WILD DREAM: A Bizarre Adventure in Beijing

From Worldometer (new deaths yesterday):

        DAY  USA  WORLD   Brazil    India    South Africa

June     9     1093     4732       1185        246        82

July    22     1205     7128        1293      1120       572

Aug    12     1504     6556       1242       835       130

Sept     9      1208    6222        1136      1168        82

Oct     21     1225     6849         571       703         85

Nov    11     1479     10178         564       550        60

           25     2304     12025       620       518       118

           30     1238       8291        317       482        58

Dec       1     2611     11891          697      500       109

             2     2833     12356        669      498        65

             3     2918     12660        776       570        94

             4     2718     12142         674       509      160

Summary:  The good news is that Africa and the region around India have not gone wild.

Speaking of wild, I had a doozy of a dream last night.  Something like this happens once or twice every five years.  It lasted for hours.  I remembered the whole thing because I awoke a couple of times, went back to sleep, and continued with the same basic stream of thought.  

It was nearly a decade ago that I actually published another fantastical experience in the Huffington Post:

Suicide Dreams

I had the most incredible dream recently. It is rare for me to actually remember a dream. This one lasted for what seemed like hours, and I can still vividly recall details.

Most of my dreams are dark and almost threatening.  The one above and last night were colorful, the most recent one with a lot of red and gold.  

However, there were a couple of dire and portending aspects in the latest.  When I awoke and analyzed this dream, it was fairly obvious my mind had combined at least three trips I have taken, with the setting being my next around the world trek.

There was a hint that the pandemic was over, and no one was wearing masks.  This one had a cast of, literally, thousands.  

It began with me boarding a plane in Honolulu.  Clearly I was in first class, for the seats were such and this portion of the cabin only had around ten passengers.  However, the room was somewhat grubby.

We took off and the flight was shaky.  Yet people were eating and drinking, although I don't remember having anything.  Me, with a flying philosophy that every free drink left undrunk was money wasted.

There must have been a break in my train of thought, for, while the cabin was the same, we were on a large bus or advanced transporter of some kind.  I was part of a group tour, and the others were heading for the sandy hills of a beach.  It was somewhat similar to a stop at the Grand Site de la Dune du Pilat in France of my Chateau Lafitte and Cognac trip almost two years ago.  My problem was that I couldn't find my footwear, as I frantically searched the area around my seat.

Then I must have woken up to go to the bathroom, but when I returned, the dream trip had moved on to Beijing.  I recall the location because it came up in discussions with my tour travelers.  However, my mind instead slipped in the lunch I had at the Grand Hotel in Taipei, an experience I had almost exactly a year ago.  Much of it looked the same, except for everything being ten times larger, with thousands of patrons.  The buffet was incredible.  We were first sent to a waiting room.  Our group members began to wander around, and so did I.  When I returned, they were gone.  I tried to find them, and couldn't.  Without the entrance leader I couldn't get into the food selection area.  Never got to eat.

Then a third phase of this dream placed me in a car going at frightening speeds.  I quote from a ride I took a decade ago from Shanghai to Zhejiang Ocean University:

Professor Jinbao Wang of Zhejiang Ocean University (ZOU, located in Zhoushan) and his driver picked us up at the Westin on the Bund and broke a world's record to their campus. What should have been a four hour trip was accomplished in three, as the car weaved in and out of traffic, at times exceeding 100 MPH, in a ride that reminded me of a death-defying auto racing video game. I think I acquired a permanent nervous twitch to my right eyelid.  One American tourist dies every 36 hours, and mostly from traffic accidents.  China has more road deaths than any country, with India #2.  If you didn't read about my Taj Majal experience, click on it.

After awhile, we ended up at a compound somewhere in Beijing.  The homes looked similar to those of the Masai I visited a decade ago in the Serengeti National Park, Africa.  Mind you, we had just come from a fancy hotel with all the decadence, so the contrast was a surprise.  Even the occupants looked more Muslim and Polynesian.  Adjacent was what looked like a kind of grand bazaar, but of Chinese character.  The whole complex was owned, I think, by the person leading me around.  I was never able to catch his face in my dream, but he was very confident and spoke perfect English. 

He led me to a large table and laid out the beginning of a vest he was making for me.  If this sounds familiar, apparently I'm in China to tailor-make more of them.  This is a photo of my Bangkok adventure earlier this year.

Then he overlaid another vest with at least 16 pockets.  I thought, my last chance for something so outlandish.  I asked how much?  He said $43.  So I said make three:  black, white and a jumble of colors. Also, make sure that the material is like microfiber fabric.  Light and comfortable.  He said no problem.  How do I pay I asked?  He said you already have.  When you stepped through the doorway, we got your Visa card numbers, even your signature.  So I inquired, how would I know only $129 would be on my bill.  Even though I was never able to truly see his face, he had the look of...you've just got to trust me.  And, amazingly enough, I did.

He then wondered how long I was staying in the city.  I said I'm leaving in two days.  Can I be back tomorrow for the fitting?  He said, those three vests will be ready by 2:30PM.  He wrote on a sheet of paper his address in Chinese to give to a taxi driver.  Beijing is like Los Angeles, except with 12 times the geographic area and four times the population.  I'd never be able to find this place again.   I requested he get me a cab to take me back to my hotel, and could you write the directions in English.  In the process of he thinking how to do this, I woke up.

This is just a simplified version of the details, which were steeped in worry and color and movement and more.  Probably the grandest and most bizarre dream I've ever had.  The exact opposite of my current life in euphoria and security.

Song #23 is Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World  by Israel Kamakawiwoole, or IZ.  He was born at the Honolulu Kuakini Medical Center in 1959 and passed away at the age of 38.  His brother Skippy died at 28 from obesity.  Same for IZ.  While 6'2", he weighed as much as 757 pounds.  His ashes were scattered at Makua Beach.

He was in the original Makaha Sons of Niihau, and later went solo, releasing 15 albums.  Facing the Future in 1993 featured OtR/WaWW, was Hawaii's first certified platinum album and is the best-selling Hawaiian album of all time.

OTR/WaWW was first recorded, actually, in 1988 at 3AM, in one take.  It reached #12 on Billboard, spending 185 weeks on the top of the World Digital Songs chart.

Something about this performance.  You never get tired of listening to OTR/WaWW by IZ.  The voice, of course, but the ukulele adds that magic spell.

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