Somewhere over Siberia

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My legs are starting to go numb! Been in the air a good ten hours now in my little tiny coach class seat that I have to slither into like a skilled contortionist. Thought I could at least stretch my legs out but on my first attempt my foot makes a clang as it strikes against a large metal box that takes away half of my leg room. In the meantime the folks in front of me are having a good old time sipping their wine and all stretched out in their emergency exit row.

One stinking row is the difference between permanent leg paralysis and blissful dreams! It's all good. Checking the little sattellite map on my screen we're right in the heart of Siberia, jetting toward the middle kingdom (China). I can't help but to feel a little nostalgiam overcome my thoughts.

I'm thinking back to seven years ago, when i decided to leave my professional sales job and making this same trip to start a new career as an English teacher that morphed into a one year stint as a librarian. I'm going to be excited to go back and revisit alot of the places I used to go. China is a place of constant change so it will be interesting to see what has changed and what has remained the same.

The plan for this little vacation includes 4-5 days in Shanghai with the World Expo being the centerpiece. Think Epcot Center on steroids! Then onto the city of Xi'an and a visit to see the famous terracota soldiers and finally a few days in Beijing for some cycling around Tiananment square and the forbidden city and an off-the beaten path hike on the Great Wall. Stay tuned for more details....

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