When I set out for China on the evening of the 25th, it will not be my first trip there. Back in 2000, Carol and I celebrated our 35th anniversary on a biking and hiking trip to China with our dear friends Eli and Phyllis Segal, whose wedding we’d attended a week before our own in June of 1965.
I look back on that 2000 trip with very fond, but bittersweet, memories, because Eli died some six years ago. Since, of course, I have no photos yet from the second China trip and want to try out adding photos to this blog. I’ll share two of my favorites from our first trip, the four of us drinking champagne (well, Carol has Coke) atop The Great Wall and Eli smiling broadly with his new peasant friend he’d met 5 minutes earlier.
So, I’m off in a couple days, and this is going to be a very different trip from those I’ve taken before. I am looking forward to it greatly, but with a tad of trepidation.
I’m going with a small group, led by a wonderful travel photographer, Nevada Wier. Spending a few minutes on her website, will show you why I say “wonderful.” www.nevadawier.com. Ten enthusiastic photographers will accompany Nevada and two Chinese friends for two weeks, visiting the hill tribes of Guizhou. As the trip focuses on photography, Carol will not be coming.
So why the tad of trepidation? This trip is far from the luxury travel that Carol and I have done. For example, we have never been asked to bring a sheet and pillow case along on our travels, as I am doing on this one. For the most part, we will be staying in very basic accommodations. So this trip may be a bit more of a real adventure – rather than the illusion of adventure that I generally shoot for in our luxury exotic travel. Nevada was very clear in her materials saying that this trip was not for everyone. I’m hoping that it is for me. And I actually have a high degree of confidence that it is.
The second reason for trepidation is the fear of being exposed as the decidedly amateur photographer that I am. That, too, is not a big fear, since I acknowledge it and expect that being in the company of Nevada and the others in the group will teach me a great deal that I hope will improve my work. The group aspect of the trip is also a slight concern, as I’ve been spoiled by traveling only with Carol and a few friends. But given the common interests of group members and the fact that they must be adventuresome souls to be taking a trip like this, I think that will work out fine, too. Who knows, I may even make a few new friends.
As, for the most part, I will be in rather remote places, it is likely that I will not be able to post things frequently (if at all) when I am on the trip. So you may be flooded with posts after I return. The two exceptions to this should be the few days that I’m spending before the group trip in Beijing and the few days I’m spending afterwards in Singapore, where I should have Internet access.
So, see you in Beijing.
I’m really looking forward to the blogs, when they come, and to all the photographs! I’m sure you’ll enjoy your adventure. Pat x
Bon Voyage, Arnie! Unusual adventures make the BEST stories, and I am looking forward too all of them, WITH pics!
Hugs,
Alison
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