Hi Paige...

your trip to China sounds fabulous! I LOVE to travel and find it broadens the mind and makes me see the way we humans are alike as opposed to our differences. That's how the Komi Kids Yarn Project started and now the children really look forward to their boxes of yarn. If you're interested, details on my website under Special Projects.

Dave and I are thinking of taking a trip to China in 2006; we almost took it in '05 but circumstances didn't allow.

Dave has an acquaintence who travels to China about once a month on business and he's offered to arrange our hiring his tour guide. We'd also like to visit Xian --can you just imagine???!!!-- and Beijing, the Great Wall, etc. but want to exit the country by riding the Trans Mongolian Siberian Railway all the way to St. Petersburg.

BTW, you'll find some extraordinary buys in the market at Beijing...pearls and jade come to mind.

Traveling with luggage...on WHEELS...whatever you take! I really like backpacks on wheels...can stuff those suckers FULL of goodies :>).

It will be HOT --- consider buying one of those little neck wraps that can be soaked in cool water and then wrung out, placed around the neck and helps keep one cool. The feed store sells them, not sure where else. Make sure to either take or buy a hat...can get one that collapses in the market and doesn't take up much room. *Comfortable* shoes and socks that wick moisture away.

When Dave and I travel we find a *vest* is invaluable and worth its weight in gold. I take a smallish purse like thing in which I keep money, passport, etc. and hang it around my neck inside or outside my clothing. When going through airport terminals x-ray machines, I put this small purse inside my large backpack and then pass through the machine. If you wear the purse and try to go through the x-ray machine, they will stop you and make you take it off. I'm uncomfortable having my "life" traveling through the machine all by its little lonesome :>). Much, much better to be secured in the backpack and if the personnel want to look in the backpack they will while I'm standing there with them.

Like Lincoln said, "most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." Likewise, if you expect to have a good time, you'll have a great time. Learn how to say, please, thank you, bathroom, beautiful...and people will love you for trying, don't worry about getting it perfect.

Just like not all Americans are ugly travelers not all Chinese hate us.