Top 10 List

On the grand scale of occupations we like the least; there is a definite Top 10 list. Each person may have a slightly different list but my Top 3 (3….3…..3….3) would look something like this;
1. Politician
2. Lawyer
3. Insurance Agent
It’s not that these jobs are easy or do not require some talent and ability. It’s just the fact that no matter what your feeling is about a person you know (and like) in these fields, there are just so many “less than honorable” people in these fields that it screws it up for the good ones.

Recently, I have run into an issue with my house that required the intervention of my Insurance Agent to try and resolve. I’ll not name the company to prevent any hard feelings or animosity (or perhaps the call from a person in job #2 telling me to cease and desist) so let’s just say the company is Bait Farm Insurance and they have a slogan that might be “Like a good fisherman, Bait Farm is there”. [The events are real; the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Any resemblance to the situation or company is purely coincidental, so if you try to link this to an actual company, it’s all on you, and aren’t you ashamed of yourself?].

Anyhow, I am notified of some damage to my home that could be related to the bad weather encountered early this year. So I have to notify my agent to find out what I can do to start the process of getting the damage inspected and ultimately fixed. No immediate response, then a follow-up from me. Now I get a response, you need to file a claim before we do anything. I ask, what do I need to do to get a claim started, do I need someone to look at the damage and provide an estimate for repairs, etc. No response. Again, follow-up and I get the answer to file a claim. Gee thanks for all the help. I should point out that I am not getting communication directly from my agent but someone in her office (STAFF!?!?! STAFF!?!? Damnit! Only those who remember The Kimmer on the radio will appreciate this comment). So I appeal to her directly and get the same answer, file a claim. I should point out that in this “hypothetical” situation I have indicated that I am not living in the US and that perhaps I will need a little more assistance because of my inability to be in the same time zone. Does it work? Of course it doesn’t.

So I go online to file the claim without any idea of what is needed for this process. Of course due to my current location, the Internet isn’t exactly reliable (add ISP to the list of companies you hate, along with Utility Service Person). After several attempts I am able to finally complete the full form and submit it. Hooray for me! Now my agent will take charge and get the ball rolling (then I wake up from my dreams). Nothing happens.

I contact my agent again, she will finally contact the adjuster to look at the house but he cannot for 6 weeks. 6 WEEKS!!!!! Seriously (add Adjuster to the Top 10 list of jobs and that job is rapidly moving up the charts and into the Top 5), 6 weeks. He is that busy, really?!? Great, I’ll sit for 6 weeks and do nothing. I still don’t have an estimate on the damage and a check of the entire area to see what else may not be obvious from the simple vantage point. My sister steps in and gives me the name of a company to go out and check the damage. [Editor’s note; if you can’t rely on your family, who can you rely on?]. I had a few issues with them but my sister (she is nothing if not persistent, and when she’s on your side it is good for you) handled the problem and got the contractor out to look at the house. This is about 2-3 weeks after the initial contacts were made regarding the damage and such. I know it seems like a long time but every e-mail means a 1 day delay so what would be a quick fix back home takes much longer because you are waiting on a response and then responding to the response and so on. The contractor gets me a damage assessment and a quote on the repair work to be done. Imagine that, someone actually did some work (Contractor moving down the list). Now I’ve got something and I send the information on to my insurance agent who has been working feverishly behind the scenes to get the adjuster out to the house (Warning, SARCASM! The agent has done nothing, I ask if the adjuster can come out sooner and the reply is “No, he is very busy. Leave me alone China boy [okay, I added in the last part but I can see it happening]”).

