Headed into a sandstorm.

Where have I been?  I’ve been getting ready for a 3 week trip to China. We leave tomorrow on a 13 hour flight in coach. Ugh.  Fortunately we have what looks like a wonderful hotel  in Beijing in which to decompress and adjust to jet lag, and in which to find shelter from the current dust storm blowing through that part of the world. After seeing the photos online this morning, burkas now have a utilitarian appeal to me and those white disposable face masks don’t look that bad either. At least they would keep the sand out of my teeth.

We will be in Beijing, Nanning, Nanjing, and Taizhou, with a departure from Shanghai. After the sand and wind of Beijing, we will be headed way south, where it is tropical. So lately I’ve been in that limbo state of mind where you are anticipating and preparing for the unknown, but attending to things in the present. I read recently that the best part of a trip for most people is the anticipation, not the actual trip, or after wards. Most trips I come home exhausted, and I expect this one to be the same. This trip is about about seeing and experiencing new things, meeting interesting people, and trying not to get sick. In addition to my camera, I’m taking a new digital sound recorder. I’ve wanted one for quite a while, so I can record the sounds of places I visit, as well as images. Got to go, hope to post new things soon-