It’s currently Day 41 of my stay in China, and Day 77 of my entire Asia trip. I have discovered that I actually have a travel limit, or at least my body does, as I recently caught a cold. But the family here has been taking care of me and giving me Chinese medicine to drink 3 times a day, every day. I combine that with my own Western medicine carefully chosen by my knowledgable Mother. So I’m on the road to recovery, even though my voice temporarily resembles the voice of Morgan Freeman and my nose likes to go jogging, occassionally running at full speed. (As you can see, the cold has also influenced my humor for better or for worse).

I’m leaving Daqing tonight and heading to Beijing by train. We should arrive tomorrow morning. I found an affordable and nice-looking new hotel in Beijing which will be my temporary home for the next 2 weeks approximately, before I head to Xi’An. The end of my trip (August 21) is rapidly approaching. Time flies!

Lastly, I want to say “Thank You” to Bobo and Dana and their families for looking after me and showing me around Daqing and Dalian. I discovered both cities are very unique, and yet both oddly bear some resemblance to my own hometown. The experience of staying with a family has definitely helped me learn much more about Chinese people, history, culture, language, and life, than if I had joined a tour group or traveled alone.

Peace to California, British Columbia, South Korea, China, or wherever you are reading this!

-A.Z.