Hold your breath...

You may recall a previous post from back in August entitled ‘Not So Chic: A Post from Beijing,’ in which I discussed the pollution perils facing Mainland China. I was validated to read in the New York Times today that citizen groups in China have been taking matters into their own hands to publicize the ‘real’ nature of the air pollution problem, even investing in their own air pollution monitors and publicizing results online. There is nothing more ‘chic’ than collective activism, especially against a mechanism that can at times, especially from inside China, feel so deeply menacing.

China’s massive smog issue is caused by a number of reasons, including the extensive use of coal for energy as well as a marked demand for automobiles—there was a 32 percent jump in China’s car sales last year amounting to a total of 4.81 million vehicles on Beijing roads last year, triple the number as in 2000. As someone who first lived in China in 1996, I can personally attest that the pollution problem is a massive detriment to the future of Chinese society and a healthy, sustainable environment for both growth and prosperity. In the ’90s, the pollution one faced in Beijing was mostly of the home-grown sort: coal was used in furnaces and kitchens and therefore, the smog was black, sooty, and primarily heavy in winter (when heat was needed). By the early 2000s, I noticed a shift in the type of pollution—arriving at Beijing’s spiffy new international airport (oh, how I miss the old airport with its red propaganda slogans painted on the walls!), I immediately could smell something distinctly chemical. Turns out that new noxious odor was a mix of nearby factory pollution and exhaust from the increased number of vehicles on the road. By the time I returned to China last August, I noticed that there were hardly any bicyclists on Beijing’s streets (when I asked my Chinese sister ‘Where have all the bicycles gone?’ she responded ‘There’s one!’—yes, ONE). When I asked my Chinese father why everyone in China wanted to own a car when the traffic is so atrocious it can take two hours to go a kilometer (and I thought Los Angeles was bad!), he responded, thumping at his chest: ‘我有车!’ or ‘I have a car!’, implying that the desire to show off one’s material wealth trumps even the most pragmatic notion that a car is a simply means of transport, and in Beijing, a terrible one at that.

So what happens now? Predictions abound about the future of China’s smog problem, and they aren’t for the faint of heart. Nevertheless, it heartens me that citizens are finally taking matters into their own hands. Even my Chinese father checks the U.S. Embassy’s smog alert system, rather than trusting the Chinese government’s reports.

Still, for those readers outside of China, we think ‘This is China’s problem.’ It’s not. China’s pollution is a direct result of our actions abroad. All those items you buy that are ‘Made in China’? They are made in factories that do not undergo the same stringent environmental demands in the US and Western Europe. And yes, maybe we can live ignorantly unaware of the impact of our consumerism, but smog doesn’t have a nationality and is surprisingly mobile—China’s ‘problem’ is equally ours. Until we demand products that are made locally and sustainably, smog (and its equally harmful, invisible, particulates) will invade our cities, clogging our lungs and choking our dreams of blue skies (okay, that sounds very dramatic, but I’m a writer after all…).

In the meantime, check where that toothbrush, that sweater, that shoe, that iPod is made. Demand that companies be honest in online stores about the origins of their products (I recently returned two purchases I made online because they were Made in China—more on that soon). Sure, ignorance is bliss, but it also can lead to lung cancer.

The best kind of flash mob — a 'smog mob' staging a protest against air pollution in Hong Kong

So creamy and delicious (okay, disclosure: I added a splash of milk)

Chado Tea Room
8422 1/2 West, 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90048
Hours: Daily 1130am-6pm (kitchen closes at 530pm)
Phone: (323) 655-2056

* Additional tea room locations in Pasadena, Downtown Los Angeles (in the Japanese American National Museum), and 4 locations in India. Tea blends and other tea-related accoutrement available for purchase online.*

You won't find this in Los Angeles—the amazing food my Chinese Baba cooks me every time I visit Beijing

Nevertheless, on my quest to find decent Asian and South Asian food on the Westside, I’ve made the following ‘finds’ — definitely worth a trip if you live locally and are craving a culinary adventure:

1) Cholada Thai, Malibu: I shouldn’t be writing about Cholada. The restaurant is already small enough (a shack off the PCH) and the line snakes out the door on weekends, but it really is the best Thai restaurant on the Westside. I’m obsessed with the Nam Sod Kaw Tod, Cholada Pumpkin, and even that sweet sticky rice mango dessert. The standards (Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, Tom Kah, etc.) are also the best I’ve had in L.A. In order to prevent further crowding, I’m omitting the address. Only the best Google sleuths deserve entrance.

