This weekend we made the almost obligatory escape to Pondicherry (abbreviated by everyone to ‘Pondy’), a former French enclave roughly 3 hours south of Madras, though about all that remains of its former colonial masters are the street signs reading ‘Rue Whatever’, some hotels with French-sounding names (ours was Le Dupleix) and menus offering what are probably Pondicised versions of French fare. Having never been to France, I can’t vouch for the authenticity, but it was still a nice change of pace from what you find in Chennai. And as a Union Territory, Pondy doesn’t tax imported alcohol to the skies like Tamil Nadu. We actually found some imported French wine, which we promptly purchased. It’s bottled in Pondy, though, which gave me some pause, because I seriously doubt they store the stuff in temperature controlled underground vaults. Still, I’m drinking one of the whites we bought even as I type this, and it’s not half bad. Here’s a few shots of our hotel and grounds, which is the former home of the Pondicherry mayor: Our room: we loved the shutters Courtyard with Outdoor Restaurant Spicygirl on Corridor Swing Really Cool Hanging Gas Lamp A Breakfast Fit for a PrinceI know, I should’ve taken a picture of the meal as served, but as Homer Simpson would say: “Can’t blog, eating”. What you see there are the remnants of a ‘marsala omelet’ and idlis. The croissants were to die for, as were the locally-made organic butter and fresh-squeezed orange juice. The only flaw: they did not have red Tabasco sauce, only the milder green kind. That red sauce you see there is not Tabasco, for which there is simply no substitute. Some more exterior shots: What to do in Pondy? Most people go there for two things: food and shopping. Pondy has made a name for itself as a furniture destination. One of our missions this trip was to scout around for a bar. We went to 3-4 shops, and all of them carried the exact same piece for pretty much the same price. But I’m not particularly enamored of the furniture in Pondy, truth be told. It’s a bit too ornate and busy for my tastes. Plus, I’ve heard the wood doesn’t hold up well in colder climates, because they don’t cure it properly. Still, many foreigners in Chennai come here and buy it by the truckloads. My own tastes run towards a blend of Japanese/Scandinavian. We've actually found one guy right outside of Chennai whose aesthete is more in line with my own, and we may end up getting a couple of his pieces. We went to Pondy with another couple, who are good friends of ours. I understand his parents, who hail from Oklahoma (I was stationed in Lawton, OK’s Ft. Sill for almost four years), are regular visitors to my site! Our friends were kind enough to do the driving, which is no mean feat as you can see what kind of company we shared the ‘highway’ with: This road, the East Coast Road (ECR) is extremely dangerous, given the driving habits of many locals here (especially trucks and buses), and the cows, goats, dogs, cyclists, villagers, etc who pretty much treat it as a wider, improved footpath. That’s why a drive which should require less than 2 hours takes more like 3. No one would argue the drive is the most scenic in the world, but you do get a glimpse of rural Tamil Nadu, passing through countless villages and the occasional thatched roof slum: Finally we made it back home, where a glass of wine and stick of incense quickly soothed my jangled nerves: VERDICT: If you're in your study with all your maps and charts spread across the table, planning your great India getaway from halfway across the globe, I think it's fair to say you shouldn't go out of your way to visit Pondy. However, if for whatever reason you know you will be in Chennai for more than 3-4 days, an overnight trip is definitely worth your while. But try to visit after the November monsoon arrives. It's just too darn hot otherwise. For another view of a weekend in Pondy, be sure to check out the Chennai Journal, a newish blog maintained by a family of American expats. Now if they could only get their photos links working...
