Just recently back from an amazing 5-week travel combination of volunteer teaching  and exploration in China, I am relaxing comfortably on my balcony enjoying a warm, breezy day (still recovering a bit from jet lag) and reflecting on all that I have experienced on my first trip to China.

Where to begin?

First, I can officially check it off my bucket list (but it won’t be my last visit as there is so much more to discover).

Secondly, it is all and nothing like what I expected. Let me put it this way, my pre-conceived ideas of what this vast country is all about were both confirmed and challenged at the same time. It is one thing to read newspaper articles and to listen to TV documentaries, but it is quite another eye-opener to actually walk the streets and to talk with the locals.

I began my China adventure in Beijing followed by a high-speed train ride to Shanghai. Next on the itinerary were Nanjing, Huai’an (Jiangsu Province), Xi’an (Shaanxi Province), and Chongqing where I boarded the Century Paragon for a relaxing 4-day cruise down the mighty Yangtze River. The first port of call was Fengdu, known as the City of Ghosts. Another land excursion was to Baidicheng (a.k.a White Emperor City), not a real city, but a mini-peninsular town with some temples on top of Baidi Hill in Fengjie County. We passed through the impressive Three Gorges (Wu, Qutang and Xiling) and visited the massive Three Gorges Dam. We also experienced a pleasant boat trip on the Shennong Stream. The final stop was Yichang where I was met by my driver and guide who drove me to Wuhan (Hubei Province), a large 10-million+ metropolis that is divided into 3 towns (Wuchong, Hankou, Hanyang). Leaving Wuhan, I flew to idyllic Guilin (Guangxi Province). I also spent a day meandering through the spectacular Longji Rice Terraces and mingling with the locals. From the pier in Guilin I began a day-long scenic river cruise along the winding and extremely picturesque Li River. The journey ended in charming Yangshuo where I spent several hours cycling through the lovely countryside in the nearby National Park. What a perfect way to end my first trip to China. From here China Southern Airlines flew me back to Shanghai for my long flight home.

I have gained tremendous insight into a country of 1,370,380,665 (and growing by the minute) that has 292 living languages, 56 ethnic groups, 22 provinces on the mainland, and the Yangtze River that is used as the natural dividing line between north and south.

My first thoughts:

“This is a land of stark contrasts!”

“OMG, the driving is chaotic!”

“Pushing and shoving is a way of life in the burgeoning cities!”

“Only 4 million is considered a small town?”

“Wow, this is sensory overload!”

“Summer in Southern China is probably not the ideal time to visit – the heat and humidity is almost unbearable!”

“The selfie-stick rules!”

“The young girls look like little princesses in their pretty dresses!”

“The young women are quite fashionably dressed!”

“Warm water at meals instead of cold?”

“Breakfast, lunch and dinner – there’s very little difference!”

“Mmmm, love those dumplings!”

“Squat and trough-like toilets are not for the faint-at-heart!”

“I can’t access my e-mails! Oh well!”

“Hey, my blog site is blocked too, so blogging is out!”

In the days and weeks ahead, as I sort through the excessive number of photos I took to capture every detail of my adventure, I hope to find time to share my impressions and incredible experiences with you (now that I have access to my blog site again).

Until then, Ganbei [pronounced gon bay]  – (cheers)!