Passport Crisis!

I'm going back to the Motherland in less than 3 weeks. Since I'll be accompanied by some first time visitors (more on that later), I decided to peruse the online travel guides to think of some good Taiwanese sights to see. I came across entry requirements for Taiwan. Having gone there innumerable times, I knew I didn't need a visa. However, what I do need is a passport that is valid for at least 6 months. I leave on January 10th. My passport expires exactly 4 months later.

aside: it peeves me that the expiration date is May 2009 yet I can't really use my passport since most countries require the 6 month validity.

It's a crap shoot--Taiwanese immigration might be lax and wave me through. Or they could be hard asses and make me purchase a $130 landing visa (to be paid in cash, New Taiwan Dollars) and give me a difficult time in the process. No doubt this would all occur in Chinese and I would only understand about 40% of the conversation. There would probably be tears.

My other option is to get a rush renewal of my passport here on native U.S. soil, in my first language, in currency I have. Also for $130. The thing is, the process has to be initiated within 14 days of your travel date and no earlier. I have to make an appointment with the State Department office in New York, give them my documents and money, and they will miraculously produce a new passport for me before I have to leave the country. The nice man on the State Department helpline assured me that I'd be able to 1. get the appointment and 2. get my passport in time for my departure.

I am anxiously waiting until December 27th to call and make my appointment.

Passport crisis solved!

I have to say, getting a rush renewal of a passport was totally painless. The process of scheduling an appointment via telephone, showing up, waiting for your number to be called, handing in your stuff and picking up your passport 2 days later was remarkably civilized. I even remarked to the passport lady that it was so much calmer than the DMV. She laughed and said they hear that all the time.

One last note about Vancouver (2010)

The 2010 Olympics are going to be held in Vancouver. There's no way you could avoid that fact walking through the city as Olympic merchandise is EVERYWHERE. There a big countdown clock in the middle of the city too. 500 and some days to go!

Having said that, I gave into the hype and bought some of the overpriced stuffed mascots for the kids. The mascots are a little bizarre--are they always so? I remember the '88 Seoul Olympics and they just had tigers dressed in traditional Korean clothing. No franken-mascots or anything...

From left to right:

Sumi: the "animal spirit" who lives in the mountains of British Columbia. He wears the hat of an orca whale, flies with wings of the thunderbird and runs on the legs of the black bear. Kinda weird, right? Sumi is the mascot for the 2010 Para-Olympics. This one was the least favorite of the kids.

Quatchi: He is my personal favorite. A young sasquatch who comes from the mysterious forests of Cananda. He aspires to be a hockey player (position: goalie).

Miga: A young sea bear--part killer whale, part bear (WTF?!)--who lives in the ocean with her family pod. She likes to snowboard and eat salmon.

No whales here, but how about some gigantic chocolate creams instead?

It was our last day in Vancouver and we spent most of it on bus or ferry: we decided to go on a tour to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Victoria is located on the southern tip Vancouver Island, which boasts a land mass larger than the UK. I'm not entirely sure why the province would place their seat of government on an island, but I'm sure they had a good reason other than the nice view.


We saw a few seals frolicking in the water, but unfortunately, no whales.

Our first stop was Butchart Gardens, where this wealthy cement baron's wife, Jennie Butchart, had gardens built out of an emptied stone quarry. The highlight is the Sunken Garden right in the center of the old quarry.

Victoria has a lot of beautiful mansions and the city center was very quaint. We picked up some Victoria Creams from Rogers' Chocolates--they have been making these gigantic cream-filled treats since 1885. Supposedly the Queen gets them shipped to her.






<--- Actual size of Victoria Cream (45g = almost 0.1 lb)

Canadiasians

After Toronto, Vancouver is the most multi-ethnic Canadian city. There are a lot of Asians in Vancouver, making up over 35% of the population. The Chinese alone make up about 17%.

