china

All Surfboards are Shaped!

This entry was posted in iSurf Uncategorized and tagged bali china hostels idol surfboards indonesia iSurf surfboards surfing travel W.E. Surf on by

Exciting news today – All of my surfboards have been shaped!  That is 208 surfboards shaped in under three weeks!  Most of them are at some point in the glassing process too.  Some nearing completion!  Impressive…  The head shaper wanted to get home and enjoy the holidays (that’s Christmas, New Years, and Chinese New Years), so he’s been working his butt off over-time and left today for a 7 week holiday.  Who would have thought that a Chinese factory worker would get to take so much time off, eh?  I’ve emphasized it enough in previous posts, so I’m not going to drill it in again now but… workers are treated pretty darn fair in my Chinese factory, and I’m proud I can say that.

The last 3 boards to be shaped were a few personal boards I’ll be taking along to Indonesia at the end of January.  I actually got to finish these boards myself because the shaper had to left to catch his train home.  It was so nice to be shaping a bit instead of just supervising production.  I think I gained some street credit from the workers too.  One of the other shapers watched me shape, and I could tell he liked my technique.

My order is projected to be completed by January 20th, when the factory lets out for a the Chinese New Year/Spring Festival, So I will be flying Bali on January 23 with these sweet babies:

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bali fish

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bali hybrid

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balisurfboard

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The boards aren’t all for me.  Two of them are for Jay from W.E. Surf (seems like a good partner for iSurf right?) and Dominic Holland, Director of Photography for DP Dom Holland.  Check out the website or his Youtube page – He does fantastic work.  Holland is actually going to film a documentary style surf film of our adventures in Indonesia.  (Here is a link to Jay’s blog post about it).  It should be pretty cool – I’m really stoked.

Well, Christmas is right around the corner.  I’m going to celebrate with an old classmate that lives in China.  This will be my first Christmas ever away from home – I’m pretty bummed about it, but I’m also very excited for Rina to show me her stomping grounds.

Since all the boards are shaped, I’m going to take a little time out of the factory and do some sight-seeing.  People always wonder how I afford to travel so much – Well, I use low cost carriers or frequent flyer miles and stay in hostels or couch surf.  It’s really not that expensive at all, and I find hostels to be a much better experience than hotels.  Check out the itinerary I put together for myself.  Prices are for each flight segment or per night in hostel:

  • Saturday 21 Dec: Head to the coast and spend two nights with the factory owner’s friends.  Stay in international youth hostel ($9).
  • Monday 23 Dec:  Fly ($96) to Shanghai and meet up with Rina.  Staying at Rock & Wood International Youth Hostel for five nights ($9).
  • Saturday 28 Dec:  Fly to Beijing ($62) to see Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City & Great Wall.  Staying at King’s Joy Hostel for two nights ($6).
  • Monday 30 December:  Return to Shanghai ($62).  I land at 1:40am on the 31st and will probably sleep in the airport.
  • Tuesday 31 December:  Fly to Shenzhen ($109), near Hong Kong, to meet my factory owner and visit his friend’s surf traction pad factory.  We’ll probably stay one night (NYE) before returning to the factory via High-Speed Train (factory owner usually won’t let me pay for anything if he’s around).

So far, I’m looking at ten days in four cities for only $404 transport and accommodation.  Not too shabby, eh?  I’ve gotten really good at finding the best deals on flights and accommodations.  If you ever want to go on a backpacking trip, contact me – I LOVE to search for deals like this.  In short, the best low cost carrier in China is China Spring Airlines, and my preferred hostel booking site is Hostel Bookers.  I also always use Lonely Planet guide books.

Well that’s it for now.  I’ve got some fun times ahead.  I’ll leave you with this time lapse I shot from the roof of my apartment building the other day.  I love night-photography, and I’ve been experimenting with time lapses a bit in the last year.  I combined the two using a new remote timer I got for my DSLR and this is what came out.  Oh, and of course I cut it to some Huni music.  Enjoy!

Its Not Easy Being Green

This entry was posted in Travel Uncategorized and tagged advice china introspective learning travel on by

I’ve been in China for two weeks now, and I’m beginning to get a grip on what my reality is and will be here.  One thing is becoming very apparent – I do not fit in.  I’ve never been into conformity.  In fact, I’m quite the individualist.  I’ve always held a strong belief that beauty stems from uniqueness, but my experience in China is beginning to make me realize that too different can be uncomfortable.  Let me explain:

Aside from a 2 day visit to a larger city, I have spent every day in a small town where my surfboard factory is (by the way, a small town in china can have over a million residents).  In my first 2 weeks here, I have not seen another non-asian person.  When I am out and about, I am always the only white person in the room, and the next tallest person might be about chin-height to me if they really stretched their neck.  Also, Aside from 3 people I know with limited english vocabulary, it is impossible for me to verbally communicate with anybody.  Basically, I may as well be a giant green frog croaking his way through life here in China (queue the music).

