Welp, looks like we're on the last leg of our trip here in China. The flight from Harbin to Beijing went off without a hitch, and it's just about time for me to fly back to the United States. Keith and I have split a hotel room near the airport and are just killing time until our bus arrives in 11 hours.
A few quick thoughts:
I think that I've learned a bit about China but much more about travel. One thing that I took for granted was Internet access, that Wi-Fi hotspots would be relatively common, and that when Internet access was available, it would be consistent and reliable enough to be able to make blog posts and write emails with. Completely not the case: China has blocked most all normal blog sites, and even when you're on a network, connectivity to the outside world is touch and go. I also learned that it's important to have your destinations and other important information (like flight numbers) written down, so that even if you can't get in touch with other people in your party (or your email), you can get all your information that you need quickly and easily from a notebook or whatever. Next time, I'll also probably bring sturdier luggage (and less clothes) with hard walls to keep my valuables safe when it's getting thrown in the back of an overcrowded van. Next time I'd also like to investigate to find out what kind of payment is accepted so I don't have to carry stacks of cash around -- Visa is not accepted at most places in China (or at least not U.S. Visa cards, Justin mentioned something about Visa cards from over here working).
Anyway, I'm going to head into downtown with Justin to get some dinner, but am looking forward to reviewing all my photos when I get back home and putting together a nice photo album.
