Thursday 26 September 2013

What's the deal with Ovaltine?

Hi everyone,

A slight detour from my normal "life in China" blog this time around.  If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you would know that last week I went on a bit of a pilgrimage (for want of a better word) to see one of my all time favourite comedians - Jerry Seinfeld.    Family and friends who know me well know my obsession with Seinfeld (both the man and the show) - from the fact that I own the complete series, to being able to beat other Seinfeld fans at the DVD boardgame (yes, I'm talking about you Dan VanDerMeer).  I even bought the t-shirts! The only other entertainer I am more obsessed with is Billy Joel.

The story of my recent adventure begins in my office in Beijing......

About 3 weeks ago I was sitting in my office thinking what I should do during the upcoming "Mid Autumn" festival (3 days holiday in China), when a little voice in the back of my head reminded me that Jerry Seinfeld was touring around the USA.  What would the chances be that he would have a show during those 3 days? And would there still be tickets available?  How about the flights?  Surely they would be too expensive? And what would I wear?  Perhaps I might get to meet him?

OK, maybe I was getting ahead of myself.  First step, check where he was playing.  I looked up his tour dates, and found he was playing a gig on Friday 20th September in a city called Peoria, just outside of Chicago.  Tickets were sold out on Ticketmaster, but I tracked some down on a site called "Ticket Liquidators".  A little bit more than face value, but acceptable.  And they had seats available in the second row.

Next step, look at flights.  Cheapest I could find was with American.  Beijing - Tokyo - Chicago - Peoria , and return Peoria - Chicago - Beijing.  Let's see.....close to 30 hours round trip for possibly a 90 minute show.  Let's see what people think.

I posted on Facebook my plan and asked for comments.  Should I stay or should I go? I sort of knew what friends would say, and 99.9% of people said "Do it!.  So, I did it.  Flights, accommodation and ticket booked within 30 minutes.  I was off to America to see Jerry Seinfeld.  For 3 nights!  And 30 hours on a plane!  Crazy?!

A quick summary of the trip from Beijing to Peoria, so you can see the pain I went through

1.  Wednesday 18th, got up at 2:30am (was supposed to be 4:30am, but couldn't sleep).  Got a taxi at 5:00am to the airport.
2.  Beijing to Tokyo, arrived in Tokyo at 1pm.  Next flight was at 6:05pm, so I flashed my Qantas Club card at the American Airlines lounge, and chilled for the next 5 hours.
3. Tokyo to Chicago, sat next to a chatty (and slightly drunk) American.  His name was Kevin, and he lived in Thailand and was married to a Thai girl who he kept referring to as "my girl".  Surely she has a name? Watched Monsters University and Star Trek (for the 5th time), and got a few hours sleep.
4. Arrived in Chicago at 4pm (Wednesday), and transferred to my flight to Peoria leaving at 6:00pm.  Due to thunder storms, we sat on the plane for 90 minutes because of the lightening as they closed the ground operations.  5 minutes earlier, we would have been on our way.
5.  Lightening finally stopped about 7:30pm, at which time we were told our flight had been cancelled and there were no more flights that night to Peoria.  Oh-oh!
6.  In a moment of sheer brilliance (or stupidity) decided to rent a car for the 130 mile trip to Peoria.  By the time I got my bag back from the flight, walked around in a daze for about 30 minutes thinking what to do, then hired the car, it was about 9pm.
7.  Drove to Peoria.  Arrived at the hotel just before midnight.

Oh, and what was my first purchase when arriving in the USA?  What else...



As you can see, it wasn't all smooth flying to get to my destination.  But the thing that made it all worth while was waiting for me at the hotel reception....





Let the fun begin!

