scott's ravings

Burns Party

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:58:00 PST

Yesterday evening we celebrated our annual Burns Dinner, our intimate midwinter holiday when we enjoy a sumptuous meal of lamb, neaps, tatties, and of course, a haggis! The lamb this year was roasted with a Kauaian coffee spice rub that was outstanding. Sharon and Desi brought smoked salmon with dilled cream cheese on brown bread, and a berry trifle for dessert. Pam and Phil, not to be outdone, also brought a trifle, soaked in Amaretto.

We enjoyed a more subdued holiday this year, but still with the requisite Burns' poetry--the Address to the Haggis--plus the toast to the laddies, and a few love poems. And as usual, some of the older girls shared their original prose. It was a very enjoyable time, and a great excuse to get the friends together.

What's Cookin'

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:38:00 PST

Here's a great animation and use of American Sign Language from Luke's Spectrum class. The boys did this completely on their own:

Cocktails and Chocolates in DC

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:19:00 PST

I had the opportunity to present our spirits alongside some locally made artisan chocolates last night at one of DC's most intimate and esteemed cocktail bars, Wisdom. The venue was amazing. Wisdom is a smallish space, but sectioned off into small alcoves that afford its customers a measure of privacy and solitude. The decor is old-world chic, overstuffed armchairs and settees, eclectic tables, and candelabra chandeliers. I felt as though I had stepped into a club in early 1900's Paris.

The chocolates for the evening were creations by Merideth, owner of MC2 Confections, a local chocolatier who worked with me and Erik, the owner of the club, to create custom cocktails and chocolate pairings. The customers were the beneficiaries of our experiments:

Lemon honey thyme chocolate paired with a hot gin toddy with green tea.

White chocolate raspberry paired with a forbidden fruit cocktail.

Peanut butter cayenne chocolate paired with Uncle Jessie's PB&J cocktail.

To name a few... You get the idea... delicious stuff!

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the night, capturing the mood and a few of the confections. Makes me glad I live near Washington DC, where we have clubs like this.

On a technical footnote, I must mention that the venue was very challenging to photograph. It was dark as a crypt in there! To get some of these shots, I had to bring my fastest, best lens, an f1.4 50mm telephoto, and open the aperture wide up, and still use an ISO 1600 to capture the shots. Autofocus was working poorly in the low light, so I had to manually focus most of the shots, and even still, I'd have to rest the camera on my knee to keep from blurring the photos.

Frank the Pug turns Nine!

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:09:00 PST

Wow. Nine years old. That's sixty three in dog years. Frank is an old man!

But honestly, he's never been healthier. Gosh, I'd be amazed if we don't get at least another five years out of this dog.

As we do every year, we give him a plate of tuna fish and sing "Happy Birthday". (At which point, he starts salivating uncontrollably!)

What a happy pug!

Paddle Surfing, Blue Hole and Luau

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:00:00 PST

Friday was a full day. In the morning, we had a private lesson for paddle surfing (think surfing crossed with snow-boarding, crossed with kayaking) on the Hanalei River. The water was really calm and nice, and Becky and the boys saw some herons and turtles during the one hour lesson. (I was too busy watching the bikini clad women to notice any wildlife.)

After the lesson, we headed out near Ke'e Beach on the far northwestern coast to explore a sacred Hawaiian water cave. To reach the cave, we had to wander up and down a rather treacherous rocky path, and our footwear was ridiculously inappropriate. Nevertheless, after a few minutes shuffling on all fours, our palms and knees darkly browned by the soft Hawaiian dirt, we reached the cave. From outside the cave, you cannot tell it is filled with water--it is so clear. But once inside, the water gives off an eerie milky blue glow. Our guide invited us to jump into the water and swim, but as the water was about 60 degrees, I was the only one of the family to try it. The water was damn cold, but it was exhilarating and mighty nice to get out afterwards.