2) Akbar Cuisine of India, Santa Monica: Every girl gets a craving for Indian every few weeks, right? Well, at least this girl does. Happened to me last weekend and I couldn’t dare attempt the same old local standbys that lack flavor and inventiveness. Enter Akbar. A simple google search put Akbar at the top of the ‘Indian Restaurants in L.A.’ list on Gayot (for really good Indian food, you need to venture south to Little India in Artesia). The Aloo Aam Tikka appetizer was amazing, as was the Chana Masala. Best perk: lots of vegetarian options and not unbearably pricey. 2627 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA

3) Yabu, West Los Angeles: We were introduced to this hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant years ago by relatives in the area, and we always can count on Yabu for great soba and udon noodles. Their sushi is decent, but you don’t come to Yabu for the sushi bar (although it is quaint and reminds me of spots I visited in Tokyo). You come for the extensive noodle soup menu (i.e., soba and udon). Slurping encouraged. 11820 W. Pico, Los Angeles, CA

4) Chang’s, Brentwood: It’s Chinese New Year and I needed my 饺子 (Chinese dumpling) fix. Unfortunately, the best Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles are at least 35 miles from my house, and that’s in bumper to bumper traffic (read: up to 90 minutes of driving, EACH way). Not ever trying any Chinese on the Westside for fear it would be terrible, I took a risk with Chang’s of Brentwood and was pleasantly surprised. The ingredients were all very fresh, the food was Southern Chinese in nature (i.e., lots of Chow Mein and Mu Shu on the menu), but the dumplings were chewy and flavorful, the hot and sour soup was almost as good as its Mainland match, and the Yuxiang Eggplant, while not as pungent as it should have been, was still tasty. I was also very pleased to speak with the delightful owners—a husband and wife pair from Hangzhou who have been in the States for over 20 years and barely blinked at my ordering the meal entirely in Mandarin. 11726 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

Any other Westside suggestions appreciated!

Okay, this may be taking the mantra to an extreme (also, I've gotta wonder: does this guy have to look at his back in a mirror in order to remember this? Wouldn't another place on his body serve as a more convenient reminder?)

• Of course, the elderly know best how to live a life free of regrets (they’re more aptly staring death in the eye than the young, that’s for sure), as journalist Jane Brody explores in a review of a recently-published non-fiction book, ’30 Lessons for Living.’ Written by Karl Pillemer, a renowned gerontologist, ‘30 Lessons for Living‘ plumbs the well-traveled minds of over 1,000 elderly, asking them their most profound and meaningful life lessons. One useful gem (particularly for the travel-obsessed): “Travel is so rewarding that it should take precedence over other things younger people spend money on.” Another great piece of advice: “Adopt a policy of being joyful.” Begin today. (For more, see The Legacy Project at Cornell University.)
• Whip out that bucket list: here are some suggestions for ‘Seven Continents, Seven Adventures.’ Personally, I’m hoping to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro this year… one down, six to go (although I have stood on a bridge over the Salmon River – does that count?). Speaking of, Idaho was such a surprisingly beautiful part of the US. Highly recommended!
• 

  That's right—there's bacon on that sundae.

  While moderation will hopefully keep us traveling for many years to come, there’s nothing better than a delicious splurge to remind us how sweet life really is (and seriously folks: I recommend only splurges, not daily doses—otherwise, how could we appreciate the sweetness?). Last time I ran a half-marathon, I ate one of these sundaes from Los Angeles’ amazing Sweet Rose Creamery—a scoop of salted caramel, dark chocolate, and homemade whipped cream. Okay, now I’m hungry.

