Did laundry in the bathtub this morning then continued exploring Old Town, which is quite large and confusing with all the twisty and turny streets. Old town definitely has lots of character. It has rained on and off all morning and the wide stones that make up the Old Town streets are very slippery -- it's so interesting to see what things are like from a safety point-of-view in a place with no fear of lawsuits.

Susan Lyon
"Favorite Doorway"   Oil   10" by 8"

September 19 – 1999

Have a terrible cold today (probably from getting wet yesterday in the rain). It was all I could do to drag myself to the restaurant in Old Town for lunch. Horrible sinus headache in the evening -- rained all day.

Scott Burdick
"Chatting in Lijiang" Oil 24" by 18"

September 20 – 1999

The rain has finally let up this morning. My cold is still bad and Susan is annoyed with me when I tell her I'm going to stay in all day to rest.

Susan is off painting in the park and I'm writing this in the hallway as the staff cleans out our room. It's been a luxury to stay in and read and write alone. I feel lightheaded and weak and beginning to look forward to getting home. Hope some paintings have sold in our absence since we'll have some big bills to pay off when we return. Also hope the hurricane didn't do any damage to the house.

Susan Lyon
Long day at Market  18 by 24  Charcoal

At diner last night we talked to a guy traveling by himself from Amsterdam (Peter Boers). He's been on the road for half a year already. He had been staying in a private room for $3 a night and just switched to a dorm room for $2 a night (to save that $1 a day!). He was having a huge plate of fried rice for dinner (more than he could finish) which cost a total of fifty cents! You definitely can live cheap here if you want! And we thought our $30 a night 3 star hotel was cheap!

After breakfast Susan and I spent a couple of hours at the large outdoor market near the hotel -- me photographing and Susan videoing. We've begun to get very good at the art of stealthy people shots. Some times I have Susan stand just to the side of what I really want to shoot and stand like the typical tourist, pretending that I'm shooting Susan, while actually aiming my long lens over her shoulder to get a close-up of the people behind her. Without this ruse people will either turn away or "pose". for the picture.

Susan Lyon
"Colorful Umbrellas" oil - 11" by 14"

The market -- a seemingly chaotic mass of people, color, smells, blood (lots of it!) chickens, bicycles, haggling, muck, etc. At first you are overwhelmed; mentally overloaded with the flood of information . Slowly, the underlying order of the place emerges; unspoken rules of conduct and design -- meat more or less in this section, chickens over here by the broken truck, men pounding chili peppers into dust over there (this section is easy to find since the amount of pepper in the air makes your eyes water instantly). Children play under tables, old, young, traditionally dressed woman in colorful headbands and clothes mix with the younger generation dressed straight out of a Gap commercial.

Susan Lyon
"Waiting for a Sale" oil - 16" by 12"

Sudden shrieks pierce the air, then crying wails -- they are desperate, hopeless sounds that make me wonder if someone has finally been run down by the maniac bicycle riders. By the time we turn around to see what's happening, a whole section of the market is packed up and vacated -- all within a matter of seconds. The empty ground seems out-of-place, incongruous in the seething mass; like a patch of field that's had salt dumped over it. Then I see the cause. A tall man in a military costume has confiscated two woman's weights. They sob openly and plead with him as he tests them against his own weights and apparently finds them lacking since he begins to verbally rebuffing them. I remember reading that some of the oldest written laws dealt with such things. As they're taken away I wonder what will happen to them.

Susan Lyon
"Shopping in the Local Market"   Oil   12" by 9"

Some of the woman notice Susan's video camera and are entranced by the view of their friends on it's screen. Susan gets them together and videos their faces one after another and then replays it for them. As their faces come up on the screen each, in turn, shrieks and laughs at the sight.

Susan Lyon
"Sun streaked Market"   Oil   10" by 8"

My cold is nearly better, though I'm still a bit tired. Tomorrow we fly to Guilin.

Saw Peter at a the same restaurant this evening and learn that he's doing research for an environmental study based in Amsterdam, where he is from.

Scott Burdick
"The Usual Suspects" oil - 20" by 30"

September 22 – 1999

Fly to Kunming, then on to Guilin.

