Barcelona December 2009

I haven't had time to process. I realize that even with digital technology to help speed things up, I still like the speed of film and time to process. Not having had my own space for some time now, my mind is just jumbled with external information. Maybe living quietly in the country would suit me. Just me and Meta. Though I am recognizing the desire for a partner, I am also recognizing that finding an good mate might be a life long challenge that only fate can arrange. Openness on my part is what I can control, but the rest...Meanwhile, I have started my search for alternative life plans.

For now, here is my basic itinerary from my trip to Barcelona. 


Day 1: Friday, 4/12/09

Arrived early in the morning, after about 7 hours in the air from JFK.

Aerobus to the center of town at Plaça de Catalunya (approx. 30 mins)

Missing my intended stop at Plaça de la Universitat, I back tracked in the beautiful morning light towards Carrer de Muntaner and my Barcelona apartment. Instructed to walk "up" Muntaner, against traffic, I finally arrived at my destination: 93-5-3 Muntaner. And by fifth floor, I mean 7 flights up with luggage. Not fun, but the apt is very special. Like being on my own little boat with small boat-sized compartments, bathroom and bedroom. The apartment belongs to a photographer named Darius. Upon arrival, I was amused to see so many similarities in choices of books, films, ways of organizing...
Generally, I find male photographers to be organized, clean and able to plan ahead. Darius is prototypical. The only difference is there are many photos of nude women laying around the apt, while I just have the one of a young boy, casually left unframed on the shelf in the kitchen. After acquainting myself with the shower and hot water situation here, I joined the masses in siesta! Set the alarm to wake me for the Modernist Building walking tour and crashed. Cold and tired, as close to the electric heater as I could safely manage.

I woke up a bit late and my hair was crazy. Tried to tame it and get out the door as fast as I could. Didn't have time for a leisurely stroll toward the Placa Catalunya Tourism Office, so had to hail a cab. It's always hard to know what the protocol is for hailing cabs in different cities and countries. As a New Yorker, I just raised my hand and stood by the nearest intersection. It took a few rounds of lights, but got one! 4 euros later I was back in Plaça de Catalunya looking for 17S, not knowing yet what "S" could stand for. Asked a uniformed man where the office was in my best Spanish and he pointed toward the center of the plaza and said go down the stairs in English.

Found the right desk, but no attendant. Ran outside and found the group, but the guide told me to I had to turn in my voucher first and get the program. Needless to say, they left me while I waited in line to talk to someone about the damn voucher. Pretty lame. At least I left with the pamphlet and map of the tour. Heading out, I tried to "catch up" to get something out of the 12 euros I had spent, but alas, I was meant to walk it alone. Blessings in disguise. So, after a bit of fumbling and orienting myself to the map, I wandered up Rbla. Catalunya, passing number 2 on the tour, Casas Pon i Pascual, at the corner of Pg. Gracia.

The Official Tour Book lists these sights:

1. Palau de la Musica Catalana

2. Casas Pon i Pascual; Cases Antoni Rocamora

3. Casa Pia Batillo

4. Editorial Montaner i Simon - Fundacio A. Tapies

5. Mansana de la Discordia, Casa Batllo, Casa Amatller & Casa Albert Lleo Morera

6. Casa Vidua Marfa

7. Casa Pere Milla i Camps "La Pedrera"; Casa Ramon Casas

Day 2: Saturday, 5/12/09

Jet Lag. Woke up at 4 am and planned the trip to Cadaques. Fell back asleep and woke up around 4 pm. There goes the day. Good thing I'm in Barcelona, where the night is just as important as the day!

Met Barry for a coffee. Spent a few hours catching up! Things are going well for him and he has done some really fun things since I knew him in Athens, GA.

Will post some links to some commercials he stared in. Every artist has a day job at some point in the trajectory. Looks like he has been having fun! And much more lucrative than my non-profit work and even the editing/production work. I'm considering getting into voice work...

Day 3: Sunday, 6/12/09

Katie P arrived

I began to loose track of things...

