We only got to see the smallest bit of the country, so really aren’t qualified to talk about China in general. But for us, the main things we do remember most are the amazing numbers of people in the urban areas we saw, the fantastic food, the shopping, and the majesty of the Forbidden City and Great Wall.
People - You know how crowded it feels when you walk down the street in Manhattan or in Times Square? Imagine that New York City is well below Beijing on the “world’s biggest cities by population” lists. Reminds me of those subway rides! Thank Goodness for Ca and the “Get off in 3 stations” method!
Food – I seriously don’t think we had a bad meal! Now I understand what people mean when they have said “Chinese food in America isn’t real Chinese food.” Well, that’s true, but I think both can be very good. We loved the subtle sauces and the variety. Delicate dumplings with yummy fillings…Ca showed us all the best things.
Shopping – I am still striving to understand how much VOLUME there is. Good Lord, one wouldn’t think there would be any pearls LEFT to sell in the rest of the world. Just yesterday we were walking through Lambertville and stopped at a favorite jewelry store window. Darn!! Staring me in the face was the same type of beautiful pink quartz that we didn’t buy (but should have). Hah!! It’s worth the plane ticket just to go shopping! Right behind that display was a similar strand of pearls in the beautiful combination we saw there, white with cream with gray with golden pearls. Aahh, like I said, seeing everything so accessible makes one greedy! Needless to say, I’d have to empty the bank accounts to buy the same pearls here in the US!
Great Wall: It was a dream of mine to stand on the Great Wall. When you do, you can not help but be amazed by the enormity of it. I think about the people who built it. Ironically, we saw a documentary about it the other day and were still amazed by the fact that hundreds of slaves would produce up to a mile of wall a day of a wall that was 20 feet high. Amazing numbers of people to achieve that. Our guide, Ming, explained how the “mortar” in some places was actually a mix of sand, RICE powder, and other things. I like to think about what was going on in Europe at the same time the Forbidden City was being created. We are so fortunate to be able to travel to all these places and see the history preserved.
We were so lucky to see China with Ca. Honestly, I don’t think we would have felt so secure or able without her. It’s a big place and
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