This update is going to be really quick, because the Internet bar I’m in is infested with gnats.

For those of you who care, I’m in southern Vietnam right now, taking part on a three day whirlwind tour of the Mekong Delta area. I’ve ridden a lot of boats and buses, seen a crocodile farm, visited coconut candy and rice noodle factories, eaten lots of local food, gone to several floating markets, climbed a mountain to see the sunset, had a homestay in a village family’s small hut, had some pretty great rice wine, and met some new friends from all over the world. Tomorrow I’ll head back to Saigon after an early breakfast and a visit to a floating fish farm.

But right now, these gnats are driving me crazy … so I’m outta here!

China, which is famous for its successful treatment and virtual elimination of illegal drug addiction, is on to a new trend … Internet addiction clinics.

Led by Tao Ran, a military researcher who built his career by treating heroin addicts, the clinic uses a tough-love approach that includes counseling, military discipline, drugs, hypnosis and mild electric shocks.

It’s true. There are many teens and young men and women who spend way too many hours online … sometimes going to the wangba (Internet bar) all night to play games, chat, and watch movies online. It’s especially a major problem for university students, who suddenly find themselves graduated from their ridiculously rigorous middle school careers (70 hours/week) and don’t know how to make responsible choices in the newfound freedom of college life (15 hours/week).

I had a senior three student come to me last semester asking for help … one of her best friends had just started skipping school and going to the Internet bar instead. Apparantly she had lost interest in academics (she was a very good student) and simply left to pursue her online interests. When I asked where her parents were (or if she even had parents), the student told me that they were powerless.

So let me get this straight … this kid is addicted to the Internet? Her parents, who are giving her money for the wangba, covering her butt at school, feeding her, and giving her a place to stay, are powerless? She needs electroshock therapy, hypnosis, and drugs?

“We use these medicines to give them happiness,” Tao said, “so they no longer need to go on the Internet to be happy.”

If only I had a kid … I’d sign him up today!

In January 2007, I went to Lugu Hu, a beautiful mountain lake on the border of Yunnan and Sichuan, with Daisy, a Chinese friend. A huge snowstorm stranded us up in the mountains for a couple of days, so we dug in and enjoyed the seafood, had snowball fights with the local Mosul minorities, and relaxed in the pristine environment.

I really like the character in a lot of these photos … if you’ve got a few spare minutes, I highly recommend looking at the set or watching the slideshow!

I really miss eye color.

I’ve spent the last few days in Mui Ne, Vietnam … a little coastal town with huge sand dunes, quaint fishing villages, and lots of tropical flavor. Now I’m back in Ho Chi Min City (Saigon), a huge metropolis in southern Vietnam where I’ll stay for the next week before flying home to Hunan.

[Spinning Round, by lance webel]

In January 2007, Daisy and I used the charming little tourist town of Lijiang as a base for trips to Tiger Leaping Gorge, Lugu Hu, and Kunming.

Most of the colorful photos in this set (or slideshow) were taken at a minority villiage a little north of Lijiang.

The query:

From: “Lance Webel”
Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 3:08 PM
Subject: webel.com

To whom it may concern,

Could you please send me more information about the purchase of webel.com?

Thank you,
Lance Webel

The reply:

From: “James”
Sent: February 18th, 2007 4:59 PM
Subject: Re: webel.com

15000USD

The reaction:

From: “Lance Webel”
Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 3:08 PM
Subject: Re: Re: webel.com

James,

Hilarious! Good luck with that … send me an email when you decide to cut off a couple of zeros.

only by grace,
Lance Webel, webeldotnet

1. I got my passport and money and everything back … so it’s off to Saigon (Ho Chi Min City), Vietnam tomorrow morning!
2. I just finished my eighth graduate course … after two more, I’ll officially be a “Master of Education”!

When I was in Laos, people on the street kept saying a word to me that I didn’t recognize … it sounded something like “beggam”. Because I had only learned the words “hello” and “thank you”, I had no idea what they were saying, so I just smiled and kept walking.

Strangely, though, I have been having the same experience here in Cambodia … people keep walking up to me on the street and saying, in a completely different language, “beggam”. Perplexed, I decided that I had to figure out what on earth they were saying!

Then, as I looked in the mirror this morning, I realized what the word was … Beckham. I guess that’s what I get for traveling around Asia looking like this!

[Lao visa, by lance webel]

In a way, I’m sad to be stuck in Cambodia during this, the biggest festival in my second home. I’ll miss the parties, the family time, and especially the fireworks that happen during the Chinese New Year celebration. I’ll even miss the Vietnamese New Year, Tết … it’s happening right now, two days before I travel there.

But regardless, best wishes to all of my Chinese friends and family … I hope the Year of the Pig gets off to a wonderful start for y’all. Xin Nian Kuai Le!