• Living in a consumer-focused society (hello, Capitalism!) as someone aware of the environmental and social ramifications of each purchase can be challenging, at best. In order to make purchases that you won’t regret, focus on vintage (for more on this, see my holiday blog post), antiques, eco-friendly brands (my favorites for home items include Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyers), and locally-produced/sourced goods (just one of many benefits of living in Southern California: farmer’s markets!). In addition, here’s a list of larger corporations that make it their goal to ‘give back.’
• When all else fails, breathe, open your eyes, and remember to live in the moment. In other words, Be Here Now (thanks, Ram Dass!).

For further impetus to live without regrets, check out Brit George Moyse, a 97 year-old sky diver:Moyer says, “I do not sit around, I get about, I go for a walk every day and I do my own cooking, washing, ironing, everything. I have just been lucky to be so agile.”

This man, 'Mycol' Stevens, has taken living off the grid to an extreme—but maybe he's got something to teach us

alleys of some foreign city and befriending local cab drivers at a smoke-clogged hole-in-the-wall pizza joint) while also disengaging (being alone in a new place and observing the world from the outside in order to better understand that place from which we came).

As Listi notes (and I’m paraphrasing):

“[This podcast is about] the issue of dropping out as it pertains to writers. The impulse to drop out is integral to a writer’s DNA. That impulse to live on the periphery and instead to kind of live as a lone wolf, apart. Then, of course, there’s that writer’s irony that you spend countless hours alone in front of a computer screen all locked away in some apartment or room. And you do this in a desperate attempt to connect with other people through your writing. Or maybe ‘desperate’ isn’t the right descriptor. Maybe ‘urgent’ is a better word. I think that’s accurate, because in order to make good art, it needs to come from a place of urgency.”

I think this same impulse and urgency ‘to drop out’ is as integral to the traveler’s DNA as it is to the writer’s (aha! moment: perhaps that is why I love both to travel and to write?). We travel often in order to ‘get away’ from some seemingly mundane existence, while also, at the same time, returning home with a better, perhaps more enlightened, sense of our own origins. How can we effectively straddle that line between living in the world and observing it? How can we best communicate our experiences in order to connect with other living, breathing human beings struggling in the same way? Does it matter?

For answers (or at least more questions), I encourage you to listen to the Other People podcast (you can also find it on iTunes), so that even if you can’t afford that plane ticket as of yet, you can still take a mental journey of sorts…

ps- Stay thirsty, my friends.

• 

  Running in to 2012 full speed

  This ’45 Places to go in 2012′ NY Times article has a few spots that have been on my radar for years (namely Lhasa, Myanmar, and Tanzania), but there were a few unexpected surprises that caught my eye (like Koh Rong Island in Cambodia, at right). But please, why ’45′? I’m not sure I understand the significance of that particular number to 2012. Someone help me here.

• Having just planned a destination wedding utilizing as many ‘green’ details as possible, I was pleased to see these suggestions and that I fulfilled all of them (hooray for vintage jewelry shopping at my favorite site 1stdibs  and outdoor weddings in the rain making the cut).
  

  Ready for the beach! Good thing I wore my heels!

• Fashion designers’ ‘Resort’ looks are always amusing to me due to their distinct lack of functionality in most travel contexts as I know them (but then again, I’m not a fan of large ‘resorts’ per se)—here’s an expansive collection of looks from designers’ 2012 collections that are sure to inspire some travel ideas—like, for example, to a Scandinavian hot spring where you will surely need an Alexander Wang swimsuit with a ski jacket cover-up. Uh, hello, who exactly are these designers designing for? Entertaining, at the very least…

• Welcome to the future. Well, the future of travel: Crowd-sourcing, anyone? Apparently utilizing social network tools to decide your next adventure is the ‘new normal’ (a term that, incidentally, makes me laugh every time I hear it). Check out this list of the ‘Most Important Trends in Travel for 2012′ over at Travel + Leisure’s website. The list does make note of one of my favorite new travel trends, AirBnB.com, a site that allows you to rent apartment accommodations ‘from real people’ (as opposed to those pesky ‘fake people’) in a variety of international locales.

• 

  We'd say 'Wish you were here,' but really, we're not at all concerned with you or your whereabouts right now.

  Finally, with the weather on an ever-increasing warming trend (hello, climate change!), you might be craving a cool off, but nevertheless, The Travel Channel has this list of the ‘hottest places’ to go in 2012. Let’s just hope these spots aren’t setting heat records, but are still pretty cool (I couldn’t resist).

