2009, Coming Home Again

Yes, I can see why you want to leave Singapore, everyone tells me over and over, it’s not that exciting a place to live in, it’s so boring.

They are missing the point.

To be honest, it took me the better part of a year from when I returned to Singapore to fully appreciate life here. Not because there isn’t anything to do here – someone once said (probably my mother) that life isn’t boring, it’s the person who is – but rather that it took me a while to feel part of a community again. One cannot simply expect to stay away for 7 years and return to find groups of people eager and waiting to take you into their fold again. Once I finally settled in however, I packed my schedule to the brim with activities: climbing, diving, etc. This might be a tiny little island, but there is plenty to do both on and off the island. Case in point: this weekend, I will be climbing, singing karaoke, playing badminton, swimming, playing tennis, kite flying, and having dinner with friends.

No, I’m choosing to leave not because I don’t like life in Singapore. I love life here, and I think that this past year, I have come to see home as here.

~.~.~.~.

Now that the year is drawing to the close, it’s time to do the traditional and look back at some of the most memorable moments:

Best Article/Book
I haven’t been reading as much as I used to. Most of my literature this year consisted of books on wine, and old books from my bookshelves that I re-devoured. Off the top of my head, I can’t quite name one book that made an indelible impression on me.

That said, there are two articles this year that I have read, and re-read, and also forwarded on to friends. The first was a speech given by Karl Paulnack, pianist and director of music division at Boston Conservatory for Boston Conservatory’s freshman class: Things that Matter. The second was Steve Job’s speech to the Stanford 2005 graduating class, entitled Connecting the Docts. I have turned repeatedly to this latter speech in recent days, while trying to come to a decision on the move back to Chicago.

Best Trip
I’ve made quite a number of trips taken this year:
1. Work trip to Jiuzhaigou, China, January
2. Skiing in Innsbruck, Austria, January
3. Work trip to Kunming and Lijiang, China, March
4. Ski trip and visit, Colorado and Chicago, April
5. Diving in Dayang, Malaysia, May
6. Work trip and climbing trip, Tianjin, Dalian, Suzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong, June
7. Diving in Tioman, Malaysia, August
8. Diving in Redang, Malaysia, September
9. Wine and hike trip to Tasmania, Australia, October
10. Upcoming diving trip to Sipadan, Malaysia

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Of these, I think the most memorable would be the week sojourn through Tasmania. Everything was perfection: the food, scenery, wine, hiking, company. The only lacking bit was time.

Best Wine
I haven’t tasted it yet, and I doubt I will, but 2009 marks the year I bought my first first growth wine, Chateau Lafite. In fact, I bought a case of it, along with half a case of Chateau Margaux, and several cases of second growth wines. These are for investment purposes.

Best Restaurant

I loved my trips to Ember, and Grand Asia has the best sizzling pepper beef ever, but hands down, the best restaurant of the year has to be Alinea, and not just for the hefty price tag. The food was as much of an experience as the service and the presentation. I doubt I will be making a return trip sometime soon, but no matter, that way the magic is preserved.

Best Challenge
Diving, diving, diving! I love it as much for the incredible scape and amazing diversity of life and color underwater as for the companionship of all my zany friends.

China Culture Shock!

I used to love reading the Culture Shock! series as a kid; they gave such interesting insights into life in a foreign country.

A little while ago, our marketing manager from China was in Singapore for a visit. I brought her out to a business dinner, and she kept initiating toasts with the clients. I thought it a little odd, until I remembered that that was the practice in China.

As is the practice of ordering double or triple the amount of food what you could possibly finish at dinner. The plates just kept piling up. By the end of the evening, the entire table was covered with heaps of food; none of them empty.

As is the practice of adulterating wine with ice, lemon, or soda. I helped pick out a bottle for dinner – the selection wasn’t great, just rows of Chinese wines, a couple of French-sounding labels, and a Chilean. We got the Chilean, and on the walk back to our private dining room, the waitress asked, do you want some ice or lemon with that? I could barely keep the shock out of my voice as I rejected the offer. My colleague agreed, then asked for some Sprite to sweeten the wine instead.

Eep. I suppose here in China, people have only started drinking red wine because it is supposedly looked upon as a status symbol. They just haven’t acquired the taste for it, and it doesn’t help that most Chinese red wines are completely unpalatable anyway. But a nice red wine with soda???

P/S: Yay, it looks like wordpress is finally accessible from the great firewall of China!

China has truly the best toilet in the world

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

No, it’s not this of course, though for such a primitive toilet, it’s actually quite clean and spotless. It belongs to the Stone Forest Tourism Bureau.

