Iran butting heads with the big boys...again

Iran today headed into very troubled waters, with Mr. GWB weighing in on the British-Iranian conflict. Today the President urged Iran to release the British soldiers as they were detained without just cause. Now this whole "crisis" began with the old "he said, she said" battle of words between Britain and Iran, Britain saying their soldiers were in GPS'd confirmed Iraqi waters, while Iran says, they were in Iranian waters. Now who do you believe?? This is the main issue people are debating, who is really right?

What gets me going about this, is why is it SUCH a huge deal for a British boat to wander into the open waters of Iran? Can't everyone play in the same pool? I mean before this, the British and the Iranians were not sworn enemies, nor were they friends thou. But to detain and now prosecute the British soldiers is a tad much. Even if the soldiers did enter the waters illegally, Iran isn't handling this situation right, especially with the Americans and the UN harping on them about their nuclear program.

I think the Iranians are using this as a political tool that they could use to help with their disagreement surrounding their nuclear program. But with the USA backing up their strongest "friend" (didn't really see this one coming...lol) Iran needs to figure this whole thing out fast, because you don't really see many nations, with strength, backing them up. And with the stability of the Middle East and the oil patch now threatened...again...the British and the Americans will act fast on this situation, wheather the world is prepared for it, or not.

(photo courtesy of www.cbc.ca)

I'm back in Vancouver!!! Wow what a trip!!!

Well I'm back in Vancouver, after living out of my backpack for 24 days. Wow what a trip. It was very sad to say goodbye to Justin, my friend who I met up with in China, but I now truely know, China was and is a great move for him. Many of our friends, including myself, wanted him back in Canada, and I thought I could try and bring him back with me after our trip....lol. No. China is truely amazing. Such a wonderful country of contrasting cultures, people, cities, and yes...modern.

I started my journey in Shanghai, meeting Justin in the airport, as he was returning to China from South Korea (Jeju). now I'm not really going to go into detail of my trip here, as this would take a long time to write. So here is a brief travel timeline:

March 1-4 Shanghai
March 4-9 Nanchang
March 9-11 Guangzhou (flew to Guangzhou)
March 11-14 Hong Kong
March 14 Guangzhou
March 15-19 Kunming
March 19-21 Dali
March 21-22 Lijiang
March 22-24 Beijing (flew to Beijing)
March 24-25 Tianjin
March 25-26 Shanghai then Home!!

I had an amazing time, especially when we went to the Yunnan Province, which included the cities and towns of Kunming, Dali, and Lijiang. The Yunnan province is bordered by Vietnam and Tibet, making it a incredible mix of high altitude and tropical desert climate. Filled with 56 minority native Chinese groups, Yunnan is considered the cultural region of China, even though China considers Beijing the centre of everything. Although I became ill, later going to a Beijing hospital and finding I have severe bronchitis, Yunnan was my favorite part of the trip as the weather was great, the people and cultures were amazing, and of course the area is so beautiful. The people we very friendly, happy and were very helpful when we needed the help (very rare as Justin did an amazing job speaking Mandarin). Dali and Lijiang were truly amazing and lived up to their reputation as one of the most visited Townes in China. Please look at my photos to really see why I say this!!!

Well I will keep this short, as most who read this will get more info when I talk with them in person, but in summary, I had a blast. The trip was truly a trip of a lifetime. I miss Justin even more now, and I also miss China...really I do. China is an amazing country, full of so much opportunity due to the economy and the cost of living. Even though the cultural shocks, such as cleanliness, non-maintenance of buildings (really), and slits in childrens pants so they can crap in the street......lol, China is a crazy yet cool country. I experienced the country during a time of change, from 3rd world to 1st world, and of course people are left behind, people fall through the gaps. But cuddos to China for really making this change so fast and with so much vigor. It is amazing to see when 1.3 billion people decide to change their nation, even though some never wanted this change.

I could go on for months writing about the culture and the crazy moments justin and I experienced, but i will reserve this for later. i may post a few stories later on. Thanks for stopping by!!