Fuji Rock Festival

Matt and I went to Japan for the Fuji Rock Festival. It was a last minute decision, and we were almost not going to go because it is so expensive to get to Japan and then even more expensive once you get there, not to mention the festival tickets! We went and I am so happy we did because we had SO MUCH FUN! We camped out for three days and went to the Festival all day and all night. The music went on from 10 in the morning until 5 the next morning every day. There were five stages at the festival, and each one had music going for the entire time. That is a lot of music! I really didn't have the stamina for that much, honestly, but the people we were with did and it was pretty amazing. Japanese people are crazy about music, they are really into it.

The only thing about the festival was that it rained pretty much the entire time. The entire place turned into a giant mud pit, including the camp ground! We were wet or at least damp all three days. We were definitely muddy...I had to throw out my shoes at the end because there was going to be no way to salvage them. The muddiness and dampness, and the lack of sleep was pretty draining, I won't deny it. It was so much fun though, I definitely want to go back next year if we are in Asia and can afford it.


The Camp Site 


Japanese Style Photo 


The Rain was Cute at First 


By the third day the Rain wasn't Cute anymore 

The Best House Guest Ever

The morning after I got back from the US, my old college roommate came to visit me in Hong Kong. This could have been difficult considering the small size of our apartment and the fact that Matt and I were leaving for Japan in one week, but since Liz was "the world's best guest" everything went smoothly. Liz was seriously the ideal guest. She should write a book about the etiquette of being a guest. I think that because she lives in Brooklyn and gets a lot of visitors, she must have learned what she appreciates in a guest and what she doesn't.

One reason that she was such a great guest is that she came to Hong Kong with a little bit of knowledge about what the city was like and what she wanted to do while she was here. She read her Lonely Planet, looked on the internet and asked friends about Hong Kong and what was fun to do here. So when she arrived, she told me some of the things she was interested in. She was also very flexible though, and asked Matt's and my opinion about what her plans were. Another good thing is that she was happy with everything we did. Or at least, if she wasn't happy she didn't act all grouchy and put out. She seemed happy though, and petty much went with the flow of what Matt and I were doing. Also, she was very undertanding about the fact that I had just been gone for 6 weeks and was about to leave for another trip, so she was independent for part of everyday to give me time to do my laundry and other mundane tasks that I had.

Liz and I both have our birthday on July 26, and she was here for that, so Matt arranged a birthday dinner for us at a place called Yung Kee Restaurant, which specializes in roast goose. We also went to Dim Sum with Matt and his coworkers and then she told me about a new thing that I had never heard of before: The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery. That was another good thing about Liz as a guest, she showed me something new!

Unfortunately, I feel like I was a really bad host because I was so distracted by what I had to do, and Matt and I left Hong Kong a day before she did...it was an accident, because Matt booked our tickets to Japan while I was in the US and I didn't have her itinerary with me and I though she left a day earlier than she did. Liz needs to write a book for me about how to be a good host! I know she is a great host because I have visited her in New York before. Ah, well, next time she visits I will be more organized and make sure I am there the whole time!


Liz at the 10,000 Buddha Monastery 


A Few of the 10,000 Buddhas 

Sailing (or at least trying to)

Andrew is on a sailing crew and I had mentioned that I really wanted to go sailing so he took Lisa and I for his Wednesday night race. He sails at the Minnetonka Yacht Club, which is located in an extremely gorgeous, picture perfect location that has lots of little islands and a small boat to ferry you around between the islands.

The plan was for us to go for a ride around the lake before the race started, then to watch then race and then have dinner there with the other club members. There was a slight snag in our plan: there was no wind! We tried to take the boat out but we didn't get very far. We waited for Andrew's race to start but it got cancelled because there was no wind. I got a chance to meet his crew members, who were all very friendly. We had dinner on a cute little island that had the club house on it. On Wednesdays the crews take turns preparing a big barbecue meal for everyone and they call in the "Grill and Chill". I was expecting some sort of burgers and potato salad, you know, standard barbecue items. The food they had on offer was SO good...grilled tilapia and grilled chicken, grilled delicious veggies and a very fresh salad with good cheese and olives. Yummy! For dessert we had lemon sorbet topped with very fresh, succulent blueberries. It was delicious...and in a gorgeous setting, with long tables set out on the island as the sun set.

We saw the most fantastic thing while we were eating dinner: a flying bicycle/hot air balloon contraption flying over our heads. I am not joking! The whole time we were at the lake sailing, I felt like I was in a movie about an idyllic American life. The whole thing was picture perfect..."All-American" types in khaki shorts and canvas boat shoes and other preppie gear cavorting around on yachts and being ferried between islands by "All-American" respectful and courteous teenagers for abundant and elegant grilled feasts and casual chit chat about boats. It was like being a movie, and then the unbelievable happened. A flying bicycle flew over our heads that seemed to be suspended from a hot air balloon! Then I really felt like I was in a movie, like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or something. It was great! I have never before seen a flying bicycle...that alone was worth the trip to Minneapolis!


Two very stoic people holding ice cream bars...It's hilarious 


Hoisting the Sail 


Helping another sailor 


The island where we ate dinner 


The end of the day 

Why I liked Minneapolis, Aside from Andrew's Cooking

Minneapolis was definitely not what I expected. I am not sure what I was expecting, but whatever it was, it wasn't waht I thought. I really loved the laid back vibe of Minneapolis. It sort of reminded me of a really big Davis, or like Davis mixed with San Francisco, except that everyone there is NICE. I am not sure if I could handle the weather in the winter though...the weather was wonderful while I was there, warm and relatively dry, but I know it doesn't always stay like that! Andrew and Lisa kept insisting to me that the winter is actually fun there because you play games and bake treats and drink warm beverages like cocoa. I am just not sure if I could handle all of the hours of darkness. I got some tips from them about how to dress for the cold weather in Beijing this winter!

