFuUq0IJrURb3dBZbJLN3ML97t2MjemW7fgc84les2GY42EzFmAlPe0PkwxMvcUobCM52N4jli-Lebn2-DDLS4yKayXi6oOa_jPCMihK/s4032/TestCenter4Travelers.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIipF2ZpQ8F_oYL1CSnd9z0uaX8hwxgYChBQDNSI5JgAXaPIGju5ta3wGAI_CyDLw-TBF0g2rTWe88klBtFuUq0IJrURb3dBZbJLN3ML97t2MjemW7fgc84les2GY42EzFmAlPe0PkwxMvcUobCM52N4jli-Lebn2-DDLS4yKayXi6oOa_jPCMihK/s320/TestCenter4Travelers.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>To deal with unexpected negative test results for the trip, these are important and preferred skill sets to allow for speedy recovery. Technical currency in using mobile phone apps - includes local taxi hailing apps like Uber and FreeNow (in Europe) and Google Maps for restaurants, transportation alternatives. With these apps and help from the hotel personnel, one can find the Randox Health Travel Center in the Ireland cities.<p></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The DIY antigen test kits should be packed for travel like your other goody vitamins.</p><p>Watch for travel chaos and staff shortage near and around the airports. Although face masking is not mandatory anymore on public transportation systems, I would argue strongly to wear masks in closed systems like subways, buses, and airplanes.</p><p>We are done with Covid mentally, but the Covid is not done with us yet. Revenge travel is popular and irresistible, but it is not as safe as you may think. You can run into serious headwinds. The Guardian news had it that New Zealand faced a new Covid wave as experts sat moving on from the pandemic was 'wishful thinking'. </p><p>There is a new Omicron variant dominating the U.S. It may pose the biggest threat to immunity yet. My read is that immunity does not build after contracting Covid. So no matter how many times you are infected the symptoms are not less.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>References</b>:</p><p>[1] Gate1 Travel <a href="https://www.gate1travel.com/">https://www.gate1travel.com/</a></p><p>[2] Wishful Thinking <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/05/new-zealand-faces-new-covid-wave-as-experts-say-moving-on-from-pandemic-is-wishful-thinking">https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/05/new-zealand-faces-new-covid-wave-as-experts-say-moving-on-from-pandemic-is-wishful-thinking</a></p><p>[3] BA.4 and Ba.5 from NBC News <a href="https://apple.news/AYU_xjWx_SOS4jBTq7nzFXg">https://apple.news/AYU_xjWx_SOS4jBTq7nzFXg</a></p>T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-26907552807052439022022-05-27T09:47:00.002-07:002022-05-27T09:47:57.366-07:00Ode to Prague, May 24, 2022<p>This is based on my original 9-picture posting on WeChat. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8148644104483858480/8347665095876000674" target="_blank">Arrival blog</a> was posted a month ago.</p><p>Ode to Prague</p><p>1. Witch Burning Night</p><p>2. Žižkov Television Tower - crawling babies</p><p>3. Prague street in early evening</p><p>4. Crawling babies in Kampa Park</p><p>5. Charles Bridge from Kampa Island</p><p>6. John Lennon Wall</p><p>7. Petřín Hill, Lookout Tower - St. Vitus Cathedral</p><p>8. Petřín Hill, Lookout Tower</p><p>9. Take a guess, what is this in Prague?</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjImpA4j35TpYMDLrEHld_J_ECL_qmvaWdwEevi4X7Doxgz7k0MVuRNmFZLVuV9eOiGF8kh79FSFOYbvj8zXOAjz4Kx1bu9hMpSkRumwOhHv6KXZkdHHO4j8uN7-jKSZpl5YDv30oBnlTSxnEdzyhkfg5zwakZrjumX2p2aXKUUU5yDe1HH4JlK57/s1440/p1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjImpA4j35TpYMDLrEHld_J_ECL_qmvaWdwEevi4X7Doxgz7k0MVuRNmFZLVuV9eOiGF8kh79FSFOYbvj8zXOAjz4Kx1bu9hMpSkRumwOhHv6KXZkdHHO4j8uN7-jKSZpl5YDv30oBnlTSxnEdzyhkfg5zwakZrjumX2p2aXKUUU5yDe1HH4JlK57/s320/p1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3M1H9FzW32f3Y5qMUWyL88toeZdzbASz3rcd99ahaM0GkLg1zMGmrg26pZGdO_3IoaflaOECYRgQBP5iFiRjvDgcVflbUW9wIAcPdO3KeRr4nYxeh4rL4OQna-_N3xx3PzNQMR-XOQO_KKe1TiukXZVyLRv7qQnD8V3terjK01JQVSI25eZbiqA1/s1440/p2.jpg" style="clear: left; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80Bwy2qHGqJXTiL6lzWBtgZkCZeJZBXmMzqlaqonxKAQPeQtSc5M9Xra3W-57VDMosH6SdNAgRNwxh-5K0aB32nj38IMBU4hkbdnHPpWKqAPuasX0rXc3g_2KG2zlXia9iJYfOn7qfI6lKhi_K2avqHytIUYMf0trAUuSHXUOdF758uL7Qdtk3KzB/s320/p8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDknYvlgsfHWh1Nj1bZ0-WFXLHIvyrCSLWE3zH7O9kflB0gvzhB_UT3vWYd6IdB3KYWt66yPJikMueirsufjlvHRhwIPFZwtfxkRA3AzWdHgSQiv1vs4qFsRNrKbdxfCsmqbgYDcYpi9VPqCLLZ-De_h-W3txOP9EPpCMtDii4mo7fncYW5sT-h9n/s1440/p9.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDknYvlgsfHWh1Nj1bZ0-WFXLHIvyrCSLWE3zH7O9kflB0gvzhB_UT3vWYd6IdB3KYWt66yPJikMueirsufjlvHRhwIPFZwtfxkRA3AzWdHgSQiv1vs4qFsRNrKbdxfCsmqbgYDcYpi9VPqCLLZ-De_h-W3txOP9EPpCMtDii4mo7fncYW5sT-h9n/s320/p9.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Take off your shoes in the<span style="font-family: inherit;"> (<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sports Center Olšanka) </span></span>swimming pool’s locker room. More than that, I was told that guests are expected to take their shoes off when entering Czech home. Sounds familiar? I was surprised !</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-83476650958760006742022-04-24T16:16:00.000-07:002022-04-24T16:16:02.955-07:00TEFL Certification at Prague, Czech Republic<p>I am writing this blog in Prague, Czech Republic.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbvsawPs_t4tpoHlp3QVAcyVJtAzrjpbzCmVQF2_EOBScUVbA75RD6UfnLctng_GvvRiQaUCUAeNNCY8xsEOwXYCeVXD1IXz7E0nikedqLxJXQxxUdFwskU59EEB4QhYvT5yDQGSjMNspSVOvVxA9fUg8cWZ3k846uUF4nFgXg6LSa0Sy4BvzzCVC/s2000/Czech-Republic-Map.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1257" data-original-width="2000" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbvsawPs_t4tpoHlp3QVAcyVJtAzrjpbzCmVQF2_EOBScUVbA75RD6UfnLctng_GvvRiQaUCUAeNNCY8xsEOwXYCeVXD1IXz7E0nikedqLxJXQxxUdFwskU59EEB4QhYvT5yDQGSjMNspSVOvVxA9fUg8cWZ3k846uUF4nFgXg6LSa0Sy4BvzzCVC/s320/Czech-Republic-Map.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I got to know Prague through the infamous Soviet-led crackdown on the Prague Spring Movement in 1968. Now, fifty some years later, we are witnessing another similar invasion from Russia. It is a deja vu to me.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UQe2hFjIkvwWsSfyNOGD0Mue9lAJdZMvjlRBrfRXQySCcBn-RllRNIhngl-VnobP96ln8fm_rmypeykA1Ay5UPqwIRA4f9Low_wulNH9NBtumRVu5vs7xMPmkHZbzEdHcFeP_4gWtf5Bi6YlmvUKG_NuFwb3s2tHVLfWEZ7_v5UGn6GckVwdDvgO/s1600/1968-troops-Soviet-Prague-reform-movement-Spring.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UQe2hFjIkvwWsSfyNOGD0Mue9lAJdZMvjlRBrfRXQySCcBn-RllRNIhngl-VnobP96ln8fm_rmypeykA1Ay5UPqwIRA4f9Low_wulNH9NBtumRVu5vs7xMPmkHZbzEdHcFeP_4gWtf5Bi6YlmvUKG_NuFwb3s2tHVLfWEZ7_v5UGn6GckVwdDvgO/s320/1968-troops-Soviet-Prague-reform-movement-Spring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Why TEFL?</b></p><p>I planned to spend some time in Europe, France and Spain especially, before the Covid-19 pandemic started at the beginning of 2020. To make the trips more varied and meaningful, I ran across work possibilities to teach English to supplement some income plus room and board for a few months at a time. Then, I realized that there are certification programs to teach English as a foreign language (TEFL). Many young people took this as a way to travel and see the world.</p><p>With Google search and Google reviews, I found that a few reputable programs do this. One of them is based in Prague and here I come in April 2022. I taught graduate courses in data structure and algorithm analysis at Santa Clara University computer engineering department in the 90s. But, teaching English to a broader audience is quite different I imagine. I could benefit from a structured program to do this effectively and a certification can go a long way in getting good jobs. There is an ecosystem in this trade that and this certification can give me that exposure. Besides, Prague is a world famous city to visit and spend a month in.</p><p>I arrived at Prague Thursday afternoon for some acclimation and jet lag adjustment. I don't know the language at all although many people speak English. After all, it is a favorite city for tourists. I found some beginner Czech language books and some Youtube videos to get the basics</p><p>Czech language alphabet is based on Latin letters with diacritical marks. It has similar grammatical constructs similar to other Latin-based languages like French and Spanish. But the Czech nouns have 7 cases and three genders. These are similar to the Latin language. And the declension (case system) makes it a whole lot more complicated to me.</p><p>I won't have much time to write blogs like this one for a while once my school starts Monday. I have to study and prepare lesson plans to teach guinea pigs students in the afternoon.</p><p><b>As a tourist in Prague.</b></p><p>On Friday, I visited Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. I also took the advantage of a good sunny day and bought a ticket for a guided tour in the Clock Tower. I bought a monthly pass for all Prague public transportations for 1000 crowns, which is close to $45 USD. I enjoyed their buses and trams. So far, I don't even need the subway to get around. </p><p>I like their honor system in that you just keep the pass/ticket in your wallet in case an inspector asks to see it.</p><p>You can see many images and photos of Prague city on the Internet . I only show a few of my own here.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwXiFxxToXeJkyEYmPF3UUHMgLV-qnNsvcqSmeOsV8G19I-9SboHXkLYmqvEnW5fUK4vgBMOh7jv2gM5h1nqf9nMiOKOuAZYdUV-_1kLNzE3hzOpE4_Q3ClZqT1A2HoPlNY0VU2cDhkiwqTi0Y9o5TXVltyFidQBCI94BfjCFIqbAmEt_n6NmFqO1c/s4032/IMG_0561.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwXiFxxToXeJkyEYmPF3UUHMgLV-qnNsvcqSmeOsV8G19I-9SboHXkLYmqvEnW5fUK4vgBMOh7jv2gM5h1nqf9nMiOKOuAZYdUV-_1kLNzE3hzOpE4_Q3ClZqT1A2HoPlNY0VU2cDhkiwqTi0Y9o5TXVltyFidQBCI94BfjCFIqbAmEt_n6NmFqO1c/s320/IMG_0561.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-027c0d31-7fff-0bbd-de51-00a24698e49d"></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is next to the Charles Bridge looking at Prague Castle.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHjSXcfLFX-kupKHGixH5gAVQQ4GWK3CnphhrqA_91hVPzG5J2Nn5m3x3GdZf1tfaOa4fvOPPzhyoWAJNirsTejXj8NkHr_E0x1GAduHODWLdE-Lagq828eocRMBx4fIDI-j2Nyjpl-AbjzasghsTbzHj1aUcvO-rnft57bpNP-vMj1t3Jw_Oi131/s4032/IMG_0562.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHjSXcfLFX-kupKHGixH5gAVQQ4GWK3CnphhrqA_91hVPzG5J2Nn5m3x3GdZf1tfaOa4fvOPPzhyoWAJNirsTejXj8NkHr_E0x1GAduHODWLdE-Lagq828eocRMBx4fIDI-j2Nyjpl-AbjzasghsTbzHj1aUcvO-rnft57bpNP-vMj1t3Jw_Oi131/s320/IMG_0562.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This one was at the foot of the Statue of John of Nepomuk.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Notice that I touched the two shiny spots so that I will go back to Prague in the future. I needed to do this as my family had a Gate1 central Europe tour in September. One does not want to mess with the legends.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmanvnHUA72hQb2QV3fhWiLLM8Qq6MwjxYOPJJxdrym7mMpOiTQDccvI1NiHuaUTSfqZI3zzIDfqUWqA5yF4EbeyGFdEE4M-qRY9zsy_0z4FwG_tDXQJPDkqhxHqnJKnl7K76W4jHRZocjoM5NOO3O2GDakSyfl8DORDnK1-htnAXTW6hJtnFMo4a/s3299/IMG_0577.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3015" data-original-width="3299" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmanvnHUA72hQb2QV3fhWiLLM8Qq6MwjxYOPJJxdrym7mMpOiTQDccvI1NiHuaUTSfqZI3zzIDfqUWqA5yF4EbeyGFdEE4M-qRY9zsy_0z4FwG_tDXQJPDkqhxHqnJKnl7K76W4jHRZocjoM5NOO3O2GDakSyfl8DORDnK1-htnAXTW6hJtnFMo4a/s320/IMG_0577.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />This one was at the St. Vitus Cathedral.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>On Saturday, I visited the Old Town Square. I took the advantage of a good sunny day and bought a ticket for a guided tour in the Clock Tower. The tour was interesting and worth it. You got to see the town hall basement and their history when the city was first developed.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-Hx53Av0_g7jBHJZRQaQMTEWVCxVB72azWN0fkxJglZD3GlqNhkdwy0T35axG5emlIhK4vScYsK7vzYPGJdWkmG95hfwY55hb7h_tJAS_EhJUjVQ1dV1VN0P6eHpnsj6KmOOAoBcZgiX6FxOPD5lcU3veFwPyWnJR1tUDZ1Xs1v5huGHVfbD1gOP/s4032/IMG_0592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-Hx53Av0_g7jBHJZRQaQMTEWVCxVB72azWN0fkxJglZD3GlqNhkdwy0T35axG5emlIhK4vScYsK7vzYPGJdWkmG95hfwY55hb7h_tJAS_EhJUjVQ1dV1VN0P6eHpnsj6KmOOAoBcZgiX6FxOPD5lcU3veFwPyWnJR1tUDZ1Xs1v5huGHVfbD1gOP/s320/IMG_0592.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />This was the astronomical clock that day.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2lWf9gy2Tj304RPX8qie7mfzLxJSYD4QrUO3IftAcsZcDQHKVkxAD4i7BlifpLJXSdiaUmuC4YzOM0wztkgMb2XmRAfwPlskgSvWZv6fGTFo9YXh4Q6HEzlRtl3pXOc86CJgwPHe6Q6xs6cijbjn4o35qVEkB7tCM3pWVQ6NBIE9FIpohPEd1E_b/s4032/IMG_0614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2lWf9gy2Tj304RPX8qie7mfzLxJSYD4QrUO3IftAcsZcDQHKVkxAD4i7BlifpLJXSdiaUmuC4YzOM0wztkgMb2XmRAfwPlskgSvWZv6fGTFo9YXh4Q6HEzlRtl3pXOc86CJgwPHe6Q6xs6cijbjn4o35qVEkB7tCM3pWVQ6NBIE9FIpohPEd1E_b/s320/IMG_0614.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />It was a very elegant design of the clock tower elevator.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-MjpadQojFFiXh_URS__W2t2HTkWqYnbX7qq7QIcDlH7RmqaEioPC6DL3fHTuj76HScepem5L4y9MB8thuXF14UBMO5sdvnjKuk4HMMgexQOD3evFeuFrGLwsJf_W7pg7orLxbZAW4gXACsXf-7wqxZi-jRu0tgRBT3gnsR0c84zH0U-2PKVNkVz/s4032/IMG_0603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-MjpadQojFFiXh_URS__W2t2HTkWqYnbX7qq7QIcDlH7RmqaEioPC6DL3fHTuj76HScepem5L4y9MB8thuXF14UBMO5sdvnjKuk4HMMgexQOD3evFeuFrGLwsJf_W7pg7orLxbZAW4gXACsXf-7wqxZi-jRu0tgRBT3gnsR0c84zH0U-2PKVNkVz/s320/IMG_0603.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Looking down to see the old town square from the top of the clock tower.<p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I went to the nearby St. Wenceslas Church early on Sunday morning. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuYa8chNfbIzH0dkCkUm1ilPAi_fPWSnH0hfmCZFbcoww3Kk1x1fCojZvT5_TKa0IH_JztQG4oZdwjoGwqfpx9IQxxGN2jRY335F4isrvsoWe0wLB5LI494DUq7OiSk2JtPQPq2s4Rbc8pLAMnHQUJL8PRWTz9JzSS6Vjrj-OQEcbf-pBQwqjiHB0/s4032/St.WenceslasChurch-0424-2022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuYa8chNfbIzH0dkCkUm1ilPAi_fPWSnH0hfmCZFbcoww3Kk1x1fCojZvT5_TKa0IH_JztQG4oZdwjoGwqfpx9IQxxGN2jRY335F4isrvsoWe0wLB5LI494DUq7OiSk2JtPQPq2s4Rbc8pLAMnHQUJL8PRWTz9JzSS6Vjrj-OQEcbf-pBQwqjiHB0/s320/St.WenceslasChurch-0424-2022.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">This was the Church Interior towards the altar.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">I attended the 8:30am mass. It was indeed a Catholic and Universal church. The flow of the mass liturgy was clearly recognizable although I had no knowledge of the Czech language. Nevertheless, the words alleluia, Jerusalem and Thomas were heard. Today’s gospel reading has the doubting Thomas story…</span><p></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is a beautiful piece of architecture to me. I can barely believe that it is a Catholic Church.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>We have a pre-class student gathering near the school site for Sunday lunch. I like another honor system and tradition again. On the checkout time, everyone reports what he/she ordered and pays accordingly. I have a lot of respect for the Czech people.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8LOa6z1zh6B8F9GyS3vF9eN0_v2cF7FZfmlITHvQXD8p0NLn8vzfhZ-7uqJHEaX4PdBrE458iqUnVPeAaAOMz9xVW2UetbsqHCpF5yEnrbMLde3Ib8QFeiz6tWXASWrfE24vqkDjQMnSTHXXRgTFHT1A5jAr70-H75bGlvKJ2gY9uFWhiMSjr6ZE/s4032/IMG_0545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8LOa6z1zh6B8F9GyS3vF9eN0_v2cF7FZfmlITHvQXD8p0NLn8vzfhZ-7uqJHEaX4PdBrE458iqUnVPeAaAOMz9xVW2UetbsqHCpF5yEnrbMLde3Ib8QFeiz6tWXASWrfE24vqkDjQMnSTHXXRgTFHT1A5jAr70-H75bGlvKJ2gY9uFWhiMSjr6ZE/s320/IMG_0545.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Well, the humble Zeitraum Student Housing I am in.<p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>References</b>:</p><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Prague, Czech Republic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague</a> </li><li>Prague Spring 1968 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring</a></li><li>TEFL course in Prague <a href="https://teflworldwideprague.com/">https://teflworldwideprague.com/ </a></li><li>Czech orthography <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_orthography">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_orthography</a></li><li>Prague astronomical clock <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_astronomical_clock">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_astronomical_clock</a></li><li>Statue of John of Nepomuk <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_John_of_Nepomuk,_Charles_Bridge">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_John_of_Nepomuk,_Charles_Bridge</a></li><li>Prague Castle <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Castle">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Castle</a></li></ol></div>T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-74544282338671136802022-04-22T15:16:00.004-07:002022-04-24T16:24:28.097-07:00 A Field Trip Day to San Francisco with Public Transportations <p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">On Tuesday, April 19, 2022, I had a field trip to San Francisco with public transportations. Why? Continue reading this blog.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">I started with my Senior Clipper VTA card with $10.00 in it. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I had to start the day early to make sure that I would not be late for the passport application appointment in San Francisco.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span face="Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">San Francisco Passport Agency</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span face="Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">450 Golden Gate Ave.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span face="Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">3rd Floor</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span face="Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Suite #3-2501</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span face="Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">San Francisco, CA 94102</span></p></blockquote><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>6:30am </b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It took 15 minutes from Campbell home to Caltrain Lawrence station. Jeanet took me there and this is the weakest link in the trip. Other segments are more or less reliable and there is no need for private cars.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>7:09am - 8:07am </b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Caltrain to Millbrae transfer to BART $1.85, face covering required.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVPMJJU4bHE_3ubJtWu7AQGOfRD5dEuCckAOKn3dayC6hhciZ5nEvsAviyLpL85nHUB21MEM_tKViw3FRyKMAiyI1S3hfJvzHfp_D5ASuEO3SfFPda8eZO3_xbPWXlNwjPb6x9t6iZSITBqY_wQ0FjtrePnxQ3F8ps1aPr5u4-N4tZWTDH0W2XeE9/s4032/Caltrain-04-2022.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVPMJJU4bHE_3ubJtWu7AQGOfRD5dEuCckAOKn3dayC6hhciZ5nEvsAviyLpL85nHUB21MEM_tKViw3FRyKMAiyI1S3hfJvzHfp_D5ASuEO3SfFPda8eZO3_xbPWXlNwjPb6x9t6iZSITBqY_wQ0FjtrePnxQ3F8ps1aPr5u4-N4tZWTDH0W2XeE9/s320/Caltrain-04-2022.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>8:20am - 8:48am</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Red BART from Millbrae to SF Civic Center $2.30</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTH4igl7mBHV0bz9UF0e1pPMYK9-03lILW0Ft6KQiWw08Dqwu9sWTmhLCuNx8NsbJ-7AxzAwqxCHW3JPy9vLZM-potoRXD7RZaxcwuKkMpBJC9VYXZYINkr8V45EBmgVtSIm0aV1KAxMzc-XlopnlW7ry013M0xXpRr50XGzTPez_dCJrjFE2sG_Ij/s4032/BART-04-2022.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTH4igl7mBHV0bz9UF0e1pPMYK9-03lILW0Ft6KQiWw08Dqwu9sWTmhLCuNx8NsbJ-7AxzAwqxCHW3JPy9vLZM-potoRXD7RZaxcwuKkMpBJC9VYXZYINkr8V45EBmgVtSIm0aV1KAxMzc-XlopnlW7ry013M0xXpRr50XGzTPez_dCJrjFE2sG_Ij/s320/BART-04-2022.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>9:15am - 9:40am</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Checked in at the SF passport agency - 9:40 done with my application review. I was asked to pick up at 3:30pm in the afternoon.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;">Now, I had this time to kill in the city. There is a nearby Asian Art museum, which would be great to visit. Unfortunately I was told at the door that the museum is closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I had to come back next time.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;">I saw a double decker tour bus. I asked about its length, time 2 hours and 20 minutes if I don't get out of the bus and it would cost $59.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I decided to visit San Francisco City Hall instead. It is a great place for the newlyweds to take photos there. I saw 3 or 4 couples in that one hour.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFOCqk5Xifoui1-3wegH93Q9fmxjrS6vODsVhxeG8cuKQc5s5y9OHLQ099DdQuAp2ybgzSeEhojxOOEf-OECtgceWZIbf2_C8uD57G2iAKIyfRmGLoyijG3AQtHB-4MqZ7jxxYqKMsuW2d7PhY494C-RTy9_upFAYrh88MDbeM_d77IPFWPulf5t3/s4032/SF-city-hall-04-2022.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFOCqk5Xifoui1-3wegH93Q9fmxjrS6vODsVhxeG8cuKQc5s5y9OHLQ099DdQuAp2ybgzSeEhojxOOEf-OECtgceWZIbf2_C8uD57G2iAKIyfRmGLoyijG3AQtHB-4MqZ7jxxYqKMsuW2d7PhY494C-RTy9_upFAYrh88MDbeM_d77IPFWPulf5t3/s320/SF-city-hall-04-2022.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>11:09am - 11:45am </b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">At Market & 8th street bus stop, I took street car F to Pier 39 ($1.25) for lunch and some crowd and sunshine.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzGlLONt7-gO1rEj46tJTHZyimJD_4guJ-FmA3ISExLjjRUi8CtSnFCq6ejJoHJpY1Wv9qtGppAB6M3gg6SmavepZUBNxN0o4cFcXfbZmfG1GOmYYABkQaKhIISNvnby58oGM3SgJceSfQx8MXNH6Cx3uWSpWlaPP-y1fEAnD8AR0gVRBKDOmqyxf/s4032/SF-street-car-04-2022.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzGlLONt7-gO1rEj46tJTHZyimJD_4guJ-FmA3ISExLjjRUi8CtSnFCq6ejJoHJpY1Wv9qtGppAB6M3gg6SmavepZUBNxN0o4cFcXfbZmfG1GOmYYABkQaKhIISNvnby58oGM3SgJceSfQx8MXNH6Cx3uWSpWlaPP-y1fEAnD8AR0gVRBKDOmqyxf/s320/SF-street-car-04-2022.