- posted by Prince Roy @ 6/27/2005 03:10:00 AM| |

 
It's a shame Anand isn't in town. The Madras Film Society is about to conclude a film festival it's calling "The New Hollywood: Films of the 1960s and 1970s". Someone from the US consulate has introduced each film, and I volunteered for tonight's showing of The Godfather. It's one of my favorites, and upon each viewing it reveals something new. It played to a packed house, but I was disappointed in a way. I had hoped this audience would be more savvy because film festivals tend to draw more sophisticated types, those who have a real appreciation for film as art. And The Godfather I (and II) are about as great as it gets. At the conclusion of my remarks, and before the film started, I asked everyone in the audience to please turn off their cellphones, as a gesture of respect for this great film, and so as to fully appreciate its timeless, classic stature. I'd like to think this helped, and I actually did see several people comply, but during the movie a phone still rang every five minutes or so. People have told me that is a common occurence among Indian audiences, and sad to say, tonight's events proved them correct. I don't think even having Luca Brasi by my side would've made a difference. If film buffs of India are like this, I don't even dare go to a regular theater. I haven't been to a movie in the US for several years because frankly, I think American film-making is largely irrelevant these days, at least what is coming out of the major studios. So maybe US audiences are just as bad with leaving their cell phones on; I wouldn't really know. Last night was excruciating. I must have been having a bad dream because I kicked my legs suddenly. When I did, I got charley horse cramps in both calves. I've done it before in one leg, but never in both at the same time. Ouch! So if you see me hobbling around like an old man for the next few days, that's why. Not because I am an old man. We're off to Pondicherry tomorrow for the weekend with some friends. It should prove quite relaxing, and it will be great to get away, if only for one night. UPDATE: I have no idea what has happened to the formatting in my blog, or why there is that huge gap between the date and text for every lead-off post. I've emailed Blogger and asked them to take a look. Do any of you have an idea? Please help...
- posted by Prince Roy @ 6/25/2005 02:05:00 AM| |

 
SUPER SUNDAY (PART TWO): Home Is Where The Hotpot Is I know I post a lot about hotpot. But something this good deserves it. Many East Asian countries offer a variation of this dish, but I don’t think it’s quite become the institution anywhere else to the same degree as it has in Sichuan. At least in Spicygirl’s family, mention that you want to eat out, and they invariably clamor for hotpot. The Sichuanese love to eat with family and friends, and no food is arguably a more communal, social experience than hotpot. Its very nature demands it. You’ve got this large boiling pot of broth in the center of a circular table. Everyone seated round has to shove stuff in, and they all scoop stuff out. Hotpot done right lasts several hours, breaks in-between, the women contentedly gossiping and the guys beerily toasting. All revel in the din. That’s why people prefer to enjoy hotpot at any one of the 8 trillion specialty restaurants you find all over Sichuan, rather than at home. Plus, why not when it’s so darned cheap? Unfortunately here in Madras we don’t have that option. This was our third hotpot party, and we enjoy introducing people to it. Unfortunately, we can only invite a few people at a time, and it’s practically an all day affair for Spicygirl to get everything ready. First, she prepares the soup base, or 底汤: Next, she readies the flavoring base 底料. This is a two-part process. First you need several varieties of mushrooms and other edible fungi: Spicygirl selecting only the finest ingredients I think mushrooms have become my favorite hotpot ingredient of all, because they add such an earthy, textured aroma that richly enhances the broth. In fact, in Chengdu there are restaurants that specialize in mushroom firepot. Supposedly, it's also very healthy in a de-tox sense. Just the thing for battling the aftermath of Haywards or Vorion indiscretion. For the main flavoring, we use this store-bought mix that Spicygirl brought back from her last visit to Chengdu: Does that really say ‘Seasoning For Charry Dish’? Awaiting the Hungry Hordes As if hotpot wasn’t flavorful enough, custom dictates you create a dipping sauce into which you dunk whatever you’re lucky enough to grab out of the cauldron. This sauce is made from combining garlic, green chilies, cilantro, sesame oil, and vinegar: Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble… Clockwise from bottom left: Sunyoung, Beth, Matt, Spicygirl, Chris, and Mr. Huang Mr. Huang and his wife Sunyoung are two great friends of ours, whom we met within a month of our arrival in Chennai. They are from South Korea, and often have us over to their home to enjoy Korean food, which we both love. Matt is one of our summer interns this year. He is an MBA student at UT-Austin and before that he did an MS in computer science. Besides being great to hang out with, he’s been an enormous help to us in our work, since so many visa applicants from South India are going to work in the IT industry. Beth and Chris need no introduction, or at least they shouldn’t, since you can find out all you want about their most excellent adventures simply by going here.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 6/23/2005 12:00:00 AM| |

 
