We returned from China without incident. No Communist guards, no chasing, no prisons. The worst part of it all was that our tour took us to a jade factory, silk factory, and pearl factory. And if you think that is fun...
The best part of last week's trip was clearly the Great Wall. It was great. (I'm sure I am the first to make such a joke). It was an arduous climb, quite steep in many places, but it was the most enjoyable part of the trip. It was a spectacular sight.
It was a quick four days, and the lesson I learned is to not take an organized tour with a large group of co-workers. If they annoy you at work, guess what four long, tired days can do to a relationship. I'm exaggerating. Sort of.
In this group of pictures, I'm not going to try to explain them because I have forgotten what some of these things are. The Wall is obvious. If you haven't seen Kristie's pictures of China, go to her website at www.kristiecoiaphotography.com/proofs/china . She has a different set of photos than I do. She captures finer details; I took pictures of toilets. You'll see why I picked her as my favorite photographer.
The shopping on the street was an extreme sport. Vendors scream and chase and grab you to buy their knockoff products. We both bought jackets there, but it was a terrible experience. The haggling is part of it, but it is too much work. I offered $10 to her $120. She handed me a calculator and said, "Give real price, not jokey price" (please add stereotyped inflection here). "Jokey price" was my favorite phrase of the trip, saying it to the point of annoying Kristie. We got the jackets for $20 after some chasing, grabbing, and yelling. She told me that I made her cry and "she no like me, but like wife." It was the most intense place I've been (the Silk Alley Market, not Beijing as a whole), and I'm not eager to return.
Bootleg DVD's abound here. Any DVD for 89 cents. I'm not saying it's legal, it's just the way it is. There are stores for bootlegs. They are well-lit, and have salesmen approach and ask if they can help. I was handed a basket as I browsed through thousands of titles, many still playing in theaters in the States. A teacher I went with bought $300 worth, and they even gave him a receipt. I don't think anyone pays much attention to that FBI warning at the start of the movies.
I bought a set of lefty golf clubs there that are imitation Calloway's, and customs had a problem with them. I got through, but had a lecture on bringing counterfeit goods into Korea. I just needed a left-handed set; I don't know the difference between Calloway and K-Mart. OK, I do know the difference, but you understand my point.
I'm in Tokyo now. We got in yesterday at 5 pm, and now I'm waiting for Kristie to wake up so we can go exploring. My first stop is the Apple Store. Then Starbucks. Then, I maybe the Gap. I'm really trying to experience Japanese culture.
Thanks for letting me bore you with China pictures. I'll soon bore you with Japanese pictures.
Ron
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