What happens after the agent gets the quote? The very next day the adjuster finds time in his super busy schedule to go out and look at the house. Really, this is true. The very next day, freaking amazing (just out of the Top 3 now, Adjuster is #4)! However (and this is where it gets even more bizarre) he cannot e-mail me his report, he has to send it via post office due to his “company policy”. Can you believe it???? There are times in life when you hear something that is so stupid and moronic that it renders you completely speechless (at least for a short time)…this was one of those times I think back to one of my favorite quotes, “Never argue with a stupid person, they bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” I sit and stare blankly at the computer screen with my mouth wide open without being able to truly comprehend how any company could have this ridiculous of a policy. How can you combat that (you can’t fix stupid)? I am left to ask for assistance to get the report sooner, yet again. My agent, can we call her Wonder Woman (meaning she is in a constant state of wonder), tells me that she will scan & e-mail me the report when she gets it. Okay, I sit back and wait, and wait and wait. A week later I send her another e-mail that was a little more forceful asking why the report hasn’t come in yet and indicating me displeasure with the entire situation (again). She actually responds with a message that the e-mail was sent on the previous Friday, an obvious lie coming either from her staff or her and she sends it to me again through her staff.

Of course, the adjuster does a lame job of doing anything but being a mouthpiece for the insurance company and first indicates the damages were about $400 lower than the contractors price and second indicates there is some hail damage to vents but not to the roof. Yes, of course, hail damage is always limited to the metal structures on the roof….dumbass!!! He also indicates that there is no interior damage. I guess he is talking about the interior of his truck since he could not get into the house. Big dumbass!!! You can’t fix stupid. So I go back to the agent and indicate the issues with his report and she gives me the one line message reply…”You need to call the Claims number 1-800….”. It was so warm and friendly, I am almost certain that she is in the running for Agent of the Year. The skill in which she uses the English language to be so concise yet so understanding, it makes me tingly all over. Now I know I am in for it. When people say to call a 1-800 number, you know that it took less time to build the Great Wall than it will be to speak to a real person that can actually solve your problem (and the worst part is that person is probably working out of a call center somewhere is Asia). When I asked her if the claim could be re-opened and I could get a second inspection, I got the same “Call the 1-800 number” message back (with warmth & friendliness).

So here I stand before you now complaining about the Insurance business. They will take your money all day long but when you ask for it back, you get the “Of course we can help you, but first you’ll need to bring me the broomstick of the wicked witch of the West. (I’ll get you my pretty) When I contact the 1-800 people, they indicate all I have to do is fax in my contractor’s estimate and a written request for a second inspection. Sounds easy right? Well, when I follow up after 48 hours (which was also in my directions), they can’t find the fax. Did you sent in your contractor’s quote? Aiya!!! Here we go again. So this guy sends me an e-mail that I should reply to and tells me to check back the following day. So I send the same information via e-mail (why didn’t they give me the e-mail address first?) and also fax it again. I should fax it every hour on the hour and ensure that they don’t forget me. So tomorrow (tonight) I check in again and see what has developed.

I know you want to know how the story ends, well…it isn’t over just yet. I’ve appealed the initial adjuster’s report and from what I understand they have to perform a second inspection with my contractor present so perhaps this will all work out. Who knows, the only thing I know is that I will be finding a new insurance company when this is all over. What’s that you say, they are all the same? I don’t think so. My in-laws had the roof collapse on their shed in the backyard, filed a claim and got a check in the mail with no inspection, no hassle. This just reinforces the point I made at the beginning, there are some good people whose jobs are in my Top 3 but these people seem to be few and far between so the rose among the thorns is hard to find. What jobs are in your Top 10? Perhaps blogosphere nerd comes to mind?

Shanghai Ink

Okay people, today we come clean and will dish the dirt about ourselves. There has been a secret that we have kept to ourselves (okay some people know but work with me) that is to be revealed to everyone (Magic’s Greatest Secrets Finally Revealed). This may change your perception of who we are or it may not have any impact on you whatsoever, it’s up to you. In society we judge others, it’s just human nature and it is something that happens every day whether we like to admit it or not. So today, we open ourselves up to be judged (but be gentle).

