It’s amazing the lengths people will go to to rip others off. I recently was contacted by a Mr. Dehua from Henan Yu Xin International Co. Ltd. in Zhengzhou, China. He emailed to say that his company was making a 20 episode series of 25 minute documentaries in HD for television broadcast. The intention was to enlighten the Chinese audience about America’s history, economy, culture … Continue reading The Chinese Scam I Almost Fell For
Andres from Switzerland, his girlfriend, Paola from Brazil and I were riding on camels in the Thar Desert outside of the western Indian town of Jaisalmer. We were in a spot as remote as I’ve ever been, 21 hours by train from Delhi, just 60 kilometers from the border with Pakistan. It’s a flat, arid locale, punctuated by sand dunes and populated by only villagers, … Continue reading The Camel and the Cell Phone
When I came to Delhi in 2008 I remember the palpable culture shock. It was overwhelming even for a rather intrepid traveler. I had been in Beijing and Uganda earlier in the year so I thought I would be prepared for anything, but nothing I had ever experienced set me up for India. On the roadway from the airport cows roamed the street. The traffic … Continue reading Delhi’s Commonwealth Games Face
I walked out of my hotel room in Vancouver this morning to see a flock of seagulls squacking their heads off. That’s the most noise I’ve heard since I arrived in Canada. Toto, we’re not in Beijing anymore. In 2008, with the Olympic Games a week and a half away, the city was buzzing with anticipation and chaotic with last minute preparations. Thousands of people were … Continue reading Olympics: Canada Style
This blog was born so that I could post to my friends, family and anyone else interested from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Now on the eve of 2010 Olympics, as I prepare to board an airplane for British Columbia, I find myself blogging again and reflecting on the only other time I was in Vancouver. I was 10 years old and my great uncle … Continue reading Greyhound Bus to Vancouver
One year ago I was in Beijing, China for a three month gig working at the Olympics. In November 2008 I headed to Kampala, Uganda again to do more television production work for BeadforLife (http://beadforlife.org) then immediately after a quick trip to Delhi, India for a wedding. No exotic destinations this summer but I’m hungry for an overseas trip. I’m already thinking about what to do … Continue reading Vacation in Afghanistan
The truth, my friend Song and I agreed, is somewhere in between. When people see things from completely different points of view, more than likely the reality lies in the middle. Song and I were having lunch towards the end of the Olympics in the International Broadcast Centre cafeteria and I asked her what she planned to do after the games ended. She said she’d like … Continue reading The Truth About China
The Olympic Games are less than three weeks away and Beijing is spiffing up. When you have a workforce of over a billion people you can get lots done in a short time. Every day the city transforms itself more and more. Signage has gone up from one end of town to the other. You drive over logos in special Olympic lanes, see Fuwas and banners … Continue reading Olympic Countdown
There were two places on my must see list on this journey to China and this past weekend in an Olympic sightseeing marathon I visited both. On Saturday friends and I flew to Xian for a whirlwind day trip to see the Terra Cotta Warriors and on Sunday three of us visited the Great Wall of China. The Terra Cotta Warriors are amazing to ponder. … Continue reading Ginger and the Great Wall
Mr. Li gets the good Olympic citizen award. I left my new Nike sweatshirt in his taxi following a ride to the Emperor Hotel. After a couple days of searching my Chinese colleague tracked him down and learned he had delivered the item to the hotel thinking I was a guest there. When she told him otherwise, he retrieved it and delivered it to me at work clear across … Continue reading Hen hao (very good) taxi ride
Vicky Collins Online 