Beijing - One Last Time - Part Two

Truly the last time:
November 21st, 2009
Our phase of the project draws to a close and I am looking forward to moving on to something new. A few weeks ago, I broke the fifth metatarsal in my right foot. I was down for a weekend in Austin visiting Joy and his family whom I hadn’t seen in years. It was also a chance to see Thomas’ three kids. So it was quite the joyful reunion in Austin. Except on the Saturday night, we three, Joy, Minnie and I went out to check out the jazz lounges in the entertainment district. I realized that the one time I had been to Austin, I hadn’t really seen downtown Austin. We walked by pubs, some that I recognized from the Real World: Austin episodes. They did not cater to people of our age group. We went to a bar, I ordered a tall glass of Long Island Iced Tea, and sat and listened to the live band. It was fantastic. Then we moved on to the next. But the streets of Austin are cobbled, and the tiny, slim heels in my ‘Roach-killer’ Stuart Weizmann’s were my downfall. I thought I had a sprained ankle. It turned into a broken foot the next morning. Ah well, I couldn’t go back to T.o., but I could work from my laptop, and work I did. At the end of the day, my butt hurt! And there was no question, I would not be traveling anywhere for the next week at least.

A week later, I flew back to Toronto. And as the politics of the project grew heated, so did our collective frustration. Kevin, Matt, Eric, Yaw and I would be traveling to Beijing – potentially one last time, along with Charlie our engagement partner.

With a broken foot encased in a knee high air-plaster boot, I boarded my flight to China. It was packed. Of course, I had wheel chair access, and that helped a lot. People watched me limp, and hurried to help me with everything. It’s extraordinary how caring people get when they see someone else in pain. It holds out hope for all of mankind. And I will certainly be more considerate of people I see in wheelchairs. Limited mobility is an awful thing.

The flight was uneventful, except that in the 13 hours elapsed time, I went from noon to night to day to night again! Weird does not begin to describe it. But it did help with adjusting to the time difference. I landed in the dark. It had been raining earlier but had now stopped. It was cold and I could see my breath in little puffs! I lit up a cigarette. It didn’t really feel that good. Did I mention that I am now on Champix trying to curb my nicotine addiction? I took a taxi to the hotel. Everyone was very kind. Of course, at the desk I got the “Welcome back, Ms Routh” followed quickly by “Is Mr Kevin coming in today as well?” Ah, Kevin, Kevin… you have won the hearts of the people here. But unfortunately for the people at the Crowne Plaza, Mr. Kevin would be arriving only the next night. Turns out – they were full, but held a room for him… talk about service!

I dumped my bags in my room. It was already happy hour, and I was on the 17th floor. Might as well check to see if my other buddies had turned up - and where else to look for them but in the Club Lounge on the same floor? I was right – they were there! Hugs all around and we all sat down and chewed some fat. Of course, work always comes first, but this time, we had the sense of this being our last few days here. We were all unsure of what we had to do beyond our daily dosage of work. Plans of action were made.

The next morning dawned bright and SNOWY!! There had been around 5” of snow on the ground overnight. Clearly Beijing is not as prepared as say Toronto or Detroit or Pittsburgh where we come from. The driveway in front of the hotel was being shoveled by the hotel employees, using whatever they had to hand. It was cold and bright as I headed out to breakfast. The others were already down with the exception of Matt – who walked in a little later. Charlie, Eric and Yaw decided to head out first at around 8 am. Matt and I were still at breakfast. Sometime later, Eric showed up. Evidently there were no taxis to be had. But a few minutes later, they found a taxi. Matt and I waited for 45 minutes and then got one. Traffic was a mess usually describes something in LA or T.o. during rush hour. This was worse, much, much worse. The roads were not shoveled. It had been wet snow falling, and there was slush absolutely everywhere! Yet people were still out in droves going about their daily grind. Ugly, dirty snow lined the sidewalks and the streets and people waded through it. By the time we reached work we had been sitting in traffic for over two hours! Did I mention that Eric’s cabbie was actually able to get out of the cab for FOUR cigarette breaks? Yes, traffic was that bad! Of course, we didn’t spot a single winter tire anywhere. Evidently all you need are all-seasons. We left at 3pm – tired from our morning commute, and jet lag, and sojourned to the 17th floor – where Yaw and I worked through some of the outstanding issues.

Kevin’s flight was due in around 10 pm. I was not expecting to see him till breakfast the next morning, if at all. But around 11 pm – he pinged me. He was already at the hotel! He wanted to stop by to drop off a laptop camera for me. Too fun! He came over, and we sat and chatted of inconsequential things. By the next day, a sort of routine set into place. Breakfast, work, etc. etc. etc.

Of course, the first thing we had to do was book one last meal at the Made In China. We’d tried Peking Ducks elsewhere, and this is really the best place that we’d had so far. So that was decided – we would be doing our Peking Duck dinner on Friday. It was exactly as beautiful as I remembered. The flavors still exploded in my mouth. Good company, good food, good wine… what more could one ask for?

The next thing I had to do was have the chorizos at Churrasco’s, the Brazilian restaurant at the hotel. They were just as succulent and just as good. Yum!!

And of course, there were the caipirinhas at the Palm Lounge. I kept my limit to two. I was being a really good girl.

