Last Post: Goodbye Guangzhou, Goodbye China!

Well, it's been a long time coming, but this is the last post of jvd in China.

This picture was taken in the Guangzhou airport just before I passed through security. The feeling I had when leaving China for the last time was so thoroughly positive...I felt that the whole year of hardship and toil in the classroom was worth it, just so I could feel that particular enormous sense of accomplishment.

Now that I've been home for a few weeks, the tough experiences of teaching in China have faded in my memory, and the good ones remain. While it was a tough slog, it was a great experience and I'm glad I did it.

The highlight of the past year was running the xc race series in Hong Kong, particularly the final race at Discovery Bay, where I ran a tactical and fast race, coming in 15th out of 300 racers. My goal had been to break the top twenty, and I did that in the final race.

In retrospect, I also enjoyed training for those races in Guangzhou. I am one of the few people who have trained hard in those adverse environmental conditions...the humidity, the heat, the ever-present pollution. I trained hard, and saw results in the race series.

Thanks for reading this blog. I don't know what the future holds for this space, but I imagine I'll keep this blog up for awhile, until I find something else to write about.

Again, thanks for reading. It was enjoyable writing words that I knew people were going to read. I found I really enjoy writing, editing, and rephrasing my work. It was fun, all this blogging.

JVD is no longer in China, and this blog is no longer active. Bye!

One Last Post from KVD

Well, our trip is over, and J-man and I are both back safely in Canada - me to the old grind of defending Kitchener's criminal element, Jon to hopes of new adventures in B.C. Here are the last set of photos for our faithful readers to enjoy.


A nice scene from a cafe terrace in the middle of Ubud - a lush creek valley.

Below are Kecak dancers. The main dancers tell a story from the Hindu holy writings, but the best part is that the story is accompanied by an orchestra of more than a hundred men, stripped to the waist and singing and making monkey noises. For real!



The next few pictures are from my luxury accomodation in Macau. I bet the Olympic athletes who trained in Macau didn't stay at the San Va! I stayed there for the place's funk factor, and also because I thought the guest house was in Indiana Jones. Well, I watched the movie when I got home, and it's only the outside street scene that was in the movie! So I could have just as well stayed at the nicer spot a block away for the same brush with Hollywood movie glory.





Staying at the San Va was a real experience - no a/c, mid-30 degree heat, and interesting neighbours...



From Macau, I took a ferry to Central in Hong Kong, and from there another ferry to Lantau Island. Lantau was where Jon and I went bike riding my first day in Asia. I stayed overnight in a down-at-the-heels seaside resort, and enjoyed the last day of my trip.

On my last night in Asia, I went to the China Bear pub, a watering hole that (aside from the decor) would not have been out of place beside Bentley's in Stratford. I had a pint of cider, Hawaiian pizza, and apple crisp with ice cream - cultural re-integration! Here's a photo of me after my tasty pub supper...



View from outside my hotel - Mui Wo harbour.



I had an amazing trip. The best part was rediscovering the joys of budget international travel. It was a rush to meet new challenges and to see and experience something new almost every day. I'm already thinking about where I'll go next!

For all the joys of being away though, it was great to be back. Peter met me at the airport and I was so happy to see him again and talk to him about all about my adventures. I've had a good time since I've been back too - going up to Peter's mom's cottage, paddling at the Woodstock Dragon Boat Festival, spending a nice day in Stratford with Mom and Brooke. Our indoor soccer team is winning in our league, and I'm back training for mountain bike racing. So life is good here too.

See you all in person soon!
Signing off, this is guest blogger KVD's last post.

Wow.

I was never a fan of the Olympic opening ceremonies, but I figured I might as well watch today, since I'm in China and all.

Wow. Everyone said it was going to be amazing, but I never expected anything of the magnitude I just finished watching. Everything was just so BIG.

My favourite part was the final torch bearer running waaaay up at the top of the stadium.

Good work, China.

Safely in Guangzhou...halfway home!

I'm now safely in Guangzhou, and am halfway home. Tomorrow I fly from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, and then on to Vancouver. Being in China again is a lot different from what I expected.

The Olympic opening ceremonies are on right now, and judging by the atmosphere in Guangzhou, I'd estimate the whole of China is watching them.

It's Friday night, and there's nobody on the streets. My cab ride to YIHE, where I'll spend the night, was the fasted I've ever experienced. There were few cars on the road, and fewer people walking the sidewalks. Gone was the honking mayhem that I've come to expect from Guangzhou, and instead I experienced an amount of space and freedom that I didn't think was possible here.

