Reflections on the China Trip

I was blown away by the breathtaking attractions this country has. (See the pictures at the left and sprinkled throughout this BLOG and on Picasa) The Great Wall, the museums, the temples, the Terracotta Warriors are all incredible. The scenery is also very beautiful as well as the combination of modern and ancient architecture. China has millennia of history all around its people and tourists. Much of this is taken fore granted by the people of China and for that matter by the tourists that visit the country. China has more than many countries to offer the world. Its natural and man made wonders exceed even the expectations of the informed people of the world. I would return to look at the same venues again and hopefully view some new ones. I was more amazed as each day passed. I guess the bottom line is the answer to the question: “Would I do it again?” The obvious answer is YES, in a heartbeat.

Li Jun (John) our tour guide is phenomenal. He is personable, knowledgeable, spoke impeccable English, and is good looking to boot. He worked tirelessly to make sure our trip was the best experience we could have. The “extra” tours that he arranged for us were fantastic. His selection of “local” guides to enhance our experience was excellent as well. Again there are just not enough superlatives to lavish praise on this man. Li Jun is the best!

Once we were in China we were introduced to the others on the tour. There were 9 from Canada, the leaders from the Ottawa area, and 7 from the Phoenix, AZ area. Again I find it difficult to find superlatives enough to thank these people for joining us on this journey of a lifetime. These people made our trip so much better and in a short time I thought of them more as family than people we had recently met. Teaming up with these folk made our trip much more enjoyable.

The airline service in the country was top notch. In my opinion it is much better than those of the US. I didn’t feel the crunch of the “cattle car” that I do in the US. Our checked baggage was waiting for us when we arrived to claim it. What a pleasant change from the waits at bag claim in the US. The buses we rode on were comfortable. They had large windows to see from but the same windows let the baking sun in as well. One of the challenges was to keep the windows clean. The drivers all handled themselves very well and I felt safe everywhere we traveled.

EF Tours did a very good job of putting this tour together. With the exception of the last hotel we stayed at the accommodations were very good. The meals while often nothing to write home about were generally tasty and the food was plentiful. The in country transportation was very good. There were only two exceptions to a job well done. They were using United Airlines. Cramped space and movie equipment that did not work well were a problem. The fact that one of our adults was booked in a room with a student the whole trip was really not acceptable. We also had what I would call extreme layovers in both San Francisco and Seattle. The SFO layover on reflection seems reasonable with the possible difficulties in customs and immigration but there was little reason for the layover in SEA. The one thing that EF did for our group that was exceptional was hire Li Jun as our tour director, BRAVO.

The current government is certainly much more “open” than those of the past. It allows tourists to go places that not long ago they could not venture. As far as tourism goes they have one major obstacle to overcome, air pollution. The pollution is not just limited to the major cities; it has spread throughout the country from those metropolitan areas. Even in a town well removed from the big cities, Yangshou, the evidence of the unhealthy air is present. There is a gritty dust all over everything in the city. The carvings in the Forbidden City are even somewhat obscured by the sooty particulate matter. Much of the pollution comes from motor vehicles and much comes from factories and power generation facilities.

Major cities in the USA have dealt with the air pollution problem and while the Chinese cities are often larger they should be able to execute the same measures. One would think the task would be easier in a totalitarian government. But then in the US much of the cleanup was done at the demand of the populous. The people demanded the government do something. It took time but the air was cleaned up.

Another obvious difficulty for the traveler is communication with those outside of China. Telephone doesn’t seem to be a problem even email isn’t a problem, however try to write in a BLOG from China and you won’t be able to do it. It seems absurd that you would be able to send email and not be able to update a BLOG. Maybe I was there at a bad time but try as I might I could not get to any BLOG publishing software on the web. I say it’s absurd because I could email the entry to my daughter for her to post but I couldn’t post it myself. I suppose it’s a way for the government to feel they are in control of the information flow.

Going Home

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Going home always signifies the end of the trip. Today was that day, wake-up call given at 6:30 AM, breakfast, and on the bus by 8. We of course repacked things the night before so we be ready to go. Two groups were going home the Alaskans and the Arizonans. The Canadians were headed to a three day tour in Hong Kong.

On the bus ride to the airport everyone shared what they thought was the best part of the trip. Some were reluctant and some anxious to share their highlights. For me the best part of the trip was the people, the new friends. Getting to know the students we took on the tour was a pleasant task. All four of them are great young adults each with their own unique strengths.

