Travel Haiku

Inspired by a post by @japantouristjp ...  #trahaiku are travel-themed 5-7-5 syllable poems about travel, Japan / East Asia, or the intersection of the two...  Here are a few I wrote today:

Coffee, cream, sugar

Waiting for the boarding call

Clouds swirl in my cup

Yamanote Line

brings me where I need to be

and circles back home

Narita Airport

All laid out so precisely

Model, or real life?

Lunar New Year blooms

with fireworks, laughing, smiles, and

 hope flowers again

Outstanding new Hong Kong timelapse video!

The travel videos and timelapses I've been posting here are inspiration for both you, the viewer, as well as me. If I can't be out roaming the streets and harborfronts of Asia, at least I can watch what others have done. This piece is simply amazing; the music ("Bruce Lee Never Died" by Istanbul Disco Mafia) takes the video work to a completely different level. Enjoy!

Book Review: Lost on Planet China by J. Maarten Troost

I originally read this book when it was released in hardcover back in 2008, but seeing the softcover version on a display last weekend at Barnes & Noble triggered me to go back and revisit it. I remember liking the book the first time through; how would it hold up?

Troost - who’s been published in the Atlantic Monthly and the Washington Post - doesn’t want to be called a “travel writer”, as his other books about exotic locales were written after living for extended periods among regular citizens in places like Vanuatu and Eastern Europe. While ‘ethnography’ might be a more-appropriate word for his other two books, here this books’ entire premise is Maarten traveling from place to place in China over several months, having wacky adventures, and writing a small essay about it. That’s a travelogue, and because he visited a different city each week he just doesn’t achieve the depth of cultural understanding found in his other works.

I’m not knocking the approach; if a publishing company wanted to make me an offer like that I’d jump immediately. (I even have an itinerary sketched out, and essay outlines for all the other parts of weninchina.com.) But then again I’m not trying to write a humor book or a picture of a people in transition.

Now, having read through the book again, I’ll still say it’s a fast-paced, fun, light read. There are 24 chapters, but the tone Troost uses is dry and conversational and one could finish the whole book in less than a week of evenings after the kids have gone to bed.

Looking over the notes I took, however, gives me the idea to make a Chinese Travel Channel Special Bingo - Troost hits all the obligatory observations and statements you’ve seen in every documentary and guidebook. Here are my entries for Chapters 2 and 3:

• Crazy driving / astonishing traffic
• Children peeing in inappropriate places in public areas
• Food made of animal bits we don’t eat in the West anymore
• The Cultural Revolution was really evil
• Blowing Noses
• Crossing the street is dangerous
• Chairman Mao
• Crazy ads on TV
• Luxury goods on ostentatious display
• June 4 is a mystery for Generation Y
• Smog in Beijing / dust storms

He circles all the way around the country, out through Shaanxi and Sichuan onto Tibet, then down through Yunnan to Guangzhou, up through the Yangtze Delta and finally into the northeast, ending with a boat ride along the Yalu River at the North Korean border, wishing to go back to the States.

I have to compare this book now to Kosher Chinese reviewed in an earlier entry. Both books are alternatingly funny and poignant, both are light reading, but Lost could have been Kosher if Troost had stayed put in one place for a couple months instead of taking the Grand Tour and hanging out with other Westerners. Take for instance how each author covers the gap between Han and non-Han ethnicities: Lost shows the absurd ‘surface’ of Han tourists in Yunnan having fun looking at Westerners interact with Bai people, whereas Kosher follows several young hill-tribe girls in Guiyang over two years, gets to know them and shows how the cards are stacked against them even though they keep trying. Both stories are true, but the latter one really helps you learn about what’s actually going on.

A book of just ‘surface’ observations can be fun, but too much at one place starts to feel like snarking, even though the author has only good intentions. Lost on Planet China is ultimately a highlight reel; a spice to add to your reading meal - entertaining in controlled doses, and with a balanced diet of other China media - but not a standalone dish.

For additional media and product reviews about China, its culture, and traveling around Asia, visit http://www.weninchina.com/Reviews/Reviews/Reviews.html

Book Review: Kosher Chinese by Michael Levy

Mike Levy was a language-arts teacher from Philadelphia suffering from a crisis of faith post-9/11. Wanting to use his talents toward a Big Global Purpose, he found himself in the Peace Corps in 2005 assigned to rural Guizhou Province teaching English at the university in Guiyang, getting paid the same subsistence wage and living in similar apartments as the local professors, and figuring out everything on his own with no outside support, for a two-year tour.

