The Blogging Revolution!

Okay. So perhaps not in the traditional, albeit more historically interesting, sense, but a changing of administration methods with a goal for a new future plan nonetheless. It's time to make this a photo blog!! Woohoo!! Yea, you know you want it. I want it. My camera wants it. So I will try.

Instead of assuming that my fervent posts of beauteous prose are enough to keep everyone coming back day in and day out, I will now try to supplement my photos with backstory, insight, and personal contemplations, instead of having it be the other way around, hopefully with the trying regularity of a "Photo of the Day."

First off, behold this majestic photograph. Burned in the minds of the traveling trio, forever perhaps, is this man. Igor. Igor the Troll if you were to ask him. You may be thinking (though, those of you more traveled may not) that this is perhaps an uncouth title to post worldwide, regardless of his own personal declaration of sed moniker, but I assure you, this man is a troll.

We were confronted by Igor the Troll on a lazy evening in the city of Huangshan, located near the mountain for which it is named, shooting pool and shooting the breeze on the first floor of the Huangshan International Youth Hostel where had recently taken up a brief residency.

I can't recall what it is Luke and I were discussing, but what I do recall is the conversation that was to follow. Igor, introducing himself with a thick Russian-born, Brooklyn raised accent, wanted to chat. He appeared lonely. We told him our simple story, a couple of fresh college grads out to see the world. With a pedagogical demeanor he began giving us his perspective on China, its people, and what it's like to be a creepy, ageless, hairy man.



When they point at me, I go like this. I point like this and I say,

Monkey, Monkey, Monkey!

And they laugh! I'll point to one of them and make it like he has a small penis, and his friends love it. They get a kick out of it!"

With that priceless bit of advice out of the way, after hearing I was born in New York he began to tell us his life's tale. Born in Russia, he moved to New York at some point in his early life where he spent about 20 years and was, I can only imagine, a criminal (Maybe that's not true, but only maybe..). He spent some time in Israel, and then lived in Japan for about four years before traveling to China. He owns a hostel in Thailand, is a webmaster/programmer, and hates Google. He spoke some Japanese, so he and Megan began talking. As most conversations with Megan do, this conversation slid down the slop directly into discussions about sex.

I have decided not to disclose the things that Igor told us in this part of the conversation because it would probably count as public defamation, and besides, he was a nice guy. Here's to you Igor. Hope you're doing alright.



www.igorthetroll.com
Igor takes on Google