The Great Wall of China

On Monday, we took a group trip to the Great Wall of China. We went to a section of the wall called Simatai.

That's right, I'm going up THERE!

First you take a bucket up, then you take a little rollar coaster like thing up a little farther. Then. . . you have to climb.

Very dangerous, and very hard to climb. I had to stop several times to catch my breath and sit down once. Not for the light hearted! But when I got there. . .

It was a good day. Good thing I bought the hat, it really kept the sun off of me!

Shunde, China

Last week we were in Shunde, China. We were in a pretty crap venue, but they had interesting signs out front of the venue.
So naturally, I had to have my picture taken with them. We've been really busy. Charlie and I wash the tech's uniforms twice a week. Normally it's just one basket of laundry, well. . . not in Shunde. . .
Laundry has been tough going for everyone here in China. Apparently they're big on handwashing and hanging them outside to dry. I'm gonna try to take some pictures of that today.

After Shunde, we traveled by bus then air to Wuhan.
Here's Keiko and Kara saying that they can stand up straight in the bus. Of course, Leo, who is behind them cannot. Then we flew on a PURPLE plane to Wuhan. Here it is when we landed:
Alright, it's time to go to work! Hope to write more soon!

Rainy Days in China

I wish I had better things to say about my time this week in Dogguan, China. . . but I don't. Last week when the crew packed the show up in Shenzen, it took them eight hours. That is an insanely long time. On average, it takes the show four hours. Then the next day was travel day. There were many cranky techs on the bus.

We arrived in Dogguan on Monday afternoon. This town is a moderate size and has a Wal*Mart.
That's right. . . there's Wal*Mart in China. In fact, they are celebrating ten years in of Wal*Mart in China.

I wish I could tell you that China isn't a horrible country, or that it's nothing like you think Communism would be like. . . but it is. Some of these people are desperate, and it makes this country unsafe. One of our cast members was mugged on the way home from work the other night. She was even walking with others. Some guy just walked up and ripped her jewelry off and ran for it.

It's kinda been a "When bad things happen to good people. . . " kind of week. Another cast member got word from home that her family's house has burned down. They have lost absolutely everything. It is the most horrifying thing. We're all trying to do our best. . . but when you're so far away. . . . what can you do but be a friend?

We've also had lots of injuries the past two weeks. Some blame the rock hard beds at hotels, some blame lack of decent food, many people blame the extended tour dates. Many of us are worn out. We'll be home in thirty days or less!

Rough Start in China

 

We started working in China the other day.  Things are not going so well.

 

Here's an example:

Yesterday we had our first "real" rehearsals here in China.  The local narrators are so thin and tall they don't fit into anything we have for narrators to wear.  Charlie ended up going shopping for something for them to wear.  Charlie asked the translator to write the name down of the big shopping mall near by so she could just go buy a few things to try.  So Charlie got into a taxi with the piece of paper and the taxi driver drove her away.  The translator wrote down the fabric district which was 20 minutes away.  Charlie was so pissed.  She came back in a rage. 

 

In the end, it all worked out.

 

 

However, I have had my own problems with translators.  While trying to explain to my locals how to do their job, the translator gave me attitude and kept telling me that it wasn't their job.  It was really awful. . . I was trying soooo hard to hold my temper but I ended up loosing it a little.  The translator, who's name is Bright or something that sounds like it, said to me, "Well maybe that's how you do it in America, but that's not how we do it here in China."  I lost it.  "I'll have you know Bright, I've never worked this show in America.  I've never even seen the show in English.  Since I've been with the show, this is how we've done it in Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and now we're gonna do it here in China.  If you have problems with this, you need to speak to Andy." (Andy is my boss' boss)

 

I'm not even asking them to do that much.  Hang the clean laundry.  Vacuum the floor of the character room once a day.  Help dress the characters.  That's it.  It's the easiest gig in the show.  I couldn't believe the audacity of this translator.  Who by the way, is the worst translator I've had out of every country I've been to.  I may not understand Chinese, but I know how translators should work.  I say something in English, I take a pause, the translator says it in the language of the country we're in.  The translators here do not work that way and it is very fustrating.

 

Besids that. . . It's hot here . . . food has been rough.  Whatever your idea of Chinese food is, throw it out the window. Because Chinese food in China is completely different!  I mean, they consider chicken feet a delicacy here and they don't take bones out of chickens.  They just pluck the feathers out and chop it up and cook it.  It's pretty gross.

 

So you've got hot, tired, and hungry people working with people that can't understand English... it's not a very good combination.  We're all very cranky and unhappy.  I pray that the next few weeks fly by and are a lot better!