An American company has figured out a way to bring posters to life:

Using cutting-edge technologies, XYZ RGB can turn an eight-second video into a full-colour hologram and place it in a plastic film that can be posted in malls, pasted to billboards or even wrapped around a can of soup. The energy needed to make it work? Only a source of light.

The funniest part to me is the reaction of the Chinese Olympic Games Committee when they were presented with the idea of using the posters:

“They told us they didn’t believe us … that we had doctored the footage somehow,” said Mr. Kungl. His response has been to send Mr. Nyhuus to China with the posters to show the skeptics the technology first-hand. Mr. Nyhuus leaves for China on Friday.

“According to them this isn’t supposed to exist,” said Mr. Nyhuus, pointing to the 3-D Terminator 2 poster which was created for Mr. Cameron.

Check out this demonstration (flash video) and tell me what you think!

[via Wicker]

Yesterday I got up at 4:30am to try to get out to Angkor for the sunrise … but ended up walking around Siem Reap for about an hour looking for a place to rent a bike. Finally I gave up and hired a motorbike driver for the day … and it turned out to be a great decision. I saw dozens and dozens of temples, condensing a three-day experience into about 12 hours.

The verdict? Angkor was completely incredible. It was like a giant stone playground … reconstructed nine hundred year old temples that you could just climb around and explore. I’m usually not one for history, or buildings, or touristy things in general, but I’m definitely glad that I chose to go. Another world wonder checked off the list!

And, as a bonus, as I was walking around one of the most complex temples, I ran into Amy K. (WorldTeach volunteer in Yueyang). She and Hayes (my roommate from orientation) had been in Angkor for a couple of days … and it was fantastic to meet up with them for dinner later on! Afterwards, I stopped for a nice massage at a blind hospital then had a sweet, well-deserved rest.

In the morning, I got up, packed, and left for the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, by bus. The trip was terribly long … I once again had the worst seat and it stopped way too many times on the way (to get commissions from restaurants, etc). But it conveniently dropped us off right in the heart of the guesthouses where I was hoping to stay, so I grabbed my bags and started hunting for a good deal.

On the second try, I found a clean and safe four dollar hotel, so I dropped my bags and started checking in. Suddenly, however, I realized something terrifying … I had left my money belt in my hotel room in Siem Reap! My passport … my money … everything. I always hide these important things when I stay somewhere, but this time I totally forgot to pick them up before I checked out!

This was bad news. At best, I would have to take a bus back to Siem Reap tomorrow then take another one right back to here the day after that, wasting two days in Cambodia and missing this city altogether. At worst … well … I didn’t want to think about that. So I scrambled around, making some phone calls and checking schedules.

After a while, I actually found the son of the Siem Reap hotel’s manager here in Phnom Penh (of all things!). He called his mom, found my money belt, and agreed to arrange to have it sent tomorrow via bus (for a price, of course) … so assuming that everything goes as planned, I should be able to stay here and actually enjoy the city.

I’m lucky … when I applied for my Vietnam visa, I had to specify the date of my arrival. I had a hunch that something bad would happen, so I put down the 20th instead of the 19th, giving me an extra day here in Cambodia. Looks like that was a good decision, because if something goes wrong, I’m going to be scrambling like a chicken with my head cut off!

For now, though, I’m chilling like a villain. I’ve got CNN, ESPN Australia, National Geographic, Animal Planet, Cartoon Network, CNBC, Discovery Channel, a movie channel, and a handful of Chinese television stations too in my hotel room. And seeing how I only have four dollars in my pocket, I think it’s going to be a night of the good old Electric Drug (television) for me!

Well, I’m in Cambodia now. Siem Reap, to be exact … my airplane arrived a couple of hours ago and I took a motorbike to a string of guesthouses, eventually landing on a little $3 joint with a fan and a bathroom and cold water.

Siem Reap is the home of Angkor Wat, a gigantic ancient temple, and quite a few other correlating temples and ancient structures. After renting a bike and getting some dinner, I’m going to head up there tonight to see the sunset on this massive structure. Then tomorrow I’ll be out there all day with my bike and my feet and my camera at my hands.

It’s hot here, and the air is thick with tourist sweat. Already I’ve had to maneuver through some slick traps … avoiding getting stuck with a guide, bargaining for my hotel room, and even being really picky about which of the dozens of Internet bars to use. Hopefully I’ll be able to sink into the shadows enough in the next couple days while still getting as much of an authentic experience as possible!

Who better to remind us of this important distinction than three fun and crazy PVM summer camp counselors!

I’ve finally finished uploading all sixty four of my Tiger Leaping Gorge photos. Quite possibly the most beautiful place I’ve ever been, I often found that my wide angle lens was simply too narrow in this place.

Check out the photos … here’s the slideshow and here’s the whole set. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed taking them!