The Sojourner

The weekend that was....

Crazy. Fun. Lust. Caution. Cause. Artsy. Wasted. 

Those are the selected few words to describe my weekend. Let me start from Friday evening.

FRIDAY NIGHT
Mike's Debut as a DJ at Alfa for their 80's Night
Of course, I was late. Fabulous people always have a graceful slash dramatic entrance. My couchsurfer, Brandon, and I arrived around 9:30 p.m. and everyone was in full mood dancing to the tunes of the '80s. I threw my arms to people I know for free hugs and customary cheek-to-cheek greetings while I left Brandon standing there. It was a good thing that he has good social skills that he managed to introduced himself to other couchsurfers. Then, I guess, after 2 minutes, I suddenly remembered that I came with a hot guy. So, I dragged and introduced him around to other beautiful nenderthals. 

Mike promised to play songs especially for me and yes, he did but ONLY one. What the....? I think he told me of the reason why but I don't remember. I was so engrossed flirting with Ai's couchsurfer, David, who is soooooo freakin' delicious! Akua and I were like just salivating. Hahahahahaha....

The rest of the night was blurred to me. I was not drunk. Maki bought me a beer and someone (I forgot who) handed me a vodka. The reason of the blurness is still unclear and blur to me. ;) At nidnight, we headed home. Cinderella beauties, you say, but we have good reasons.

SATURDAY
Huanghuacheng Great Wall Climb
The hikers arrived on time at the rendezvous in Jishuitan KFC. As soon as everyone had their breakfast and had answered the morning "call of nature", everybody was set to go. Davis, the tour organizer, briefed us about the itinerary of the day while the bus was snaking through the weekend traffic. Speaking of traffic, it was soooo terrible that we were stucked in some intersection for 40 minutes or so. That means----we didn't make it to the War Tunnel because of time constraints. 

When we arrived at the village, we explored around it and of course, did my usual camwhoring in bricks, old walls, dried tree branches and anywhere which caught my sense of seeing.

We had lunch there, too, in the village. The restaurant served us a really unknown (for me) but sumptuous dishes that nothing left on the table when everybody was finished.

At one, we started the tour proper. Our bus took us to the Hawk castle which is a little great wall castle built in 1592 in Ming Dynasty that boasts to be the best preserved great wall castle. With only a dozen family living inside, it retains a unique sense of ancientness and tranquility. But this current tranquil mountain village was once severely disturbed by Mongolia in the north in Ming dynasty as well as USSR decades ago when the sino-ussr relation went sour in 1960s which is physical evident by the Great wall and mysterious military nearby.

We stayed there for 45 minutes and then headed off to the Great Wall. It was such a lovely sunny day that is seldom seen in Beijing. The clouds were so immaculate cotton that looks like floating bubbles in a blue ocean. Picture perfect.

Perfect for camwhoring. Amen.

Enjoy the photos below. 

EARTH HOUR

We arrived Beijing at 7:00 p.m. Six of us decided to have dinner first at a nearby restaurant in around Jishuitan. The Great Wall Hike was very exhausting but I have the feeling that I MUST attend Earth Hour Meeting sponsored by Greening the Beige at Club Obiwan from 8:30-9:30 p.m., the same time when hundred of cities around the world turned off their lights to make a stand for Earth. This year, Beijing is joing the rest of the world by turning off lights in their famous landmarks like the Bird's Nest, water Cube, etc... and by encouraging people and several companies to do the same.


We all know about the Earth Hour. And if you don't know about it, it's ime for you to Vote for Earth and start caring. Even a camwhore like me cares. Really. So, there are no excuses and no difference between you and me. I was really exhausted but I chose to be there because I care. Mushy. Cliche. But true. ;) 

At the said celebration, an Earth Hour Quiz was held which our group won 2nd place. No prize though. :)

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.

In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.

The YEN WHITE PARTY

This is my 3rd year in a row. And every year is different and even crazier than the last year. It's awesome to see people in WHITE. It felt like heaven----everybody's dead and rejoincing that they're in heaven. But the way the hedonists behaved and danced, a Shakespearean quote is more apt to describe, "Hell is empty. All the devils are here."

The crowd was unstoppable and the music was pure bliss. I had stomach in the first hour when I was there but instead of just a mere onlooker, I decided to dance my way through the night and drank more. Amazingly, the stomach pain was gone. Dance is a total panacea. Ignore the grumbling. Sweat it out and kick some ass.