Woke on Thursday, and decided to explore downtown Peoria.  I had the car for the rest of the day, so did some exploring.  Let's just say that there is not a lot to see and do in Peoria (pop. 150,000).  I drove around and admired the number of closed down businesses, and houses up for sale.   In the downtown area (where I was staying), it felt like it was a holiday.  I don't think I saw more than about 10 people.  After lunch, I took the car back to the airport and got a taxi back to the hotel.  I asked the Taxi driver (Terry) what is there to do in Peoria.  "Well, Peoria is the home of the Caterpillar head office, and visitors centre (that should be center, I'm in the US after all).  You can go and check out the massive trucks and bulldozers they make".  

OK, why not!?


Like all of Peoria, things were quiet at the Caterpillar visitors center.  I was the only one there.  But, I have to say I was impressed.  The center has only been open for 12 months, so things were all shiny and new.
Plus they had lots of simulators, so I could practice my dozer work on a computer simulation.  The visit to the Caterpillar HQ filled in 2 hours.




Back at the hotel, I decided to do some homework on where I should eat dinner.  After a whole 5 minutes of research (remember, not a big city), I found "Joe's Crab Shack".  Great!  Dinner is sorted.  A quick nap (I had only slept about 6 hours in the last 2 days), I hit the road to find Joe's Crab Shack.

Peoria is built on lake, and Joe's over looked the water.  It was  a clear night, and it seemed that most of the Peoria population were at Joe's.  After being seated by my "server" James, he quickly explained all about the choices.  Everything at Joe's seemed to come served in buckets.  If you ever wondered why some American's are so big, there is your answer.  Their food is served in buckets.

"OK James, I will have the shrimp (served in a bucket), the rum punch drink (served in the glass equivalent of a bucket), and let's see...Ah yes, I will have the bucket of crab".

Now James was very clever, he picked straight away that I was Australian.  "You sure you wouldn't like a Fosters instead?".  If there is one thing you should never ask an Australian, that's "would you like a Fosters?".  There is a misconception all around the world that because Fosters is promoted as an Aussie beer, we must enjoy drinking it!  Wrong!  I then had to explain to James that even though it's an Aussie beer, we don't drink it because it tastes "like piss".  James will never make that mistake again.


 A quick selection of photos from my night at Joe's Crab Shack.

Left: The menu, showing buckets of everything

Right: The bib that I was given (James wrote "I come from a land down under" on it)



 Left: My bucket of steamed crab served with garlic and butter (along with potatoes and corn).  Have to admit, it was bloody delicious!

Right: Joe's Crab Shack


Below: View from my table across the lake

After a walk around Peoria to find a bar (let's just say I didn't like the look of some of the bars), decided to head back to the hotel.  Friday rolled around, and hit the streets again.  Surely there is something more entertaining to do in Peoria than visit the Caterpillar Center.  

Apparently not.  I got the feeling that Peoria is one of those cities that has been hit hard by the economic crisis.  Any shops that I went in (the ones that were still open) seemed surprised to see me.  The whole city felt rundown and on the brink of putting out the "closed for business" sign.  

I managed to fill in the day, and finally it was show time.  The Peoria Civic Center was a 5 minute walk from my hotel, so no need to rush.  There was a little bar on the corner that was doing a "Jerry Seinfeld" special.  Burger and Fries, plus a beer for $8.  Who am I to say no to anything Seinfeld related (even though burgers, fries and beers have nothing to do with Seinfeld!)





Not sure how many people the Civic Center holds, but it was full (apart from seats next to me).  And I was in the second row!  Gold Jerry!  Jerry was supported by another comedian, Larry Miller.  He actually appeared in an episode of Seinfeld (he played "The Doorman").  I think the hardest job in the world must be supporting someone like Seinfeld, but he did a great job.  30 minutes into his set, he said goodbye, and it was time for Jerry.



No big fan fare, no big booming voice introducing him, he simply runs out on stage - and it was game on.  Now, even though the tickets said "no photos", I did manage to snap a few.  Not the best, but I think you can tell it's Jerry Seinfeld.