September 23 – 1999

I've been thinking about what I might write my International Artist Magazine article about. I've been especially struck by the many contrasts here. Old vs. New, Communism and capitalism, etc. I took a photo today of a young, western-dressed Chinese girl doing a painting while another traditionally dressed woman with a huge basket on her back, watched. I was struck by the rapt attention of the woman as she watched and couldn't help imagining that the older woman wished she could have had the opportunity to become an artist when she was young.

Seeing how rapidly things are changing in the cities here, you have to wonder how long any of the traditional ways of life can survive at all. I'm very aware of the fact that I'm seeing the end of an era here. Many of the areas in China are going from horsepower to nuclear power without all the intermediate steps we in the West went through. I find it hard to even imagine what kind of a mental jump that must be.

Well, today we are picked up by a driver and taken to the Li River for a day long cruise. Our driver pummels us with a steady string of cliche sayings, speaking in very sharp, aggressive syllables. Just for fun I jot down one minutes worth, though I can hardly write fast enough to keep up -- Honkey Dorey, cool, best foot forward, A-Okay smoky, go ahead make my day, rock and a hard place... Our driver is an interesting character. He's extremely excited to get a chance to practice his English on us, but I'm happy that he is only going to be our driver for a couple of minutes since it's exhausting talking to someone like this. I ask Lee about his job and he emphasizes that he is not a taxi driver (despite the taxi meter on the car's dashboard). He is very proud to be working for CIT and tells us that he's only learned to drive this year and got his license two months ago! His first job was as a fighter pilot in the army, then he flew helicopters, and now he's worked his way up to driving a car, which he says has been the most difficult for him to get used to due to the chaotic traffic of the city. Slightly the opposite progression than in the US, I'd say.

We're transferred to a bus which will take us to the wharf. About 20 American and English tourists -- more than all the American's we've seen our entire time in the rest of China! The drive is picturesque -- pigs and water-buffalo occasionally clog the street -- and would be relaxing except for the ceaseless yammeing of the guide (why he must use a microphone and loudspeaker on such a small bus I'll never know!).

We reach the river and our busload of tourists merge with a huge crowd of tour groups -- about a thousand people all together. This is our first time to be in such a herd of tourists and I feel slightly claustrophobic and depressed. We're loaded onto a long convoy of air-conditioned boats which are segregated by language and then set off down the river. The trip was extremely beautiful and I took some nice photos of fisherman using cormorant birds as their lines. All along the river are the typical rounded hills that one associates with traditional Chinese paintings. Once our huge boat nearly runs down an old woman poling her narrow fishing raft and I'm incredibly saddened as I see her struggling to keep the huge wake from slamming her into the cliffs.

Scott Burdick
"Fishing in Guilin"   Oil   6" by 8"

Water-buffalo and their calves all along the way -- ducks, mallards, etc. Children wave as we pass. About half of the twenty or so people on our boat are American. We sit around couch-like tables in the air-conditioned interior of the boat and are served a nice meal. I go out on the deck a lot to take pictures, but because of the heat most everyone else stays inside. Several times during the trip we're told that we have the option of stopping (once at a village, then at a giant river cave where the locals will take you on canoes through the tunnels) but since Susan and I are the only ones that vote to stop, we move on. Every American we talk to is amazed both that we are traveling alone, and that we are staying an entire month. After this one day in a group I cannot imagine what it must be like trying to see all of China in 12 days on a group tour.

Susan Lyon -- "Bicycle Vender"   Oil   14" by 18"

Yangsou is a huge tourist trap for the most part. Susan points out a marionette she wants and goes off as I talk the price down from 400 Yuan to 100. 

Susan Lyon -- Blue Hand Puppet  20 by 30 oil

I have a headache for several hours. The tour only gives us 15 minutes to explore the town so we tell them to go on the bus back to Guilin without us. 

Susan Lyon -- Street Life  20 by 30  oil

We walk around town for a couple of hours and then catch a local bus back to Guilin -- then a somewhat hair-raising ride on a motorcycle-taxi (though we're getting used to the wild style of driving by now) to our hotel. Aspirin and rest!

Ok, I didn't write about yesterday because I was so mad I thought I'd wait a day.

We flew from Lijiang to Kunming and were met at the airport by a CIT guide (who said he was actually a CIT administrator filling in for someone). Our itinerary said "sightseeing in the Western Hills" before our flight to Guilin. Guide very talkative -- in the car he asks us if we'd rather see a museum or "minority village" with dancers in costumes from the various minority groups. We say the minority village. Then the guide tells us it costs 500 Yuan per person. We hesitate since all other tour spots have been included in our pre-paid arrangements, but we figure if it costs this much extra it must be really great, so we pay. Ah, we are gullible indeed!

