There was a time while in China when I thought the only kinda rockets the Chinese shot were made of snot and merely crashed and slimed to restaraunt floors.

That was before Spring Festival, or as we know it in the West, Chinese New Year.

[read on]

When The Ig and I finished our trek out at Tiger Mountain last March, we were excited to get back to Beijing; on a previous stay in the city we’d discovered Durty Nellie’s, an Irish pub where we enjoyed Shepherd’s pie, Irish stew and splurged on their pricey imported beverages.

Once back in Beijing, we dumped our bags at Base Camp and headed straight for Durty Nellie’s.  A few hours down the road found us getting a bit saucy with Nellie.

(Rob and Marsh; photos show Ig posing with a seated statue of “Nellie”.  In the first photo Ig’s hand is on her knee, and in the second he’s grabbing her, uhm, boob.)

[read on]

This video was taken back in…erhm, I dunno, somewhere chilly, as I’m wearing a coat. 

I remember the first dish I showed being absolutely inedible,

[read on]

With all the time I spent away from the internet and this blog, I returned to find that a few people had questions about my absence.  No, I didn’t go mad and shut out the human race.  No, I did not pack it all in and take off on another crazy adventure. 

In between calling AT&T to harrass them about my non-existent internet connection, I’ve been working at TC’s Speakeasy and slowly settling in at my third-floor apartment with my new roommate Kristy (some of you may remember Kristy; she’s the friend that Ig and I went down to meet in New Zealand).  We’re still not all unpacked, and we don’t have any wall-hangings up yet, but we’re getting there.

[read on]

A few months ago I was contacted by a producer from Michigan Television about doing an interview about that little walk The Ig and I went on.  My first reaction was to shit myself and say nuh-uh, no way.  Everyone else, however, thought we should do it, and so today was the day. 

[read on]

Apparently corporate America was aware of how much I’ve been missing China; in an attempt to quell my longing, AT&T provided nearly three weeks of bureaucracy before finally hooking up the phone and internet at my new apartment.  AT&T’s red tape outdid China’s, as more than one person commented that I was more accessable in the flippin’ Gobi desert than here in Ypsilanti. 

At any rate, my apologies for the long absence, and as promised, I’ll be posting all the schtuff from the trek that I wasn’t able to get up while in China.

The video below was one I couldn’t load in China, and although I’m not exactly sure what’s in it, I do know it’s from Simatai.