Guess where we are now?

[Dave McClung]

Linda and I landed in a city where we have never been before. I am not sure the smog was really that bad or whether our eyes were just blurry from having been on an airplane for a long time. Here are some pictures I took out the window of the van on the way to the hotel. Hopefully, I will get some better ones tomorrow.

[Michael B. Ross]

Effingham, Illinois?

Linda and I landed in a city where we have never been before. I am not sure the smog was really that bad or whether our eyes were just blurry from having been on an airplane for a long time. Here are some pictures I took out the window of the van on the way to the hotel. Hopefully, I will get some better ones tomorrow.

[Marsha Lynn]

I was going to say that you're probably not in Kansas anymore until I saw Michael's response. I've not been to Effingham, IL, that I remember, but if it looks like that, perhaps there are also some places in Kansas that I've missed.

:rolleyes:

[Michael B. Ross]

Dave, if you are in China, be SURE to see the Terra Cotta Warriors museum. I have seen many sites world-wide, but nothing has been more impactful and impressive than the Terra Cotta Warrior displays.

Linda and I landed in a city where we have never been before. I am not sure the smog was really that bad or whether our eyes were just blurry from having been on an airplane for a long time. Here are some pictures I took out the window of the van on the way to the hotel. Hopefully, I will get some better ones tomorrow.

[Michael B. Ross]

Effingham, IL? Well, because of its location at the intersection of two Interstates I travel frequently, I have been through the town many times. Leave the exit areas of restaurants, truck stops and motels, you will find a town that is much like.................let's see, what town does it remind me of?..............Oh, I know............Odon, Indiana.

I was going to say that you're probably not in Kansas anymore until I saw Michael's response. I've not been to Effingham, IL, that I remember, but if it looks like that, perhaps there are also some places in Kansas that I've missed.

:rolleyes:

[Sara Sheppard]

Michael,

That is so funny. I have traveled up 24 to 57 for many years now to go between Nashville and Monticello, IL so I too have often made the "pit stop" in Effingham. Sometimes I think Effingham might have more gas stations and fast food resturants per capita than any other city in the U.S. Once you leave that main exit area, its just another rural town....like all of those from my childhood. :)

As to where Dave & Linda are....I'd say tokyo, maybe seoul?

Sara

[Edith K. Thurmond]

Looks like Beijing to me!

Wishing you and Linda a wonderful trip,

[Cindi Hammons]

Hong Kong?

[Marsha Gupton]

Peiking?

[Joel Merrill]

Effingham, Illinois?

ROFLOL, My best friend is from the thriving metropolis of Effingham :basic01

Joel

[Marg Shurtliff]

.. LaEtta said yesterday , I believe , that she'd have you post pictures of Abby's new haircut when you get back !
Wow ! Enjoy your time there. Really looking forward to taking my virtual China trip soon !

[Dave McClung]

Dave, if you are in China, be SURE to see the Terra Cotta Warriors museum. I have seen many sites world-wide, but nothing has been more impactful and impressive than the Terra Cotta Warrior displays.

Today we vist Tinamen Square, the Forbidden City and Summer City. This evenng, we try Peking Duck and attend the Beijing Opera.

Tomorrow we get to see the Great Wall of China and the Ming Tombs.

On Wednesday, we Fly to X'ian where we get to see the Terra Cotta Army.

I will post photos as we have time and opportunity.

Dave

[Michael B. Ross]

Dave, that is great! I have been to all the places you mention. I am eager to hear your reaction to the Terra Cotta Warriors phenomenon. It is an incredible site. Enjoy. (BTW, the Beijing Opera actually is pretty good.)

Today we vist Tinamen Square, the Forbidden City and Summer City. This evenng, we try Peking Duck and attend the Beijing Opera.

Tomorrow we get to see the Great Wall of China and the Ming Tombs.

On Wednesday, we Fly to X'ian where we get to see the Terra Cotta Army.

I will post photos as we have time and opportunity.

Dave

[Dave McClung]

Looks like Beijing to me!

Wishing you and Linda a wonderful trip,

Linda has been awake since 1:30 a.m. Fortunately, we got to bed around 7 p.m. I seem to adjust to time changes more easily that Linda does.

Getting up early allowed us to watch the sun come up from the hotel garden. Here are some pictures from this morning.

[Marsha Gupton]

Great Photos! Enjoy your trip.