Just a five minute drive away, at the entrance of the Stone Forest tourist attraction, is this truly luxurious 5-star toilet. Our guides, from the Kunming and Stone Forest Tourism Bureaus, were so proud of this toilet that they felt they had to specially bring us for a visit. And no wonder:

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

Would you believe this is the entrance to the toilet??? It looks like some club reception…

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

…complete with a reception desk

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

Little girls’ loo. They still can’t quite get over the idea of doorless cubicles…

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

Can you see the screen on the left? People can watch documentaries of the Yi Tribe while they relieve themselves.

Red Wine in China

If you have ever been to a Chinese business dinner, you will know that the tasting glasses of red wine placed in front of each diner is not meant to be sipped at leisure. I found that out on my recent trips to China, when I noticed everyone else staring at me whenever I picked up my glass for a sip. No, the wine isn’t meant for sipping, but for toasting purposes. All throughout dinner, everyone will take turns to propose a toast and that’s when you are meant to drink from your glass.

No matter though; the wine we were served wasn’t exactly sipping quality. At the couple of our delegate dinners, we were poured a domestically made wine, Yunnan Red. My initial reaction when I first lifted the glass to my nose was, oh my, this is an incredibly grapey smell! Of course, it’s made of grapes, but it seemed to me more reminiscent of one of those small sippy boxes of grape juice, and not fresh grapes. Sweet, almost synthetic kind of nose. The wine though, tasted astringent, rough, and mouth-puckering – not so much from the tannins as from the hit of alcohol.

Nonetheless, it is interesting to see the explosion in consumption of red wine by the Chinese. Red wine seems to have replaced the potent Chinese rice wine served at these business dinners (which is a pity, since I was really looking forward to it). And I think that there is a huge potential in this nascent Chinese wine market going forward – both in the areas of consumption and wine making. To the latter point, Yunnan has an excellent geographical location for wine growing, with a mild temperate climate and year-round sunshine. It would be exciting to see this industry take off.

Jim Boyce of Grapewall of China (the go-to website on the Chinese wine scene), writes in an interview with Yunnan Red CEO Wu Kegang:

Bamboo, goldfish and peacocks, a tranquil pool and a sedate forest, a wine cellar and a spacious sun room, a wood-burning fireplace – these all made the mansion of Wu Kegang, CEO of Yunnan Red Wine, a relaxing spot to enjoy wine and talk about his company. I visited him with Ma Huiqin, a professor from China Agricultural University whose research ranges from the molecular biology of grapevines to the wine-buying preferences of Chinese consumers.

Wu first invested in Yunnan Red Wine in 1997. His initial stake was small – a few million RMB – but he has since taken the the company over and it has become his core business, he says.

Yunnan Red produces about 8,000 tons of wine per year. It organizes winery tours, experiments with varietals, is involved in related projects ranging from grape juice to cosmetics, and does intriguing localized marketing campaigns.

Personal reasons led him to invest, says Wu. “My wife is from Yunnan and her friend was involved in the wine company. I took it over so we would have a link to her home,” he says. “It helps that I like wine and my family likes wine. We plant, we harvest, we drink wine – my in-laws are very happy.”

The links to Yunnan are evident. Wu notes that Yunnan Red’s two main grape varieties, Crystal Dry and Rose Honey, were brought to China by missionaries. In honor of them, he is constructing a church on the winery’s grounds.

The winery is also a retreat for overnight visitors and offers an excellent menu of Yunnan food, live performances, and the opportunity to sample wines. One person at the company estimates that upward of 60,000 people visit the winery each year.

Interestingly, the night before we flew back to Singapore, we were introduced to a French man who has been living in China for close to a decade. Now the owner of a French restaurant right outside the old town of Lijiang, we sat with him for a chat, whilst sampling his delicious desserts (made of the freshest fruits in the market). Noticing the bottles of wine he had stacked behind the bar counter, I asked if he served only French wines. Of course! he said, Chinese wines have everything but grapes in them.

To be fair, while in 石林 we had the occasion to meet with the manager of a fruit orchard. Over lunch at his restaurant, he brought out a flask of his homemade red wine. I really liked it! It was young and fresh, lively and fruity with no hint of pretense. Think a Beaujalois Noveau, only fresher!

Postcards from Yunnan, China

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

石林, or Stone Forest

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

Groups of such retirees scattered all over the park in Kunming, playing music or singing operatic songs. Nice way to retire

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

Old Town of Lijiang

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

Spring in Lijiang

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

View of Lijiang and the Jade Dragon Mountain

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

Old Lijiang has got to be the CLEANEST place in China. The waters in the canal are crystal clear, totally devoid of trash. And filled with swimming koi and goldfishes. Quite astounding really

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

Cultural performances are just one of the highlights – Yunnan has 25 different minority groups, just under half of the nation’s total

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

Jade Dragon mountain was beautiful, but not really worth the hour plus waiting for the bus and then the cable car ride, well, not if you’ve been to big peaks before. But there wasn’t that much one could do at the top anyway – not enough snow to ski

From 2009-03-16 Yunnan Study Trip March 2009

Overlooking the old town of Lijiang at sunset

Off to China

 

Heading off to China for a week on Sunday – on the agenda this time around is Yunnan and Lijiang, maybe Shangri-La if we can find the time…

Hopeful that we will be able to make some good contacts and find some good land this time around… It does seem though, that with every trip, we have a better idea as a group of just what we are trying to find and build. 

