San Diego Zoo

They say that if you are in San Diego, one of the must-dos is to go visit the San Diego Zoo. The zoo is actually quite nice and a great place to bring children. It's situated in the Balboa Park area so if going to the zoo is not your cup of tea, you can check out the nearby museums and gardens as well. Some of them were admission free.

In the past, I've always enjoyed my visits to zoos. This time, however, I felt my emotions slightly mixed. When I came upon the Colobus monkeys, I was very excited! I actually recognized them because I saw this species in Tanzania. They were raucous throughout our first night in the mountain. Thus, after seeing wildlife roaming around freely as they pleased in Tanzania, I couldn't help feeling sorry for these animals imprisoned behind the barb wired fences and glassed walls at the zoo. If you never seen animals in the wild, these prisoners would appear lifeless and unhappy in comparison. The Colobus monkey that I saw looked so sad. He wasn't even screaming. I really wanted to release him from his confined space and ship him back to Tanzania.

But of course in life, someone or something has to sacrifice. Without zoos, I would not be able to learn about some of the animals that I've never seen before and see them up close. At the San Diego Zoo, I saw a polar bear for the first time! Given the improbable chance that I would travel to a destination where I would see a polar bear in his own habitat, and the possibility that these bears might go extinct some day, I was extremely grateful for the zoo and its upkeep of this mammal. Seeing this beautiful white giant creature had truly made my day.

If you're in San Diego, do check out the zoo!

       

Part II: Safari in Tanzania

If you love the National Geographic channel like I do, then you will loooove seeing the real thing live! The only drawback is that you can't really get too close to the animals the way a camera lens can zoom in. But you will be able to drive up very close to the animals with no obstruction from fences or windows that you see at a zoo. At one point, I was literally 3ft away from a pride of lions! I really did have an urge to step out of the vehicle to curiously pet them. But that wasn't allowed by my driver. (Ha! I wonder why). So what's the next risky thing I could do? I stuck the entire half of my upper body out of the window. Yes, I know. It was not the brightest thing to do, but I wanted to take a photo and show people how close I was! And then... I lost my arm!!! Ha, just kidding! But in all seriousness, I really don't advise anyone doing what I did. Thinking back, if those lions were hungry, they could have easily jumped on me and pawed me out so fast that I would have been their Asian fusion meal for that day.

GAP Adventures
For my amazing safari adventure, my sister-in-law's cousin and I hired Gap Adventures. It was a 4 days tour that included a visit to Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Mto wa Mbu, a Maasai village, and a delicious local Tanzanian meal. We were very fortunate to have the jeep all to ourselves and "Thomas" as our driver/guide throughout this journey. He was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about his job. I actually think he was the 'predator' because throughout our search, he persistently wanted to hunt down the animals during the moments when we were weary. He was so good that at one point he stopped the jeep and told us to look. We scrutinized the vast savanna but didn't see a thing. As it turned out, Thomas wanted us to see an army of ants rushing about on the ground near the tires! How the heck did he see that while driving?!
www.gadventures.com

Personally, 4 days is the perfect number of days to see all that we saw. Though I would probably extend a few more days to glimpse more of the Tanzanian culture. But 3 days of watching the wildlife was enough for me. After a while, you see the same animals over and over again and can get superfluous. The concentration of wildlife at Serengeti and Ngorongoro basically allows one to see all the animals within the space of one-two hours. But perhaps, not that I enjoy watching gore but I acknowledge the survival of life, it might have been more exciting if we saw some predation or killing on this trip. Instead, the animals that we saw basically lounged around, gave us an aloof and indifferent eye, and as if they were thinking "not another group of pitiful aficionados."