Day 4: Monday, 7/12/09

00073 TALGO

08.37

10.24

1 h. 47 min.

We missed the train, but were able to catch one a bit later. In order to keep the promised pick up time with out hotel in Cadaques, we had to skip the Dali Museum and head straight from Figueres Train Station to the Bus heading for Cadaques. All worked out in the end, but we were off to a shaky start. Travel is all about being able to react quickly to unforeseen events. Part of the adventure.

BARCELONA-SANTS

Renfe Train to Figures (€18.60 round-trip

Estació de Renfe-Figueres

Autobús Figueres - Cadaqués (Sarfa Bus to Cadaqués 60 min, €4.75)

Arrive in Cadaqués

Car from Hotel waiting for us...Cadaqués to Port Lligat.

Check in to Hotel Sol Ixent, Sant Baldiri, 10, +34972251043

reserves@hotelsolixent.com

Walk to House-Museum Salvador Dali

Cala de Portlligat - 17488 Portlligat

TICKET PICK-UP

Tour Portlligat (50 mins)

Dinner at the Hotel Sol Ixent. (approx $60)

Day 5: Tuesday, 8/12/09

Woke up before dawn and walked out toward the edge of the cliff by the water to watch the sun rise.

I needed this alone time and felt grateful for being able to see a sunrise over the Mediterranean Sea.

Breakfast Buffet then Check out

Self-guided tour the natural surroundings of Cap de Creus and town of Cadaqués

Sarfa bus back to Figueres (60 min, €4.75)

Arrive in Figueres

Walk to Dali Museum

Renfe Train to Barcelona (approx 2 hours, $30 round trip)

Arrive in Barcelona

Dinner at Made in China, just across the street. Really nice spot and very good food.
Bonus: wifi (pronounced wee-fee) libre!

Day 6: Wednesday, 9/12/09

Days back in Barcelona, started off slowly.

 I headed out leaving Katie in the apartment.

CCCB had an amazing show of photo journalistic images.
WORLD PRESS PHOTO 2009
International professional photojournalism exhibition

For the fifth consecutive year, Photographic Social Vision Foundation, in collaboration with the CCCB, presents World Press Photo 09. The World Press Photo exhibition - a collection of the winning entries in the World Press Photo Competition - is internationally recognized as the most important touring exhibition of photojournalism in the world. As well as displaying the best photographs of 2008, it is also a historic document of the main news events of the year.

MACBA had a couple shows up: John Cage and other conceptual artist influenced by Modernism.

Without working cell phones, it was hard to know what to do in an event that one of us missed a meeting time, so after waiting for an hour and a half, I decided to find lunch and go ahead into MACBA, but i rushed through worried about Katie and what had happened. I walked around the Rabla Area until I found an internet computer station, where it cost me 2 Euro for and hour. Finally, was able to reach Katie through email and find out she was in the apt. Locked in...A comedy of errors. But actually she was happy to stay in and get some work done. I rushed home and we went for dinner at Los Caracoles in the old Gothic Area. After dinner, we went to Club Pippa, which is off the placa Reial. A place I had learned about through researching Barcelona prior to the trip. It was a pipe smoking club by day and an bar by night. THIS is the night I got my phone stolen! Walking after dinner from the Gothic are across to lower Raval, in search of the absinthe bar. Everything after dinner, was a bad scene.

Day 7: Thursday, 10/12/09

Park Guell

Exterior of the Sagrada Famila (in time for night lights)

Walked to the Gracia Area and found Cal Boter, which was recommended by McKendree.

Lovely neighborly place.

We walked back and wandered into a neighborhood pub called the Philharmonic where we met Rob, the bartender and sound technician from Glasgow Scotland.

Day 8: Friday, 11/12/09

La Sagrada Familia

-under construction since 1882...

a location for one of my favorite films: Antonioni's The Passenger (1975)

Back to Sagrada Familia to go inside and up the tower on the lift.

Evening Mont Juic for the Magic Fountain Show and see the Mies Van Der Rohe Pavillion.

