I'm back in the States and it's fantastic. I slept for a few hours yesterday afternoon and another ten hours last night. While it still doesn't feel like I'm really back on schedule, I think that by the time tomorrow night rolls around, I'll be back to my normal self. I'm glad that I was able to keep a record of my trip to China, but wish that I had kept more handwritten notes or voice memos or something in order to keep a fresher record of what was going on. The first few days in Beijing were busy and great, but I wish I could remember everything that happened; going to the theater to see a live acrobatics show, spending time in the hostel chatting with locals, etc. Even my trips to the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, while it's nice to have photos, I wish that I had made blog entries about them on the same day to capture all the details. It was impossible at the time since I didn't have email-to-blog set up, and I'll be sure to set that up ahead of time for the next time I go out traveling. Next trip, I'd also like to bring my own netbook or laptop or something (and a mini travel router), so that I can at least type up quick notes even if there's no way to publish them immediately.
Last night, I treated myself to potato skins and a burger with cheddar cheese and bacon and a Harpoon IPA for a taste of America, then this morning I went to Chinatown for dim sum to show off my limited Chinese vocabulary and because I kind of felt like getting some Chinese food. I'm very glad that I'm back home and have my own bed and shower and life, but I'll definitely miss the feeling of going outside and experiencing a completely different way of life than what we do in the US.
Now I need to begin the process of sorting my photos and adjusting them so that they're presentable to the outside world. Unfortunately, a lot of them didn't come out, but plenty of them did and I'm looking forward to showing them off when they're ready. Mostly, it's just going to be correcting levels and color balances and that kind of thing. Expect a link to an online gallery within the next few days. Until then, I'd ask my readers -- both of you -- to go work on saving up enough money (including plane tickets, I spent about $2500 for two weeks) in order to experience your own vacation in China. It's really a great time.
