May 14, 2004
I’m sitting in a five star hotel in Chongqing thinking about Troop 19–waiting for our trip down the
Yangtze to begin. Some highlights so far:
1) Believe it or not, my Chinese is passable. I got separated from the group at the Great Wall and had to
hitch a ride back to the car. I have been able to negotiate food, bargains, etc.
2) Bike rides. Again, unbelievably, we went on the streets of Beijing the other day, which was
really neat. We got up early (of course) and biked from our hotel to the Forbidden City (around 4 miles
each way), then stopped at a hill overlooking the Forbidden City (where most of the pictures are taken).
Today, we went to the City Wall in Xian, where you can rent bikes. So we did.
3) China has changed a lot since I started coming here 14 years ago. There is a lot more business.
Chongqing has skyscrapers, shops, and shoppers. Lots of building. I remember in 1990 there was
little electricity at night. Now there is neon everywhere.
4) Though I have been to most of the places I am going, the thrill of the Forbidden City, the Great Wall,
the Temple of Heaven, the terra cotta warriors, remains as it was the first time I saw it. It helps that
I am sharing it with students who are seeing it for the first time.
Sort of like some of our scout trips.
In case you are feeling sorry, I am going to do some yoga, swim, and take a sauna before signing
off for tonight.