Of this song, Youtube user oONodokaOo writes: “I’m watching the sun setting while listening to this song. Oddly enough it’s been a very hot and sunny day in Nantes and in the whole of France today. The window is open and a hot breeze is still blowing. I can hear the soft sound of water flowing into a small fountain nearby my flat. All is calm. The weekend begins. It’s not even summer anymore, yet that’s the most summery day I’ve had so far this year.”

That said, a ‘new year’ often brings with it ideas of personal ‘resolutions.’ To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of said resolutions. A diet? A renewed commitment to the gym? A promise to be a better wife? What now? Aren’t those things we should be doing on a daily basis? Not to sound curmudgeonly, but I’d hope each DAY is a new YEAR for us, so to speak, and we don’t need to flip the calendar to pretend (most of us for only a week or so) that we’ll be more committed, healthier, and kinder individuals.

So, nevertheless, here we are with new numbers to date on our bank checks, in our letters (do we still write letters?), and on our correspondences: 2012. New years come with needs for lists too. What did I do in 2011? How long should the list be? What to highlight? In our lists, we pen the stories of how we want our lives to be remembered:

Yes, this is a wedding

1. For starters, I got married. Twice. No, that didn’t sound right – but the civil ceremony was a small, family-only event in New Hampshire while the real party took place with a group of 77 friends and family in Dominical, Costa Rica. We ended the night in the pool. In our wedding clothing. Surrounded by our wet, drunk friends. Holding beer bottles. The water was warm… but I’m not pointing fingers (or maybe I am: Kucz…).

2. I finished re-writing my novel, Empire of Glass, and signed with a literary agent who I’ve had on my radar since 2005 (hurrah!). I’m still re-writing said novel.

3. I turned 31 (gasp!). The world didn’t end. I bought anti-wrinkle face cream to prepare.

Baba celebrates Pura Vida in Costa Rica

4. I hosted my Chinese father in the US for the first time. His visit proved that he still loves ketchup and that it’s never too late to leave one’s homeland (in fact, he was such a fascinated, inquisitive traveler that even going to the US Post Office was a treat!).

5. I accepted, and then subsequently turned down, a ‘dream’ TV job in China.

6. I decided to make less lists in life. Then I made this one. Oops.

What lessons are there, then, for 2012? This is supposed to be a blog about travel, about adventures, and yet what I continually find myself returning to is the idea that travel isn’t always about physically moving from one place to another. Sometime it’s as simple as stopping the car off the side of the road to watch the Pacific’s dolphins chasing perch. Or taking a different route on the walk home. Or going to a new sports bar to watch the Pats game. Or choosing to stay home for the holidays rather than move to China (okay, that’s just me). Travel, to me, is about paying attention, changing the routine, making difficult/unexpected choices. Travel requires, by its very definition, a process of change or movement. So, for 2012, I’ve made the anti-resolution resolution to live in a state of flux while maintaining a commitment to those things/ideas/people that have consistently been of utmost importance to me. We don’t know if tomorrow, or the next day, or December 21, 2012 will bring the apocalypse. All we know is that we’re here now (and, if you’re like me, you wonder about/are in wonderment every day regarding the meaning of this existence).

And, a final request: from now on, please try to experience your moments without constantly needing to document them (I know, lame advice coming from the Social Network-crazed blogger). But seriously, folks. We need to put down the smart phones and cameras and iPads and computers (and etc.) to truly see what is around us. Until we do so, travel will only be a means of documenting our lives, not a means of living them.

Case in point – New York’s NYE this year:

Are you really here?

Trailing a friend in South Africa, unsure where we're going... (Cape Town, 2010)

Chuin-Wei Yap. Definitely a reminder as to why ‘getting lost’ matters so much in this increasingly globalized (read: shrinking?) world.

He implores of his fellow Singaporeans:

“While we’re able, live abroad. It helps to see things from the outside. It might also make Singapore a little less crowded. Feel a little alien, get a little lost. Just remember none of it matters without a sense of home.”