The Beer Most Westerners Fear to Tread I think I've adapted to life in India as well as can be expected, except for the beer. I've been here over one year now, and while I can drink it, I still find it quite an unpleasant experience. This is coming from someone who fancies himself somewhat of a connoisseur. Especially in such a hot climate like this, there is nothing I look more forward to at the end of the day than kicking back with a tall cold one. So what's the problem? Domestically produced Indian beers contain glycerine, which has a very distinctive, objectionable aftertaste. If you've ever had Taiwan beer, you know what I mean, because it has the same rancid, chemical bite. Plus, the headaches the next day linger and linger and linger...there's nothing quite like a glycerine headache. Normally Sandpiper is my Indian beer of choice, but more and more I'm starting to favor the Super Strong class. These are high octane brews, the Indian equivalent of malt liquor. The reason for this is that their higher alcohol content gets me over the nastiness of the glycerine taste much sooner. Once my brain is pickled into submission, I don't seem to mind it so much anymore. Many Indian super strongs have the amusing gimmick of placing a number after the name. Haywards 5000 is probably the best-known. Not to be outdone, the lads at Vorion have upped the ante by 1K. Anyone know what the numbers designate? My guess is braincells obliterated per swallow. For some reason, while most of my Western friends can choke down a Haywards if they have to, very few are willing to consider an evening with Vorion 6000. I don't think it's that bad, personally, as long as it is freezing cold. But then again, I can understand their reluctance. A name like 'Vorion' should belong to an Indian H1B IT company operating out of Iselin, New Jersey, not a beer. Picture it: "Vorionsoft.com". I can see the dot-matrix letterhead now.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 6/21/2005 01:40:00 AM| |

 
SUPER SUNDAY (Part One) A very eventful day. First up was Kribs’ much-ballyhood podcast meet. The idea was to attempt a global link-up of all bloggers India and/or Indian through laptop using a digi-cam and a wifi connection. Perhaps a fitting testimony to the technology’s infancy, the network was down at our initial coffee shop meeting place. So we moved on to a really cool outdoors café just meters away which also was wifi-enabled, and in true India style, the only guy there who could sell us a network card was nowhere to be found. No matter, I had a good time. I always enjoy myself thoroughly at these things, if for nothing more than to get together with a lot of fun people who are tremendously sharp and on the ball. The whole idea behind this, as I understand it, was to explore possibilities of personal publishing that kicks the traditional blog/website format up several notches using audio and video feeds. Kribs, one of the godfathers of the Madrassi blog scene, thinks there is a real opportunity for Chennai webbers to make their mark and shape the medium by getting in at the ground floor. I think he’s right. As blogging begins to challenge traditional media, the possibilities are limited only by the imagination. This is especially true for parts of the world largely overlooked by the global conglomerate networks. The Boxing Day Tsunami is a perfect case in point. Anyone with a video recorder and an internet link was able to provide compelling, startling footage and information faster and more effectively than the big cable channels, whose reporters were stuck in transit far from the scene. Its uses extend far beyond cataclysmic events, however. Chennai natives living in distant lands could keep up with developments back home in real time. On a more individual level, people could add audio commentary to their travel or personal photos, or even upload entire scenes: children’s first steps, first words, whatever. I’ve forayed into the audioblog format only once, when I uploaded a file of me doing a self-introduction in Mandarin Chinese. I also put up a video clip of a sperm whale making a dive off the New Zealand coast. The only problems I see have to do with cost. Unlike other places, Madras is still developing its one fee/unlimited bandwidth business models. My own ISP, Tata Indicom, costs over twice as much as I paid in the US for comparable usage. Once the pricing gets further down-to-earth, podcasting should become more feasible for more people. Here are a couple of pics from the event. If you see yourself, identify who you are in the comments and I’ll be sure to update with your site info: bottom right, with nifty laptop: Kribs, the leader of the pack Be sure to check out these other sites: Balaji, Aditya, Sai Shyam, Mukunth, Kenni, Vasanthi, and Chinmayi.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 6/20/2005 10:55:00 PM| |

 
Cable companies are the bane of civilized society no matter where you live in the world. Madras is no different. We've encountered nothing but trouble with our service here, and it's been one small war after another. The latest occurred when our converter box crapped out. Tamil Nadu is the only state in India where you have to buy one of these boxes. Ours cost Rs. 3600 (US $81). I think the way it works is kind of a mini-monopoly: the satellite company (SCV) provides the channel packages to various small cable companies, who have carved up the city into territories (just like the mob 'families' did in the US); if you live within a certain company's territory, you have to deal with them, or no cable. So when we called our company to get them to repair our box they came out (three days later) and announced that we would have to pay Rs. 1800 to fix it. Why? Because the warranty had 'expired'. How they determined this I have no idea, because they never gave us a receipt and they kept no records themselves. I was determined at this point to forget about the whole thing, but Spicygirl figured I couldn't live without TV. She decided to skip the middleman, and asked one of our Indian colleagues call SCV directly on our behalf. Thankfully, they repaired it free of charge. So we have cable TV again, and I'm amazed to see we have several