A good fortune may forbode a bad luck, which may in turn disguise a good fortune.
Chinese Proverb

A village wall in a rural Chinese village in Hunan Province.

Performers on stage outside one of famous restaurants in Changsha, China

Yes, I have returned to the big city. I am enjoying western toilets, air conditioning, and running water.

Oh, the foods I ate. I sampled a Hunan delicacy: Stinky Tofu (not to be confused with Snarky Tofu). For the unenlightened: Stinky tofu is marinated in a mix of fermented milk, Chinese herbs and spices, and other goodies  for several months. Honestly: It smells like raw sewage. Get a single whiff and you’ll never forgot it. In Hunan, China, it’s fried until black. Served, it looks like a charcoal briquette. No, not appetizing. Strangely, it doesn’t taste bad. The smell disappears when the tofu is cooked.

Other treats included:

• Boiled Peanuts
• Flower Pork
• Crispy and Spicy Fried Duck
• Mao’s favorite food: Hongshao Rou (braised, fatty pork)
• Assorted Noodle Dishes
• Food with Peppers (eggs and peppers, pork and peppers, beef and peppers)
• Dried Smoked Fish (with peppers).
• Squid and Oyster Mushroom Soup

My stomach was not the only casualty. My Canon 40D is pretty much dead. It succumbed climbing Mount Hengshan. Ironic – I’ve only wanted to climb the mountain for four years and didn’t bring my spare DSLR body with me.

I have no idea what happened. Yes, it got a few raindrops on it, but it’s (supposedly) weather sealed. The copious amounts of my sweat may have leaked into the wonderful machine’s innards. I called Canon support in Hong Kong and was told to “bring it in,” with no possible explanation for the camera’s strange behavior. I guess I’ll be shooting with my Canon 400D for a few weeks.

Stay tuned for more photos and tales. After a month off I’m a little lazy but looking for to new challenges and adventures.

Yes, this is Guangzhou, China. Shamian Island, or Sandspit Island, was a sandbar given to British and French traders after the Second Opium War. The west half of the island is British, the east French. The colonial powers-that-be constructed buildings, factories, and warehouses on their bit of land. More than a century later the buildings still stand. Shamian Island is a peaceful retreat, tree-lined boulevards along the river, in one of the world’s most populous cities. Watch for my upcoming Top 10 Must Sees in Guangzhou, China.

Yes, actually this is an exit, at a Hong Kong MTR station on Hong Kong Island. I’ve always wanted to use the final line from Brent Easton Ellis’ satirical novel American Psycho.

I’ll be away for a couple of weeks, as I said, putting on my traveling shoes. Changsha, Heng Shan, Chenzhou, Guiyang, China – It should be quite fun. I’ll follow my standard of practice of not asking what I’m eating. Asking will limit my food choice. Being dumb is often better.

I’ll be getting a new Chinese visa on Tuesday, then catching a night train. Fifteen hours in a soft-sleeper is better than 15 hours in a hard seat. The romance of the rails doesn’t apply in China. I may drink heavily before the train trip.

I’ll try to update with fresh photos while on the road. The best way to get updates is to follow me on Twitter.

Want to see  the world and get paid to do so? English First, the international language training firm, has announced The Marco Polo Project. Two people will travel the world and video their adventures teaching English.

EF is seeking one male and one female, 18 or over, for this adventure. English First will pay for the pair’s flights and accomodations, and provide a generous stipend to cover expenses while on the road.

The project will last up to 12 months and include:

• Four months in Shanghai preparing and undergoing training.
• 2 sets of 4 months travel where you will:
• Visit 15 regions and explore 44 destinations.
• Script, shoot, edit, and submit one video per week.
• Write lesson plans and activities to accompany the videos.
• Write 2-3 blog posts per week.
• Conduct short interviews with local residents.
• Capture pictures of your surroundings.

For further information and applications see The Marco Polo Project Blog.

Typhoon Molave, the season’s sixth storm is making its way toward the south China coast. Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong can expect heavy rain and strong winds Saturday and Sunday.

With winds of 33 meters per second (119 kilometers an hour), the typhoon is heading  northwestward at 25 kilometers per hour and expected make landfall between central Guangdong Province and southern Fujian Province.

Typhoon Molave is will bring torrential rains and gale-force winds to China’s coastal areas. The storm is expected to arrive between the evening of Saturday, July 18 and Sunday July 19.

Batten down the hatched and stay off the streets.

image: www.wunderground.com