Voyage to China

It was December 5th, 2007, and I was off on an adventure. Going east, east to China. I was a bit apprehensive, but looking forward to it at the same time. What would it be like? How would I be received by the locals? Would I be the only white guy in town? Could I eat the local food
from the local shops? And survive? I was in for a few surprises.

There are at the bare minimum, two faces of China. There is the modern, upwardly mobile, trendy population, wealthy and extremely resilient. Then there is the traditional, the less than wealthy population, those who ride bicycles instead of driving Mercedes, BMW's and Volkswagens. I got to see both sides, and was impressed by each in their own way.

The photo above is from the Stanley Market just outside of Hong Kong. Here you can purchase Tom and Jerry's ice cream, or scorpions on a stick. You can sit at a seaside table and enjoy a slice of pizza and a German beer, or scamper down an alley for local dumplings and tepid tea. Either way, completely enjoyable.

The shopping is quite an experience. You can browse through the most modern shopping malls, seven stories high, with all the shops from England, France, Germany and Italy, with the REAL goods. Or, you can go to the Ladies Market in Hong Kong and find the same products at 1/10th of the cost. Hmmmmmmm!



Crowds, crowds, and more crowds. And something else, there is no concept in China for your "personal space". The idea simply does not exist. Shopping is a little like a two hour bump and grind. There were many times I simply had to escape, just to catch my breath, but the experience was so fascinating, I always plunged back in for more.

But I am getting ahead of myself, because Hong Kong was the last stop on our tour. I will be back to show you some photos from the other cities, some of the amazing sights. Too bad I cannot share the sounds and the smells as well. Let me leave you with one little photo that might give some inkling of what is to come.