At the airport we said our often-tearful goodbyes to the Canadian crew. Janet and Susan are great folk to travel with as well as their students. They helped to make the trip a richer experience for us all. Mason was sorry to see the Canadian girls leave but as they say, “all good things come to an end”. Everyone vowed to keep in touch and I really hope that we do. I will cut DVDs or the pictures I took on the trip and sent them off. And of course there is the blog, Facebook, and email. The travel blog will have new entries about China for a week or more.

The flight home is actually pretty interesting, well the departure and arrival times are interesting anyway. 10 hours on an airplane are not fun. But we did arrive in San Francisco about four hours before we left Shanghai. Now if that isn’t interesting than nothing every will be. Our Arizona friends will part from us in SFO. They will head to Phoenix and we will be off to home in Alaska. The trip was fun. Yet when I see my bed tonight I will be happy that I am home.

We got to Anchorage about a half hour early, which was fine will all of us. The kids were all picked up by 9:30 PM and Bonnie and I were home before 10. It was a great trip but it's always good to be home. Will write more later about general thoughts of the trip and recommendations for future exotic excursions.

Away to Shanghai

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

This was the day to go to Shanghai. Breakfast, get on the bus, and drive to the airport at Guilin. Once again I highly recommend the spending time in Yangshou if you get the chance.

The bus ride was uneventful and the scenery along the way was stunning. The air was much cleaner today making more things visible. When we arrived at the airport in Guilin we got on the plane for the flight to Shanghai. A meal on the flight was our lunch. We had the “honor” of being some of the first people to set foot in a new terminal at one of the Shanghai airports. The terminal was nicely appointed but there were still bugs to work out with the elevator systems and moving tourists to their tour buses. We made it through we were off to see Shanghai. Well as much as you could see in a few hours.

Jin Mao Tower

Shanghai is the financial center of China and has a larger population than Beijing in a much smaller area. There are high-rise apartment buildings whichever direction you look. There are many tall buildings in the downtown area. We were headed to one of those building to ride and elevator to the observation deck on the 88th floor. The elevator makes the climb in 45 seconds, a lifting experience. You can see much of Shanghai from the tower but visibility is severely limited by the haze of the ever present air pollution. You could see people washing the windows of the “bottle opener” building (right) very near to where we were. These buildings in downtown Shanghai are incredible architectural and engineering feats.

Yellow River

We next spent a short time on the banks of the Yellow River. The group took pictures of each other with many different backdrops including the communications tower that is downtown. Nearly all of us had an ice cream cone there. Everyone enjoyed the short time on the banks of the Yellow River.

Silk Market

Next we were off to the silk market. We had a short presentation on the silk moth and it larvae. The pupa of the moth is used to make silk and unfortunately the moth that is metamorphosing in the pupa is killed to get the silk. There is no danger though that this species of moth with go extinct. A demonstration of making a silk duvet was given along with a exhibition of how strong silk is. After all of the hype we were let into the store. We did buy a duvet and cover along with a few other silk items and the prices were pretty good.

From here we went to the hotel. The hotel was absolutely the worst one we stayed in while on the trip. The room we were in had visible patches in the wall and the tub area had a lot of black mildew. We had dinner in the hotel and while the food was actually pretty good it was the first time we did not have enough for everyone to eat their fill. I was pleased we would only be at that hotel one night.

A hard morning rain to a brilliant evening light...

Monday, March 15

Got to sleep in this morning. The first tour was scheduled at 9:30 so spent a little extra time in bed and a later breakfast. Everyone appreciated the break from the hectic schedule of the tour. Breakfast was nice. Bonnie and I got down to the dining room just as the kids were finishing up. When the kids left the Canadian group leaders came down and sat with us so we had a nice talk with them during breakfast. It was a very enjoyable start to the day.

As we came down to go on our hike we all saw that it was raining very hard and so the first tour was postponed until 10:30. That gave me a chance to send some blog entries to my daughter for her to post along with some pictures. It’s nearly 10:30 so I must stop here and go for the tour. More later.