Later in the evening, we headed over to the Luau Kalamaku near Lihue. This is a very large, slickly produced affair, but quite an enjoyable two hour show. They seat multiple parties at big tables together, drinks are free, so getting to know your neighbor is just about mandatory. The food was good (especially the roasted pig), but my only complaint was that since they called by table for lining up at the buffet, by the time I got to the buffet, it was pretty well picked over. Somehow, though, I managed not to starve.

Becky, the boys, and my folks all enjoyed the show. The hula dancing was excellent, though my mother remarked that she saw a lot more of those large Hawaiian men than she wanted to! We had a great time, and definitely recommend this Luau for any who come to Kauai.

Saturday is our last day, and we'll spend most of it packing up and going home. Sadly, our trip has come to an end. Kauai is an amazing island, and I do hope we'll be able to come back here again someday.

Golf and Mini-golf

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:28:00 PST

Today, we started the day playing mini-golf. The golf course was also a botanical garden, specializing in species native to Hawaii and Kauai in particular. We had a nice time playing mini-golf, and then later, Luke, Grandpa and I shared another round of golf at Makai Woods. Today, we did a lot better, walking away with a +3 over par.

This is a "rambutan" that we bought at a local farmer's market. It peels like an orange, and tastes like a cross between a plum and a green grape, maybe similar to a lychee.

Golf with Grandpa

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:33:00 PST

Today, the boys enjoyed their first ever game of golf. We played nine holes on Makai in Princeville, and it was really nice since the course was relatively empty. We didn't feel rushed as we taught the boys how to play.

Both kids had a great time, and Luke definitely wants to come back for more. We had some spectacular views, and even some decent golf.

After golf, we ate dinner at the Dolphin in Hanalei. Excellent place--amazing sushi and fresh fish. Highly recommended!

Kauai Helicopter Tour and 'Anini Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:51:00 PST

Early this morning, we set off for a 8:00 departure on Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours. We chose a morning flight, because the chances for weather related cancellations were minimal. (It seems the winds pick up here in the afternoon, and it would suck to have your tour canceled.)

Arriving at the check-in office, we were given the mandatory safety briefing, weighed, and given seat assignments inside the bird. We were then shuttled out to the airport, where we were seated in front of the helipads awaiting our rides.

Soon, the three blue helicopters came in, one by one. We were loaded onto our bird, and very quickly on our way!

We headed west into the heart of the island to see the large waterfall from Jurassic Park. Then, we went up to Waimea and into Waimea Canyon, then out west to the Barking Sands Navy Base and the Na Pali coast (Na Pali means cliffs in Hawaiian). Our pilot took us in and out of several steep valleys along the inaccessible coast, and it was very amusing watching her warning system light up bright red each time we entered one of these steep cliff-walled valleys.

Some of the places we visited were so remote, the only way to see them is by helicopter--not even hiking trails penetrate into the heart of Kauai.

We circled next down to Hanalei Bay and Princeville, before heading back into Lihue airport.

After our flight, we were very hungry, so we stopped in at the Ono Family Restaurant in Kapa'a. Oh. My. Gosh. Delicious!! Eggs Florentine with Hollandaise, Ono burrito with hash browns, tropical pancakes, and Chinese sausage. (Yes, Sharon, I took my Lipitor and Prilosec, thankyouverymuch.) The Ono Family Restaurant has the absolute BEST breakfast on the island!

Later in the day, we packed a picnic lunch, rejoining Nana and Grandpa, and spent the afternoon building sand castles on 'Anini Beach. It was still quite breezy, so we opted to jump in the hot-tub after the beach, both to wash off the salt, but also to rewarm our bones after the cold swim in the Pacific.

Tonight, we're taking in pizza and probably chill out with a few games of Yahtzee and Scrabble, borrowed from the rec-room at the resort office.

Breakfast at Ono Family Restaurant

'Anini Beach

Hawaii Odds and Ends

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:26:00 PST

Here are a few photos I forgot to post from the past few days. The first is a nice shot of Eddie at Honolulu Airport as we're departing for Kauai.

The next two are our Christmas morning photos; we improvised for a Christmas tree this year.