And oh, my shirt says, "I'm fabulous and a FREE HUG giver!"


SATURDAY
798 Art District
I went home at 5:30 this morning and slept at 6:00. I woke up at 11:00---with only 5 hours of sleep.

I showed Brandon, 798 today and this is what we managed to do. Well, aside from feeding ourselves with artistic beauty of course.

 

   

Sunrise and Sunset from Chongwenmen Hotel

Don't ask me why I was at the hotel and what I was doing there. You know me better than my camera lenses. ;)

That's Shanghai Magazine Appearance

Looka, looka, looka!

Last week, while I was attending a birthday diner for Gabby's, another friend, Rocio, broke the news about me appearing on That's Shanghai Magazine, March 2009 Issue. She described to where she saw it and was pretty sure that it was me right there on the magazine's Table of Contents page!

Without further ado, I called Tess, a friend of mine who has been living in Shanghai for ages to ask if she got a copy of the magazine. Call it lucky but she was actually holding a copy of the magazine when I called. She didn't, however, take a look at the Table of Contents so she missed me. With excited fingers, she flipped to the TOC page and bingo, she recognized me right away in a perfect exclamation, "Yes, it's you in a wig! Who's this guy with you?" Who else, but another hermana fabulouso, Ateh Danica.

In a demanding voice, I asked her if she could send at least, two copies of the magazine---which she willingly obliged---afraid that I'd curse her to 10 years of bad sex! Hahahaha!!! BIG THANKSSSSS, TESSS!!!!

Below is the article from this site.


Shanghai's couch surfing community

Written by that's Shanghai

Sunday, 08 March 2009 00:00

A unique online travel phenomenon has finally arrived in town We all know that traveling around China isn't always the easiest task, even if you do speak Chinese. But imagine this: You book a train ticket, search the Couch Surfing website, find someone who fits your personality, then stay in their spare bed, for free. "Not another social network gimmick," we hear you groan – but let us explain.

Yes, it does sound like something aging hippies and skint students would be into, and maybe it repels many of our decadent Shanghai sensibilities, but as a backlash to the credit crunch climate this alternative traveling fad has suddenly become massively popular – and as open-minded modern Shanghai folk we are leading the way for China's Couch Surfing community.

This non-profit organization has over a million people signed up around the world, aged anywhere from 18-89, and over 1,600 new members are joining every day. Of their membership pool, a measly 6,000 are signed up from China, but with 1,320 of these in Shanghai alone. The average age of a couch surfer is 27, but don't be fooled into thinking it's only for the young; there are actually 199 members aged between 80-89 – and whom you choose to stay with is entirely up to you.

The concept was created by Casey Fenton, 31, from the United States. He planned a trip to Iceland but, after buying the plane ticket, realized he couldn't afford the accommodation. He found the University of Iceland's student directory online and e-mailed 1,500 people, asking them if he could stay. "In 24 hours I had between 50 and 100 people saying, 'Yeah, come stay with me!'" he recalls. "At that point I had the opposite problem. Who should I stay with?" It turned out to be one of the best trips of his life. 
 
The real couch surfing selling point is not the free accommodation, but the chance to connect with people and experience a unique view of local culture. The ideal situation is that you spend time with locals who know the language and the area and who can show you places that are not in guide books. "It's not only about hosting or being hosted; it's about having a reference," says expat couch surfer Dani Fog. "It's great to have a native reference from the place where you are traveling, perhaps for the first time. This offers an endless source of first hand information, and if you're traveling solo, it helps you feel safer and not so alone."

Couchsurfing.com is full to the brim with travelers' testimonials. "One great thing with Couch Surfing is how many great friends and great people you get to know," says Nicolas Jadot, from Canada. But, it works two ways – you should be prepared to put people up at your apartment too (though you choose when to say 'yes' to hosting a couch surfer). In exchange for your hospitality people are asked to be courteous, and to try and give a gesture of thanks by perhaps cooking a meal or cleaning up.

"At some point, trusting others and being trusted becomes something as natural as it should be," says Nicolas. "Getting to know each other shouldn't be complicated or scary, but plainly a part of ourselves."

Not all the feedback is positive, mind. George Thomson, from Scotland, felt unsatisfied when he hosted a surfer here in Shanghai. "After hosting a few very friendly and outgoing people who bent over backwards to seem appreciative of their stay, we had a couple of people who just kept themselves to themselves and exploited the cheapness. I suppose when someone stays in your house you assume they will be eager to get to know you and the city, but that isn't always the case."