We had a little change of schedule at 10:30. We went on our bamboo raft trip. This was really spectacular. The rafts hold two people and the boatman. The boatman poles the raft down the river through a very picturesque portion of the river. It is unfortunate there are actually vendor on rafts anchored in the river harassing you as you move down the river. You should have either waterproof shoes or boots on or a plastic shopping bag to cover your shoes. They will get wet. The river is made deeper by having damns along its length. Of course the dams have gaps in them so that the rafts can get through. There is up to a five-foot drop and the rafts are long enough to make this “jump” in levels easily without getting the passengers too wet. Bonnie did get her butt wet when we went over the last dam. The river runs slowly and there are few enough ripples that often you can see the reflection of the surrounding hills. There is spectacular beauty everywhere you look in Yangshou. It’s an amazing place.

After the spectacular rafting trip we went to climb Moon Hill. One of the rock outcroppings that stud the landscape has a great circular hole near the top. It looks pretty cool from the bottom but the view is spectacular from the top. Getting to the top is the hard part. You must climb what seems like a million steps to get there. The climb is about 300 meters so there are a lot of steps but getting to the top gives you bragging rights and a spectacular view. Another amazing short journey in our tour.

Lunch was next on the schedule. Went to a local establishment and generally I thought it was pretty ordinary but then maybe after all of the wonderful meals we have had I am getting a little jaded, only time will tell. The meal was certainly satisfactory but nothing to write home about.

Shortly after the lunch we went on the bicycle ride that had been originally scheduled in the morning. We started out along the highway, which seemed quite unimpressive. After about 10 minutes we turned down a country lane and soon were in the midst of farm country. Rice fields, orange groves, wheat fields, and crops we couldn’t identify surrounded us. We also got the opportunity to spend some time at a village farm. Looked around the house, kitchen, and other areas of the farm itself. There was a variety of meats and vegetables hanging in the house drying. It's a method of preservation that is used extensively in China. I had a turn at the wheel of a soy liquid extract machine. Soon found out the task was more about technique and stamina than strength. I think this trip was the highlight of the day. It seems that each day gets better than the last. The extraordinary thing is that we still have one more event after dinner this evening.

We had dinner on West Street and from there went to the light show. The show was pretty spectacular. Most of it took place on the river and was a dazzling display. Over 600 actors, mostly local, are in the show and it is a very well attended show. No rain so no worries. Another day is at an end and we look forward to another exciting day in China.

Terracotta Warriors a must!

Saturday, March 13

Terracotta Warriors

This is truly an amazing exhibit to see. There are three pits that are under excavation at the site. Many of the soldiers are damaged beyond reconstruction but there are hundreds that have been restored and placed in their original positions. There were horses among the soldiers indicating that they we cavalrymen. There are also infantry and a separate area (pit) for the officers and VIPs. Pit one is more than 240 meters in length and only about half of it has been excavated. Pit two is about 100 meters long and contains both cavalry and infantry personnel as well. Pit three is directly behind pit 2 and contains the officers and important people.

The soldiers are part of a 53 sq

kilometer site that is the tomb of Emperor Qin. Much of this are is completely closed now. There are some difficulties in excavating the soldier pits that has caused little activity in the rest of the area. These include oxidation of much of the paint that was used to color the soldiers and a strain of bacteria that is causing premature deterioration of the terracotta clay that the army is made from. Solutions to these two difficulties need to be found before much further excavation takes place.

This exhibit is a must for anyone going to the Xi’an area. The group was totally and utterly amazed by the exhibit. There could be a large tome written on the soldiers and indeed there have been many, so if you want to find out more please surf the web to find out.

Dumpling Lunch

From the Soldiers we went back to Xi’an and gorged ourselves on a sumptuous lunch, at least some

of us did. There was an opportunity to upgrade lunch to a sixteen-course dumpling lunch. Those opting (3 of our group did) out of the optional lunch had a delicious meal as well. This lunch presented dumpling after dumpling.

Sixteen different kinds of dumpling, most all delicious, were even shaped into the figure of the substance they contained. Shrimp in the shape of shrimp, duck in the shape of duck, walnut in the shape of walnuts, and many others, let your imagination be your guide. I would call this the best meal I have had in China so far on the trip.

Art Gallery & Calligraphy

After the wonderful lunch we went to an art gallery where we got a tour and a lesson in Chinese Calligraphy. This was interesting and enlightening as well. It seems that the Chinese characters are all made up of 8 basic strokes that in themselves are pretty easy to learn. It’s the combinations that are difficult. There are after all more than 50,000 characters. All seemed to enjoy this activity.

Massages

After the gallery and lessons most all of us went to get a massage, either a full-body massage or a foot massage. Results and opinions of this activity were mixed. I enjoy the activity. Those choosing not to participate went on a walk in the city with our guide.