Finally, these are our dinners at the Lighthouse Bistro last night. We had grilled Ahi and Ono, Becky had a beet salad with Gorgonzola, and Luke had a sirloin steak with a mint-chip grasshopper pie the size of his head (which he completely polished off, to our amazement!).

Waimea Canyon Panorama

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:17:00 PST

Click on the photo to view full size.

Hanalei and Waimea Canyon

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 20:00:00 PST

Merry Christmas! Today, we started the day wandering around the resort on foot. Our resort sits on the north side of the island, in the town of Princeville, where the waves are really rough. Eddie spotted a couple of whales spouting, but we couldn't catch a glimpse of a whole whale. There is no real beach access here at our resort, but the views are incredible, even if the cliffs are quite treacherous.

After breakfast, we took a driving tour of the island, from Ke'e Beach in the far northwest, all the way around clockwise on the island, to Waimea Canyon on the southwest.

At Ke'e Beach, you are in a tropical jungle with heavy canopy overhead, winding trails, waterfalls, and even a few caves. Wonderful stuff!

We ate Christmas lunch at the Hanalei Cafe, where today they only served breakfast for lunch. We had Eggs Benedict and bagels while listening to a guy play guitar and sing James Taylor and Eagles tunes. (Very relaxing.)

After lunch, we drove past Lihue to Waimea. As we passed the airport, and drove into the southern part of Kauai, the change in climate was remarkable. The tropical lushness melted away and was replaced by arid scrubby mountains and dried grasses. In ten minutes, we went from the Amazonian rainforest to the desert plains of Arizona.

Climbing quickly after reaching the town of Waimea, we crested at 3400 feet, where we reached the Waimea Canyon, and incredible site to behold. I was very glad for the refreshments offered by a local merchant: fresh papaya, coconut, water, dried fruits and toasted coconut.

After the canyon, we headed back home for Christmas dinner, a roasted chicken, potatoes, stuffing, pies, and green beans that Nana prepared while we all toured the island. What a wonderful Nana!

Here are the photos from the day. I'm having fun making panoramas with some of these incredible views. Be sure to click on the two below to see full size. Both are taken near Hanalei. The one shows the plain approaching the sea, while the other photo shows an agricultural valley looking into the interior of the island. Both panoramas are composites of three photos each using my good camera.

Diamond Head and Kauai

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 23:57:00 PST

This morning, we arose early and headed over to Diamond Head, for an exhilarating one mile hike up about 500 vertical feet, to the top of the old volcano cone. From there, we had terrific views of Waikiki and the surrounding area of Honolulu. Diamond Head State Park is a former military base and network of bunkers. Once at the top, you can explore a few of these bunkers overlooking the sea.

Later in the day, we headed to the airport for our flight to Kauai. The flight is a very pleasant 30 minute jump, and afforded some amazing views of the island.

Tomorrow is Christmas Day in Hawaii. We'll open presents in the morning, and then later in the day, we're going to roast a chicken and do an old-school traditional Christmas dinner, complete with pumpkin pie, stuffing, potatoes, and all the rest. We'll actually cook this in our condo, so we should have that home-style feel to a vacation Christmas.

Mele Kalikimaka to you all!

This first bunch of photos is from Diamond Head on Oahu:

Check out another panorama here, this one of the crater on Diamond Head. Click on the photo to view it in large size.

The next set of photos are our plane ride from Oahu to Kauai:

Waikiki and Pearl Harbor

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 22:34:00 PST

This morning, we set out to see the monuments at Pearl Harbor, and were particularly hoping to see the USS Arizona memorial. Unfortunately, the wind was up, so they were not running boats out to the monument; we had to look upon it from afar.

Nevertheless, we strolled the park and absorbed the impact of the lives lost, documented in the many monuments throughout the park. In the submarine section, each plaque documented by name each man lost in each sub. Many subs were lost with no trace, no word on what happened, they simply disappeared into the sea during the war.

