Introducing Lenny

Greetings from Chine! You may think I can't spell China correctly, but I bet you didn't know that in French it's Chine... I didn't know until a couple of days ago when I focused in on a Fodor's guide to Chine in a hostel and found that the book was French. Needless to say, it wasn't as helpful as I'd hoped.

So, what's the trip like so far? You know my world revolves around food, so I'll start there. I told Andre that I was planning to lose weight while I was here, because I'm not a big fan of Chinese food. Well, I've discovered that the real thing is really good! Granted, the meats can be scary, and I'm not talking dog. I suppose it should be that the concept of meat is everything on an animal, but I prefer muscle. In all, I'm sticking to vegetables and liking them a lot. As far as losing weight goes, I think the amount of oil they use will prevent me from meeting my goal, and it grosses me out to boot.

I know you're looking for details, so I'll get to the point. I arrived in Shanghai (coastal city with 16 million people) Monday afternoon. Asit was kind enough to meet me at the airport. We went back to his place in the center of the city, grabbed some food, watched a kung-fu-type-spiff movie, and went to bed. First thing Tuesday morning, we were off to Guilin (popular Chinese Southern vacation destination) where the Prince ran Southern China during the Ming Dynasty. It's amazingly green and gorgeous! I'll post photos once I return to the US. We took a boat down the Li River on Wednesday to Yangshou (popular international tourist destination that reminds me of Tijuana) where we ate international foods, saw a Cirque du Soleil-type show, biked, boated on bamboo rafts, hiked, and ate plenty more. We met some Spanish Real Madrid fans, and I had to snub them by supporting Barcellona. :-) We made it back to Guilin on Thursday for more food and will fly back to Shanghai today (Friday.)

My overall impression halfway through the trip is good food, amazing scenery, nice people, and very modern infrastructure. I think one of the things I'm happiest about is that I've seen plenty of dogs that appear to be pets. I'm sure Sarge would have had a great time here, but I think he's having the time of his life in NYC. I'd held auditions for a new sidekick before coming, and Lenny (Leonard the Lion) earned the part. You'll see plenty of photos of him soon, but trust me when I say that he's doing a good job of filling Sarges shoes.