Back to traveling

I've made the plans necessary to add a couple of entries to my travel blog. I've booked tickets back to the US for October and a trip to Shanghai next weekend. This will be my vacation for the year. Aside from weekend trips to Hong Kong and Macau, I haven't been able to travel much in China since I've been here. I've traveled a bit outside of China, but aside from Chenzhou, where I live, and the Pearl River Delta, where I lived for a short time last summer, I haven't traveled much inside the country. I hope to change that in the future, starting with a trip to Shanghai.

I've been to Shanghai once before, about seven years ago. Shanghai was actually the first place I saw in China. I only spent a couple of days, so didn't see much of the city. I know Shanghai has a lot to offer and am eager to go back an explore the city at a more relaxed pace. I'll be taking time out from sightseeing to enjoy the food and drink, and will hopefully be posting some nice pics and observations. I've got more time that I usually have in Hong Kong and there won't be any cross-border shenanigans (like bank cards not working) so It will hopefully give me a good opportunity to make some nice travel posts.

In other news, I'll be coming back to the United States in October. A trip I've been dreading since it's all work and no play. I have to move all of my belongings from their current temporary storage (thanks, Sharon!) into something more permanent. I don't really ever expect o return to the United States long term, so I don't want to rent a big storage space. I'll be spending the whole week selling furniture on Craig's List and making trips to drop things off at various charities. I'll be taking two enormous pieces of luggage to bring back as much of my remaining clothes as possible. Trans-pacific flights are the last flights that allow passengers to take a large amount of luggage without an additional fee. Most trans-pacific flights allow 2-23 kg pieces of luggage per passenger, which is more that a person can easily drag behind them anyway. I hope to fill my two pieces of luggage with all the clothes I can carry and donate the rest to charity. Optimally, I would like to have nothing to store long term, but I also know that probably isn't realistic.

I shouldn't say that it will be all work, since I have several good friends in Salt Lake. Seeing them will be nice, and we'll hopefully get a night out or two, but the main purpose of the trip is to get these things dealt with. I've said I should make a list of the things I want to do/eat while I'm there, but I also think they should come naturally. If I don't think: "Boy, I'd like to eat..." then it obviously wasn't that important to me. I can't think of a lot I want to go back to Salt Lake for, other than visiting with friends and eating. Despite what you may have heard about Salt Lake, there are several good restaurants around town. Though most are Asian places. There are a couple of good Nepalese restaurants and a great Indian buffet, a food type that has yet to move to Chenzhou, and which is not readily available anywhere I've found in China. There are also a few western things that I think I'll be ready for, like a pastrami sandwich. And then, of course, drinking isn't the same here as in the States. I'll definitely go for a high quality draft beer. (Draft isn't a think here.) And mixed drinks. The Chinese aren't big on mixed drinks, so I can only get them when I go to Hong Kong, and the prices there are a bit high. So I'll be having a martini, a gin tonic, and perhaps a long island. 

Finally, a Mexican restaurant that serves margaritas by the pitcher. Wait! NO! I'll be in Utah! Margaritas by the pitcher aren't allowed! Real drinks aren't allowed! Only a thimble full of alcohol is allowed in each drink. Oh Jesus, now I remember why I'm not all that thrilled about this trip.

Yes, much of what I miss about the states can be found in Utah, but much more cannot. In some ways, this trip will be little more than a tease. I will be getting close enough to see the US but it will also feel like looking through a chain link fence into the country and not being able to partake fully.

And I haven't even touched on Trump's America. But I'll leave it at that for this post. I've been working hard for most of the summer and this is the first post I've made in a while. Stay tuned, I hope to show a bit more of Chenzhou before school starts back and also to have a few posts on the other blog for Shanghai, the first real vacation I've taken since I started it.