the fakes

Map of our trip with notes (1500km)

2009-12-22T10:19:00.000+08:00

Flags and Flowers

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"STOP" Pandas

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Bus stop and Bricks

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When A Bon swastika makes me less nervous than a Speech by the Dalai Lama on Tibetain Budhism

2009-12-07T10:27:00.000+08:00

Top: Manigango city streets
Bottom: Being locked in a small room in a Tibetan monastery and shown videos.

Manigango - mountain hike and hitch hike

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Manigango: Enter and Exit

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Wild West (One horse town cont'd)

2009-12-01T10:18:00.001+08:00

The Pandas are coming...

2009-12-01T10:12:00.003+08:00

Manigango, following a man with a panda basket, following a man with a yak cart. (It looks like he is pushing the cart but he isn't)

Trunk and Hay

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Landscapes...

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On our trip from Yushu, Qinghai province to Manigango, Sichuan the one horse town. (as always click for a better view)

Been waiting for you

2009-11-14T12:25:00.002+08:00

On the "roof" of the world these big birds are the size of a human, they hang around for funerals and even the locals are scared of the vultures when they hang out on the side of the road.

Chinese wild west - a one horse town

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Found along the way

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Mogao Caves

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The Mogao cave complex lies in west China, an extensive accomplishment. Next to the caves a museum was built to showcase 6 fake caves - built to scale and with strict attention to detail. Many caves are shut to preserve them and only about 100 are open to the public, a group of 14-20 are open at any one time on rotation. Some are closed due to high carbon monoxide levels, the air-oxygen actually ruining the centuries old paint by turning it black. Beautiful murals and an interesting story about a group of "white" Russians that were help captive in one famous cave.

Strong man booze & 1 night in the desert

2009-11-04T10:44:00.000+08:00

Dunhuang, Gansu Province, China (Click for larger versions)

Cactus and onion

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Xining, Qinghai Province, China

Ai Wei Wei vs. the sunflower seller

2009-11-01T14:35:00.001+08:00

Common seeds vs. Ai Wei Wei's sunflower seeds made of porcelain.

The cabbage returns

2009-10-31T14:32:00.002+08:00

It is the time of year that cabbage is being bought up and stored for the winter.

"Minority Park" meets Michael Jackson impersonator (past)

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Last of the logic

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Deer meet Dog

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This Big dog thing really confuses me.

Confusing Animals

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Man with a monkey, Bunny hats. Beijing.

There is no logic to this

2009-10-25T20:50:00.000+08:00

Opera and Kung Fu sets

2009-10-24T23:01:00.003+08:00

Time for some Music

2009-10-24T22:15:00.004+08:00

There is an incredible music scene in Beijing that I have neglected. First: is a snip-it from one of my favorite Chinese bands Pet Conspiracy, their performances have an energy that is enthralling and quirky behaviour that is infectious. A girl, a gun necklace, possessed eyes. Second: a balloon that dances. Third: The whole elderly population of china rocks out every night, in every city across china. Think about that - millions (MILLIONS!) of elderly Chinese rocking out on a nightly basis. With a population around 1, 400,000,000 is it possible the entire population of Canada - consisting of elderly Chinese - rocks out in China, every night? Brought to my doorstep a few weeks ago was the Handsome Furs who played a small venue and it was the best concert I have ever seen. A husband and wife duo (lead from Wolf Parade) that gave everything to their set, half maniacal half humble. Really spectacular, check them if you can.

Welcome to "SOHO", in Beijing

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Beijing Gym (Present - Fall 2009)

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These parks are all over Beijing, usually old people linger about and get super active, all bundled up in so many layers that they can barely bend at the joints.

Scenes of Horror (Past)

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Old Grave Site and rice (Past)

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Hidden sites included a rice terrace and a grave tucked away behind an old town in an abandoned park in South Yunnan, China.

On the road again (in the Past = spring 2009)

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Lets do this dirty, lots of images in a short period of time. A moto will make it faster.
Drive your bike off the dirt road, up a flight of stairs, and park it in your room.