Maasai

Though it took 1.5hrs from Moshi to Arusha and another 3.5hrs to Ngorongoro Crater, driving is a great way to see Tanzania. Arusha is about 5x more populated than Moshi, and hence, busier and more active. At Arusha, I saw the most beautiful purple foliage! I didn't even know tree leaves can be purple! And that astonished me. But then the drive from Arusha to Ngorongoro became even more foreign mostly savanna range lands with scattered Maasai villages. Wow, did I just go back in time?! I learned that the Maasai clan is a semi-nomadic tribe that has resisted assimilating into the modern world. The traditional Maasai people still wear their traditional red robes (shuka) and live in huts the way their ancestors lived hundred years ago. Maasai society is still strongly patriarchal in nature and polygamy is common. Women do most of the work. And the measure of a man's wealth depends on the number of cattle and children they have. Some boys as young as 12 still practice circumcision rituals to represent the transitioning of boyhood to 'junior warriors'. During the healing process they would wear black clothes and paint their faces in white. I tried to capture pictures of these boys but I had a crappy camera and they charge outrages amounts for a photo. At last, when we went to visit a Maasai family's home and tour their living space, I thought I had stepped inside one of the displays at the Natural Museum of History with a cast of people dressed in Maasai styled robes. But behold, these people were real Maasai and those huts were really their homes! It was amazing. So if you want to see how our ancestors probably lived centuries ago, then I highly recommend a visit to Africa. Heck, you must visit Africa! It's a beautiful continent. It's nothing that I have ever seen before and it's enlightening. And finally, let me tell you, the traditional dances that the Maasai women do appear so simple. But in contrary, I just couldn't bob my chest or shoulders the way they do! [Check out what I mean in my video under Videos].

Part I: My Kilimanjaro

Have you ever felt an urge to do something but didn't know why you want to do it? Well I did. Prior to going to Tanzania this past month, my colleagues and friends would look at me with skepticism when I told them that I wanted to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro. After all, standing in front of them appears to be this gentle thin-framed somewhat fragile and soft specimen. "Mt. Kilimanjaro?! Wow! No kidding," they would say and continued to humor me with what they thought was my creative story. But quite frankly, even I often at times would entertain myself with my adventurous tale because, I too, didn't believe I would actually do it. But something keeps bestirring me from the inside to act upon this desire for the past few years. And I simply didn't understand why.

As a result, like any tasks that needs to be done, I started my planning of my trip to Tanzania. It began two years ago when I tried to entice my friends, my relatives, strangers, basically anyone, to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with me. Majority of the people responded with a definitive 'no'. I get it because who really wants to "work hard" during their vacation? But to me, hiking 6-7 hours a day for 9 days did not sound like hard work at all. It sounds therapeutic! And I get it because being unable to shower for 9 days sounds dreadfully stinky. But to reach to the top of the highest mountain in Africa sounds too irresistible that I am willing to forgo some beauty and cleansing! And why not go alone? Of course I can but I would much rather share the experience of such excitement with someone. Last year, I managed to find one friend and one cousin interested. I thought my adventure was finally brought to fruition. However, the plan quickly dematerialized after a few months of bluffing. I thought, perhaps, Mt. Kili was really a crazy fancy of mine after all.

Then one day during January of this year, a law of attraction happened. It turns out that my sister-in-law had two cousins and one of the cousin's wife were interested in climbing Mt. Kilimanajaro. We started communicating through emails and then we were booking our flights and tour operators, and then like instant magic, I was going to T-A-N-Z-A-N-I-A! Everything happened so fast and smoothly. The week before my departure, I still couldn't believe that I was heading to Africa.

Probably the best way for me to summarize my dream-came-true trip would be visually. (See under videos). But in short, I now understand why I had to hike Mt. Kili. I have always been inquisitive in understanding our journey of "life". Perhaps destiny had taken a role here. The moments I had at this mountain had finally shown me all the elements, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional, I had felt and seen all aspects of it there, and sometimes all three simultaneously! I came back down a different person. I have "grown" a little bit more. And what is most special to me is that it was at this mountain that I finally experienced what "free" and genuine "happiness" is like.