In the museum, there was an excellent short film documenting the attack on the harbor. In less than two hours, the Japanese wiped out almost all of our Pacific fleet, plus nearly every aircraft we could have used to retaliate. They inflicted hundreds of deaths, dozens of big ships lost, 182 airplanes destroyed, and escaped with only 62 casualties. It was a brilliant and deadly tactical attack that caught us totally by surprise. I finally understood why my grandfathers had so much hatred for the Japanese, even into the 1990's. They could never forgive this unprovoked attack on the USA, much like many people today feel about Al Qaida.

Pearl Harbor is a solemn place, and when you try to grasp the sense of horror, sorrow, and subsequent anger of this place, it forces you to reflect on the massive tragedy of war. My grandparent's generation was absolutely shaped by World War II. Five long years became the axis around which their entire lives pivoted, and to their dying days, they identified themselves proudly as WWII veterans first, before Christians, Americans, or Oklahomans.

In the gardens, reflecting on the past, then, I was brought into the present and began to understand more deeply how today's soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are still sacrificing themselves personally in defense of our liberty. The biggest contrast today, sadly, is that we're not all personally affected by this. In the 1940's every single family had a member at war. Everyone was at war.

Today, we are so much removed from the actuality of our wars, it is easy to become complacent, dismissive and lazy. We take too much for granted. Most of us still have our digital television, our sumptuous meals, our trips to the mall, (our vacations to Hawaii), etc. etc. etc. War is a remote thing we watch only on the news or read on the Internet for ten brief minutes each morning. We sacrifice nothing.

This poem, which I found while strolling through the park, summed up my thoughts for the day:

Dear Lord,
Lest I continue
My complacent way
Help me to remember
Somehow out there
A man died for me today.
As long as there be war,
Then I must
Ask and answer,
Am I worth dying for?
-- Poem Eleanor Roosevelt kept in her wallet during World War II

