Booked for China

Well, it's done. We're booked on a flight to China. No turning back now. This blog will track our travels to this huge country. My hope it, our hope is, to improve our language skills. Already, we've received all kinds of advice on how we can get the most from the trip. Here's a few excerpts from my daily blog: From the Jellyfish Lunch post: Jeff, their friend, had a suggestion for learning more Chinese when we visit China in April. He suggested taking to the streets and talking with the locals from sun up to sun down. He gave the illustration: "If you want to cross the stream you've got to get wet, you have to dive in. You'll never get across if you try to keep your clothes dry. You'll meet people that are rude and brush you off. You can't fear rejection. If you are afraid to be embarrassed, your Chinese will never get better." So I've determined that I want to take it to the streets! "Takin' it to the streets, takin' it to the streets, no more need for runnin', takin' it to the streets." -Doobie Brothers Maybe I can use the camera as a conversation starter. I'd better learn a few terms about cameras. ...dave “When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” -Clifton Fadiman

test picture post

Just a sample post to determine how a picture would look against this black background.

Donate

Wait, why would I want to donate? Because you appreciate the good advice on this blog. Because you have a few extra dollars. Because you just like to make other people happy? Because giving brings you happiness? Because you want the DVD? (see below for details) But it's NOT because I need the money to "keep this blog running." I read this plea on other blogs all the time. Come on, Blogger.com is free, I've finished writing the stories, I already bought the camera that took the pictures for this blog, and I've already spent money on the trip. What will you do with my donation? Put it in the bank. (I hear burglars check the mattress the first thing in the door.) Use it to go to dinner with the wife, buy gas for the car, buy more camera equipment, take another trip to a far away country. Most anything I guess. I'm sorry I can't provide details on where I spent the specific dollars you send me. But I can assure you it will not be spent on frivolous stuff. Like, for example, hairspray or nail polish. How much should I donate? How often? A million dollars once a month is fine. My needs are modest. What's in it for me? Absolutely nothing, really. (But see above from some reasons.) By the way, I once stood downtown holding up a cardboard sign that read: "Will blog for food. Send your dollars through PayPal." I'm not really sure exactly HOW much money that generated but I got a lot of folks laughing at me and giving thumbs up as they drove by. I figured that it's a lot easier to send money through PayPal than stop and toss change in a cup. Contribute whatever you wish. If you contribute $15 or more I'll send you a DVD with all the pictures of this site (plus more) set to Mongolian music.