Ai Weiei had performed an intervention in the pool, filling it with a milky substance, transforming the clear water plane to a white opaque filled object. At night, the fountain and light show reflected on the glass walls of the pavilion, making it even more magical that I could have imagined. This is the place dan told me he didn't pay to go inside because he didn't see the point, when he could just look inside the glass walls. He has no idea. After seeing it for myself, I can tell you it was more than worth the 4 Euro to enter and walk through the space and experience the space from within.

Dinner at Napolian's south of the Mont Juic area.

Day 9: Saturday. 12/12/09
Carrer Gracia in Eixample Area
Tour of a couple of Gaudi's most famous buildings:

Casa Mila
1904 -1906 Case Batllo

El Born Area at night
Picasso Museum on Montcada to see special exhibit
English Pub called Palace
Dinner at a recommended pan Asian around the corner...

Day 10: Sunday, 13/12/09

Chinese for lunch in the neighborhood

DHUB
"Dressing the Body" Exhibit at Pedralbes
Avinguda Diagonal, 686 (Palau Reial de Pedralbes)

Aquarium
near Port Vel

Barry's Party...lost then re-directed to Lebanese Dinner

Day 11: Monday, 14/12/09

Early Morning cab to the airport.

Was just the right amount of time. Worn out and missing Meta and my home...

On Chasing a Dream: Researching how and why it went terribly wrong

I am working on figuring out the time line and details, as i am uncertain of the details of how I was transported from Tagong to Chengdu. In short, I suffered from serious Altitude Sickness and had a serious reaction to some drug interaction, as I was not sure what medicine I was given, but taking any and everything hoping it would make me feel better. I found out later that there is a warning on the interaction with diamox and aspirin, which may have been the reason why I did not wake up that Saturday morning, May 16, 2009, in Tagong, China.

May was my last month in China. I wanted to see a different face of China by traveling to Western Sichuan and into Yunnan. Beijing is in the North East about the same latitude as New York. Sichuan and Yunnan are Southern and reaches West. I had heard there are more minority groups there and wanted to get a feel of what Tibetans are like without having to go through the visa trouble and deal with extreme altitude of Lhasa. I had overlooked the fact that one of the main highlights of my month long planned trip started in a place called Tagong, which sits at the same altitude as Lhasa, 3700 Meters. I just wanted to go horse treking through the western landscape. Just me and a guide. See and live in nature from a very different perspective than I have ever experienced. Well, in focusing on the dream and cultural aspects I chose to remain relatively ignorant to some really important realities of traveling up to Tagong. It was a choice to try and live more suíbiàn. To try going against my nature to challenge my self and experience life differently. I guess there is a time and a place, and this was neither the time nor place to loosen up. Or at least not about logistical details that put my health in danger. Im lucky to have survived and come back without too much damage. The damage or scars are psychological and emotional, rather than physical. It feels like i tried for a beautiful and seemingly innocuous wave and wiped out bad. Really bad. There is always a chance for disaster, but i couldnt have even foreseen anything to this magnitude. Now, I am a bit scared. Scared to take chances and scared to believe in the good nature of things. Its like those kids that dont survive long because they were born not feeling pain. So they bang into things and hurt themselves all the time. They cant learn, because they are missing the critical component to learning. The pain. I feel the pain, but i mentally and emotionally cant except some things that seem so brutal. But its just nature. Maybe my missing link is that I can't seem to process the reality. I could be doomed to disillusionment and fall into obscurity hiding from reality. Im really afaid of that more than anything. I want to understand and be able to work within the difficulties, but I think I am a bit weak right now. A few major blows and I havent gotten back up. I need a little help. But what can you do? We are all responsible for our own well beings right? If i fall back and have to catch up when i regain my strength, then so be it. I think I am a survivor. or I used to think that. Now that i have seen how fragile I can be, it has just psyched me out a bit. I need tech support.



Some Interesting Facts and Figures from data collected post hospital trauma.