Now, there was one thing that I had been dying to do ever since we first went to Beijing - that was to go for a hutong tour. This time, the boys decided they wanted to go cycling through it. It might have been unfair of me to have been incredibly put off by this decision – considering a) I don’t bike, b) I couldn’t even if I had wanted to and c) I’d been requesting them to do it for months – and they decided to do it while I was out of commission. So I came down really hard on them. I was feeling abandoned and sorry for myself as well. That morning, I was unfairly bitchy to them – but, in my defense, they should also have had a bit of compassion for me, I think. In any case, I watched them take off on Saturday, and went off to my room. A shower and I wanted to catch up on sleep. They had promised to come back and do something together. I fell asleep and woke up around 2:30 pm when the phone went. It was Kevin telling me they were headed back and would be back in about half an hour. I went down to the restaurant – starving. They had stopped the lunch service – which was strange – I had had lunch at the Palm Garden late in the afternoon in summer. So I had to make do with a tea service instead. Coffee, scones, petit-fours…had to suffice until I could get something more substantial into me. When they came in, they were frozen! It had been brutally cold outside and cycling had to have been tough in that weather – sunny though it was.

Eric and Kevin are the ones I interact with the most, they are my Beijing family, and I guess that’s why I'd been feeling so hurt and so left out. But I realized that it was really not fair of me to expect them to curtail their excursions simply because I couldn't join in. And something so trivial and silly was really not worth losing their friendship over. I swallowed my pride and decided to apologize. That evening as we walked to the massage parlor, I walked with Kevin and we talked about it. I apologized to him. I also caught up with Eric and apologized to him. I was glad I did it!

The next day, we decided to go to the Silk Market. I decided to be brave about it, and do it. Kiran – our new found friend joined us. Two of our clients were also in town, KevinA and Mike. Eric was going to show Matt the Forbidden City and then they would be headed to the Silk Market. Somehow – other than Charlie, we all ended up at the Silk Market. I had no plans to buy anything, but watching Kevin buy “Ugg” boots, I decided I wanted a pair too. I also needed a new case as my duffel bag was already filled to the brim. Silk Market was just the same – confusing, crowded, chaotic. I also wanted some pictures of the inside. Kevin wanted a particular trinket and I did want some silly artifacts as well. We wandered up to the floor where these could be found. As we walked through different stores, I was looking for some kind of organizer for my desk. I found some lacquered boxes that looked like I could use them as something-or-the-other holders. I picked one up. It was beautifully painted. I opened it, gasped in shock and slammed it shut. On the bottom was an exquisitely detailed illustration of a man and woman in Kama sutra poses, as was the inside of the lid. Giggling hysterically, I called Kevin over and showed him. We quickly snapped pics of the box and put it down before the store owner walked in.

We finished up at the 7th floor, where we decided to have lunch. It was an enormous buffet and for a market restaurant quite okay.

At this point, I have to interject with the story of the goatees. Matt and Yaw had goatees. Eric and Kevin decided to grow a goatee as well. Although Kevin was quite certain that he wouldn’t be able to grow a decent one, since his facial hair takes time to grow, plus its light colored. Eric was happy with his growth – it was working. However, it wasn’t until the second week that Kevin’s beard really start showing. And suddenly Kevin the perfect gentleman was less visible, and Kevin the (slightly) bad boy started coming out. Personality wise too, it started to show! But it was fun to see him drop a few of those inhibitions and being more free.

The week flew by – mostly with work and Club Lounge and Palm Garden and massages. On our last Friday, Eric wanted us to go have a meal at this hutong restaurant that he had been to with Allen. Of course, he did not remember which restaurant it was, so he had to make a guess, and guess he did.

On Thursday, we had been invited to dinner by the hotel’s Customer Service Manager at the hotel’s Chinese restaurant. It was a sumptuous meal – but there was a shrimp dish cooked with what Yaw called numb. These peppercorns literally numbed your taste buds – they were so hot.

That night I figured I was allergic to them. This was the second night in a row I had had this reaction and this was the only common factor in the two meals. My skin was flushed and dry and hot – almost feverish. I could walk out into the bitter cold and not feel a thing. I opened out the windows to my room as far as I could, turned the heat off and eventually fell asleep.
Friday afternoon, we left work early. Kevin and Yaw headed back to the hotel. They would be going to Tea City – an underground tea market, so that Kevin could pick up tea for friends and family back home. Eric and I headed to Silk Market directly. The Silk Market was not that far – at least not where we come from. We were tired and fell asleep in the cab. An hour later I woke up – we had still not reached the market! This was ridiculous! But it was traffic all the way. Ugly, congested, stalled. Beijing in the rush hour. I realized that a couple of places I’d been to earlier were actually within walking distance of Silk market – including that one structure that Eric so loves. It was an hour and a half before we finally got there.
Our chores at Silk Market completed – we headed back to the hotel. Eric had to give Yaw the restaurant information. They didn't speak English, and Yaw would have to be the translator. We were told that we would have to reach there before 8pm – the kitchen closed then. Wow!

We hurried out and got a cab, with Yaw providing directions. The cab driver was not sure which hutong we were going to. We drove down this main road which we’d been down many times before. Hutongs took off every so often from this road that was lined with small shops. We missed the hutong we were going to and take a u-turn to drive back up the road. The entrance was across the street. We crossed the street and entered the hutong.
For anyone wondering what a hutong is – in India, it would be called a gulli. In America – you would call it an alley. But I think gulli is more appropriate. The same unevenly paved narrow roads; scooters, cars, parked in front of tiny dimly lit shops; wires dangling from dim lamp posts; pot holes. Oh yes, this feels totally familiar to me. I could have been in Parsudih, Jamshedpur for all I knew! Only difference? no stray cows or dogs around.

