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Shanghai, China is a fabulous city; and apparently the rest of the world agrees. The city has been selected to host the 2010 World Expo from May to October.
 
The high-speed train was amazing. Covering a route of 20 miles, from inside the city limits of Shanghai to the airport depot in about seven and a half minutes, I can accurately report that the Maglev train provides a smooth ride at a maximum speed of 431 kilometers per hour, which equates to approximately 260 miles per hour for those of us who haven't yet mastered the metric system.
 
In the past two days, we cruised on the West Lake, toured the Longjing Green Tea Plantation, visited the Lingyin Temple which features a statue of Buddha more than 50 feet tall, explored the Shanghai Silk Rug Factory, and admired the late-night lights of downtown Shanghai and The Bund waterfront park. Absolutely amazing!

It's hard to objectively view the sights and sounds of China without considering the historical filter of its Communist roots and regime. For those of us who only know democracy and freedom as a way of life, the alternative can be a bit intimidating. At times, the Chinese system seems to overwhelm and overshadow those it was constructed to support and protect. Every aspect of life still hints at being mechanical and controlled - with little tolerance beyond the established boundaries.
 
There's an old saying: "Ask me no questions, I tell you no lies." I like the fact that there are few (if any) single parents or teenage pregnancies in China; however, there's a dark shadow that looms behind the ability to manipulate and control the makeup of an entire population. I wish Americans still had a healthy respect and regard for family, seniors, and the sanctity of human life. But generations of tight-knit families living together in poverty versus fractured and dysfunctional families in luxury seem to equate six of one, and half a dozen of the other. Finally, it's hard to fathom that the majority of Chinese police officers don't carry guns - but knowing the potential consequences for disobeying the law--they probably don't need to.

In the last 48 hours, our travels have included the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou - China. I saw firsthand how pearls are extracted from oysters - and then bought a few items made of authentic, homegrown pearls (ring, necklaces, and a bracelet for good measure) from The Pearl Market. I witnessed up-close-and-personal how silk worms develop from eggs into cocoons, and how they're harvested into strands of silk and woven into beautiful garments or linens; then I purchased a silk robe from The Suzhou Silk Factory.

Finally I observed Chinese factory workers in the process of hand-stitching intricate patterns of embroidered tapestries; and went on to buy a silk, embroidered handbag from the National Embroidery Institute - and in addition, decided that the embroidered gold placemats and matching chopsticks were too good of a deal to pass up. In my own defense, I can't actually be expected to use my new jade chopsticks everyday, so a backup set seemed like a necessity. There's very little that isn't "Made in China" - and all of it is for sale. Don't let it be said that I didn't do my part to support commerce and economic development in the nation of China.
 
Our boat ride down the Grand Canal--sometimes referred to as the Oriental Venice--was enlightening. At first glance it looks like an American-style flea market along the banks of a river. Upon closer inspection, you see that it's a bustling "mixed use" area of residential and small business enterprises. The people we saw were going about their daily lives of cooking, cleaning, washing their clothes in the canal and selling their wares in the alleys alongside the canal. These people weren't a part of our tour, didn't speak or understand English, and couldn't care less that we were there. I almost got the sense that we were actually experiencing real Chinese living--unencumbered by the sales pitch--until our boat guide approached us to purchase postcards of our excursion and a set of playing cards featuring images from the Grand Canal. Indeed, it was back to business as usual. 
 
Our guide in Beijing shared an old saying about the cuisine in China. It goes something like this: 'In China, we eat everything with two legs except the people; and everything with four legs except the table.' And based on some of the meals we've had this past week, I'm inclined to say that's true. From what I understand, there has been a crackdown on the consumption of wild animals and game - however, the memo obviously didn't get to everyone. Judging by the ubiquitous presence of unidentified "meat" in the Grand Canal region and beyond, that saying still holds true.
 
Usually, I'm the adventurous type... willing to try almost anything once - just to say I did it. Here in China... not so much. Every day, I've eaten a lot of rice and "chicken" - and washed down lunch and dinner with bottled Sprite or bottled water. Thus far, I've missed out on authentic Chinese sushi, squid and Peking duck. However, I've had the American version of them all before and did not feel so inclined to eat them here; no need to tempt fate while I'm 7,000 miles from home.
 
