Hi Sweetie                                  Sunday Oct. 15, 2000    9:11 PM

      I'm in my hotel room in Wuzhou, Mainland China. I've tried calling you on the cell phone and the hotel phone and neither work. Also I can't connect the computer either. They say that this is one of the nicest hotels we will be staying in so I don't know when you'll get this.     We boarded a ferry out of Hong Kong for a 4 hour trip, then a bus for another 4 hours to get here. China seems dirty and very underdeveloped. Lots and lots of masonry half-finished buildings. The major highway we drove on turned into gravel several times.         After getting here Michael Kahn and I went for a walk around the block and saw many little shops. Most food shops were cooking food right on the street. We saw one killing a chicken and preparing it right on the sidewalk;  I mean right down on the concrete as a table. We were the only Westerners on the street and everyone stared at us. Most looked us right in the eye and smiled and a great many said hello as if they were proud to be communicating with us.  We came back to the hotel to retrieve our baggage and have dinner and Michael has gone back out to experience it again.  Tim announced at dinner that he just learned that 22 kms of tomorrow's route are under construction so he has gone to investigate. All the construction is done by manual labor so we still may be able to ride our bikes through. He will let us know at breakfast. I haven't gotten my bike yet so I need to go down to the lobby where I've heard the bikes are and see how mine fared without me since Australia, several weeks ago.   I really miss you Ruth and I'm ready to be home with you.                                                                      Michael and I have been put together in a room and I told him at dinner I wanted him to help me with a sketch. It's called " One armed man and two bags" Basically I walk out with one of my arms inside my loose fitting clothing with my hand behind my open fly. Another person hands me a bag and I take it with my remaining hand. Then they hand me another bag and as I take it in the same hand I drop the first. They pick it up and hand it to me again and I take it but drop the one I'm holding on to. After doing this several times I come up with a solution;  I stick my finger out of my fly and grab one bag and the other bag is handed to me in my remaining hand and I walk off the stage. It seems funny to me. We'll try it and let you know how it works.

 

    Love

    Randal      Wuzhou, China

Hi  Ruthie  10/18/2000

    Sorry I sounded so bland today on the phone. I should have known better than to think I could focus with a plate of food in front of me. The days are going so fast that it will dawn on me that it's time to call you and no matter where I am or what I'm doing I'll get my trusty Nokia out and ring you up. I should call you at least sometimes during your evening and my morning. It's always nice to hear your voice.  China and its people are absolutely remarkable. The scenery today was breathtaking. We rode through a forest of mountains. Tim called them limestone carst. They looked like granite to me although I saw one yesterday that was being mined for marble. None of us can get over how the people are genuinely glad to see us.  I take pictures of the people and show them the picture on the digital camera and they want me to take more so they can see them;  then they break out into laughter.

    The kids seem just like any other kids. Unafraid to speak to you. English is being taught in schools now so younger kids want to try out there speaking skills and say things like "It's a pleasure to meet you".  I'll bet I've heard 1000 variations of "hello". The town we're in now is quite touristy and there are many westerners here. The street venders are wise to their trade and will write down a price when asked but when you start to walk off they ask you what you will give. I bought 140 pairs of chop sticks and was asked 55 Rms per 10 pair package, I ended up paying 30 Rms.

    I spent most of the Chinese money I brought into China because I had seen an ATM machine, after I bought the chopsticks I went back to the ATM and my Visa card wouldn't work. Afterwards someone told me that ATMs wouldn't take Visa cards here and you had to bring money in with you. I also understand they take US $ so I may take the travelers checks I brought for such an emergency and get cash for them. Tomorrow is a layover day then we ride a short distance to Guilin for another layover day. There are boat tours from there and I may do that on that layover day.   I don't know when I'll get to send this, but will as soon as I can.

 Love Randal

Dear Ruthie     10/19/2000

Hi Ruthie                    Thursday Oct 19, 2000  12:36PM    It's pouring rain outside and we're all so glad that we're inside. This morning I had breakfast and then set out on a mission to get some money. I started walking and looking for an ATM machine that would accept Visa. My efforts were to only be rewarded by the beautiful scenery of Yangshuo.   However, there was no Visa friendly ATM to be found. Being a member of a large group does have it's benefits though.  Some other Odyssey riders told me I could go to this certain bank and give them my debit card and get money, so I did. They charged 30 Rms on a withdrawal of 1000. Probably about the same as an ATM.