We walked for about a 100 yards and there in front of us was the restaurant. It was built typically in that “palace” style only scaled down. The door to the “Princess” restaurant was flanked by two men in traditional Chinese costumes. Of course, right about this time, Eric also realized that this wasn’t the restaurant he had wanted to take us to. But we were already there, and we decided to try it. It might just be a happy accident. And it was.
The place was old – a few centuries old. We entered the main foyer – if you could call it that. Yaw talked to the people at the desk while we looked around us. A group of girls dressed in long red cheongsams, suddenly stepped out from a room to our left and ran across the inner courtyard to the next building. We followed them but through a different set of big doors. The room beyond was set in below the level of the steps. To our right were tables full of diners. To our left, a large cleared area strung with red lanterns. At the far end sat a woman dressed in traditional Chinese robes and head dress with two “attendants” behind her. A young man with a pig tail stepped onto the stage, and announced something. Yaw wasn’t around to translate. Kevin had his DVR out and recording and so did Eric – like an idiot, I had forgotten to bring my camera. The girls who we’d seen earlier stepped out onto the large area – I guess you could call it a stage. They started dancing, small delicate steps, flowing, weaving, undulating. Pretty girls with smooth faces. I looked closely. The last one in the line was definitely well into her late twenties – if not older. But they didn’t look it! They moved in time to the music, evidently dancing in the Princess’ court. Formations came and went. It was all very pretty. And very surreal because it was so similar in style to Manipuri style of dancing. I noticed that they didn’t have much of the finger movements that are so intrinsic to Indian styles of dancing. Once that was over, we were led to a large round table in the back room. All the furniture was heavy, wooden and intricate. The menu was a set menu. We let Yaw do the ordering. The table was set quickly. Tea was brought out. One of the girls came over and asked if we wanted to look around the rest of the place. We jumped at the chance – well the guys did, I kind of pushed myself off my chair – as I still favored my leg. The next courtyard was also surrounded by rooms. They took us to the first one and asked us if we wanted to try on the dresses. Of course, we did! Yaw and Eric went first. Yaw being Chinese totally looked the part. He looked like he’d just come off the battleground – especially with the goatee. Eric strangely, also looked the part – perhaps because of his coloring. Unfortunately for Kevin – they didn’t have any robes in his size, so he had to make do with a hat and pigtail instead. I stood still as two women worked me into a robe, with an intricate collar. I could hear Kevin saying behind me that I was playing the part to the hilt, being waited upon. Thing is, all that acting I did back in the day, was coming back to me. Especially the getting dressed part where you stood still while the costume designer dressed you up and handed you over to make up. They tied a “hat” on my head and gave me a silk kerchief for my hand. I was ready. Princess Gim Pi! Okay – I came up with that one right now. We went from room to room. I saw wedding robes – gorgeous, vibrant colors with intricate gold and silk thread embroidery of dragons on them. I really wanted to try one on. The furniture was also intricately carved. We took pictures, with me doing my best ‘off with his head’ impression.

I was so glad we’d come here. This was a totally novel experience for us, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Hopefully, the food would be as good. We changed and got back to our table. Another routine was starting up. This time the girls were all dressed in green, and their skirts had jagged edges like the leaves of a tree. They signified the coming of spring, I think. Their dance was joyous, and bubbly, faster with more spins and twirls, and criss-cross configurations as they danced for their queen.

Our dinner arrived. In the center was a big pot of duck soup. On the lazy Susan were small plates of food. Some we recognized some we didn’t. There were fish fry-ums, and chicken, prawns, tiny eggs colored green, bok choy, raisins, pistachios, and oh! A ton of things. The tea was served with palm-sugar – another familiar food for me. Our attendant ladled the soup out for us – evidently that was the etiquette of the house. You don’t serve the soup to yourself, the rest of the dishes you pick up with the chopsticks. She added shrimp balls to the soup and then finally vegetarian dumplings. It was a satisfying comforting meal on a cold winter’s day. Perfect! We were the last ones left in the restaurant. We realized why we’d been told 8 pm. We walked back to the main street and then it was a quest for cabs.
I walked back with Kevin to his room to pick up my laptop bag. This was the last time I’d hang out with him on this project, and that last hug felt kind of sad. But we did have our video cams – so we’d see each other soon. Besides, we still had our daily calls. We were all flying back the next day, but he was out first, Eric and Yaw were next and I was last.

The next day, Eric and Yaw and I met for one last breakfast at the restaurant. They were going to Tea City. I still had around 150RMB in the massage parlor kitty – I asked them to pick me up some Oolong cha for my friends back home. I still had to finish packing. I packed, slept and waited for them to get back. Eric came back around 1 – we met in the Lounge for one last cup of coffee. He’d brought my tea for me. Our conversation centered around this whole experience and became vaguely nostalgic – and yet forward looking, too.

I can’t finish this tale without speaking of the kindness of strangers. These people in my blogs are my friends. This time, with a broken foot, I had to depend on them sometimes. Kevin got me lunch – almost every day – he went out for food in the cold, so I would not have to walk on the icy pavements. Every time, I put out a hand for help to get over stairs or uneven pavement or something – I felt another hand come into mine for support. Mostly it was Kevin or Eric or Matt or Yaw but sometimes it was total strangers. Anyone from the wait staff at the Crowne would rush to grab my laptop bag as I came in for breakfast and help me up or down the slope – especially Rosie. Taxi drivers would open my doors for me and even agree to go in the wrong direction, simply so I would not have to cross the street to get a cab going in the right direction. Everywhere I went, I met kindness. The flight attendants on my flight back were especially good to me – it’s their job – but they went beyond it. All these strangers helping a person – its hope for this world – surely.