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I had lunch at the original Boudin soup and sandwich restaurant for $15.98.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-ukz-QPKE_yknGO-zE3m-mOzKcTIOEriQBnZBJPnHf2nr8WUbLkT6A7LZAkFYpN67FFSSCO8VyUoyy_WiIE-epT7if72YrYSDUhWIedAQVJSOvOj3JdP6w5RUUGR0vUxnEIBRJ1FtQbNpmX9CpMihq-XilAZ0pq18wQmYCgrvsgBDZ5HbSCyUkw1/s4032/Pier39-Boudin-04-2022.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-ukz-QPKE_yknGO-zE3m-mOzKcTIOEriQBnZBJPnHf2nr8WUbLkT6A7LZAkFYpN67FFSSCO8VyUoyy_WiIE-epT7if72YrYSDUhWIedAQVJSOvOj3JdP6w5RUUGR0vUxnEIBRJ1FtQbNpmX9CpMihq-XilAZ0pq18wQmYCgrvsgBDZ5HbSCyUkw1/s320/Pier39-Boudin-04-2022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>12:38pm - 1:13pm<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">I took the street car</span> F back from Stockton & Beach to Market & 8th ($0.00 may be I am still in that original fare's time window)</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I hung out at the second floor cafeteria in that federal building until 3:15pm. It was a pleasant place to stay.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><b>3:15pm - 3:35pm</b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;">There are five "will call" windows at the agency, and I guess that there are at least 100 pickups at the passport agency.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>3:53pm - 4:59pm</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I took Green BART from Civic Center to Milpitas<span class="Apple-converted-space"> for $2.95.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>5:22pm - 5:37pm </b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I transferred to the VTA light rail orange line (Mountain View bound) to Champion.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb94aRr1yvudSoG5Axv-Q63Jw0CE6gHWwNprj8Uu1rkjU0SsmftDcwZls9YOws7G5d8OVKSkvRnLZKMFQudeyUmCubhmJlQ3npvJwj0kZISwOXpr5HnnDlh7kJoVLNxZOUtHNA6a11D0ZZnl2_0vdcVokuHfr0l5iZms5nrp4Ro5C0ltairUUMw2vM/s4032/SantaClara-Light-Rail-04-2022.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb94aRr1yvudSoG5Axv-Q63Jw0CE6gHWwNprj8Uu1rkjU0SsmftDcwZls9YOws7G5d8OVKSkvRnLZKMFQudeyUmCubhmJlQ3npvJwj0kZISwOXpr5HnnDlh7kJoVLNxZOUtHNA6a11D0ZZnl2_0vdcVokuHfr0l5iZms5nrp4Ro5C0ltairUUMw2vM/s320/SantaClara-Light-Rail-04-2022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>5:43pm - 6:32pm </b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I transferred again to Green Line at Champion to Winchester for a total of $1.00. This is a long la la ride through San Jose downtown.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">At Winchester light rail station, I was picked up by Jeanet to Campbell home. This is about 3 miles and it is also a weak link in the whole trip.</p><p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">I ended with my Senior Clipper VTA card with $0.65 left in it. Maybe the regular fare will be twice that.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">What a different and productive day! Believe it or not, one day turnaround for your US passport. It was possible for me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><b>[Brain Teaser Game]</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">These days we all need some puzzle of sorts for the readers. Here is one for my readers who consider themselves familiar with Bay Area geography. Please order the stations from </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Lawrence to Millbrae. Leave the ones out you are not sure first, and then take a guess. The answer can be found in the reference #2. How did you do? Let me know.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Stations: Belmont, Burlingame, California Ave., Hayward Park, Hillsdale, Sunnyvale, Menlo Park</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">, </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Antonio, San Carlos, and San Mateo.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><b>References</b>:</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">VTA </span><a href="https://www.vta.org/" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">https://www.vta.org/</a></li><li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Caltrain system map </span><a href="https://www.caltrain.com/stations/systemmap.html" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">https://www.caltrain.com/stations/systemmap.html</a></li><li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">BART system map <a href="https://www.bart.gov/system-map">https://www.bart.gov/system-map</a> </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">VTA Light Rail System map <a href="https://www.vta.org/sites/default/files/2020-01/LR-Map-2020.pdf">https://www.vta.org/sites/default/files/2020-01/LR-Map-2020.pdf</a></span></li></ol><p></p>T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-86572886241639691182022-02-04T16:32:00.002-08:002022-02-04T16:33:55.152-08:00I am a Human Petri Dish - Part 3/3<p> It has been five years since my last posting in this forum. I don't normally write and post anything that my friends can find in Google search and read about. This trip is unique and this incarceration is voluntary in some way. I am writing a short journal entry each day in isolation. It is probably worth writing and sharing, and thus the restart of my blogpost.</p><p>I am in Taipei, Taiwan right now and I am in a quarantine hotel. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The purpose of the quarantine is to isolate me and see if any Covid-19 viruses will manifest themselves in this period. I do feel like I am a human Petri Dish during this pandemic. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click for <a href="http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2022/01/i-am-human-petri-dish-part-13.html">Part 1/3 here</a>. Click for <a href="http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2022/01/i-am-human-petri-dish-part-23.html">Part 2/3 here</a>.</span></p><p>=====</p><p><b>Day 10 - </b>Monday, January 31, 2022</p><p>I did my third and last antigen self-test this morning. It was negative. And this coming Friday I would have to do an actual PCR test at a mobile van outside of the quarantine hotel. That's one day before my departure on Saturday.</p><p>I finally finished my reading and study on "Le Petit Prince" today. I liked this book and its message. I added this book to the collection of my favorite books, including "Of Mice and Men" and "Animal Farm." There are many good quotes from the book. One of my favorites is below. It resonates with me well. This is how I see relationships, including love, between friends and between family members. This voluntary taming act can create a lasting and wonderful relationship. But, if, for some reason, there is pain and burden in this, then I would say that is self-inflicted and we should also accept that voluntarily. </p><p>"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -- Chapter XXI</p><p>It is interesting to find out that there is a wikiquote website in addition to my favorite wikipedia. I should send in my support annually for this effort.</p><p><b>Day 11 - </b>Tuesday, February 1, 2022</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiJLuM0ErAUvp0hO_lva36Jq_oAurPAWm3XRD0LwgS9UvRa56_n1w3iS4YD423Ck1D6Ve5g9D1v4Guutn1goeWKiXimcH2rdrFRwWwX1QuhTWc8S2keqSm1WChjdSUV3SB38wVLp0wFv8KosSu9ofSv4X7uPkbqg0dONmGp5W9ZjRBCUy8ih9HvHAa=s790" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="640" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiJLuM0ErAUvp0hO_lva36Jq_oAurPAWm3XRD0LwgS9UvRa56_n1w3iS4YD423Ck1D6Ve5g9D1v4Guutn1goeWKiXimcH2rdrFRwWwX1QuhTWc8S2keqSm1WChjdSUV3SB38wVLp0wFv8KosSu9ofSv4X7uPkbqg0dONmGp5W9ZjRBCUy8ih9HvHAa=w225-h278" width="225" /></a></div><br />Today is the Chinese New Year of the Tiger. <span id="docs-internal-guid-0917e5bb-7fff-cbe3-afd1-b5fbf22b4270"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can relate quite nicely to this tiger caricature shown here. He is old, but calm, and is sipping some liquor appropriate to the holiday season. </span></span>Normally, it is an occasion to be with family and friends. Being locked up in a hotel room is definitely a first for me.<p></p><p>Only recently I noticed that the Chinese lunar New Year is celebrated in California only by Chinese and Vietnamese among Asian populations in California. For example, none of my Japanese colleagues ever got excited about the lunar New Year in my recollection. The following is the result of my research,</p><p>In 1893, five years after the Meiji Restoration, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar and the first day of January became the official and cultural New Year's Day in Japan. Some of the remnant celebrations related to the lunar New Year existed here and there, but nothing official. After more than one hundred years, the old tradition gradually faded away.</p><p>After Japan annexed Korea in the early part of the 20th century, the celebration of the lunar New Year was prohibited. The Japanese rulers set the official Korean New Year to the first day of the Gregorian calendar, following the Japanese New Year convention. Korea was liberated in 1945 and the celebrations of the lunar New Year were then possible. It was not until in the 1980s that the old lunar New Year was designated as both the official Korean New Year and a national holiday.</p><p>New Year celebration is an important part of cultural manifestations. It is closely linked to ethnical, cultural, and even national identities. Lunar calendars are used by many cultures throughout history with certain variations. Lunar calendars can vary on how the calendar is adjusted to align with seasonal patterns (that is solar based), and most notably the geological meridian of the nation. This so-called New Year can change and can have different implications. For example, celebrating the Chinese New Year carries a different implication from that of celebrating the lunar New Year. </p><p><b>Day 12 </b>- Wednesday, February 2, 2022</p><div><span style="border: none; clear: left; display: inline-block; float: left; height: 283px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 284px;"><img height="283" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/nTaKHci-f6ekVFjhuHReX8LQbGC59QzKfB63PplPT-PKbICF51p9mbOMmgBj0P0jYj4_9s-hBjG40nRi3sz_NlTAMOyivNNqac8E4Kvb1JIETRYsh1374OA0b04qDLrXVhSoqg5-" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="284" /></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-ceb20bdf-7fff-ed10-42d1-3ddb610e6bb5"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pandemic brings many problems to modern society including burnout, lack of focus, exhaustion, irritability, and sometimes withdrawal. The unrest and protests around the world reflect this anxiety in our society. It calls for resourcefulness and resilience for every individual. If you have to go through quarantine, then that requirement of those qualities is even more pronounced.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am thankful to the BBC World Service programming to accompany me in this locked-up state. The bento boxes everyday from the hotel are reasonable and filling. Though, I am grateful to my friends who send me fruit baskets shown here as they are life-savers in this environment. They allow you to remember the good taste and bites of the fruits that suddenly disappear from your daily intake.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In lieu of physical exercises, I resort to stretching daily, simulating my front crawl strokes. Physical exercises are necessary to keep us sane. No wonder that there are basketball courts in prison settings.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">Day 13 </b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">- Thursday, February 3, 2022</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-629947de-7fff-8107-559e-03235048fea8"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The end of quarantine is near now. I plan to pick a few things to wrap up. I have the habit of creating Google documents for all my activities. The actual writing re-enforces my learning and enjoyment although there is a good possibility that I shall not read them ever again :-). It is good to reach clear-cut milestones between major switches of daily routines.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The two neural networks lectures in my machine learning thread were very informative. It put the calculus, the gradient descent based optimization technique, and the statistical modeling all in one pot (architecture). The neurons and how they relate to each other through layers and through the so-called parameters are somewhat fuzzy. The key to driving its usefulness and success, I think, is the supervised learning model over lots of data. The availability of a large dataset can compensate for the hodgepodge set of parameters.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The next thing is to finish my "water" calligraphy practice on "The Heart Sutra." One should do the brush stroke firmly and slowly, remembering where and when to turn and twist while focusing on the down and up motions. I cannot do too much practice every day. One can only appreciate so much during each practice session as there is learning fatigue with diminishing returns.</span></p><div><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p><b>Day 14 </b>- Friday, February 4, 2022</p><p>A PCR test for this human petri dish was carried out this morning. A negative test will be required to end the quarantine. No news is good news, and I am prepared to leave this hotel tomorrow morning after breakfast.</p><p>In the last installment of this quarantine journal, I will reflect on the current trend of various social media platforms, in which one can express his/her own opinions and in most cases follow the opinions of the celebrities. People wish to express their thoughts and scream for others to hear them, but they are often unwilling and unable to listen to others. Most people just read the headlines and click-click-forward :-(. They barely read the content and ponder on the issues. They are excited to forward the pieces that agree with their point-of-views and feel disgusted with the pieces that are not in agreement with their own.</p><p><b id="docs-internal-guid-e87917dd-7fff-b11a-6b76-36181c6da663" style="font-weight: normal;">Personally, I definitely read original pieces or commentaries that are written by my acquaintances. I read articles from reputable sources. If someone won't jot down a reason or two on why they forward to me, I won't bother opening the message. I especially resent those habitual forwarders who never speak of their own mind. A robotic avatar can probably do that job better.</b></p><p><b style="font-weight: normal;">If this craze and attitude continues, the society will eventually spiral out of control and break down. Some form of autocracy might replace unrestrained democracy. Individual freedom will suffer, but some might be happy to see collective orderliness for a change. Unfortunately, autocracy has a natural tendency to perpetuate itself through other means at the expense of personal freedom. This might be a fact of like that things do swing between extremes. </b></p><p><b style="font-weight: normal;">In light of the recent political showdown between Russia and the West over Ukraine sovereignty, this is specially relevant to me. I am quite pessimistic that democracies might lose out, in some not-so-distant future, to autocracies if we don't have the sensibility to correct and behave ourselves.</b></p></span></div></span></span></div></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">=====</div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b>References</b>:</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ol><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://books.google.com.tw/books/about/The_Gay_Genius.html?id=53GpBKRHPh8C" rel="nofollow">The Gay Genius</a> - Biography of Su Tungpo <span id="docs-internal-guid-a52f4b05-7fff-771d-94da-7008560b0060"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">蘇東坡</span></span>, by Lin Yutang </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9f49224d-7fff-2772-ecdc-686b52a2f3f8"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">EYArt 意外艺术 on Youtube - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL30MEN19i1lL-UATsGbmcLtZ6blZBzHzE">about </a></span></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL30MEN19i1lL-UATsGbmcLtZ6blZBzHzE">蘇東坡</a></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-88f0efa2-7fff-b459-9392-948121b1646b" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoROMvodv4rMiGQp3WXShtMGgzqpfVfbU">Stanford CS229 Autumn 2018</a> </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Andrew Ng [20 lectures] - college-level calculus and probability/statistics required</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Prince">Le Petit Prince</a> - <a href="http://www.cmls.polytechnique.fr/perso/tringali/documents/st_exupery_le_petit_prince.pdf">French version</a>, <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/edcp508/files/2016/02/TheLittlePrince.pdf">English translation</a>, by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_de_Saint-Exup%C3%A9ry" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0645ad; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Antoine de Saint-Exupéry">Antoine de Saint-Exupéry</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Sutra">The Heart Sutra 心經</a> - dated since 661 CE, the famous 色即是空,空即是色 This Body itself is Emptiness and Emptiness itself is This Body</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/letters/thich-nhat-hanh-new-heart-sutra-translation/">Thich Nhat Hanh's English translation</a> of The Heart Sutra </span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-04172c54-7fff-21b6-71a1-1f4bd11f407b" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quotes from Le Petit Prince </span><a href="https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Little_Prince" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Little_Prince</span></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Japanese New Year <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_New_Year">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_New_Year</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Korean New Year <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_New_Year">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_New_Year</a> </span></li></ol>T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-36747687637970572142022-01-30T15:28:00.003-08:002022-01-30T19:27:04.608-08:00I am a Human Petri Dish - Part 2/3<p>It has been five years since my last posting in this forum. I don't normally write and post anything that my friends can find in Google search and read about. This trip is unique and this incarceration is voluntary in some way. I am writing a short journal entry each day in isolation. It is probably worth writing and sharing, and thus the restart of my blogpost.</p><p>I am in Taipei, Taiwan right now and I am in a quarantine hotel. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The purpose of the quarantine is to isolate me and see if any Covid-19 viruses will manifest themselves in this period. I do feel like I am a human Petri Dish during this pandemic. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click for <a href="http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2022/01/i-am-human-petri-dish-part-13.html">Part 1/3 here</a>.</span></p><p>=====</p><p><b>Day 5 - </b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wednesday, January 26, 2022</span></p><p>The international news was mostly on the imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine and the volatile US stock markets in the last few days. The brinkmanship between NATO and Russia is truly unnerving. I don't know whether the imminent, when escalated to that level, invasion of China to Taiwan will trigger similar responses around the world. The NASDAQ is already in the correction phase from its recent high. The wide swing between the initial big sell-off and the last-hour recovery during the trading day is truly remarkable. Certainly there are still people trying to get in to this already overvalued equity market. There is probably too much cash floating that needs a place to invest.</p><p>I continued my French reading today, that is, the book "Le Petit Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was not an easy book to read at my level, but I was about 80 percent complete. I had three chapters left in my first French book. I liked this book very much as there was much to appreciate and ponder through the observations and conversations between this alien little prince and the aviator author whose plane crashed in the Sahara desert. Why French again after almost 20 years hiatus? It is my wishful thinking that Michael and I would visit and drive around France in July this summer. Given the way the omicron variant virus ravages the world now, this planning is very shaky to the least. </p><p><b>Day 6 - </b>Thursday, January 27, 2022</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI1vzpi_pefNjxhOuc5xr5cZAraFOiQMI9CMra3pT_8y7cTLlb8BIzukY8ue28zyx40SPdq8JsZoPWQxrrDvhmWRdqfv3Ipzo53HqvCjgOFab5LrCa_AzbY_L8L3jy48dZyqPmSnON0Y5mKPXgZSjZ1RbclSUSZNntnC8xuy6fbY6twZTs8Lk_Iy3x=s1386" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="1386" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI1vzpi_pefNjxhOuc5xr5cZAraFOiQMI9CMra3pT_8y7cTLlb8BIzukY8ue28zyx40SPdq8JsZoPWQxrrDvhmWRdqfv3Ipzo53HqvCjgOFab5LrCa_AzbY_L8L3jy48dZyqPmSnON0Y5mKPXgZSjZ1RbclSUSZNntnC8xuy6fbY6twZTs8Lk_Iy3x=w285-h215" width="285" /></a></div><br />Ah, what a surprise last night! I woke up to the sound of water dripping. It was not a dream. The water dripped from the ceiling near the bathroom. I called the front desktop and they delivered a couple of towers. I was told that help from the maintenance crew would be early in the morning. I told them to inform my upstairs room people to make sure that the source could be stopped just in case. I suspected that the accumulation of water and steam in the shower stall could be the culprit. It gradually stopped and fortunately I was able to continue my sleep.