Finding ways around large objects

2009-10-14T20:55:00.002+08:00

Thank you for your patience. I've managed to get things up and running, content will be directed through my new site www.thefakes.org and It would be great to hear from you in either place. Lots of catching up to do.

SITE BLOCKED IN CHINA

2009-07-10T11:00:00.000+08:00

Hello,

Blogger has been blocked in China. I am now back in Vancouver until the end of August and will look around for a site that wont be blocked. Google has a new blogging thing that seems to work, I will check it out and let everyone know. Thanks for everyone who checked up with this blog.

The fake.

I'm flying with who?

2009-05-14T19:37:00.002+08:00

Had tickets with another airline that fell through. Rushed the night before to a different city to catch this plane as all the other ones were booked...This is how the trip to southern Yunnan started.

Big dogs...AND knives, Museum.

2009-05-13T19:34:00.001+08:00

Yes this was at the same museum! The only fun part of our trip back from the north.

Man, photo, mountain

2009-05-12T19:30:00.001+08:00

Leaving the mountains we were escorted by the man with a white horse and a picture of him on the mountain in the background. The photo from the car window sums up a Chinese tour group, they only go anywhere for the photo. They could be standing on that mountain and the most important thing would be to get a picture standing on the mountain. The whole experience is making me rethink photography.

Snow Mountain Pass, horse & leaving.

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Night mountains day passes

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Snow Mountains Yubeng Water Wheel

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whistle guide/fire

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Base camp.

Whistle Guide

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Ice Cave - Black Lake - Snow Mountains

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The top of our climb. 5000+ feet, only up and down, no lingering at this altitude though I couldn't resist some wandering around Black Lake/Glacier. I had to go a bit in the cave (bottom picture:). This high is like stumbling around, you know when your drunk but are convinced your NOT drunk? Getting dark as we took a long time, found new paths back to base camp...

Snow cave(s)

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Base and camp - Kawa Karpo & Baima snow mountains

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5 hours up to get here. Another 2 to go at 4500+ meters. It was staring to get really cold...

stove and chickens

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This is outside the kitchen...rooms are on the right, shared with the barn. Yubeng or Feili Temple area.

Mountain kitchen

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Same place as the Leopard skin and hot water canisters..chickens outside to follow.

Things that make you hot

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After the hike up and down the pass we ended up here. Dirty small rooms with fun people, some videos to follow...all set up for the trek to Black Lake and Glacier, and base camp.

Donkey Pass part 2

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Donkey Pass Kawa Karpo & Baima Snow Mountains

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It was a long long climb, we had donkey/horses on the way up, walked the way down. This is in North-West Yunnan bordering Tibet and Burma on the way to Kawa Karpo (6740m).

white pagoda fire, more White

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When the donkey went home to sleep the fire was lit. Further North.

to White. White tile and cold water

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This was a nice find this far north. It was a huge white tiled room in a double room.

Donkeys and Shrines at Night, or: from Black...

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Deqin at night.

Deqin Detail - Offering

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All the shrines bellow had these little set ups, arrangements, offerings, still lives set up with tiger bears straight outta "where the wild things are".

Return of the Mixer & Deqin view

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[as always click for larger view]

First Bend, on the way to Deqin

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Ganden (North Shangrila) Monestary

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A monk was met who gave tours of his home. I missed out as I was wandering around, confounded by all these doorways on the second floor of blank walls. I was also re-introduced to my old acquaintance altitude. He likes to slow me down.

Cats and custom cigarettes

2009-04-24T18:55:00.000+08:00

New Years Eve (Chinese New Year) we were stuck in "Shangrila". In winter there is nothing about this place. We smokes which made the cat really interesting. He was on the string all night, a rowdy one who competed for my attention along with a drunk Tibetan who showed up in a silk fur jacket and a cowboy hat and wanted to challenge everyone to a signing duel. Later in bed I awoke to the sound of a yelling duel, when I opened the door to look downstairs I found the yelling due was actually a fist duel taking place right outside my room. Ah the fun of Chinese New Year.

