China - Final Thoughts

China surprised me in many ways. I think perhaps the biggest surprise to me was the food. I went into the trip scared to death that I would starve. I have never been one to like rice and the very few culinary experiences, besides pad Thai into Asian/American cuisine had left me running. But in the end and after over two weeks in China, I believe there was only one dish on the entire trip that I did not totally enjoy (the meat pancakes in Beijing). The food takes a little getting used to, but I thought it was absolutely delicious. I'll be interested to try the American version at home sometime. I may yet still run from it, but the real authentic Chinese food was great.

China also surprised me by showing just how modern it has become. The days of Chairman Mao and the hardline Communist economy is over. China is moved as warp speed into the 21st Century. It is happening so swiftly that even the Chinese government or the rest of the world knows where this will lead. The world needs to take notice because China is quickly becoming a superpower.

But with China's swift and unfettered growth, the pollution was everything I imagined. China truly has an environmental catastrophy on hand. Much of the country reminds me of Los Angeles on one of its worst days. Clean air is difficult to find. Clean water is no different. Desertfication threatens to claim Beijing and the country has major water shortage and other environmental issues over vast areas of the country. How will China cope as they continue to grow at a 8 - 10% clip. How will they manage as the population becomes more affluent and the number of vehicles double, triples, etc, over the next few years?

And I'm not even touching the subjects of news censorship, the heavy handed rule of many of the minority groups and religion freedoms.

I feel like I barely touched the surface of China knowing there are so many favorable places to see within the country, but at the same time I have learned and have experienced so much.


Canada's Baffin Island and the Arctic Ocean from 35,000'