Summary
This was my first trip to China. I went 9/6/19 and returned 10/3/2019. Please read along. I really loved the trip and hope to go again in 2020.
Detail
I have been fascinated with China for years. I started reading seriously about it 15? years ago. My wife and daughter and I went to India in November 2018 to attend a wedding. The 14? hour return trip Delphi Newark gave me the confidence for the first time that with proper planning I could survive my hyper activity on a long flight.
Right from the get go I had the idea of seeing the people in China, not just the sights. This prejudice of people and ideas over Monuments and Museums has been a theme of my recent trips. I have a friend who works in Albania, In planning a trip to visit him in 2017 I said “No museums, no forts, no churches. just pick interesting Albanians you have met and lets have breakfast lunch or dinner with them.” I loved the trip. Of course we talked to some Ex-pats. But you get the point. Lets try to involve with the people who are living in the country and what they are thinking/doing.
I do not speak Chinese. Any serious involvement with locals will have to be ex-pats or highly educated residents.
I thought I better put two pictures on this page, just to give the reader something to look at. Since I road a bike 10 days out of 28? I better put in a bike picture. But it should be of me. But I don’t take selfies while riding! So at least you get me in riding gear at lunch:
One more from a collection of over 1000. How about this:
It is taken on one of the last days of my trip. I am in Shanghai. This is in the Tianzifang area in the French Concession where I mainly stayed. The young lady is taking a selfie which is such an integral part of China and Chinese people. It took me about 30 minutes in line to get into this 8 block area of small shops and walking around you are just carried by the flood of humanity. The day was a national holiday and everyone was out on the streets. Mainly the signs are in Chinese but this one in English? Must have been some marketing research involved.
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