new channels we didn't have before, including a new Chinese channel, 星空. Everytime they do a major repair on the cable, we lose one Chinese channel and gain another one. I bet there must be 30 Chinese channels we could be getting that we don't know about. This one is ok, but not as good as Phoenix. If you've been keeping tuned to East Asian popular culture, you'll know that the whole region is in the midst of the "Korean Wave", or 韩流. Everything about Korea is popular now: movie and pop stars, music, and especially the television serials. We've been watching one on 星空 that just ended tonight, 阁楼男女. I guess you could translate it as "Loft Love". It was pretty weak, but I noticed something interesting. Korean TV shows use the same 5-6 actors for the middle-aged/old people in every program. Only the stars/starlets change. We used to watch a lot of Korean soaps from 2000-2003 when we lived in LA, which has America's largest Korean population. They'd provide English subtitles for the many Korean-American kids who can't understand Korean all that well. And I swear that those same actors who played parents/grandparents were in this latest show playing the exact same roles. One good thing about not having access to the idiot box for over one week was that I caught up on some reading. A friend loaned me her copy of War Trash, by Ha Jin. I liked it well enough, especially the story, as it concerned a Chinese PLA soldier captured by the Americans during the Korean War, and his experiences at the hands of fellow Chinese prisoners, both communist and nationalist, vying for his loyalty in the prisoner of war camps. I imagine this is Ha Jin's attempt at a great 'anti-war' novel, but somehow it falls a little flat. Altough it's been years since I read the book that made him famous, Waiting, I seem to recall that it affected me more. Parts of War Trash struck me as somewhat contrived, and the ending was unconvincing; everything wrapped up a little too neatly. Maybe that's due to the censor's knife. I don't know, does the Indian government censor books? I know they do movies and TV; they even cut certain Itchy and Scratchy cartoons from The Simpsons. The Korean War is one of my greatest amateur historical interests. I've read dozens of books by American scholars and veterans of that conflict, and in the past few years, I've been trying to collect personal reminisces of PLA soldiers. In fact, one of these days my plan is to go back to school and get my PhD in modern Chinese history, probably focusing on this period and its immediate aftermath, up to the Hundred Flowers period. One of the reasons the Korean War fascinates me so much is that it is probably the most polemical, ideological skirmish of the century; perhaps only the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s truly compares. In fact, as some argue that the Spanish Civil War was the bellwether of WWII, one could make much the same case that the Korean War marked the true end of WWII. The prisoner of war repatriation controversy illustrates the degree to which the war became co-opted by competing ideologies, with both sides seeking to score propaganda points. It's not well-known in the US, but several US POWs, many of them blacks who did not relish a return to Jim Crow America, opted for life in the PRC. I provide a 'where are they now' post here. That's what I found interesting about Ha Jin's book, as it described the same struggles of conscience going on among the Chinese prisoners. From reading his book though, you'd get the idea that everyone who chose Taiwan became rich. That's not exactly true, however. I met several of those old vets when I first went to Taiwan in the late 1980s, and many of them were as poor as dirt, operating noodle or dumpling stands just to make enough money to eat. Chiang Kai-shek's KMT government had promised them land after the Nationalists 'reconquered' the Mainland, so they didn't have pensions. Finally by the 1990s, the KMT ended the charade and provided them with some money, but I don't think it was very much.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 6/15/2005 10:30:00 PM| |

 
This past weekend marked our first 'Student Saturday' of the season. It won't be the last. We open our windows several Saturdays every summer to accommodate the gazillion Indian students seeking higher education in the US. At my suggestion, those of us working the lines wore our college regalia from the schools we attended. We did that one day last summer, and we all enjoyed it enormously, though I wonder if the applicants made the connection. Of course, being a professional student like I was for so long, I have a number of accessories to choose from, be it the University of Oregon-Eugene, University of Colorado-Boulder, or the University of California-Los Angeles School of Law. And that's not even counting my time studying overseas. But still, I think one's undergrad institution holds the most special place in the heart. I know it does for me. I had a fabulous experience at UO, and in many ways my time there ranks as the happiest in my life. For me at least, nothing in this job gives me more satisfaction than to issue student visas to highly-qualified, motivated applicants who applied themselves diligently to their studies here in India, and carefully researched and selected good programs in the US that match their academic and career aspirations. I only wish more of them were going to the University of Oregon. Since our student applicant pool is so engineering-heavy, I see a number going to our arch-rival Oregon State, I guess because it has a reputation as more of the science and engineering school in the state. As much as it pains me to do so, I issue visas to students going to Corvallis (Corn-valley), but I absolutely will not dignify that school with a link. Alas, no such animal as tailgating here in India, but we did have a fun BBQ later that afternoon...
