Wonders of China -Getting ready

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The final documents arrived today. We now have our Visa's, name tags and bag tags. It finally feels like we are ready to go!

The preparation phase of this trip has been "interesting" to say the least so far. Rick, my friend and travel companion, sometimes "forgets things." One thing he could not remember was our departure date, so he has been packed and ready to go for two weeks now. I tell him every Sunday "not yet, Rick but soon!" He is a great guy and fun to be with but sometimes....

I have never traveled with Dick and Mike but so far they have added some challenges to the trip. One was kind of funny dealing with exchange rates. Rich and I like to do and buy things. Apparently Dick and Mike do not. So when they asked how much money we were exchanging into Yuan I said $1000 USD each. They were a bit AGHAST. "Why so much?" Well with tips for the bus driver, tips for the day guide and tips for the trip guide that came to nearly $200. I like to try street foods, different wines and want to buy things for the family so I figured $800 more. Rick agreed, but our companions did not.

After some back and forth, they decided on $400 each. Unfortunately I could not get them as good a deal on the exchange rate with under $1000 so they lost a little in the cost, but are happy with the decision. So lesson learned, get straight how much each party wants to bring early on, then do the exchange all at once to get the best rate. Could mean some neat street food on the savings alone!

Travel to the airport was another issue. Do we take an UBER? Find a friend to drive us? Hire a cab? Park a car? What?. After again some critical discussions we decided to drive my Honda and each share in the cost of parking. Not the most economical solution, but, overall the best for convenience and not having to depend on someone else for a ride. If you are faced with this dilemma I suggest an UBER first as the lowest cost option and possibly the easiest overall.

Tomorrow we meet for the last time before the trip to hand out the travel packages and finalize any issues before departure.

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Photos

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Got my documents and I am ready to go