Final Stop: Ningbo

24 August 2008; 2213hrs Beilun, Ningbo (China)

After a 13 hour and 15 minute flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai, and subsequently a 3 hour ride from the airport to Beilun, I finally arrived at JL’s place.

Oh my goodness... this town stinks (literally). The sanitary facilities are lacking. I smell urine along the narrow streets, and even the public toilets in downtown Ningbo reek so badly that I retched the moment I stepped into it. It’s that bad!

JL’s family is really hospitable though. They treated me very well, and for that I’m really grateful.

This morning was spent at a supermarket getting some local foodstuff and the afternoon at downtown Ningbo shopping for some souvenirs. I bought a strand of copper coins unique only to China.

Things in China are generally cheap, but since I didn’t have anything in mind to get (and for fear of getting counterfeit items) I didn’t spend.

Dinner was at a seafood restaurant where they reserved a VIP room! It’s so Chinese! And it was my first time in such a room! It was equally amazing and annoying that the Chinese smoke while eating. The moment the elevator doors opened to the dining area, I was greeted by a cloud of impenetrable smoke. Man... no wonder I’ve been getting chest pains all afternoon. I’ve been breathing in too much second hand smoke.

Today is also the last day of the Olympic Games. It seems that everyone (Mainland Chinese) is preoccupied with dissecting the various aspects of the Games. They even have an Olympics Channel that seems to run 24 hours a day during this period!

Well, no offense to anyone, but I’m really glad to be leaving for home tomorrow evening. Nothing beats being back home, not even the cheap stuff in China is a big enough draw to attract me to stay. I still like the Dot best, and that’s a realisation after having had travelled and spent some time in so many places in my adult years.

Here’s to a quick end to my current travels and to be home as soon as possible!

Oh! I also managed to get to a Catholic Church today in Ningbo. After more than three weeks of not even stepping into a church, let alone attend Mass, it was great. The only problem... the Chinese Catholic Church is not in communion with the Catholic Church... Ah well... I didn’t receive communion from there anyway.