- posted by Prince Roy @ 6/13/2005 10:00:00 PM| |

 
One Chance in a Million I had a young lady come up to my window the other day who wanted to do an LL.M degree in the US. The LL.M is a kind of master's of law, and is normally tailored for foreign students. It is a one-year program, and the applicant must have a law degree from his/her home country. US students who study law in the US take a JD, which is (usually) a three-year professional degree taken after completion of the undergrad. Anyway, I asked her which university she wanted to attend. She said: "UCLA School of Law". I've interviewed a few students who wanted to do LL.Ms in the US, but this was the first one that planned to attend my alma mater. Imagine the chances of that. In the first place, going abroad to study an LL.M is not that common in India. Over 90% do some kind of engineering course. Then of course, what are the chances she would live in the Chennai district, so has to come to our consulate, and not only that, find herself in a line before my window, one of around 10 in total? UCLA School of Law is one of the best in the country, so I was fairly sure she was a qualified student, but still I questioned her about her background, reasons for wanting to study this degree and her plans. She was well-prepared and could even name the two professors there she would study with. I know both of them personally, one quite well, and so was able to ask her specific questions about their scholarship. It's good to see a student like this wanting to attend my school. I knew a lot of the LL.Ms while I was studying there, and they were all sharp as tacks. I'm glad to see the school is expanding the program, because I thought the foreign students added a great deal to my own law school experience, and I hope more top Indian students consider UCLA. One side benefit of this chance encounter was that it allowed me to re-establish contact with one of my former professors, Khaled Abou El Fadl. I emailed him regarding this particular student, and he sent me back a very nice message, which made my day, because it was obvious he remembered me, no mean feat considering I intentionally kept a very low profile all throughout law school. If you'd like to know more about Professor Abou El Fadl (and my other favorite law professors), please take a step back in time and read this entry. I've since discovered that UCLAW has completely revamped its website, so I've updated all the archive links.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 6/11/2005 05:30:00 PM| |

 
Prince Roy, natural southpaw, a no-no in proper Indian etiquette One of our Indian employees invited us to his sister's wedding last night, and it was the first one in India I've ever attended. Well, not the wedding itself, exactly, but the reception. India's the only country I know where the parties regularly hold the reception before the actual ceremony (that was this morning at 0630). It was quite an experience. I'll post more pics and commentary on my companion site sometime this weekend. The whole dinner part was bizarre. This was on the second floor of the wedding hall. There was no rhyme or reason---people just walked upstairs if and whenever they felt like it. A colleague (aka the H-Bomb) and I went right on up. Anyone who knows Prince Roy knows he ain't about to pass up free food. Spicygirl and my other colleague chickened out and stayed below. I wonder about her sometimes. They had all these long tables set up and you had to wait for a seat. When one opened up, you plopped down and then the waiters brought over and rolled out that banana leaf you see there, which served as tablecloth, plate and napkin all in one. First, you sprinkle the leaf with water, and then the waiters come around with steel pails and ladle out the food onto your leaf. It's all-veg and all good. There was a cole-slawsy/onion salad, those two kinds of 'breads' you see there, lentil dahl, basmati rice (and plain rice), a chickpea curry, something with potatoes/peas/carrots, sambar, a banana, and a sweet round item that resembled a small donut, except it weighed about three pounds. Oh, and this awesome spicy pickled mango chutney. You could eat as much as you want, because they would keep bringing the pails around. You're supposed to eat with your right hand, but I snuck in a plastic spoon. I mostly ate with my hand though, as long as there was a piece of the 'bread' to act as a scoop. I haven't quite got the hang of it, which is why I like to watch the Indian guys go to town. They'll stick their whole hand into a big soggy pile of rice and sides and knead, ball, squeeze, wring, mash the whole mess until it practically oozes between their knuckles. I still can't bring myself to do it, and you have to see it to get a sense of what I am trying to describe. Some Westerners might complain the sight would make them lose their appetites, but hey, it all winds up in the same place, right?