I don’t think any of us will ever experience anything like this ever again. Would I have done some things differently? Absolutely. But some things – I would not change, not for the world!

Beijing - One Last Time - Part One

November 19^th, 2009

Massage Whore : A person who is obsessed with having massages daily, obsesses about the next massage, and obsesses about the (preferably female) masseuse who gives them the massage! (Courtesy: Kevin T)

 One last time in Beijing.

We – Kevin, Matt, Eric, Yaw and I - arrived in Beijing the week of November 9^th, 2009. This would be our last time in Beijing. It was cold – colder than Toronto, well into the negatives (Celsius – that is). It snowed twice that first week. I was glad of the thick winter coat and cashmere sweaters I had packed along with a beanie, leather gloves and a long scarf! I was going to need all that protection. I was a bit worried about my right foot. I’d broken it a few weeks ago, and it was still in an air-plaster “boot”. I couldn’t wear shoes yet, and only socks protected me from the cold weather outside. But I soon realized the boot had very good insulation against the weather, thank God!

The bad weather stayed with us all of the first week. Two snowfalls severely curtailed the traffic and our ability to go out. Most dinners were at the Club Lounge, with room service thrown in. So, in the meantime, what do you do when you’ve done all the sights, don’t have anything to do in the evening except hang out at the Club Lounge, and outside its freezing the b***s off a bronze dragon? Why, you have massages of course!

Eric and Yaw were already into the whole massage thing – they’d been exploring on their previous trips. So one evening, Kevin, Matt, Eric, Yaw and I headed to the massage parlor. There is no dearth of massage parlors in the area where we lived. We’d been to one ‘Family’ massage parlor – but now we decided to try the one across the street. This one was a little run down, the girls didn’t wear the sexy summer clothes, but what the hell – it was cheaper! We decided to do body massages. My foot had been encased in an air-plaster and walking for too long was painful, not to mention climbing stairs was not easy, hopping in and out of showers was really hard, getting into the back of vehicles was a no-no and slopes were scary for me.

The boys got double rooms each, while I was led into a cluttered room with a massage table in the center. They indicated that I get into the flannel pajamas on the bed. I did that and sat on the sofa unsure of what to do next. (Eric’s tales of “shrubbery” were wafting through my head at this point). My boot was off, but I kept the sock on the foot. A wizened, smiling old-ish man came into the room. He indicate I should lie face down on the table. He saw my boot and kind of signed to me what it was about? I told him ‘tong’ (Mandarin for pain/hurts) pointing to my right foot, and then making a breaking motion with my hands. He got it. I lay back down and the massage began. It was not quite what I was expecting. He was using his hands to rub me down. Quick, deliberate strokes. He gently pulled my sock off, examined my foot and rubbed some kind of lotion on it. Then he turned on an infra-red lamp on it. The heat was burning into my skin, but after a while, I could feel it glow warmly. Working my back he stopped at the bottom of my spine. Gently he parted the top and bottom of the pajamas and rubbed my spine along the exact spot where I have insistent pain. He grunted. I must mention that at this point, we conversed through grunts primarily. Then he sprayed some more of the lotion on my back and turned the lamp on that part. My stomach got the same treatment. With the rest of my body massaged (including my butt, but not my chest, I must add), he kept the base of my neck under the lamp for a while. Then it was time to get dressed, pay up and head out. I felt good. This was a good thing! I definitely wanted to do this again. I felt comfortable with “my” old man, with no sense of any impropriety whatsoever.

However, and this is where the massage whores come in, I had to hear the telling and retelling of every aspect of the guys’ massages and/or masseuses qualities ad infinitum, ad nauseum! How strong their hands were, how tiny they were, how they balanced on their backs without holding onto anything, how sexy they were, what their different techniques were, … ** yawn **! I only had an old man – how the heck were my stories supposed to compete? But get this, almost immediately we made plans for when we would do it next.

That Saturday afternoon, I was standing by the concierge’s desk, looking through some rickshaw tours. I really wanted to go to the hutongs. But I was wondering how I  would do on the cobbled streets by myself, or get up and into the rickshaws on my own, when someone spoke to me. Indian, very Indian. I turned around. An Indian lady stood before me. Turns out she recognized me from our client site. Her name was Kiran, and I gladly asked her to join me, as I was waiting for the boys to get back from their hutong tour.

That evening we planned to do another massage session. Same place, but this time Kiran joined us. Which I felt was really good, as I had another woman to talk to while getting a massage. Once again, we landed at the same massage parlor. This time Kiran and I shared a room, while Eric, Matt and Kevin had one. I could hear the rumbling of their voices through the walls. The same old man walked in, and another girl. Kiran and I lay back, eyes closed as they went through their routine. I noticed that I was getting the “rub-down” treatment while Kiran got the more deep kneading massage. I wondered why that was. Never figured that one out. But my old man was really gentle with me. And gave me the same medicine as before, though without the infrared lamp. We also got foot massages. The soak in the warm water was really soothing to my foot.

Kiran soon became a part of our group. The next time we decided to go for a massage it was back to our old parlor. This was a parlor we’d been to in summer. The girls were now dressed in long harem pants with wicked high heels and low-necked blouses – much to the disappointment of the guys. This was their winter uniform – the short catholic school skirts were strictly summer time. This time it was Kevin, Yaw, Kiran and myself. We decided to do foot massages. Once again, we were in a room with four loungers and I got the only male masseuse. I do not know what his name is, but he has a sweet face and very soft fingers. Yaw’s girl was one that had massaged Eric the first time I had been there.

