A PEEK AT WHAT'S COMING IN MAY. . .

In little more than 46 days we will be wheels up to China! As the days, hours and minutes continue their steady countdown - the excitement, anticipation and eagerness for what lies ahead have begun to intensify. Although she is very excited for this trip, Lynne still harbors images of being swept up by the Chinese police and being locked away for jay-walking in downtown Beijing. This, I am certain, is a direct result of her having watched several episodes of 'Locked Up Abroad' on the Travel Channel and Discovery. She says that she's also afraid of saying the wrong thing in Chinese (I've taught her several simple expressions) to the wrong person at the wrong time and ending up stuffed in a rice bag at the back of a dark warehouse. An over-active imagination? Perhaps. Nevertheless, she said she's keeping, "aholta" my arm (yes, that's a word in Kentucky - aholta) wherever we go.

Belinda Bu has arranged our transportation from Beijing to Chengde and then back to the airport once we are ready to leave for our return to the States. She has also graciously offered us the use of one of her apartments for our stay. It is located across the street from the University where I taught and is centrally located to all the places we will be visiting. While Chengde is not a particularly large city by metropolitan Chinese standards (its population is approximately 350,000) it is home to several universities, trade schools and is a bustling hive of commerce, trade and tourism. Of particluar significance and tourist interest is the Mountain Resort which was built as a vacation home for the emperor while on hiatus from Beijing. It is the world's largest Imperial Garden. Construction of the resort began in 1703 and was completed 89 years later in 1792. The Mountain Resort is exquisite in its detail and is listed as a World Heritage Site. It is a beautiful and tranquil location and I visited it as often as my teaching schedule would allow.

One of my good friends (hi Pam!) said she is eager to see all of the photos that we are going to be posting while we are there. . . and with that in mind, I thought I would put together the following slideshow with pictures from my last visit as an impromptu preview of sorts. These photos were taken in May and June, so they pretty much approximate what conditions will be like while we are there. This should give you an idea of what Chengde, the Mountain Resort in Chengde and surrounding areas look like. Enjoy.