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Reynard Ridge's Adventures in the Middle Kingdom
Topic Started: Sep 18 2007, 02:49 PM (557 Views)
Reynard Ridge
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Drivin' The Short Bus
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So, every single post I have made anywhere on the internet for the past week has mentioned the fact that I am spending a few months in China. :innocent:

My enthusiasm runneth over. :yes: The good news is that my travel blog is now up and running and I can redirect my energies there. Here it is for anyone who might have the slightest interest in reading my travel journals:

www.blithetraveler.com

It is meant to be light hearted - so far so good. We'll see if it stays that way. :o

And just a note - comments on the blog greatly appreciated. I have been here almost a week and we have not seen another western face. As these things go, Nanjing is not exactly high on the expat radar screen. Contact with English speaking people, even if I only know you as a screen name is meaningful. :yes:

To post comments, my site does require that you put in your name and email address - I think it's just the first time - then it remembers you.

Thanks!!
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stephjm
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It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!
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Cool RR!! I would like to read about your travels, I will bookmark your site for now until I have some free time to really read it! :)
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Melliebay
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It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!
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This is great! I was just going to start a topic today asking you all about China!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
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jillincolorado
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Cool RR. I'll check it out later today and comment.

Have you found the factory where they make all the fortune cookies yet????? :P
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3Bays
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Oh, RR, thanks for telling us! I didn't realize you were already there...how nifty to have a blog and that we can post on it...I have ALWAYS wanted to go to China. I have a Chinese business partner and have studied Mandarin and the history of China, but never had the chance to go...I will live vicariously through you if that's ok? :lol: Thanks for sharing your experience with us here! ;)

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OTF
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RR, I just read all the entries of your blog ALOUD to my husband. (Yes, he CAN read, but he enjoys being read to.) So now that I'm hoarse, I just want to say it's WONDERFUL! What a great thing to share with us back here in the U.S. Thank you! Looking forward to more.
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Reynard Ridge
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OTF, that is so sweet (and sorry you're a little hoarse - I can be a wee bit, um verbose?? :teehee:). It seems really boring to me - mostly because it's all kind of mundane - I am hoping we can get out and about and get some really interesting photos this weekend.

And thanks for the comments, Cindeye! I feel connected! Yeah! Connected to the world! :one: :one:

The good news is that I have a lot of time to write and the second $700 Pony book is coming right along. I was reading some stuff last night that I wrote before I left and I was laughing my a$$ off, so I think it's coming along nicely. :yes:
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Copper Leaf
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Is the meadow on fire?
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RR,

I totally understand how you are feeling over there (although China is quite different than Japan) :yes: When we moved to Japan I remember thinking that every street corner looked like the last (trying to find a landmark seemed impossible)... I couldn't read any of the signs and it seemed like everybody was looking at us. Luckily it was very easy to get around by train so learning how to ask "where is the train station?" in Japanese was ranked up there in importance with "where is the bathroom?" I remember crossing the street at crosswalks with more people at one time than there were in my hometown :jaw:
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Delia
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I look forward to reading about your fabulous adventures in China! I spent about 2 months wandering around China, mostly by hard rail car, which was a wonderful way to see the country and meet people. But I have one invaluable suggestion for you -- always, always carry tiger balm, carmex, or some other mentholated lip ointment with you. Not for chapped lips, but to shove up your nose in case of truly, truly foul bathrooms, stinky markets, trains, etc. I'm no princess, but some of the smells I encountered in China brought me to my knees, and the only way I could get were I had to go was with a dolop of tiger balm up my nose :yes:

Oh, and cover your wee childrens' eyes if you encounter diaperless toddlers randomly squatting on the sidewalk for a bathroom break. That's one custom you don't want them to bring home with them! :lol:
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Nanelle
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I Visited Candy Mountain and All I Got Was This Lousy Incision
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I am definitely loving every word you have posted in your blog... thanks for keeping us with you while in such a great city... a great country and all !!!!!!!! :cheer: :cheer: <3 :rose: :hug:
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Reynard Ridge
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Drivin' The Short Bus
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Delia
Sep 20 2007, 02:08 PM
I look forward to reading about your fabulous adventures in China! I spent about 2 months wandering around China, mostly by hard rail car, which was a wonderful way to see the country and meet people. But I have one invaluable suggestion for you -- always, always carry tiger balm, carmex, or some other mentholated lip ointment with you. Not for chapped lips, but to shove up your nose in case of truly, truly foul bathrooms, stinky markets, trains, etc. I'm no princess, but some of the smells I encountered in China brought me to my knees, and the only way I could get were I had to go was with a dolop of tiger balm up my nose :yes:

Oh, and cover your wee childrens' eyes if you encounter diaperless toddlers randomly squatting on the sidewalk for a bathroom break. That's one custom you don't want them to bring home with them! :lol:

:o Okey dokey. Will do. Thanks for the heads up on that one. We're hoping to do some train travel in the next couple of weeks and I suspect this will hold us in good stead. Although it makes me shudder to think about it.
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Delia
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RR -- Didn't mean to scare you! As far as trains go, it's mainly the overnight ones you need to worry about. The bathrooms tended to get, er . . . um . . . "full" by morning. Plus, I was in the cheapest of cheap seats and it was 15 years ago, so things may have changed alot since then. But otherwise, train travel was fascinating and I really enjoyed it. As a general rule, fellow travelers were very kind. They always managed to find someone on the train who spoke English and bring them over to me, and then the whole car would have a conversation with me via the English speaker. And I loved when we would pull into a station and suddenly people on the train would be buying produce, sodas, candy, (and sometimes electronics and CDs!) through the windows. Happy travels!!
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Robin
We're on a bridge, Chaaaaaaaaarlie!
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Um, RR, the existence of plague is not confined to Mongolia. It is endemic in the USA in
the southwest, especially in prairie dogs. And most American soldiers who saw service
in Vietnam have been vaccinated for it. My other half says the worst he experienced was
a sore arm.
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Reynard Ridge
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Drivin' The Short Bus
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Robin
Sep 21 2007, 10:27 AM
Um, RR, the existence of plague is not confined to Mongolia.  It is endemic in the USA in
the southwest, especially in prairie dogs.  And most American soldiers who saw service
in Vietnam have been vaccinated for it.  My other half says the worst he experienced was
a sore arm.

Yes, I am aware that plague exists lots of places, including the US. And it's fall in Mongolia - plague isn't passed alone during the cooler months because the carriers aren't active. The "real" reason we're not considering Mongolia as a destination is that it's a pretty intense destination for a 3 year old child (not to mention the 5 year old). As much as I would love to go and experience it, it is not the right time for our children.

My perspective on the topic of verisimilitude in general is that I am not writing a how-to or a travel guide - I'm a story teller and I do use literary license - in this specific case, to put a tidy bow on the end of a story. In my blog intro, I mention that the "filter" for my stories is my vivid imagination specifically for that reason. I'm looking to put a humorous spin on my tales - in a place where it can be quite easy to lose your sense of humor - or worse, I think, to turn it on other people.

So, I know, I am not always going to get it 100% right. But my writing is tongue in cheek and I do hope people take it in the spirit in which it is intended. :yes:
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