<p></p><p>The maintenance crew came in the morning, but need to open up more places to find the problems as obvious places appear to be dry. The management team agrees to move me to another room so that the maintenance crew can do their exploratory fix. In the meantime, the bedding and sheets are all replaced. Crossing my fingers that there would be no more leaks tonight.</p><p><b>Day 7 - </b>Friday, January 28, 2022</p><p>I did my second antigen self-test today. It was great to be in the negative. I was also moved to room 1109, which was next door and that made my "moving" fairly straightforward. The room is not bad and certainly I don't want to witness water leakage again.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjupunIv14DXATsqKOua4SnbfyGi2Nbgi_ipgf_JGeTrQQ3stgadkslTC2CODMvC9_w8ikimxOwqv3hdgpn8YbSLW5eYwnP28YSKqkYbFpxobvh5XM5fdA1MODOzK6uDPLw6yzgF6K3xBB77qXcs-25P2rSTnpjTlwFtHiMLcm125fohIO1qt_Jz3XD=s4032" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjupunIv14DXATsqKOua4SnbfyGi2Nbgi_ipgf_JGeTrQQ3stgadkslTC2CODMvC9_w8ikimxOwqv3hdgpn8YbSLW5eYwnP28YSKqkYbFpxobvh5XM5fdA1MODOzK6uDPLw6yzgF6K3xBB77qXcs-25P2rSTnpjTlwFtHiMLcm125fohIO1qt_Jz3XD=w278-h208" width="278" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I did the usual routines: Pokémon game refresh, Chinese culture and economy update in Youtube channels, machine learning lecture, and something new today, the Chinese water calligraphy on reusable cloth worksheets.</p><p>Chinese calligraphy was sort of a requirement in my middle and high school education when I grew up. But few people took it seriously as long as the assignments were turned in and counted. When I visited a friend in Taipei a few years back, I was inspired by his calligraphy work and I decided then to pick up this pursuit. Chinese calligraphy helped me to concentrate and focus. I enjoyed my own progress as well as improved artistic appreciation. </p><p>I had the habit of understanding what I was writing about from those few famous templates. That forced me to read historical backgrounds and some classical literature pursuits. That was intellectually satisfying.</p><p>The pandemic changed things. I learned to read more online in current events, history, culture, geography, and travel. And I also started regular swimming almost on a daily basis. Nevertheless, I reached a serious plateau on calligraphy. I found excellent Youtube channels on learning Chinese calligraphy. Somehow I was convinced that I would not progress much further and I should spend more time on language and culture learning for my planned road trips in Europe and Japan with my son Michael. I stopped ink brush practices a year ago. I needed to have a realistic and fulfilling exit strategy for my remaining time on earth :-).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWM3lap-bUuCNwyDABh9-VFAjDEsJhwS0GfVyuWW381ZGbtyRL61DzdZJfMgUpp0Ef3eyFCbaE0uVHAPoh-e5UEi6l6Bp2tKVaudubS3lT3niJs84qRkCGu9I9TAna7xF9Uo3XLwaEiqw2zRIaNtM9qk9GJDs1yyX02FbNoKwJWGtTYvkxO4EoNpOh=s4032" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWM3lap-bUuCNwyDABh9-VFAjDEsJhwS0GfVyuWW381ZGbtyRL61DzdZJfMgUpp0Ef3eyFCbaE0uVHAPoh-e5UEi6l6Bp2tKVaudubS3lT3niJs84qRkCGu9I9TAna7xF9Uo3XLwaEiqw2zRIaNtM9qk9GJDs1yyX02FbNoKwJWGtTYvkxO4EoNpOh=w272-h204" width="272" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Water calligraphy was an inspiration to me when I saw it. It uses water, no ink, on reusable worksheets and it is environment friendly. Some worksheets come with preprinted traces and one can really practice. It is not as realistic as the real ink, but for my level and for my purpose, this is a good compromise. Here you can see my practice results while some parts are drying.</p><p><b>Day 8 - </b>Saturday, January 29, 2022</p><p>Today is my halfway milestone. I will be out of quarantine next week this time. I look forward to taking a walk in the park and checking out my favorite breakfast place.</p><p>I continued on my machine learning and neural networks online lecture and he was a good teacher as he knew where to pause and drill down in details to build up a good intuitive framework. I enjoyed this very much. </p><p>I spent some time combing through Pokémon storage space and enhancing my battling portfolio. The Pokémon game and games in general can be useful to learn life skills. This is a collector's game. In a simulated environment, you manage your resources and goals. This requires cognitive skill, good planning, multi-attribute evaluation, tradeoff, and optimization. There are some social aspects also, and you have other players as your friends whom you trade goodies with, battle together or battle against each other. Just like everything else, one should not be addicted to the game and forget to live a balanced life with all things considered.</p><p><b>Day 9 - </b>Sunday, January 30, 2022</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjju4CR--eOJ7SQKBCChnmsQy8nIaApZzqBmRqe-oLEnATmU54LHtQDP6_dwo5uFUQa1bh29KspzNIKOaOC6x38njIpLIe0JM6jVaBLzEqhfHDFUYukGxu0jxKh80k4TlNleP3mxOI8m6QlAL9jOpUVZQMP2nEDJ0OOhBHfIObp18tS04T0htZGN1CH=s3975" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1948" data-original-width="3975" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjju4CR--eOJ7SQKBCChnmsQy8nIaApZzqBmRqe-oLEnATmU54LHtQDP6_dwo5uFUQa1bh29KspzNIKOaOC6x38njIpLIe0JM6jVaBLzEqhfHDFUYukGxu0jxKh80k4TlNleP3mxOI8m6QlAL9jOpUVZQMP2nEDJ0OOhBHfIObp18tS04T0htZGN1CH=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I bought the water calligraphy work booklet shown here around this time last year from a street vendor in Taipei. It was a welcome change to practice against this real calligraphy piece instead of practicing the basic strokes on a big worksheet. That happened to be the famous "Heart Sutra" totaling 260 words in Chinese.</p><p>The Heart Sutra is one of the most important sutras in Mahayana Buddhism. I could not help but to learn and understand the essence and importance of the sutra and its history. It is definitely a Zen piece with its cryptic teachings full of apparent contradiction and mysticism. There is an English translation by the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh. The translation is beautiful, but radical. There is also an excellent exegesis for the sutra to rationalize his translation. The links are shown in the reference section.</p><p>Incidentally, from the BBC World Service news, Thich Nhat Hanh passed away a week ago on January 22 at the age of 95 in Vietnam. That's my quarantine Day 1. </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">=====</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b>References</b>:</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ol><li><a href="https://books.google.com.tw/books/about/The_Gay_Genius.html?id=53GpBKRHPh8C" rel="nofollow">The Gay Genius</a> - Biography of Su Tungpo <span id="docs-internal-guid-a52f4b05-7fff-771d-94da-7008560b0060"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">蘇東坡</span></span>, by Lin Yutang </li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Prince">Le Petit Prince</a> - <a href="http://www.cmls.polytechnique.fr/perso/tringali/documents/st_exupery_le_petit_prince.pdf">French version</a>, <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/edcp508/files/2016/02/TheLittlePrince.pdf">English translation</a>, by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_de_Saint-Exup%C3%A9ry" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0645ad; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Antoine de Saint-Exupéry">Antoine de Saint-Exupéry</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Sutra">The Heart Sutra 心經</a> - dated since 661 CE, the famous 色即是空,空即是色 This Body itself is Emptiness and Emptiness itself is This Body</li><li><a href="https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/letters/thich-nhat-hanh-new-heart-sutra-translation/">Thich Nhat Hanh's English translation</a> of The Heart Sutra </li><li><br /></li></ol>T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-59658532797418682202022-01-25T16:21:00.002-08:002022-01-25T16:21:59.692-08:00I am a human Petri Dish - Part 1/3<p>It has been five years since my last posting in this forum. I don't normally write and post anything that my friends can find in Google search and read about. This trip is unique and this incarceration is voluntary in some way. I am writing a short journal entry each day in isolation. It is probably worth writing and sharing, and thus the restart of my blogpost.</p><p>I am in Taipei, Taiwan right now and I am in a quarantine hotel. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The purpose of the quarantine is to isolate me and see if any Covid-19 viruses will manifest themselves in this period. I do feel like I am a human Petri Dish during this pandemic. </span></p><p>=====</p><p><b>Day 0</b> - Thursday, January 20, 2022 - Friday, January 21, 2022</p><p>Leaving for Taipei from San Francisco - UA871 - early arrival by one hour one Friday evening Taiwan time. First time ever that I had only one suitcase and one backpack. I cheated a bit by having a sturdy handbag to hold vitamins/candies due to excess weight (53.6 pounds).</p><p>At SFO, quite a few people got stuck in filling out the required Health Declaration Form/Certificate at the web site <a href="https://hqhq.mohw.gov.tw/">https://hqhq.mohw.gov.tw/</a>. The interface was indeed confusing and I went through possibly all click combinations and it took me more than one hour.</p><p>On the inflight movie screen panel, I picked French as my language as part of my recent endeavor to learn the language. I watched "Mourir Peut Attendre" (No Time to Die) by Daniel Craig. It was a good 007 movie. The breakfast on this flight was a warm sandwich bun with cheese and ham. It was much better than anything they had to offer in my recollection.</p><p>On arrival, there was <a href="https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202201090015">a fast PCR test</a> for all arriving passengers. It was completed within an hour.</p><p>From my quarantine hotel room (1111) on the 11th floor, there are poke stops nearby, but there are no Pokémon gyms reachable.</p><p><b>Day 1</b> - Saturday, January 22, 2022</p><p>Jet lag adjustment is the usual routine, and hopefully it can be done in one week. I started to do some Pokémon clean-up work last year this time in Taiwan.</p><p>I also continued my French learning, i.e., finished up the dictation lesson on "Le secret de la robe rose" from my life-time <a href="https://my.babbel.com/">Babbel</a> membership. They recently don't allow you to do "copy-n-paste" on some screens. I had to screenshot them into .png files and used a free OCR tool to convert to French. What a bummer.</p><p><b>Day 2</b> - Sunday, January 23, 2022</p><p>I was advised not to put my mobile phone (with my local number on Airplane Mode while it is powered on. The authorities need the phone signal to track my location through the cell towers. Someone might have tried to out-smart the authorities, and thus this special instruction was given by my daily contact. My daily contact was the assistant to Li (里) chief. The Taiwanese government subdivides the city/county (市/縣) into District (區/鄉/鎮) and then Li (里) and then Lin (鄰). The Li chief is actually a paid bureaucrat that manages his/her dominion related to public affairs.</p><p>The local TV channels include CNN and that is my source of international news. I used the radio.net app to tune in to BBC World Service.</p><p>I started to read "The Gay Genius - Biography of Su Tungpo 蘇東坡" in Chinese. I did not realize that this person I knew of was that talented, versatile, open-minded, and prolific in many fields. He was indeed fascinating to me. I got the idea from a Youtube channel called EYArt.</p><p><b>Day 3 </b>- Monday, January 24, 2022</p><p>Waking up to my biological clock and grabbing my iPhone to see that it was 4:07 am. It was not a surprise. I should have been able to predict that :-). I now practiced the morning shower routine that my children did when they grew up in the US. Well, it was invigorating for sure.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRESMl1XkdNygJNuOP1mDjs6agHY-5z4onMPqKzksSrmXtFUA78lNjN9XJTUsZ5zMDo2IFdhq5nVG4H1WYp27YXtqk9FL93YrGp2rEzci06xPFyZ4ReKTb8pTMY7aRntIb_8CucU2ODDv3wEZnSI4fio_XBKzE4TA3zFmI3q_CdFg9cwNtNNgq5Ysx=s1346" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1346" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRESMl1XkdNygJNuOP1mDjs6agHY-5z4onMPqKzksSrmXtFUA78lNjN9XJTUsZ5zMDo2IFdhq5nVG4H1WYp27YXtqk9FL93YrGp2rEzci06xPFyZ4ReKTb8pTMY7aRntIb_8CucU2ODDv3wEZnSI4fio_XBKzE4TA3zFmI3q_CdFg9cwNtNNgq5Ysx=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I did my first antigen self-test today. It was negative all right. It was not too difficult to do, but it did require one to read the instructions carefully. I think a basic exposure of high-school level biology/chemistry lab experience is required. I was amazed at what is required of a modern-day functional citizen these days.</p><p>I missed the daily swim a lot. Not being able to do meaningful exercises in a hotel room is not good physically and mentally.</p><p><b>Day 4 </b>- Tuesday, January 25, 2022</p><p>Finally, I decided to extend my quarantine hotel stay by another week. Originally the plan called for my second 7-day quarantine to be in a home setting. The auntie place has a second bedroom and a second shower stall, but the exact detail of the requirement is a "suite", that is, the shower/bath needs to be enclosed in a bedroom. My buddy friend Donald had that setting, but I was not allowed to change the location after it was submitted a few days ago.</p><p>Now, with this in mind, I felt like more and more that I am a petri dish. The purpose of this quarantine was to isolate me and see if any Covid-19 viruses would manifest themselves in this petri dish in 14 days. </p><p>I did my first clothing wash last night since I could not hold out for two weeks without washing clothes, especially the underwear.</p><p>I continued my Youtube stanfordonline channel's machine learning lectures. I kept this as part of my to-do list among other activities to keep busy and entertained.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">=====</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b>References</b>:</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://books.google.com.tw/books/about/The_Gay_Genius.html?id=53GpBKRHPh8C" rel="nofollow">The Gay Genius</a> - Biography of Su Tungpo, by Lin Yutang </li><li><br /></li></ol><p></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre;">=====</span></span></div>T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-1423770919949465982017-04-03T11:04:00.000-07:002017-04-05T15:13:23.946-07:00Highlights of February 2017 Yunnan Excursions<div>
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href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><br />
<div>
This eleven-day Yunnan [1] trip, February 12 to February 22, 2017, covered close to 3000 km in
distance. There was no single central theme focusing on one place or region. Logistically, the tour centered on the capital city Kunming [2]. We traveled in all the cardinal directions, and thus I called the trips excursions. We visited a few peculiar geological formations and land forms, cultivated terraced fields, and most interestingly we had a 6-mile walk in the blossoming canola fields [3]. Yunnan is a province in the southwest of China bordering Myanmar,
Laos, and Vietnam. I'll visit the border towns next time.<br />
<br />
I stayed an extra two days in Kunming to visit places frequented by tourists. Those included the Provincial Museum, which was recently renovated. It was very informative to spend a day there. When I am in a large city and not pressed by time, I often use the public transportation to get a first-hand feel of the city and its people.<br />
<br />
We had 19 people in total, including the tour leader. The
tour leader was a thoughtful and experienced young man who specializes in
outdoor and exploratory trips. This was the second trip I took with him. More information can be found at
http://www.worldhey.com/. <br />
<br />
<b>About Yunnan</b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hi-haENxE6E/WNby8GqP7GI/AAAAAAAAFo0/1f6rF_5UcAwQxzBJIH5pq5HuacTQshRAwCLcB/s1600/705px-China_Yunnan.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hi-haENxE6E/WNby8GqP7GI/AAAAAAAAFo0/1f6rF_5UcAwQxzBJIH5pq5HuacTQshRAwCLcB/s200/705px-China_Yunnan.svg.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yunnan in China</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yunnan is noted for its very high level of ethnic diversity. Among
China's 56 recognized ethnic groups, 25 are found in Yunnan. It is the most southwestern province in China, with the Tropic of
Cancer running through its southern part. The northern part of the
province forms part of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau [4].<br />
<br />
We basically traveled in the northeastern part of Yunnan on this trip. The altitude ranges from 230 meters to 2000 meters, with many micro climates in between. The changing terrain also creates many terraced fields and is home for diverse flora and fauna.<br />
<br />
<div>
To my surprise, I found that the tequila plant thrives in Yunnan. I could not clearly identify whether it is "agave azul" [5]; that type could be used to produce tequila for sure. Yunnan is known in China for its tobacco products. Going for liquor production is a questionable proposal here :-)</div>
<br />
Around the 3rd century BC, the central area of Yunnan around present
day Kunming was known as Dian. Many Han Chinese brought into Yunnan an
influx of Chinese influences,<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i> </i></sup>the
start of a long history of migration and cultural expansion. The Yunnan
area remained an autonomous state or group of semi-autonomous states for more than a
thousand years, with frequent conflicts and wars against Chinese dynasties and peace time in
between. In 1273, Kublai Khan finally created the province
and, after the Burmese campaigns, it included significant portions of
upper Burma. Since then, Yunnan has remained a province of China, with
complicated border ambiguities with her neighbors.<br />
<br />
It is interesting to note that railroads were built more than 100 years ago in this region. The
opening of the Kunming area began in earnest with the completion in
1906–1910 of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway [6] to Haiphong in North Vietnam
(part of French Indochina). This was built in the frenzy of early railroad building in China [7].<br />
<div>
<br />
<b>Highlights and Pictures</b><br />
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</div>
<div>
Here are some annotations and background for the pictures throughout the trip.<br />
<br />
<div>
<b>1) Earth Forest at Yuanmou Langbapu</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eZ5atRWX-s8/WNcTyTCEGrI/AAAAAAAAFpE/IK-hXUJtMR0rVUvVjP1rwwTWStkLYKXLwCLcB/s1600/EarthForestYuanmouLangbapu2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eZ5atRWX-s8/WNcTyTCEGrI/AAAAAAAAFpE/IK-hXUJtMR0rVUvVjP1rwwTWStkLYKXLwCLcB/s320/EarthForestYuanmouLangbapu2017.jpeg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Earth Forest in Langbapu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lj5PEbakc54/WNcT4E4CQUI/AAAAAAAAFpI/8WBqCJQ2j64evoEdt5xWjc5GfLSLyu7CACLcB/s1600/EarthForestLangbapu2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lj5PEbakc54/WNcT4E4CQUI/AAAAAAAAFpI/8WBqCJQ2j64evoEdt5xWjc5GfLSLyu7CACLcB/s320/EarthForestLangbapu2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Earth Forest in Yuanmou</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The
direct translation from Chinese 土林 is "earth forest" in the area of
Langbapu, Yuanmou County [8]. These land forms are quite soft, and thus calling it a stone forest
might be a bit misleading.</div>
<div>
Land forms are peculiar in the Yuanmou area. Although
the formation of these geological protrusions is different from
that of Hoodoos, it reminds me of the Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah [9].</div>
<div>
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<div>
<b>2) Canola Fields in the Luoping area</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h40Y8ZxH48s/WNcVHp8onaI/AAAAAAAAFpQ/98LO-vvB7s00U8qrLLwSNrI4GljM6XN3gCLcB/s1600/CanolaFields2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h40Y8ZxH48s/WNcVHp8onaI/AAAAAAAAFpQ/98LO-vvB7s00U8qrLLwSNrI4GljM6XN3gCLcB/s320/CanolaFields2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canola Field in Luoping Area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hh3bTA05vS8/WNcVMXHrHwI/AAAAAAAAFpU/T5VuPYZDefEm4CwBSsHgJip8u5cNLMVdwCLcB/s1600/PaulMomentCanolaField2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hh3bTA05vS8/WNcVMXHrHwI/AAAAAAAAFpU/T5VuPYZDefEm4CwBSsHgJip8u5cNLMVdwCLcB/s320/PaulMomentCanolaField2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canola Moment in Luoping </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Le1dSux-fHQ/WNcVWi7oHuI/AAAAAAAAFpY/xQb4eJCMqCMYBIQp5q1XWCmnwPpfo0YPgCLcB/s1600/CanolaFieldCollage2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Le1dSux-fHQ/WNcVWi7oHuI/AAAAAAAAFpY/xQb4eJCMqCMYBIQp5q1XWCmnwPpfo0YPgCLcB/s320/CanolaFieldCollage2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canola Field Collage in Luoping Area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6RfG2eCJYys/WNcVinaZ8aI/AAAAAAAAFpc/FfJo_YROfhwH67kSxyubuIag_jKJRp2_QCLcB/s1600/SixMileHikeCanolaFields2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6RfG2eCJYys/WNcVinaZ8aI/AAAAAAAAFpc/FfJo_YROfhwH67kSxyubuIag_jKJRp2_QCLcB/s320/SixMileHikeCanolaFields2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking in the midst of Canola Fields</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was probably the most enjoyable part of the trip. We were fortunate to have the flowers blossoming, and the weather was gorgeous when we made the 6-mile hike in the canola fields.<br />
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Our tour leader found this secluded area a few years back. He developed a long-term relationship with a farmer family in the area. We had real superb country dinners with local ingredients all from the land.<br />
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<br />
The canola fields are used to produce canola oil for human consumption.
