Category Archives: travel

Christy Lee Cook and the Country Folks Restaurant, Selma

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Here in Southern Oregon we were rooting for the “other” Cook in American Idol Christy Lee Cook, rather than American Idol winner David Cook.    On the way home from California Sunday we dropped in to the Country Folks restaurant of Selma, Oregon.  My wife and daughter had been there before but I hadn’t.     In addition to being “Christy Lee Central” for local fans who would watch the show from there every Tuesday and Wednesday, Country Folks has simply *outstanding* home cooked food, so I really wanted to put in a plug for them.

We ordered fried chicken and an open faced turkey sandwich with stuffing, potatoes, and gravy.    The chicken was excellent, but the sandwich was a country cooking work of art –  a plate brimming with fresh mashed potatoes, rich gravy, juicy turkey, a scoop of dressing, and cranberry sauce on the side.   After that meal I can’t imagine eating anywhere else along route 199 – Oregon’s very scenic road from I5 to the Coast past Cave Junctions (near the Oregon Caves National Monument), through the Redwoods, and on to the sea.

Local Newspaper Article about the Country Folks Restaurant

Meteors and You

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Thanks to Glenn for this story suggesting a new study making a possible connection between early life and meteors.  

I’ve always been comfortable with the idea that life as we know it could emerge in slow and steady steps from the primordial soup that certainly existed on the millions of years ago, but it does not seem unreasonable to suggest that meteor material may have played a role as well, back when it was more common to have stuff raining down on the earth before our atmosphere formed which (thankfully) burns up most of that sh** before it crashes into the planet and ruins our sunny days.

Yu Yuan Gardens, Shanghai

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Yu Yuan Gardens, Shanghai

Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

Shanghai’s Yu Yuan Gardens were one of my favorite China attractions. The surrounding area is filled with shops, restaurants, and is very crowded but the Gardens were quiet and very beautiful. Unlike European gardens most of this area was buildings and walkways with some trees and vegetation that were very carefully landscaped.

Retire in Oregon

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Think about it.  You could retire in Oregon!     OregonRetirement.info is a project I’m working on with friends in Ashland, Oregon and if you are thinking of retiring in Oregon you’ll want to check out the details about the many great retirement lifestyle choices your can make here in the state.   We’ve got a lot of detail about each region, from Portland Area to here in Southern Oregon, and there are thousands of links to many other categories.

Wow, how obvious is this attempt to get our site to rank well for the term “retire in oregon” [answer: obvious].  Yet this should be considered perfectly legitimate “white hat” SEO because users would really, really want to find that site if they were looking for information about a pending Oregon Retirement or if they were searching for “Retire in Oregon“.   Right?

 

 

 

Great Wall of China Tours

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Although we were lucky enough to have Kevin’s* cousin as our Great Wall Guide for our trip to Simatai, if you don’t have contacts in China you’ll want to hire a taxi or take a Great Wall Tour.   Always use caution with this type of business agreement and make sure you negotiate and understand the costs *beforehand*.   Generally, it is acceptable form in China to clarify costs.

I was surfing for pictures of Simatai and and found this travel agency which runs camping/hiking/lodge trips along the wall.   I expected the prices to be *much* higher so although I can’t directly endorse these guys this really looks like a reasonable price for a great trip.    I should say you could probably get lower if know somebody in the area or have a good hotel concierge that could find you a combination of driver, guide, and lodging, but if you want the comfort of a quality experience this place might be a good choice.

In any case they have a great panorama of the Simatai Wall at their website:
http://www.thebeijingguide.com

* Dr Kevin, my friend and in my opinion the best Medford Oregon Dentist 

Hongqiao Pearl Market, Beijing

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Hongqiao Pearl Market, Beijing 449
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

The Hongqiao Market building was under repair during my April 14 visit, but I think will be beautiful when finished before the Olympic Games.    It is located across the street from the metro stop for the Temple of Heaven, a Beijing Attraction you’ll want to visit.     A day in Biejing would be a shame but if that is all you have and you have great stamina you could visit Tianenmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven,  and Wanfujing Street for shopping, food stalls, and souvenir vendors.   All these places are along the excellent Biejing Metro which is very crowded but clean, cheap, and efficient.   Taxis are also cheap and easy to find if you prefer that approach.  For taxis try to have a written description of where you are going to show the driver.  The subways announce the stops in English.