Now, I have always been one for a good challenge – I even bought a pair of shoes in the market yesterday knowing only how to say “四-四” (“four-four”), as in my european shoe size is 44, but I am beginning to grow tired of constant stares and people randomly saying “Hi” to me without being able to speak another word when I try to converse with them.  I’m in the most populated country in the world, and I’ve never felt so isolated in my life.

 

"Blending in" - Atacama Desert, Chile

“Blending in” – Atacama Desert, Chile

Now, I have done a lot of traveling in my life, and one of the things that has always made it comfortable it that I’m a bit of a chameleon.  Like most Americans, I am an ethnic mutt.  My mother is a brown haired, brown eyed Swede, and my dad is a dark haired, blue eyed… who really knows, mostly german I think.  This has left me with brown eyes, a big nose, quickly tanning skin, and medium-dark brown hair (what’s left  of it).  The bulk of my travels have been in Latin America and Europe, and in these places, if I speak softly, I look ethnically vague enough that people passing in the street can easily mistake me for a local.  This is a huge advantage when traveling, especially in underdeveloped countries, as I do not worry much about being targeted by criminals, much less solicitors.

This experience in China has offered me a very interesting perspective on life – one that I have not had the chance to entertain before since I can usually fit in.  I am different… really different… so different that nearly everyone I pass in the street stares,calls out to me something that I don’t understand, or even snaps a photo of me walking by.  I’m not shy.  I am incredibly confident in my skin, but this is beginning to become uncomfortable for me.  At first, I would use my peripheral vision to notice the stares, and quickly look at them and “bust them” for staring at me.  Now, I walk around with my head down to avoid the awkward eye contact and looks.

Deep down inside I feel terrible – not because I know they’re judging me based on my looks, but because I know I have looked and judged others in the past.  Today I scorn myself for any time I was looking at somebody because they were different, especially if their eyes met mine while I gazed upon them.  It is not a good feeling to be looked at or pointed out for being different.  Take it from me – the only green person in this village in china.

10 things I learned in my first 24 hours in China

This entry was posted in Travel Uncategorized and tagged acculturation china travel travel blog on by
  1. I am a minority:  I’ve only seen one other non-asian person since I got on my last airplane.  It was an Australian guy who was on the flight.  He saved me on #5 & #7 on this list.  Thanks mate.
  2. People observe unique people:  Being the only white person around, people tend to stare.  Children are especially funny and they look at me like something is wrong with me.
  3. I don’t think anyone here knows what peripheral vision is:  In the airport bathroom, the guy at the urinal next to me was looking at me the whole time.  When I looked back, he pretended he wasn’t staring.
  4. Farting, burping, and spitting in public places is normal:  My favorite was the guy who hawked a big one on the floor in the airport.  He proceeded to stomp it out like it was a cigarette.  I guess spitting indoors is cool if you’re the first person to step in it yourself?
  5. Unless single file line is explicitly stated and universally followed, its a free-for all:  When my flight was cancelled and tickets needed to be re-issued, getting to the ticket counter was like trying to get to the front of the stage at a punk concert.  I’m not kidding when I say anything goes.  People were throwing elbows, reaching over shoulders, and one guy was even gently ramming me from behind with a baggage cart.
  6. Everyone has clean/new shoes:   I’m quite sure I have the dirtiest shoes in China.
  7. Assume nothing:  I figured that when my airline ticket was re-issued because my flight was cancelled that my baggage would follow.  This was not the case.  My bag was just randomly dumped in the over-sized baggage area.
  8. Locals will assume they understood you even when they haven’t and give you direction based on their assumptions:   Me and my ‘mate’ ran circles around the airport trying to find out which ticket counter would re-issue our tickets.
  9. The lines on the road mean nothing, and side walks are not just for pedestrians:  I noticed several cars & mopeds driving against traffic in the far right lane.  Also, I went for a walk in the morning and was almost run-over by several mopeds buzzing down the sidewalk to avoid traffic.
  10. Food cooks on the table:  Most meals seem to be served almost done, and the still boiling pot is placed on the table (sometimes on a stove in the table) to cook a bit more before you eat.

Luckily, I’m a good sport and none of these things really bother me (FYI: the guy in the bathroom’s eyes were gazing above my shoulders).  I’m now about 72 hours into my trip, and believe me, that’s just the beginning of things I’ve learned.

-A-