It has been a long time in the making but as we are headed down what will be our final months living in China we have discussed what we can have to remind us of our time abroad (besides the persistent hacking cough, the tacky souvenirs and this strange desire to bump into people). For me, this scenario of living in a foreign country was not something I had ever considered in the past. It was a huge change for me; it was a risk and was something that was definitely outside of my comfort zone. Since that decision to accept this opportunity, I have continued to do things that are not what would be considered normal for me. Nothing that would be considered a criminal act (in Alabama) or outside my moral code but just not normal for life in the US. Hence this blog post (get to the point already). So we decided on something that again, is not ordinary for us. I don’t know that I have to expand more on that…as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

So now you know, Warren and Jacob have tattoos. Just kidding, they don’t get theirs until next month (again, kidding). Tammy and I had discussed getting a tattoo many months ago and she dove right in because she needed to have it before we went to Thailand. Not really needed but if you don’t have it, you can’t show it off so wanted is probably a better term. You don’t want to be out in the sun right after getting a tattoo or else you can lose some of the color. So, we found a place in Shanghai to get the tattoo done, she found a good design and had it done right away (this was in October, plenty of time before the sun exposure in Thailand). Me, I was a little more cautious and held off for many months before finally committing to a design and getting the tattoo done. You want to be sure that we have the right look because it is on you and it’s not coming off with Clorox (unless it’s the Chinese “copy” Clorox). The first design that they sent to me wasn’t really me (and Tammy didn’t like it either). So I was delayed due to getting the right design and then finding the time to go. We’ve held off saying anything because it would be better to reveal it all at once rather than give updates (the shock factor is better this way).

I guess I should give some background to getting a tattoo, if you’ve watched Miami Ink, it’s a little different than what you see on TV (sorry to burst the bubble but reality tv isn’t reality, unless it’s Survivor, now that’s real….not.). The first time I went into the shop to start the work on a design, it was a little intense. Keep in mind that Tammy and the kids went with me to the shop (and the winner for Parents of the Year goes to…..). The shop is tucked away in a nice area of the city and as soon as you walked up the stairs you knew you weren’t in an ordinary shop. The buzzing sound of the tattoo guns going and they had music blaring. I believe the band was Gwar or something like that (an alternative metal band that makes Metallica look like the Carpenters). It was a little intimidating to say the least. The main artist for Shanghai Tattoo is a small (do I have to say that) Chinese woman with multiple piercings (nose, chin, ear shotgun holes things), a green mohawk hairdo and several tattoos herself (duh). She wears baggy camouflage pants and these metal studded boots that look like they came out of some odd sadomasochist designer shop (she actually gets them from Spain and just to clarify that remark I know because she was talking about them, it’s not because I have a pair). When you see her photos on the website http://www.shanghaitattoo.com/ you think that perhaps she may be a little crazy but she is actually a very likeable and friendly person that just happens to like to tattoo people and marches to her own drummer (again, we judge people every day and sometimes we are surprised when we look beyond the obvious). She has done tattoos for many Westerners and that is what makes a difference to me when selecting a tattoo shop. Obviously there is concern about a sanitary environment (for obvious reasons) and since she had done work with foreigners, she understood this need for clean that comes from the Western mind. There are two Chinese that also work at the shop, one apprentice and one other artist. Cheng Yong is the artists that did both my tattoo and Tammy’s tattoo. The “front man” for the shop is Dylan (an Irishman), he helps people prepare their tattoo and works through their ideas on what they want. He worked with their apprentice to draw out where I wanted the design and then talked with me about what I was looking for. It’s tough to describe accurately what you want so you say everything you can think of, show them a design you like and hope for the best. Oh, and I shouldn’t forget to state that they ask for a pretty hefty down payment for the design (they want to ensure that you don’t take their artwork to another studio). In this case, the first design was much more artsy-fartsy than I was expecting. For some, this would be a terrific tattoo but for me…not so much.

Now, again unlike Miami Ink, it was weeks before they sent me the first draft and I had to tell them I didn’t like it so it was another several weeks trying to work out a second design. The second design was much more “me” (what does that mean anyhow?) and it was time to commit to getting it done which turned out to be this past weekend. We spent time in the city before I got turned into a human pincushion (insert the buzzing sound of the tattoo ink gun here). My appointment was at 12:30 and they expected that it would take about 6 hours to get my ink (you notice how I have switched into the tattoo lingo here). 6 hours!!! Aiya!!! Not really the way you want to spend your day. But I had committed to it there was no way out. I was ticketed on the last train back to Suzhou while Tammy and the boys took an afternoon train home (no need to have the kids sit there and watch me cry).