Linda you look tired!

Marsha

[Michael B. Ross]

Sara, have you seen the new museum of Abe Lincoln in Springfield? Diana and I went last fall, and it is the best museum I have seen. It is so well done. Due to its appropriate use of technology and a good layout, it is interesting and informative.

Michael,

That is so funny. I have traveled up 24 to 57 for many years now to go between Nashville and Monticello, IL so I too have often made the "pit stop" in Effingham. Sometimes I think Effingham might have more gas stations and fast food resturants per capita than any other city in the U.S. Once you leave that main exit area, its just another rural town....like all of those from my childhood. :)

As to where Dave & Linda are....I'd say tokyo, maybe seoul?

Sara

[Dave McClung]

Linda and I landed in a city where we have never been before. I am not sure the smog was really that bad or whether our eyes were just blurry from having been on an airplane for a long time. Here are some pictures I took out the window of the van on the way to the hotel. Hopefully, I will get some better ones tomorrow.

We had a great day of sight seeing yesterday. Our day started early because Linda couldn't sleep. We were in the hotel garden when the sun came up. After a great breakfast at our hotel, we visited Tiananmen Square, from there we went to the Forbidden City which is near by. We had an interesting Chinese Lunch at a nice hotel, then drove to the Summer Palace for the afternoon. After an hour of rest, we went for a traditional "Peking Duck" dinner, then "enjoyed" the Peking Opera. It was a full, educational day. Here are a few pictures from the day. (All in all, we walked more than 7 miles.)

[Dave McClung]

Here are some more pictures:

[Jim Franklin]

I vote for Beijing as well. Those high rise apartments look too drab for Tokyo, Seoul or Hong Kong plus I have seen other pictures of Beijing that look very similar. So for a nation wide audience, step to the microphone and tell us where it is that you and Linda are visiting. Don't you have a pet carrier with which you could carry along and old pet geographer?

[Dave McClung]

By the way, I have not started using a hearing aid. That ear piece is for the listenng device that allows our guide to brief us as we move among the crowds.

Today, Day Three, is a great holiday in all Communist Countries -- "May Day."

[Dave McClung]

Why did we eat "Peking Duck" while we are in "Beijing?"

I knew that this city was formerly known as "Peking", but did not remember why the name seemed to change. The answer is that "Peking" is a Cantonese name and Peking Duck is a traditional Cantonese meal. In 1949, the Chinese government passed a law that Mandarin would be the official Chinese language. Beijing is the Mandarin name for the same city. Old habit die hard. There are still a lot of things here that use "Peking" in the name.

Dave

[Marg Shurtliff]

Dave , I sure enjoyed the pictures you have posted . So nice to have you and Linda in some . Made me smile and I had such a feeling of " family " . I know we are brothers and sisters in the Lord but I don't think it ever struck me so profoundly as looking at your pictures did today . You are family ! Hope you don't mind a Canadian "sis " ! Thank you for sharing . Really looking forward to more .

[Dave McClung]

Something else to add to my "DoneThat" list -- I hiked on the Great Wall of China along with several thousand friends!!! It rained last night and washed away most of the smog. We had a great, sunny day to visit the Great Wall, a Jade Jewelry Factory, and the Ming Tombs. Tomorrow we are off to X'ian. I don't know if I will have internet access there.

Anyway, here are some pictures from today.

[Mike Schutz]

Dave,
I trust the pic of you and Linda at the Great Wall with ENC shirts on will make it into a future "Christian Scholar." Don't know if they are still running the old "Where did you show up in your ENC shirt?" contest, but until you go to the international space station, it's pretty hard to get further away from Quincy, MA!
Thanks for the pics!

[Judy Hamilton]

I am enjoying your photos Dave..and Linda you are looking better each day. I know the local may look twice at your blonde hair, least this has been my experience when have been in Asia.

Wonder if they are harsh on tourist that get lost in the crowd..iam supposing you two are on guided tours??

is there any way of getting out of the cities and off the beaten path and into the countryside??

Curiosity would for sure have a hold on me were i in China

Judy

[Jim Franklin]

And tonight my "Survey of World Geography" class is studying Asia. Thanks.

[Dave McClung]

I am enjoying your photos Dave..and Linda you are looking better each day. I know the local may look twice at your blonde hair, least this has been my experience when have been in Asia.