TUSKER TRAIL
A huge part of the joyous memory I had at Tanzania had to do with the people whom I met on this journey and choosing the right tour operator. There were 10 trekkers, including myself, hiking the Lemosho route. Amazingly, everyone of us got along very well. For our tour operator, we chose Tusker Trail. We had 44 porters and 3 guides escorting us. The 3 guides, Eliakim, Liberati, and Shabani, and an emergency porter, Godlisten, walked with us during the hike while the rest of the porters raced ahead to set up the next camp before we arrived. They all had a task and had done a spectacular job in ensuring our trip ran smoothly and successfully. (www.tusker.com)

Shabani, Godlisten, Eliakim, Liberati

On this trip, to my delightful surprise, I had built good friendships with a few of the crew members. There were Charles (Head Master of Camp), Regan (waiter), and Joseph (water boy). They shared with me details about their passion and hobbies. And then of course there were Eli, Libe, Shabi, and God. These guys were very entertaining and patient with me whenever I had an obstacle. I immediately came to love these four men and to this day still miss them terribly. They were the ones who helped our group to summit safely and successfully. Without their genuine care and support and Eliakim's great leadership, I'm unsure if I would have been able to step on the soils of the summit and participate a birthday celebration. (Yes, the Tusker crew threw a surprise birthday party for one of the trekkers whose birthday was on that day! How cool is that?!) Because I bonded so well with them, the only complaint I have about Tusker is their policy of not allowing their employees to keep in touch with the clients. (Um, how would Eddie Frank, the owner of Tusker, be able to meet his wife if he didn't get to keep in touch with her on their hike?) The point is, I have unfortunately lost a few new friends on this trip, which I'm very sad about.

Despite that one policy, Tusker is the tour operator one should use if one plans on hiking Mt. Kili. Comparing to most of the operators I saw on the mountain, Tusker had fairly sturdier and more reliable equipment. Moreover, the guides are very knowledgeable about the mountain and are medically certified. They do medical check up on the hikers twice a day to monitor our oxygen level and any health issues. They are probably one of the very few operators that carry a large supply of oxygen in case one needs it. There were instances where other tour operators would even ask Tusker for help! Furthermore, the food we ate was surprisingly delicious and yummy. None of the 10 trekkers had stomach issues. The two Tusker chefs are trained by the Culinary Institute of America and had concocted a variety of amazing treats for us. To this day, I'm still perplexed on how they managed to bake cakes and brownies at such cold weather conditions with the lack of kitchenware! In any rate, if you are thinking of hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tusker Trail is the right choice. They are slightly more expensive than most operators but given the uncertainty of the mountain's weather, it's better to be safe under trusting hands than sorry. And if you happen to get Eliakim, Liberati, and Shabani in your hike, then you got very lucky!

My fellow trek-mate Niki patiently wrote out the details of our hike. If you're interested, please read her blog! http://nikiharry.com/ 

RECOMMENDATIONS 
Prior to my hike, I did some research on how I should prepare for this trip. There were some useful information that I found on other webs, but this is an additional input from my experience. (This is assuming you are hiking/camping for 9 days).

• No need to bring a large day pack! I made that mistake and carried my Gregory 60 Deva, which  weighs 5lbs 8oz. I recommend going with a smaller and a lighter pack.
• Bring a bandana or a buff; something you can use to cover your face from the dust and the cold.
• As suggested from most websites, layering is key! A light gore-tex jacket is highly recommended. And a warm thick fleece pant that you can wear at night or under your hiking pants.
• Lots of wet wipes! And tissues. There will be some sniffles and possibly nose bleed which happened to me!
• Glad-lock plastic bags to store your things. The bags turn out to be quite handy keeping out the dust and condensation. It's also easier to see what you have in each bag when you need to pull an item out.
• No need to bring a book or a heavy journal book if you don't have to. The nights turned out to be too cold for me to want to pull my journal book out. I just wanted to get into my sleeping bag and go to sleep! 
• A solar charger. If you must be in touch with the outside world, there were certain points on the mountain that a few of my trek mates were able to text their family back at home.
• I brought my water filter but didn't even use it. Tusker provided filtered water for us. So make sure the operator you choose does that. But no need to think, just go with Tusker!
• If you have the option to buy waterproof vs. not, get the waterproof.
• Electrolyte or hydration tablets for your water. Extra boost of energy and hydration helps!
• Extra snacks for your guides. They will appreciate it!
• There are supermarkets in Moshi where you can purchase almost any toiletries. Just a fyi, in case you forgot to bring something along with you. It's Africa, but yes they do have modern supermarkets.
  

