- I returned toTiananmen Square and the Forbidden City--seven years after my first visit (2004) and subsequent to China's hosting of the Summer Olympics in 2008. Although Beijing manifests some notable changes, these two sites linger in a more timeless dimension invented by the respect, nostalgia, and perhaps even the hope that people can hold for the selective memory of history.
Group shot in Tiananmen Square in front of the entrance to the Forbidden City.
- With my friend Carolee, I learned how to navigate the Beijing subway system--a feat which greatly augmented our mobility in a city where we could not depend on taxis to stop for foreigners who probably spoke no Chinese and had little idea just where in the enormity of Beijing the desired destination might be situated. Granted, we did have a few successful Beijing taxi experiences--usually because either the hotel or our tour leader orchestrated them. Taxis that would stop generally wanted to forego the meter and charge a set price before the transport commenced!
- I experienced for the second time the Great Wall of China--the section known as Mutianyu on this occasion. (In 2004 I visited the Badaling section.) Even if the wall ultimately proved ineffective--it was breached multiple times--its symbolic legacy remains intact, both for China itself and as a testament to the imagination and ingenuity of the human spirit.
- I witnessed the awesome ranks of a terra cotta army, conceived and commissioned by a despotic ruler to guard his tomb.
- While on a bullet train between Suzhou and Shanghai, I observed the digital speedometer posted in our car steadily ascend until it recorded a top speed of 321 kph. The view of the landscape outside blurred like it will while in a plane during those moments just before the momentum transfers from the wheels on the runway to all atmosphere.
- Also for a second time, I traveled to the DMZ--the no-man's land between North and South Korea. Despite the splendor of the natural beauty of the area, an uneasy aura remains, reflecting perhaps the uneasy truce that originated this zone.
- At the invitation of grand-nephews, I put in some splendid trampoline time and rediscovered some forgotten trampoline technique.
- With launch support from my brothers, my sister Amy and a multitude of nieces and nephews embarked on a relaxing float atop the Henry's Fork of the Snake River at Island State Park during family reunion time.
- A legion of years has passed since I last wandered a zoo, but with my nephew Justin's family I renewed my acquaintance with said facility. Zoos are so much more fun with kids!
- And . . . there's nothing else quite like a walk in summer with a grand-niece to hold your hand.
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