Several things I want to write about:
Luggage – overweight luggage was a constant concern for many. Investing in a digital luggage scale is a good investment. About $15. Make sure you have light weight luggage. Some suitcases weigh too much just empty. In China you are allowed one checked bag at 44 pounds. Pack very carefully. Read my posts about clothes to bring.
Money- I had advised people to bring cash and plan to use ATMs. Our hotels could only change so much money each day. Travellers checks are hard to use – as always I discourage them. Going into banks are like the DMV. Long waits. ATM or bring Chinese currency is the way to go. Check you credit card to see what international fees they charge for international use. They can be hefty. I think CitiBank does not charge international fees.
Cell phones – I use a Verizon Blackberry Tour. Before I left USA I signed up for Global plan at about $3 a day. Phone calls were $2 a minute. Texts were 50 cents per sending and 20 receiving. Data was not available in Chengdu or Hong Kong so I could not email or access web. You can rent cells phones or buy sim cards in China but I think that is a hassle.
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I have begun planning my first trip to Japan. It will most likely occur in the last two weeks of April of 2011. This is supposed to be the optimal time to see cherry blossoms, enjoy good weather and away from heavy tourist season. Waiting on proposals from three companies now.
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View from hotel room.
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I will try working on the China2010 web site each night. While I was in China I just uploaded the pictrures. Now I will go back and rotate the ones that I took sideways and delete any duplicates or absolutely bad photos of people. I want to work with the two dozen or so video clips that I took with my new Flip video device so stay tuned for video. I would like to create special feature pages such as one just for the panda pictures. Maybe one fpr all the food pictures that Arlene took. Hope everyone is recovering well with the jetlag. Yesteday I came home around 5:30 and fell asleep on the couch. I awoke and looked at the clock that read 7:40. I thought – holy cow- I am late for work and ran upstairs to make a pot of coffee. Dianne was in the kitchen dressed for work, but she always looks dressed up. She asked why I was making a pot of coffee at 8 pm. Whew – what a relief!
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Some thoughts from our trip
- All over China we got baggage carts to use at the airports for free. We get to JFK in NYC and a cart is $5.00.
- Jocelyn & Arlene were laughing at JFK. They get all the way home to find no toilet paper in the restrooms at JFK, too.
- I am going to be asking our group for their Favorite Guide, Favorite Meal, Favorite Activity, Favorite City, Favorite Site.
- Just missed the actual shot of Tony & Sophia’s raft capsizing. I had just tucked my camera in my bag to keep it dry. But I do have them in the water and climbing out.
- Watching Annette playing badminton with the school kids was great.
- Julia and Terry both did a great job teaching the kids English.
- The principal’s daughter was so cute and her English was very good.
- The English teacher at the school was very skilled. I watched her carefully and she is as good as any teacher I have seen in the US plus her English was great. She has taught just 9 years and has had only 4 years of English herself.
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Back home. So many memories.
Arrived home at JFK in NYC last night about 9 pm. Great flight. Brand new plane – Boeing 777. We all had individual TV screens. I watched three movies – Invictus (loved it, so moving), Shutter Island (creepy) and some Matt Damon movie about WMD in Iran.
Saw Patti & Ted arrive – they were way ahead of us. Patti sent me a martini on the plane since we never got our drink together. Annette & Ruth arrived both looking fresh. They got to sit together in bulk head seats. Norm, Bill, Julia, Terry, Sandy, Shirley all got there ok too.
Arlene had to go thru a different customs line being a Canadian but she cleared thru same time I did. I was hoping they would search here throughly but no luck. Jocelyn was the last one through. Customs was a breeze – less that 30 seconds.
Jocelyn, Terry, Arlene and I met our limo driver outside. Heard from Bette on the ride home that she got home ok. Never did get a chance to asy good-bye to Roz. We got home about 1-1:30 am this morning. Dianne, my wife, god bless her, had pizza, fried chicken and cold beer waiting for us. Arlene and I got to bed after 2 am. At 7 am, we sat a breakfast with Dianne asking where the breakfast buffet was.
I just dropped Arlene off at the airport. She flues to Philly and then to Ottawa getting in around 5. Will miss the twerp.
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We are onboard plane leaving hot, steamy China for Hong Kong. The Dragon Boat races are on and hotels are booked solid. We have an easy one hour flight. Tonight is just dinner and rest of evening free. People are excited to see Hong Kong Harbor at night. Tomorrow is a tour of the major sights and then our farewell banquet is on a ship that cruises the harbor in the evening. The cruise allows us to see all the buildings lit up at night. The sight is breath-taking.
Sunday is a free day. We leave for home around 5 pm.
– update. It is now Saturday and we are in Hong Kong. No data so I cannot post from cell.
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Arrived here yesteday. Long day but got a lot in. Went for walk along beautiful promenade overlooking harbor. Had great meal. Most people here speak English. Exchange rate about the same. Hopefully no rain today. Diet starts on Tues. Going for last big tour today. Free time this afternoon. Dinner cruise tonight. Dragon Boat races have brought crowds. Great shopping everywhere. Ted went out this morning to get a custom suit made. Bette and Patty had martinis at the Penninsula last night. great coffee in restaurant. Arlene still acting like a crime scene photographer taking pictures of all the courses at our meals. Tony sporting great new watch. Cell phone and camera still drying out after swim in Li River. Sophia has a little cold – needs to drink more firewater. Annette still in great shape after badminton game with school kids. Norm buying tea everywhere he goes. Terry and I geot our photo taken for our friend Ivette at near same place on waterfront as 6 years ago.
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