Mongolian Pot Dinner

This dinner was one of mixed reviews. I enjoyed the meal but other thought it was the worst we have had on the trip. The meal consists of a pot of boiling water in the center of the table and then the food, noodles and various types of meat and fish, are put in the boiling water to cook. When the food is done it is put into a sauce that is mostly soy sauce though one could also included sesame paste and of course hot oil. This meal was not spicy at all unless you chose to make it so.

One of the Canadian girls had her 16th birthday during this dinner. We had a cake for her and sang Happy Birthday. She was really surprised and I thought the cake was pretty tasty, though some thought otherwise. This was also a great addition to the dinner.

Xi'an Day One

Beijing to Xi'an

We had an early morning start today. Flying from Beijing to Xi’an meant we had to be at the airport by 8:30 AM. We had an early breakfast and left the hotel at about 7:15 AM to get to the airport. Taking care of 23 pieces of luggage was an interesting task. Got that all taken care of and all were checked in and taken to the gate. Eastern China Airlines actually feeds people on their flights and the noodle meal was satisfactory but Bonnie tells the me rice meal was not as appetizing. Oh well, it is what it is.

History Museum

The first stop in Xi’an was the History Museum. Needed to learn a little bit about the beginning of the dynasties in China. We would use this information when we go to see the Terracotta Warriors tomorrow. The museum was interesting but we weren’t there nearly long enough.

White Goose Buddhist Temple

From the museum we went to the Temple of the White Goose. This is a Buddhist temple that is approximately 800 years old. This was a very interesting tour from cultural, religious, and architectural standpoints. There is an eight-story pagoda at the center of the temple grounds. This is a working temple and there are many monks moving around the temple while we are on the tour. There are many

interesting statues, gazebos, and halls throughout the grounds. Most of the buildings and rooms we were enter and poke around in to see the décor and how the

monks live and work. Some of the folks in our group decided to climb the pagoda but I couldn’t look at that many step again today after the trek on the Great Wall.

The evening was a free night for us since we didn’t sign up for the Tang Dynasty Show. We walked to a

huge mall in Xi’an and had dinner at McDonald’s. We poked around in the mall for about an hour and then walked back to the hotel. The walk to and back from the mall was about a mile round trip. Everyone had a good time but was tired when we got back to the hotel.

All is well on Friday as we close the day. Tomorrow is a big day for us all.

The Great Wall of China & other things

The Great Wall was about an hour and a half bus ride outside of Beijing. Even with all of the pollution the scenery along the way was very interesting and the guide was very informative about the area and the history of the wall. Arriving at the wall we were told, “warned” about the vendors on the way up and on the way down. It was also suggested that we not purchase anything ‘til we came down so we wouldn’t have to carry it the whole way. Turned out to be good advice.


Anyway, the climb to get to the Great Wall was strenuous but worth the effort. I didn’t count the steps but there must have been at least 1000 just to get to the wall. Of course you didn’t have to walk up, you could take a cable car much like the ones at Disneyland or Six Flags to the top instead. There is also a chair lift available like those found on the ski slopes at Alyeska or Vale. Of course the lift and the cable car cost money so if you are on the cheap or just want the experience you can take the stairs. These are really not too bad as long as you rest when you are tired or your legs are burning from the exertion. Our group all walked up to the Wall.


Once you get there a grand surprise is waiting for you. We have all seen pictures but no matter how many you have seen once you are there you will be amazed, awe struck. It is really incredible that this structure was built without modern machinery and along the ridges of a mountain range. There are watchtowers about every few hundred meters and steps constructed in the top of the wall to change elevation when the incline is too steep to walk easily. The watchtowers included signal fire areas, drum placement and cannon placements to help move information up and down the wall and ultimately to the capital city. The top of the wall itself is about 10 meters wide the whole length where I walked. This structure was an amazing engineering feat. It was also a seemingly insurmountable logistics feat to get supplies and personnel to stations on the wall. I was truly amazed as you might be able to tell.


The weather was warm and sunny while we were walking up to and on the wall. A few days earlier it had snowed in the area so there was still know on the side shaded from the sun by the battlements. This also made out experience much different from the summer tourist in China.

Some of us took the cable car down instead of the stairs, some rode the chair lift and the very brave tobogganed on sleds down the mountain for an exhilarating experience! The cable car was quick but gave you an extra long time to run the gauntlet of vendors that were trying to sell you all kinds of materials from chopsticks to dresses. Everyone got an education in dealing with vendors and some experiences were better than others. All-in-all the excursion to the Great Wall was exceptional and a highlight of our trip!