Hongqiao Pearl Market is one of several huge market buildings in Beijing where there are hundreds of vendors in small stalls hawking their wares. I didn’t see any Pearls here but bought a suitcase to carry home all the stuff I bought at … other markets!

Note that the vendors in China often practice a kind of cutthroat capitalism that is not common in the USA. Initially the price they quote you will be far above reasonable and the game is to get them to come down a huge amount while they make you feel guilty for doing that. I enjoyed the little jousting with the vendors, especially because they tended to have good English and I’d bring up other topics to discuss.

However I think the aggressive style common in the markets might upset or intimidate people who were simply looking for a good deal and in that case you should learn to say (phoentic spelling here) “Byao Byao” which means “no!”.

Tian Tan Buddha, Lantau Island Hong Kong

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Over at Travel and History I posted one of Charley’s buddah pix from Hong Kong.   Thanks to the eee PC crash I lost over 100 of my Hong Kong area and train trip pictures from the first 3 days of the China adventure.  Luckily Charley and I had each taken quite a few.

Tian Tan Buddha

This was the beginning of our adventure that took us from Hong Kong’s piers out to Lantau Island via a big ferry, then via a small ferry to unknown China Sea territories looking for the Tai O fishing village, which we did not find.     

Tuscany Travel

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I have not been to Tuscany, Italy in some time but it seems many of my friends go there often and everybody loves it.    My pal Dan has a new website about Travel to Tuscany called “Talk Tuscany” and you’ll want to check it out if you are planning a trip to that region.

Keith’s got WonderfulItaly.com which is a more general introduction to Italy.  Anne and Keith have taught classes at Sienna, one of the most historic cities of Italy.

 

 

Pork Ball Restaurant, Shanghai Near Bund

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Pork Ball Restaurant, Shanghai Near Bund 596

Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

On the China trip I enjoyed the Shanghai street food more than that of Beijing but not sure if that really represnted differences in the cities of just where I happened to go.

These Shanghai dough balls had a rolled pork ball in the middle and were then steamed and fried on one side. Yum! However my favorite dish during the 14 day trip was the simple, but simply perfect Wonton Soup served near our hotel in Shanghai.

PEK Airport – Beijing China. Know Your Terminal! Hint – it is probably “3”

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PEK Beijing – Know Your Terminal!

When travelling to or from Beijing’s Airports, keep these items in mind:

BCIA stands for “Beijing Capital International Airport” and is commonly used when referencing the Beijing Airport even though PEK is the same Airport.

Know your Terminal! PEK is a *huge* Airport, and the taxi will need to know which Terminal you are departing from. My United Airlines PEK to SFO flight was from Terminal three and I think most international departures are now from that terminal. Your hotel concierge may ask you “which airport” and I think they really mean “which terminal”. Clear this up before getting in the Taxi as the Chinese Taxi drivers rarely (read that as “never”) speak English. If you plan to use Taxis in China be sure to get the excellent printed cards from your concierge (or make some yourself before you leave) that list locations in Chinese so the driver will understand where you want to go.

PEK is the Airport Code for Beijing’s main Airport which, without much traffic, is approximately a 40-50 minute taxi ride from most areas of the city. The cost for the taxi should be about 100 Yuan, perhaps a little more. In Beijing and Shanghai always ride in taxis with meters to avoid scams.

Note: This is a repost from AirportCityCodes.com, where this got no traction. I’m trying to see how the ranking will differ at JoeDuck which has higher authority with Google, seemingly pretty much for anything I write about!