        

                    

Business Travel

Business-class seats

I stood with the economy-class passengers as we patiently waited for the booth attendant to announce which groups were allowed to board the plane. As always, I watched with envy as the first-class and business-class passengers pretentiously walk up to the front of the line. For a moment, silly me stood in line pondering how wonderful it would be if one day I could have that same privilege. Then with a quick glance at my ticket, I suddenly remember that I was traveling business today! What? I did not need to wait on line?!

I never thought a day like this would happen to me. I recently got a new job and my company was sending me abroad for training. So here I was sitting in the business-class section for the first time on the Cathay Pacific airline departing to Hong Kong. So this is one of the great perks that most corporate executives get. I must say, it is wonderful flying business class. I had complimentary access to the business lounge prior to boarding the flight. I did not have to purchase food or drinks, those comestibles were provided free of charge and I could take as many snacks as I wanted. And as I had briefly mentioned, I did not have to wait on line to board the plane. For the first time, I did not have to worry about getting on line earlier to ensure I get some space for my carry-on bag. And as soon as I sat down in my seat, a flight attendant came over to provide me refreshments and gave me a complimentary Agnes B. tote bag filled with cosmetic goodies. And in my seat area, there were two extra small flat surfaces for me to place my drink and tote without having to pull out the table. The seats were individually comparted providing private space, and with reclining and massaging buttons to amuse my comfort level. I can actually rest well by straightening out my seat into a bed! This was definitely better than asking for an exit seat!

Half hour into the flight, the flight attendant gave me a bottle of water and the menu for this journey. The menu for business class was extravagant.

This was my Brunch menu:
Starters: Mango energizer, fruit, fruit yogurt, assorted cereals.

Main course: (choose one of the 3 options)

* Scrambled egg ham roll, sauteed mushrooms, spinach and herb tomato

* Stir-fried noodles with Chinese chives, mushroom and assorted dim sum

* Seafood congee with steamed mushroom rice roll with imperial soy sauce

Bread basket and tea coffee

This was my Dinner menu:
                                                       Starters:

Pan-seared jumbo scallops

Pan-seared jumbo scallops with pesto and

Ratatouille Mesclun salad with grilled vegetables with olive oil and balsamic dressing

Main Course: (choose one of the 4 options)
* Stir-fried pawns w/ XO sauce with egg friend rice & mixed vegetables
* Pan-seared USDA Prime beef tenderloin with rosemary jus, potato gratin, stuffed eggplant & baby zucchini
* Grilled chicken with creamy polenta, asparagus & leeks
* Linguine pasta with truffle oil cream sauce, toasted pinenuts & baby zucchini.

Cheese & Dessert: (We actually get fresh cheese!)

Brie, Manchego, taleggio and Fresh seasonal fruit and Yogurt strawberry cake and Tea & Coffee

     

And of course, there are cocktails, aperitifs and snacks to choose from throughout the flight. It was fine dining at 35,000 feet altitude. Jumbo scallops on the plane? Really?! Boy, what do first-class passengers get?! Caviar? 

Breakfast served in my room.