One cool thing about Minneapolis is that it was so green. I went on walks on a trail by the Mississippi River. It was very pretty and well maintained and there seemed to be a ton of joggers, walkers and bikers. There seemed to be a ton of parks and public areas, and lots of lakes. We went swimming one day at a beach called Hidden Beach. (I don't remember what lake it was on. Lake Calhoun?)

I don't think I have mentioned Lisa and Iris yet. They are a huge part of Andrew and Lisa's life and household. I think Iris is 4 years old, but I am not sure...anyway, she is extremely friendly, outgoing and smiley. She was a good little buddy to eat breakfast with, because she would sit right next to me at the table. (Andrew and Lisa are much for eating at the table.) I sort of feel like I can identify with her, as an only child raised by a single mom, with lots of other adults around providing love and support. Of course Mom was always with me, taking care of me, but I had lots of interactions with other close family members and friends and I think Iris has a similar situation. (Different in many ways to my situation, but also similar in a lot of ways.)

While I was in Minneapolis, Lisa took me to her Tai Chi studio. I learned a lot about myself and I greatly appreciate her sharing that part of her life with me. I definitely want to learn more about it when my life settles down a little bit. Hopefully when I am in Beijing I will have an opportunity. I also tried to go to a yoga class while I was staying with them. It was not good! If you are going to take a yoga class, it is so important that you have a teacher that you respect and that you can work with. Otherwise it is very frustrating!

I got to see more of the many lakes near Andrew and Lisa's house when Andrew took some time off work to go canoeing with me. It was gorgeous!


Lisa and Iris 


Making Funny Faces 


Iris and her Mom, Lisa 


Canoeing 

Minneapolis!

I flew from Salt Lake City to Minneapolis, with a three hour layover in Las Vegas. I will try to avoid any layovers in Las Vegas in the future. It was horrible: smoky, loud, dark, limited food selection and a constant influx of roudy gambling types. It is one of the worst airports I have ever been, except for maybe Taipei.

I had a really nice time in Minneapolis. I was pretty tired after having been in the US for over a month, staying with family and lots and lots of kids. Their house sort of has the feeling of a refuge. It is very quiet and relaxed, with a wide, tree-lined street in front and a huge yard in the back. One thing I did not know about Andrew is that he is a really amazing cook. It was so wonderful to wake up every morning and have a big breakfast cooked! It was like being at a Bed and Breakfast or something. He made this yummy french toast with Frosted Mini Wheat remnants as a crispy coating, along with many other things, but I think my favorite was "Giant Big Pancake". Giant Big Pancake is an oven pancake and it was so light, fluffy and delicious! He also made good dinners, and of course, various barbecued items. My favortie dish that he made was a simple orange salad that was made with segments of a Clementine orange that are sprinkled with a little bit of sugar and then marinated with sprigs of thyme and whole vanilla bean pods. It was amazing! The light sweetness with the overtones of thyme and vanilla was a truly delicate and delectable combination. We also had an amazing assortment of cheeses and good bread. Yummy! And smoked salmon and caviar! I was in heaven. Also, they had fresh raspberries growing in their yard and it was glorious.


Andrew and I in a historical Minneapolis Neighborhood 


Fresh Baked Bread to Go with our Cheese Assortment 


Andrew in the Kitchen 


Enjoying a yummy meal!  

Driving Down Through Yellowstone

On our way home from the cabin, we stopped to see many more sights than we did on the drive in. It was really fun, Grandma, Mitch and I caravaned with Linda, Tanner and Sarah. We stopped at Mammoth Hot Springs and The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Then we had a picnic lunch at Old Faithful and headed down to Jackson.

Jackson is such a cute town! Matt and I will have to go skiing there one day. There were tons of shops and restaurants and the scenery surrounding the city was much more dramatic than that in Park City. (Of course, I love Park City, but maybe one year we can try some place new? Or go to both places?) We got there just in time for the wild west shoot out in the street, with cowboys and everything. It was fun. Then Linda treated us all to pizza and this really yummy place, I think it was called Mountain High Pizza Pie. It was SO good...the calzone was delicious. We left Jackson and headed down to another town that I forget the name of. I think it was in Idaho? Anyway, we spent the night and then Grandma and Mitch headed back to California. I rode with Linda who very nicely dropped me off at the airport where I headed on to Minneapolis to visit Andrew and Lisa.


Linda, Mitch and Sarah in front of Yellowstone Falls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone 


Grandma and Tanner 


Waiting for Old Faithful 


In Jackson on our Way Home 

Good Food and Photography

Grandma and I stopped by a Wildlife Gallery that has opened up in Silvergate. There were some gorgeous photos and it was very interesting to talk to Dan Hartman about how he and his wife stopped working and moved to Silvergate with their two daughters to pursue photography. What a courageous decision! The whole family spends their time out in the wilderness, trying to get good shots. The prefer to go out in the winter because they think the wildlife looks more dramatic when set against a stark white background.

After that, Grandma took me to the Log Cabin Cafe for a delicious trout dinner. It was so nice! The Log Cabin Cafe is for sale for 700,000, and that includes both the restaurant and two guest bungalows in the back. Seems like a lot of work though, considering that the current owners do all the cooking themselves. Whoever buys the place will have to learn to run the kitchen, or hire someone to do it for them. I wonder how many customers they get in the winter? Grandma and I were there in the middle of the week and every table was full. Of course, it was the middle of July and that is the peak of the tourist season. They say that Yellowstone is getting more and more tourists in the winter, though, because it is such a great time to see the wolves.


Grandma in Front of the Wildlife Gallery 


Grandma Walking the Highway 


The Log Cabin Cafe