I wanted to run up and down the empty streets yelling and jumping, just to take advantage of this amazing atmosphere. Guangzhou is empty, and it probably won't happen again for another few decades!

Usually, Guangzhou would be humming with activity, especially on a Friday night. But since the opening ceremonies are on, everyone is holed up in their houses. I could have shot a cannon ball through the busiest subway station, and nobody would have been injured. Stores were closing early since nobody was around to buy anything.

After I got off the plane in Macau, I took a bus to Guangzhou, a two hour trip. It felt like we were driving Highway 7+8 from Shakespeare to New Hamburg at midnight, with only a few other cars on the road.

The things I found most difficult about China over the past year are not present tonight. The crowds, the stares, the blaring horns and jostling people are all absent. It is truly amazing, to experience a whole city shut down like Guangzhou has.

I was not wanting to come back here and revisit my China experience, but it looks like I won't have to. Instead, I get to be immersed in this uncharacteristic and unexpected lull in Chinese life.

It's hard to describe the sense of freedom and joy I felt walking the streets tonight! They were so empty, so clean, and China doesn't smell like China. I bet the whole country spent the last month scrubbing every street. It sure changes the face of the city. I'll leave with a positive impression of Guangzhou, and that's great.

Goodnight from Guangzhou!

Bali wraps up.

This is Jake, Robin, and me at tonight's sunset, my last day in Bali. You may notice the claw making an appearance! Jake and Robin man the stand where I rent my board every day.

Today, my last day of surfing, didn't start on the most positive of notes. But I don't mind, since I had already accomplished what I wanted to.

After about half an hour in the water, I ended up tweaking my shoulder muscle. The paddling motion became painful, so I had to come in. My shoulder still hurts, but not as much as it did twelve hours ago.

It happened when I was battling waves, trying to get out past their breaking points. This area is termed "outside", while the area where the waves break is called "inside". Everyone waits outside until they see a wave of their liking, then they paddle towards shore and catch the wave as it speeds by.

When your ride is done, you must head back outside again, or else you must deal with waves that break infront, on, or just behind you. Being outside is calm and peaceful, while being inside is hectic and tumultuous. Everyone gets outside as soon as possible.

So, after riding a crappy wave too far in, I ended up way inside, close to shore. I had to make it back outside, so I could start paddling into waves again.

I ended up paddling back out when a big set started to come in, and I had to take three or four waves on the head. The best way to get out of an incoming wave's way is to "duckdive" under it. To accomplish that, you press the nose of your board into the water, diving after it while you hold on.

You begin this motion when the wave is just about to clobber you. The force of the wave and the downward angle of your board send you and your board under the wave, and ideally you resurface behind its fury.

The board I am using is wider, longer, and more buoyant than some other boards out there, so it's somewhat difficult to duckdive. I've managed to do it though, which is nice.

A big wave came in, the third in a row that I had to deal with. It broke about two meters in front of me, and I duckdove under the wave. I didn't do it right and must have gotten my back twisted and tweaked about by the wave as I tried to hold onto my board. When I resurfaced, my shoulder was in a lot of pain and paddling hard was impossible.

I proned out(laying on my board, not paddling) and rode the next wave all the way into shore, and ended my surfing holiday. I tried to save the day by having a massage at Carla Spa, but to no avail.

I got an epic two-hour massage for the low price of 100 000 rupiah, about ten dollars. Afterward, my shoulder still hurt, so I knew I wouldn't be heading into the water again. I went and had a nap instead.

I returned to the surfboard stand at sunset, where I bought the boys a beer to commemorate my last sunset in Bali. It was a good ending to the day and my month in Bali. I'm not too frustrated that I didn't surf much today, because my holiday has been excellent, and I learned to surf. I hope my shoulder continues to improve and doesn't cause me grief while I travel back to Canada.

Tomorrow I wake up at 5am, and head to the airport. I've been here for just under a month, and I'm ready to go home. It'll be a mission to make it back to Canadian soil though. Here's an overview of my travel plans:

Bali to Kuala Lumpur: 4 hour flight
Kuala Lumpur to Macau: 4 hour flight
Macau to Guangzhou: 2 hour bus ride
Sleep in Guangzhou
Guangzhou to Hong Kong: 45 minute flight
Hong Kong to Vancouver: 14 hour flight

Yikes!

Mission complete! (another surfing post)

My surfing mission is complete, and I can go home feeling accomplished. I finally learned how to catch real waves out there!