I'm excited about tomorrow because we're heading into Shanghai where we get to ride on the famous Maglev train that travels about 500 kilometers per hour. [Goodbye traffic jams on I-40] I'm told that it covers a route of 20 miles in 7 minutes and 20 seconds. I can't wait!

I'd be lying if I said we were roughing it here on the cold, hard streets of China. The reality is that these trips are organized through a joint collaboration between the Chinese government and Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Chambers of Commerce to foster communication, economic development and openness between the two nations. We've been treated extremely well... probably better than most.
 
In one day, we experienced open access and first-class guided tours to: The Summer Palace, an imperial estate built in 1153 during the Jin Dynasty as a summer retreat; The Pearl Market; The Palace Museum (The Forbidden City), a palace where 24 emperors were enthroned during the Ming and Qing dynasties; Hutong Tour, an authentic glance into the lives of real Beijing residents; Beijing Tong Ren Tang, one of the oldest herbal remedy and drugstores in Traditional Chinese Medicine; Tian' anmen Square, the largest square in the world--infamously known for the 1989 military conflict with Chinese student protestors; and finally, a Chinese acrobatics show. That was just one day.

Squatty-Potty. OMG! So exactly what is a squatty-potty? Three words: my worst nightmare. I had been warned in advance about encounters of the squatty-potty kind gone wrong. But some things you just have to see for yourself. The technical term for "squatty-potty" is toilet; more accurately, a toilet that is built flush into the floor or ground. The non-technical term for "squatty-potty" is a scary, slippery-when-wet (don't ask), hole in the ground. You can figure out the rest. But for those of you with a more inquisitive nature, e-mail me for details. Yes, I took a picture of one - and will be happy to pass it along.

When you consider the 4,000-plus years of recorded history for Chinese culture, the United States of America seems almost brand new.

Today we visited the Temple of Heaven which was built in 1420 A.D. Its purpose was to give the Chinese emperors a place to pray for a good harvest.

Later, we made the much-anticipated and highly regarded trek to The Great Wall of China: 2,000 years old and 4,000 miles long. OK, "trek" might be overstating it. Frozen remnants of snow and black ice on the steps of the Wall (accompanied by a below-freezing temperature and wind chill) resulted more accurately in a "stroll" along a tiny portion of The Great Wall - and an in-depth exploration of the indoor, heated gift and souvenir shop.

We flew from RDU Int'l Airport to JFK airport in New York - and after flying all day and all night, we arrived safely in China. Crowne Plaza Sun Palace hotel in Beijing, China, to be exact. The hotel is fabulous. Fortunately, we missed the early-winter snow storm that shut down the airport yesterday. 13-hour flight. Three Chinese meals. And I learned two more words/phrases: "goodbye" and "that costs too much." Tomorrow, we tackle The Great Wall of China. So for now... goodnight.

  Hi there! Gareth here! Are you guys also excited to the upcoming Newmmon movie? I know I still have to wait a week for the showing of Newmoon but I'm really excited to watch it already. I already invited my friends to come with me on it's first day and I'm sure it is also amazing like the Twilight movie.

With my excitement to this film I always watch it's trailer to Youtube and it is really cool. But of course I hate it also because Bella and Jacob has lots of scenes. I hate Jacob when his trying to get Bella. I hate him because his convincing Bella that Edward is for no good. Hmmmp! I'm Bella and Edward forever (lol).

Years ago I served on the Board of the Literacy Council of Wake County. How ironic that today I feel like an illiterate. Admittedly, I've known I was coming to China for the better part of six months. However, that knowledge in no way propelled or motivated me toward learning any more than two words of Mandarin Chinese (and I think I'm pronouncing one of those incorrectly).
 
The thing I love about great opportunities is that they give you perspective; a chance to grow beyond the confining walls we routinely construct in our lives. Today I was oblivious to most of what was going on around me, and I found it fascinating.

          My pups and I recently traveled from Indian Beach, on one of North Carolina’s barrier islands, to Colfax, a community in Guilford County, on the western edge of Greensboro.  It was a sad trip.

          C.A., the third oldest of my brothers, had died, and we were heading back for his funeral.