If you ever get a chance to come to Oahu, do make time to see the Pearl Harbor monuments. Despite the very busy shuffle through crowds of people, it is very much worth seeing, and a key piece of our American history.

~~~~~

After a very, very long shuttle ride back to the hotel, we decided to chill for the rest of the afternoon on Waikiki Beach. The boys and I played in the surf while Becky soaked up the sun. After a few hours in the salty surf, we rinsed off in the hotel pool before heading to dinner on the strip.

Another beautiful day in paradise.

The USS Bowfin

The USS Arizona Memorial

The USS Missouri

This is a Red-crested Cardinal (Paroaria coronata).

This poem was my favorite, capturing very nicely my thoughts for the day.

Christmas in Hawaii is certainly different from back home. But we still had carolers!

Click on this panorama below to view full size... this is a five photo composite I made from Hilton Hawaiian Village (on the left) to Diamondhead (on the right)--the entirety of Waikiki!

Aloha from Hawaii!

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:17:00 PST

After a very, very long set of flights (DCA -> MSP -> LAX -> HNL), we finally arrived in Honolulu yesterday evening around 6:30pm. We decided it was better to stay up and have dinner than to go to bed early, so after we checked into the Marriott Waikiki, we headed out on food to explore for food.

Not wanting to venture too far on the first evening, we had dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise, a kitschy local burger joint. The food was actually quite good, but we skipped the $6.75 sodas and $11 beers! Luke devoured his grilled cheese sandwich on Hawaiian sweet bread, Eddie had a pico de gayo hot dog, and Becky and I had burgers (very delicious burgers). We were famished after the long flights.

After this, we strolled very briefly along the beach, and then headed back to the hotel for bed.

Today, we're going to head out to see the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor, and maybe just spend some chillin' time on the beach at Waikiki. Nothing too exerting.

HDTV Project Complete

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 09:34:00 PST

Luke and I had the rather large project of hooking our TV up to a couple new HDTV antennas. We purchased a high gain UHF antenna, another high gain VHF antenna, plus a powered pre-amplifier and a combiner (to get them all into one coax wire).

Mounting the setup on the roof of our little chimney bump out proved to be a brisk few hours earlier this morning, but within a little while, I had the cable tied into our DISH Network setup and now we have 30 some odd local channels, plus the ability to tie them into our program guide and DVR.

Very sweet! I feel like Mr. Cool Handyman!

Hiking the A.T.

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 09:21:00 PST

Luke, and I, and the boys in his troop, hiked a rather challenging stretch of the Appalachian Trail this weekend. Temperatures were in the 40's, with strong winds on the windward sides of the mountains. It was a challenging hike also because the 6.5 mile (about 10 km) stretch of trail from Mount Weather to Bear's Den is lovingly called "the Rollercoaster". Up and down, up and down, four times before the hike was through. We forded streams, wound around high rocky vistas, and through peaceful wooded glens. It was a great hike, and we made it in just about four hours. Also just as nice, at the end of the hike, we got to relax for the night in the Bear's Den Lodge, which is a 1933 historic stone building housing three separate rooms of bunks, sleeping about 30 people total. We had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, lots of good time by the fireplace, all in all, a great ending to a wonderful day in the woods.

The Food of Shanghai

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 05:00:00 PST

One of my set goals upon arriving in Shanghai was to adventurously experience the city through its cuisine.

Shanghai does not disappoint! It is such a melting pot of cultures, that one can find any type of food from any region in the world. I avoided the ubiquitous KFC's and McDonalds, and opted for the local fare when possible.

In no particular order, here is my culinary adventure of China.

This first restaurant offered lunchbox-style dinners. I started with a fruited herbal green tea, along with my stewed beef box with seaweed, braised bok choy and white rice.

On one particular afternoon, I enjoyed a lovely pumpkin soup and tonic water as a light lunchtime snack.

Dinner at Lost Heaven was exquisite. This dish, heavily sauced prawns, was really tasty. Other dishes include steamed dumplings, eggplant with tomato sauce (my favorite!), and whole fish with Sezchuan peppercorns and black beans.

In old town, we enjoyed Shanghainese food at Xinjishi. The beer was excellent, with a tart crisp character unlike any I've had recently. Dinner was served family style, with just a small plate in front of each of us.

We started with some sautéed mushrooms and tiny shrimps.

Next was a crab dish with all the juicy innards of the crab on top of a white cheese.

Then we had tofu and egg drop soup as a mid-course soup.

The sautéed green vegetables were amazing! These were something like Swiss chard with mushrooms.

These green beans were in fact not green beans. They were hot green peppers, and after eating one pod, I finished the rest of my beer. Yeouch!

I'm a sucker for duck, and this duck did not disappoint!