There's also, of course, the underlying issue of safety. Couchsurfing.com has taken measures to make the service as safe as possible. They have a reference system in which people can record their experiences; so far a massive 1,708,474 people have had a positive, safe experience. Users have different levels of trust in the couch surfing world and the more times you surf or host (and get a positive reference) the higher your score gets. The super-certified members have volunteered their credit card information, which is kept securely but acts as a form of identification and insurance to other users. And, as far as we can tell, nobody to date has been invited to stay at someone's house and then shown to a secret dungeon.  

Hutong Exploration

HUTONGS are ancient, traditional Chinese streets / villages / communities which, amazingly, still exist in Beijing despite the rapid development and construction here and there. Though they don't exactly resemble as they were in the past, but, one could still find ancient trees, architecture, woods, doors, posts, etc... that stood the weather and time.

This trip was organized by Davis is not even a Beijing local but who learns to admire and love the city.

On Saturday afternoon, when the sky was greyest, a lot of us came to the meeting place in Qianmen and started walking / immersing hutong life at exactly 2:15.

This hutong exploration brought us to:

THE NARROWEST HUTONG

Qianshi Hutong has a width of only 0.7 meter (0.76 yards) and the narrowest place is only 40 centimeters (15 inches).

History says that this hutong was exactly the embryo of ancient Chinese financial market. After the founding of the People's Republic of China (1912-1949), the financial merchants in this hutong expanded their shops aggressively due to lack of decent legal supervision, ths, making thus hutong the narrowest one in Beijing.

QIANMEN COMMERCIAL STREET


This street is extremely controversial. This is where siheyuan (courtyard houses) used to be with multi-families living in them. Now, this is a modern district with a commercial touch still.

Restaurants, souvenirs, jewelry, calligraphy, musical instrument shops and a lot more abound this street. But half of this long street are either empty shops or in their finishing touches. 

Six years ago, my first visit in this area, it looked really like the China in my mind before I set foot in Chinese soil. The smell and the chaos was just like every Chinatown you see in every big cities around the world. 

Though this street opened a day before the Olympic Games last year, the southern part is still under construction as the photo on the right shows.

THE MOST-WINDED HUTONG (NINE-CROOKED HUTONG)

Jiuwan hutong alley is 390m long and one has to take more than 13 turns. People who lived here have a superstition that one should never enter this alley from West exit because it is considered bad luck!

This is the only photo I took from the winding alleys. And I love this one. And this is perhaps the best one.

 

THE RED-LIGHT DISTRICT

Bada hutongs used to be ancient red-light district. Most houses here used to be brothel houses and the photo on the left below shows the most famous whore house where most courtesans here are brought / presented to the higher courts.

Today, the hutong is a place for low-income families.
 

 

THE MOSQUE

The photo on the right side is the where we stopped to oggle at an Old Mosque but the architecture resembles that of a Buddhist temple. Our guide tried to talk to the one guarding the door but was told that the mosque is under renovation and that visitors are not yet allowed to enter.

For the rest of the journey, we passed by mahjong houses where men and women deep in concentration to win.

We walked for 3 hours on the narrow and winding alleys of the hutong. While others are stuffing their mouth with food they bought on the side street, others were busy taking pictures or the rmenants of old Beijing. Some were just enjoying the moment and few others were were taking their time to feel the life life that Beijing once was.

At the end of the 3-hour walkathon, we all feel tired and I had a blistered right toe.

Few years from now, when Beijing turns into a full-blown metropolis, some of these hutongs will only be seen in photos. And when that time comes, I might be old, lonely and still fabulous, but I'd dare say that I'd once walked in these hutongs and no photos could best describe the experience.

 

Two Birthdays and a Dance Marathon

Two Birthdays

When two of your friends are celebrating their birthdays at the same time and two of them are throwing booze parties, it's like choosing between anal and oral sex ( which i very like! :)) ). But, when they throw a party in two different but successive days, it feels like you had the orgasm of your life. Whatever.
 

First was Dinah's, a Filipino friend of mine, who is also a certified camwhore even if she'd be born again as some atom or object in space. She cooked all the Filipino food which I dearly missed. My very favorite dish is the lechong manok (roasted chicken) and the chocolate cake is hhhhhhmmmmmnnnn yummy. (I really hope she's reading this so she could cook again. If possible, every week.) 

