Blog 10: Thoughts On My Return

First of all, I've only scratched the surface of a culture infinitely deep. I was fortunate to have hooked up with three incredibly knowledgeable guides / translators. These women were great tutors, opened up impossible doors for me and tolerated my sense of humor.

Having my friend and peer Denis Hannigan along for the ride turned it into a "buddy trip", and I found the things he found edible incredible. And then there's Erik Voake, who I like to call my camera crew and we treated like a little brother...picked on him like crazy.

It's very different over there and these two guys were great to have as a frame of reference, laughing at ourselves as we flopped around China like the "fish out of water" that we were.

Western sensibilities are creeping, no, make that rushing toward China. Yet, as that happens, the Chinese are becoming more aware of the treasure of their myriad cultural identities, creating vehicles for their preservation and proliferation. But they are also rushing towards us. The Beijing Olympics - their motto "One World, One Dream" can be taken a couple of ways... but then again, so can the signs to the lavatories at Beijing International Airport!

Over-n-out,

RL

Hugs from my kids at LAX