    Afterwards I spied another O2K rider drinking coffee, (which is a rather rare find), and joined him. As we set beneath the shelter of an overhang on the side of a very busy pedestrian street the rain slowly increased in it's intensity until it was sliding off the makeshift awnings in sheets, sending everyone running for cover. One was a lady that asked us if we would be interested in a guided tour. Her name on her business card is Xu Yu Yong. Just below that in brackets was the name "Gloria". Her self appointed western name. She started showing us laminated pictures of her with her clients in different settings. I ordered a cup of coffee and asked her if she would like some too. She sat down and started talking about China. She had taught herself to speak English. She and her husband had two children, a girl 12 and a boy 15. She is teaching the two children English as well. She also showed us her book of nice things people had written about her and her tour. There were addresses from the US, Australia, Japan, UK, Sweden, Canada, and many without addresses. She and her husband farm a small rice patty. In addition to rice they grow vegetables and own one water buffalo, (to plow with), no other animals. I asked her where they got their meat from to eat. She said they bought it at the town market with money she earned doing tours. They live 8 Kms from town and her daughter walks 30 minutes each way to school each day. Because her son is in middle school and that's in town, he lives at school 5 days a week and comes home on weekends.

    She spoke several times of the difficulty in making ends meet, mainly because I was probing her for answers to questions about China. I asked about kids and she said each family was allowed one. If you had two there was an additional tax to be paid and somewhere along the line you were asked or told to have an operation, she was a little vague about this and I didn't quite understand. Somehow if you did or didn't have a boy first you could have another in 4 years.   I was only wearing a t-shirt and because of the rain I was noticeably chilled. She insisted on letting me wear her rain jacket she had tucked away in her bag. It was lavender and had a hood. The picture I'm sending is of the two of us taken by Dean Welch. He and Judy were sharing a rather large pancake and drinking coffee. As it was approaching lunch time I ordered a sandwich for myself and one for her. She didn't want a cheese sandwich like I ordered but gladly accepted a ham sandwich. By this time there were six O2K riders at the table drinking coffee and eating.

    I asked if she had ever been out of China and she laughed and said farmers were very poor, then she said she had been to Guilin a much bigger city than Yangshuo. Guilin is the next destination of the Odyssey tour and is about 60 Kilometers from here. I got the impression she was telling me the scope of her traveling experiences. She was anxious to sell someone a tour and I think most of us would have accepted were it not for the rain. She seemed genuinely friendly and knowledgeable about the local area. In addition to a walking tour one could opt for a motorized tour. You could rent one of those motorcycle/rickshaws and she and up to two people could see the countryside and that included a lunch stop at her house. She had a picture of people eating at her table so I asked about her house. She said when it rained, as it was doing then, the floor got wet.The rain is beginning to let up a little so I may venture out and try and mail a package home                  Love  Randal

"Gloria" and Randal

                                                   Guilin, China   Friday Oct 20, 2000

     It's been raining since yesterday morning. Good thing we only had 60 Kms today, most did it without stopping. I only stopped once and that was to fix a flat front tire. I'm not complaining about that though, it's the first one since Ireland and only the third one since I was home in May. As a matter of fact, I hardly ever have to add air to these tires. They have done an excellent job for me.  Guilin is a city of 400,000 people. Tomorrow is a layover day so if it stops raining as it is suppose to, I'll get in some sightseeing. There is a riverboat cruise that lasts most of the day but I believe I would rather see the city, or at least as much of it as can be seen on foot. They haven't gotten into this tourist thing the way Europe has. Tours are a little harder to find and not as well organized.

    The amount of people on the street is overwhelming. People are everywhere. In Yangshou last night a restaurant sprang up across the street from the hotel and in a matter of minutes there must have been 300 people sitting down eating dinner out of bowls with chopsticks. In addition it was raining and a makeshift cover had to be setup before cooking and serving could begin. This morning I looked and it was all gone. They even had had lights under the plastic covers.  As with most countries we've been in the cities are the most interesting and where all the attractions are but the country side is the most friendly, revealing, and more of a reflection of the people. The scenery is fantastic. The mountains seem to spring up out of the earth without rhyme or reason, with flat landscapes in between. I have yet to see any structure on a mountain except for a communication tower. Most if not all are too steep. Rock quarries are common and destroy the beauty of the mountains. Wherever it's convenient they just start blasting away and scalping the foliage and excavating and mining the stone.

    People, bicycles of all descriptions, about half being three wheeled, motorcycles of all descriptions, about one third being three wheeled, trucks of all sizes and descriptions, about two thirds being three wheeled, buses, and a few cars fill the roadways. (That sentence sounded like something out of "Tale Of Two Cities" which I'm hating into the 4th chapter now.) I think with exception of the people, the bicycles, and the motorcycles, about everything including the enormous amount of engines on the side of the road operating everything from pumps to rock crushers, runs on diesel fuel. At least that is what the black smoke that belches out of their exhaust smells like. The other combustion engines run on gasoline and the people and their bicycles run on rice.  I don't think I've laid eyes on a single person that I didn't think I could stop and talk to if I wanted. Sometimes you will encounter someone who gives you a suspicious stare but the moment you smile and give a hardy "hello" they brighten up and respond with their  best effort and a smile. The kids have by far the brightest smiles and outgoing appearances. I can now fully understand why someone would want to adopt one. It just seems within each face you can see an unblemished life of joy and innocence.