Elevation Comparison:

Tagong 3700 Meters (12,139 FT)

Kangding 2,560 Meters (8,399 FT)

Chengdu 500 Meters (1,640 FT)

New York 234 Meters (768 FT)

Beijing 43.5 Meters (142 FT)

Never been interested in climbing mountains, but here is a good resource to compare elevations by continent.


http://www.health-care-information.org/injuries/high-altitude-illness.html

Advises to not to increase the altitude at which you will sleep by more than 1,000 feet per day.

High altitude pulmonary edema - This refers to the abnormal deposition of fluid into the lungs, resulting in compromised air exchange and shortness of breath. The patient requires IMMEDIATE descent for the symptoms to abate. This problem usually occurs above 8,000 feet and its onset is progressive over 1 to 3 days.

High altitude cerebral edema - This refers to an abnormal swelling in the brain and is the most difficult complication to treat. It seldom occurs at levels under 12,000 feet.

High altitude illness, more commonly known as acute mountain sickness, refers to the effect on the human body from exposure to a lower barometric pressure (more precisely, the lower amount of oxygen).

Everything I can remember taking in the 3 days prior to being admitted into Hospital:

Sanlietong (Chinese aspirin)

Tibetan Rhodiola (Herb for altitude sickness)

Xin Nao Xin Jiao Nang (Chinese Pharma for altitude sickness ?)

Diamox (for altitude sickness, one dose taken, one not taken)

http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/dia1131.htm
Acute Mountain Sickness

The usual dose is 500 milligrams to 1,000 milligrams a day in 2 or more doses, using either tablets or sustained-release capsules. This medication is to be started 1 or 2 days before attempting to reach high altitudes. It attempts to prevent the effects of altitude sickness from quick ascents.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetazolamide
Special warnings about Diamox

Be very careful about taking high doses of aspirin if you are also taking Diamox. Effects of this combination can range from loss of appetite, sluggishness, and rapid breathing to unresponsiveness; the combination can be fatal.


The highest I have ever been before Tagong:
Gunnison, Colorado, United States
Plateaus rise 1,200 to 2,400 meters (4000 to 8000 feet)
Even at this relatively low altitude, I remember how quickly water boiled and how easy it was to become intoxicated.

Water normally boils at 100 degrees Celsius or 212 degrees Fahrenheit under standard conditions at sea level (at one atmosphere of pressure). At higher elevations, where the atmospheric pressure is much lower, the boiling point is also lower.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_point

Silence

I was just packing my things and found this poem on the inside door of Emma's closet.
Wanted to share it with you.

<3
SJ

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrman

(c) Max Ehrman 1926

Final Days of Beijing 2009

These days life seems to be moving very quickly. I am counting my days and trying to take in and record all of Beijing I can before I say good-bye. Friends here ask if it is forever. I say never say never. Though I think if I return it would be to go to Kunming and Dali. That said, I've yet to see these places, but have plans to be there in early June, just before my final departure.

I have been a Beijing resident for a little over a year. Off and On.
I've seen the city transform a great deal through the pre-Olympic rush and post-Olympic lull. Now, its mostly like everyone has forgotten all about it. There are some residual benefits of course, like a well run bi-lingual subway system. Many road signs are in pinyin, as well. Sanlitun is the perfect example of what changed here. Once the only bar street foreigners were allowed to go to has transformed into an outdoor mega mall. The perfect spot for a new comer to be dropped off to shop, eat, and relax in a setting very familiar. Brands you know. Food you recognize. Spas to pamper your self and keep up any regular mantenaince. Its easy there. Crowed now with mix of Chinese and Forgeiners, this is the direction China is moving.

[more to come, days are short and weather is too nice! write more later]

Strawberry Music Festival ‘09

In addition to music, Shen promises Strawberry will be a place for your inner child. He describes his vision of the festival: young people jumping in trampoline castles to the sounds of Hedgehog while holding cotton candy the size of their heads. “Nothing is sweeter than childhood memories. I want that to be part of our dream as well,” says Shen. He is still working on acquiring the trampoline castle.

