MY ASIAN TRIP
My Asian trip was big. Long and full of new interesting views, people, culture, and other small aspects.
First of all I moved to Beijing, China. City is nice, a lot of temples and parks around, small lakes with a lot of restorants and small old streets. All velo and moto transport works on accumulators – Think it is Olimpic games result. A lot of people on the central streets who wants to know your name and where am I from… Very problematic ones! Be carefull with them! It was hard to remember all the subways station names as Guargximen or Chaoyangmen or Jianguomen… It’s writes different but sounds the same! It was hard to orientir in the city+ metro first time (I was 3 days there). Even taxi driver had a problem to find my hotel address. There are no way for me to do my trip in Beijing so easy if not Katya ‘s help. She is helped me a lot (starts from Hotel reservation, ticket to sms and phone personal Guid. She is my ex student, now works in Beijing like in architect and also nice girl. When I was looking around I met Italian girl Martina Bazzo from Milan (later we spent some time together including visit of Great wall on my Birthday) and one american Boeing engineer Paul who also get lost in orientation there. So three of us get one place together to see some modern region where was Pauls hotel. Thanks him for the double juice for me… Nice evening with Katya in one beautiful place near the lake (but without lotus flowers - they cut it and probably ate. But with romantic candle) and with nice company!!! Finished my last day in Beijing.
Morning on next day I was in speed train (240km/h) moving to Shanghai city for Expo visit and not only. Alina my other ex student ;) - (what to do if your students everywhere) Jock! Met me in Shanghai that she get 2 days earlier and brought me to the hotel. Thank you Alina for this and for your travel bag that I use for 2nd PRP! Hotel was kind of far from the center (but +metro) took almost 1,5 hours but was enough cheep. It was funny to use a motorcycle taxi to get my hotel at night, hugging the driver men for the 30 minutes with wind in the ears, without helmet and roads rules. But in double times cheaper then on real taxi!:)). If you are foreign and stay in the hotel, the owner will bring you to police to fill some documents…Be ready! Two days I spent in Expo place with a lot of countries pavilions and million china’s and some Europeans and other visitors. Hours and hours waiting in the lines to get any pavilion! I choosed to see them all outside and just some inside. It was many interesting architecture and interior scenary ideas. 2 days on expo + 2 days other places…Old Shanghai (more correct to say: small village Zhujiajiao) like Asian Venice located on the Dianshan Lake! There are canals and gondolas. It is another story how I found that place, trying to explain to the Chinas people the purpose of my interest and how I overtook my bus by the taxi. City is interesting also. Tall sky buildings and the tallest one in near past time we visited. Nice sea panoramas there you can see.
Came time to move our bodies to the South Korea, Jeju. Two flights get us there. In a way we met Sasha (also student who was in Pilipino park and lived in James home in winter last year.) So 3 Russians bodies get Jeju to renew Russian presence on Jeju for help PRP motion. “PRP Alumni” it calls now!)) Athena – American girl also came like PRP Alumni. She was participated in Mexican park.The view from the terrace of our home on Jeju was amazing! Through the cover of pine trees you can see the ocean with big waves, sound of crushed by the volcanic rocks with such rich forms (that looks like an animals or faces). Super view!!!
I get room where lived Valery (he came 1 week earlier), Mike (I knew him from Pilipines) and two Koreans students JH and Oh (nice guys). JH - washing machine boss- he always was in company of Korean girls that did massage to him and to Mike sometimes (I think there were a lot of girls who wanted to do massage to Mike))), Oh – internet boss- who always was absent at night but at morning was too late for the breakfast. Some times Piglet - Korean girl came to our room at morning to dry her hairs (maybe because Mike had a personal hair dryer or maybe she liked to come and do this procedure in front of mirror especially in our room because the mirrors of our eyes also was bright))) I don’t know. All was ok, but all the girls that came to our room get in without any signal without patter and warning.)))
How we get see there was too much work to finish! (everybody just ate different food delicates) befor our arrival! Jock. The park on Jeju is the biggest one on area and students with James and Kyle did a lot. But 10 days that we worked there were also enough to get tired of Work and hot weather. Nice company, interesting country presentations, opening ceremony… Bye friends, bye James and Kyle… 3 days more on Jeju. Thanks to professor Ko and Tracie. They gave us place to stay longer. We visited the central Island pick mounting (1950m), volcanic cave, museum of love…)
I had chance to sweam with a dolphins in the sea there. But also in that time which I was on Jeju I lost my cat Musik. He lived in our family almost 18 years. It was sad time for me. He met me at home after 4 parks (S-Diedo, Yantai, Tijuana, P-Princesa). After 5th he did’t…(((
Seoul. We get city by diffenent teams. Me, Katya and Dima (2 students) stay in Valery’s apartments. He works in Korean University like a professor and live there with his family for a year. Seoul I visited in a year befor the park on Pilipines. It was new for the Students. Big city, many places to see if you know where to go…Thanks to Valery for his help in this deal.
Later train to Busan. Busan is a large port. We stay in one japan hotel not so far from the railway terminal. There are many bridges and ships in the bays. The landscape like in Vladivostok. I like this city. It is near the ocean! Nice sea panorams, sailfish, fish market… We visited Busan aquarium. It is in 3 levels underground. There are a lot of sea animals, penguins, snakes, terrapin, frogs, fishes, chilims, crabs, gelfishes (medusas). I was interesting in slopes and sharks. I never see too much differences in one place. Think it is interesting for the kids! But all this animals wanted freedom… it was in their eyes…(
Bus to Sokcho. Sokcho is a small city. In 1989 (maybe) it was an Expo there. Not so much new architecture since that time just mail pavilion and an Expo tower, but I like. It is very comfortable city. And again – the sea, waves, small fishing ships in interesting Asian forms. Also exelant mountings, cable car, mounting river with waterfalls and small bridges, Lighthouses!
Last shopping and we are on the Ship to Russia. Romantic trip home with clean horizon in the One Ocean at day and night, stars on the sky, moon +not romantic drunk Russians brought us to the real condition after so nice adventure. PRP time are great time and the thing that we do, did and hope will do. But life around PRP also different. And people live by their lifes with their problems and mentolitet. Hope world will change to the best not just by PRP!!! :(
Probably it was hard for the students Katya and Dima to have so concentrated trip after hard work on the park, but If not in this time, who knows maybe we never will be in this part of the world. Life is so changeable, volatile.
We’ve got Russia. We can see our native coast, islands, smell. Zarubino city. Is nice to come here for rest near the sea, but we came home. We miss home. What is home??? - Friends? – Parients and Friends! And Land and Language and Smell! And the LOVE that we all trying to find…
Anatoly Tukhbatulin