    It's just a little after 9:00 PM and I think I will go for a walk before retiring for the night.

  Love Randal

Hi Ruthie                                       8:00PM  Friday Oct. 27 2000

      It's difficult to write with the somber mood I'm in. Tim Kneeland announced a few nights ago there was not enough money left to finish Odyssey.  It was bad enough realizing the end was fast approaching anyway.  Now we're told that funds will be gone in Singapore with the exception of the money needed to fly all of us back to LA. The other option is to pay TK&A another $3,000.00 and continue. Tim has said he will take as many as are willing to pay. We took a vote and only 13% said they would give the organizers more money. All of this has upset a great many people including me.     I was under the assumption from the beginning that things, including flights, were planned well in advance. However most of us realized early on that the trip was happening with very little lead time. Some food venders reported that they had only gotten confirmation of our coming the very day we showed up. The reason Japan turned out to be such a mess was that landing rights for foreign charted aircraft have to be approved 30 days in advance. Only 10 days prior to our scheduled flight, negotiations with Japan Airlines broke down and Malaysia Airlines was contracted to take us. They even flew a 747 to Australia to pick us up only to find out they couldn't land in Japan. They flew us to Malaysia and we took commercial airlines to Japan and then back to Malaysia and then Malaysia Airlines flew us to Hong Kong. That meant we weren't flying a direct route but back and forth. And of course the bikes never made it to Japan so we rode a bus from place to place.   Tim has stated numerous times that Odyssey is not and had not planned on making any money but he has steadfastly refused to disclose any cost. He did put in a memo that he had spent 2.9 million on aircraft costs and that was nearly twice what was budgeted. Most people are just angry and won't pay the money but still don't have a place to go to until after the first of the year. Most who own homes have them rented until after Christmas. If I or any of the rest who don't feel comfortable paying the $3,000.00 go home and say we quit, it doesn't matter why, all anyone is going to here is "I Quit  Randal

Hi Sweetie    10/28/2000
          I'm in the internet cafe in the hotel. I've had a great experience the
last 2 days. I'll go up stairs to my room and write a longer e-mail. (I just hit a key without looking at it first.  It was the "A" key)  People are waiting to use this and the other computer. We have been without access for so long that everybody wants to use it. I have heard a rumor that I may be able to connect in my room, I'll try.
    Love Randal

10/29/00 
I've just gotten off the phone with Randal and he really is enjoying his experiences meeting local people in China.  Several have acted as guides as he has made his way in  layover towns.  A whole class of school children ignored the exhibit at a museum today to have their pictures taken with Randal. I know that this is the part he will remember most from his travels and I hope we can return one day to revisit his new friends.   Ruth at home   (His e-mail tale follows).....

  Hi Sweetie  10/28/2000

        I want to tell you of the wonderful experiences I had yesterday and today. Yesterday, our first layover day in Nanning, started out with one of the best breakfasts we've had on the trip. Afterwards I went on a mission to find money. China has been difficult for all of us to get money since ATMs only will take China credit cards and no foreign travelers have them. I had gotten 1,000 yuans in Yangshuo at a Bank Of China, so yesterday morning I headed out with directions for that bank and a post office. I walked for about 6 blocks and crossed the street when I saw the sign for the bank, but when I walked inside and showed them my Visa card they shook their heads and waved me off.  I then showed them some travelers checks and they did the same. I walked down the street to several other banks and was told in very broken English to go to the Bank Of China. It finally occurred to me that maybe I could show them my receipt from the bank in Yangshou and from that information they could then give me money.  On the way back to that bank I spoke to a young Chinese man and I guess he saw I needed help so he asked if he could help me. I told him my problem and he said he would help. The two of us walked into the bank and they remembered me from before so they told my friend that they were a branch bank and I would have to go the main office. The man, whose name I now learned to be Huan Jian, 22 years old, offered to show me where that bank was but we would have to take a taxi.  I told him I didn't have money for a taxi and he said he would pay for it so off we went. That bank could have given me money except I only had a copy of my passport and not the actual passport itself.  It had been sent ahead to get visas for Vietnam. So Huan and I started walking back toward the hotel and the place we met on the street and we ran into some other Odyssey riders who told me the ATM in the hotel was now working and giving out money. I invited Huan to come with me and if I got any money I would buy him lunch.