In the tattoo world there is a design called a half sleeve (again demonstrating my vast tattoo knowledge) which covers your upper arm and shoulder. This isn’t exactly what I wanted but when he covered my arm with the print, it was going to be pretty darned close to what I would get. I tried to keep the size small so it would be covered with a standard short sleeved t-shirt but it seems that it wasn’t going to happen that way. “You’ll lose the detail” is what I was told. Well, okay but it is a bit big isn’t it? “No, it’s the size you need.” So he traces the outline of the design on paper (while I sit back on the couch and think of things I would rather be doing like talking to my insurance agent (more on that coming)) and when he is done he uses Speed Stick to cover my arm. Okay, maybe it wasn’t Speed Stick (byyyyy Mennen) but it sure looked like it. I was you basic wide, “deodorant” green stick that he rubbed on my arm and then placed the paper over it, being very careful to get things centered (this transfers the design, much like Silly Putty). Of course, Tammy is there to oversee the operation and provide her nod of approval (in between her giggles about how it was going to hurt).

With the design on my arm it was time for the chair. My tattoo artist was probably thinking to himself “Great, I have to tattoo a chicken wing.” I should the other foreigners in the shop getting tattoos. One was getting a dragon design that went from his shoulder to his knee, 11 sittings to get the design done (11!!!!). The other guy (Filipino) was getting a design on the right side of his stomach, ouch! I take my seat in the chair facing the guy starting session #1 of his dragon where she was doing the tattoo on his side and basically working between the belly button to the backbone, all nice and tender areas where needles are not supposed to be. I would watch his face as she worked and he would grimace (and not the loveable McDonald’s Grimace) and his legs and toes would jerk when she hit another patch of sensitive skin. Now that was pain! Just to add to the mystique here, the guy for whatever reason was wearing his boxer-briefs for the tattooing. I’m still not sure why but I have to say that I liked his purple Bjorn Borg undies (seriously, I think the name on the band was Bjorn Borg). The other guy was next to me and I could hear him with his grunts of pain so I knew it was going to be a long day. Based on the location of their tattoos and where mine was, I couldn’t even make a face because I was a wimp compared to what these guys were doing.

They actually go to great lengths to prepare everything like a dental office. The tools are on a stainless steel tray with the lovely blue paper underneath the tools and everything is wrapped in plastic that I am going to touch. They wear gloves when they work to protect themselves more than you. So once the design is on your arm, he puts the printout on the table for reference and begins to setup to do the outline. The buzzing starts and you see the needle move and it’s all over. He sticks you and you think, “Okay, that’s not so bad” but then you recognize that he is tracing over the outline and needs to continue. Buzzzz. “Okay, that’s getting worse”…buzzzz…”When is it going to be over?” Then he stops. He wipes your arm quickly, dips for more ink and it starts again. Buzzzz for between 4-8 seconds and then stop, wipe, dip and buzzzz. Sometimes he runs for longer periods as he works in a specific area and you think that the additional 2 seconds are too much, then it stops. Periodically he stops, pulls out a towel, wets it and wipes down your arm to take a look; that feels really good. You forget for a moment that he has only finished a small section and you’ve been in the chair for only 15 minutes of the 6 hours. For the outline, he uses a single, small needle to draw the outline and do all of the detail work. Tammy and the boys went to lunch and came back to see how it was going after about 90 minutes. The boys wanted to see if I was crying but they were disappointed. There were times when it was definitely intense but it wasn’t overwhelming pain (probably because after a short time your body is releasing endorphins and the pain is a little less intense than when it started and your body is going “What the heck are you doing? Run you fool!” Since this tattoo wrapped around my arm, it meant that the tricep area was getting stuck as well as the side and partial bicep. That’s when it really hurt, the bicep and then again when he was drawing the head section just above the armpit. Nice tender areas where needles aren’t supposed to go. These were the areas where he was drawing a little blood as he worked (nice image isn’t it?). The outline and detail work took almost 3 hours. Then it was all about the shading of the artwork. This is when it got worse. He pulls out a 4-5 needle tattoo gun and continues to work to get the shading done around the dragon. I should point out that he is still working with the black ink and so he is shading areas to make various shades of gray. Buzzzzrubbbb, buzzzzrubbbb as he works the needle all around the arm.

