Home again in Kansas

Short blog, eh? We probably should have realized that the government of China is not keen on blogs from there (or to there, for that matter.) When we tried to open our blog to add to it, we could not. Nor could we access CNN blogs. Then, as we were leaving, we saw a newspaper article about a professor who is suing the Chinese government for not allowing his blogs.

When I recover from jet lag and finish unpacking and laundry, I will work on filling in the gaps between day one and day 21 of our trip. To summarize quickly, it was an amazing experience that provided us with firsthand knowledge of China, its people, their customs and their food.

If you would like to look at some of our photos, they are available at http://gallery.me.com/dochs/100124

Friday, May 23, 2009

Our group, minus one, gathered for the first time to go over information for the journey. Members of the group are Dr. Ed and Mary Hammond, Dr. Harold and Juana Perkins, Bill Thornton, Joseph Beasley and Dorothy Knoll, Darrel and Kathy Ochs and Cynthia Elliott.

Dr. Hammond warned that schedules in China are never quite finalized. Proof of that occurred in the changing of the schedule for May 27-28 when the group has a new destination -- Hangzhou, one of the most beautiful places in China, according to the Hammonds, and the best place to purchase silk.

We had our last non-Chinese meal for awhile -- Minksy's pizza. We will retire early tonight to rest up for our 3:35 a.m. wake-up and a 4:30 trip to the airport.

Preparing for the journey

A delegation of 10 will leave Kansas City on May 23 for a 20-day trip to China. The schedule for the journey looks challenging and exciting. A summary follows:

May 24-26 -- Beijing. Staying at Kempinski Hotel. Highlights -- Great Wall, shopping, banquet at People's Hall, tour Forbidden City and Tianamen Square, shopping at the Silk Market, cultural heritage show.

May 27-28 -- Hangzhou. Staying at Hyatt Hotel. Tour of West Lake and Leifeng Pagoda Tower, shop at Silk Street Market, tour of tea plantation, tour city.

May 29-31 -- Zhengzhou. Staying at Yuda Hotel. Highlights -- university visits and performances, Henan Provincial Museum, banquet with Vice Governor, foot massage, tour Zhengzhou Yutong Group Co., banquet with Mayor Wang, Shaolin Temple Grand Music Performance, graduation, visit Brynda Institute of Technology--.

June 1-2 -- Chengdu -- opening ceremony of elementary school, visit panda reserve, dinner with provincial officials.

June 3-4 -- Xi'an. Terracotta Soldiers, Tang Dynasty Park, dumpling banquet and show.

June 4-6 -- Shenyang. Imperial Palace, Jade Buddha Temple, special hotpot dinner, graduation.

June 7 -- Beijing. graduation, Olympic site, Madame Butterfly performance.

June 8-10 -- Shanghai. Yuyuan Garden, Nanjing Road, Pudong District, Oriental Pearl TV Tower and other Shanghai sites, riverboat cruise.

June 10-11 -- return flights.