When China began building its amazing high speed rail system in the early 2000s, Hu Jintao was the leader of China. As with all leaders, he had a slogan or catchphrase that was used (ad nauseum) to symbolize his rule. With Hu Jintao, the slogan was “build a harmonious society.” For his 8 years in […]
A Vile Vial
My travel itinerary on this China trip took me to Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province. Besides being the center of China’s coal production, Shanxi is famous for vinegar. In fact, when you step off a train or plane, the smell of vinegar is in the air. Upon arrival, our hosts took us to a […]
Cover the Cars!
While visiting friends in an old neighborhood of Beijing last week, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before –quite a few of the cars parked along the streets and alleyways were covered. When I got to my friend’s house I asked her about it. The conversation proceeded like this: Me: Why do some of the […]
Ethnic Minority Park
I’m back in the Middle Kingdom for a couple of weeks, traveling with some friends. Last week, we stopped into the China Ethnic Culture Park, located close to the famous Bird’s Nest. Although I lived in the city for 15 years, it was actually my first visit. However, even though I had never been there, […]
Gracie on the Air
Last week, my mom (aka Gracie) was invited by Bill Arnold to be on his afternoon radio program on Faith Radio (KTIS) in the Twin Cities. He does a regular spot he calls “Words of the Wise,” where he features conversations with people who are over 80. She qualifies! You can listen to the interview here. […]
The Ship
In case you’re wondering about the ship we were on, it was the Norwegian Breakaway, one of the largest vessels in the Norwegian Cruise line’s fleet. 3900 passengers and 1500+ crew! The highlight of every evening was watching the sun set as we left port.