What am I doing while all this work is going on (besides the obvious trying to focus on something other than my arm)? I am watching the purple undies guy and then listening to people come into the shop to discuss what they want for a tat (again, tattoo jargon). There was a woman and her daughter that came in to get two piercings in her upper ear. This was done by a doctor that stopped in for 90 minutes to handle the piercings. Then a girl came in to get her nose pierced, she had a little issue and had to sit on the couch for 15 minutes to rest from the experience. Then he pocketed his cash for the day and left. Other than that, listening to the music and trying to get lost in my own thoughts (you don’t want to go there) I was just trying to pass the time and forget that a Chinese man was assaulting me.

Anyhow, back to the design selection, when I selected the design I asked for not so much detail work and background but that was obviously lost in the Chinese translation (or he said, “too bad for you chicken wing boy”) and he was working hard on getting this right. He would work for 30 minutes, ask me to stand, he would stand back and look and then it was back to the chair! Are you done yet? My appointment was at 12:30 and it took him until around 5:30 before he was finished with this part of the design and all he had left was the color. I should point out that my train left for Suzhou at 8:23 and I was probably 30 minutes from the train station if I hit the subway stops just right so I was starting to get a little worried as time was winding down. My original thought of leaving after 6 hours was fading fast. Once again, here comes the 4-5 barb needle gun (I don’t know if it was 4 or 5 since it was moving too fast for me to know for sure) buzzzzrubbbb (the official sound for the tattoo gun if you didn’t realize it by now). First the red ink, each time he stopped to wipe down my arm I would look at my watch and wonder if I would make the train, how could I ask for another train, what street grate is the most comfortable and where were the best garbage cans for a good dining experience. The other two guys were completed with their design work (the one guy for the day, he would be back the next day to continue) so it was just me in the shop. The color actually went by quite quickly by comparison, he added in two yellow colors, some green and then touched up with some white to finish off the design. When he was close to done a Chinese young couple came into the shop and he wanted a tattoo on his back that was XX (yep, XX). It was small and I thought kind of funny. It was located a little to the center of the shoulder blade. I have no idea why he wanted this but again, who was I to judge. He was probably wondering why this skinny Westerner was getting a dragon. It was tough to tell how the final product would look at times because in many areas of my arm when he hit me with this gun, I would bleed so the yellow color was diffused by the red and I was wondering what it would look like. My dragon has bloodshot eyes, what is he stoned? But as he continued, the blood faded and the color of the design came through. When he was finally finished he asked me to take a look in the mirror. I told him “feichang xihuan” (very much like it), he laughed (again, ruining my confidence in my Chinese skills). He took some photos for the shop and then covered my arm with a medical cream to prevent infection and wrapped my arm in plastic wrap (to prevent the design from sticking to my clothes). I headed out by about 7:20 and pulled out my directions for the Metro (subway) and put it in high gear to get to the train station. I made the mistake of trying to lean on the wall of the subway and recognized immediately that I should remember the tattoo (not so smart). I made it with about 20 minutes to spare so there wasn’t even time for a McDonald’s break, it was get on the train and get home. The soreness remained for several days as I had to treat the arm with ointment and cover it with plastic wrap but now I'm ready to unveil it to the world so go ahead and judge away.

Cambodia ~ Wats part 2

Day 2 of our Angkor Wat backpacking adventure started a bit later than the first day. We were very tired from the day prior so we decided to have our guide pick us up at 1030am. We headed out to do the small tour circuit, see the country side, and the Land Mine Museum.