And he did not disappoint.  30 hours on a plane, a dent in the credit card, someone trying to offer me a Fosters and a ride on a Caterpillar tractor all made the next 80 minutes worthwhile.  Yes, I was a little disappointed that he did not perform for longer, but you know the old showbiz saying - "leave them wanting more".  It was gold baby!!  80 minutes of wall to wall laughs.  That's what makes him one of the best.  And even when he started talking about his wife, and the woman behind me yelled out "She's hot, and she puts vegetables in cookies", he did not miss a beat.  (Apparently his wife has learned to bake vegetables into cookies, making them more healthy for kids etc.  I know, very random thing to yell out).

We were out by 9pm, and I walked back to the hotel.  I was planning to go and check out a live music bar I had seen the night before, but I met some people back at the hotel who told me Jerry was staying at the hotel.  My hotel!!  What?  So instead of hitting the bar, I stood outside with 6 other people waiting for Jerry to come back....standing...waiting....for 2 hours.  We were finally told by the manager that Jerry had indeed stayed at the hotel - the night before.  But after the show, he took his private jet back to New York. 

Bugger!

Saving grace was I did manage to get a photo with Larry Miller, "the doorman"


Saturday, and time to head back to China.  In the taxi on the way to the airport, I was telling the taxi driver about my journey, and why I had come.  He thought I was crazy, but he got it.  He told me there was an article on the show in that mornings paper - so he gave me the paper.  What a nice guy!  

Was it worth it?  Of course it was.  Would I do it again?  Yes.  Am I going to stop asking myself questions, then answering them straight away? Maybe.

Sometimes life throws up these opportunities, and I have learned that you have to grab onto them, hold on tight, and enjoy the ride.    Hey, that's how I ended up in China.




Tuesday 17 September 2013

Six things you need to know about Urumqi

So, where was I......

Last time I blogged (back in July) I was describing what it was like travelling by fast train in China.  Many things have happened since then, so I thought it time to bring you up to speed on my adventure.  If you've just tuned in, let me bring you up to speed:

1.  I am living and working in China, and have been since July last year
2.  My job takes me to many different cities in China, and
3.  I am still scared of using squat toilets

I am currently General Manager of Content for a group of radio stations in China.  Currently we have 7 stations, and expanding to 10 in the next 12 months.  We have stations in Nanjing, Nanchang, Hefei, Xi'an, Changchun, Tianjin and Urumqi.  Today's blog (as you would have guessed by the title) is about my recent trip to Urumqi, and six things you need to know.


1.  Urumqi should be called Urumqi-stan

Urumqi is located in the North West of China and is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, about a 3.5 hour flight from Beijing.  The unique thing about time zones in China is they are all on the one time.  So even though Urumqi is 2500 km's away from Beijing, it still has the same time zone.  It would almost be like Sydney and Perth having the same time.  Which makes for a strange experience - it's still dark at 7am in the morning, and still light at 9pm at night..

Urumqi is a very unique city in China, as it has a very diverse population.  Because of it's proximity to Russia and the Middle East (it should be called Urumqi-stan because it is surrounded by Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan - all the Stans!), it also has a large Muslim population.  In most other cities in China, road signs are in Chinese and English.  In Urumqi, the road signs are in Chinese, English, and Arabic.

2.  Security is tight!

If you follow the news, you might have heard about the trouble in Xinjiang province.  Like most parts of the world, it all comes down to religious differences.  In July, a group of extreme Islamists attacked a police station in Xinjiang province, killing over 20 people.  So, as you can imagine, security is tight.  Every hotel, shopping centre, and major street, has police and security presence.  At the airport, your bag gets screened twice, you get a "full" pat down (including your feet getting scanned), and then when walking onto the plane, you also get checked for explosives.

Our station is owned by the Xinjiang Broadcasting Station - a big complex housing both radio and TV stations.  Again, because of the security presence, foreigners are not allowed in without an escort.  On Monday when I arrived, I had to phone my Program Manager to come and let me in.  However,  Tuesday was a different story.  The security guards had changed, and they would not let me in - even with my escort.  It took several phone calls to the station bosses, and finally one of them had to come down to sweet talk the grump guard to let me pass.  I managed to sneak this photo of the guards.  I am sure if they had discovered me taking this photo, they would not have been happy.