The shape of canola seeds is similar to that of string beans. The seeds
are harvested to produce canola oil. The oil content is amazing high,
about 44%.<br />
<br />
I was told that there are about 20 to 30 million mu's (Chinese acres,
which is 0.1647 Imperial/US acre) of canola planted for oil production
in Yunnan every year. A farmer gets about 1200 RMB ($200 USD) per mu for
the seeds they gather. The extraction of oil from the seeds is
typically done downstream in a more industrialized setup.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Open Seating Country Dinner</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FaVIRCXPIlQ/WNcVoyyc--I/AAAAAAAAFpg/SpabBm6L34U7N_KRAef7TnTfLtYjTtmBACLcB/s1600/PaulCliff2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FaVIRCXPIlQ/WNcVoyyc--I/AAAAAAAAFpg/SpabBm6L34U7N_KRAef7TnTfLtYjTtmBACLcB/s320/PaulCliff2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul next to the Cliff </td></tr>
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I overcame my fear of coming close to the edge of a cliff on a local hill. The next most fearful thing would be to dangle my feet out into the open from the cliff.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MRoex2PsA0c/WNcV6GNioPI/AAAAAAAAFpk/mBwgTpTXNW0VL50ygTAySRlO_IV7u_z5QCLcB/s1600/CascadedFallsLuoPingArea2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MRoex2PsA0c/WNcV6GNioPI/AAAAAAAAFpk/mBwgTpTXNW0VL50ygTAySRlO_IV7u_z5QCLcB/s320/CascadedFallsLuoPingArea2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cascading Falls in the Luoping Area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The cascading falls in the Luoping area were quite a pleasant surprise. Although they were not huge in size and varied in form, it reminded me of the <span class="st">Plitvice Lakes National Park in</span> Croatia [10].</div>
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<b>3) Terraced fields in Yuanyang area</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KQlEhEciaWw/WNcaCgT1v0I/AAAAAAAAFp0/o187B8vjs2QWYs0lzPOrLPJ2f_rjE3fNgCLcB/s1600/YunnanTerracedFieldSunset2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KQlEhEciaWw/WNcaCgT1v0I/AAAAAAAAFp0/o187B8vjs2QWYs0lzPOrLPJ2f_rjE3fNgCLcB/s320/YunnanTerracedFieldSunset2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yunnan Yuanyang Terraced Fields at Sunset</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NtSOsFAmcs4/WNcaHdp8C2I/AAAAAAAAFp4/3IsBaXP7p9w_DgNDjfeu-X0aHur3ci7RgCLcB/s1600/YunnanTerracedFieldWalk2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NtSOsFAmcs4/WNcaHdp8C2I/AAAAAAAAFp4/3IsBaXP7p9w_DgNDjfeu-X0aHur3ci7RgCLcB/s320/YunnanTerracedFieldWalk2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yunnan Yuanyang Terraced Field Walk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photography Enthusiasts for their best shots</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
Yunnan is mountainous with many rivers and cultivated terraced fields. The terraced fields have beautifully lit views with reflections at sunset and sunrise.</div>
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This attracts many photography enthusiasts aiming to obtain a few good shots of the terraced fields during a short window of few minutes. Equipment for advanced photography can be heavy and varied; I found that local porters were hired for transporting them. It was not unusual to find them engaging in occasional arguments, juggling and jostling for positions.<br />
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We spent a few hours walking and strolling on the ridges of the terraced fields to see them up close. A few children were catching loach (mud fish) with a specially crafted bamboo stick.<br />
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<b>4) Yunnan's deepest lake Fuxian Lake and Kunming's Green Lake</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yunnan Fuxing Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSi8sNSt88M/WNcagb7KQ9I/AAAAAAAAFqE/yq2bVy7BbjMGRDVx0fRLm1PMIoWhh-HwwCLcB/s1600/KunmingCuiHu-GreenLake2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSi8sNSt88M/WNcagb7KQ9I/AAAAAAAAFqE/yq2bVy7BbjMGRDVx0fRLm1PMIoWhh-HwwCLcB/s320/KunmingCuiHu-GreenLake2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kunming Green Lake (Cui Hu) and Migrant Birds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Fuxian Lake [11] is 155 meters deep at its greatest depth. It is known for its unique fauna. It is tranquil and undisturbed. The lake would be a good place to visit and relax, or even for retirement. Green Lake [12] in the Kunming city happened to have migrant birds when I visited.</div>
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<b>Epilogue</b><br />
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I was able
to take many good pictures with my simple iPhone and iPad. Nevertheless,
there are many challenges for the unprepared and uninitiated.<br />
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1) Difficult and unacceptable toilet facilities some of the time.<br />
2) Garbage can be seen in creeks. People throw things out of their personal property, and there is no good city planning for collection and recycling. This is unfortunately a myopic view of the world that disconnects us from our environments. In my view, we have schizophrenia at the
societal level.<br />
3) There are many winding roads in this area with no roadside mirrors. Horns are used often to warn oncoming traffic. Drivers have to figure out how to pass each other if it is too narrow for both to travel at the same time.<br />
4) Noises of drones in scenic areas are not uncommon. They are used presumably for aerial videography or photography.<br />
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5) Many of these places were not well known until the advent of the Internet and fast communications. However, the development
pace for these new travel destinations is too fast and not planned for
sustainability. We are destroying the natural beauty and resources in a
hurry for short term gains.<br />
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<b>References</b>:<br />
[1] Yunnan - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunnan <br />
[2] Kunming - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunming<br />
[3] Canola - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canola <br />
[4] Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunnan%E2%80%93Guizhou_Plateau<br />
[5] Agave (tequila plant) - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave<br />
[6] Yunnan-Vietnam Railway - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunming%E2%80%93Hai_Phong_Railway <br />
[7] Chinese Railroads - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport_in_China <br />
[8] Yuanmou County, Yunnan, China - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuanmou_County<br />
[9] Bryce Canyon National Park - https://www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm<br />
[10] <span class="st">Plitvice Lakes National Park in</span> Croatia - http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/98 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plitvice_Lakes_National_Park<br />
[11] Fuxian Lake - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuxian_Lake<br />
[12] Kunming's Cui Hu (Green Lake) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Lake_(Kunming)</div>
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T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-78768758319416073282017-01-28T03:22:00.001-08:002017-04-03T11:25:49.987-07:00my Angkor Wat tripI joined a 5-day, 4-night <a href="http://pktravel.com.tw/" target="_blank">Taiwanese tour group</a>
to Angkor Wat, Cambodia [1] in mid January 2017, which cost me about $1000 USD with everything included. This tour uses a chartered airline (Far East Airline), and it has no mandatory shopping. The fees for the Cambodia visa and all meals are included.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cambodia</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The paperwork was so streamlined that our passports were collected and processed as a group. The departure date stamp was on our passport before we actually were in the airport on the last day. They have all the form and appearance of an international formality, but much of the meaning, like departure stamp, has been lost in the process. Similarly, gratuities for the tour leader, local tour guide, bus driver, and bell boys all have fixed prices and are handled as a group. These fees are not truly voluntary with this practice. The
lodging accommodation was excellent with all four nights at <a href="http://www.angkorpalaceresort.com/" target="_blank">Angkor Palace Spa and Resort</a> [2].<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angkor Wat and Tuk Tuk Car</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This tour includes not only the traditional <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat" target="_blank">Angkor Wat</a> [3], but also the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Thom" target="_blank">Angkor Thom</a> (Great or Large City) [4] and the nearby freshwater lake, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonl%C3%A9_Sap" target="_blank">Tonle Sap</a> [5]. There are more than 1000 temple ruins in Cambodia today, but most of them are in the Siem Reap area. These monumental temples were originally for Hinduism, but later the country embraced Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism is the official religion of Cambodia today, practiced by more than 95 percent of the population. Mahayana Buddhism is the religion of the majority of Chinese and Vietnamese in Cambodia.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V3f3kPAU5C0/WI3e04y9FHI/AAAAAAAAEhA/0gHW3Z_hsq0qAiNb5iLCW2UO3BVp7LY-gCLcB/s1600/AngkorWatAtDawn2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V3f3kPAU5C0/WI3e04y9FHI/AAAAAAAAEhA/0gHW3Z_hsq0qAiNb5iLCW2UO3BVp7LY-gCLcB/s320/AngkorWatAtDawn2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angkor Wat at Dawn</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xn-5DsdQvtQ/WI3e08IUcYI/AAAAAAAAEg8/B_KUBpNG7VMseD8eAbXnWbY9ltpMF5-XgCLcB/s1600/AngkorWatReflection2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xn-5DsdQvtQ/WI3e08IUcYI/AAAAAAAAEg8/B_KUBpNG7VMseD8eAbXnWbY9ltpMF5-XgCLcB/s320/AngkorWatReflection2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angkor Wat and its Reflection</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Angkor Wat means "City of Temple" in Cambodia language and is in the Siem Reap province. It was prosperous between 800 and 1400 AD. Today, it has an international airport, mainly for tourism. Tourism is the second largest industry after the textile manufacturing. If you <a href="https://www.google.com.tw/search?q=angkor+wat&biw=959&bih=641&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiVvaas9uvRAhVDGJQKHe1jBZQQ_AUIBigB" target="_blank">google "Angkor Wat" images</a>, you'll find many good pictures.
I have no intention of outdoing those. Here is a small collection of my images reflecting my particular
viewpoints. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w5lcq5HK3MU/WI3e18wnjxI/AAAAAAAAEhI/wM7xySWVAKYYONftg3_4VB1hFb7TpR4yQCLcB/s1600/TreeOnTopOfTempleGate2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w5lcq5HK3MU/WI3e18wnjxI/AAAAAAAAEhI/wM7xySWVAKYYONftg3_4VB1hFb7TpR4yQCLcB/s320/TreeOnTopOfTempleGate2017.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree Grown On Top of a Temple Gate</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nwpKuX_QyWo/WI3gmgRniLI/AAAAAAAAEhc/34HZwdU_ab0zwIHd6frR6tnStdeBPTbOgCLcB/s1600/AnimatedBasRelief-waving-hands-to-fly-2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nwpKuX_QyWo/WI3gmgRniLI/AAAAAAAAEhc/34HZwdU_ab0zwIHd6frR6tnStdeBPTbOgCLcB/s320/AnimatedBasRelief-waving-hands-to-fly-2016.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bas Relief with Hands Flapping to Fly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I am not an art person per se. But the tour guide was nice enough to explain many special features of the bas reliefs seen in many temples. I enjoyed very much this animated bas relief with its hands flapping to fly up.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E-0sKjxvPhI/WI3hOJhx9SI/AAAAAAAAEhk/f2s5cDxy_F8eBNg1DpmAATB51-OMQgwnwCLcB/s1600/HighAndNarrowSteps2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E-0sKjxvPhI/WI3hOJhx9SI/AAAAAAAAEhk/f2s5cDxy_F8eBNg1DpmAATB51-OMQgwnwCLcB/s320/HighAndNarrowSteps2017.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfinished Temple with Narrow and High Steps</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I enjoyed the strenuous climbs of one unfinished temple. During its construction, the temple was struck by lightening, which was viewed as a bad omen and thus never finished. This temple has no carvings, statues, and other decorations. It has very narrow and high steps and make the climb a little challenging.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sZc4-mtQE4o/WI3hOM59PgI/AAAAAAAAEho/zX5lPdhSllMqEdq6gGqhpQG95TPYa9FiwCEw/s1600/UnfinishedTemple2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sZc4-mtQE4o/WI3hOM59PgI/AAAAAAAAEho/zX5lPdhSllMqEdq6gGqhpQG95TPYa9FiwCEw/s320/UnfinishedTemple2017.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
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Tonle Sap means "Freshwater Lake" in the Cambodian language. It is a
huge lake about 12,000 square kilometers in area during monsoon season. That is
1/3 of the size of the Taiwan island. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-45DTELU9e6A/WI3iHE7YCGI/AAAAAAAAEh4/v8uBOkFenm8gUpHspnhgkRF1085lyLNAACLcB/s1600/FloatingTonleSapPoliceStaton2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-45DTELU9e6A/WI3iHE7YCGI/AAAAAAAAEh4/v8uBOkFenm8gUpHspnhgkRF1085lyLNAACLcB/s320/FloatingTonleSapPoliceStaton2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Police Station Floating on Tonle Sap</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The total area of the lake
shrinks to 1/4 of its maximum size in dry seasons. Many of the houses and
structures are thus built on stilts. Other permanents structures or
institutions are on floats like this police station shown here. You can
see schools, churches and shopping venues on floats.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-usMkJbrIO_I/WI3idnpOxBI/AAAAAAAAEh8/H0PfRFpvt3oxkJ83uE-jUnaR1tRKNkoCQCLcB/s1600/EnjoyCoconutDrinkInAHotDay2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-usMkJbrIO_I/WI3idnpOxBI/AAAAAAAAEh8/H0PfRFpvt3oxkJ83uE-jUnaR1tRKNkoCQCLcB/s320/EnjoyCoconutDrinkInAHotDay2017.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coconut Drink Treat on a Hot Day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Cambodia has two seasons, that is, the rainy monsoon season from May to October, and the dry season from November to April. Rainy season can have 22 degrees Centigrade, but the dry April can go up to 40 degrees. Visiting in a rainy season would be quite messy walking about. January and February are usually a great time to visit, with the "mild" temperature of 30 degrees. I enjoyed very much a cold coconut drink after a hard day of walking around the ruins.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6YlEAvGWOY/WI3ixIIfA-I/AAAAAAAAEiE/jdbJ6iBuF0IoMf-pxWDcIXGynD-ia3FBQCLcB/s1600/RoadSideElephantRideEntertainment2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6YlEAvGWOY/WI3ixIIfA-I/AAAAAAAAEiE/jdbJ6iBuF0IoMf-pxWDcIXGynD-ia3FBQCLcB/s320/RoadSideElephantRideEntertainment2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roadside Elephant Ride</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The elephants were very much part of the ancient Cambodia history and culture. I only saw a few of them in this trip. This photo shows a roadside opportunity for people to ride on an elephant. The local tour guide explained that much was lost in this war-torn country, and there is not much to be spared or left with when more than 1/4 of the human population was killed. You can watch the award-winning movie "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killing_Fields_%28film%29%20%281984%29" target="_blank">The Killing Fields</a>" that depicted the horrors done by the Khmer Rouge [6].<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L5z1AF6FSY4/WI3jCtZvpII/AAAAAAAAEiM/Q3_xtlEnQck0hKPEnwYLXzCwYbufVz7KwCLcB/s1600/CTEP-school-near-SiemReap2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L5z1AF6FSY4/WI3jCtZvpII/AAAAAAAAEiM/Q3_xtlEnQck0hKPEnwYLXzCwYbufVz7KwCLcB/s320/CTEP-school-near-SiemReap2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A simple two-room CTEP school</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I took the free/shopping time in town on the last day's afternoon to visit a non-profit project CTEP [7]. CTEP (Cambodia-Taiwan Education Project) is a Taiwanese outreach program in Cambodia with 30 small schools that train young school-aged pupils to be employable in the labor market.<br />
The schools teach computer skills, the English language, and the Chinese language, with the ultimate goal to educate the students enough for the many industries in Cambodia.<br />
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The picture shown here is a simple two-classroom structure attached to one of the local elementary schools near Siem Reap.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cHAbvIbchHs/WI3jC-pOPfI/AAAAAAAAEiQ/QahD45sjI8MR6IpNFYkGTwnnAgIsAYnMACLcB/s1600/CTEP-school-session-near-SiemReap-2017.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cHAbvIbchHs/WI3jC-pOPfI/AAAAAAAAEiQ/QahD45sjI8MR6IpNFYkGTwnnAgIsAYnMACLcB/s320/CTEP-school-session-near-SiemReap-2017.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CTEP class/exam in session</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The other photo was taken while a class/final-exam was in session.<br />
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The project founder and director is one of my acquaintances in my National Taiwan University days forty years ago. I find his personal vision and persuasion in doing this work at the grass-root level very convincing and meaningful. He has a good model going for this war-torn country that regained peace only as recently as 1998.<br />
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<b>References</b>:<br />
[1] Cambodia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia <br />
[2] Angkor Palace Spa and Resort - http://www.angkorpalaceresort.com/<br />
[3] Angkor Wat - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat<br />
[4] Angkor Thom - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Thom <br />
[5] Tonle Sap - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonl%C3%A9_Sap<br />
[6] The Killing Fields - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killing_Fields_(film) <br />
[7] CTEP - http://camtw.com.tw/<br />
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<br />T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-36424558639810078062016-11-01T08:23:00.000-07:002017-04-03T11:21:49.163-07:00my Badain Jaran Desert trip<br />
<div id="yiv5911090075yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1476668576461_5996">
This six-day
trip, October 10 to October 15, 2016, covered 2000 km in distance. We had 12 persons in total, including the tour leader. The tour leader is a thoughtful and experienced
young man who specializes in outdoor and exploratory trips. More
information can be found at <a href="http://www.worldhey.com/" id="yiv5911090075yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1476668576461_6634" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.worldhey.com/</a>.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RD783d4hXJY/WOKSfIqGy7I/AAAAAAAAFyM/bp_AIfABOEIZwVmVG-wN14zMq4KJaS7QQCLcB/s1600/AlxaBannerInnerMongolia.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RD783d4hXJY/WOKSfIqGy7I/AAAAAAAAFyM/bp_AIfABOEIZwVmVG-wN14zMq4KJaS7QQCLcB/s1600/AlxaBannerInnerMongolia.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alxa League in Inner Mongolia</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The starting
point was the capital city YinChuan [1] in Ning Xia Hui Autonomous
Region. Historically, this was the capital of Xi Xia [2] at the time of South Song Dynasty. We traveled in and around Alxa League, Inner Mongolia [3]. This league has three banners, i.e., the Ejin Banner [4], the Alxa Left Banner, and the Alxa Right Banner. We started from east (Alxa Left Banner) to the very north at Ejin Banner first on the north side of two deserts, Tengger Desert [5] and Badain Jaran Desert [6], then south to the west
(Alxa Right Banner). After the Badain Jaran Desert exploratory visit, we traveled back on the south
side of two deserts.<br />
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On the way to Ejin Banner on the west, the driver pointed out to us a couple of times a mirage [7] in the desert, which was discernible as a few islands spread over a sea or lake. That was my first mirage, not counting the less phenomenal "fake water" on the hot-road during the summer time in the United States' Southwest.</div>
<div id="yiv5911090075yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1476668576461_6208">
<br id="yiv5911090075yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1476668576461_6152" />
Here are some annotations and background for the pictures throughout the trip.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kvhz7XEAreo/WA9jsS65juI/AAAAAAAADeQ/LgN4zeZwWK4q64raZI6T9osbl9WsVVySACLcB/s1600/GuangZongTemple2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kvhz7XEAreo/WA9jsS65juI/AAAAAAAADeQ/LgN4zeZwWK4q64raZI6T9osbl9WsVVySACLcB/s320/GuangZongTemple2016.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guang Zong Temple on the west side of Helan Mountains</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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1) Guang Zong Temple (also known as South Temple or Nan Ssu) on the west side of the Helan Mountains [8] that purportedly is the resting place for Dalai Lama VI [9]. His death or disappearance was mysterious during the Qing Dynasty.<br />
This temple had more than 1500 monks a century ago. This legendary Dalai Lama was born outside of the Tibetan region. He was a very talented poet and spawned many legends during his life. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E67wMrw4aiQ/WA9kWCnUZrI/AAAAAAAADeY/RtiAHZ5uXUg6M99xv45-uqkG6Ha0ndzKgCLcB/s1600/File_006.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E67wMrw4aiQ/WA9kWCnUZrI/AAAAAAAADeY/RtiAHZ5uXUg6M99xv45-uqkG6Ha0ndzKgCLcB/s400/File_006.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huyang Trees in Ejin Banner area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t4oDZgx4f78/WA9kbp_J28I/AAAAAAAADec/jRTjs7r6UBcrCs-tUjmdwr-Y-SAytFuMwCLcB/s1600/HuyangTreesReflection2016A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t4oDZgx4f78/WA9kbp_J28I/AAAAAAAADec/jRTjs7r6UBcrCs-tUjmdwr-Y-SAytFuMwCLcB/s320/HuyangTreesReflection2016A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huyang Tree Reflection in Ejin </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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2 and 3) Huyang (Poplar Diversifolius) trees [10] reflections at Ejin Banner.<br />
This is a species of poplar tree in the willow family. It can be found in many desert areas around the world, and it is very much adapted to dry conditions. The forest of these trees in the Ejin Banner area is famous for its formation and water reflections, as experienced by many travelers in recent years.<br />
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4) Sea gulls near the reed wetland in Juyan Lake [11]<br />
The Juyan Lake is one of several terminal lakes for the inland Heihe River (Black River). There are few rivers that don't flow to the oceans. Heihe is one of them. I normally associate sea gulls with oceans. Apparently they don't need oceans to exist, they just need the right water environment, I imagine.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AlZHfBUWMCE/WA9lzXTKDrI/AAAAAAAADes/NYhvBy1S3wMqHblzmXvmpS8XLuj6g46BwCLcB/s1600/File_005.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AlZHfBUWMCE/WA9lzXTKDrI/AAAAAAAADes/NYhvBy1S3wMqHblzmXvmpS8XLuj6g46BwCLcB/s320/File_005.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea Gulls in Juyan Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vc0anB1Zs0E/WA9l3FTmEZI/AAAAAAAADew/oVQwLOPpG4s3t1pKbZ3JzRAlXYfQLYj4wCLcB/s1600/JuyanLakeSunset2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vc0anB1Zs0E/WA9l3FTmEZI/AAAAAAAADew/oVQwLOPpG4s3t1pKbZ3JzRAlXYfQLYj4wCLcB/s320/JuyanLakeSunset2016.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juyan Lake Sunset</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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5) Sunset in Juyan Lake<br />
This was a rare chance to take good pictures during the sunset in this wetland area with many reeds.<br />
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6) Strange Huyang Forest<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aHieuvlJei0/WA9mfPz4imI/AAAAAAAADe0/VRz9697VOfw_c-j86UNEgLXWnZPYueTAQCLcB/s1600/File_007.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aHieuvlJei0/WA9mfPz4imI/AAAAAAAADe0/VRz9697VOfw_c-j86UNEgLXWnZPYueTAQCLcB/s320/File_007.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strange Huyang Forest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We went to this forest before sunrise. Supposedly the environmental changes in this area caused all trees to die, but the arid condition in the desert areas prevented the trees from decaying further.<br />
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7 and 8) Ruin of the Black Water City and Walled Fortress<br />
This was an important city for the Xi Xia (Tangut) State on the western end of its territory. It was known by a few different names, including the Mongolian name Khara-Khoto [12]. It was conquered by Genghis Khan in 1226, but it continued to flourish. It was abandoned, though, for more than seven hundred years after the Ming Dynasty defeated the Mongols and took the city in 1372. Its importance was lost during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Interestingly enough, this city appears in the "Travels of Marco Polo" as Etzina.<br />
Various expeditions and excavations in the 20th century unearthed many books, xylographs (woodblock prints), scrolls, and manuscripts in Tangut language. The Mongolian Buddhist stupas [13] traditionally house the sacred scriptures and religious articles. Dictionaries were among the unearthed items, including a Chinese-Tangut glossary that made the Tangut (Xi Xia) study possible today.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jt2wqf9yq14/WA9n2ur2gDI/AAAAAAAADfA/yLq6Qs2I46oNAYsTnH7H4VxtR9IgfiQUACLcB/s1600/File_008.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jt2wqf9yq14/WA9n2ur2gDI/AAAAAAAADfA/yLq6Qs2I46oNAYsTnH7H4VxtR9IgfiQUACLcB/s320/File_008.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stupas of the Khara-Khoto Ruin from the Distance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rZhZCriUyB0/WA45DuGOHzI/AAAAAAAADdE/mawgFIXYmGQjUTbr1jytwyQrHPpz_6o_QCLcB/s1600/Khara-Khoto-2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rZhZCriUyB0/WA45DuGOHzI/AAAAAAAADdE/mawgFIXYmGQjUTbr1jytwyQrHPpz_6o_QCLcB/s320/Khara-Khoto-2016.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mongolian Buddhist Stupa in Khara-Khoto Ruin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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9) Badain Jaran Desert Jeeps - Toyota Land Cruiser Prado<br />
10) Mongolian Yurt<br />
11) Sand Dune and Desert Lake <br />
12) Badain Jaran Desert ridge at sunset<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IW5-TK6IPI8/WA9n_gtZPtI/AAAAAAAADfY/zRd5IjgVrVMUd77tthwjM0SrqiNpdwDcQCEw/s1600/File_004.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IW5-TK6IPI8/WA9n_gtZPtI/AAAAAAAADfY/zRd5IjgVrVMUd77tthwjM0SrqiNpdwDcQCEw/s320/File_004.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Expedition with Desert Jeeps with Camels in the distance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJFy7mSSchs/WA9oIuhH4DI/AAAAAAAADfY/S1XkZIsveW4-FAvFGhcLVgGhOJIBU9f-gCEw/s1600/BadainJaranDesertLakeReflection.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJFy7mSSchs/WA9oIuhH4DI/AAAAAAAADfY/S1XkZIsveW4-FAvFGhcLVgGhOJIBU9f-gCEw/s320/BadainJaranDesertLakeReflection.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sand Dune and Desert Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Badain Jaran Desert [6] covers an area of 49,000 square kilometers, which is about 30 percent larger than the island of Taiwan. It has more than 140 lakes, and many are in the southern region of the desert. These lakes provide life sustenance for the herds and limited vegetation. This desert is home to the tallest stationary dunes on earth. The Bilutu Peak measures 500 meters from its base, and is the tallest stationary dune in the world.<br />
We hired three desert jeeps for our group for an excursion trip going up and down the sand dunes and visiting/viewing the oases. We stayed in a guest house for one night with dinner and breakfast served. There was no shower. Water was precious. We got the the place early enough and did not have to stay in a yurt/ger. We have 5 twin-sized beds for men and similar ones for women. The tour leader told us that the yurt is usually not as well heated as our small brick compound. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0a71u3cDd2o/WA9oQSQaj2I/AAAAAAAADfY/Ituk172sFKc5Yh2EvemVUUhVVNN40vyYQCEw/s1600/MongolianYurt2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0a71u3cDd2o/WA9oQSQaj2I/AAAAAAAADfY/Ituk172sFKc5Yh2EvemVUUhVVNN40vyYQCEw/s320/MongolianYurt2016.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mongolian Yurt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xdAyR0Iq6W8/WA9oUtytHkI/AAAAAAAADfY/E2JdaMa_52ESGi2zEoM91QlHkh4nimiqACEw/s1600/File_002.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xdAyR0Iq6W8/WA9oUtytHkI/AAAAAAAADfY/E2JdaMa_52ESGi2zEoM91QlHkh4nimiqACEw/s320/File_002.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on Sand Dune Ridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I was very fortunate to be in good health throughout this trip. I was able to take many good pictures with my simple iPhone and iPad. Nevertheless, there are many challenges for the unprepared and uninitiated.<br />
1) Difficult and unacceptable toilet facilities on the road.<br />
2) Dry air that caused allergic reaction for one team member.<br />
3) Huge temperature swing between day and night for the travelers who had to get up around 5am three times to see the sunrises. <br />
4) On the rough and exciting desert jeep ride, two members had to bail out after the first 5 km due to severe motion sickness. Fortunately, there was a decent hotel near the entrance of the geopark in the desert.</div>
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<b>References</b>:<br />
[1] YinChuan <span class="m_3484531749444276010s1">银川 </span>- Capital City of NingXia Hui Autonomous Region - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yinchuan<br />
[2] Xi Xia <span class="m_3484531749444276010s3">西夏 </span>History in China - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Xia <br />
[3] Alxa League, Inner Mongolia <span class="m_3484531749444276010s1">内蒙古阿拉善盟 </span>- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alxa_League<br />
[4] Ejin Banner <span class="m_3484531749444276010s1">额济纳旗</span>, Inner Mongolia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ejin_Banner <br />
[5] Tengger Desert <span class="m_3484531749444276010s1">腾格里沙漠 </span>- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tengger_Desert <br />
[6] Badain Jaran Desert <span class="m_3484531749444276010s1">巴丹吉林沙漠 </span>- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badain_Jaran_Desert<br />
[7] Mirage <span class="m_3484531749444276010s1">海市蜃楼 </span>- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirage<br />
[8] Helan Mountains <span class="m_3484531749444276010s3">贺兰山 </span>- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helan_Mountains <br />
[9] Dalai Lama VI - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_Dalai_Lama<br />
[10] Huyang Tree <span class="m_3484531749444276010s3">胡杨树 </span>- Diversifolius poplar - Euphrat-Pappel https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%83%A1%E6%9D%A8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus_euphratica https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphrat-Pappel<br />
[11] Juyan Lake <span class="m_3484531749444276010s3">居延海 </span>(Gashuun Nuur) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juyan_Lake_Basin<br />
[12] Black Water City <span class="m_3484531749444276010s1">黑水城 </span>/Walled Fortress and its XiXia Cultural Treasures - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khara-Khoto<br />
[13] Mongolian Buddhist Stupa - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stupa<br />
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T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-5207983395606380972016-08-10T20:43:00.000-07:002016-08-10T20:43:08.917-07:00English with an American Corporate Accent - 040<br />
This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best
if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate
America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here. <br />
<br />
* They are squatting in our device name space. [They are simply sitting in our device name space.]<br />
* Peter said not to hold our breath for that decision. [Peter said not to expect that decision to come anytime soon.]<br />
* Pre-allocating them will give us some head room to operate. [Allocating them beforehand will give us some leeway to operate.]<br />
* Let's sort them out in chronological order so that we can formulate a
punch list for execution. [Let's sort them out in chronological order so that we can formulate a to-do list for execution.]<br />
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* There are bigger fish to fry. [There are more important things to worry about.]<br />
* We should hold their feet to the fire, otherwise, nothing gets done.