Once again, I went through the motion of indicating to my “guy” about how my foot was broken. Of course, having Yaw there, I should just have asked him to explain in Mandarin instead, d-oh!  Kiran and Yaw sat in the outer chairs, while Kevin and I were in the inner ones. Eyes closed, I could hear his girl slapping his feet and legs – a lot. She got dubbed ‘Slappy’. Evidently it was also very good for Kevin.. Didn’t know he had those kinds of ummm…. Inclinations. My guy worked on my right leg a lot. I had to show him which portion of my foot to avoid. Relaxed and rejuvenated – we headed back to the hotel.

But not before Yaw had a brain fart. Why not get a package deal? We could say which massages we’d be most likely to be having – i.e. foot, body and oil massages – and they give us a discount? The massage parlor agreed to it. 20% off all massages for any of us. They would also come to the hotel to give us the in-room treatment. This was good! We even got a card – a VIP card! We pooled our money in to pay upfront for a set number of massages.

We were all now officially massage whores.

By this time, the guys had figured out that each of the girls had a number. They also each had favorites. Luckily for them they all had different favorites, though it took them a while to figure that one out. It was funny to watch them quibbling over who would get number “x” on a certain day. It was not luck of the draw, mind you.. it was very much – I want so-and-so! Never mind the insistent lingering discussions on which masseuse gave what kind of massage! ** sigh** Their inner high school boy was coming out in droves! Sad!

I was the first to try the in-room. I wanted a body-massage. That Monday evening, Yaw set it up. “My” guy arrived at the hotel at 8 pm. We went up to my room. I had changed into jeans and a t-shirt. There was no massage table, so it had to be the bed. I lay on my stomach, and sighed in pleasure as his fingers dug into my head. This was contentment. One man taking care of my needs – oh! Not THOSE needs! – while I just lay back and let him do all the work! I had thought that the full body massage was always over the clothes. I was a bit alarmed when he gently unhooked my bra and then proceeded to knead my back. All the way down along my spine, his knuckles digging in and finding all the rough spots. Oh yeah. Then came the inevitable butt massage. (Okay – the guys were confused cause they never got the butt massage).  He found these two spots inside my butt and pressed down hard on them. For a second the pain was intense, and then my body just melted. Another pressure point – between my torso and my legs. He applies the same technique. At first my body resists and then it relaxes. Aaahhh!!!  I was flipped over it began all over again. One thing I realized, they massage you down a “meridian”. From the tip of the head to the base of the spine – back and front. From the base of the legs along the back to the heel. The pressure is applied evenly and firmly and released as soon you relax, leaving you wanting more.

Ninety minutes later – he was done. I felt delicious. He let himself out and I went straight to bed!

The next day, Eric, Yaw, Kevin and I headed back to the parlor. I wanted an oil massage. Kevin had been shy about having this massage for a while, and I’d been trying to convince him that he should try it. That day he finally broke down and agreed. Two oil massages for the both of us, two Thai massages for Yaw and Eric. We threw in head massages for Kevin and I as the oil massage was only 45 minutes, while the Thai massage was for 90 minutes. We were led down a corridor. Kevin was shown into the first room, me in the second, Eric in the third and Yaw in the room across from us. I was a bit comforted knowing that should anything untoward happen, I could scream and the guys would hear me. My guy showed up with a pair of translucent “shorts” that he indicated I should put on, and left. I stripped, put on the shorts and lay face down on the massage table. These rooms, I have to mention, have red decorated wall paper, incense burners, candles and shower stalls. He came back to the room, and the first thing he did was turn out the overhead light, and leave a dim little table lamp on. Thank god! I’d left my panties on under those shorts. Hell no, I don’t care if I got oil on them – I could always wash ‘em! He started with my head. That has got to be the best head massage of all. Did I mention that I fall asleep when anyone touches my hair? And 45 minutes of someone working every inch of your scalp. I did fall asleep I think. Then came the oil massage. Strangely, the smell of the oil reminded me of the hair oils you get in India – like Keo Karpin or Jabakussum! Floral, but not as strong.  The oil massage was everything I had hoped it would be and more. It’s a lot less kneading and a lot more stroking – long, deep strokes. Forty-five minutes later, I was done. He indicated I should take a shower. I did – got dressed and ready to go.  Of course, the ubiquitous notes were exchanged. How could we not? Evidently, Eric got twisted, curled, kneaded, flopped and all kinds of acrobatic things. Yaw did not get a Thai massage as his “girl” didn’t do it. He ended up with a body massage. Kevin got ‘Slappy’ and evidently she does not slap during an oil massage – which is good. Ever been slapped on oily skin? IT HURTS!!!

Our trip was coming to an end. We all had money in the kitty. But, so far, none of the guys had availed themselves of the option of an in-room massage. That last evening, Yaw decided he wanted to have an in-room massage, while Kevin and I decided we would go over for the foot massages. Yaw’s girl was the same one that Kevin wanted, and we were waiting for her to finish with Yaw, before we went over. We would be walking back to the parlor with her. As we waited in the hotel lobby, we saw Kiran and asked her if she would like to join us. She agreed. We saw the masseuse coming and we were ready to step out the door.  At which point, Kiran decided that if she could get an in-room massage from the same girl, she would prefer that. Poor Kevin! He was chagrined! But he’s also a gentleman. He let Kiran have his girl. I consoled him all the way to the parlor… no – just kidding!