Once there, we are quite disappointed to say the least -- it's just a large, unfinished park with sporadic, five minute dances scattered over a five mile distance. Worse, there's no schedule of when the dances happen in the different areas, so it's rare if you see one.

Scott Burdick -- "Tibetan Dancer"  oil  12" by 9"

Suspicious, I ask around and learn that the park really only costs 45 Yuan per person! Trying to restrain my anger, I confront our guide. He says that the extra charge is for the driver, the guide, and CIT. He tells us that this is an extra day we haven't already paid for. I show him our itinerary which says "tour of Western Hills" and he stumbles around it. Susan doesn't want a scene -- can see we are getting nowhere -- but the basic fact of it is that we've just paid twice for our guide and driver! I give up and ask to be taken back to the airport. Our guide buys us a cheap doll (which we give to someone at the airport) as a peace offering. As always when traveling, you have to remind yourself that all the incidents like this are balanced by all the other fantastic ones. For every dishonest hustler you meet, there are ten that go out of their way to help you unselfishly.

September 24 – 1999

Ah, what a difference a good night's sleep can make! Went down to the front desk and had them write down the Chinese name of the places that the "city tour" takes you. The girl tried her best to convince us how much better it would be to take the Hotel's tour -- the thought to being crammed in a bus with thirty other people and being given fifteen minutes at each spot; not to mention the loudspeaker commentary that makes it impossible to even think -- did not appeal!!! In any case, cabs are so cheap here that doing the tour yourself is even a bit cheaper.

First we went to the Reed Flute Cave, which was spectacular. It reminded me of a cave I'd explored in Bustamante, Mexico except that this one was fully developed for tourists. The multi-colored lights seemed a bit cheesy, but I had to admit they gave things a magical quality. For the more natural effect, all you had to do is wait for a big tour group to pass on and all the lights would go out! Apparently the tour groups guides have little remote control devices to turn the lights on and off. This just shows you how rare non-group tourists are. The air was cool and wet and whomever put in the stone benches must have had a sense of humor since every person that gave in to their inviting offer quickly jumped back up with a curse and a large wet circle on the seat of their pants.

The serene coolness of the cave is in extreme contrast to the area outside, where you are instantly assaulted by the hot dryness as well as the swarms of hawkers, cabbies, and the ever-present "hello" "hello!". Unlike the smaller towns and villages we'd visited in earlier week, it is impossible to simply walk in peace in Guilin. The city is filled with literally thousands of three-wheeled bicycle cabs (no doubt a relic of a few years ago when cars were practically nonexistent in China). "Hello, hello -- I take you..." Whether you shake your head no, say no, or simply ignore them, they will persist from two to five minutes, shadowing you for blocks. And when one finally gives up, there is no relief since another, yet to be convinced, cabby is there to take the others place within seconds. The idea that you have already arrived at your destination seems impossible to convey; after all, you are walking, so surely you must be going somewhere? And if you are going somewhere, why not take a bicycle cab and get there faster -- right?

Next we took a cab (an actual automobile taxi) to Solitary Beauty Peak and took the long, winding stairway to its top for a wide, 360 degree view of Guilin. A Chinese couple asked me to take a photo of them with their camera, which I did. They were very thankful and excited to find that we were Americans. In fact, that was one of the great surprises we have had. In Spain we'd had many people act rude to us when they learned where we were from. A typical example was a woman who came up to Susan while she was painting and asked her what country she was from. Susan said, "The United States," politely and the woman spat, "so what!" and stormed off.

We'd even considered postponing our trip when the US bombed the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia and the news was filled with riots and protests in Beijing. But invariably, when people ask us where we're from and we tell them, they are both surprised and delighted, saying that America is a great country. In fact, most people here have a far more idealized view of America than is actually the case. We've learned not to tell anyone you're bargaining with where we're from because they're absolutely convinced that everyone from America is rich.

At the park I also bought a photography book I'd seen first at the hotel (190 Yuan), then was offered on our boat trip (120 Yuan) -- the lady at the park offered it to me for 100 Yuan and I bought it for 60 Yuan. I'm certain she would have gone down much further but thought that was a fair price (about seven and a half dollars).