Fried chicken and prawns with scallions and red peppers. And just as at home, don't eat the red peppers!

The last dish of the night was the orange sauce prawns, which were as big as lobsters in the USA. Amazingly delicious, folks loved the sauce so much that when the prawns were gone, they sopped up the sauce with their scallion fritters.

And here are the aforementioned scallion fritters. These resembled American hushpuppies.

A solo prawn, looking rather phallic.

These dumplings were filled with soup! They squished in your mouth when you ate them.

The piece-d-resistance was the fatty pork. Each cube of meat was half pork, half fat, covered in a thick smoky barbecue sauce. The cubes were SO delicious, but so rich that we could only eat one bite.

Thin stringy rice noodles with crab came after the fatty pork, but I was so full I couldn't eat a single one.

For my first Shanghai breakfast, I tried the local fare: noodles, dumplings, and fresh fruit. Delicious! And of course, yogurt for a happy tummy, and coffee to keep me awake.

One night, we had Spanish tapas at El Willy's. The tapas were excellent, and the wine was incredible. Not particularly Chinese, but it does show what a cosmopolitan city Shanghai is, and this restaurant was voted one of the best in the city. The chef even came out to visit our table and welcome us while we ate.

After a few days of adventurous eating, I opted for the Full English Breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Sometimes, comfort food is just what is needed.

In Suzhou, we ate at a very local, non-tourist restaurant. This is their cold chicken dish.

This is a shredded mushroom salad.

Again, the cooked vegetables were delicious. These greens were something like bok choy or chard.

At this restaurant, my favorite dish was the peppers and octopus: garlic, onion, peppers, and fried whole octopus. Yum!

And a 20 ounce Tsingtao to wash it all down. The lady in this photo is Mai, our guide for the trip.

The last dish of the lunch was a delicious wonton soup.

In Suzhou, we happened upon a lady selling fruit from her bicycle. I don't know what the fruits were, but I bought a small bag of each as a mid-afternoon snack. The yellow fruit tasted exactly like a fully ripe mango (only a tiny portion of the size), and the purple fruit was like a large seedless grape. (But it wasn't a grape, or a plum. I think it was some kind of berry.)

On my last day, I wandered into a German restaurant and had my favorite schnitzel with beer and mushroom soup. The veal was a little tough, but otherwise, the meal was perfectly authentic.

At the airport, as we were leaving, we had some extra money to spend. This rack of treats caught our eyes. From right to left, they are pickled duck tongue, spicy duck tongue, and (dare I say it?) pig scrotum with balls. Yes, with balls. Only the best here!

You can see why I kept returning to the English breakfast each morning.

In the markets, there were many vendors selling fried animals on a stick. What isn't made better by frying and putting it on a stick? Here we have whole fish and whole squids.

The most favorite snack of our guide were these whole sparrows. Actual sparrows, they are defeathered, placed on a stick and fried whole. One crunches them down bones and all. They tasted a bit like a chewy chicken wing. Not bad, really.

What had us wondering was this skull. It was resting in the big kettle of soup, and we wondered why one would put it there? To ward off evil spirits? To flavor the broth? I have no idea, but it was really COOL.

The fried crabs looked tasty, but we didn't try them.

These were whole pigeons.

More of those sparrows I was telling you about.

And more pigeons, having a little dance.

In the Yu garden, we sampled through the various teas.

And we finally worked up our courage to eat the little sparrows. They tasted pretty good with the seasoning sprinkled on them.

Near the Bund, we ate at another local restaurant recommended by our guide. This fish soup was the best damn fish soup I have ever eaten. I would not have ordered it myself, but Mai said it was her favorite. The fish was so tender and juicy, and the green peppery broth was complemented with a citrusy flavor and red peppers that made it unlike anything I have ever tried before.

My favorite dish of the day was this: the wok bullfrog. The bullfrog was prepared in a Kung Pao fashion, with spicy chili, green and red peppers, and onions. The bullfrog meat had tiny little bones that you had to watch out for, but it was tasty, like something between fish and chicken. The fried peppers and green beans were also a nice side dish. Both delicious!

Yes, my favorite way to experience a culture... through my stomach. I was not disappointed with this trip, and happy to say that the Imodium® got to stay unused in my medicine kit.

No problem!

Jenga Madness!

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 04:55:00 PST

Shanghai Day Six - Last Day

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 PST

For my last day in Shanghai, I wanted something subdued and restful. It was drizzling lightly, so any pedestrian endeavor had to be carefully chosen. Most of the rest of our group went shopping, but since I had already done this, I decided to end the trip as I had begun it: on a solo walking tour. Alone with my thoughts on my last day in Shanghai. (Heaven!)