The first Chinese came over in the mid-1800's for the gold rush, and then the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

As Jamie put it, Vancouver's Chinatown is spread out and not as crazy as New York's. I thought it was a bit desolate and we walked by a few uber-sketchy crackheads on our way over there. However, there is a very nice Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese garden which was quite well done.

Why Sun Yat-Sen, you ask? Well, apparently, the "father of modern China" spent a lot of time in Vancouver while touring the world trying to raise awareness and funding for the Chinese Nationalist Movement. British Columbia helped fund the movement's overthrow of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and Sun Yat-Sen became the first president. The garden was built in 1985 and utilizes principles of feng-shui and taoism. Good ol' yin and yang balancing each other out. My favorite part was actually this turtle stretching out his back leg in arabesque.

On our way home we were starving and stopped by this Japanese hot dog cart. In Vancouver, most of the hot dog carts are run by Asians. This one, the JAPADOG stand, was voted the best in Vancouver. Or at least that's what the guy in front of us said. They have your standard hot dog, but also some crazy toppings, including one with japanese mayo, teriyaki sauce, fried onions and nori (seaweed) strips. I got the miso-mayo dog, with special miso sauce, japanese mayo, and sprouts. I have to say, it was quite delicious!

Vancouver: No one told me it was this hilly

The conference wrapped up with some chocolate croissants and a relieved sigh. I always expect to walk away from these sorts of things with at least a few new ideas, but they always fall short and all I can hope for is an engaging speaker and some tasty snacks. Oh, and Jamie got hit on at a gay bar by a former president of the association hosting the conference! Not surprising, the guy was uber creepy and had recognized Jamie from the conference. Granted, this wouldn't be that difficult since about 90% of attendees were overweight, middle-aged women.

The remainder of our time was spent exploring Vancouver and eating as much food as possible.

Granville Island and Kitsilano--before this long day of walking and more walking began, we ate at Hon's Wun-Tun for some Chinese food, supposedly one of the best cheap eats in Vancouver, and conveniently located near our hotel. Their pot stickers were good (albeit not as good as mine, of course) and the food was plentiful and cheap:

After we stuffed ourselves we waddled our full bellies over to the water and took a mini-ferry across to Granville Island, which has a large market kind of like a cross between Pike's Place in Seattle and my favorite, Reading Terminal Market in Philly (sans the Amish people.)

OMG, a loaf of cinnamon bun!!!

We then proceeded to walk for what seemed like eternity. A woman at the conference was a Vancouver native and had recommended walking through the Kitsilano neighborhood as it was "cool" and fun. I wouldn't really say it was that fun, but we did make our way through the main park and beach in that area. It was nice to sit in the sun and people watch. What wasn't so nice was the many blocks uphill we had to walk to get back to our hotel. Vancouver sure is hilly.

Dispatch from the Canadian Conference

The second full day of my conference continues! The topic of the conference is clinical research quality and standards. It is about as riveting as you would expect. Multiple sessions are going on at once, so it is basically a Choose Your Own Adventure. Unfortunately, there have been times that I've chosen poorly and was bored out of my mind. Forced day-dreaming is sometimes a challenge. Jamie was the wiser and played solitaire on his blackberry.

But there have been a few gems at this conference: there have been a few characters and some swag from the vendors trying to get us to use their services. I am the proud owner of a magic 8 ball, several pens, an inflatable travel neck pillow, and the best of the bunch, this little stationery kit with mini-staplers. No designer jeans or fancy chocolates, for sure. Also, I went to a talk on ethics by a man dressed like a younger KFC Colonel: white shirt, suit, shoes and even a handlebar moustache. He also spoke as if he were Mark Twain, so I found myself focusing more on his performance (he couldn't be for reals, could he?) than what he was actually saying. Another speaker had a strong resemblance to Melissa Ethridge--same accent and all. She had several slides with pictures of her dog in them.