Scott Burdick --"Green Umbrella" oil - 11" by 14"

We took another cab for about a dollar to the biggest department store in Guilin, though it turned out not to be much. There were a large group of teenage girls watching people prepare cakes for the moon festival tonight. When they saw me they giggled and giggled like I was a celebrity. Occasionally I'd look back to where they were and even after quite some time they'd still be staring and giggling. Definitely not my usual effect!

Next we walked down to the Li river and tried to find out where the cormorant fishermen are who give their nightly rides and demonstrations. It is very hot and this, combined with the ever-present bicycle cabs is starting to grate on Susan's nerves. After not finding much other than a long construction zone along the river, we sat down to rest in the shade. After a while a middle aged man with a bike came up to us and asked where we're from. He is delighted when we tell him and he praises the Voice of America radio program which is his favorite show. His name is Pan and has a boy aged 4, he tells us proudly. He has come up to us because he was wondering if we could give him the address of Voice of America in Washington, DC so he can send them a letter. He seems very surprised that I wouldn't know the address by heart, but I give him one of my business cards and tell him if he sends the letter to me I will forward it for him.

When we ask Pan where the Cormorant fishing is, he insists on escorting us there personally, even though it is over a mile away. He even introduces us to the fishermen and offers to pick us up in the evening and take us to a minority dance show (he works for the Agriculture department and thinks he can get us in free). We thank him but decline the dance offer since he’s already mentioned he’d planned to spend this rare holiday with his family. The contrast is once again extreme between kindness and hassles.

September 25 – 1999

Both Susan and I are very tired today – low energy in general. The show last night was fun and I took a couple of photos of the dancers. It’s so funny how everything is priced so much higher than the actual price whether in a department store for locals or the hotel’s tourist store. The marked price for 400ASA film ranges from 70 to 110 Yuan but I’ve bought it for as low as 35 Yuan with a lot of bargaining but usually just offer 40 to get it quickly. Basically the process goes like this – I offer 40, they look shocked and come back with something like 60, I thank them, shake my head no and turn to leave, at which point my price is invariable agreed to. I’ve learned that the turning to leave part is the crucial act. No amount of bargaining will get anyone to lower their price without the turning to leave part (and they have to believe it’s for real).

I’ve also found that this is the best way to find out the lowest price of something you don’t know the value of – especially if no one else is around. Just show interest in something but don’t offer a price no matter how much pressure you get to do so. When the seller quotes you a price, look disappointed and start walking away. If you have convinced them that you are genuinely interested in the product but the price is the only obstacle, you will be showered with a barrage of quickly declining numbers. As long as you continue walking and no one else is around, you will eventually reach the rock bottom. The reason this will only work in a quiet time is that sellers won’t shout out low prices in the presence of other potential customers (this is also the reason sellers prefer bargaining by calculator or pen and paper rather than verbally).

At first I hated bargaining and felt dirty when faced with it. I actually think a lot of people don’t buy things because of it (Susan refuses to bargain and will either pass something up she would have otherwise bought or go get me to negotiate). Eventually, however, you get more used to it and it seems just normal business. Like with the film example, I generally try and determine what the lowest price is and then offer a little more since I want the sellers to make money but don’t want to be taken either. Whatever you do, however, don’t make an offer if you’re not sure you want the item. In Xi’an I once named a ridiculously low price just to get a rug seller to stop badgering me. To my surprise she agreed to the price and when I tried backing out of the deal all hell nearly broke loose. When you name a price and someone accepts they now consider you bound as if by contract.

You might get the sense from this that sellers are dishonest and will do anything to rip you off. But this isn’t necessarily so. It’s just the way things are done and I’ve had sellers go out of their way to give me correct change when I’ve mistakenly overpaid the agreed upon price, even when I’ve already begun walking away and it was obvious I didn’t expect change.

The variety of people’s moral sense in dealing with foreigners was especially evident as we went off to get our standard bowl of noodles (every place charges 2 Yuan or 25 cents, which includes chicken and seasoning on top). The first place we went told us it would be 5 Yuan per bowl – some of the other customers even shook their heads and shouted out 2 Yuan in indignation. I didn’t bother bargaining, just grabbed my 10 back and went onto the next shop (there are about 2 per block her). At this shop the girl told me it was 5 Yuan for two bowls. I shrugged and gave her a five, figuring 1 Yuan wasn’t worth the argument and, besides, I was hungry! Interestingly, when the girl handed the five to her father (who ran the cash register) he ignored his daughter’s fierce protests and went out of his way to politely give me a single Yuan back.