- posted by Prince Roy @ 6/10/2005 11:30:00 PM| |

 
And The Winner Is... Yardboy, who guessed 463 mangoes. The actual number was 487, and all but two from just one tree. So Yardboy, it's your call. We'll keep plenty in the freezer for you if you ever make it back this way, or you can opt for the mystery prize behind Door Number Three. Thanks to all who participated. I may hold another contest later in the season, or next year if we are still here.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 6/05/2005 11:00:00 PM| |

 
UPDATE: I will announce the winner of my 'guess the number of mangoes' contest tomorrow, 5 JUNE (Happy Birthday, Mom!), at approximately 2000 IST. There is still time, so enter now! Changing Realities Spicygirl recently returned from a week-long trip to Thailand. She's writing up her experiences, and she took some great pictures, so be sure to check all that out at her site here. I couldn't go with her, but she did hook up with her mom. Spicymom lives in Chengdu, and it was her first trip ever outside of China. That in itself is news enough, but even more informative is that she joined a religious tour led by the Buddhist abbot from the temple she attends in Sichuan. Her husband Spicydad took a similar trip a few years ago. It was quite inexpensive, even for Chinese standards, costing less than US $400 including airfare, hotel, meals and transfers. People in the West often consider that China stifles religious practice, but the true picture is far more complicated. I've spent a good bit of time in many parts of China, and I've seen that traditional religions have made strong gains since the beginning of the reform period. Buddhism, in particular, is thriving. There is a very active temple life in much of Sichuan, and other places. In the mid 1990s, for instance, I traveled to Wutai Shan in Shanxi province. This is one of the most sacred sites in Chinese Buddhism, and the place was amok with Chinese tourists engaging in active, open worship. I strayed off into the mountains one day and readily got lost. On a remote path far up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere, I ran across the ruins of a temple. Amazingly, there was a lone Buddhist monk living there. He told me that the temple dated from the Song dynasty, and that Red Guards had trashed the place during the Cultural Revolution. The abbot at the time committed suicide by jumping in a well. Due to its remoteness, not many people now knew about or visited the temple, but he preferred it that way because it was a perfect setting for self-cultivation. He said that most people he encountered were Westerners like myself tramping through the mountains. Some of them often camped there, and he said I was welcome to do so. I would've loved that, but I had to get back into the village because I was leaving the next day. He took me back to the main path and escorted me for several minutes to make sure I knew the way, before turning back to his lonely, ancient sanctuary. You can also find Daoist temples in many locations. I encountered a Daoist priest at sunrise on Hua Shan in Shaanxi province. And I'm sure the scene in South China is equally engaging. For more on that, though, I'll have to turn things over to my good friend and mentor, The Temple Guy, who currently lives and enquires in Shenzhen. But back to tourism. Chinese have more disposable income than ever, so it's perhaps no surprise that domestic tourism in China is booming. I've met many people in the US who are aware of China as a rising economic power, yet they still seem to have an outdated, cold war era view that the Chinese government keeps its citizens as virtual prisoners, refusing to let them leave the country. Few people, in the US anyway, realize that many Chinese are spending their tourist dollars abroad these days. One of the most popular honeymoon destinations for Chinese newlyweds is South Korea's Cheju Island. When Spicygirl and I went to Australia and New Zealand, we came across busloads of PRC tourists everywhere we went, and many Chinese also flock to vacations in Europe. Most of these are group tours, but I think that is more a reflection of cultural issues than anything else. It's the same in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. This brings to mind that one-liner by Deng Xiaoping when he visited the US in 1979. President Jimmy Carter, a genuine champion of human rights, asked Deng why he didn't allow more Chinese to emigrate from the country. Deng famously replied: "No problem. How many Chinese would you like, 10 million? 20 million?" President Carter promptly changed the subject! In fact, the issue for would-be Chinese travelers is not that they can't get a passport (these are relatively easy to obtain, costing around 200 RMB for five-year validity), or that the Chinese government won't permit them to go abroad, but that it can be difficult for them to obtain the necessary visa from certain foreign countries. The independent traveler is now emerging as well. I've already written about the amazing adventures of Zhang Baoju. It also happens that John Pasden's girlfriend will visit the US this summer. But no mention of the Chinese independent traveler would be complete without including Leylop. She's ventured to more places than just about anyone I know, all over the world, some of them potentially dicy, and all on her own. She's practically writing the book on individual travel by a Chinese, or at least I hope she does. It would be a fascinating read.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 6/04/2005 10:40:00 PM| |