Camping In China

posted by Alan
* Click on the link at the bottom to see a full album of pictures at full size.

Google and Gmail are blocked in China. I didn't think it could happen, but it has. I don't expect it to last for long, but the mere fact that they blocked sites that are so internationally huge is pretty scary. I'm not so sure what they're trying to prove.... and I'm waiting for my computer to explode from just typing this. China is #1! (there, maybe that got me off the hook.)


We had our camping trip to ZheJiang Province this weekend. Nobody knew what camping in China would be like, but we were all ready to find out. Living abroad does that to you. It makes you more willing to just put yourself out there and try something completely new and unexpected, and just adapt to the situations you find yourself in. I think it really forces you to experience more of life in that way. I like it.




Anyway, we hired a guide to take us on this weekend trip. A guy named DaBao and his wife run these outdoor camping excursion trips. They provided the bus, tents, sleeping bags, food and equipment for the weekend. All for $75 US dollars. Highlights from the weekend were:
- Rappelling off a 130 foot bridge on a rope into a river
- Rock/river scrambling in pouring rain
- Lake swimming
- Lakeside BBQ and campfire time
- Waterfall park (not really fun, but something we did)
- Pre-meal football/frisbee
- Setting up tents on the bridge in the dark
- Spending time with 33 good and fun people


This Tuesday, we went to the midnight premiere of Transformers 2. 12 hours before it premiered in the US. Buying movie tickets here are like buying concert tickets in the states. Assigned seating, you just look at a seating chart and pick which seats you want out of the empty ones. Eliminates all hassle of having to line up 3 hours early to get decent seats at a premiere. I don't understand why the US doesn't do this. Transformers 2 was a fun movie to watch. Weak storyline and even weaker script, but the CGI and action scenes were amazing. If you have a chance to see it on IMAX, i'd recommend it.

Click here for pictures: PICTURES OF CAMPING IN CHINA

Response to comments:
Gloria - you may collect your 1RMB when you come visit us.
Faith - we miss you over here. What in the world are you doing in Connecticut?
Beutz Research - ....who are you?