random trip blathering
In less than 72 hours, I'll be on an airplane!
We watched some China Travel video on Sunday and I was bouncing on my seat when they showed photos of Guilin. I may actually stop breathing during my entire trip.
Last night I had some crazy dream about being in a taxi in Shanghai and feeling quite certain I was going to die. I think I'll just close my eyes on every taxi ride. Either that, or laugh madly the entire time.
We've already decided that the only way we're going to survive walking across the streets is to try to find a group of people to cross with. Seriously. Look on youtube for either traffic in Beijing/Shanghai/Xian or trying to cross the street in those cities. It is a bit daunting. I'm putting that mildly.
I wish I could read the newspapers or watch the news in China and understand it. It would be fascinating to see how they report news both in their country and world news.
I hope we can go to Mao's tomb. I hear that we'd have to get in line very early or wait for hours. After waiting in hours, we'll be rushed through and can barely see Mao. No getting a good look or lingering too long because the armed guards scold you if you don't just file past quickly. On the upside, I hear we can buy watches with Mao's face on them and lighters with his face on it that play songs. It's delightfully ridiculous although I wouldn't dare laugh. Fortunately, my travelling partner and I have mastered the art of subtly giving one another the code for "WTFBBQ" and keeping poker faces when trying not to bust at the seams at inappropriate times. It's one of the things I love about travelling with him--the joy of just rolling with whatever bizarre thing comes our way.
Right now, I'm even looking forward to being on a long airplane trip so that I can read uninterrupted for long periods of time. I will amend this statement approximately 3 hours into the actual flight when I start going insane at being trapped inside a metal tube that is 5 miles above the earth and travelling at hundreds of miles per hour. I gotta get places, but it just ain't natural.
I feel wildly unprepared and I'm absolutely calm about it.
We watched some China Travel video on Sunday and I was bouncing on my seat when they showed photos of Guilin. I may actually stop breathing during my entire trip.
Last night I had some crazy dream about being in a taxi in Shanghai and feeling quite certain I was going to die. I think I'll just close my eyes on every taxi ride. Either that, or laugh madly the entire time.
We've already decided that the only way we're going to survive walking across the streets is to try to find a group of people to cross with. Seriously. Look on youtube for either traffic in Beijing/Shanghai/Xian or trying to cross the street in those cities. It is a bit daunting. I'm putting that mildly.
I wish I could read the newspapers or watch the news in China and understand it. It would be fascinating to see how they report news both in their country and world news.
I hope we can go to Mao's tomb. I hear that we'd have to get in line very early or wait for hours. After waiting in hours, we'll be rushed through and can barely see Mao. No getting a good look or lingering too long because the armed guards scold you if you don't just file past quickly. On the upside, I hear we can buy watches with Mao's face on them and lighters with his face on it that play songs. It's delightfully ridiculous although I wouldn't dare laugh. Fortunately, my travelling partner and I have mastered the art of subtly giving one another the code for "WTFBBQ" and keeping poker faces when trying not to bust at the seams at inappropriate times. It's one of the things I love about travelling with him--the joy of just rolling with whatever bizarre thing comes our way.
Right now, I'm even looking forward to being on a long airplane trip so that I can read uninterrupted for long periods of time. I will amend this statement approximately 3 hours into the actual flight when I start going insane at being trapped inside a metal tube that is 5 miles above the earth and travelling at hundreds of miles per hour. I gotta get places, but it just ain't natural.
I feel wildly unprepared and I'm absolutely calm about it.