Wonder if they are harsh on tourist that get lost in the crowd..iam supposing you two are on guided tours??

is there any way of getting out of the cities and off the beaten path and into the countryside??

Curiosity would for sure have a hold on me were i in China

Judy

Thanks, Judy. You are right about the locals taking notice of Linda's blonde hair. While they are very polite, I have caught several people taking pictures of us with their cell phones.

So far, they have not been harsh on tourists who get lost in the crowd. I was one of the few Americans who made it to the highest tower on the wall. Near the top, the wall narrows to the point that the crowd narrows to single file. It reminded me of trying to get out of Texas Stadium after a Coyboy game. Being in that kind of crowd makes me feel tall.

Yes, we will have an opportunity to get into some of the traditional areas of Beijing. This morning we take a rikshaw ride into the back alleys.

And, yes, we are on an organized tour. This is the first time that Linda and I have taken a commercial tour with no business and no church purpose.

We have had some contact with the church in China, but for obvious reasons, we won't have pictures or reports about that. It isn't an appropriate discussion for NazNet.

[Joel Merrill]

ROFLOL, My best friend is from the thriving metropolis of Effingham :basic01

Joel
He grew up there mostly before the Interstates were built. He said they were built around 1960. He was probably in high school then. Effingham was in the middle of no where before the Interstate came through. His dad and most everyone else who lived there worked in the oil fields.

Joel

[Cindi Hammons]

God bless the Christians in China.

[Judy Hamilton]

God bless the Christians in China.

Amen

[Ryan Scott]

Dave,
I trust the pic of you and Linda at the Great Wall with ENC shirts on will make it into a future "Christian Scholar." Don't know if they are still running the old "Where did you show up in your ENC shirt?" contest, but until you go to the international space station, it's pretty hard to get further away from Quincy, MA!



Are they still doing that? I have one on the top of Mt. Whitney; that might be worth sending in.

[Dave McClung]

Are they still doing that? I have one on the top of Mt. Whitney; that might be worth sending in.

I don't know if the series will be continued, but we sent in the picture to see. We have had photos with the same shirts in Africa and in New Zealand. Ryan, you probably have a shirt just like these, but the ENC logo is in the back. In order to make the ENC show up in the photo, we have to wear the shirts backward.

[Wesley Smith]

Dave & Linda,

Thanks for the great photos. Had been wondering if you were going to post info & pics. My habit is to stay over at the general forum, but looked here today and...fabulous! So glad you get to do something that is simply vacation! Am eager to see your pics of the soldiers!

Wes

[Pam Frazier]

My mom and dad emailed and said, "please post on NazNet that we don't have enough internet access to
be able to post, but are having a wonderful time. We can hardly wait to
share about our trip with them." They said this is the trip of a lifetime!

[Dave McClung]

Dave & Linda,

Thanks for the great photos. Had been wondering if you were going to post info & pics. My habit is to stay over at the general forum, but looked here today and...fabulous! So glad you get to do something that is simply vacation! Am eager to see your pics of the soldiers!

Wes

Tonight we reached Shanghi where we have an internet connection!! We are having a great time in China. Here are a few more pictures.

1. Terracotta Soldiers
2. 3 Gorges Dam
3. A Chinese school
4. The Great Wall
5. Ming Tombs
6, Our tour group

[Hans Deventer]

2. 3 Gorges Dam

Dave, have you got something with you to wipe the dust from your CCD? I think I see some specs of dust there.

[Marg Shurtliff]

I noted the missing head on one and every time I scrolled up to see what the comment was on the next picture my eyes went to that missing head . Made me think that if you don't behave or disobey there , you really do lose your head ! lol !

[Jim Franklin]

Dave, was your tour group from all over or just the Olympic Peninsula or Seattle environs?

[Dave McClung]

Dave, was your tour group from all over or just the Olympic Peninsula or Seattle environs?

Our tour was a commercial tour -- Viking River Cruises. Our ship had approximately 200 passengers, but when we left the ship we were part of a smaller group. Our small group had people from all over the U.S. as well as The Nertherlands, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain and Italy.

For anyone who really wants to get an educational overview of China, I recommend the approach. Although the tour was fairly expensive, we got a lot for our money. We are convinced that we would have spent more if we had tried to do it on our own. After I have rested a bit, I will give a more complete discription of our tour.

Dave