Please count me in on the thread too if it goes offline as I will also
need a translator next year...

Mike


On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 13:17:21 GMT, Michael Plant
cast caution to the wind and posted:

Thanks, Alex. We'll talk more for sure. How many days do I get out of my
guide-translater for my 50 smackaroos?

Michael



Alex digy.com9/10/04


You are not going to believe it, but taxi is no problem at all. At the end
ask for recept (Fa Piao).
They do not expect to be tipped (Beijing) and will give you full change.
Certainly they can take you by the long road, but its so cheap anyway.. I
spent last time a month in Beijing, going everywhere by taxi and when I got
back and put all the receipts together - it was $120.


Tea - in Beijing my favourite place was a teashop on the last floor of the

Sanlitun Yashow Clothes Market
58, North Worker's Stadium,
Chaoyang District, Beijing

The best way I assume you have NO knowledge of Chinese whatsoever) is to
hire a guide-translator (aout 400 Y or $50). But not just anyone - ooyou
will be taken for two rides insted of one. I can reccommend you one if you
want, closer to the time of your trip.
My knowledge of Chinese was enough to manage on my own.
The rule of thumb (Americans seem to love these) - if you left the tea shop
and yuou spent around 1,000 yuan, you need help carriying your packets. If
you can carry them yourself - you 've been had. But with the dollar/yuan
exchage rate (very unfair for Chinese) your are better than OK anyway.
Expect a very good tea like very good Te Guan In be around $10 for a large
can. Good white fur green tea - $3 a large can.
Some tiny shops in hutongs also have very good tea and very low prices. Your
Chinese friends can buy it for you.
Ask Mike about Kunmin tea markets - they suppose to be the paradise of ytea,
I have never been there.

Alex.



"Michael Plant" wrote in message
...
Alex igy.com9/10/04


If you know what you are doing - China is the best place to buy tea.
But in China you can also be taken for a ride like you wouldn't believe.

Alex.


Alex,

On that note, would you make some suggestions about where to go in China.
I'm planning a trip next year. What are the top tea spots from your point
of
view? And how best to approach so as not be taken for a ride, except of
course in a taxi.

Michael





Mike Petro
http://www.pu-erh.net
remove the "filter" in my email address to reply

Great yin yang debate. I enjoy every minute sitting on the sidelines.
I've been in Chinese restaurants where they bring you the gongfu set.
They bring you chopsticks. Good luck Occidental. If you watch the
chop socky genre closely the Chinese defeat the Japanese because
they're more adaptive less ritualistic. The best scene in all ma
movies is a favorite of Tarantino, Street Fighter with Sonny Chiba
where you see an xray view of a karate blow driving skull and neck
between collar bone. My personal favorite the anti hero Zatoichi from
the sixties. Did anyone see the lastest version? I didn't care for
the promo with the moonlite eyes.

Jim

Michael Plant wrote in message ...
Alex igy.com9/9/04

I snip because I can
You can buy the tea, the wisk, all the things to make both teas they use for
the ceremony and drink it without ever touching the ritual side, but why
"muck about"? Just because you can do it without your head being chopped
off?

Because "mucking about" is the higher form.

Just my opinions, Alex. I enjoy your points, and don't really disagree with
them at all; it's all in the way you look at it. In any event, I'm about to
embark on a serious gungfu learning adventure. Less later.

Michael

Great yin yang debate. I enjoy every minute sitting on the sidelines.
I've been in Chinese restaurants where they bring you the gongfu set.
They bring you chopsticks. Good luck Occidental. If you watch the
chop socky genre closely the Chinese defeat the Japanese because
they're more adaptive less ritualistic. The best scene in all ma
movies is a favorite of Tarantino, Street Fighter with Sonny Chiba
where you see an xray view of a karate blow driving skull and neck
between collar bone. My personal favorite the anti hero Zatoichi from
the sixties. Did anyone see the lastest version? I didn't care for
the promo with the moonlite eyes.

