The End of the Adventure

After a little more than 2 months on the road, I've made it back to Hong Kong completely intact. Although HK is still technically part of the trip, in my mind, the trip is over. The next six days in Hong Kong are just going to be days of relaxation and reccuperation. No travel plans to arrange, no pressing schedule to meet. The only things on the agenda are: 1. Get a LONG needed haircut; 2. See my friend Eunice (aka Eu-Eu); 3. Do some hiking on some of Hong Kong's fabulous trails, and maybe hit the beach; 4. Hang out with my grandma.

It's bittersweet to be back here....I know I last wrote about being exhausted both mentally and physically, but at the same time, there's nothing quite like the high that you get from traveling. I've learned a lot in the last nine weeks, both about the art of travel, and also, a lot having to do with the difficulties of conducting field research. If anything, traveling in China has definitely taught me patience!

China is a really fascinating place to visit. It hasn't been an easy travel destination, a la Europe, but it has been a rewarding one. It requires a lot of work and effort to get around alone (as opposed to being on a tour), especially if you don't have the language skills. A lot of the stereotypes about China and Chinese people carry a grain of truth, but a lot of them don't hold any water whatsoever. I've been the beneficiary of a lot of generosity and patience from many Chinese people along the way.

I'm happy to report that I've also picked up quite a bit of Mandarin, which is fantastic, because that was definitely a goal. I've always complained that one of the weaknesses of language instruction at UofT is the strong emphasis on reading and grammar, and not nearly enough attention on actual speaking and listening, which I feel is the most important aspect of learning a language. I think that the next few days here in HK will be difficult, because whatever little Cantonese I ever spoke has been completely replaced by Mandarin. Thank goodness English is so widely spoken here....

My last two days in China were quite pleasant. The actual bus ride from Shangri-La to Kunming was a bit of a butt-breaker, but Kunming itself was a surprisingly nice city. It's the only Chinese city I visited where the sky was actually clear and blue. Kunming doesn't have a whole lot to offer in terms of tourist sites, but it has a sweet urban culture that makes it a nice city to walk around. The hostel I stayed at was great. My roommates for the night were two Israelis who turned out to be a lot of fun, and more importantly, didn't snore!

And so the adventure has come to an end....