Gone Country...

Well, I guess some people are really curious of the unedited version of what really went on during this trip. The little bits left out of the blog were for various reasons. Someone said I should write a book. Perhaps, if I were a rockstar and people actually cared about the journey of some guy named Zhi, then maybe. Too bad I live in the real world and that's not the case. However, I do have an alternative. With my new love for country music, I think it would be appropriate to sum up my trip in a country song. Let's see, I have most the necessary ingredients already; the road, the whiskey, the fishing, the nice Southern boy that I am, and America. Granted that's not a lot, well, you'll just have to work with me. Of course there needs to be a little substitution and the rest I can make up. For instance, the Volvo is a Chevy pickup truck, my Columbia hikers are cowboy boots, and my khakis are old faded blue jeans. For the sake of a real American country song we'll pretend I'm White and that I also have a good woman (the bad women don't count, though they do make for some good country songs). And somewhere the Good Lord will be peppered in as well. Now, let us begin. (This is a first draft, mind you, and just the chorus for now)

Cause I'm just a poor boy from the south
With a dream
and sincere words from my mouth
A desire to see this beautiful land
Rocky mountains and forests with pines
With the Good Lord above
as the sun shines and shines
I'm doing what I should be
and I feel free, so free

I hope y'all were amused. There will a full song though, eventually. Anyways, I'm here in Boston, MA at the moment. I arrived on Wednesday afternoon and my first impression was how confusing the roads are. I came here with absolutely no place to stay up until 9:30pm. Things worked out though, as usual. Coming to Boston was easy, leaving the upstate NY area wasn't. I seriously stayed in the nicest home you can possibly imagine (everything was built to a dream house standard). Right by the water, I finally did catch some fish and kayaked for a few miles as well. That was the first time I'd ever kayaked and yes, I still can't swim. I really had a blast in apple country NY.

Boston, it's an alright city. I really don't see that many differences from DC. So far I've done most the touristy stuff like Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, Chinatown (of course), and Boston Common. Forget trying to get into a Red Sox game though, impossible. So I'm currently staying in the Cambridge area and checked out Harvard because it's nearby. It's not too impressive, as far as colleges go. (I might have turned them down if they actually accepted me or if I actually applied) Well, I'll be here for maybe one more day then off to NYC, my last stop.

Coolest house ever!


My early morning catch


Touring the ole Sam Adams Brewhouse, it's a Boston tradition