[We should keep the pressure on, otherwise, nothing gets done.]<br />
* They made a valiant effort to deliver that project before the gate closes. [They tried their best to deliver that project before the gate closes.]<br />
* I am going to write an email to them for a waiver. This requirement at the 11th hour is impossible to meet. [I am going to write an email to them for a waiver. This late requirement is impossible to meet.]<br />
<br />
* We are in the weeds for the last forty-five minutes. [We are overwhelmed with details for the last forty-five minutes.]<br />
* It will be an unbounded path if you enable that feature by hand. [It will be an uncontrolled path if you enable that feature manually.]<br />
* Is there a chance that the rug gets pulled out from
underneath when you are traversing that linked list? [Is there a chance that the linked list gets modified when you are traversing that linked list?]<br />
* That stock is certainly on the up and up, although we don't know why. [That stock is certainly reliable and honest, although we don't know why.]T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-31720469758880504932016-07-13T15:10:00.000-07:002017-06-03T16:34:37.724-07:00My first Vietnam trip - Hanoi and Ha Long BayThis was my first trip to Vietnam. I learned from news and various media that communist Vietnam is also going through incredible market economy changes to modernize herself. I have many Vietnamese friends, and almost all of them or their parents came to America when the American and the South Vietnamese lost their war in the mid 70's. They don't like the communist regime.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xFSJ032XXV4/WTNHTK3KBtI/AAAAAAAAHVo/L75G-yJQ9mIkX3gnqj5ANUdiK1ShH5zawCLcB/s1600/Location_Vietnam_ASEAN.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="587" height="163" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xFSJ032XXV4/WTNHTK3KBtI/AAAAAAAAHVo/L75G-yJQ9mIkX3gnqj5ANUdiK1ShH5zawCLcB/s200/Location_Vietnam_ASEAN.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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I joined a 5-day, 4-night <a href="http://pktravel.com.tw/" target="_blank">Taiwanese tour group</a>, which cost me about $1100 USD with everything included. This tour uses Vietnamese Airlines and it has no mandatory shopping. The fees for Vietnamese visa and all meals are included. The visa is on a separate piece of paper, and there is no trace of the visit on your passport. This becomes a common practice when visiting certain countries. The lodging accommodation was excellent with one night at Ha Long Bay Novotel, one night at the Indochina Sails Cruise Junk, and two nights at the Hanoi JW Marriott.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CiSiltTQVw4/V3tSH6pa6DI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/2zu7EtTW_c0yTJihJwP3CkljQg20IiXIwCK4B/s1600/HaLongBayIndochinaCruiseJunk2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CiSiltTQVw4/V3tSH6pa6DI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/2zu7EtTW_c0yTJihJwP3CkljQg20IiXIwCK4B/s200/HaLongBayIndochinaCruiseJunk2016.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indochina Sails Cruise Junk</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Logistically, the flight from Taipei was very early, so that we managed to visit a couple of tourist spots in Hanoi before we took a 4-hour-long bus ride to Ha Long Bay in the afternoon. The bulk of the travel on the road is of State Highway caliber at best and often goes through small towns. It will be a quick 2-hour run in the future for this 200-kilometer trip when they upgrade to true Interstate Highway caliber roads.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%E1%BA%A1_Long_Bay" target="_blank">Ha Long Bay</a> is truly beautiful and is a mature karst and limestone landscape. It is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin" target="_blank">Guilin </a>on the sea, but at a much larger scale.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UBQF9CiDrQc/V4KkQn3Ki4I/AAAAAAAAB8U/39xPqcRmWZoURoOsrNX6kIr_ogrlahNvgCK4B/s1600/HaLongBayPanoramic2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UBQF9CiDrQc/V4KkQn3Ki4I/AAAAAAAAB8U/39xPqcRmWZoURoOsrNX6kIr_ogrlahNvgCK4B/s640/HaLongBayPanoramic2016.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panoramic View from the top of Titop Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OMzI_FlMdcc/V3tS2cnkOKI/AAAAAAAAB6s/vyT6Pl3RC38t-2BuHq_298sl1n9oW1XqwCK4B/s1600/HaLongBay-sunrise2016.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OMzI_FlMdcc/V3tS2cnkOKI/AAAAAAAAB6s/vyT6Pl3RC38t-2BuHq_298sl1n9oW1XqwCK4B/s320/HaLongBay-sunrise2016.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise in Ha Long Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi&source=gmail&ust=1467483791222000&usg=AFQjCNGck1l7l_T32NXBhLBJddXyKY0RWw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi" target="_blank"></a><br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi&source=gmail&ust=1467483791222000&usg=AFQjCNGck1l7l_T32NXBhLBJddXyKY0RWw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi" target="_blank"></a>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iVa59cEPmtY/V4KkTSpd1tI/AAAAAAAAB8c/Ouh5Hx2vmx0JYsDeoD6Mw4P7iTTZCOSYgCK4B/s1600/HaLongBayEarlyMorning2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iVa59cEPmtY/V4KkTSpd1tI/AAAAAAAAB8c/Ouh5Hx2vmx0JYsDeoD6Mw4P7iTTZCOSYgCK4B/s320/HaLongBayEarlyMorning2016.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early morning in Ha Long Bay </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7SiD_tpFlFk/V4Kky1ZKDNI/AAAAAAAAB8k/oLtVCWHRMQMGpDNSpD-cAvujmnNF9EXfACK4B/s1600/HaLongBayStrawHat2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7SiD_tpFlFk/V4Kky1ZKDNI/AAAAAAAAB8k/oLtVCWHRMQMGpDNSpD-cAvujmnNF9EXfACK4B/s320/HaLongBayStrawHat2016.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vietnamese straw hat at the Boat Terminal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had my Vietnamese straw hat before the bay tour. It was handy and good thing to have for the weather in this region. But it immediately conjured up the image of a Viet Cong from the Vietnam War era.<br />
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Like many developing nations, Vietnam had to balance the zealous development projects with environmental and ecological concerns. This half-finished amusement park near the beach was an example that many of my tour group members felt unnecessary at all.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mAJMAEjiv1M/V4Kk5ky6TbI/AAAAAAAAB8w/dnrdb5dNuEE8EeNWXfUa58obEUTuUCSjwCK4B/s1600/HaLongBayUnfinishedAmusementPark2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mAJMAEjiv1M/V4Kk5ky6TbI/AAAAAAAAB8w/dnrdb5dNuEE8EeNWXfUa58obEUTuUCSjwCK4B/s320/HaLongBayUnfinishedAmusementPark2016.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half-finished amusement park near the Ha Long Bay beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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On our way to Ha Long Bay, there were many unoccupied resorts and buildings near the beach. We were told that they were yet to recover from the 2008 economic
recession because of over-development.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uwsl49TGfkI/V4Kk_j-J57I/AAAAAAAAB84/qgG4EHhjq00p6TPnw_KuioGBxY3eZbQJQCK4B/s1600/HaLongBayUnoccupiedResorts2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uwsl49TGfkI/V4Kk_j-J57I/AAAAAAAAB84/qgG4EHhjq00p6TPnw_KuioGBxY3eZbQJQCK4B/s320/HaLongBayUnoccupiedResorts2016.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unoccupied beach-front resorts and buildings</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi" target="_blank">Hanoi</a> is the capital of Vietnam. It has more than one thousand years of history, and for the most part, it was dominated by the Chinese. Hanoi was taken by the French in 1873. It became the capital of French Indochina in 1887. It became the capital of North Vietnam in 1954 when the colonial period ended.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iPiMuRqG7XQ/V3tSnPGc6jI/AAAAAAAAB6g/yfr9V_mlDFQchP6UeKS4zlMNl1SRpKFRgCK4B/s1600/HanoiOldQuarterTelephonePole2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iPiMuRqG7XQ/V3tSnPGc6jI/AAAAAAAAB6g/yfr9V_mlDFQchP6UeKS4zlMNl1SRpKFRgCK4B/s320/HanoiOldQuarterTelephonePole2016.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spectacular telephone pole wiring in Hanoi's Old Quarter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Modern-day Hanoi is divided by a river. The New Hanoi quarter was
built in the last twenty years, and roads and streets are well planned
with many new modern buildings and hotels. Old Hanoi quarter is the
original Hanoi. This picture shows spectacular telephone pole wiring.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jx1i1dP8ZoU/V4Htmn1JR-I/AAAAAAAAB8E/btuvEP_lg1c5yA8KyY-3544zvCAc4m9jQCK4B/s1600/HaoiBuildings2016B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jx1i1dP8ZoU/V4Htmn1JR-I/AAAAAAAAB8E/btuvEP_lg1c5yA8KyY-3544zvCAc4m9jQCK4B/s320/HaoiBuildings2016B.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical tall and narrow buildings in Hanoi and suburbs</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The architecture and style of the houses and buildings are heavily influenced by the hot and humid weather and by the French adaptation of existing Chinese structure. They are in general tall (high ceiling) and narrow.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lp2_hz46fxM/V4HnDiRIjAI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/3AXWG_bqoXkhvT4WJLhGQLx8fNSb2VKuwCK4B/s1600/HanoiTempleOfLiterature2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lp2_hz46fxM/V4HnDiRIjAI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/3AXWG_bqoXkhvT4WJLhGQLx8fNSb2VKuwCK4B/s320/HanoiTempleOfLiterature2016.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple of Literature (Confucius)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IPcNnxntav0/V4Hm115YtBI/AAAAAAAAB7I/sKTVMSq38N8QiFDixYzoOXrOOgKo1akmQCK4B/s1600/HanoiAncestralHall2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IPcNnxntav0/V4Hm115YtBI/AAAAAAAAB7I/sKTVMSq38N8QiFDixYzoOXrOOgKo1akmQCK4B/s320/HanoiAncestralHall2016.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancestral Workship Hall</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Chinese writings are visible only in temples and ancestral worship halls. The Temple of Literature, aka Temple of Confucius, followed the Chinese civil examination system to promote study and to select government officials.<br />
The Vietnamese pronunciation has very strong similarity to some of the southern Chinese dialects. Modern-day Vietnamese romanization/writing is based primarily on the Portuguese pronunciation system. I was told that the grammatical structure is a mixture between that of Chinese and French.<br />
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The French brought in Catholicism to Vietnam. I visited the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph%2527s_Cathedral,_Hanoi&source=gmail&ust=1467483791222000&usg=AFQjCNH-8G_w_JJgENL50YHsUkgzLYjVUA" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph%27s_Cathedral,_Hanoi" target="_blank" title="St. Joseph's Cathedral, Hanoi">St. Joseph's Cathedral</a> in the old quarter. My old habit of looking for Catholic Church happens to be part of the tour :-)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VJksXRnNPrs/V4Hp9leIXwI/AAAAAAAAB7g/-nhwYkJy9K8Z220TmyY-2grMIg4JtQgzgCK4B/s1600/HanoiStJosephCathedral2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VJksXRnNPrs/V4Hp9leIXwI/AAAAAAAAB7g/-nhwYkJy9K8Z220TmyY-2grMIg4JtQgzgCK4B/s320/HanoiStJosephCathedral2016.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanoi St. Joseph's Cathedral</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dCQk9KmAhHs/V4Hq7gzBxkI/AAAAAAAAB7s/DMG-Cc8le8wJaSnJJNLjOTnPZ3t4XgkMwCK4B/s1600/HanoiHotelMetropole2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dCQk9KmAhHs/V4Hq7gzBxkI/AAAAAAAAB7s/DMG-Cc8le8wJaSnJJNLjOTnPZ3t4XgkMwCK4B/s320/HanoiHotelMetropole2016.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanoi Hotel Metropole (Sofitel Legend)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The historic 1901 French colonial-style <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofitel_Metropole&source=gmail&ust=1467483791222000&usg=AFQjCNFsC2Ph15fb4xVxjY3foup8YHS_Yw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofitel_Metropole" target="_blank" title="Sofitel Metropole">Hotel Metropol </a>is charming and beautiful. Our tour group had one of the lunches there. <br />
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_Museum&source=gmail&ust=1467483791222000&usg=AFQjCNFie6YZqsd-v90809A-R5mlhWDm0g" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_Museum" target="_blank" title="Ho
Chi Minh Museum">Ho Chi Minh Museum</a> is a place to see Vietnamese history from the North Vietnamese perspective. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh" target="_blank">Ho Chi Minh</a> mausoleum is next to the Ba Dinh Square. The tour guide said that there is an annual maintenance trip to Moscow in the Fall. This is quite unbelievable to me though. The communist party did not honor Ho Chi Minh's wish to have himself cremated. He was out of the country for 30 years, traveling and residing in many countries, until he came back to Vietnam in 1941 to lead the independence movement. I was fascinated to learn that he was in Canton, China between 1925-1927 at the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whampoa_Military_Academy" title="Whampoa Military Academy">Whampoa Military Academy</a>, where he would presumably have been acquainted with many Chinese Nationalist and Chinese Communist pioneers. It was documented that he married a Chinese wife, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeng_Xueming" target="_blank">Zeng Xueming</a>, in that period. But this is denied by the Vietnamese government to perpetuate the myth of his celibacy.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C3CCngZ1WA4/V4HreMNYO5I/AAAAAAAAB70/hOarSBUAcLk08KeV13ACSJW33S8UMSgHgCK4B/s1600/HanoiHoChiMinhMausoleum2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C3CCngZ1WA4/V4HreMNYO5I/AAAAAAAAB70/hOarSBUAcLk08KeV13ACSJW33S8UMSgHgCK4B/s320/HanoiHoChiMinhMausoleum2016.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We went to see a water puppetry show in a theater. It is pretty interesting to think about the techniques required to perform with controlling sticks under the water.<br />
<br />
We visited the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Museum_of_Ethnology&source=gmail&ust=1467483791222000&usg=AFQjCNE_BeKn76cGjrCjrk2dRbso6xrTyw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Museum_of_Ethnology" target="_blank" title="Vietnam Museum of Ethnology">Vietnam Museum of Ethnology</a> in whirlwind style. It was best to do it that way, because the humidity level was quite unbearable for the June weather.<br />
Vietnam has many small ethnic minorities, who need education and job training to keep up with progress in the whole country, and there is much to do.<br />
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<br />T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-51038299508508992002016-07-06T00:28:00.001-07:002016-07-13T12:55:18.181-07:00Three-hour Ferry from Pingtan Island, China to Bali, TaiwanThis is to wrap up my crossing ventures from China to Taiwan by sea. My last attempt was two years ago from <a href="http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2014/07/taking-ferry-from-xiamen-china-to.html" target="_blank">Xiamen to Kinmen</a>, and it was less than 30 minutes on a commuter ferry.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jyblKx1a_iY/V3gvIcEZxzI/AAAAAAAAB58/BBsrgFrdGeYhXpY_ZJHW8yydJowVU_z_gCK4B/s1600/Bali2016B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jyblKx1a_iY/V3gvIcEZxzI/AAAAAAAAB58/BBsrgFrdGeYhXpY_ZJHW8yydJowVU_z_gCK4B/s320/Bali2016B.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Strait-Crossing Ferry</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN">Most travelers fly from mainland China to major cities in
Taiwan these days. Crossings by ferry have only been available in the last few years. I took a short ferry run from
Xiamen to Kinmen a couple of years ago in July 2014.
That was symbolic, since Kinmen is still 100 plus miles away
from Taiwan proper. This ferry from
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pingtan_Island" target="_blank">Pingtan Island</a> crosses the Taiwan Strait in 3 hours with a top speed at 39 knots
(nautical miles per hour). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A five-kilometer<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">-</span>long bridge to the Fujian mainland was completed in November
2010.</span><span lang="EN"> Pingtan Island is about 120
km from the nearby city Fuzhou, and it takes about 2 hours in
bus/shuttle. The destination Bali is a port at the
Tamsui River outside of Taipei city.
There are bus and subway connections nearby. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q-hG0f1hSJQ/V3diiGzDBUI/AAAAAAAAB3w/id2sc1uuUL03NMX_AmnvUX5bzkugoU81gCK4B/s1600/June4SecurityAt%2BBeijingTrainStation2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q-hG0f1hSJQ/V3diiGzDBUI/AAAAAAAAB3w/id2sc1uuUL03NMX_AmnvUX5bzkugoU81gCK4B/s320/June4SecurityAt%2BBeijingTrainStation2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Armed Guard at the Beijing South Railroad Station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN"><span lang="EN">After my business travel to Beijing this time, </span>I took a high-speed train, G27, at 9:45am from Beijing on June 4, 2016 and
arrived around 5:30pm in the city of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuzhou" target="_blank">Fuzhou</a>.
The one-way ticket cost me 719 RMB (about 110 USD). June 4 is a particularly sensitive day in China these days, and the security was tight in the train station. The armed police/military was clearly visible in the Beijing South Railroad Station. Fuzhou is the provincial
capital of FuJian, which is directly across from Taiwan over the Strait. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN">There is one ferry crossing from both sides of the Strait every day, you
can find the schedules on these two websites <a href="http://www.csf.com.tw/ocean/price.php" target="_blank">[1]</a> <a href="http://www.amoytrip.com/book-pingtan-taiwan-ferry.html" target="_blank">[2]</a>.
Use either site to book and purchase tickets for passengers with a will-call arrangement. The Monday morning ferry run is at 9:00am from Pingtan, and the transportation is iffy if I tried to take that ferry from Fuzhou. I decided to stay in Pingtan Island, and I used
Airbnb app to book a hostel-like room near the beach. It was my first excuse to use Airbnb.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rui8Eelm9ag/V3dk7s5mcKI/AAAAAAAAB34/yHsuSdsR_2wEZdXsy32bKxrkb4A0JKH1ACK4B/s1600/FuzhouCity2016A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rui8Eelm9ag/V3dk7s5mcKI/AAAAAAAAB34/yHsuSdsR_2wEZdXsy32bKxrkb4A0JKH1ACK4B/s320/FuzhouCity2016A.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fuzhou City Light</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pwD4S8xtT3A/V3dk-vpY_AI/AAAAAAAAB4A/fkr_H9PeTw4PlyJfSbNi5QKvXxQCF1bKQCK4B/s1600/FuzhouCityWuYiSquare2016C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pwD4S8xtT3A/V3dk-vpY_AI/AAAAAAAAB4A/fkr_H9PeTw4PlyJfSbNi5QKvXxQCF1bKQCK4B/s320/FuzhouCityWuYiSquare2016C.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fuzhou WuYi Square from Shangri-La hotel Window</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN">I used my Shangri-La points to book the hotel in Fuzhou, which allowed me to
have comfort and leisure before my comparatively rougher day ahead. Fuzhou is quite a modern city now.