Going Up (North from Lijiang)

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Mao Poster (a.k.a. man with the bald hat)

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What we looked at in bed every night and morning in Lijiang (North Yunnan, China)

Man with the fur hat

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Plus a map behind him on where we are going next.

Hill Top (see Bamboo for outside gate)

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On the hill over looking Lijiang is this old style building with old bonsai trees. Beautifully lit up orange by big spotlights at night.

Locked Out

2009-04-18T18:33:00.001+08:00

... the next few moments were really awkward as I was taking pictures of her and her doorway. She reached the top of the stairs and the only problem is that when we had shut the door it had locked behind us. So, we had to stand there while the woman (this is the exact moment in fact) turned around and saw us. Rather, saw me, the guy who had asked her to come into her home the day before. I knew she knew that she had not locked the door. I also knew that she knew that "we" had been in her house and shut the door, locking it. So I stood there, trying not to laugh (I know this is horrible), and my Chinese friend standing tall as all military men should was similarly horrified and trying not to laugh. The woman scowled, looked around, shook the door, glared at us, shook the door, and started cussing. We couldn't move. We knew she knew we were responsible but if we moved it would tell her that we knew she knew that we did it. So we stood there. She glared, shook the door cusing, and we stood there some more. This shacking, scowling and cusing went on for some time. Finally she walked down the stairs, looking over her shoulder at us and went away. I don't know where too, and so we at that point knew that we should leave right away.

Going Home

2009-04-16T18:32:00.002+08:00

I had met this woman the day before and asked if we could see her home as it had some really interesting doors in really strange places. She shooed me away and wasn't impressed. At the time she was arguing with her grandson, telling him not to leave the house while she was away. At the time I thought, "damn, if only I had knocked on the door after she had left, the kid might have let me in!". So the next day I went back (with a Chinese friend, one part of a very interesting couple, he works in the Navy) and had asked if he could translate. When we got to the house he went right up to the door, knocked, no answer, so he went inside...I was mortified. "No one home" he said (motioned) as we looked around the entrance way and poked our heads here and there. As we left he closed the door behind him with a clink. As we came down the steps I took out my camera to take a picture of the doorway and at that exact moment she arrived, as if it was planned...

tv Dish

2009-04-15T18:32:00.001+08:00

Once you get on the chairs (bellow) you can watch some TV on your way up.

Carry Chairs

2009-04-13T18:30:00.000+08:00

They use these to ferry people up and down the gorge. It was brutal hiking it, I can't imagine carrying someone OR being the one carried next to sheer 100 foot+ drops.

Tomb Builders 2

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Hay Bundles

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Long bike ride to find the tomb builders and many tomb yards in the country side. Also found these huge bundles of...hay?

Coal Store

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Great location of black coal next to the white stone tomb makers.

Tomb and Lion Builders

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Tomb & Lion maker

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Tomb Maker Part 2

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Tomb Builders Part 1

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We rented bikes that barely worked and trudged around Lijiang and the surrounding areas. Our search was for old tomb sites that we'd seen from the bus to Luga Hu. What we found were some magical places and an industry of stone, white clouds, and chisles.

Dance, dance, dance

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Look down and you see the fish. Follow the river and you see the exact same up and down the street in old town Lijiang. Where disco cowboys meet something else.

river music

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When I looked up from these fish I saw "Dance dance dance"...

Tiger tiger burning bright, lept across a gorge that night

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The red dot signifies where I got to. It was much scarier at ground/water level. What a place though, it was like being a kid again jumping and hoping around Peggy's Cove.

Note: for all images CLICK for a larger view.

Pig & Ping Pong

2009-03-28T19:50:00.000+08:00

I dont know if you can make this out, but those are whole pigs that have been de-boned, sewn up, and dried out to age for a year or more.

I ma taking ping pong lessons. I have to get a video of the machine to show you.