The temples that we saw this day were smaller than that of Angkor Wat but just as impressive. I could not stop thinking of the work that had gone in to creating these temples (and the egos the kings of the time had to think they had to keep up with the Jones'). The first temple was Preah Khan, built in the late 12th century. This temple originally served as a monastery and school for over 1000 monks.

The next stop was Neak Pean. This area was very interesting as the center "island" is surrounded by water (only in the rainy season) with a wall around the moat. We could walk around the on the moat wall and see the individual points with the different areas of worship. Interesting area inside, but the most memorable part was as we were walking out towards the driver there was a Cambodian man undressing to "shower" in the well on the area near the road. He wrapped his krama around his waist and dropped his drawers. MA and I proceeded quickly once we started to see this as we did not need to see that!

After the show we proceeded to Ta Som. This is another temple in the Bayon design as many of the towers have faces carved. In the rear of the area is a another example of how nature has grown around the walls, there is a huge tree that has grown up (a great photo op!).

The last temple of the day/circuit that we visited was the Banteay Srey. Built in the late 10th century by King Rajendravarman. This temple is loosely translated into "citadel of the women" and is quite different from the others that we had seen. The temple is rather small in comparison and is also made of pink sandstone.

Banteay Srey was discovered in 1914 by the French and a team of archaeologists. It is about 40km from Siem Reap but worth the extra money for the drive. The detailed carvings on the walls are some of the prettiest that we saw during our stay in Siem Reap.

On our way to Banteay Srey we drove through the countryside. We saw farmland, rice fields, and many, many animals. The most interesting one was on his way to the market ~ on the back of a moto bike....

Yes my friends, that is a pig on the back of the moto bike. We saw many things that made us thankful for where we live and how we are able to have things to make life comfortable.

After Banteay Srey we were fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the Cambodian Land Mine Museum. I say fortunate because many people do not visit this museum as it is very far from Siem Reap. It is also a reality check to see what the people of this region went through during the Vietnam War. The museum was very moving for us, to see the destruction and the lives that the war ultimately destroyed. Check out this link for more info on the museum. I remember Princess Diana doing work for this organization and before I would shrug it off and not think anything of it. However after visiting the site and seeing the people I highly recommend reading and researching the cause. We were also interested to see one of the CNN Heros of 2010 plays an important part in the museum and the organization. The museum was very enlightening, the three of us left with a heavy heart.

Our next stop was a boat tour out to a "floating village". Yes, it was a boat (an 8 seater with a man on the bow with a stick and a very old (ancient) motor engine). As we began the "short" trip to the floating village the waves picked up and a light drizzle began. As we arrived on the floating village the light drizzle turned into a full fledged thunderstorm with lighting. Did I mention that we were on the largest lake in South East Asia and were on a floating village... One of our group members has a small phobia of thunderstorms (we did not learn this until we saw the weather change ~ lucky us!!!) She did quite well with all things considered. The storm had not yet stopped when our tour guide instructed us to get on the boat (I think we need a bigger boat) for the long and wet ride back to the dock. It was pitch black dark when we finally arrived back on dry (not really) land about 3 hours later than what we had originally planned. Did I mention this is the dry season in Cambodia?

After all that we had done on the 2nd day it was time for the three of us to head back to the hotel for some much needed rest, food, and beverage. We also needed to prepare for the next day as it was time to check out of the ghetto and into the Taj Mahal!

Stay tuned for part 3 of our excursion through Cambodia!

Cambodia ~ Wats part 1

A few weeks ago, two girlfriends and I visited Siem Reap, Cambodia. You ask, "Siem Reap? What in the world is in Siem Reap and why would you want to visit Cambodia?" When we were in the US there were many times that we saw on National Geographic or Discovery channel programs on the area of Angkor Wat. So since were are in Asia and when else would we be able to visit the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat. And since chances were slim (to none) that Scott and I would be able to go with the kids when the opportunity to go with friends I jumped at the chance. The entire trip was planned, scheduled, and paid for just the week before we left so there was no time for "planning" and doing a lot of research ahead of time. So the three of us just packed our bags (for backpacking ~ see Scott's previous posts) and away we went.

