I have a had a few days in California to myself to get ready to travel again.
A few days ago I went to the Jack London State Historical Park, near Sonoma. I didn't know that he and his wife had a ranch there. They planned to settle there, built a magnificent, beautiful mansion, but they day before they were to move in, it all burned to the ground. Arson was suspected, but it remains a mystery. After Jack's death (there are suspicions of suicide, but it could have been an accidental morphine overdose) his wife Charmain built a different house on the property, now used as the museum.
Jack London had been all over the world, and poking around his wife's house filled with artifacts from around the globe got me excited to travel. He was a real adventurer! The whole place was kind of sad a creepy though...abandoned buildings, barns, vineyards, all left behind and now forgotten, empty.
Today has been laundry and packing. Again, I've worried I've overpacked, but I feel ready. I can't wait to meet my co-adventurers and get to know them better. I am so excited to finally see China, while at the same time, after all the reading I've been doing, I feel angry and China and her government. There has been so much pain, death, and change. In the face of economic boom, it seems that corruption and greed run rampant, particularly with people in power and people in government. There are so many complicated issues facing China right now, among them communism, capatalism, censorship and free speech, overpopulation and the "one child" policy, a growing economy and a changing culture, and the neglected 9 million peseants who are being left behind. So so much happening, I'll try to write more about it as I gain perspective while I'm there.
Next time I write, I'll be writing from China!
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
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2 comments:
Hey cutie! How was the journey? Can't wait to hear from you! Mamacita
Well, it's hard to believe I'm really here. China! I'm surprised by how much English everyone speaks here, and by the pollution. The food is wonderful. Beijing is unbelievably huge; there are so many people here.
Today we saw the Great Wall and it was truly great. Standing atop the wall on the mountain ridgeline with sweeping views in both directions, I felt the power and security the Chinese soldiers must have felt 600 years ago.
The wall is like a snake's back, or as the Chinese say, a dragon's back, snaking its way along the ridgelines off into the mountain haze. The mountains, jagged, layered and blue are truly stunning.
We took the tobogan chute(like an alpine slide) down the mountain back to the bottom. What fun! What an adventure! We're lucky to have a great group of people to travel with. I'll try and keep you updated on my adventures still to come!
Michelle
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