Pearl “Factory”

From the Wall we took the bus back to Beijing and to a pearl “factory”. The factory is in quotes because it was really a pearl sale outfit. They did have a great presentation on oysters and pearls. They talked about the difference between fresh and saltwater pearls and how the oysters produce them. Our presenter also told how pearls are graded, processed, and strung. They also talked about pearl cream and how to tell real pearls from imitations. We then got to go shopping. Many of the group made purchases here and seemed happy with the price and the look of their treasures. Bonnie regretted later not purchasing some but we can always go back another time. That sure would be nice.

We went off to lunch after the pearl store. Lunch was good and the food was plentiful. Had a good time getting acquainted with the other groups that were with us.

Chinese Tea Ceremony

After lunch we went to a Chinese Tea Ceremony demonstration and had and opportunity to taste several kinds of tea and here about their medicinal properties. John is the quietest of the group. Once you get to know him and listen carefully you learn of his great wit. As we were ascending the stairs to the tea ceremony he leaned over to me and asked if these people were going to be our TEAchers, a very cool pun in my book. We purchased some tea and a tea pot before we left. Had a good time.

Rickshaw Tour

Once the tea ceremony was concluded we were off to a rickshaw tour of an out of the way area like the neighborhoods of Beijing, called a hutong, use to be before all of the high rise apartment buildings. The rickshaws were pedal powered so no one pulled us in a two-wheeled cart but we road in a three wheel bicycle. We stopped and toured a “middle” income house in the area and had time to talk with the home “owner” through an interpreter while we were there. This was a fun and very informative side trip.

The day was very full. After the hutong tour we went to dinner. It was another well-done meal with plentiful food. The only really adventurous eater in our group is Clynce. He eats most anything and a lot of it. Clynce enjoys his meals.

Weather in Beijing feels like home

The weather so far is much like we left or what we had for much of February in Anchorage.

The lows have been in the 20's with high generally in the low 40's. Sometimes there is a wind

blowing and sometimes not. It has been sunny every day (all two of them) so far. The pollution here is expected but certainly restricts visibility and you can see that is actually doing it's work on some of the sites around. The best thing the Chinese could do is to clean up the air to make things more attractive to tourists. I have not been cold so far and I think our students are staying warm as well.

Everyone is certainly tired at the end of each full day of activity. But they all look forward to the next.

More later.

Day Two of Our Tour

We started the day with an "early" get up of 7AM. Everyone was actually up well be for 7 because of the jet lag. But that's the way it goes. John has been having wake-up call sent to the rooms and so far it has been effective. Everyone is enjoying themselves. Today was very full. I may be able to get some pictures put on the blog later as tonight I will have some time to get some edited and be able to send them to my daughter to post, with a little luck. The agenda today was The Emperor's Summer Palace, Beijing Zoo, Forbidden City,and Tienanmen Square.

The Summer Palace was quite amazing. I think the grounds are 85 hectares (you will have to look it up, huge). There is a man-made lake that takes up about 75% of the area. There are many building, living quarters, servant's quarters, store houses, and other building that are amazing. The architecture is what you would expect in China but much more amazing when you see it close up. The ceilings and the eves and supports are all intricately painted with scenes from all over China and scenes of myths and legends of China. It is truly amazing. The is a corridor that is over 1/2 mile long. It is outside but intricately decorate beyond what you could imagine. An island was built in the lake with a bridge the has a support of 17 arches, I right now don't remember the significance of 17 but I'm sure there is one. The island, the bridge, and other pieces make the image of a turtle which is a symbol of longevity in China.

From the Summer Palace we went to the Beijing Zoo to see the pandas. They have four young ones and several mature pandas in the zoo. The youngsters are housed together but separate from the adults. The adults were being fed while we were they so they were awake but not moving around very much. I think all had a good time the short while we were at the zoo.

From the zoo we headed for the Forbidden City. The way this has been constructed is amazing. There are actually many rings to the city. The inner most ring is the Forbidden City itself and it is further divided into more and more restrictive areas at least during the times of the emperor. There is also the inner city, Imperial City, outer city, and other portions with specific designations that you could enter or live in based on your rank in society and your position serving the emperor. The grounds for the Forbidden City are huge. There are many residences and office building as well as store houses. There were originally four gates into the city and it surrounded by a ten meter tall wall and a mote. Pretty formidable defenses for the time period. Over time the Forbidden City has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times. Mostly the destruction has been from within through fire. The size of the area boggles the mind and what it must have been like when it was used is really beyond my imagination. This is one of those sites in the world that written descriptions, even pictures cannot begin to describe. You really have to experience it first hand.