Strawberry Stage 13:00-13:40 SKO (死扣) 14:00-14:40 Omnipotent Youth Society (万能青年旅店) 15:00-15:40 Perdel (逃跑计划) 16:00-16:40 Nancheng Erge (南城二哥) 17:00-17:40 Hedgehog (刺猬) 18:00-18:40 Xiu Xiu (US) 19:00-19:30 Joanna Wong (王若琳) 20:00-20:40 Zhang Chu (张楚)

Love Stage 13:30-13:50 He Li (何力) 14:00-14:20 Hong Qi (洪启) 14:30-15:10 Youth (青年小伙子) 15:30-16:10 Steely Heart (钢铁的心) 16:30-17:10 Wu Zhuoling (吴卓玲) 17:30-18:10 AOK 18:30-19:10 The Lones (former L.A.B.F, 浪) 19:30-20:10 Left Right (左右) 20:30-21:10 Yu Yang (虞洋)

Electronic Stage 14:00-15:30 Shenyue 15:30-16:45 Donald Summer 16:45-18:00 Patrick Yu 18:00-19:15 Ben Huang 19:15-20:30 Eddie Lv 20:30-21:30 Dio


Saturday May 2
Strawberry Stage 13:00-13:40 Hua Lun (花伦) 14:00-14:40 The Offset: Spectacles (憬观：像同叠) 15:00-15:40 Arms and Legs (US) 16:00-16:40 Zhou Yunpeng (周云蓬) 17:00-17:40 The Life Journey (旅行团) 18:00-18:40 Brain Failure (脑浊) 19:00-19:40 Cao Fang (曹方) 20:00-20:40 Re-TROS (aka Rebuilding the Rights of Statues重塑雕像的权利)

Love Stage 13:30-14:00 Zhang Zhilin & Band (张志林与乐队) 14:20-15:00 Blue Garden (兰色花园) 15:30-16:10 Flying At Midnight (午夜飞行) 16:30-17:10 Lava OX Sea 17:30-18:10 Silent G 18:30-19:10 Kelly Cha & Orange Factory (查可欣 & 桔子工厂) 19:30-20:10 PANTHER (US) 20:30-21:10 The Thin Man (瘦人)

Electronic Stage　 14:00-15:30 Dan 15:30-17:00 Lydnb 17:00-18:30 Kay C 18:30-20:00 Blackie 20:00-21:30 Usami


Sunday May 3
Strawberry Stage 13:00-13:40 The Chinos (基诺) 14:00-14:40 Casino Demon (赌鬼) 15:00-15:40 Guai Li (怪力) 16:00-16:40 Wan Xiaoli (万晓利) 17:00-17:40 Sound & Toys (声音与玩具) 18:00-18:40 Lao Lang (老狼) 19:00-19:40 Sound Fragment (声音碎片) 20:00-20:40 Deerhoof (US)

Love Stage 13:30-14:10 Camel (骆驼) 14:30-15:10 Bigger Bang (大棒) 15:30-16:10 Pet Conspiracy (宠物同谋) 16:30-17:10 Hao Yun (郝云) 17:30-18:10 Shuangzi (爽子) 18:30-19:10 Amguulan (阿穆隆) 19:30-20:10 Long Shen Dao (aka The Dragon God 龙神道) 20:30-21:10 Xiao Juan & Residents from the Valley (小娟 & 山谷里的居民)

Electronic Stage 14:30-15:20 Iloop 15:20-16:10 Sulumi (孙大威) 16:10-17:00 Zigzag 17:00-17:50 Dead J (邵彦鹏) 17:50-18:40 LIman 18:40-20:05 Ouyang 20:05-21:30 J Swarz


¥80 (sold only at the door) Tickets
http://www.modernsky.com/news/news1075.html

All The Places I've Lived & Places I'm Going!

As the peony in Beijing bloom, I am reminded of the cycles of life.
I had some wonderful homes this winter, but the feeling of being unsettled was tiring.
Without a restful winter, spring is like being woken by the morning sun after a heavy night of drinking and playing. But it is beautiful, nonetheless.