Kevin wanted the ‘paradise’ foot massage. Two masseuses simultaneously working on both feet, with aroma therapy and cupping thrown in. I pointed to the menu and made the arrangements. We were led to the room where we had our first massage (at least, I think it was the same room). We took the two end seats and the same routine began. Two girls who looked like twins for him, and my guy. Soak. Back rub. The two girls were tiny. I could hear them giggling incessantly. Turns out, Kevin’s toes were longer than their pinkies, their hands barely covered his palms and his shoes were as long as their forearms! Big American! Tee-hee-hee!! For a while I watched him getting worked over by the two girls. Then I closed my eyes and focused on my own relaxation. Soon I could hear deep breathing from the other side of the room, followed by a soft snore! Kevin was asleep! Oh my god. We all cracked up and he woke up. Guess what? He did it again. But it was worth it – I hope – for him.

I believe they – Yaw, Eric and Kevin went for one last massage. I didn’t join in. I had been feeling weirdly unwell for the last couple of days and decided to forgo the massages. I’d started having allergic reactions to something – I don’t quite know what, but I was pretty sure it was the Szechuan peppercorns that are ridiculously hot to taste and numb your taste buds.

In any case, I’d had two weeks of Beijing and I was ready to go home. For good, this time.

Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa and 1000-islands

So last weekend Rupali and I did a bus tour of Montreal, Quebec City, and Ottawa/Gatineau - with a 1-hr side trip into the 1000-islands area (called Gananoque). Haven't really seen much of Canada outside of the Toronot area - Guelph and Niagara included. I did however, do a trip to Ottawa one time, and a very adventurous business trip to Florenceville in New Brunswick. But these are the three other major cities outside of Toronto on the Eastern side of Canada. So when Rupali decided on the trip, I basically gave her no option into letting me come along! And am I glad I went!

So off we went - 6:30 am to the pick-up point where the bus would pick us up. From there, it was up Highway 401 to Wilson and Scarborough to pick up the last few passengers and we were off to Montreal. The stretch of the highway between Trenton and Toronto is called the highway of heroes. Trenton is the airfield where bodies of Canadian soldiers slain in the line of duty arrive. They go along the highway of heroes to Toronoto to the Coroner's office, where the final autopsy is done. People stand along the highway and bridges saluting the soldiers who gave their lives for our country.

The bus stops every couple of hours to let us stretch our legs. Our first stop - a place called the Big Apple 

http://picasaweb.google.com/madhumita.routh/MontrealQuebecCityOttawa1000Islands/

This is in the middle of nowhere - a BIG APPLE marks the spot. A pie factory, some breakfast, and we were off to Montreal.  


I didn't know that Montreal was an island on the St Lawrence river! And in French it sounds like Mon-ree-all. A small hill (NEVER call it a hill, - its a mountain - really ...**yuk,yuk**!!) call Mount Royal (or Mont Royale) looks out over the city. We were staying on the crossing of Rue Guy and Rue Rene Levesque (yep - the pronunciation is just as convoluted as the spelling). Montreal is a hustling bustling city with its cathedrals and basilicas and Latin area and English area and markets and people and sidewalk cafes and art everywhere and piers and harborfront! WOW!! We drove up Mont Royale for a spectacular view of the city. And then headed back. Rupali and I decided to go eat at the English quarter - which was about 4 blocks away. A street side restaurant with the panes removed to allow full access to the street, a tune/salmon burger served on a butchers block with handcut fries and condiments in soup spoons - ah! I liked it.. There is something arty, something very alive about Montreal. Did I mention that Rupali was ultra-excited to spot the CGI buildings in Montreal?! I have no clue why. I must mention, there were flowers everywhere. And people flipped between French and English and the houses - oh my god! the houses!! A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!! The Catholic bent of the city is easily visible in the two huge Cathedrals, Notre-dame and Marie-Queen of the world. Brother Andre's Sanctuary - up on hill, is another beautiful European inspired cathedral. However it has no parish and is only used for special purposes. They say, if you climb the steps on your knees - your wishes will be fulfilled and yes! it did get featured in the Amazing Race. We also spotted the Olympic Stadium - which is built like a regular stadium - except it has this leaning tower at 45 degrees, with "string" attached to the roof of the stadium. The design was to allow the strings to pull up the roof like a handkerchief. Unfortunately, the Montreal winters put paid to that idea, and now the strings are design only. To be honest - the Bird's Nest is a much more impressive stadium.

The next morning, we headed out to Quebec City. This is a city that a lot of our friends said is a must-see and totally hyped. Well - its not ... over-hyped I mean. This is totally worth a visit and another. I have to do it again once more. Quebec city stands on the river St Lawrence. The city is a walled city, and there is a garrison there. It's perched on a cliff, over looking the south. We disembarked at the Chateau Frontenac Hotel. A huge castle like building overlooking the river. From there the bus took us up the cliff to the plains of Abraham where a 20-minute battle decided the fate of Quebec. The story goes that the British were on the south of the river, and the French were on the north. The British general noticed how the french women would clamber up and down the cliff to do their laundry. He figured if the women could do it with loaded laundry baskets - his men could do it too. So at high tide the British crossed over and made their way up the cliff. The French emperor in the mean time (I am talking 18th Century here), decided that he didnt really want to defend Canada. So he let 2000 men - all farmers face the British army - with their canons and rifles. It was a massacre - and over in 20 minutes with over 1200 wounded!  