Standard room at JW Marriot

    

In addition to flying business class, my company also provided me lodging for two weeks. I stayed at the JW Marriot Hotel at Admiralty Place and got upgraded to the executive level floors with full access to its executive lounge. I have to admit, it felt awesome every time I press the elevator button. Heads would turn and eyes glanced my way, all wondering who could that important woman be. So this is how it feels to be "special" or how wealthy people perhaps live. Never had I stayed in a luxury hotel for this many days. I think I can get use to this type of business travel. Needless to say, my first business trip was a terrific experience. 



Night view of Hong Kong



Aerial view of Hong Kong



Time Travel

The other day, I took a quick flight back to Hong Kong. I found myself wandering on one of the streets in Kowloon, near where I grew up. On this narrow street, all the buildings were either two or three stories tall. The weather was absolutely beautiful with clear blue sky and minimal clouds. On this street, I saw a woman, an older lady, and a two year old little girl climbing up a public stairway up to the roof top of a three storied amber-colored building. I decided to follow them from behind. The adults were chattering about immigration and family matters while simultaneously enjoying the amazing views of swaying river boats and Hong Kong skyscrapers across the water. The little girl with a pony tail clothed in her favorite deep blue velvet dress was left alone meandering around. Something soon was going to happen to the little one and I was going to prevent it. If I didn't, this little girl will forever be traumatized from this experience throughout her adult life. I knew because that little girl was me from the past.    

Now, wouldn't it be marvelous if we could travel back in time, or even into the future! I am currently reading an interesting book called Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku. Mr. Kaku is a renowned theoretical physicist. I rarely read such brainy scientific literature, but I couldn't help being intrigued about what Mr. Kaku had to say about teleportation and time machines. There are theories about black holes and wormholes, the latter being shortcuts between two places in the universe. Mr. Kaku further explained that if the universe rotates, and you were to go around the universe, you will come back before you left - hence, theoretical possibility of time travel. But the remarkable advances in science and technology over the years have now made teleportation actually possible?! Yes, you heard me right! According to Mr. Kaku, it's no longer science fiction but a science fact. Well, at the level of atoms that is. But simply the fact that it is possible, is incredible! Like Mr. Kaku said, "impossible" is often a relative term. Sometimes, I wonder if those extraterrestrial objects and aliens that some people claimed to have seen are our descendants on aircrafts from the future traveling back to our time to visit. I would like to believe it is feasible. We are constantly undergoing change. We used to look like monkeys. Maybe in the future we will look like creatures with thin bodies and colossal eyes. If we could believe that we can build planes to fly, I would like to believe that in the future we can build machines to take us back in time.

Time travel has always been an intriguing fantasy for me. If I can choose a point in time to travel, I would probably pick traveling back in time instead of the future. I want to leave room for some hope and anticipation in the future. Life would be uninteresting and pointless if I knew my destiny. I wouldn't need to use my brain or have any room for personal growth! But the past is a different story. I can revisit history, perhaps even going as far back as the dinosaur periods. I want to see how my ancestors lived and how they handle their daily activities that we now often take for granted. I want to help solve inexplicable myths and crime cases. I want to change some parts of my past and redo it all over again. For instance, preventing myself from touching some yellow viscid spit that day when I wore my favorite blue velvet dress! Yes, it was traumatic because I still remember it today! And heck, what we all probably desired most, I want to visit my younger parents and force them to purchase some stocks and real estate that had increased exponentially in value now! Haha. But I know situations and circumstances had to happen to lead us exactly where we are today. We can't change the past. But how cool it would be if I could check off "time travel" on my to-do list! That would definitely be an ultimate journey of a lifetime! 