The most-watched, most-laughed out, most-participated event, most-tiring and most uncontrollable freak show was the KTV thingy which everyone belted out deafening voices from heaven, hell and purgatory---rolled into one big chorus of ecstacy and wild, scandalous orgasms. Huh! It was my first ever to hold a KTV mike and actually sang. Goodness, I never touched KTV stuff because I am the only Filipino who can't carry a decent tune! And, amazingly, I finished the song, "Total Eclipse of the Heart," with a score of 94%! Wow, that somethin'! Ok, I didn't sing from start to finish but with the help of others who encouraged to continue SHOUTINGGGGG!!!! Hahahahahaha.... that was fun!



Until now, I'm still singing the song in my mind wherever I am. I just can't get enough. Mariah Carey, watch out---you'll soon be out of business! I'm gonna crush you down and skin you off so u could lose weight and look like a decent whore. :))

Another birthday I attended, was Gabby's. She's an Ecuadorian who pouts her lips everytime the camera focuses on her. She's not just your normal camwhore babe but oh, boy, she got a doctoral degree in camwhoring. She knows her angles and pretty good at posing flirty, saucy poses. 
 

We started the night with a dinner in a Japanese buffet restaurant. We were kinda late because Gabby is so poor in giving directions (which she admits) and so we were lost. Anyway, I can't say about the food because I didn't really eat all the raw seafood on our table. I ordered a Japanese fried rice, instead. It was my first time to have a sake and well, I didn't like it. I'd still prefer a frozen margarita or a cosmopolitan over sake. 

In the middle of the dinner, I grilled Gabby some sexual, personal questions which to the delight of everyone who were intently listening. And Gabby? Nah, she was laughing hard at the questions and sometimes was blushing to the frankness of my queries. Ha, Gabby! You should post the video to let everybody know about your odyssey to the world of ........ (should I say it?).......  LOL...
 

So, when everybody (except for few people) were a bit tipsy, we decided to leave and headed for Bar Blu to dance, flirt, drink more, boy-watch and yes, to camwhore. I think, the South Americans and the Filipinos have one thing in common: camwhores! What can we do? We're all photogenic and to most extent, putagenic!


THE Dance Marathon

The event was aimed to raise funds for a Chinese athlete, a runner, to send him to Copenhagen for the Outgames this year! It was sponsored by the LGBT community in Beijing. When my friends and I arrived there at 11:00 p.m., everybody was hyped and crazy shaking their booties like Shakira is nothing but a mere copycat!

And yes, the money raised was enough to send Popo to Copenhagen.


But, the worst part is, I FORGOT (old age, maybe?) to give my pledge. I'll sure hand in the amount before Popo runs in Denmark's soil.

More photos of the event are found at WeLiveInBeijing.

Chinglish: Shopping

This is a sign I captured in Silk Market where fake products are sold from the first floor to the fourth floor of the buildings. Name it and they have it. Just ask and you shall be shown.

The salesladies are so pushy and they're gonna test your patience in bargaining. I'm not a fan on bargaining and I'm so lousy in it. So, when a friend (who is such a hard bargainer!) I went with decided to see more stalls after an hour of going around the building, I told him I had enough and that I'd better sit a corner and wait for him. That's when I noticed this sign.

Photoblog: Sunrise at the Great Wall

I took this amazing shot last year when Ate Danica, Ate Alex and I went to the Sematai Part of the Great Wall. We slept in one of the hostels there and climbed the wall at 5:00 a.m. so we could witness the sunrise---and behold, the view was beyond description. This is the part where we stopped and sat down in silence for a moment and admired the panoramic view before us.

The best things in life are, indeed, FREE.

And I'll do this again this year! 

The Smoke

Found this smokin' pipe around my area. Isn't it a beauty?

Sunset view from the back of the Forbidden City

We all know what and where Forbidden City is. It's called Gugong in Chinese. I was biking around it last month when I stopped to admire and witness the magnificent view of the setting sun and the ancient symbol of the civilization.

 

The Long Corridor at Beihai Park

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Beihai Park to meet someone. He was caught in a rush hour in the afternoon so he was late for 30 minutes. I usually don't wait this long but I saw the opportunity of camwhoring while waiting for him.

And so I did---with the help of the camera stand. ;)