We entered the city by the north gate and exited through the south gate right into Tienanmen Square. We all remember the student standing in front of a tank in the square some years ago. The square itself is really huge. It is bordered on one side by the Forbidden City, on another by the legislative hall, on the third by the National Museum and on the forth by Mao's memorial tomb. There is a monument in the center to all of the people responsible for modern China and also the national flag. The flag monument is guarded by soldiers that don't what you to take their pictures. I complied with their wishes.

I have been truly amazed with the attractions we have seen. They are really over whelming. I'm glad I told everyone I would to this blog because it will help each of us to better remember the trip and may encourage others to take the adventure as well.

More later, thanks for reading.

Check your cough at customs, please...

March 9

While we were on the plan to Tokyo we flew into tomorrow. One minute it was the 8th, next it was the 9th. If you all would have been in Homer we could have waved at you as we flew over. Basically we flew back to where we started before going on to Japan. After a 10 hour ride we arrived at Nirita International Airport in Tokyo. We had a couple of hours to walk around the airport so I think everyone bought some souvenirs and having a good time just being up and moving after the long plane ride. Got back on the plane for Beijing and got fed for a third time. Some didn't eat preferring to sleep. All went well from Tokyo to Bejing.

On landing in Beijing had to go through "health screening". I do want you all to know they do look at the forms they hand out on the plane. One person marked that they had a cough and got questioned and had to fill out a new form that stated there was no cough. Oh well, we got through that.

We then proceeded to imigration and had no problems there. Then off to the train to go pick up the luggage. Our luggage was waiting for us on the carousel when we arrived and then I exchanged some money and we strolled through Chinese Customs, literally. No one asked to look at our bags, asked any questions, or even really looked at us. Our guide was waiting for us as we emerged from customs and the bowels of the airport.

Li Jun (John) is a great guy and we all introduced ourselves and proceeded to the bus and the ride to the hotel. Not much to do as we got to the hotel at nearly midnight. All checked in and went to the rooms with a reminder that a 7 AM wake-up call was coming. So we went off to dreamland.

Safe in China

Hello everyone,

Don & Bonnie are safe in China. They can't access blogger from Beijing, so they've asked me to blog on their behalf. Hopefully, they will send me an entry about their first day of travels, including the zoo and Tiananmen Square.

Look for more soon!

Megan Bladow - Don & Bonnie's daughter

Off we go

Here we are at the airport waiting for our flight. All are ready. We got all checked in, through security without mishap. Whew. So the kids and the adults are already going off in crazy directions. Almost lost one boarding pass but found it again. Whew! The first adventure of the day. Watch out Seattle, Tokyo, Beijing here we come. I guess though we need to get out of Anchorage first.

The Weather Forecast

If you can believe it the weather forecast for next week looks really great. Sunny and in the 40s in Beijing. If we were going to be there at the end of the week it would be in the 50s.

For Xi'an near the end of the week it's supposed to be sunny and warm. With temps in the 50s and low 60s we should be roasting when we get there. The weather may be better than we could have ever hoped for. All we can do is cross our fingers and hope that the forecast is correct. It sure would be nice to carry our coats instead of wearing them.

The weather for Yangshuo may be a little wetter but it will be warmer. The temps on this page are in Celcius so the Fahrenheit temps are 68-74 for highs.

Shanghai may be a little bit cooler and even wetter. But a lot can change before we get there. We will have a wonderful time anyway.

Maybe the weather will hold as we move south while we are on the rest of the trip. We can only hope.

Packing Day

Well tomorrow morning we are off. It seems there is always more to do. Right now the dining table is receiving a stack of things that must go in the carry on. If it can't go in the carry on it will be packed away. What suitcase to take? What should I take for moving around on tour while I'm there? How much money will we need? And there are so many more questions that I don't even know that will need to be answered before tomorrow morning.

I have checked with the airlines and they will check our bags all the way through to Beijing for us. That's a relief. We won't have to hassle will bags in Seattle. Right now Bonnie is out running last minute errands. Picking up a few things that we still need to take with us and probably some things we don't. At least these are big cities we are going to and we will be able to buy anything that is necessary if we forget it.