Condolences to Japan

This morning in NY Times, I've learned about a huge quake and tsunami that pummeled the coast of Japan and killed more than 600 people in Sendai, Japan. We'll undoubtedly brace further losses. Sendai is the closest major city to the epicenter. The 8.9 magnitude earthquake is one of the most severe since the 9.1 magnitude quake that struck Sumatra in late 2004. Any news of tragedy is devastating. But news of Japan hold dear to my heart because I love the Japanese culture, food, and language. When I was in college, I did a summer abroad in Hokkaido and studied a full year in Kyoto. I also interned in Tokyo for several months. I really like Japan, and it's unfortunate that this archipelago is located above an area where several continental and oceanic plates meet that causes frequent earthquakes. I've never been to Sendai, but been to its neighboring town, Matsushima. I'm sure this tremor was quite strong and had terrified people. I had my fill of shock when I experienced a minor flutter when I was in Japan. The building that I was in swayed hard and I seriously thought it will collapse on top of me. I can't imagine how the force of this quake had imposed. I just want to send my deepest condolences to the people in Japan. おくやみもうしあげます.

A Journey of a Baby Fish

     My aunt came by today to drop off some additional fish for my tank. Amongst the school of fish, one was a baby who perhaps accidentally got netted out from its original home. Sitting in front of the tank staring into their new world, I couldn't let my eyes off on this particular creature. Unlike the other sprightly larger and older fish, the baby was so cute and teeny. If you are not paying attention, you would think it's a piece of a floating poop. Marveled at my unexpected addition, I decided to follow this cutie pie's tracks. I wondered where this baby was going and what it was thinking because it seemed lost and frightened, perhaps pondering where its siblings were. Worried because the baby isolated itself from others swimming cautiously throughout, I wondered whether this baby would even survive in its new home. How would this baby even fight for food during meal time?! But how marvelous, I thought, that even a fish has its own journeys and destiny. For instance, I presupposed this baby fish had been born into what I called a low-middle class because its home is of a moderate sized fish tank. If it were wealthy, the fish would probably be in the ocean filled with endless possibilities. However, this baby is now in my tank and will at least be loved, fed, and safe. This baby fish was also fated to travel abroad very early in its life. This morning the cutie left birth home Brooklyn and moved to new home Manhattan. Translated in the human world, it's like saying the fish had traveled from birth place Canada to residential NY. And now fated to be in its new world and separated from its identical siblings, this baby fish must venture on in its new journey. I guess the life of a fish is really not that different from us.

Separated from the school of fish on the other side of the diaphanous tank divider is my longtime gobbling goldfish. I think of this fish as an old, grumpy, and gluttonous bully who managed to outlive his peers for several years. He had the whole tank all to himself for at least three years until few months ago when we adopted some fish from my aunt. Ever since his neighbors moved in, I see him ramming his big fat lips against the divider, hoping to magically navigate to the other side. Fortunately as advertised, the divider works wonderfully separating my clueless fish from harming the smaller ones by a clear screen with tiny pores that allow unrestricted filtration. After a few minutes, and seeing that my tank could use more water, I went to the kitchen and came back with a bucket of water to fill up the tank. After filling up to a level of my satisfaction, I glanced one last time at my beautiful water world. Then I noticed a strange moving poop in my goldfish's domain. Wait, it's not a poop but that baby fish!! How did it get to the other side?! Does it not know it had traversed to a dangerous place?! Swim back from where you came from!! And then, to my horror, that big fat blob opened it's annoying large mouth and gulped the victim. I was beyond mortified. Standing speechless, I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. I felt dumbfounded and guilty for I could have perhaps prevented this outcome. Instantly, I should have pounded my fist against the window to scare off that bully and then quickly net out the baby. But I wasted on those seconds hailing the fish's dexterousness of slipping through the other side and searching for clues on how the fish swam through. And a part of me naively thought big goldie would not possibly eat the fish. Not my goldie. But was I wrong and now too late. The baby fish had journey its way from Brooklyn to be sacrificed as a snack and laid to rest in goldie's belly. I'm saddened but I guess it holds true in general to all aspects in life, sometimes a journey can be long and sometimes brief. The life of this baby fish abruptly came to a halt but at least it had traveled, explored, and me to write about it.