The plains of Abraham today are a green parkland, and as the bus wound around the park, we saw an 'English' park - strangely with a statue of Jean d'Arc on her horse. Remnants of the battle ground are visible in the four turrets that are visible lookout points - built by the British. They were constantly in fear of Americans attacking Canada! It is a beautiful park today and extremely serene, but most of the native people of Quebec feel like they were conquered by the British.  

The streets of Quebec city are narrow and winding and uphill and downdale; lined with houses that look like they are straight out of another century and country - which they probably are! There are statues and street-performers everywhere. And there's the imposing Cathedral of Notre-dame. Just up the hill from it, is the Protestant church. Plain and simple - its meant to emphasize the difference between the two faiths. The Archbishop's house, behind it is an imposing structure. The thing about that Protestant chursch - its reportedly haunted by a man who paces on the upper floor and a woman who pushes women that walk alone out of the side door to the sanctuary. Unfortunately, I didn't get to explore it, but I will - someday. For sure.  

We were given a choice of either going to the Sanctuary of St Anne de Beaupre or staying to check out the city. We elected to go. The bus ride took us past the Montmercy Falls - unfortunately, we couldn't stop. But the Basilica was barely a half hour away. We reached the Basilica and it is was HUGE!! We walked into the main sanctuary and there is a peace and calm inside. In typical Catholic fashion its also very ornate. The naves lead off to the sides elaborate statues of Mother Mary and the Saints look down on you. Intricate stained glass windows and subdued lighting emphasize the hushed ambiance of the interior. We found a stairway leading to a lower level. In the basement is a smaller sanctuary - that took my breath away. Parqueed arches pull your eyes to the altar in a flowing pattern. The walls are low and murals are everywhere. But the pattern of the arches change as you walk from one side of the room to the other. I took as many pictures as I could. I also said a little prayer.  

We left there and headed back to Quebec again, picking up the others and then back to Montreal.  

The next day we had to leave bright and early. Ottawa was the plan. Labor day in Ottawa is pretty empty. However, the By Ward Market was hustling and bustling. The bus stopped at Parliament hill to pick up the our guide. We would not be going into Parliament hill. And I had to pick up a grande mocha at Starbucks to get my coffee fix. I've been to Ottawa before, so I was more excited to be crossing the river into Quebec again, to reach Gatineau. The Canadian War Museum is in Gatineau as is the Museum of Civilization. I'd seen the museum across the river on my last trip - but did not explore it. However this time I was seeing it up close and personal. The theme of the building depicts a canoe overturned in a river. The canoe is visible on the roof. The rest of the building - inside and out depicts the flow of the water around the canoe. Its incredibly beautiful.  

From there we headed back to Ottawa and to the main area where all the ambassadors had their houses. The house of the US ambassador was in the best area - better than the Prime Minister's! It overlooked the Rideau River and was set back in a huge parkland. We returned to the By ward marketplace for some quick lunch and then it was Back to the Bus.  

Next stop - a boat ride in Gananoque at the 1000 islands.  

It was a gorgeous day.. hot, blue skies, white clouds, a perfect day for a ride on the water. We headed out to the boat in at Smuggler's Inn. The boat took off along the river, under a bridge, houses standing on the water, sighing with envy at the folks lucky enough to live so close to such a beautiful place. Looking at islands come and go. Some large, some tiny enough for just one tree. Show-offs on jet skis buzzed us. Motorboats waved by us. We stood there in the breeze just drinking it all in. What seems weird though is the US side is so - industrial; and the Canadian side all beautiful houses, wooded and almost fairy tale like. We came to a trio of islands with an enormous castle on it. The Boldt castle. For two days we'd been seeing the authentic stuff. This one..well... to put it kindly..doesnt hold a candle to the real thing! Who did it belong to? A search on Google reveals that it was built as a monument of love of George C Boldt for his wife Louise. I have no idea who they are! It's been donated to the authorities and is open for public viewing.  

Then it was back to good ole Toronto again.. Sigh! What a wonderful weekend. By the way - the Cathedral was so beautiful - I had to take a video - which is also available on my picasaweb page.

Beijing - A new Day in a New Country: Pt Un

April 26th, 2009

So I am back from Beijing.. News flash for those of you who did not know exactly how excited I was to be visiting a country I never even dreamed of going to. And for those of you not following my status on facebook. Many of you have asked me about my trip and how I liked it.

So let's start at the beginning. My adventures began on the way to Beijing itself.

I was meeting up with Kevin, my colleague and friend at Newark airport where we would do the hop to Beijing in a Continental flight. My flight from Toronto came in ahead of his, and we met up at the gate to the Beijing flight. We spent a few hours in the Continental club lounge before heading back for boarding. The flight was not quite full, and Kevin the lucky so-and-so got to board before I did – being the elite flier that he is. I was quite glad that he was on the same flight as I. It’s unnerving to land in a new country and not speak the language, never mind the fact that the 13 hour flight would not be quite so boring with someone to share it with. We’d planned to get some work done on the flight. So a couple of hours after the plane takes off, I decide to walk around and find him. The flight wasn’t quite full, and most of the rows were mostly occupied  in the aisle and window seats with empty center seats. We could easily swap seats and find ones next to each other! Well, my walk around was futile. I didn’t find him. Must be in the bathroom – I thought, and headed back to my seat. A few hours later, same walk around, same result. Where was the man? I was starting to feel like I was in the twilight zone. A kindly flight attendant offered to help me look him up in the manifest. A few minutes later she came back with a puzzled look. There was no Kevin on board. Now I was DEFINITELY in the Twilight zone.. how could it be? Kevin is hard to miss (see pic) and he HAD boarded before I did. Where could he be? And besides, how come he didn’t come by to my seat – I had told him I was in 34A. This was getting weird.