Have already talked with one fellow traveler today and will call the rest to make sure all is well and that the schedule is solidified. 4:30 AM to the airport, that is very early. But we do whatever it takes. The excitement is starting to build and while I sometimes dread the preparations I am excited about the trip. All will be well. We will have a fantastic time. We will all come home safely. What more could any of us ask?

More tomorrow with a pic of the travelers tomorrow morning.

8 Days to go!

Boy it's just about a week to go now and things are going to get hectic. Had a meeting with all of the travelers yesterday except one. Bethany had a prior engagement and we talked about it so that's not a problem. All are ready and anxious to get going. John is very quiet in his anticipation though he seems to be excited about the trip. Clynce is asking unending questions which so far I have had the answers to and I hope he keeps asking the questions. Mason is visibly excited but is the newest member of the group and doesn't know the others yet. I'm sure that will change. Bethany is up on the ceiling with anticipation. All are ready to on the way and soon the travels will begin.

We did agree to go to the optional dinner show that is on the trip. Hopefully all will pay in advance. It will certainly be cheaper to do that.

Talked with the credit union about the ATM card and they said it should work. We will see. Called the credit card companies today and had them note that we would be traveling beginning the 8th so we should have any cards canceled. Still need to call Alaska Airlines and United about checking the baggage through so we don't have to hassle with re-checking on the way over. Will have to pick up our bags in San Francisco on the way home to go through customs but will still be on two carriers from SFO to Anchorage so will check on that as well.

It will be a very busy week. All that needs to get done will get done and all that can wait will wait. There is a curse of unknown origin that says "may you live in interesting times". I hope this week is uninteresting and uneventful.

10 Days to Departure

Seems there is never enough time to get everything done. The visas came back from the Chinese counsel yesterday. All seems to be in order. So at least paper work wise we are ready to go. Will stop by the AT&T store on the way home to check on cell phone use in China. It's something I don't anticipate needing to do but should know about it anyway. Check on how to turn things off that I don't want to use because of cost or because it won't work. Will stop by the credit union to check on ATM usage in China. I had difficulties in Egypt and couldn't use it there so will try to find out what is wrong if anything. Need to call the credit card companies to let them know we may be using the card(s) in Japan and China until the 17th of March. It's not nice to have a card refused because it doesn't fit the use pattern.

Have a meeting tomorrow to finalize all of the arrangements with the travelers. Set times to be at the airport, get frequent flier numbers, make sure about meds, list what to take, get emergency medical permissions from the parents and set everything in play for the 8th of March.

Will need to call Alaska Airlines and see if they will transfer the bags to United for the flight to Japan and China. Hopefully they will or we will carry them on and check them in Seattle. Need to call tonight so I can let everyone know tomorrow. As we all know something will be forgotten. All we can hope for is that what we forget is not important and we will be able to buy it in China if it is. I'm sure we will be able to buy whatever we need in China and many things we really don't need.

The Yearbook folks at Bartlett want pictures for this year's book. Will have to get them in by the 16th to make the last deadline. Hope we have good internet connections so the email works well. Will be taking a computer along to update this blog and to keep in-touch via email with everyone back in Alaska.

Looking forward to the trip and hopefully a little relaxation along the way. More later.

28 Days

Seems impossible, but there really is only 28 days 'til our departure. In a month we will be on our decent into Seattle and getting ready for our next leg to Japan. The visa applications have arrived at the travel agent (mail tracking is wonderful) and we should have them back next week some time. We will need to get together at least one more time before our departure. I will need to return the passports to all who are traveling and finalize meeting times at the airport and go over the itinerary one more time. Temperature in Beijing is 27 F and the temperature in Shanghai is 54. Have to be sure to tell folks that is will be cold, like here, when we start and warm up as we move south in China. I am really looking forward to this trip but not the long plane ride there and back. Where is teleportation when you need it?

Preparing for China

Well another trip is in the making. Going off on a ten day trip to China with a half-a-dozen other folk. I am beginning to get excited about it. Exploring new "worlds", seeking out "new life" to boldly go where we have never gone before. Today is a meeting to get the visa applications in order and to once again visit with the acquaintances, soon to be friends that will be traveling together. Air, hotel and tour reservations are all made and awaiting our arrival. March 8 will be here before we know it. And the excitement will continue to build as the time grows nearer. I can't wait!