Yesterday was my best surfing day so far. I made a Japanese friend on the beach, who surfs a lot on Okinawa, where she lives. Her name is Mika and she would help me out in the water, giving me tips about where and how to catch the waves. When I caught one, she'd get excited for me.

I was exploding off my board with confidence, transitioning from paddling to standing, faster than I have before. I was with a lot of surfers, bobbing in the ocean waiting for waves. Mika was out there for three hours, making friends with everyone, and since I knew her, it was easy for me to chat with the other surfers in the water too. Both locals and tourists were having good times in the water, calling out as they caught the waves, or caught sight of a big one approaching. It was fun!

Mika said it was her best day...she said "When I surf by myself, I cannot enjoy. But today, I have many friends in the water. Very fun!" I agree with her...it was good times. I was catching waves and trying to paddle into the biggest ones, feeling confident on my board. There were others around having good times as well, and the vibe in the ocean was great.

The one vital part of surfing I still can't do is turn on my board. It's important to turn into the wave, so that your board is parallel to shore, enabling you to surf the entire length of the wave. There's a reef break off the coast of Sumatra called Rifles, where you get 600m long rides. Imagine!

Turning into the wave and getting longer rides is my next mission, but I'm satisfied with being able to paddle into a wave, catch it with confidence, and ride down its face. I tried to turn like I turn on my snowboard, but evidently that doesn't work. I think I need more weight transfer and more exaggerated movements.

Even though I can't turn into the wave face, I'm happy with my progress. I will go home knowing I can paddle in, catch a wave, and ride it until it turns into white chop.

I've taken the day off surfing today, to give myself some rest. I didn't want to ruin yesterday's good surf by getting out there today and having a bad day, or wiping out hard and ruining my ear. So, I'll just stay on land today, enjoying yesterday's surf.

To complete the good day, I had dinner with seven other travelers. My Suisse friend Natalie invited me out, with a couple of her friends, who invited their friends, and it turned into a really great evening out.

There were two Brits, two Dutchmen, one Belgian, one Kiwi, and one from Switzerland. And me of course, making eight of us. The conversation was good, the company was excellent, and the evening turned into the best social outing I've had since Er's wedding in January. It was a great ending to my best day in Bali so far.

Tomorrow is my last full day in Bali, and I'll hit the surf one last time if the waves aren't deadly. Even if I don't surf again, I'll be happy with what I've been able to do on my board. I have accomplished what I set out to do, which was learn to paddle into, and ride, a real wave. Mission complete!

Blue Hat

I nicknamed myself BlueHat today, because of my swimming cap. I used to be a bit self conscious about it, but now I don't care. Here's a picture of me sans my blue hat, but avec zinc on my nose and cheek bones.

When I want to surf, I grab my board, put in my earplugs, don my blue hat, and hit the surf! I tell my Indo friends who man the surfboard stand, "Blue Hat's going out!" and they respond with something like "Go for it Blue Hat!" and I dash off into the water.

People look at me oddly out there, and at first I assume that I'm in their way, or their really impressed with my surfing. Then I remember it's probably my blue hat.

Today was an OK day in the surf, and I caught one sort-of-wave today, so that was fun. It was during the first of my three sessions, and I think it happened because I wasn't tired. The rest of the day, I had a tough time standing up, because my arms lacked the strength to pop-up with confidence. (

(A pop-up, if that's the correct term, is the transition from laying prone on your board to standing up. Ideally, you do it in one explosive maneuver, starting with a dynamic push-up movement followed by swinging your legs under you. It's tough. The good surfers have big shoulder muscles and arm muscles from doing it, and paddling, all the time. I do not.)

I spent all day on the beach today, with the exception of an hour when I changed some money and ate breakfast. I spent the whole day in the shade by the surfboard stand, where I read my book, took a nap, and chatted with Jake (real name Bernard, pronounced very differently) and Robin. I took the odd walk up and down the beach too.

Jake/Bernard and I talked about what it's like to work the surfboard stand. His English is good enough to work in a restaurant or a hotel like his friend did, but even though it would pay more, he's not interested.

He said "Of course I make less money...but I like working on the beach. If I want to sleep, I sleep. If I want to surf, I can surf. If I want to have a beer, I have a beer. I get to talk to people all day, and make many friends. I don't care that I make less than other jobs..." A good example of money not being everything.

I will make another surfing appearance as Blue Hat again tomorrow. My ear is doing OK, and the earplug/blue hat combo is proving effective.