I am at the Beijing airport, having started my 20 something hours of travel time in the air and on the ground, and I’m thinking about my trip. When I was first invited to take this trip, I was having doubts as to whether or not I should come. China is so different and so far away. I did not know anything of the culture or geography or history, and I was afraid that I would not know what to do and stay trapped in my room. As you can see from the blog entries, I was totally wrong about my fears and doubts. I have to say that it brought tremendous peace of mind to have hosts that were intent on taking care of me and making sure I had a good time. I am forever indebted to Siu Tong and Wei-Shan Chiang and his wife, Jill for showing such interest in my well being. They made me feel comfortable in this strange place. I daresay that I think I could come back on my own, perhaps even to show someone else around. I don’t know whether or not it will be possbile to come back. With one exception, I’ve not travelled internationally for vacation, only for business. It takes much time and money, which we usually save for other family priorities. So I leave Beijing a little sad, wondering if I will ever see it again. I was also a little sad wondering about the future of Beijing. My driver today told me that he has been driving in Beijing for 20 years. When he started, there was only 30,000 cars. Now, there are 3 million cars. The population presently is some 15 million people, which is about 1 car for every 5 people. If Beijing ever reaches American proportions, there will be more than 15 millions cars here, and that’s assuming the population doesn’t grow. But I know it will. Construction in Beijing is every where you turn, and the city keeps adding freeway loops that encircle the city. There are 6 now. Traffic is a problem, and so is pollution. What happens when there is one or more cars for every household? And this is only Beijing. There are other large cities, and then there are the 1.3 billion people in general in the rest of China. What will this city and this country be like in another 20 years? But I am glad I came, and it has been fun documenting my trip in this blog. It forced me to learn more about my sightseeing that is usually the case, especially the history of the places I’ve been. I borrowed a book from my hosts that I will have to return, but I think maybe I will get my own book as a another way of remembering the trip. See you at home!