Today is our last day in China and last day of vacation. I know we have to go home at some point, but I wish it wasn’t tomorrow. The contrast between Japan and China has been astounding. In Japan everything was beautiful and orderly and in China we found the chaos of explosive growth. Along with everyone else, it will be fascinating to watch how China manages this growth going forward. Who knows if China will ever get to the point at which it can afford to be a country in which people have the money and energy to create beauty. For now the challenges of industrialization (pollution, labor rights) and modernization (education, housing) are likely to remain front and center. The day was gray and there was a light rain. We were going to go ... read more

May 2. Chengdu Jim was waiting in the lobby at 8 to start the day. We first visited the Wenshu Buddhist Temple which is the largest temple in Chengdu. We arrived in time for morning prayers. A group of 20 - 30 elderly people were chanting from prayer books as a monk beat on a drum. The temple was small enough that you could appreciate the relationships between the various buildings and the courtyards. Beside the temple is the 1,000 Buddha Peace Memorial. It is a pagoda-like structure erected in 1990 with 1,000 Buddhas carved into it. Nice sentiment in today’s world. Next we headed into the main park. Since this is a National Holiday weekend, the park was more crowded than usual. There was a small amusement park for young children where I photographed a ... read more

Xian - Day 2 April 30 Today Jack started with a visit to the local park where people were exercising or had come with their birds in cages to clean the cages and give the birds some fresh air. After breakfast we started with a visit to the Terracotta soldiers. There are at least 8,000 figures, but most of them were broken long ago when the roof was set on fire and collapsed and have not been restored. The government has stopped uncovering figures since the paint dries and falls off when exposed to oxygen. The impact in the main building is impressive where you can see hundreds of figures along with horses. You can also see figures at all stages of restoration. It is estimated that 700,000 people worked 40 years to create the statues ... read more

I must admit, I’m glad to be leaving Datong. When you combine unbreathable air, a run down hotel and bad food there isn’t much to commend the city aside from the Grottos, which were worth the effort. Leaving Datong we passed through a huge construction site with people moving rocks by hand. Ah, it’s a reminder that this is China. It is very dry and dusty and combined with the smog, it was a blessing when the driver turned on the air conditioning. Today will be another light day of touring which will give me a chance to regain my energy. We got a late start and didn’t get out of the hotel until 9:30. We reached the Hanging Monastery a little after 11. The buildings are more than 1,500 years old and do in fact ... read more

Beijing We woke up to a beautiful sunny day. Breakfast was eggs and bacon for Jack and yummy Chinese noodles and fruit for me. The coffee was high-test even by Starbucks standards. Our guide, Newman, was in the lobby promptly at 9. He is 38, friendly and knowledgeable and has been a guide for 10 years. Our driver is Mr. Pan (???) who doesn’t speak English and is “shy”. First stop is Tiananmen Square which is a big square with numerous groups of Chinese tourists. Each group wears unique colored baseball caps and is led by a guide with a flag and a megaphone. In the middle of the square is a roped off area which a group of people literally scrubbing the pavement to prepare for the Olympics. One building has a huge portrait of ... read more