Dark house, light smoke

2009-03-26T19:21:00.000+08:00

An old house from one of the last societies where women rule. Whew, that was close. I felt like I was in the home of a vampire (note: I was told on a number of occasions that Yunnan is known historically as the region of Vampires in China).

These girls sang a song. Somewhat sentimental I guess...

2009-03-22T19:08:00.000+08:00

On the boarder of Yunnan and Sichuan province (in Sichuan), high in the mountains on the lake.

Dangers of Lugu Hu - the tell all sign

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It didn't warn me of the vampires.

Sublime.

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Morning ritual (you got here late)

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Morning ritual (you got here early)

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Bambo at night

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Lugu Hu - sign and pan

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road to Lugu Hu

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Where an 8 hour drive turns into 9. Landslide? No problem! Bring in the machinery, men in kung fu slippers, AND the all important twig-fire. They re-BUILT a road in under 60 minutes...

Water Wheels

2009-03-13T19:06:00.000+08:00

The entrance to Lijiang "old city". Cobblestone lane-ways with canals on the side, and water wheels turning all night long.

Lets make...Candy. Part 2 "the chop"

2009-03-12T19:36:00.000+08:00

Lets make...Candy. Part 1 "the stretch"

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Traditionl ginger candy, yum.

As said earlier: "meet meat"

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chili pounder

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put put machine

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Imagine this thing driving around small narrow windy cobblestone lane-ways...

hawk man

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let the "beautiful" pictures begin.

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For my month in Yunnan I often struggled to stay away from the tourist spots. The problem is on many of our tours they would stop the bus just to take a photo, get back on, stop again a few minutes later, etc. This would happen for a who;e 8 hour bus ride. I had to give in at some point.

photo studio door, Lijiang

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sign posts.

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Dedicated to my friend Ryan...I'm always on the look-out for catchy phrases for your paintings;) This place is a gold mine!

I am being punished for my absence

2009-03-02T19:43:00.004+08:00

Yes really I saw this awhile ago and wanted to post it. What has taken so long is that I don't really know what it is. I found it, and many others like it, at almost every subway station. never more than one per platform. I just got home from a night of beer, flat bread, raw garlic, and meet skewers...I even convinced my friends to each eat the bottom leg of a lamb. That means all together we are responsible for one lamb? My students today all ate lamb tongues in class, I dont know where all these animals come from, or like the Kentucky chicken can they breed lambs with more than one taster in its mouth? Baaaaaa, I just finished Mirikami's "Dance, Dance, Dance" and like him I must acknowledge the sheep man, or the man wearing a sheep skin depending on which character we pretend to be. I apologize for my drunkin behaviour but really I am quite despicable right now (watch me dance). Watch me stumble, and let this be a warning that strange things are to come (I omitted a word my dear brother detests). Yes I did spend almost a week with a Chinese tour group...so imagine the "beautiful" photos you are about to see. Relish in the thought of all-night-buses with karaoke, the museum of the "da gao" (large dog), and riding a donkey up the side of a mountain where the only pair of pants I had split at the crotch (one week in!). (yes you just read donkey and crotch in the same sentence) Check back on Wednesday (or Tuesday night in Canada) and the month that was will begin.

PS you are lucky if you read this because I likely will delete it come tomorrow:)
PPS It is tomorrow and I am resigned to leave this up so that I will never do it again.
PPPS Does anyone read this thing besides the two people who made it? Please leave some comments... even fake ones are good!

pigs and pumpkins

2009-03-02T19:38:00.003+08:00

Ok seriously I apologize for the lack of posts. I've been sorting through a mountain of images and am slowly easing back into life in Beijing. I bring you pigs and pumpkins, please enjoy.

I ended up being away a little longer...

2009-02-08T22:20:00.002+08:00

Lonely Hutong Tree & roots - end

2009-02-06T17:22:00.001+08:00

old homes - hutong part 4 - mount fuji

2009-02-04T17:21:00.001+08:00