My favorite place to be, China......I am just another "old china hand".....
My grandpa made me promise to further cross
cultural understanding between English speaking peoples and the mainland Chinese when I grew up.
So here I am, nearly grown up at 68 years of age, doing my best to fulfull my promise to the old ship captain. Almost his whole career in the US Navy was spent with the old Asiatic Fleet, plying the Pacific Ocean and the Asian Seas.
His supply ships would base in TsingTao, Shanghai, Tiansin then on to the Philipines and Guam. Mom went to 19 different schools and always said her best memories were of the three years she spent in school in TsingTao.
I have been traveling the San Fransico to Beijing route since 1983 on a regular basis, following in Papa's footsteps. 49 trips so far.
Over the last 22 years, I have done custom tour planning for those who wish to see the real China and I do this as a labor of love. No Charge, just to see the smiles and I love nothing better than to introduce my China to a first timer.
I have been known to search out different sites for special interest groups while traveling in China and am currently working on a humorus China travel experience book for the first timer.
My favorite relaxer is to drag out my shuen paper, bamboo brushes, ink and stone and begin the process of creation. I was trained in Hangzhou in the finer art of Chinese Traditional Ink and Brush Painting. You know, the hard way....grind your own ink, no bottled stuff, no watercolors....
In my spare time I hand build in clay and create strange pots, flowers, vases, and other less than useful objects that give me great pleasure. Oh, my friend and I have mastered the Tang dynasty Water Pot engineering as well.
I have won numerous awards for my art and clay creations, exhibit locally and have commissioned work privately hung and spread from Beijing to Baltimore MD.
After studying Tai Qi for 18 years and I am a firm believer in Chinese Traditional Medicine of Herbs, which have helped to keep me young enough to keep up with my groups.
I am always adding new trips, any excuse to explore another city or just to watch the leaves turn in the fall and feel the dusty falling snow on my face in Beijing.
So if you would like to know about the next trip to China, just drop me a note. I always seem to have a new trip in the works or a few folks who want to go .........
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