Winter in Jiuzhaigou and Songpan

Back in town. Tried to update from China, but the Chinese government apparently thinks that wordpress and livejournal is more insidious than blogspot, so I couldn’t get online. 

Anyway.

Jiuzhaigou, translated as Valley of Nine Villages, lies in northern Sichuan and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is justly famous for its tiered waterfalls and multi-colored lakes, and in the fall season, throngs of tourists descend on the gorges.

We went in the deep of winter, and this being less than a year after the Wenchuan earthquake that had destroyed parts of the highway from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou, tourism was dead. In the peak months of October and November, the region could see 20,000 people daily; in the middle of January, there seemed to be no more than 150 tourists in the whole gorge.

There are nearly 50 hotels in Jiuzhaigou; when we went however, only three were open. Two of which were 5 star hotels, and during the peak period, the rates were 10x the 500 plus RMB we paid per night (translates to US$1000 in October). The other hotel was supposedly a 3-star hotel, designated by the local government. We stopped in to enquire about the room rates, asked to look at the rooms, and were brought to a room that was freezing cold. So cold, the sink and the water in the toilet was frozen solid. The room had no heater too, only an electric blanket.

Some pictures:

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

The highlands of Sichuan is evocative of the grasslands in El Chaten and Mendoza, Argentina… but I guess it makes sense. Jiuzhaigou is in northern Sichuan, which borders Tibet, and whose scenery is very similar to Argentina. Seven Years in Tibet, the movie, was filmed in Mendoza because the director couldn’t get permission from the Chinese government to film in Tibet itself. 

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

The houses of the Zhang Tribe – Tibetan-style architecture

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

Jiuzhaigou is famous for its clear blueish-green waters. The colors are even more vivid in the fall, when the waters are framed by fiery red autumn leaves. October is thus the peak tourist season, but be forewarned – you would have to share the sights with 20,000 other tourists all jostling for a picture of that incredible view

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

We bypassed countless of waterfalls

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

It’s a pity there wasn’t enough snow on the ground when we were there. No winter wonderland pictures for us; it only started snowing the day we tried to leave Jiuzhaigou

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

The temperatures were just above freezing during the day, dipping down to -10 degrees at night

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

Monigou, another scenic waterfall attraction just outside of Songpan

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

Songpan is a little town an hour away from Jiuzhaigou. It’s a delightful little town to visit for a day – we went to the yak market and saw the butchers slaughtering yaks with their blood steaming in the cold wintry air.

Sichuan Food

We never went hungry in Sichuan – the closest we got was when we were stuck at the Jiuzhaigou airport for 9 hours because the fog caused by the pollution in Chengdu was worse than normal, so much so the highways were shutdown and the planes were barred from flying out. Even then, the airline thoughtfully provided us with a light meal of fried rice and Chinese sausage.

I love Sichuan food! Think steaming broths of bubbling red hot chili hot pot, with yak, rabbit, and dog meat. Think heaping bowls of beef brisket noodles swimming in chili oil. Think sweet clear soup of a dozen kinds of fresh mushrooms.

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

The Zhang Tribe’s Qing Ke Jiu, a type of rice wine served warm.

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

Roasted Yak. Quite delicious – the meat was flavorful and juicy

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

Chinese wine marinated in deer testicles and deer fetus – quite an interesting concoction; thick, almost syrupy fill, with a tinge of bitter-sweetness at the end. Instant belly warming! The store owner let us sample a shot, but refused to sell any. We also tasted wine marinated in goji berries and wine in bull testicles.

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

Yak noodles soup – delicious! It’s like the Sichuan noodles I love when I visited Tibet so many years ago now

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

Sichuan hot pot

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

Dog meat hot pot. I know most people’s first reaction is ew! But the way I see it, eating dog is just like eating chicken. These dogs aren’t taken off the street – now that would be unhygienic – but these are reared for eating, just as chicken are. One shouldn’t discriminate on the type of food one consumes based on the cuteness level; that would be ethically incorrect I feel. That said, the dog meat was quite delicious and blood warming, perfect for a winter’s day and paired with Chinese rice wine

B&W Prints of Jiuzhaigou

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009

From Jiuzhaigou January 2009