Splendid China LIVES!!!

For those Orlandoians, you may remember a little theme park just west of Disney's main entrance called Splendid China. This theme park had all the wonderous sites of China. . . in miniature. It included such things as the Terra Cotta Warriors, the Forbidden City, and even the Great Wall of China that was only half a mile long. Sadly, Splendid China closed it's doors in 2003 to auction off all pieces (including the Great Wall) in 2004.

Well guess what!?! SPLENDID CHINA LIVES!!!
Not only does it LIVE but it lives in China, of all places! Yesterday, Angela (another Orlandoian) and I braved the 90+ heat and went.
And look! There's even the mini-Great Wall!
The closest I'll come to the real Great Wall will be Beijing. Hopefully, we will go there. . . but for now, enjoy mini-China pics!

I'm in China!!

I am now in Shenzhen, China. My travel day yesterday included a plane and a bus. We flew into Hong Kong then we traveled into China by bus.

I have recently learned that travel day is less of a hassle, if you sleep through it all. So I stay awake all night the night before we get on the plane. Then I just sleep through the whole flight. I don't freak out, I'm not uncomfortable because I'm so tired that I just can't stay awake.

On the bus on the way into China, I took some pictures:


However, shortly after taking these, I fell asleep again. Stay tuned for more China excitement!

My All-American Meal

Before leaving for China, I found a grocery store that had an "International Foods" section. So this is what I had for dinner:
And it was FANTASTIC!!!
I mean really, when have you ever seen a girl so happy about green beans!

Still in Mayalsia

I would love to tell you that this week while we're on "break" I've been doing lots of sighseeing. . . but I'm not. Instead, I'm sleeping late, shopping, and taking long walks through the park across the street.
While taking an early morning walk (we're talking about 11:00 am for me), I met some Muslim teenagers in the park that wanted to talk to me. Being American and all, they wanted to know all about the States and stuff. They also wanted pictures with me. So we all took pictures with everyone's camera. Sadly, I look really rough. I mean I'm almost down to my last set of clothes, so I'm wearing really ugly T-shirts.
Here's a shot of the Petronas Towers at night. Pretty eh?
Here's a shot of it durning the day time, from another angle. There is the top of a Mosque in the shot. Alright, leaving for China on Monday. It will be a long travel day.

Happy Independence Day!

On this great American holiday, I would like to take a moment and tell you what I miss about home:

 

1.  Firm beds

2.  Nice pillows

3.  English speakers

4.  Waiters that actually wait on you

5.  Air conditioning

6.  Taxi drivers that know the city they drive in

7.  People who wear deodorant

8.  No "service charges" on restaurant bills

9.  Actually knowing what it is I'm eating

10.  Courtesy

11.  Wendy's

12.  Olive Garden

13.  Not being hit on simply because I'm white

14.  American TV, that's right, I miss being able to watch crap

15.  Target

 

 

I'll leave it at that for now.  Quite frankly, I'm a little tired of being in Asia.  I'll be home Labor Day weekend, after a 8 week stint in China.  Happy FOURTH!!!

A Quick Update

A steady Internet signal has been quite hard to come by the last few weeks. 

 

Right now I'm in Kula Lumpar, Malaysia.  I don't think I spelled that correctly. 

 

Anyways, my Mom tells me I'm almost to the Equator and that would be why my allergies have gone crazy.  I've been sniffing and sneezing since I walked off the plane. 

 

There is a Chili's at the mall that's close to our hotel.  I had an Old-timer with cheese for dinner last night.  IT WAS SOOOOOO GOOD!!!!  I miss completely edible food, I really do! However, if I indulge in "Western" food too much, I might gain back what I've lost.  That would be a bummer!

 

In other news, Alie is having a boy!  I'm very excited for them.  I'm also excited to be a first time Auntie.

 

Alright, it's time to go to work!

Being a tourist in Bangkok

Instead of sitting by the pool, sleeping the day away, or shopping. . . . I went to the Grand Palace. And it was grand indeed.

The Grand Palace is really a complex of several buildings, including the throne hall, a Buddhist Monastery, and a library. There I am in the Grand Palace compound.That's what you see when you first walk in. Check out these cool buildings:

This past week marked Thailand's King (King Bhumibol Adulyadej) 60th year on the throne. He's the world's longest running monarch. He took the throne when he was 18 and now at 78 he's adored by his subjects. I'm not kidding. People ADORE him. For the past two weeks, every native Thai has been wearing yellow shirts to promote and honor their King. There is a yellow shirt shortage going on here. I read about it in the newspaper. It's really quite admirable how much they love their King. I certainly can't see any of us Americans feeling that way about a President. Which by the way, our President did not come over for the celebration and he was invited. It was a who's who in the world in royalty and leaders here for the celebration last week. . . . no W. Bush. Bleh.