Frasier Suites CBD 1218 Dave's place (DEC)
CaoChangDi CCD300 Studio (JAN)
Sun City Bulding 4 #702 Tyra's place (FEB)
Chinese Block near Beixinqiao Station Building 5 #602 Julie's place (MAR)
Yonghe Villa #509 Emma's place (APR)
On the Road (MAY)

When it comes to planning travel routes and hostels en route on the Tibetan Plateau, best be "suibian." With unpredictable travel restrictions for foreigners, one must be Zen about it all.

New Motto
随便
[suíbiàn] 1. verb
To go with the flow

Sounds like "sway be anne"

a great online Chinese English dictionary
http://www.nciku.com


May Schedule IN PROGRESS

May 10
Beijing to ChengDu (Sichuan Capital City)

May 10 - 13
Hostel in ChengDu
+ Panda Research Center
+ Walk the city on one year anniversary of the 2008 earthquake that made China stand still

May 13
Bus West to Danba or Kanding

May 14
Day rest

May 15 -16
Tagong about 3700m
Tagong in Tibetan means 'the favourite place of the bodhisattva'.

May 16 - 18
Horse Trek organized by Angela Lankford with http://www.definitelynomadic.com/cmtreks.html
Three day trek out of Tagong:

Day 1: Drive to Gyergo Nunnery early in the morning, and join the morning chanting circumnabulation of the mani stone pile. Commission a mani stone if you wish, and look at the general store. Explore the area until noon. Then leave on horseback for the Mjera Hotprings on the other side of the pass. Enjoy them at sunset, after a long day.

Day 2: Walk downhill three hours to a high pine forest. The guides will set up camp and we will hike up for a view of the lake, and a walk around it (seeing all the sights there, including an old meditation hut, a sacred spring, a stunning waterfall, and glaciers on the peak above).

Day 3: Ride this long day out of the mountain valley, back across the grasslands over a low pass, back to Gyergo. Spend the night there and then head out the next day back to Tagong and out.

We could change Day 3 to not make a loop to Gyergo, but to a different car pick up site along the road, and you could get to Kangding that day if need be. So, similarly, if Gyergo really interests you, we could spend most of a day there, and a night, on the way in, with the same total day number. It depends on your sense of hurry.

May 18 -19
Kangding
For centuries, the town has been the trade center of the Han and Tibetan cultures.
China for a popular Kangding Love Song / 康定情歌

May 20 - 21
Bus to Litang
Stay the night

Potala Inn - the best hotel in town, just cross the bus station and walk 10m ahead then turn to right. 20/head for Tibetan Style bed, shared bath room; Y160/std. room, 24hrs hot water. Both the owner and the young Tibetan guy in charge speak good English. The hotel is almost the base camp for foreigners in town. Tel.: 0086-836-5322533, email: meiduo25@yahoo.com.cn

http://www.chinatrekking.com/destinations/sichuan/litang

May 21 - 22
Bus to Xiangcheng
Stay the night

May 22 - 29
Bus to Zhongdian
Stay the week with Alicia and Mum/Friends*

The "Shangri-La" discovered by Joseph Rock in 1928

May 29 - 30
Early bus to Tiger Leaping Gorge
(if tired, spend night at Jane's Guesthouse P: 880 6570)
(29) Hike half way
Sleep at Half Way House P:
(30) Hike other half
Sleep at Sean's Spring Guest House www.tigerleapinggorge.com

Tiger Leaping Gorge Shangri-la
Tel：+86 0 887 820 2222
Fax：+86 0 887 880 6300
Email：tibetdragon2001@gmail.com
Web:http://www.tigerleapinggorge.com
备案：滇ICP备05005679号 Manager enter

May 31 - June 2
(31) Early bus to LiJiang
Sleep at

June 2
Early bus to Dali

June 2 - 4
Dali Old City

June 4
Night Train to Kunming

June 5 - 7
Kunming

June 7 Sunday
Early flight to Beijing

June 8 Monday
Rest

June 9 Tuesday
Early morning flight to ATL


HOMEWARD BOUND
2009