We arrived late on the first day and immediately upon checking into our first hotel we booked a tour guide and driver for the next day. We asked to be picked up early so we could get out and see as much as possible. We walked to pub street and the night market to get a bite to eat and to "window shop" to check out the local wares.

The next morning we were up early, as the tour guide was going to pick us up at 830am. When the guide arrived at the hotel he informed us that it would be a busy day. First we had to stop and purchase our 3 day passes to visit the Angkor Archaeological Park which encompasses approximately 390 square miles. Needless to say we packed in as much as we could be could not come close to seeing all there was to see in the area.

We proceeded to head into the main area at Angkor Wat. All I can say is WOW! All the programs that we saw on tv could not come close to the magnitude of this wat. We were all very surprised at the refurbish work that was being done. However since this area is over 1000 years old upkeep would have to be ongoing.

As we walked with our guide through the temple (wat) one can not begin to imagine how the people made this incredible and magnificent temple. The aspara carvings on the walls to ward off evil gods and the amazing artwork carved into other walls in hallways was impressive. The huge 65 meter lotus like towers were a beauty that I have never seen before. Walking around the 1km square, I had a difficult time not tripping over my feet because I kept staring in complete awe at the massive temple walls. It's very difficult to write how impressive this area was, as words cannot come close to describing what it was like. Between the 3 of us, we took about 700 pictures of this area alone.

After leaving Angkor Wat, we took a short ride to Bayon. Bayon is famous for its 1000 faces. Here there are 37 standing towers, mostly with four carved faces. Rumor has it that King Jayavarman VII had the faces carved to keep an eye on the people of the kingdom.

This temple also is said to have some roots in the Chinese culture. We were quite surprised to see how many tour groups seemed to be from "home". We also noticed that even though we were in Cambodia the tour groups forgot they were not in their home country (spitting, hacking, pushing, no space, etc...) It was not until we had spent some more time that the tour groups left (as they are in such a hurry to see 'everything' yet not see anything). It was surprising to us that we were almost the only ones there and it was quite peaceful to wander around and see the ins and outs of this wat.

The third temple of the day had some link to American pop culture ~ Ta Prohm. This was where the famous Angelina Jolie movie "Lara Croft, Tomb Raider" was partially filmed. This temple is also under refurbishment with cranes and scaffolding around. This temple was my favorite of the day with the massive fig and silk cotton trees growing up through the towers and corridors.

This temple was also interesting as you could see the progress that the government has been doing to upgrade the area. Outside the main temple area there were huge stones with numbers and letters listed on them. We asked the tour guide and he confirmed that the letters were where the stone belongs and the number was the chronological order that they should be replaced.

After these three wats, we were all very tired and so very hot. The temperature was a balmy 35C (95F) with very high humidity. It felt like August in Suzhou. We headed back to the hotel then to Pub Street for dinner and a cool drink. We scheduled the tour guide and driver to take us out again the next day to do the small tour circuit to include the countryside and the land museum.

Stay tuned for part 2 of the temple tour.....

The Taxman Cometh!

Most of the blog relates to situations we encounter in China and to inform about what we are doing or have done. In addition to the normal banter of a madman, in this post I’ll also provide some information that perhaps isn’t known to everyone. I know that before I took this opportunity, I wasn’t aware of all of the nuances relating to living and working abroad. Everyone always thinks that this would be the chance to rake in the cash and return home, buy the Trump casino and tell the hairdo “You’re Fired!” I mean we read multiple books and none really ever broached the subject of taxes so I’ll now briefly (okay, maybe not briefly) cover that aspect of being an Expat.