Last night we explored some more neighborhoods of Vancouver, eating dinner at a nice local recommended spot (thanks, dude who worked at the Fluevog shoe store!) in Gastown. The area is the "birthplace of Vancouver" and the original settlement sprung up around a tavern opened by "Gassy Jack" Deighton. It's a historic district with cobblestone streets and some European charm. It also has the very first steam-run clock that toots every 15 minutes.

One thing we've noticed about Vancouver is that they have their share of homeless people. We were approached several times, including one guy who wanted 82 cents and an older woman with a black eye who was pushing a very wide shopping cart and sipping a very grande (or is it venti?) frappacchino.

Tonight we are heading to another section of downtown Vancouver to see a film that's an entry in the Vancouver Film Festival.

Oh, Canada!

I am currently in Vancouver for a work conference (riveting, I know.) Having grown up in MN, I've been to Canada many times, but it's been years since my last visit to our northern neighbors. This is my first time in Vancouver to boot--and even better that it is on my work's dime!

I've only heard good things about Vancouver. It's my second full day here and I don't have any major complaints about the city except that the damp chill can be a bit miserable at times. Also, my extremely overpriced hotel does not include breakfast--for $167 a night, the least they could do is buy a girl breakfast, no?

Although Canada is very similar to the U.S., there is still the excitement of exploring an unfamiliar city. I'm never certain what proper protocol is--for example, as a New Yorker, I don't even think twice about about jay-walking. But in Vancouver, is this sort of behavior acceptable or will the Mounties come after me on horseback? I don't want to experience some sort of Canadian version of Brokedown Palace...

I haven't had a chance to see much of the sights yet, but I did find the Whole Foods, Dairy Queen and nearest two 7-Elevens. I also took a long stroll along the sea wall which follows along the harbour and Stanley Park, one of the largest urban public parks in North America. Running through the park is a stream that empties into the harbor. Various types of salmon take this stream into the harbor to reach the Pacific (freedom!), as well as to come back when it's time to spawn. Salmon return to their home stream based on the scent of the water. Becasue of this, at the time of the great salmon exodus into the Pacific and the subsequent return to spawn in the fall, the park puts some chemical into the water to add additional scent. This gives an extra boost to ensure the salmon can find their way back. It makes sense, but I can't help but being a little saddened for all that work to get the salmon back only to end up on my dinner plate.

Elk or Moose?

There has been some debate as to whether we saw a moose or if it was just an illusion (read: elk.)

I don't know if there is a voting function on Blogger, but please comment if you can identify:

Elk or Moose?

Elk or moose?

Again, elk or moose?

More Road Trip 2008 Pics...

Vickie in the role of Pocahontas.








































Don't worry, Tatanka is okay. He's just resting near the sulfur pools.


















BEAR!!!

The Collective Mind

After a few days on Road Trip 2008, the group realized that we were getting progressively stupid as we spent more time together. Let me share some examples (the guilty shall remain nameless, but there are only four of us anyway):

1. Someone woke up from a nap in the car, we said something about the map and they responded in an accusatory tone, "WHO TOLD YOU THAT!?" um, the map did.

2. Shotgun rider reading the map westward when we were driving eastward.

3. In a casino in Deadwood, SD I walked buy a machine that said "Bill Breaker and Ticket Redemption." I read it several times and thought "Who the hell is Bill Breaker and why is his name on the machine?"

4. Asking the waitress in Laramie, WY to repeat salad dressing options after she had JUST named them off. Then asking her what soups they had and saying "Just Kidding!" afterwards. Yes, she really loved us.

5. I lost my wallet on the way from the gas station to rental car return to the shuttle bus taking us to the terminal. I never lose things. Sheer panic. (How DO you get on a plane if you have no picture ID on you? Can U.S. Customs pull up your passport information?) Luckily, the wallet had fallen out at the rental car place and I was able to retrieve it and board the plane.