I took my limited time to see the city and its old quarters before I left for Pingtan Island around 3pm. </span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DiqAEK0cmVY/V3dnfVf0sHI/AAAAAAAAB4I/-rAB7HWMyjMsbcwBQv9hinn9PFvXnd7pgCK4B/s1600/SaintDominicCathedral2016A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DiqAEK0cmVY/V3dnfVf0sHI/AAAAAAAAB4I/-rAB7HWMyjMsbcwBQv9hinn9PFvXnd7pgCK4B/s320/SaintDominicCathedral2016A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint Dominic Cathedral</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G0NFJfCJ8t0/V3dn9sHqNSI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/HShx5RqpNWsyG2xp972CdMUxJDaYHcMfwCK4B/s1600/FuzhouFoodMenu2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G0NFJfCJ8t0/V3dn9sHqNSI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/HShx5RqpNWsyG2xp972CdMUxJDaYHcMfwCK4B/s320/FuzhouFoodMenu2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FuZhou local snack- mostly sticky rice based</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN">As usual, I found my Catholic Church in the city. Saint Dominic Cathedral is in the Cangshan district. Fuzhou was one of the earliest ports open to foreign trade in Qing Dynasty. </span><br />
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<span lang="EN">The Lin Zexu museum was an interesting visit, as I came back to read a whole lot more about the significance of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Opium_War" target="_blank">First Opium War</a> and the unraveling of Modern Chinese History. Lin was a Fuzhou native and was sent to Canton as the envoy from the Emperor in Beijing to enforce the ban on opium trade. </span><br />
<span lang="EN">The old town was interesting and layout of the residential clusters dated back to the Jin Dynasty around 300AD. I enjoyed some local food for lunch in the old quarters.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ttxog9vaxAk/V3dnxfq3y_I/AAAAAAAAB4Q/1Bz9uYyo9qAusoji0mGYiIXJDVhLig-jACK4B/s320/LinZeXuMuseum2016.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lin ZeXu Museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN"> </span><br />
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<span lang="EN"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kdLJeoX_rd0/V3gn9Hx1cLI/AAAAAAAAB4s/MFDr_isOQVICr24eX_cdHlOgIDD4czwEwCK4B/s1600/PrivateShuttleVanDeity2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kdLJeoX_rd0/V3gn9Hx1cLI/AAAAAAAAB4s/MFDr_isOQVICr24eX_cdHlOgIDD4czwEwCK4B/s320/PrivateShuttleVanDeity2016.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deity in the unregulated Super Shuttle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN">The concierge at the Shangri-La hotel found the information for me on the Fuzhou South Bus Station
that has hourly bus runs to Pingtan Island.
I took a cab to the Station and bought a ticket for 55 RMB. It turned out to be from an unregulated private super shuttle van. They have ticket-selling stalls, looking quite official, at the alleyways before the entrance of the bus station. I was mislead to buy a ticket from such stall. When some gentleman came up to
help with my luggage right after I paid for the ticket, I knew that something was not right. Anyway, I could speak the language and decided to go
along with it. That was not the first time. I had to wait a little for the driver to gather enough customers,
and later the van had to stop at two places to pick up the last two passengers. It was quite packed with a total of 8 people
including the driver. The driver wasn't
too crazy in driving by the Chinese standard, and it was safe enough for the 2-hour ride.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN">He dropped me off at the Pingtan Bus Station. I had to take another cab to my beach-front BnB
place. Fortunately I had a Chinese phone
number, and the driver could talk to the BnB owner to get me that. It was not easy and straightforward. Although the island is changing rapidly, Pingtan Island still is a big fishing
village. The day was cloudy with light rain.
It was not a good thing to be left out in nowhere. They didn't use meters for the taxi ride and
this was usually not a good sign for visitors.
I got to the place for 40 RMB. </span></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mPZtP9Q1ABc/V3gorhUa6wI/AAAAAAAAB40/xYpUjsqN2y4TGBfZI08a6GHav0cKAG1gwCK4B/s1600/2016PingtanHostelBeachHouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mPZtP9Q1ABc/V3gorhUa6wI/AAAAAAAAB40/xYpUjsqN2y4TGBfZI08a6GHav0cKAG1gwCK4B/s320/2016PingtanHostelBeachHouse.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pingtan Island Beach BnB - near Island Research Center</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3aSzBIRyWC0/V3grEzIAOiI/AAAAAAAAB48/ytw_wkhVUmIcaF0x3vpgMgVCamulEUE0ACK4B/s1600/PingtanBeachOceanStudyCenter2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3aSzBIRyWC0/V3grEzIAOiI/AAAAAAAAB48/ytw_wkhVUmIcaF0x3vpgMgVCamulEUE0ACK4B/s320/PingtanBeachOceanStudyCenter2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pingtan Beach - near Island Research Center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN">The lodging itself was 21USD (135RMB) for one night. It was a reasonable accommodation, including a clean room, a queen-sized bed,
air conditioning, and a TV. I rarely turn
on TV in China except in major international cities and when I am feeling extremely bored. The owner gave me the WiFi password; the Internet
connection was quite useful. The concept
of "B and B (Bed and Breakfast)" is different in China and probably in many other places. The Bed part is there from privately owned
lodging facilities. The Breakfast part
is not translated and observed in this setting.
Fortunately I had an instant noodle package with me. With hot water,
I could get by. The instant coffee package
from Shangri-La came in handy als<span style="font-family: inherit;">o for the morning. Food option were limited at the beach-front venue. This beach was frequented by Chinese visitors for day-trip group outings. A cookout at the beach and BBQ were available, but arrangements had to be made beforehand. Otherwise, choices are limited and you also have to take food quality and hygiene standard into consideration.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-21pGrAdWi40/V3grh2GM09I/AAAAAAAAB5E/tII_8Ctk7KQFB_AyFUX2gONe5XLfoT6AQCK4B/s1600/PingtanIslandBeach2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-21pGrAdWi40/V3grh2GM09I/AAAAAAAAB5E/tII_8Ctk7KQFB_AyFUX2gONe5XLfoT6AQCK4B/s320/PingtanIslandBeach2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panoramic View of Pingtan Beach - near Island Reseach Center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FuvRzY7mz4g/V3gsQ7LyuaI/AAAAAAAAB5M/XMay-HmfjTwrdza38JqPmygF8V2W5u1awCK4B/s1600/PingtanIslandFerryTicketOffice2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FuvRzY7mz4g/V3gsQ7LyuaI/AAAAAAAAB5M/XMay-HmfjTwrdza38JqPmygF8V2W5u1awCK4B/s320/PingtanIslandFerryTicketOffice2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pingtan Ferry Terminal Ticket Office</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN">I did not do much for the evening except talking to the owner and his family members <span style="font-family: inherit;">at</span> their dinner table. </span></span><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The owner is a young entrepreneur running a 6-room beach house. Both his father
and grandfather are still fishing during the season. I recall that they said that May to August is their mandatory off season to leave the sea to replenish itself. I took a bit of rice congee as a courtesy for their invitation. The rain stopped overnight. I rose early enough in the morning to take advantage of the quiet and serene moment. </span>I took an hour or so strolling around the beach.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pingtan Customs and Border Control </td></tr>
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<span lang="EN">To be on the safe side, I asked the owner to order a taxi for me at
7am. It was again a negotiated fare. It went through multi-tier arrangement and ended up paying 90RMB for the 20-minute ride. I was one of the first few arrived at the
ferry terminal. The ticket office was not open
until 8 o'clock. The customs/immigration/border-<wbr></wbr>control facility was not open until 8:30am. I was early, and I eventually saw six tour groups
either going to Taiwan or coming back from their mainland visits.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN">I pre-ordered my ticket online with a travel agent [1]. The transaction was reasonable. The fare was 600RMB (about 90USD) and the service charge
was 30RMB. I had a piece
of paper printed in Beijing to exchange for the actual ticket.
Basically it is a will-call transaction.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jxu7ZXjldL8/V3gtmgNyQHI/AAAAAAAAB5c/smEmIjW3NGgShYH-fY1TcGT_F6cua3KgQCK4B/s1600/PingtanFerryDeck2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jxu7ZXjldL8/V3gtmgNyQHI/AAAAAAAAB5c/smEmIjW3NGgShYH-fY1TcGT_F6cua3KgQCK4B/s320/PingtanFerryDeck2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ferry Boat middle Section</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN">The ferry boat was about 1/3 full on my trip. It can accommodate 700 or so people
with three cabin sections. The ride
was smooth this time of the year. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8xhDlvAkU_Q/V3gtyCwevUI/AAAAAAAAB5k/Bi2A56zjSesi9TOIjW1_a9chudZuW4KvgCK4B/s1600/PingtanFerryOnboardGoddess2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8xhDlvAkU_Q/V3gtyCwevUI/AAAAAAAAB5k/Bi2A56zjSesi9TOIjW1_a9chudZuW4KvgCK4B/s320/PingtanFerryOnboardGoddess2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goddess Protecting the Ferry Boat in the Front Section</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN">When it got to Bali, Taiwan, a shuttle bus took us to the customs/immigration
office area. </span><br />
<span lang="EN">With my pre-trip research, I was planning to take the bus to Taipei City Center
or take the subway from GuanDu/HongShuLin. Either way, I realized that I had to take a short taxi ride to Bali town or to the subway station. I was quite tired and with a large luggage,
I ended up taking the cab all the way to the city. It was about 30 minutes and cost me 760NTD
(23USD).</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C6hjENyTRoQ/V3guKkO41rI/AAAAAAAAB5s/n6J48f30H18U5gXJ7xcuEmsTHfNdbFUhQCK4B/s1600/NearBali2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C6hjENyTRoQ/V3guKkO41rI/AAAAAAAAB5s/n6J48f30H18U5gXJ7xcuEmsTHfNdbFUhQCK4B/s320/NearBali2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arriving at Bali Port at the mouth of Tamsui River </td></tr>
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<br />
<span lang="EN">This travel route still needs a lot of ironing out, and it is not yet ready for individual travelers,
especially non-Chinese speakers. I saw that about six tour groups from both sides of the Straits on this ferry. I think this is an
interesting experience from both side of the Straits and might be less expensive as well. The tour operators could arrange the
lodging and transportation to bridge the gaps that are not convenient for individual
travelers.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for Shuttle at Bali Port, Taipei</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">[1] <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.csf.com.tw/ocean/price.php&source=gmail&ust=1467483791259000&usg=AFQjCNESojFdVeq0esYDlUYz9NXY06XvAg" href="http://www.csf.com.tw/ocean/price.php" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.csf.com.tw/ocean/<wbr></wbr>price.php</span></a> in <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">tra<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">ditional Chi<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">nese</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> </span></span></span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "pmingliu" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">台北市龍江路</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">96</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "pmingliu" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">號</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "pmingliu" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">樓</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> 02-25169779, Boat ticket from Pingtan - </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "pmingliu" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">电话:</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">0591-23192222 </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "pmingliu" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">传真:</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">0591-24199222 ATTN. MS CHANG J<br />
[2] <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.amoytrip.com/book-pingtan-taiwan-ferry.html&source=gmail&ust=1467483791260000&usg=AFQjCNHyXpNuB77d22UhVoDw272h2C8owQ" href="http://www.amoytrip.com/book-pingtan-taiwan-ferry.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.amoytrip.com/book-<wbr></wbr>pingtan-taiwan-ferry.html</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> </span>i</span></span>n English </span><br />
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T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-16575198994114240732016-04-17T15:10:00.001-07:002016-04-17T15:10:36.420-07:00English with an American Corporate Accent - 039<br />
This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best
if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate
America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here. <br />
<br />
* In the data security context, we have to make sure that the storage
component is not the weakest link. [In the data security context, we
have to make sure that the storage component is not the most vulnerable
link.] <br />
* We can repurpose the drive, when they are done with it.
[We can reuse the drive for other purposes, when they are done with it.]<br />
* We'll have another side-bar to discuss that tomorrow morning. [We'll have a separate meeting to discuss that tomorrow morning.]<br />
*
I understand that it is in your long list of things to do. What is your elevator
pitch then? [I understand that it is in your long list of
things to do. What is your short summary then?]<br />
* My summary from the brainstorm session was vetted a couple of times internally, before outside consumption. [My summary from the brainstorm session was reviewed a couple of times internally, before we distributed it outside of the group.] <br />
* Nothing is a slam dunk unless we know more about the future
priorities. [Nothing is going to happen easily unless we know more about the future priorities.]<br />
* There you go, you did not hear from me about this. [There you go, you did not learn this from me.]<br />
* We are thrashing on that issue as far as
zero-administration goes. [We are going back and forth on that issue as far as zero-administration goes.]<br />
* Let me clue you guys in. What Ron is talking about is
the regression found by that integration a week ago. [Let me give you guys a hint. What Ron is talking about is the regression found by that integration a week ago.]<br />
* It takes four months
for them to act on it. I am sure that is not their barn burner
issue. [It takes four months for them to act on it. I am sure that is not their first priority item.]<br />
* My question could possibly be seen as somewhat of a tangential
topic. [My question could possibly be seen as somewhat of a peripheral topic.]<br />
* Item number two is really just throwing the switch, once item number three is completed. [Item number two is really just simply enabling that, once item number three is completed.]T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-22202279636698058922016-02-15T16:52:00.001-08:002016-02-15T16:52:17.595-08:00Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf - Chinese<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-61850dd2-e787-4527-dfc7-f947ed33244e" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Original Link below : part of a collection</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-0d89f5bb-e78b-ba94-19f1-25e3ee677acd" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><a href="http://www.slkj.org/wenyan/24650.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.slkj.org/wenyan/24650.html</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Among many other collections. “Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf” in original Classical Chinese and the translated modern day vernacular Chinese.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-0d89f5bb-e78b-ba94-19f1-25e3ee677acd" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-61850dd2-e787-4527-dfc7-f947ed33244e" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Unabridged Translation</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2015/12/mr-dong-guo-and-wolf-unabridged.html">http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2015/12/mr-dong-guo-and-wolf-unabridged.html</a></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-61850dd2-e787-4527-dfc7-f947ed33244e" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-61850dd2-e787-4527-dfc7-f947ed33244e" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">文言文《东郭先生和狼》选自高中文言文,其古诗原文如下:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 【前言】</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 东郭先生把“兼爱”施于恶狼身上,因而险遭厄运。这一寓言告诉我们,即使在人与人的关系中,也存在“东郭先生”式的问题。一个人应该真心实意地爱人民,但丝毫不应该怜惜狼一样的恶人。 现在,“东郭先生”和“中山狼”已经成为汉语中固定词语, “东郭先生” 专指那些不辨是非而滥施同情心的人,“中山狼”则是指忘恩负义、恩将仇报的人。</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 【原文】</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 赵简子(春秋时晋国大夫)大猎于中山,虞人(掌管山泽的官吏)导前,鹰犬罗后,捷禽鸷(读音zhì,凶猛)兽,应弦而倒者不可胜数。有狼当道,人立而啼。简子唾手登车,援乌号之弓,(传说中黄帝的弓。黄帝乘龙升天时,堕下一弓,百姓抱弓而号哭,因此后人名此弓为‘乌号’。出自《史记》)挟肃慎之矢(我国东北方的少数民族,造的箭非常有名,用一进贡),一发饮羽,狼失声而逋</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(读音bū,逃跑)。简子怒,驱车逐之。惊尘蔽天,足音鸣雷,十步之外,不辨人马。</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 时墨者东郭先生将北适中山以干仕。策蹇(读音jiǎn,跛、瘸)驴,囊图书,夙(早晨)行失道,望尘惊悸。狼奄(读音yǎn,突然)至,引首顾曰:“先生岂有志于济物哉?昔毛宝放龟而得渡(传说晋时预州刺史毛宝曾将一只小白龟放入江中,后毛为石勒所败,跳入江中,得白龟相助而活命。见《续搜神记》),隋侯救蛇而获珠(传说隋侯曾治愈一条受伤的大蛇,后蛇于江中衔一大珠为报答。见《淮南子》),龟蛇固弗灵于狼也,今日之事,何不使我得早处囊中以苟延残喘乎?异时倘得脱颖而出,先生之恩,生死而肉骨也,敢不努力以效龟蛇之诚!”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 先生曰:“私汝狼以犯世卿、忤权贵,祸且不测,敢望报乎?然墨之道,兼爱为本,吾终当有以活汝。脱(即使)有祸,固所不辞也。”乃出图书,空囊橐(读音tuó,袋子)徐徐焉实狼其中。前虞(担心)跋(踩、踏)胡(这里指下巴),后恐疐(读音zhì,压)尾,三纳之而未克(成功)。徘徊容与(本意是闲暇自在,此处指慢条斯理),追者益近。狼请曰:“事急矣!先生果将揖(作揖、行礼)逊(谦逊、礼让)救焚(火灾)溺(溺水)而鸣鸾(车的鸾铃)避寇盗耶?惟先生速图!”乃跼蹐(读音jú、jí,曲缩)四足,引绳而束缚之,下首至尾,曲脊掩胡,猬缩蠖(读音huó,蛾蛹)屈,蛇盘龟息,以听命先生。先生如其指,纳狼于囊,遂括(拴紧)囊口,肩举驴上,引避道左,以待赵人之过。</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 已而简子至,求狼弗得,盛怒,拔剑斩辕端示先生,骂曰:“敢讳狼方向者,有如此辕!”先生伏质(体)就地,匍匐以进,跽(读音jì,长跪)而言曰:“鄙人不慧,将有志于世,奔走遐方,自迷正途,又安能发狼踪以指示夫子之鹰犬也?然尝闻之:‘大道以多歧而亡羊。’夫羊,一童子可制之,如是其驯也,尚以多歧而亡;狼非羊比,而中山之歧可以亡羊者何限?乃区区(仅仅)循大道以求之,不几于守株缘木乎?况田猎,虞人之所事也,君请问诸皮冠(虞人所戴的帽子,代指虞人)。行道之人何罪哉?且鄙人虽愚,独不知夫狼乎?性贪而狠,党豺为虐,君能除之,固当跬(读音kuǐ,一举足曰跬,两举足曰步)左足以效微劳,又肯讳之而不言哉!”简子默然,回车就道。先生亦驱驴兼程而进。</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 良久,羽牦之影渐没,车马之音不闻。狼度简子之去远,而作声囊中曰:“先生可留意矣。出我囊,解我缚,拔矢我臂,我将逝矣!”先生举手出狼,狼咆哮,谓先生曰:“适为虞人逐,其来甚速,幸先生生我,我馁甚,馁不得食,亦终必亡而已。与其饥饿死道路,为群兽食,无宁毙于虞人,以俎豆(读音zǔ,两中都是盛食物的器皿)于贵家。先生既墨者,摩顶放踵,思一利天下,又何吝一躯啖我而全微命乎?”遂鼓吻奋爪,以向先生。</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 先生仓猝以手搏之,且搏且却,引蔽驴后,便旋而走,狼终不得有加于先生,先生亦极力拒,彼此俱倦,隔驴喘息。先生曰:“狼负我!狼负我!”狼曰:“吾非固欲负汝,天生汝辈,固需吾辈食也!”相持既久,日晷(读音guǐ,古代用日影测定时间的仪器)渐移,先生窃念:“天色向晚,狼复群至,吾死矣夫!”因绐(读音dài,欺骗)狼曰:“民俗,事疑必询三老。第(只管)行矣,求三老而问之,苟(如果)谓我当食即食,不可即已。”狼大喜,即与偕行。</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 逾时,道无行人,狼馋甚,望老木僵立路侧,谓先生曰:“可问是老。”先生曰:“草木无知,叩焉何益?”狼曰:“第问之,彼当有言矣。”先生不得已,揖老木,具述始末,问曰:“若然,狼当食我耶?”木中轰轰有声,谓先生曰:“我杏也,往年老圃种我时,费一核耳。逾年华,再逾年实,三年拱把(两手掌合围那么粗),十年合抱,至于今,二十年矣。老圃食我,老圃之妻子食我,外至宾客,下至于仆,皆食我。又复鬻(读音yù,卖)实于市以规(谋)利。我其有功于老圃甚巨。今老矣,不得敛(谢)花就实,贾(读音gǔ,招惹)老圃怒,伐我条枚,芟(读音shān,剪除)我枝叶,且将售我工师(工匠)之肆(店铺)取值焉。噫!樗(读音chu一声,臭椿树,其木不能成材)朽之材,桑榆之景(‘景’通‘影’。‘桑榆之景’代指老年),求免于斧钺(读音yuè,大斧子)之诛而不可得。汝何德于狼,乃觊(读音jì,企图)免乎?是固当食汝。”言下,狼复鼓吻奋爪,以向先生。先生曰:“狼爽盟矣!矢询三老,今值(遇到)一杏,何遽见迫耶?”复与偕行。</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 狼愈急,望见老牸(读音zi四声,母牛),曝日(读音pù,晒太阳)败垣中,谓先生曰:“可问老牛。”先生曰:“向者草木无知,谬言害事。今牛,禽兽耳,更何问为?”狼曰:“第问之,不问将咥(读音dié,咬)汝。”先生不得已,揖老牸,再述始末以问。牛皱眉瞪目,舐(读音shì,舔)鼻张口,向先生曰:“老杏之言不谬矣!老牸茧栗(牛角象蚕茧、栗子一样小的时候),少年时筋力颇健,老农卖一刀以易我,使我贰(做副手)群牛事南亩,既壮,群牛日益老惫,凡事我都任之。彼将驰驱,我伏田车,择便途以急奔趋;彼将躬耕,我脱辐衡(牛车架在牛身上的横木),走郊埛(读音jiǒng,郊野)以辟榛荆。老农亲我犹左右手。衣食仰我而给,婚姻仰我而毕,赋税仰我而输,仓庾(读音yǔ粮囤)仰我而实。我亦自谅(自信),可得帷席之蔽,如马、狗也。往年家储无担石,今麦收多十斛(读音hu二声,和‘担’、‘石’都是古代容积单位)矣;往年穷居无顾借(理睬),今掉(大幅度地甩)臂行村社矣;往年尘卮(读音zhī,酒杯)罂(读音yīng,坛子),涸唇吻,盛酒瓦盆,半生未接;今酝黍稷,据樽罍(读音léi,都是酒器),骄妻妾矣;往年衣短褐(读音hè,粗布衣服),侣木石,手不知楫(读音jí,聚集),心不知学,今持兔园册(旧时教科书),戴笠子,腰韦带(熟皮做的皮带),衣宽博矣。一丝一粟,皆我力也。顾(但是)欺我老弱,逐我郊野;酸风射眸,寒日吊影;瘦骨如山,老泪如雨;涎垂而不可收,足挛而不可举;皮毛俱亡,疮痍未瘥(读音chài,痊愈)。老农之妻妒且悍,朝夕进说曰:‘牛之一身无废物也:肉可脯,皮可鞟(读音kuò,去毛的皮,皮革),骨角且切磋成器。’指大儿曰:‘汝受业庖丁之门有年矣,胡不砺刃于硎(读音xíng,磨刀石)以待?’迹是(依照这种迹象)观之,是将不利于我,我不知死所矣!夫我有功,行将蒙祸。汝何德于狼,觊幸免乎?”言下,狼又鼓吻奋爪,以向先生,先生曰:“毋欲速!”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 遥望老子杖藜而来,须眉皓然,衣冠闲雅,盖有道者也。先生且喜且愕,舍狼而前,拜跪啼泣,致辞曰:“乞丈人一言而生!”丈人问故,先生曰:“是狼为虞人所窘,求救于我,我实生之。今反欲咥我,力求不免,我又当死之。欲少延于片时,誓定是于三老。初逢老杏,强我问之,草木无知,几杀我;次逢老牸,强我问之,禽兽无知,又将杀我。今逢丈人,岂天下之未丧斯文(文人儒者)也!敢乞一言而生。”因顿首杖下,俯伏听命。丈人闻之,欷歔(唏嘘)再三,以杖叩狼曰:“汝误矣!夫人有恩而背之,不祥莫大焉!儒谓,受人恩而不忍背者,其为子必孝,又谓虎狼知父子。今汝背恩如是,则并父子亦无矣。”乃厉声曰:“狼速去,不然,将杖杀汝!”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 狼曰:“丈人知其一,未知其二。请诉之,愿丈人垂听。初,先生救我时,束缚我足,闭我囊中,压以诗书,我鞠躬不敢息。又蔓词(东拉西扯的话)以说(读音shuì)简子,其意盖将死我于囊,而独窃其利也。是安可不咥?”丈人顾先生曰:“果如是,是羿(后羿。传说后羿传授箭术给逢蒙,后来逢蒙将后羿射死)亦有罪焉。”先生不平,具状其囊狼怜惜之意。狼亦巧辩不已以求胜。丈人曰:“是皆不足以执信也。试再囊之,吾观其状,果困苦否?”狼欣然从之,伸足先生。先生复缚置囊中,肩举驴上,而狼未之知也。丈人附耳谓先生曰:“有匕首否?”先生曰:“有。”于是出匕。丈人目先生使引匕刺狼。先生曰:“不害狼乎?”丈人笑曰:“禽兽负恩如是,而犹不忍杀,子固仁者,然愚亦甚矣!从井以救人(为救井里的人也跳进井里),解衣以活友,于彼计则得,其如就死地何!先生其此类乎?仁陷于愚,固君子之所不与(不赞成)也。”言已大笑。遂举手助先生操刃,共殪(读音yì,杀死)狼,弃道上而去。</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 【翻译】</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 赵简子在中山声势浩大地打猎,看山的官吏们在前面引路,老鹰和猎狗排在后面,敏捷的鸟凶猛的兽,应声(弦的声音)而死的不可胜数。有只狼在道上,象人一样站在那号叫。简子吐口唾沫到手上跳上车子,拿起宝弓,搭上利箭,一箭射到羽毛都陷入肉中,狼号叫着逃跑。简子恼怒,驱赶着车子追赶它。扬起的尘埃遮天蔽日,马蹄之声如同鸣雷,十步之外,看不清人马。</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 当时墨家学者东郭先生要来北方的中山谋官。赶着跛脚驴,袋子装着图书,清早赶路迷了道,望见扬起的尘埃非常害怕。狼突然来到,伸着脑袋看着他说:“先生一定有志于救天下之物的吧?从前毛宝放生小白龟而在兵败落江时得白龟相助得以渡江活命,隋侯就了条蛇而得到宝珠,龟蛇本来就没有狼有灵性,今天这情景,何不让我赶紧待在袋子里得以苟延残喘呢?将来什么时候(我)如果能出人头地,先生的恩德,是把死救活让骨头长肉啊,(我)怎么会不努力效仿龟蛇的诚心(相报)啊!”