I headed over to the French Concession, which is popular with European and American ex-patriots. The old colonial architecture is instantly welcoming to any westerner, and there one can find many shops, wine bars, and coffee houses. As the rain was lightly falling, I found myself sitting under a patio umbrella enjoying a nice cafe latte. This was very comforting as I watched the endless tourists pass before me on the cobblestoned street.

After a few moments rest, I headed into the Paulaner Pub for some Wienerschnitzel for lunch. German food in the French district of Shanghai? Why not!

After lunch, I hailed a cab back to the hotel, to pack up and head to the airport. Shanghai was a wonderful city, and I do hope I get the chance to come back again soon.

And this time, I hope I can bring the family.

Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:25:00 PST

Shanghai Day Five - Suzhou

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:00:00 PST

After fulfilling our booth duty both Wednesday and Thursday, we had a free day on Friday. A few of us decided that it'd be a great opportunity to get out of Shanghai entirely and explore a little further afield.

Just about fifty miles west, is the city of Suzhou. By car, this would be a good 90 minute drive each way with traffic, but on the bullet train, it was just 18 minutes! We arrived at the Shanghai train station, and immediately, I was impressed with how spacious, modern, and ultra-clean the station was. Multiple bullet trains depart hourly for destinations like Beijing and Hong Kong, and it had me wondering why we fail to accomplish this kind of luxurious mass transit in our own country. We have the same challenges of population density and geography, but what we lack is the political willpower to spend money on infrastructure. I guess that's where a benevolent dictator can be useful sometimes.

Politics aside, it was hard not to feel like we need to step up our game in the USA if we're going to remain competitive. The Chinese have got it going on!

Our first stop in Suzhou was the Suzhou Museum. I'm not much of a museum person. My idea of visiting exhibits in a museum involves about two seconds on each exhibit, getting me through the museum in under fifteen minutes if I'm lucky. The Chinese historical artifacts were the most interesting, with the carved ivory tusk being the most incredible thing I saw at the museum.

The little wee baby porcelain figure that you see in the photos below is actually a pillow. Doesn't look very comfortable, does it?

After the museum, we headed through the shopping district to the Buddhist Temple and Pagoda. The shops were very humble, and unlike in Shanghai, the vendors did not harass us to purchase their wares. They smiled and waved, and even provided directions when we needed them. Very friendly and beautiful people.

At the temple, we had the opportunity to climb the eight story tower overlooking Suzhou. From the tower, we could see the endless sea of housing blocks, intermingled with shops, construction (always construction in China), and the massive train station in the distance.

After climbing the tower, we visited the toilets, and to our amusement found a sign that warned of "Landslides" with an image of a fellow who looked very much like he was doing the "Green Apple Quickstep." Not sure what the original Chinese intention was, but as we were not in a hilly area, we though landslide must have a deeper meaning, especially for the frail western digestive tract.

Our next stop was the Suzhou Silk Museum, where we had the opportunity to learn about the history of silk (which is as old as China itself), see some live silkworms munching on their favorite mulberry leaves, and even see some weavers actually working the silk looms. This museum is a must see for anyone finding themselves in Suzhou for the day.

After the Silk Museum, we strolled through the markets a bit more, and ended up at the Humble Administrator's Garden. This garden is the retirement home of a former city official, who felt it was a worthwhile endeavor to spend his remaining days tending his large, expansive garden.

The garden is filled with little streams, buildings, meandering walks, trees and shrubs of all varieties, and of course, koi in every pond.

With daylight waning, we decided to head back to Shanghai. We attempted several times to hail a cab, but were unsuccessful. Every cab that drove by us was off duty, so we finally opted for a rickshaw ride back to the train station. I'm glad we did; it certainly added to the color from the trip. And when we returned to Shanghai, we further adventured into the very busy metro subway system to get back home to the hotel.

We returned to the hotel very exhausted, but totally satisfied with our day trip in Suzhou.

Shanghai Day Four - Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:00:00 PST

On Day Four, we took the morning to go shopping through the antique markets on Dongtai and Nanjing roads, the former being a reconstructed old-town district with vendors lining the streets, and the latter being more like Shanghai's version of Times Square.

Both shopping districts had the obvious goal of attracting western tourists to unload their paychecks on the cheap touristy trinkets.

Strolling the streets was enjoyable, and we wandered into the Yu Yuan garden, which is a pleasant way to spend a portion of the day, winding through paths of flowing streams, shrubs, and tightly manicured flower beds.