We walked through the jam-packed streets filled with thousands of street vendors selling everything from shoes, luggage, and even Nike clothes. Capitalism is sweeping the cities of China in a big way. Other than all the independent shops and street vendors everywhere, the most obvious change is seen in the children and their bright, flashy westernized clothing – quite a contrast to their parents and grandparents mostly dull communist greens. We’ve seen several older shop owners who rely on their seven or eight year old kids to help them with their math and even reading.

While it’s interesting to see this process of globalization at work, I’m a bit saddened to think that when these children grow up much of the diversity that makes China so interesting to me will be lost. Then again, how can I possibly begrudge these people the very things that I would never be able to give up myself?

Rested all afternoon. We made reservations for another dance show at 8:00 at another Hotel, but when we got there it turned out to be a cheap little thing in the hotel’s courtyard. Luckily we hadn’t paid in advance so we just came back to our own hotel. Unfortunately we’re too tired to paint and lack the energy for any long bus trips to outlying villages. I’m looking forward to Hong Kong and then getting home and back to work.

September 26 – 1999

Dragged ourselves out of bed and to breakfast. Nothing seemed very exciting to do so we took a cab to Seven Star Park, which turned out to be a bit dull. As we left the park we headed East along the river (just before crossing the bridge) and suddenly found ourselves in a marvelously run down little "village". Moored at the water line were all kinds of interesting boats that doubled as houses as well as fishing vessels. In front of many were planks of wood on which a dozen or so Cormorant birds sat resting. Several fisherman also stood on their flat bamboo "boats" (really resembling something more akin to surf boards) fishing.

Scott Burdick -- "Guilin Bridge"   Oil   6" by 8"

I took several photos and was so happy to find an interesting place in Guilin, though I doubt many tourists ever see this area. Continuing to follow the river through the maze of crumbling buildings, we eventually reached a market where I bought a slice of watermelon which really hit the spot in the noonday heat.

Next we headed back over the bridge to the modern part of the city and watched dancers rehearsing at the Lijiang Theatre for a performance commemorating the upcoming 50^th Anniversary celebration. Flowers are also being set up all over the city in preparation for this event. Then back to the hotel for lunch and a rest.

Went back to the river village and took more photos in the evening while Susan rested at the hotel. When I showed the cab driver on a map where I wanted to go, he refused to believe that this was where I wanted to go and insisted on taking me back into the hotel where someone could translate. Even the English speaking receptionist tried talking me out of this, telling me that there just wasn’t anything interesting there (even though I told her I’d already been there twice already) and trying to talk me into one of the tours. After about half an hour I finally got the driver headed in the right direction. When he dropped me off amidst all the shacks he just shook his head and drove off.

September 27 – 1999

Went back to the river before breakfast and took more photos. I feel completely rested and I’ve swung back to my manic phase – energy, energy, energy!

It was overcast this morning and I think I got some nice photos of the Cormorant boats going out toward their fishing grounds. Interestingly, I also saw several well dressed girls emerging from the shack-like house boats and heading off for their jobs in the modern part of the city. I wondered if any of the people at the hotel live in such places.

Our flight doesn’t leave until after 9:00 PM so we will have to check out at noon and store our luggage in the lobby until we’re picked up. My greatest fear is loosing my photos – everything else but these could be replaced. They are definitely the most valuable things I carry at this point.

Got into Hong Kong near midnight. The drive from the airport felt like something out of "Blade Runner". The city has lots of sky scrapers packed into a small area and loves lights and neon – they even have special lights to highlight the cables of the suspension bridges, giving the entire scene a futuristic and magical look. Sam Michlap (a friend that works at Dreamworks) would love to paint some of these scenes.

One thing I notice as we drive in is that many of the windows on skyscrapers facing the water are blown out. Our driver tells us that only one day ago the most powerful typhoon they’ve ever had directly hit the city.

New skyscrapers are going up everywhere – Mercedes are the favorite car – everything ultra modern… except our hotel, that is. What we were paying for a hotel in China got us the best of the best there, but barely gets us a room in Hong Kong.

