Hi all. Lori has been dutifully keeping the blog alive. We are completely absorbing it all. For me? I am interested in the smells, the views, the daily life of those we connect with and whether there's a coffee shop within 40 ft of my every move. I am also compiling a list of observations of the Chinese culture and what I'll call habits. Here are some early thoughts:
1. There are no nicer people on the planet than the Chinese. They smile at you, even if you are driving them crazy....as I have done.
2. There are no kids cuter on earth. I started to build a small library of photos of them, but stopped as to not be arrested for creating exactly that.
3. You can buy anything you need in China. Anything. But...
4. Chinese local merchants are relentless but decent in the lengths they will go to sell you stuff. Here are the "hooks" they might use on the street to get eye contact: "Hey, welcome back!" Hey, I remember you!" "Hey you need to replace those pants". "Hey, do you love your wife?"
5. They have the strongest legs. You would too if you road a bike that was 10 years old every day with at least 1-2 people on it.
6. They work hard and never complain. I was talking to a person we bought some items from and asked her if she every "rested"? She said yes, because she gets 2 days off per month. And she works weekends.
7. They will push you down to get a close up picture of Mao.
8. They get pleasure out of us trying to act "local". Earlier in the blog, Lori posted pic of me eating a kabob type of fruit with sugar. I asked my P&G Chinese colleague if she had ever eaten one and she said no. I asked her why and she said, "Because I am Chinese."
9. Chinese watch their pennies. First example: A bell hop at our hotel gave us a reco for dinner but warned us it could be expensive. He said he couldn't afford it. Lori and I went and spent $11 for 2 people. Number 2: I see old men on bikes riding throughout town and always with old construction materials strapped on. I asked what they were doing with those materials and our guide said they'll build something. Out of 1' pvc pipe, old 2x4's and cardboard boxes?

More on this later. It's late and we are off to Li River tomorrow. I can confirm there will be no Starbucks in this town.