We also wandered into a tea merchant, where you sit down and the tea-seller runs you through a formal tea tasting. The first tea we tasted was one that was good for "my fat American belly," as he told me. (A hard sell.) Then, we tasted a sweet tea with yellow flowers that was good for digestion and allergies. Both were so delicious that I ended up buying a tin of each.

We also sampled some exotic local foods, but I'm saving that information for another blog posting by itself!

Shanghai Day Three - Expo and Shanghai Nightlife

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 PST

On day three, we had to man the booth and pour spirits for the clientèle of the expo. I had a morning shift (8am to noon), so it was pretty slow, as most people don't want to sample straight whiskey before lunchtime.

That lull did afford us some time to explore the tradeshow, which was immense! Three halls, each as big as Dulles Airport's main terminal, all filled with coffee, ice cream, pizza, wine, beer, you name it!

After a half day at the show, we had a small group of us head over to the Science Museum to explore the Fake Market, where you can buy cheap Chinese knock-offs of name brand merchandise. I picked up a "Louis Vuitton" bag for Eddie, some jade earrings for Becky, and a Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) soccer jersey for Luke. All fake, but all very nice fakes.

Finally, after this, it was time for dinner and the nightlife. Dinner was a Lost Heaven, a traditional (but high end) Chinese restaurant.

We then headed to a local jazz club called Brown Sugar, where the Chicago-based jazz band played some pretty righteous tunes while we sipped our cocktails on the private balcony deck--avoiding the crush of twenty-somethings down below. After about 30 minutes of this, I remembered that I was over 40, and that the club beat was piercing my skull like an ice-pick, and grabbed a cab home with the other fogies in the group.

Shanghai Day Two - Expo Set Up

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 PST

The main purpose of my visit to Shanghai was to support the USDA and DISCUS booth at the FHC 2011 food expo. This is an expo highlighting imported foods into China, and our job was to promote American craft spirits.

On the day before the expo, there was mass chaos as vendors and crews worked furiously to set up their booths. Having been at these types of events before as a vendor, I know that the set up usually is pretty messy stuff, and always gets straightened out at the eleventh hour.

After visiting the expo and getting our exhibitor credentials, we headed to the M1NT bar, a very exclusive club in a rooftop setting in downtown Shanghai. There, we poured our spirits for a variety of press, restaurateurs and local liquor distributors.

I could hardly believe that I was standing there, halfway around the world, pouring Catoctin Creek spirits in the most exclusive club in China.

Shanghai Day One - The Bund Walking Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Harris) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 12:06:00 PST

On my first day in Shanghai, I had a free morning. Wanting to get some sunshine to help adjust to the timezone, I set out on foot to explore the northern part of Pudong Island. Armed with a good pair of walking shoes and a bilingual map from the hotel, I had what I needed to explore the city.

My tour had me leaving my hotel at the St. Regis and walking the tree-lined streets. On this morning, at about 8:00am, I was one of only about five white people in the city. The Chinese all stared with polite wonder at my Caucasian self, probably wondering if I was lost or something.

Unlike Europe, China gets an early start on the day, and by 8:30 the town was bustling with Chinese headed to work. Construction was everywhere, and workers were all about sweeping the sidewalks, grooming the gardens, and generally taking care of the city. This is what economic development looks like! We could take a lesson from the Chinese in this department. Their commitment to infrastructure is evident everywhere in the city.

Shanghai is sparkling clean, and I have never felt safer in any other urban center. The police presence is constant, but doesn't feel threatening in the least. If anything, they are helpful and friendly, and will gladly lend a poor tourist a hand with directions.

My walk took me through the financial districts, and past the ultra-modern buildings in downtown, including the Oriental Pearl TV tower, and endless high-rise apartment condominiums. (Many of which are protected by electrified fencing and gated entrances.)

At the northwest end of Pudong lies the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. This tunnel is the easiest way for a pedestrian to cross the Huangpo River. The tunnel is a psychedelic light show seemingly unrelated to anything at all, but a roundtrip on the monorail will only set you back about 60 RMB ($10).

On the other side of the tunnel, you emerge upon the Bund--the colonial era architecture that reminds us that the English, French, and Portuguese all laid claim to this area in decades past.

At the Bund, you can walk along the riverside walk and watch the boats drift by, and you can even take a ferry back across the river, but I chose to use the other leg of my Bund Tunnel ticket, and walked back to my hotel along Riverside Drive on the Pudong side of the river. This was a pretty ritzy area, as I passed by luxury condo after luxury condo, and even the Shanghai Yacht Club. I felt very safe, and somewhat envious.

As this would be my only sunny blue-sky day, I'm really glad I made the most of it with this walking tour!