Jim

Michael Plant wrote in message ...
Alex igy.com9/9/04

I snip because I can
You can buy the tea, the wisk, all the things to make both teas they use for
the ceremony and drink it without ever touching the ritual side, but why
"muck about"? Just because you can do it without your head being chopped
off?

Because "mucking about" is the higher form.

Just my opinions, Alex. I enjoy your points, and don't really disagree with
them at all; it's all in the way you look at it. In any event, I'm about to
embark on a serious gungfu learning adventure. Less later.

Michael

You're in, buddy.

Sasha.


"Mike Petro" wrote in message
...
Please count me in on the thread too if it goes offline as I will also
need a translator next year...

Mike


On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 13:17:21 GMT, Michael Plant
cast caution to the wind and posted:

Thanks, Alex. We'll talk more for sure. How many days do I get out of my
guide-translater for my 50 smackaroos?

Michael



Alex digy.com9/10/04


You are not going to believe it, but taxi is no problem at all. At the
end
ask for recept (Fa Piao).
They do not expect to be tipped (Beijing) and will give you full change.
Certainly they can take you by the long road, but its so cheap anyway..
I
spent last time a month in Beijing, going everywhere by taxi and when I
got
back and put all the receipts together - it was $120.


Tea - in Beijing my favourite place was a teashop on the last floor of
the

Sanlitun Yashow Clothes Market
58, North Worker's Stadium,
Chaoyang District, Beijing

The best way I assume you have NO knowledge of Chinese whatsoever) is to
hire a guide-translator (aout 400 Y or $50). But not just anyone - ooyou
will be taken for two rides insted of one. I can reccommend you one if
you
want, closer to the time of your trip.
My knowledge of Chinese was enough to manage on my own.
The rule of thumb (Americans seem to love these) - if you left the tea
shop
and yuou spent around 1,000 yuan, you need help carriying your packets.
If
you can carry them yourself - you 've been had. But with the dollar/yuan
exchage rate (very unfair for Chinese) your are better than OK anyway.
Expect a very good tea like very good Te Guan In be around $10 for a
large
can. Good white fur green tea - $3 a large can.
Some tiny shops in hutongs also have very good tea and very low prices.
Your
Chinese friends can buy it for you.
Ask Mike about Kunmin tea markets - they suppose to be the paradise of
ytea,
I have never been there.

Alex.



"Michael Plant" wrote in message
...
Alex igy.com9/10/04


If you know what you are doing - China is the best place to buy tea.
But in China you can also be taken for a ride like you wouldn't
believe.

Alex.


Alex,

On that note, would you make some suggestions about where to go in
China.
I'm planning a trip next year. What are the top tea spots from your
point
of
view? And how best to approach so as not be taken for a ride, except of
course in a taxi.

Michael





Mike Petro
http://www.pu-erh.net
remove the "filter" in my email address to reply

Michael Plant wrote"
OK, so by "ceremony" you mean a bunch of rules, perhaps? Kind of guide
posts? Might I say we are exploring the difference between deductive and
inductive ways of tea?

As usual, Michael is obfuscating the situation by introducing nugatory
complexities. The relevant epistemological paradigm is not
inductive/deductive, but infusive/extractive.

-DM

Michael Plant writes:

Joel 9/10/04


Now here's the origin of everything I've said so far: I don't believe
there's any such thing as deduction ex nihilo. Everything is,
necessarily, `bootstrapped' inductively.

Works both ways at once. And -- no sarcasm intended here either -- therein
lies the cosmic joke.

I honestly can't quite picture that, so I'm interested in any
elaboration you can offer. Feel free to take this offline; it's
getting a little too OT.

Cheers,

- Joel

Michael Plant writes:

Joel 9/10/04


Now here's the origin of everything I've said so far: I don't believe
there's any such thing as deduction ex nihilo. Everything is,
necessarily, `bootstrapped' inductively.

Works both ways at once. And -- no sarcasm intended here either -- therein
lies the cosmic joke.

I honestly can't quite picture that, so I'm interested in any
elaboration you can offer. Feel free to take this offline; it's
getting a little too OT.

Cheers,

- Joel