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Published: April 25th 2007
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A Soaring Sculpture
This sculpture is on the corner of Wangfujing Street and the street my hotel is on. I love it. Especially with the moon for its crown! My last night in China. It's almost 22.00 and I have to get up early tomorrow to taxi to the airport for my 11.00 flight. It's rush hour, so it may take up to an hour to get there.
China is magical. The people have charmed me. With only one exception they have been friendly, helpful, cheerful and incredibly willing to go out of their way to help a stranger. Not just a stranger, but a foreigner to boot. How many places in Europe or the United States can you go to and say the same?
Traveling alone has its drawbacks, to be sure. For one thing, in China, it's difficult to eat alone as dining is a social occasion and the dishes are offered with that in mind. But I've always found that traveling alone also gives you the opportunity to meet more people. This has certainly been the case for me on this trip. A smile is universal. Saying hello in another's language breaks the barrier. It may be all you can say in the same language, but it doesn't stop the communication. Gestures, an expectation of what one says to strangers, even if you don't
understand word-for-word, and the fun of trying to connect with someone who is so different (on both sides) brings people together, if only for a moment or two. I guess I'm waxing a bit poetic here, but I'm feeling a bit emotional about the trip coming to an end.
The emotions run the gamut. I'm sad that this incredible trip is ending. I'm happy that I'm going home to my beloved Amsterdam. I'm excited about being reunited with dear ones and good friends and colleagues. I'm homesick for my beautiful, renewed Westertoren. And I'm looking forward to being home for Queensday, and all that means.
Writing this blog has been an amazing experience as well. I've never been able to keep a travel diary before, but this blog has changed all that. I can't imagine going on a long trip now without keeping a blog and I expect this to be the first of many, as I love traveling. The memories that seem to slip away as time goes by are captured now for me to visit whenever I want. That's the best thing of all.
OK, enough philosophizing. What did I do today?
Well, I
must admit that I am "cultured" out. Once I discovered the joys of shopping in Beijing yesterday, I was hooked. I also figured out about what things cost and how to really go about negotiating and found markets where I was one of the few foreigners there.
I started out by visiting a few hutongs in my neighborhood. One house was being totally redone and it looks as if it will be really gorgeous when finished. Then I decided to hop a bus down to Tienanmen and look into a shopping area I had read about that was not quite as touristy as some of the others.
I had a great time. And I picked up another suitcase . . . a carry-on to match the bigger one I had already gotten.
I headed back to see if I could find the 803 bus back. The bus area South of Tienanmen Square is . . . you guess it . . . huge, and I walked a long way without seeing one. Finally I decided to ask someone. No one spoke English, but I showed them the hotel address and there ensued an intense discussion among the
3 or 4 people who gathered around to give advice. (I've learned that everything seems to generate intense discussion here with all parties actively participating). Finally, a young woman walked up who offered to help. Her English was great and when she found out what I needed, she even insisted on walking me to the subway, waiting for me while I bought the ticket, and giving me instructions on where to change. Her English name is Sue and she will graduate from University this summer and hopes to go to law school in NYC. Again, an example of the kindness I've experienced here.
As I hopped on the subway, I realized that this was the last mode of transportation that would fill in my total transport experience in China. Plane, train, automobile, bus, tram, bicycle, and subway!
Once back at the hotel, I deposited my loot and took off for a last stroll down Wangfujing Street. I found a great restaurant on one of the side streets and enjoyed a wonderful beef dish, served sizzling on a hot grill with a spicy black pepper sauce, accompanied by Canton-style fried noodles and, of course, a Tsingtao.
What an
adventure! I hate to say it, but this is the end of my blog. I hope you have gotten a taste of my travels through it, and that you have enjoyed it. I have no idea where my next travels will take me, but you can be sure that another blog will follow, sooner or later.
Tot ziens!
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Home is where the heart is
It seems that you made China your home for a couple of weeks. It was intertaining stuff. Be happy to see you back A