Things to Do in Denver: Deluxe Version

The rest of the trip (Days 7-11):


We stayed a day ahead of schedule, so we finished up in the Grand Tetons (moose sightings still at zero) and stayed in the town of Dubois, WY. Dubois is supposedly a town full of real cowboys. It is also a town that does not stay open past 9pm. The grocery store closed at 8pm, the convenience store closed at 9pm, as well as the majority of restaurants. We finally found a steak place open. It was connected to a bar, which, as soon as we entered, the music pretty much screeched to a halt. Yikes. We opted to drink in our room at the Chinook Winds motel. Card playing, dancing and shenanigans (of which I don't have pictures of, but include Jamie setting Vickie on fire) ensued.
















From Wyoming we drove non-stop into Denver. We battled high winds, rain, hail, and lightning but made it to the mountain oasis that is Jamie's parents' home.















Where there were these super luxe guest baskets in each bedroom:















I have to say, I really enjoyed my time in Denver. Not only because it was the first time we got to stay in one place for more than one night, but also because Jamie's mom fed us so well. It was such a treat to eat good food again. The amount of iceberg lettuce we consumed over the last week is scary to think about. The warm, home-made muffins, fruit and other snacks were wonderful. Denver is a beautiful city and the air quality is significantly better than New York (duh). It was also nice to be shown around by locals. We went to numerous BBQs, the Denver Art Museum, Mt. Evans (of Rockie Mountains fame) and Dairy Queen. Where I actually had Blizzard envy. Who knew the Girl Scout thin mint one would be so much tastier than my usual Butterfinger???


































































FINAL STATS:
Total miles driven: 2,456
Amount spent on gas: $400
Souvenir t-shirts purchased: 17
Iceberg lettuce consumed: at least 3 heads
Moose seen: 0
Highest elevation reached: 14,130 (Mt. Evans, Colorado Rockies)

National Parks: In Search of Bullwinkle

Day 5: June 30, 2008 and Day 6: July 1, 2008

The last two days we hit up two national parks: Yellowstone where we saw many, many thermal springs and fantastic scenery.































































...and the Grand Tetons (or "Grand Teet'ins" as Vickie calls it.) I've been to both previously in a similar roadtrip with my family years ago, and I distinctly remember how beautiful the Grand Tetons were. I was not disappointed the second time around.












































We also encountered endless wildlife: bison, deer, elk, and foxes. The one creature we did not see was the elusive moose. We looked far and wide across acres of parkland over two days and did not come across a moose. (sigh)

Also of note, today we hit up three states: Montana, Idaho (no, Udaho!), and Wyoming.

STATS:
Miles covered Day 5: 395
Miles covered Day 6: 167
Bison sighted: too many to count
Deer sighted: too many to count
Bears sighted: 3
Elk sighted: 1 (sitting)
Foxes sighted: 1
States visited: 3

The Not-So-Hot Hot Springs

Day 4: Sunday, June 29, 2008

We attempted to find the hot springs in Hot Springs. Unfortunately, the locals were wrong and neither the river, nor Cascade Falls provided warm, healing waters.

Next up: a drive through the Black Hills.

Deadwood, which didn't look anything like it does in the HBO series. We spent a little bit of time in the casinos and I was the only successful gambler today: $6.95 from the nickel slots. Score! Lunch at the Deadwood Social Club was by far the best meal and service we have had so far. We've grown tired of the sad Midwestern fair and ice berg lettuce salad bars. (what I'd give for some NYC pizza...)

Sturgis is the site of the annual motorcycle rally, but what we saw today is a far cry from the insanity that will ensue in early August.

And so we leave South Dakota behind and move further westward to Wyoming, Cowboy Country. Yee-haw!

STATS:

Miles covered: 268

Number of successful badminton volleys in the motel parking lot: 35 (approx)

Number of t-shirts purchased in Sturgis: 11

Money lost gambling in Deadwood: $98.02