3.  Feels like a different country

Because of the population diversity, it feels like you are somewhere in the middle east (even though I have never been to the middle east).  The combination of people, signs, food, and even architecture, you get the feeling you're "not in Kansas anymore".

On Saturday night, one of the girls and her husband took us out to dinner.  We drove to the outskirts of the city, and it was such a contrast to cities like Beijing.  You could actually see the surrounding countryside.  It felt like a street in another part of the world.  We also went to the Muslim market, where again, the architecture felt like you were strolling the streets of Turkey.

The bazaar sold mostly Muslim food and souvenirs, but it was such a surreal experience walking around this very middle eastern market, but still in China.  And again because there is also a large population of Russians (Urumqi is close to Russia too), I kept getting mistaken for a Russian.  It could have been the white hair, or the fact I was carrying around and drinking a bottle of vodka.  I'm not sure.





3.  Their squat toilets are even worse in Urumqi.

If you've been reading my blogs, you will know that I am not a fan of the squat toilets.  In most parts of China, I am constantly faced with the squat toilet.  Ok, I have now sort of mastered the experience, but it still scares me - and in Urumqi, the toilets are even worse.

The restaurant we went to on Saturday night, as I said, was on the outskirts of Urumqi.  It was recommended by our host, so we went along to try some Xinjiang food (which, if you like your food spicy, you will love!).  When we arrived, I popped off to use the toilet (only Number 1's).  As I walked in, I noticed a big drum of water and a scoop inside the drum.  It wasn't until I finished and reached for the flush button, that I realised what the water was for.  Yep, you had to use the water to "flush" manually.  Well, that's a new experience.  And to prove I am telling the truth, here is a photo of said water drum.


4.  Technology is everywhere!

Technology has infiltrated all areas of China.  Smart phone sales are through the roof, and pretty much everyone has access to the internet.  But it still surprises me when I see it in rural areas.  Again, in the restaurant in Urumqi, it was a very basic place (I mean, look at the toilet).  The decor was old and tired, it looked dirty, rundown, and it would be something you would see on Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares".

However, as rundown and basic as it was, the waitresses still took our orders electronically.  Yep, that's right.  It was all entered into a hand held ordering system , and sent to the kitchen electronically.

5.  They possibly invented the Shandy

I was introduced to a new style of beer in Urumqi.  I have to admit,  I was not feeling all that well last weekend when we ventured out, and really wanted to avoid beer.  But when I was told it was like "beer mixed with honey" I thought I would give it a try.

So, out came the Kawas.  And I have to say, it was pretty good.  It tasted more like a Shandy (beer and lemonade) than beer and honey, but it was refreshing.  I was told it was a local drink which had been made for years.  Which got me thinking, did the people of Xinjiang actually invent the Shandy?

6.  Urumqi is one of the most polluted cities in China

You may not guess by this photo, but Urumqi is one of the most polluted cities in China.  It is situated in a valley, so on heavy pollution days, the pollution just hangs in the sky.  This time of year (as you can see) it's nice blue skies.  In fact, everyday I was there, we had similar weather.  But in winter, when the temperature drops to around -17, people crank up the heaters, and the pollution level goes through the roof.


This was only my second visit to Urumqi.  Because of it's proximity, it's hard to find the time to get up there.  Plus, the station is making money and the radio audience ratings are good, so I have not been required in the last 12 months. It's a nice city, but as I said, it does feel like you are in another country.

I will leave you with this photo. I took this photo in a shopping centre in Urumqi.  I noticed parents of this girl encouraging her to pose for this photo.  She is standing next to a photo (yes it's only a photo) on the wall.  They parents thought it was hilarious.  And so did I.....


Tomorrow I am doing something completely different - flying to the US for 4 days to see Jerry Seinfeld live in Peoria, Illinois.  I know, crazy right?  Well, I am sure there will be good Blog material.

Zaijian!