    Huan wanted to talk and he asked many questions about America and Americans' concept of China. He had attended Beijing University and had studied to be an engineer. Because of his limited English and my inability to speak an ounce of Chinese, I never learned what kind of engineer. We ended up spending 6 hours together and that was spent constantly talking. I did get money and we had lunch which he was very hesitant to accept but I insisted so he ate with me. While we were eating his beeper went off and he excused himself to use the phone. When he returned I asked if it was his mother and he said yes, she wanted him to come home for lunch.     Huan seemed to be very sharp but had no concept of world history as I would learn even more as the day passed. After lunch we headed for the post office as I had a package to send. On the way there we picked up a friend of Huan's and he started walking with us. When we got to the post office we were told that to mail a package we had to go to another post office across town. Now there were three of us in the taxi headed for the package post office. We found it and with Huan's interpretive skills, as limited as they were, I got the package mailed. We started walking back because in the taxi I had spotted a McDonalds. I bought the two of them ice cream and we flagged a taxi back to the hotel. By this time it was 4:00 PM and I was tired. I told Huan to tell the driver to let them off where I had found them and take me on to the hotel, but when we pulled into the hotel they were still in the car. As we got out of the car Huan asked me for my room number and I told him 1219, he said he would come back and visit me that night. About 9:00 PM there was a knocking on the door and when I opened it there stood Huan and his friend.  Huan had 2 gifts for me. One was a box with little bowls in it and the other was a box of little vases. I thanked them and turned on my computer so I could show them the pictures of them I had taken. I also started showing them pictures from around the world.  He didn't know about Hitler and WW2, or the Vietnam war. He didn't recognize the names of countries I showed him pictures of. Apparently they are not taught world history in schools here.  Today I had a similar experience as a young man, (21) started asking me questions. His name is Jesse Liu. He had graduated from a university and had taught school for three months before deciding he didn't like it. We spent 4 hours together, again asking and answering questions. I got both their address and promised to write. Tomorrow we head for Vietnam. The only country on Odyssey I have visited before. At the border we have to leave one bus, carry our gear for 300 meters, go through customs, and board another bus for Hanoi.   The first picture is of Huan and his friend with his gifts to me on the table. The second picture is of Jesse in front of a museum he and I went to.   The adventure continues.

Huan, friend, and gifts

Jesse


Hi Ruthie  10/29/2000
     We arrived in Hanoi last night about 10:00 PM. It's 10:30 AM Mondaymorning and I stumbled into an internet cafe.  I like Vietnam so far.  I may not be able to talk to you for awhile though.  ATT doesn't seem to work. There is no number for ATT global for the internet connection of the laptop. This
computer I'm using is so extremely slow it has taken 30 minutes to read your e-mails.
  We leave tonight for an overnight train trip to Hue. I won't see my luggage bag for three days. I packed enough clothes to do me for that time.       
(For those of you who don't know,  Odyssey has sort of declared a sort of bankruptcy.  The riders have been asked to pay $3,000 to continue the New Zealand and Hawaii legs.  Randal believes that it should be everyone or no one to continue the trip.  So he is planning to finish, but not with the official Odyssey trip through New Zealand...long story but when the plans are firmed up we'll let you know what he's doing and with whom.  11/14/2000)
  Suzanne's boy friend in DC found a flight from Singapore to Dulles on the 26th of Nov. for a little over $800.00 one way on Northwest Airlines. You could start checking on that for me if you like in case I decide to come home. If I did come home I  would like to stay a few days after the 26th but it depends on flight availability though. I still can't decide what to do. I don't want to go to NZ and leave everybody else. Tim admitted that deposits had been made in NZ and Hawaii. So people continuing will be subsidized by those who don't go.
   I'll try to call you but nobody has been able to get out hear so I may not be able to get out in all of Vietnam.
   Love You Forever too
       randal

Hi Ruthie  10/31/2000                                                            I took a Vietnamese Airline flight from Hanoi to Nha Trang. The train trip changed yesterday afternoon so I booked a flight for $125.00 first class. Most everyone else left on a train at 9:30 PM arriving in Hue today at 2:30PM. They leave again on a train at 2:00 PM tomorrow from Hue to here and
arrive at 5:30 Thur. morning. We leave here on our bikes Friday morning. I stayed in Hanoi last night with Ron ? and he and I flew down here together. There were no other O2K riders on the plane. (One just walked into the post office where I am now). Most people took a 9:30 AM flight but that was
booked by the time I decided to go.
  I told Ron when we got here I would probably get a room by myself. I need to think this thing out and decide what to do. I may just pay the $ and go with O2K. Everybody is flip flopping like me. Anyway I have a few days to decide. It's 12:30 Tuesday afternoon and I will rejoin O2K Thursday morning.
Meanwhile. Last night I and several others went to a water puppet show in Hanoi. It was good. Yesterday afternoon I went into a silk shop and bought you a silk robe that's beautiful. It's embroidered and reversible. This PO I'm in now can't mail it so I have to go to another one.
I just tried my phone and there is still no signal.
Love
Randal