The flight goes straight North – up over Canada for about five hours,  past Greenland, and then curves over the North Pole and drops South into Siberia, Mongolia and China. The ride over the North Pole is a sight to behold. Vast tracts of white – ice as far as the eye can see. I saw a crevasse that looked bigger than the Grand Canyon – you could see the layers of ice in the buildup. I don’t know quite how deep it was. It’s scary and awe-inspiring, all at the same time. Somewhere, we crossed the 0 deg/180 deg longitude and it was the next day – just like that. The landscape changes slowly, oh so slowly. The ground as I see it is dry, jagged. Peaks of green pierce up through the light brown loamy soil, and I couldn’t make out if there were trees or not. Far to my right, I saw jagged, glistening white peaks. As we’re coming into Beijing airspace, the signs of humanity increase. Fields of paddy? Soy? Cut into little squares. In the center of these squares are blue-painted metal building roof-tops. Communes? I don’t know.

The airport in Beijing is to the North-East of the city. As I come out of the plane, I see Kevin at the top of the escalators. You cannot imagine the relief I felt! We walked through an impressive airport, and like most international airports there are a series of duty free shops. We walk out into the sunlight, grab a cab. All around us were little flaky things that look like snow flying around. Poplar tree flowers, Kevin informed me. The Guangdong highway leads into Beijing city and is very like any other international highway – except the signs are in Chinese and English. Green poplars line the highway. But very soon I realized, driving here is like driving in India. It’s a free for all. You got space? My car will nose in. Wow!!

The hotel was about ½ hour away – the Crowne Plaza Wuzhou Park View… overlooking the Bird’s nest stadium. Yes, it’s that close – literally across the street. It’s a great hotel; the staff all seemed to know Kevin – which was a relief. At the desk, while checking in, I heard a name – Eric. I turned to see another American checking in. It was Eric, our new Project manager whom neither Kevin nor I had met before. Kevin introduced us and we made plans to meet up after we’d all freshened up.

The room is like any other room in a five-star hotel. With one exception – there are no religious artifacts in the room. There was one more difference - which Kevin later pointed out. There are condoms in the bedside drawer – courtesy the hotel mini-bar!! Yes, you have to pay to use them. LMAO.

That first day, we went for a walk. Eric needed a cell phone, and I needed a new SIM card. The phone I’d purchased in India was going to come in handy. It was quite the experience. Kevin took us to the cell phone store, and we made our purchases. Then it was on for the walk. The streets are very clean. But quickly you spot the gobs of spit on the sidewalks. There are no beggars; in all my time there, I only spotted one couple busking – not a single other pan-handler. There aren’t that many bicycles either – something I’d come to believe was endemic to China. A lot of cars on the streets, but not many motorbikes. The cars are mostly either newer makes or really old ones. The ones I spotted most were Citroen, Buick, Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, BMW, Acura and surprisingly the Mazda6. Crossing the street is desi-style – just run across. Having just come back from Pune, I was totally not surprised.

Single men – especially foreigners – will often get accosted by really pretty Chinese girls on the streets, who get really friendly and are willing to do anything – for money. Yes, you guessed it.. Professionals.

Next to our hotel was a karaoke bar – which was also a place to get special massages…...THAT kind of special massage.

Dinner was a revelation. Kevin took us to this small eatery, which was quite good. The food was good, too. But ordering from the menu was quite strenuous. We learnt that the easiest way to order was to point to menu – written in Chinese and English, and the waiter would write it down. You had to trust that they understood what you wanted. Do not order ice. And always order drinks out of a can or a bottle. Pointing is considered rude, so gesture in the general direction. Speaking loudly and slowly is completely pointless – its just hilarious watching someone try it. I know, one of our team – a big African-American man tried doing it with Diet Coke. Turns out its called Light Coke in China! And hand gestures are considered rude too. So sign language is kind of limited. But I digress.

The next day I got one more lesson in communication. Kevin carries around this card in his wallet and made me and Eric get one each. On the one side is the address of the hotel – written in English and Mandarin. As we hailed a cab to get to work,  he  flipped the card to the side where he’d got one of our Chinese colleagues to write out directions to our work site in Chinese. ‘Shey-shey’ I found out was Thank you in Chinese. And we repeated that – A LOT!! The ride to the client site was interesting. In the distance were the mountains – I still haven’t figured out what that range is called. I must check it out on Google earth. The atmosphere was a little hazy, but not as smoggy as I had feared. And so began my first day in a Chinese workplace.

Beijing - Day One

Things to do tomorrow

April 14th, 2009

After traveling through a 12-hr time difference, 48 hours of waking up on 2 hours of sleep, a glass of wine, and a glass of caipirinha - Here's what I end up doing - writing poetry at 12:30 in the morning....Granted some of the references are rather specific and/or oblique... but hey!! It's my first night in China!

As I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
I pray I wake up fresh and nice
Have a glass of juice with no ice
There's things to do, and places to go
There's so much more that I don’t know
History loads must take place somehow
I have to write the code, just not now
Sequencers to build, and then to test
Field questions from the client, developers and the rest
Think on my feet, just pray I dont fall
And if I do, get up and stand tall
Kedar needs help on his Delivery job
And Jay needs to finish, and dont forget the OHUB
Extractors are now crashing
My hopes are now dashing
Make the date, or just push on.....
Did I miss something,
Or did I add some on
Two drinks and two hours of sleep
You think I'm thinking straight?
Heck, no - I'm done!