Hamilton's Travels

This coming Monday I will set off on what promises to be an exciting vacation to southern China. After a lot of grading, testing, complaints, illnesses, and headaches I'll finally be on my way. On the 29th I will fly to Chengdu where Bryne's friend Scott is teaching. That will be our base for a few days while we tour around central Sichuan Province. Two highlights should include the giant Buddha at Leshan and one of the many giant panda preserves in the area. From there I will split with Bryne and Scott and head south to Kunming by train. I have read in several guide books that this train trip has some of the most beautiful scenery in China. The trek takes you around sharp mountain passes and crosses several high altitude bridges. Once I get to Kunming the plans become a little bit unclear. I have heard from many people, and read in several books, that Yunnan Province is an amazing place. One third of China's minority ethnic groups (Non-Han people) live in Yunnan. Some sites I will be sure to see are the ancient Buddha grottoes in the south east portion of the province and the old town of Lijiang. Both of these are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I will also stop north of Lijiang and hike the length of Tiger Leaping Gorge for two days. Tiger Leaping Gorge is formed by one of the two large tributaries of the Yangtze River, the Jinsha River. The river essentially bisects a massive mountain creating waterfalls and a very deep gorge. From there I may head to Chongqing, the largest municipal area in the world. Whether I head there or not I will eventually make my way to Xi'an and see the Terra Cotta warriors for a few days. Maybe I'll see if I can work there for a few days. Some extra cash and to be able to say I worked on the excavation of the largest tomb complex in the world would be awesome. Hopefully, after all the serious touring, I'll have enough time and money to go skiing near Beijing. There are a few indoor ski slopes in the area to the north of the city as well as many expensive outdoor places.

To record all of this I have invested in what could be troublesome thing for international relations between China and the US. I have purchased a camera/camcorder/voice recorder/mp3 player/coffee maker/electric toothbrush. Well, maybe it doesn't make coffee or brush my teeth but it does do all the other stuff. I am very excited to use this new device. I also bought a 1GB memory card for it so now it can record one and a half hours of video and take 230 pictures. Who knows? With the help of Garry Seltzer I could end up with a travel video of my own. The mere thought gives me tingles.

Now, should I not return from my vacation trip I would like everyone to know that I can be found in the Himalayas. I will be wandering the Earth like Kane from Kung Fu. Larry gets my maps, Robert gets my CDs, Kevin gets my signed Hakeem Olajuwon shoes, Dulaney gets my DVD's and books.

I hope to put up a post or two while on vacation. I will add all the pictures once I return back to Beijing.

Garry, DeDe, Kevin, and Andrew Kogan are coming to China! It is official. They will be here in the middle of May. I am quite excited about the prospect of dragging them around Tongzhou to see all my favorite landmarks. We'll visit Mrs. Dong, the proprietor of the restaurant that serves the best eggplant dish in the world. She is also the owner of the best laugh in China. We will also go to eat some meat sticks at a slummy cafe and of course they will get to meet all the people I have been annoying here for the last 5 months. Like I said, I'm excited. After they visit Beijing for a day they will be off on their 'Confucius' Path' tour of China. One week later I will go to Shanghai to visit them for a long weekend before they depart.

The 12th of February is the day of the Spring Festival. Every little village and town goes nuts for Spring Festival from what I have heard. To me the fireworks and dumplings are the most enticing aspects of the celebration. This is the busiest travel season in China as people are traveling home to spend the holiday with their families. Some other traditions include a thorough cleaning of the house and card games. Everyone traditionally wears red during this period and it is considered good luck in the coming year to extend charity to people you do not know. Seeing as I will be in many small villages I am sure to attract some of that hospitality. I was told at the orientation seminar in August that as a foreigner it is common to be pulled off the street and fed by a family until you explode ('the mint is wafer thin'). What a way to go.

I can hardly wait to get going on this vacation and leave my mark on China just as it has made its mark on me.