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 先生说:“私藏你冒犯世袭公卿、忤逆权贵,祸将不测,那敢指望什么报答啊?然而墨家的宗旨,博爱为本,我一定要救你活命的。即使有祸,本来也不打算回避的。”便(从袋子里)拿出图书,空出袋子慢慢地将狼装入其中。前面怕踩着了它的下巴,后面怕压着了它的尾巴,再三装它都没成功。慢条斯理,追赶的人更加近了。狼请求道:“事急啊!先生当真要(这么)斯文有礼地救火救溺水之人、摇响车铃躲避盗贼的吗?还是请先生赶紧动手啊!”便蜷缩起四肢,拿绳子(给先生)绑起袋子,低下头弯到尾巴,弓起背埋起下巴,像刺猬一样蜷缩像蛾蛹一样曲身,蛇一样盘曲龟一样屏息,听凭先生(处置)。先生按照它的指示,装狼在袋子中,便栓紧袋口,扛上驴背,退避到路旁,等候赵简子的人过去。</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 不久简子到,寻找狼没找到,非常生气,拔剑斩车辕的顶端给先生看,骂道:“敢隐瞒狼的方向的人,有如这车辕!”先生将身体趴到了地上,匍匐着前进,一直跪着说:“鄙人不是很聪明,(但)有志于对这世界有所贡献,奔走远方,自己迷失了道路,又怎么能发现狼的踪迹来指示给你的鹰犬呢?然而我曾经听说:‘大道因为岔道多而丢失羊。’羊,一个孩童就可以制(伏)它,像羊这么驯服,还因为岔道多而丢失;狼不是羊可以比的,而中山的岔道可能丢失羊的道理还有什么不同吗?这仅仅沿着达到找它,不是强如守株待兔缘木求鱼吗?何况这狩猎,是看山人的事,您请去问戴皮帽的人(看山人)。(我这)过路的人有什么罪啊?鄙人虽然愚钝,难道不知道狼吗?生性贪婪而凶狠,和豺为伍作恶,您能除掉它,本就应当尽力以效微劳,又怎么会隐藏它而不说呢!”简子无言以对,回车上路。先生也赶着驴子以加倍的速度赶路。</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 过了很久,扎着牦牛尾巴的旗子渐渐消失了,车马的声音听不见了。狼估计简子去远了,就在袋子里面发出声音说:“先生可考虑了吧。把我从袋子里放出来,解掉绑我的绳子,拔掉我臂上的箭,我要走啊!”先生动手放出狼,狼咆哮着,对先生说:“刚才被看山人追赶,他们来的太快,所幸先生救了我,我非常饿,饿了没有食物,也终将死掉玩完。与其饿死在路上,被众野兽吃掉,不如死在看山人手里,成为贵人家的盘中物。先生既然是墨家学士,累得从头到脚都是伤,(不就)是想为天下作一点贡献吗,又何必吝惜一副身躯让我吃而保全我的小命呢?”便伸嘴舞爪,向先生(进攻)。</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 先生慌忙用手和它搏斗,边反抗边退,躲避在驴子后面,绕着圈跑,狼始终不能加害先生,先生也极力抗拒着,彼此都累了,隔着驴喘息。先生说:“狼背叛我!狼背叛我!”狼说:“我本来不想背叛你的,(可)天生你等,本来就是需要我们吃的啊!”相持已经很久,日影渐移(西斜),先生私下想:“天色就要晚了,狼又会成群来到,我死定了!”因此骗狼说:“(按照)民俗,事情有疑问必定问三位老人。(咱们)只管走,找三个老人问他们,如果说我应当被吃就(给你)吃,不该吃就算了。”狼大喜,就和他一起前行。</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 过了一会,路上没有行人,狼非常谗,望见老树直立在路旁,对先生说:“可以问这老树。”先生说:“草木无知,问它有什么用?”狼说:“只管问它,他会有话说的。”先生不得已,向老树作揖,详细叙述(情况)始末,(然后)问道:“如此,狼应当吃我吗?”树中轰轰响发出声音,对先生说:“我是杏树,当年老农种我时,只费一颗果核。过了一年开花,再过一年结果,三年有合掌那么粗,十年有合抱粗,到今天,二十年了。老农吃我,老农的老婆孩子吃我,外到宾客,下到仆人,都吃我。还在市场卖我谋利。我对老农有非常大的功劳。如今我老了,不能花谢结果,惹得老农恼怒,砍伐我的枝条,剪除我的枝叶,还要把我卖给木匠店换钱啊。唉!(我这已)不成材的朽木,老态的光景,但求免除斧凿的杀戮都不行。你对狼有什么功德,就指望免死啊?这样(的情况)本来就应当吃你。”正说着,狼又伸嘴舞爪,向先生(进攻)。先生说:“狼违背盟约啊!约定好问三位老人,现在(只)遇到一棵杏树,何必马上就逼迫呢?”再一起前行。</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 狼更加着急,望见(一头)老母牛,(正在)断墙之中晒太阳,(就)对先生说:“可以问老牛。”先生说:“前面草木无知,瞎话坏事。现在是牛,禽兽啊,又问它干什么?”狼说:“只管问他,不问就吃了你。”先生不得已,向老母牛作揖,再次叙述(情况)始末来询问。牛皱眉瞪眼,舔鼻子张嘴,向先生说:“老杏的话不错啊!(我)老牛角还是如蚕茧栗子一般的时候,少年时筋骨颇为健壮有力,老农卖一把刀换到了我,让我做群牛的副手耕种田地,等到(我)长壮了,群牛日渐老而无力,凡事都由我来承担。他要奔驰驱使,我背负的是田猎的车,选择便利的道路急速奔驰;他要亲自耕种,我脱去(背上的)车梁走在郊野开辟荆棘。老农对待我犹如左右手。衣食仰仗我供给,嫁娶仰仗我完成,赋税仰仗我交付,粮囤仰仗我装满。我也自信,能够得到帷幄席子遮蔽(风雨),像马、狗一样。原来(他)家储蓄的粮食一担一石都没有,如今麦子的收成有十斛那么多;从前(他)穷的没人理睬,如今甩着膀子在村社行走;往年(他)灰尘封着酒杯酒坛,嘴唇干,盛酒的挖盆,半辈子没装过酒;如今用粮食酿着酒,拿着酒杯,骄惯着妻妾啊;往年(他)穿着粗布衣服,和树木石头为伴,手聚不拢,心里没学问,如今拿着书,戴着帽子,腰扎皮带,衣服宽松啊。一根丝一你粒粟,都是我功劳啊。但是(如今)欺负我年老体弱,赶我到郊野;冷风吹眼,寒冷天的太阳照着身影;瘦骨嶙峋(如山),老泪如雨;涎流得收不住,脚痉挛得饿抬起;皮毛都没有了,疮痍没有痊愈。老农的老婆又嫉恨有凶悍,早晚说服道:’牛的一身没有废物啊:肉可以做脯,皮可以做皮革,骨头和角还能做成器皿。‘指着大儿子说:’你学徒庖丁的门下有年头了,为什么还不磨好刀等着呢?‘照这样的迹象看来,是叫要不利于我,我不知道要死在什么地方啊!我(虽)有功,马上就要蒙受灾祸啊。你对狼有什么公德啊,就指望免死啊?”正说着,狼又伸嘴舞爪,向先生(进攻)。先生说:“不要急!”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 远远望见(一个)老人(男子)拄着木杖过来,胡子眉毛洁白,衣帽(打扮)修仙雅致,应该(大概)是有道之人。先生又喜又惊,丢下狼前去(见老人),啼哭着下跪拜倒,说道:“乞求老人一句话来救我活命!”老人询问原故,先生说:“这狼被看山人逼迫,向我求救,我实际上是救了它。现在它反而要吃我,怎么央求都不行,我又要死在它手上。想稍微延迟一下,约定决定这事在于三老。最初碰到老杏,强迫我问它,草木无知,几乎杀了我;其次碰上老母牛,强迫我问它,禽兽无知,又要杀我。现在碰上老人,岂不是天下没有丧尽斯文人啊!斗胆乞求(您)一句话就我活命。”因此在手杖只下磕头,爬着听从老人的示下。老人听了,叹息再三,用手杖扣击狼说道:“你错啦!别人对你有恩而背叛他,没有比这更不好的啊!儒家说,受人恩而不忍心背叛的人,他为人子必定孝顺,又说虎狼也知道父子之情。如今你背叛有恩的人到如此地步,就是屏除父子之情也没有如此的啊。”便厉声道:“狼赶快滚,不然,将用杖打死你!”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">狼说:“老人你只知其一,不知其二。请让我把它说清楚,希望老人您屈尊听一听。当初,先生救我的时候,捆绑我的脚,把我封闭在袋子里(还)压上诗书,我曲着身子不敢喘息。(他)还东拉西扯说服简子,他的意思可能是要让我死在袋子里,而独自窃取这好处。这样(的人)怎么能不吃他?”老人看看先生说:“果然这样的话,这后羿也是有罪啊。”先生认为不公平,具体地说出他把狼装到袋子中的怜惜狼的意思。狼也巧辩不停来取得胜诉。老人说:“这都不足以令人信服。试着再把狼装到袋子里,我看那情状,果然是困苦不?”狼欣然按照他说的办,伸脚给先生。先生又绑了狼放进袋子里,扛到驴背上,而狼没察觉到什么。老人趴在先生的耳朵对他说:“有匕首没有?”先生说:“有。”于是拿出匕首。老人用眼神让先生拿匕首刺狼。先生说:“不是害狼吗?”老人笑道:“禽兽背叛恩德如此,还不忍心杀,您的确是仁者,然而也够愚蠢的啊!跟着一起跳进井里救人,脱下衣服救活朋友,从对方来考虑是好,那和置自己于死地有什么不同!先生就是这类人吗?仁慈得陷入愚蠢,本来就是君子所不赞成的啊。”说完大笑。便抬手帮先生操刀,一起杀死了狼,(将狼)丢弃在路上后离去。</span></div>
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T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-11195124472147084152016-02-15T14:46:00.004-08:002016-02-15T16:54:40.187-08:00Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf - unabridged translation - Part IIIPart I - <a href="http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2015/11/mr-dong-guo-and-wolf-unabridged.html">http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2015/11/mr-dong-guo-and-wolf-unabridged.html</a><br />
Part II - <a href="http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2015/12/mr-dong-guo-and-wolf-unabridged.html">http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2015/12/mr-dong-guo-and-wolf-unabridged.html</a> <br />
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Part III - final<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After they walked for a while, there were no pedestrians in sight. The wolf was very hungry, and he saw an old tree on the side of the road. He said to Mr. Dong Guo, "You can ask this old tree." Mr. Dong Guo said, "Trees and plants are ignorant of things, what’s the use of asking them?" Said the wolf, "Just ask it, it will have something to say." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr. Dong Guo reluctantly bowed and asked this old tree. After giving the details of his account, he asked, "So, should the wolf eat me or not?" The old tree roared and said, "I am an apricot tree. The old farmer planted me with just a small seed in a nut. I started to flower in one year, and the next year I had my first fruit. In three years my trunk grew thick enough to be held with two palms. After 10 years, one had to encircle me with both arms. Today, I have lived more than 20 years. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“The farmer ate my fruit, his wife and children ate my fruit, his guests, even the servants, ate my fruit. They sold my fruit in the market to make money. I did great things for this old farmer. Now I am too old to flower and bear fruit, and the old farmer is angry with me. He is cutting my branches and pruning the leaves, and he is going to sell me to the carpenter for money. Sigh! I grew to become deadwood. In my old age, I am not exempt from being chopped down for furniture. What have you done to the wolf to avoid your destiny? In this case you should be his meal." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hearing this, the wolf opened his mouth with claws waving and was ready to devour Mr. Dong Guo. Mr. Dong Guo said, "Wolf, don’t forget our agreement to ask three old wise men. We have only encountered one old apricot tree. Don’t be so fast!" And then both of them moved along together.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Now the wolf became anxious. He and Mr. Dong Guo saw an old cow sunbathing behind the broken walls of a farm house. The wolf told Mr. Dong Guo, "You can ask this cow." Mr. Dong Guo said, "That apricot tree was so ignorant that his nonsense almost cost me my life. This cow is a beast. What could she know and offer? " The wolf said, “Just ask her. If you don’t, I’ll eat you." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr. Dong Guo reluctantly bowed to the old cow and told his story again. The old cow frowned and stared at Mr. Dong Guo with her mouth wide open while licking her nose, and said, "The old apricot tree said it quite right. My old farmer sold his knife in exchange for me when my horns were the size of a chestnut and a silkworm cocoon, when I was a young but sturdy calf. He let me follow other cattle to work in the fields. When I grew up and became stronger, I took care of everything as the herd of cattle became old and weak. I took him to places on short notice. I carried the load of the farming work. I chose the short routes to get to places quickly. When my farmer would personally cultivate new fields, I would take off my yoke and work on the open fields to remove thorns and bushes for him. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“My farmer treated me like his right-hand man. He relied on me for food and clothing. He relied on me to provide expenses for the marriages of his children. He relied on me to work to pay the taxes. He relied on me to keep his barns and grain houses fully stocked. I was confident that I would be able to get a nice shelter like the horses and dogs in the household. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“There was not much wheat and grain surplus at all from year to year, so now the harvest I brought in had to be saved. Nobody in town ever noticed my farmer when he was poor. Now he raised his head high walking through the village. In previous years, his drinking cups and wine jars were collecting dusts. His cups were never filled with wine, and he never tasted the wine then. Today he drinks the wine made from the grains with his spoiled wives and concubines. In previous years, he could only wear simple and coarse clothes. He was only able to have the rocks and trees as company. His rough hands could not hold much in them. He was not considered as a refined person at all.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Now, he is carrying books, wearing a hat with a nice leather belt around his waist. His clothing is fit, refined, and flowing. I should be given credit for those tiny cotton threads and those small millet grains. Now that I am old and frail, I am sent to the countryside. The cold cutting wind is hurting my eyes. The sun is casting shadow on my thin and bony figure on this cold winter day. My tears can not stop flowing, and I am not able to stop my drooping, either. My foot cramps so badly that I cannot lift it, and I am so hungry. I am losing my fur fast, and my sores and wounds will not heal. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“The farmer's wife is jealous and brutal, she always mumbled and said, ‘Nothing from a cow goes to waste. Her meat can be made into jerky, her skin can be made into leather, her bones and horns can be made into useful utensils.’ Pointing to her oldest son, she said, ‘You have been an apprentice chef for a long time now. Why not grind your good butcher knife to get ready for it?’ It is very unfavorable for me. I do not know when and where I will die. Although the farmer and his family are indebted to me, I soon will suffer and meet my fate. What have you done to the wolf to escape from your destiny?” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Just then, the wolf opened his mouth and stretched out his claws again at Mr. Dong Guo. Mr. Dong Guo said,."Don’t be in such a hurry! "</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Far away there was an elderly man with a wooden cane approaching. He had white eyebrows and beard, and was dressed elegantly. He was very much a gentleman. Mr. Dong Guo was quite pleased yet very nervous, leaving the wolf to meet this elderly man. He knelt down, crying, and said, "I beg you to have one good word to save my life!" The old man asked for the reason, and he replied, "This wolf was hunted down and asked me to save him. After I saved him, he wanted to eat me. My begging did not work, I would have had to die by his hands. I delayed this fate when the wolf agreed to decide the matter with three old wise men. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“First we encountered an old apricot tree. The wolf, forced me to ask it for advice. This ignorant tree almost got me killed. Then we ran into an old cow. Again the wolf forced me to ask her. This ignorant beast almost got me killed as well. Now I see my hope in you, sir. The world has to have some grace and sensibility left to save my life! Your one word can save my life." Mr. Dong Guo was kowtowing unceasingly to the old man’s cane, and bent down to listen what the old man had to say. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The old man listened and sighed repeatedly. He used his cane to poke the wolf and said, "You're wrong to betray those who helped you. There is nothing worse than this. Confucius said, ‘A man who could not betray those who had helped him is for sure a filial son.’ It is also said that even a tiger or a wolf knows that the son would return favor to his parents. Now you have betrayed so much to someone who saved you. This is a complete disgrace on your part that you don’t understand to be thankful." He snapped with anger and said to the wolf, "You get out of here right now. Otherwise, I will beat you to death with this cane! "</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The wolf said, "Sir, you only know one part of the story, let me explain the whole thing to you. I hope that you have the patience to listen to my side of the story. Mr. Dong Guo saved me all right. He tied my feet and put me in the bag. He piled his books on me that I could barely breathe. He was taking his time mumbling with Jianzi. I think he meant to let me die in the bag so that he could benefit from it afterwards. Why should I not eat this kind of disgusting person?” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The old man then looked at Mr. Dong Guo and said, "Sure enough, if this is indeed the case, you are guilty too and you deserve this.” Mr. Dong Guo thought that this was not fair at all and tried to explain his pity towards the wolf and the reason for hiding him in the bag. The wolf also argued unceasingly to convince the old man. The old man finally said, "I am not convinced either way. Why don’t we try to re-enact what happened, with you, wolf, going back into the bag again. It would give me the opportunity to assess the situation to see if the wolf was really in distress." The wolf was happy to comply, and he offered his feet to Mr. Dong Guo. Mr. Dong Guo tied him up to put him into the bag, and then threw the bag over donkey’s back. The wolf did not notice anything unusual. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The old man moved closer to Mr. Dong Guo and whispered in his ear and said, "You have a dagger?" Mr. Dong Guo replied, "Yes, I do." Then, he took out a dagger. The old man signaled Mr. Dong Guo to kill the wolf. Mr. Dong Guo said, "Isn’t this going to harm the wolf?" The old man laughed and said, "This betraying beast! You are still unwilling to kill him? You are indeed benevolent, although you are truly foolish and stupid. It would be truly altruistic of you if you were willing to jump into a well to save a person and willing to take off your coat to save a friend. But that is the equivalent of putting your own life in danger! Are you this type of benevolent but stupid person? Any gentleman would disapprove of this behavior." The old man laughed wildly and raised his hands so that he and Mr. Dong Guo could kill the wolf together. They discarded the body and walked away.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">References</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">]</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[1] </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wolf_of_Zhongshan" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wolf_of_Zhongshan</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> A simple introduction with some background.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">[</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2] </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9Mf6YUu1Do" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9Mf6YUu1Do</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> A cartoon with Chinese narrative.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[3] </span><a href="https://jasonkim29.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/the-wolf-of-zhongshan/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">https://jasonkim29.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/the-wolf-of-zhongshan/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> A very much abreviated story in English.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[4]</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIb8aPvOzDY" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIb8aPvOzDY</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A Chinese shadow puppetry show (with Spanish subtitle).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[5] </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFtyRdVEmd4" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFtyRdVEmd4</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> A modern day storytelling of “Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf” in English.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[6] </span><a href="http://www.slkj.org/wenyan/24650.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.slkj.org/wenyan/24650.html</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Among many other collections. “Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf” in original Classical Chinese and the translated modern day vernacular Chinese.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[7] <a href="http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2016/02/mr-dong-guo-and-wolf-chinese.html">http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2016/02/mr-dong-guo-and-wolf-chinese.html</a> Kept in this same blog space for archival and conveniences. “Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf” in original Classical Chinese and the translated modern day vernacular Chinese.</span></div>
T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-36324174486754394752015-12-19T23:27:00.000-08:002015-12-19T23:27:17.575-08:00Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf - unabridged translation - Part IIPart I - <a href="http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2015/11/mr-dong-guo-and-wolf-unabridged.html">http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2015/11/mr-dong-guo-and-wolf-unabridged.html</a><br />
<br />
Part II<br />
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-8605ba36-be46-3092-3e2e-1d3e129fb23e" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Soon Jianzi arrived and realized that the wolf was nowhere to be found. He became very angry. He drew his sword to cut the hood off the shaft of his cart, and shouted, "Whoever dares to conceal the whereabouts of the wolf would be like this hood!" </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr. Dong Guo fell to the ground, crawling forward and said, “I am not very smart, but I am one of those who want to contribute to this society, going to great efforts to accomplish that. But I lost my own way here. How can I possibly find traces of the wolf to show your hounds and hawks? I have heard that ‘forks on the major roadway can be reasons for lost sheep.’ Even a small child can easily handle a sheep since it is tame. But many forks can still cause many sheep to get lost. And a sheep is surely no comparison to a wolf. Since Zhong Mountain has many forks, and one can easily lose track of a wolf, there really is no comparison with losing sheep.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“If you only follow a simple path to look for the wolf, isn’t that a futile exercise? To me, it is as if you are waiting for a hare to return to the hole of the tree trunk where you saw him the last time. It is also as if you are following a tree trunk to find fish to eat. This is a hunting expedition. You should ask your skilled hunters to help.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I am just an innocent passer-by. Although I am a little dull, I do know about wolves. They are inherently greedy and vicious, and they collaborate with the evil jackals. Without question, we should get rid of all of them. I will do my utmost to help you on this. How could I even contemplate hiding any of them!" </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jianzi was speechless. He went back to his cart and continued on his journey. Mr. Dong Guo also rushed to continue his journey with the donkey, doubling the speed on his own way.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After a long time, the yak tail flag of the hunting party disappeared in the distance, and the noises of the expedition gradually abated. The wolf figured that Jianzi was gone for sure, so he said inside the bag, "Sir, please pull me out of this bag, untie my rope, and pull the arrow out of my arm. I want to leave now!” Mr. Dong Guo released the wolf accordingly. But the wolf growled and said, "I watched the hunters coming. They were fast, and fortunately you saved me. I am exhausted and very hungry without food, so I will eventually starve and die from hunger on the roadside. I’ll be eaten by the beasts. It is better to die at the hands of the hunters and become food on a nobleman’s plate. You are a Mohist practitioner, and now you are tired from head to toe. Isn’t this your willingness to sacrifice yourself for others to make some contributions? Why don’t you give up your body for me to eat, so my life can be preserved?” The wolf then opened his mouth wide and stretched his claws towards Mr. Dong Guo.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr. Dong Guo fought back hurriedly with his hands, retreating and dodging behind the donkey, and running in circles. The wolf could not harm him. Mr. Dong Guo resisted with all his strength. Both of them were exhausted, panting at each other across the donkey. Mr. Dong Guo said, "You, wolf, betrayed me, you betrayed me!" The wolf said, "I did not want to betray you, but people like you are born to be devoured by us." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This standoff lasted for a long time, the sundial is now showing its long shadow. Mr. Dong Guo thought in private, "It is getting late, and the other wolves will come soon. Then, I'll be dead for sure." So he tricked the wolf and said, "It is a common practice when things cannot be resolved with certainty, that we look for three old wise men for their opinions. If they were to agree that I should be eaten, then you can have me. If not, then you don’t eat me." The wolf happily agreed to this plan, and they went forward to look for the old wise men.</span></div>
<br /> </b>T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-61927393276380683282015-11-29T16:22:00.000-08:002015-11-29T16:22:44.179-08:00Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf - unabridged translation - Part IPart I<br />