For person’s living abroad, April 15th is not Tax Day; it’s really October 15th(or maybe even later). Interesting that tax day in the US comes in the same month as Tomb Sweeping in China (where you honor your ancestors, in the US our government honors them by taxing them when they die and leave you their stuff. There’s nothing better to remember your loved ones than a dusty old stuffed deer head and a tax bill. “It’s just what I wanted”.) Speaking of taxes, were you aware that working abroad means that you pay taxes in both your home country and the country in which you are working? I know, sounds counter-intuitive (but since when has the tax code ever made sense?) but that is the way it is. Not only do we have to pay taxes in two countries but everything here that is “covered” by the company counts as income. What does that mean? It means that any/all expenses reimbursed by the company (depends on your deal and/or company) is considered income for tax purposes. All of the “allowances” are considered taxable and count as income. Now perhaps I could’ve asked more questions and figured this out on my own but it didn’t really cross my mind as I looked at the contract and spoke with the tax accounting firm that would do my taxes. So, imagine my surprise when I received my amended W-2 form and found out that all of this was “income”. Gotta love it! (Yes We Can….take your money! Okay, it’s not specifically all his fault but the buck stops with the man at the top right?) I’m not complaining (well…I am but in an educational way). I’m just stating another of the observations about living abroad. Be sure to know your contract and be prepared for anything (and everything, watch all of the episodes of “Locked Up Abroad” and “Paradise Lost” to see what happens how and when things go really badly). Check with others that have gone before you (this isn’t Star Trek) to ensure there are no surprises. Never forget, just when you think you are out of the reach of the IRS, you find out the hard way that there is no such thing (unless the Fair Tax becomes law…..hint, hint). Some things you never want to know like “hypothetical taxes” and other genius bean-counter/lawyer terms to baffle you into silence (thank you sir, may I have another). If I look at my W2 and some of the new categories listed my eyes begin to cross and I feel faint. I just look at how much money went into the bank and keep my mouth shut. Seriously, I have hypothetical taxes taken from my check (hypothetically what happens when I smash my thumb with a hammer? There’s nothing hypothetical about it, it’s money but you don’t know what currency or how the heck they calculate it). To top it off, the W-2 is grossly over-estimated for wages and yet somehow it almost all works out to the same taxes as last year. It’s bizarre and so unnecessary.

If you think you’re out of reach of the new Healthcare bill by relocating to China (or somewhere else), think again. (yes that’s right….I’m going on a rant here so brace yourself) I still have to pay for a health plan and thanks to all of our hard working, communist manifesto believing stoolies we are stuck with another government black hole to absorb cash. Our costs were supposed to go down right? My health plan costs just increased by 12.5% (and that’s just for medical). It’s gone up every year for the past several years but this year, 12.5%....that’s insane people! You should look into your plan and see how this has helped you; my guess is that it hasn’t. The best part….this is just the down payment since we know the costs will continue to rise because the full implementation is still years away. What a shock the politicians are exempt from this new and improved system.

The best part about the rising costs is that at the end of the year you may have earned and been granted a salary increase (note that I said earned and not “lucky enough to get”, it’s not about luck), but in the end you are still losing money; it’s just a matter of how much less you will have with your new & improved health plan costs continuing to rise at levels that you can’t match. It’s a sad story on the demise of the American Dream. We’ve gone from being the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave to the Land of the Free-Loaders and Home of the Brave-Nothing-On-Your-Own. It’s shocking how stupid people are, they say “government money” and forget that isn’t money the government earns; it is money they take from you and your family. In theory (or to keep with the theme, hypothetically) Robin Hood sounds like a very noble person, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor but in fact, Robin Hood is a thief and an enabler. He’s no different than a crack dealer (think about it). In today’s world many see the government/politicians as Robin Hood. Love me for I am the people’s champion! I will stand up for the little person against the evil _______ {insert your own evil enterprise here}. In actuality, they are not very noble or honorable people (I am sure there are a few but a few cannot stand up to the mass of the old timers who may have started on the right path but were quickly diverted, “I am your father….feel the power of the Dark Side”).

Sorry, I digressed from some tax information for living abroad and started my rant. You should feel a little lucky that this is actually the much-edited version. My original press release was probably a lot more nasty (but I wasn’t using my teleprompter). I guess I’m getting a little feisty as we prepare to perhaps head back to the land of “Yes We Can”.