September 28 – 1999

Very tired today. The first thing you notice in HK is that every single person has a cell phone and a beeper – from the business man, to the cop, to the guy chopping up meat for sale on the corner. Even when we went to a movie with only about a dozen people in it, I counted four cell phone calls during the show. The people don’t get up, but shield the phone with their hands and speak in a low whisper.

We are met by a CIT guide named Raymond for our "city tour". We take a cable car up to the top of the hill for a view of HK. The view across the bay is spectacular and Raymond tells us that this is the farthest he’s ever due to the typhoon winds having temporarily cleared away the normal haze of pollution. It is raining, so we leave the windy hill quickly.

We are crammed into a car with an older couple and their daughter from Wisconsin (it’s supposed to be just Susan and I on all our guided tours, but we decide not to make a fuss). They are good humored and very Midwestern (right out of "Fargo"). After about an hour in traffic, we reach a large tourist market and are reluctantly doled out 30 minutes to shop and explore. I’m pretty unexcited by the toristy market, but Susan is annoyed at the miserly amount of time.

Another half hour in traffic and we near Aberdeen where our guide says we may rent a boat for $10 a person to go and see the "boat town" where fishermen live in their boats. We pay up and are taken on a very uninspiring ten minute tour of what ends up being just a couple of boats parked in the harbor (I think there are actually more tour boats than fishing boats). No doubt this tour was very interesting ten or twelve years ago, but since most fishing has now been replaced by large commercial ships, the "boat city" has all but disappeared. There is absolutely nowhere else to walk or anything to see in Aberdeen and we are left to wonder what we’d have done if we hadn’t taken the "optional" boat ride.

And, finally, the highlight our the tour – certainly stop that our guide is most excited about – the jewelry "factory" (we’re told that this is where they actually make the jewelry; which I highly doubt). The whole day our guide has gone on and on about how good the prices are, how it would be a shame leaving Hong Kong without taking advantage of such good deals. (after some subtle asking around I find out later what I suspected then – that all the guides get a commission on everything their charges buy there). Susan and I have gotten into the habit of firmly turning down such places, but because the family from Wisconsin is excited about going here we don’t have this option.

The shop is crammed with tourists. The merchandise – most of which is in the thousands – is very overpriced and the sales people high pressure. "Free beer!" say our Wisconsin companions excitedly – they love everything and are a guides dream come true. In talking to them a bit I understand why everyone loves Americans so much. They overpay for everything and never bargain down the inflated prices. I’m shocked that anyone would tip a guide for such a day, but our three friends no doubt will. I’ve definitely had enough of guided tours for a while!

September 29 – 1999

I’m sitting with Susan on a turbo-jet boat on our way to Macau (about a one hour trip). In walking around today I feel like I’m seeing the future of Asian, and, indeed, the rest of the world. Though it’s nice not having to worry about anything – bathrooms, language, ATM’s, etc. – there’s a depressing sameness here to every big city in the US. Very little of Chinese culture is left here other than the Chinese characters (always accompanied by English translation) and the food. Even the faces, figures (it’s extremely rare to see anyone overweight in mainland China), and attitude of people are westernized as much as possible. The boat ride is quite relaxing in the air-conditioned cabin with dozens of little islands and hundreds of trawlers drifting noiselessly passed. I see Macau now so will stop writing…

Susan and I have been lying in bed back at our hotel watching TV when the sound of sirens and a commotion outside on the street get our attention. At the window we see, ten stories below, a girl lying at the edge of the street with a crowd of paramedics and onlookers encircling her. The bus that hit her is stopped ten feet in front and the police are parked behind. When the paramedics have gotten her into the car, a large stain remains. No one gets into the truck with the girl. Where was she going, I wonder? What were her plans for life? I have a hard time getting to sleep thinking about her.

September 30 – 1999

A long day of walking and shopping with Susan. Went back to the Hong Kong Island Market, then to a historic temple. I’m tired. The constant, unrelenting crowds just wear me down mentally and I’m glad I won’t be around for the huge madness tomorrow – all the newspapers here are filled with warnings of too many people filling the waterfront to see the fireworks (which is right where our Hotel is located). I’m sure I’d enjoy Hong Kong a lot more if it weren’t at the end of such an exciting trip within China. Compared to all that we saw on the mainland, Hong Kong just doesn’t seem all that interesting right now.