camp memories

I went to many summer camps in my youth. The last one I went to before I stopped going entirely was a camp called Bucks Rock, which was described by many as being an artsy-fartsy place. I spent the majority of my time avoiding the numerous activities available to us, though I did manage to make something horrendous and long-forgotten in the "metals" shop and otherwise pass time in the "leather" shop where a number of others also not interested in doing much sat around in a trailer with a very overweight woman whose name I have also long forgotten talking about who knows what. I stayed in a wooden building in a cabin with three other guys, sharing two bunk beds. There were several counselors overseeing our activities or lack thereof. It was generally a very relaxed place and I'd probably enjoy it more now than I ever did then. The most productive thing I did there was spend many hours in what was literally a shed with a piano in it, probably developing my ability to a level at which I could reasonably consider going to music college though at the time that was hardly the goal. Congratulations to myself for using the time semi-effectively. Anyway, one of the counselors was a large black man named Lee who looked like Hootie if he were in the NFL. He was a nice guy and I remember one time when me and my bunkmates were up quite late playing cards far beyond our curfew, he burst into the room angrily and we expected him to scold us and tell us to get into our beds. He said, "Guys, I have only one thing to say to you." Wait for it. "Deal." We applauded I think and ended up playing cards well into the night, a game for which I wish I could remember the rules. The reason I mention the story is one of my most vivid visual recollections of the camp (although I do have quite a few apparently) is of Lee, standing on the second floor of our two-story cabin/house living accomodation and blowing out of his nose the most impressive snot rocket I had and still have ever seen. Perhaps I am romanticizing it, if it is possible to do that to a snot rocket story, but he was 6 feet tall or so and I'm pretty sure it touched the ground before it finished leaving his nose. Is that even possible? The reason I mention this is not specifically to gross everyone reading this out, but up until that time and I think until now, that was the only time I'd ever actually seen anyone do that. Not that magnitude, but just in general. Believe it or not it is something I have never attempted. I can barely blow my nose without getting grossed out. So, the full circle is that this sort of thing I saw on the street in China with an incredible regularity, and of course plenty of times in Yunnan which is why I thought of the whole thing to begin with. This is not stepping off onto the side of the road or into an alley to discretely empty one's nostrils, this is in the middle of a crowded market where are people are eating and shopping for things they do not need. For the sensitive Chinese readers of my blog, I am not telling this story to condemn or criticize everyone in China. I know this is not acceptable behavior necessarily as most of the rude behaviors I described are also not, but it is just a bit more frequent and I have to call attention to it because it is interesting and at least to me, kind of amusing. I admit though, watching so many people do that openly and spit as well does definitely make one wonder if it is part of the reason for the prevalance of all these respiratory ailments. I did hear that for a while the practice of spitting in public was being cracked down on around the time of the avian flu epidemic. Anyway, you can take my anecdote for what it is or is not worth. What can I say, I like to paint pictures.

On a sidenote, I am back in a hostel and it makes me appreciate just how incredible the Sheraton hotel in Kowloon is. I stayed there for two nights at a cost of about $200USD per night and it was far nicer than that money would ever get in New York I think, though I admit I haven't stayed in that many hotels in New York. Also, perhaps the fact that I have stayed in all these budget places for the last two months has increased my appreciation of a giant and soft bed with a thermostat in the room after spending many nights with not much in the way of temperature control while sleeping on large planks of wood with what is basically a towel on it.

My cold is continuing to improve though my stomach is a tad on the fritz, this time because I had a few beers last night. Probably excessively optimistic but I was feeling better and ended up in Lan Kwai Fong again, one of the nightlife areas around here, hanging out with a friend from the hostel so I figured what the hell. Probably overdid it on the falafel too. In any case, tonight things are fine and I just had a chana masala which can't possibly be as good as I think it was. This placed Branto just makes some really impressive Indian food. I wonder if I'd be so enamored had I not just spent 2 months deprived of what is apparently my favorite cuisine. I've said my esteem for Chinese food has been raised considerably on this trip which is true, but Indian remains in a class of its own. The guy I was hanging out with is from Bristol in England and spent 6 months living in India, so he was telling me a bit about the different street foods they have over there. Apparently a samosa can be had for only 2 rupees, at an exchange of rate of apparently 80 rupees to 1 US dollar. That's a whole lot of samosas man.

I bought a ticket to go to Taiwan today, that will be my next stop. If I do not alter the return date at a later time, I will be on the island of Taiwan in various cities from 12/5 until 1/3, through New Years. I return to HK after that and where I'll go after I'm not sure. That's the question isn't it?