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-8605ba36-55c3-a034-63d7-16bd0afa787f" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[This unabridged translation of the Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf fable was dated to be in the Spring and Autumn Period of the Chinese History (770 BC - 476 BC]</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhao Jianzi undertook a massive hunting expedition in Zhong Mountain. The official of the mountain led the way, hawks and hounds were at the back. Inumerous agile birds and ferocious beasts fell at the sound of arrows. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There was a wolf on the road, standing like a man and howling. Jianzhi spat into his hands and jumped to cart, picking up a grand bow to fire off a splendid arrow. The arrow went in deep to the wolf, up to the feathers; the wolf escaped howling. Jianzhi was angry, driving the cart forward to catch the wolf. Dust clouds rose up in the air amid thundering hooves of the horses. Nothing can be seen within ten steps of the cart.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr. Dong Guo, a Mohist scholar, happened to be traveling north to the Zhong Mountain area to seek a government post. In the early morning, he was leading a crippled donkey carrying bags filled with books, and lost his way. He was quite afraid when he saw the dust clouds and the commotion. The wolf suddenly came up and stretched out his head, looked at him and said, “Sir, you certainly have the desire to help and save living creatures, I am sure. You are certainly aware of the legend of Mao Bao. He released a white turtle to the river, and he was saved by the same white turtle years later, when Mao Bao was defeated by his adversaries and needed to cross the river to safety. Surely you remember that the Nobleman Sui healed a big snake and received a precious pearl from that snake later on. The turtle and snake certainly has no more intelligence than I, a wolf. Under the circumstances, why not let me quickly hide in your bag. so that I might stay there and remain alive? If I were to survive this difficult time, it is as if you were to pull me away from death and grow flesh from my dry bones. I would surely emulate the deeds of the turtle and the snake, and pay you a large tribute.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr. Dong Guo said, "Hiding you definitely will offend the noblemen; this goes against the powerful, and this will bring me serious trouble. I dare not expect anything from you in return. However, Mohists believe in universal love, so I must help you get through this, even if there is risk in doing so. In any case, I have no intention of avoiding this.” He then took the books out of the bag and emptied it slowly to allow the wolf to get in. Afraid of stepping on his chin at the front, and pressing down his tail at the other end, the wolf did not succeed, even after a few attempts. Slowly, the pursuing entourage grew closer. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The wolf pleaded, "This is quite urgent! Sir, you don’t really want to take time and care to put out a fire or to save a drowning man. This is like ringing a bell to avoid thieves. Please act quickly." The wolf curled up his limbs, and gave a rope to Mr. Dong Guo to tie the bag. He bowed his head to meet his tail, arching back to bury his chin. Like a curled-up hedgehog, like a moth pupa curled up in the cocoon, like a coiled snake, like a turtle holding its breath, the wolf was at Mr. Dong Guo’s disposal. Mr. Dong Guo followed the instructions, put the wolf in the bag, then sealed the bag tightly. After putting the bag over the donkey’s back and retreating to the roadside, Mr. Dong Guo waited for Zhao Jianzi’s expedition to pass.</span></div>
</b><br />T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-61795006441173088832015-11-23T11:17:00.000-08:002015-11-23T11:17:24.048-08:00English with an American Corporate Accent - 038This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best
if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate
America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.<br />
<br />
* If we get to the nuts and bolts of this, it would be quite
overwhelming to the management team. [If we get to the details of this, it would
be quite overwhelming to the management team.]<br />
* We should identify the
signature for the core dump to see if we can match something in the
repository. [We should identify the particulars of the core dump to see
if we can match something in the repository.]<br />
* The new requirement is not easy to satisfy. The current feature set simply cannot cut it. [The new requirement is not easy to satisfy. The current feature set simply cannot do the job.]<br />
* If the problems show up, how do you assign the blame to other organizations? [If the problems show up, how do you assign faults to other organizations?]<br />
<br />
* We have a bigger fish to fry. [We have more important things to do.]<br />
* We need to be more discriminating on what we should do next quarter. [We need to be more selective on what we should do next quarter.]<br />
* We would like to have your blessings on the code change before we file for integration. [We would like to have your approval on the code change before we file for integration.]<br />
* That is a marketing presentation covering the top five customers. It is about care and feeding in the nut shell. [That is a marketing presentation covering the top five customers. It is about how to support them without a long explanation.]<br />
<br />
* That piece of code needs to be beefed up to support this new feature. [That piece of code needs to be enhanced to support this new feature.]<br />
* They try to add that feature to this release right now. That just does not compute really. [They try to add that feature to this release right now. That just does not make sense really.]<br />
* It is hard to do. But, we might have to sign up for it anyway. [It is hard to do. But, we might have to take it anyway.]<br />
* That single issue is going to dictate the solution they'll come up with. [That single issue is going to determine the solution they'll come up with.]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-48304335900898841122015-05-06T22:40:00.000-07:002015-05-06T22:40:56.258-07:00English with an American Corporate Accent - 037<br />
This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best
if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate
America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.<br />
<br />
* In fullness of time, Linux will add this feature. [Over time, Linux will add this feature.]<br />
*
The new OS release has some birthing pains, we'll have to wait it out.
[The new OS release has some initial difficulties, we'll have to be
patient.]<br />
* That is a big step function for us to get used to. [That is a big adjustment for us to get used to.]<br />
* They are swearing for its performance potentials. [They are affirming its performance potentials.]<br />
<br />
* What are the secret sauces for this performance? It is in the chip we designed. [What are the secret recipes for this performance? It is in the chip we designed.]<br />
* Security attack can paralyze a company in a significant way. [Security attack can render a company non-functional in a significant way.]<br />
* This can be a door opener for this customer to try our systems. [This can be a good excuse for this customer to try our systems.]<br />
* That is a good cadence for product delivery. [That is a good pace for product delivery.]<br />
<br />
* Customers like this "one throat to choke" model. [Customers like this simple one contact point model to get their voice heard.]<br />
* It is a difficult dichotomy for the engineering team. [It is a difficult dilemma for the engineering team.]<br />
* I apologize for using storage speak for this presentation. Stop me when you cannot figure out what I mean. [I apologize for using storage jargon for this presentation. Stop me when you cannot figure out what I mean.]<br />
* That story is getting better over time. Please be patient. [That story is gradually improving. Please be patient.]T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-44622631156308817992015-04-25T17:35:00.001-07:002015-04-25T17:35:17.384-07:00English with an American Corporate Accent - 036This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best
if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate
America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.<br />
<br />
* I took the liberty of logging on to your system to make sure my
recommendations work. [Without your consent, I logged on to your system to
make sure my recommendations work.]<br />
* This is a great
opportunity for Bob to get some air time with John. [This is a great
opportunity for Bob to get some exposure with John.] <br />
*
When I looked at the actual signature of the problem, I suspected that this is a
duplicate of a problem found by Mary last week. [When I looked at the
actual evidence of the problem, I suspected that this is a duplicate of a
problem found by Mary last week.]<br />
* Using that syntax inside the kernel code is too heavy handed. [Using that syntax inside the kernel code is too complicated and unnecessary.]<br />
* That would be out of the purview of most system administrators. [That would be beyond the scope of interest for most system administrators.]<br />
<br />
* That type of analysis holds no water. [That type of analysis has no credibility.]<br />
* Early adopters and visionaries will benefit from this. [Early users will benefit from this.]<br />
* We have crossed the adoption chasm for this technology. [We have crossed the adoption threshold for this technology.]<br />
* This chart is a bit of eye sore, I'll walk through it. [This chart is a bit of challenge to read. I'll go through it.]<br />
* That is the holy grail if you can become a data-driven company. [That is the ultimate ideal if you can become a data-driven company.]<br />
<br />
* It is a bit of a crap shoot since the client software has no idea how long it will have to wait for. [It is a bit of guess work since the client software has no idea how long it will have to wait for.]<br />
* Once we get the system events defined, the rest of the implementation is a cookie cutter job. [Once we get the system events defined, the rest of the implementation is a straightforward job.]<br />
* Don't mention those two use cases, they sound so icky. [Don't mention those two use cases, they sound so awful.]<br />
* Why do we spend time horsing around this? [Why do we spend time playing with this?]<br />
* We have to pick our poison, either to optimize one or the other, but not both. [We have to make a hard choice, either to optimize one or the other, but not both.]T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-63413984388376718102014-12-15T14:22:00.000-08:002014-12-15T14:22:30.375-08:00English with an American Corporate Accent - 035This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best
if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate
America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.<br />
<br />
* You can view that as a fork-lift upgrade. [You can view that as a heavy duty jumbo upgrade.]<br />
* That performance number 540 is our baseline. Anything beyond that is gravy to us. [That performance number 540 is our baseline. Anything beyond that is an extra bonus for us.] <br />
* Any new bug report on the bubble here? [Any new bug report on the horizon here?]<br />
* Rob can help out in a pinch here. [Rob can help out at a moment's notice here.]<br />
* His father passed away last week. He is pretty wrapped up now. [His father passed away last week. He is pretty much emotionally occupied now.]<br />
* Johnson seems to poopoo our suggestion. He is not answering my calls. [Johnson seems to dismiss our suggestion. He is not answering my calls.]<br />
* That's a big hammer to resolve this simple problem. [There should be an easy way to resolve this simple problem.]<br />
* We have not much left to do here. Let's power through it. [We don't have much left to do here. Let's work extra hard to get through it.]<br />
* I suspect that it's fait accompli. [I suspect that is an established fact now.]<br />
* What happened was that Joe got wind that this feature was coming soon, and he turned around and sold it to the customers. [What happened was that Joe overheard that this feature was coming soon, and he turned around and sold it to the customers.]<br />
* That is not the way we used to do software integration, but we aren't in Kansas anymore. [That is not the way we used to do software integration, but we aren't in that old world anymore.]<br />
* Jerry felt that we are floundering in this project. We need to do something to move it forward. [Jerry felt that we are struggling in this project. We need to do something to move it forward.]<br />
* It is not a moonshot. There is something meaningful we can try. [It still has hope. There is something meaningful we can try.]<br />
* If you want to resurrect that project, we better get buy-in from John. [If you want to restart that project, we better get agreement from John.]<br />
<br />T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-27457111920947194462014-08-19T00:53:00.000-07:002014-08-27T10:57:44.764-07:00English with an American Corporate Accent - 034<br />
This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best
if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate
America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.<br />
<br />
*I am more interested in the high-order bits, not worrying about whether it is a 3-week or 4-week project. [I am more interested in the high-level issues, not worrying about whether it is a 3-week or 4-week project.]<br />
*I am not going to breeze down their necks for schedules. [I am not going watch them that closely to get schedules.]<br />
* He won't lose any sleep if he jettisons that project today. [He won't feel any guilt if he kills that project today.]<br />
* Our organization is oozing into other areas, including sales support and technical marketing. [Our organization is taking on new roles, including sales support and technical marketing.]<br />
* It could be a disincentive if you actually offer that feature for free. [It could have the opposite effect of creating suspicion if you actually offer that feature for free.]<br />
* Customers don't want to feel hemmed in if our vendor locking strategy is too obvious. [Customers don't want to feel stuck in choices if our vendor locking strategy is too obvious.]<br />
* They have really dumbed down that discussion for the execs. [They have really simplified that discussion for the executives.] <br />
* We are in such a conundrum situation. [We are in such a dilemma.]<br />
* That patch is very toxic, don't use it if you can help it. [That patch is very troublesome, don't use it if you can avoid it.]<br />
* After that change, they have a real house of cards on their hands. [After that change, they have a real difficult problem on their hands.]<br />
* The only advantage for them is that they have one throat to choke now. [The only advantage for them is that they only need to deal with one vendor to solve the problem.]<br />
* I don't like to white list that particular model. If we replace that later, it would be very difficult to do an upgrade in the field. [I don't like to create a special case for that particular model. If we replace that later, it would be very difficult to do an upgrade in the field.]<br />
<br />T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148644104483858480.post-76705958165637162242014-08-01T20:55:00.000-07:002014-08-01T20:55:22.012-07:00Fujian Tulou<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VWbRnj63W08/U8WTqeuRLNI/AAAAAAAAAvg/D8GcgT_wVMc/s1600/TulouCluster072014B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VWbRnj63W08/U8WTqeuRLNI/AAAAAAAAAvg/D8GcgT_wVMc/s1600/TulouCluster072014B.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tulou Cluster, July 3, 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I took a side trip in Xiamen before I continued my trip to Kinmen and Taiwan from my June business trip to China. I visited Xiamen in 2008 with a group organized by the now defunct Sun Microsystems. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujian_Tulou" target="_blank">Tulou </a>area is about 3 hours driving, west of Xiamen. It was not possible to visit with the group at that time.<br />
<br />
It is difficult to get there and get around by means of public transportation. Joining a small tour group is an option. I hired a car with the travel agent, <a href="http://www.appletravel.cn/holidays/tour_packages.php?id=4" target="_blank">Apple Travel</a>, which I found in some travel blogs. They specialize in Fujian travel and serve international clients. I hired a car with a driver for 2000 RMB (300 US dollars) for two days. Gas and tolls are included. They are very helpful, professional and knowledgeable. I like what I got. For English-speaking visitors, their services would be invaluable.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-40Sb4WR3K5k/U9iZRr4FQdI/AAAAAAAAAxY/u0njffA07f4/s1600/TulouCluster072014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-40Sb4WR3K5k/U9iZRr4FQdI/AAAAAAAAAxY/u0njffA07f4/s1600/TulouCluster072014.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Famous TianLuoKeng Tulou Cluster, July 2, 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The so-called Tulou building is a community and residential structure with defense in mind, to deal with frequent
bandits and pirates in the last few hundred of years. The building is normally round in shape, with fortified earth walls and standing about 3 stories high. The real windows are on the second story and higher. Almost all of the buildings get some ground well water inside the compound. During the Ming dynasty, pirates were known to come
onshore far inland to attack and to rob small communities.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mLhvh1oOaEE/U8WTiukOtFI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/cL-Rs62If68/s1600/TulouView072014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mLhvh1oOaEE/U8WTiukOtFI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/cL-Rs62If68/s1600/TulouView072014.JPG" height="104" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An inside panoramic view of one Tulou building</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These buildings are normally associated with the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/Busy%20and%20Occupied%20Tulou,%20July%202,%202014%20%20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakka_people" target="_blank">Hakka people</a>, which literally means guest people/families in Chinese. The Hakka built these structures to defend themselves from the unfriendly forces of their neighbors and also of the sea. Hakka people escaped persecutions and wartime chaos from the north of China in various periods of Chinese turmoil. These buildings are especially prominent in the Fujian province and its surrounding areas.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ro7eQaT_wxw/U9iZVu0mHBI/AAAAAAAAAxg/qYPTPIvPms8/s1600/IMG_1430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ro7eQaT_wxw/U9iZVu0mHBI/AAAAAAAAAxg/qYPTPIvPms8/s1600/IMG_1430.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basic and Simple Tulou life style, July 2, 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Tulou structures were thought to be missile silos during the Cold War, based on aerial photography and satellite imaging. But they were too big, and the clusters were too close together to make sense. Anyway, legend has it that the CIA went in for visits for a first-hand look after the Cold War, when travel to these remote hilly Fujian areas became permissible.<br />
<br />
Many of these buildings, which can accommodate around 50 families and 200 residents in an average-sized structure, are still in use by the communities. Many people raise chickens inside the Tulou compound. Some buildings have good open space in the center. Some have a community ancestral hall in the middle, and that's used in various festivities and occasions.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-edPWP3orOp0/U8WT3mZdZaI/AAAAAAAAAvw/WUvMf0-KXSk/s1600/TulouClanHall072014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-edPWP3orOp0/U8WT3mZdZaI/AAAAAAAAAvw/WUvMf0-KXSk/s1600/TulouClanHall072014.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancestral Temple and the Memorial Steles, July 3, 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Hakka culture emphasizes reverence to ancestors and holds high value for family and clan relationships. That is similar to mainline Chinese culture and emphasis. I found quite a few examples of ancestral temples for various clans, that is, families with the same last name and root. They erected memorial steles for those accomplished people from their own villages near the temples.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IZ7TTiJ1IKU/U8WTmZw8z5I/AAAAAAAAAvY/ci2RUJwEyI0/s1600/TulouGuestHouse072014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IZ7TTiJ1IKU/U8WTmZw8z5I/AAAAAAAAAvY/ci2RUJwEyI0/s1600/TulouGuestHouse072014.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">QingDe Lou Guest House we stayed on July 2, 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I stayed in one of the guest houses in a village called Ta-Xia in NanJing County. It was arranged by the travel agent. The accommodation was quite all right with hot shower and air-conditioning. It is a small converted Tulou style building and operates more or less like a B&B enterprise. The breakfast is standard Chinese steam bread, porridge, and various small dishes. There is no set menu for dinner. You discuss what you like to have with what's available with vegetables of the season, local fish, and free-range chickens. I had a good time in this place.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1uJaZJCNtzQ/U9iY0RBWZ8I/AAAAAAAAAxQ/o76D9RbP7Hw/s1600/TulouAreaTown072014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1uJaZJCNtzQ/U9iY0RBWZ8I/AAAAAAAAAxQ/o76D9RbP7Hw/s1600/TulouAreaTown072014.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taxia village, where my Guest House is, July 2, 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />T.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036275082775715235noreply@blogger.com0