Things the Grandchildren Should Know

Katie Holmes spotted with a Clare Vivier bag (get yours soon before the craze hits!)

obsessed with everything Clare Vivier makes—how couldn’t you be? She uses recycled leather product. She employs locally and ethically in Los Angeles. And of course, she’s gorgeous. Until yesterday, I also considered recommending Matt and Nat‘s vegan handbags, but was deeply disappointed to learn that despite the fact that they are made of non-leather material and the lining is made from recycled bottles, their production is in China. Boo! (Do NOT recommend.) When all else fails: Buy Vintage.

2.) A book to remind your traveler why they’ll never stop believing: Alain de Botton’s Art of Travel waxes philosophical about the beauty, the pain, the trivialities of travel in a way that reminds every lover of the journey (no, not the rock band, although those aren’t necessarily mutually-exclusive loves) why we fell in love with leaving home in the first place.

3.) Handmade and eco-friendly iPad and Kindle cases: Every traveler these days seems to have a bevy of electronics in tow. Wow your friends (and support small US-based businesses) by forgoing the Chinese made eco-disaster versions of iPad and Kindle cases at your local Best Buy. Instead, check out the Etsy shops of Pad and Quill and Book Pad for a variety of custom-made cases (constructed right here in the USA) that even masquerade as a Moleskine notebook (good for throwing off any iPad-loving thieves).

4.) The hot pink passport cover: Teich’s passport covers (in hot pink, navy, and brown, shown at left) are H-O-T. Not to mention they are made in the US of A using vegetable tanning (an eco-friendly process) and will keep your travel documents safely chic.

5.) E-cards to (carbon) offset your loved one’s traveling habit: Terra Pass has a great holiday option at an affordable price—e-cards that help to offset carbon emissions by sponsoring alternative energy projects (I’m partial to the Polar Bear card). You could even throw in a box of climate change chocolate to really sweeten the sentiment.

6.) A life-sized photograph from a favorite trip: Why not commemorate a favorite adventure with a canvas photograph that you took yourself? Canvas Pop can transform your memories into art with just a few clicks of your mouse. I did this for one of my photographs of a leopard in South Africa (the picture at right) and now every night before I fall asleep I remember the scent of that savannah grass, the late afternoon light, the dead impala dangling from a tree above… Definitely sets the mood for bedroom romance.

7.) Guacamole in December? Heck, yeah!: California Avocados Direct is not only sourced straight from a family farm, but also packages their goodies in delightfully gorgeous retro-cute gift boxes. They’re even running a holiday promotion on gift certificates and gift boxes (enter HOLIDAY11 at checkout for 10% off!). The Fuerte avocado season begins in January, so be sure to stock your beloved’s kitchen with fresh avocados. Don’t like guacamole? Don’t fret—California Avocado’s website and newsletter features a variety of amazing recipes (I made avocado pesto a few months ago and my husband couldn’t get enough of it).

8.) Cups, and Saucers, and Plates—Oh My!: Nothing says ‘The Holidays’ better than

Mud: Sounds dirty, looks delicious.

gorgeous dinnerware on which to eat your delicious holiday meals. For the best of the best, try Mud Australia. Minimally designed by the most talented Australian potters, Mud hand crafts their ceramics using Limoges and imperial porcelain.

9.) The Magical Multiplying Miles: Travel frequently? Then you’ve likely racked up miles through Membership Rewards at American Express as well as your airline’s frequent flier program. Instead of letting those miles go to waste, consider turning them into travel vouchers for your favorite traveling companion and plan a trip together in 2012.

Ho Ho Ho.

10.) Slow Down, Stay Home: Sometimes the toughest thing for a traveler to do is to stay put. But maybe the biggest gift you can give yourself (and your family) this holiday season is to create an adventure closer to home (for more on that, read my blog post on Stopping). After all, there’s plenty of scientific evidence that shows that maintaining a regular tradition of eating with family or friends is good for our health (for more, read Miriam Weinstein’s book The Surprising Power of Family Meals). Whatever your ‘family,’ whatever your traditions (new or old), sometimes it is worth forgoing a great solo adventure for the warmth of those you know and love. Of course, nothing says ‘The Holidays’ more than a family meal, replete with the requisite family feuds, unfulfilled materialism, and egg nog. Oh yes, the egg nog. Preferably spiked with some strong whiskey.