Alright, well. . . it's time for bed. Tomorrow we're working!

Goodbye Taiwan!

Our days in Taiwan are over. We had two extremely hard weeks of performances in three different cities there. One city didn't have working restrooms in the building, we had to use port-a-squatty-potties.
Another city had such a small backstage that you could walk to the back wall from the rig. You can see Charlie there in the distance pointing to the wall disgusted.
Another one of our buildings was across from the Taipei 101. It's the tallest building in the world, standing at 1,671 feet.
At the end of Taiwan, we said good-bye to some very speical cast members. Alison and Tommy have both returned home. Here I am with them on their last day with us:

And no . . . . I didn't dye my hair blonde. Charlie and I decided to wear funny wigs on our last day in Taiwan for a stress reliever. I think I kinda look like Anna Nicole before Trim Spa. Scary!

More to come, after all. . . now I'm in Bangkok!

Busy busy in Taiwan!

Break is over now, and we're back at work. We've been extremely busy, and things won't let up until we get to break in Bangkok. This weekend we have eight shows, load out, and travel to the next city. There we will load in, have two four show days, load out, travel to the next city. Repeat process. June just can't come fast enough.

I probably won't have time to post anything next week. So ta-ta till next time!

It's like spring break!

This week the crew has been on "break" while the cast learns the show in Chinese. We've had lots of fun. It's been kinda like spring break in college. I've been rooming with Ilona this week and it's been pretty much like an ongoing slumber party. We sleep in late, go see some sights, go to the bar down the street, go dancing, come home, call others, play poker. . . it's been good fun. Yay! Sadly, we have to go back to work on Tuesday, bummer.

Hello Tiawan, Hello Typhoon Chanchu

We have arrived here in Tiawan only to be greeted by typhoon Chanchu. Don't worry folks, it's much like a tropical storm back home in Florida. Since we had the day off, most of us spent it in the hotel.

Goodbye Japan!

Our time here in Japan is over. It's sad. We've all had a great time and made new friends. I raise my glass of Shochu Calpis (which sounds like "cow piss" when you say it) to Japan:
And because I raised too many glasses of Shochu Calpis at our "End of Japan party" here's a picutre of me hungover the next morning at Japanese Denny's.
The Japan tour has been very hard on me, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. This country is beautiful, and the people are very endearing. I hope to come back again someday and see more of Japan, like the country side.

It's Sandy's wedding day!

Today my best friend Sandy is getting married fancy on the beach style today. I'm stuck in Japan, I couldn't get leave for the wedding. I'm pretty sad about it, but it's okay. . . . I did get to go and be Maid of Honor at Sandy's Punk wedding in December.
Here's a fun pic from that event.



HAPPY WEDDING DAY SANDY!!! I MISS YOU!!!

Last City in Japan

Currently, we are in our last city in Japan. While it's nice to know we're a little closer to coming home, it's also sad to leave our new Japanese friends.

I've been overly tired lately. I miss green beans. They don't have canned veggies here and very very few canned fruits.

I can't write much now. . . so tired that all the thougts are jumbling up. I'll try again tomorrow.

Official Tour Extension Dates

Hey everyone!

 

Official tour extension dates have been announced today.  They are:

 

Taipei, Taiwan                 May 24 - May 28

Taichung, Taiwan             May 30 - May 31

Kaoshung, Taiwan            June 3 - June 4

Bangkok, Thailand            June 20 - June 25

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia    June 29 - July 2

Shenzhen, China              July 18 - July 23

Dongguan, China              July 25 - July 30

Hangzhou, China              August 4 - August 11

Beijing, China                   August 15 - August 27

 

 

Those are the dates that we are playing.  We have a "vacation" break in Bangkok, and we're also having a break between Malaysia and China.  We don't know yet where we will have our "break."  Anyways, some people are flying home, or to other countries on these breaks. . . I've decided to stay at where they keep us and see cool sites!

 

 

 

Big news. . .

I have big news to share.  Our tour has been extended.  Instead of coming home in early May, I will be coming home in August.

 

After Taiwan, we will be visiting Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lupur, Maylasia; and five cities in China.

 

Normally, a tour has a few months off in the summer time to give everyone a break.  However, we're just such a popular show right now, we will be taking off again in early October for Spain and Italy.

 

Rumor has it, we'll be home for Christmas.  But really . . . that depends on the spring tour schedule.  Everyone keep their fingers crossed, I want to come home for Christmas!!!