The 29 chapters go by quickly in a conversational and often funny tone, similar to a Bill Bryson or Sarah Vowell travelogue. Outside of a few weeks' training in Chengdu, Mike doesn't get to travel outside Guizhou, but that gives us readers the chance to really settle in and view an area that will never see a Hollywood film crew or breathless Travel Channel documentary.

As Mike gets to know his fellow teachers, his students, and other local kids, we get to hear the personal stories and decisions from real-life people with real-life ambitions, problems, and responsibilities. Should a professor put substantial money into buying an apartment, and can she find a mate when she makes more than most men? Will a talented and dedicated masters-student from Guiyang, knowing she has no career future in her home province, be able to find a future in the costal cities? What will the fates be of twin sisters, bright and hopeful and thirsty to learn, but born as ethnic minorities and living with their grandmother because their parents have migrated to the coast to find work?

Guanxi and party politics, ethnic contrasts and Chinese stereotypes of Westerners are all shown matter-of-fact, but the people are never shown as villains, just everyday folks doing what they've been taught or repeating something they've heard. It's a refreshing contrast to sensationalized mass-media China reports that never take time to have an authentic conversation with citizens, or who never leave Shanghai / Beijing / Hong Kong.

For those of us with children from China, this book strikes a powerful nerve as we can easily see our daughters and sons in the situations Mike relates. Would my daughter have faced a childhood of having to collect plastic bottles for the recycling money, or working in a back-alley kitchen, sleeping on a cot because home is too far to walk and she couldn't afford bus fare?

My little girl has an unbounded future. Reading this book reminded me of how much of an honor it is to be her father, and how much I owe it to the kids left behind to make sure she has the ability to pursue any dream.

Kosher Chinese is a 2011 release, available in softcover at a retail of US$15. Well worth a read for adoptive parents, for travelers heading inland, and anyone wanting a better understanding of everyday life in modern China.

Spot the American!

Click on the photo to enlarge. Yes, the Little Mermaid is *really* that little...

Whether it's your first time outside the country or your 20th trip through Tokyo, whether you're on vacation or making a business presentation, dressing appropriately for international travel seems to be a particular challenge for us Americans.


I took this photo a couple weeks ago in Copenhagen at the Little Mermaid statue. The cruise ships were in town with tourists from all over, and there were also package tour groups in the city that day from Korea and Hong Kong.


Not that everyone was dressed as fashionably as the Scandinavians in this photo, but I think you can tell which person was the American.


And if you can see the difference, so can a pickpocket, or a beggar, or someone with an axe to grind, or a security officer who wants to impress his superiors. The point isn't to look Asian when you're in Asia - although wearing clothing that works with the climate is important - the point is to NOT look like a negative stereotype.


If you're traveling to adopt a child - or on a sales call - or just there to sightsee - remember that the quality of your experience overseas often depends on how others see you. You could be treated like a country bumpkin, or you could be treated with respect. You don't need to look like a fashion model; you do need to wear clothes that fit you well. Try your outfits on before you go, and look at yourself in the mirror.


Saggy pants and shirts that don't cover your belly? Clothes that are too big? Baseball caps? Leave them at home. 


Some entries on weninchina.com that may help include -

• Dealing with Heat and Humidity
• Physical Preparation for the Trip
• Packing Checklist

Here's a tip!

In honor of National Adoption Day, we'll cross-post another column just published on weninchina.com. View the full article here for additional resources and links.  With 55 articles, dozens of downloads, and hundreds of links, weninchina.com is ready to help you prepare for your adoption trip to China!

Tips on Tipping

If you read various travel websites and guidebooks, you’ll find conflicting information about giving tips in China. Older sources - pre-2005 - tend to say there is no tipping, ever (as is still the refreshing custom in Japan.) Sources aimed at upscale travelers imply that they should give similar gratuities as they would in the West. Most sources, however, tend to not give any clear advice.

It is true that Communist ideology as practiced up to the 1980s would have discouraged front-line workers from providing exceptional service for monetary reward. Standing out from the rest of the brigade would not have been smart, and there wasn’t disposable income for that kind of behavior anyway. And across Asia, there is a strong cultural norm of selfless hospitality, which has discouraged the idea of tipping. However - and we haven’t seen any tourist resources talk about this - Chinese society has indeed had a long tradition of giving small gifts to those who provide service. The twist on the idea is that the gifts have been given to business associates, government officials, or those of higher social class as a way to cultivate guanxi. (We talk about the kinds of small gifts you’ll want to consider bringing in a separate article.)

Tipping for hospitality workers is a new idea to the mainland, and it has spread in direct proportion with the exposure an area has had with Westerners:

• In bigger cities, foreign chain hotels, fancy restaurants and expatriate bars, and “tourist traps,” there will be more of a tendency for workers to expect gratuities from Westerners.
• In smaller towns further away, at Chinese-brand hotels for local travelers, and neighborhood cafes, workers may not have any expectation or familiarity with the concept of tipping.

Will workers refuse tips? Probably never.  Will you have an awkward moment or two? Yes. Just like back home.

What to plan for

Your adoption agency will brief you on how much to budget for lump-sum gratuities which will be distributed to tour guides, drivers, and your local contacts. These people are providing specialized, highly-focused service, and we all want to make sure they are fairly compensated.

For bellhops, porters, room service, and laundry delivery, have 5 or 10 yuan ready to discretely hand out. (If you haven’t had a chance to change currency yet, one or two US dollars will suffice.)

At restaurants, a service charge is usually added to your bill. If you want to, you can leave 3 to 5% on the table. (Compared to the 15-20% customary in America, it feels like you’re cheating, but there’s no need to feel guilty.)

Fast food restaurants - no tipping, just like everywhere else.  At coffee shops, however, keep your eyes open for a tip jar. If there is one, watch what other people are doing (a few coins is probably sufficient.)

Not that you’ll see many, but when you inevitably go to the Friendship Store, you’ll see a washroom attendant there in the restroom. Leave some small change or a small bill.

Taxi rides are very inexpensive compared to the US or Japan. While most guides say there’s no need to tip, there’s no harm in rounding your fare off to the nearest 5 or 10-yuan bill.

Should you tip in US dollars?

Older resources would say yes. We are saying no, use local currency. The dollar isn’t worth what it used to be, and there’s something kind of patronizing about it. Plus, while the hotel staff can readily exchange USD for RMB, your barista will have a hassle converting foreign money into something useful.

What do I say?

• Nothing, just a smile and nod. You’re both probably a little nervous, anyway. 
• “Keep the change” translates as loo zhao ling chEEn bah
• “Good service” translates as lee-yung HOW deh foo woo
• Or, just go with the all-purpose “thank you,” SHay shay

What else works?

If you receive truly notable service, don’t be shy about expressing your appreciation. Smile, especially in front of management! Tell your fellow travelers, and give the place repeat business if you can. Finally, post your recommendations on message boards, your blog, and with us at weninchina.com.

Taking you where the guidebooks don't

After years of hoping and waiting, and eighteen hours of flights, we finally made it to Beijing. It was coming up on midnight by the time we checked into the hotel and made our way up to the room.  Excitement about the trip and anticipation of meeting our daughter had worn off; we were completely exhausted and nervous about being in an alien culture. And we really needed to use the bathroom.

I put the key in the door and opened it. Our room was dark, so I flipped the light switches. Nothing happened. Nothing at all. With the dim light from the hallway, I could see there were instructions above the light switch, in Chinese...

This is the point where the travel guidebooks and your adoption agency's preparation stop being useful, and you have to figure things out for yourself. That's where weninchina.com comes in. 

We give you the practical how-tos about your China adoption travel experience, supplementing what your adoption agency has presented. We don't get into adoption paperwork, process, or politics; but we do get into what kind of shoes to pack, how you get breakfast, and where to exchange your money.

We aim for our home site to be the first travel resource adoption agencies refer their China Program families to. weninchina.com will be continually evolving and expanding - with your feedback, suggestions, and photos, we can help our fellow traveling families have a great experience.

And if we can save you the ten minutes of fumbling around in the dark to figure out there's a slot above the light switches to slide your room key card into to activate the electricity - like I did -, then we have removed a stress and made your trip a little bit better.