Pictures...

A few words about pictures, as I've had a few separate questions about this.

I have had issues finding a reasonalbly fast connection. It's taken an hour to upload 20 pictures. The guidebook for Bali assures me that there are a couple of places with broadband. So in the next couple of days, I intend to post the China pics. And probably a Bali picture or two that will make you want to jump on a plane.

There is a link on the right side of the page labeled "photos" - you'll need to click here in order to access the website where I have uploaded them. If you have issues with the link, it's:

www.wheresmarcia.smugmug.com

There are some pandas and Beijing pics on there now...

By land, by air, bu sea

So I took a boat from Macau to Hong Kong today. That means that on this trip, I've crossed borders by land (Macau), air (Beijing), and now by sea...

Happy Birthday Buster!!

Buster turns four on 4 Nov. I think that makes him 28 in dog years. So we're about the same age...

I like to give him a cheeseburger for his birthday. Mom and Dad have threatened to pass on this. I think that with all the other ways that he is surely being spoiled, how can the burger hurt?

MH

China thoughts

Well, I'm glad I did this.

There is a lot of modernization in China, often at the expense of their environment. Something like 17 of the 20 most polluted cities are in China. This is their industrial revolution. Capitalism is here.

But so is the totalitarianism. And I worry about this. We know a lot of what we know through our media. You may complain that the media in the US is part of a multinational corporation, and subject to purchase. But at least someone can speak the truth and not go to jail. At least you can read my blog.

I worry. In the US, sometimes the only thing that keeps a corporation anywhere near the straight and narrow is the fact that someone could expose their wrong. I see a country subject to the ills of capitalism, without a check in place. Look at the damage to the environment...

On the upside, China is a very safe country. I never felt like I was in danger. There are police everywhere. I wasn't worried about terrorism. The country clearly values its elderly and its young.

And I do want to thank the good people of China. Without their goodwill and patience, I wouldn't have been able to eat a meal.

Macau

So I took a bus from Guangzhou to get here. I almost had issues getting out of the country. I don't look a lot like the photo in my passport, as I'm wearing contacts, and have lots of hair. The border guard had to consult with another guard, and made me take off my glasses... Anyway.

Macau is across the Pearl River delta from Hong Kong. It was a Portuguese settlement. Lots of temples, lots of churches. During one of the dynasties, the Emperor forbid Christianity. Whereas Macau was under Portuguese control, the churches there were allowed to remain open. There are also a lot of casinos - 15 on an island of roughly nine square miles.

Traffic seems to obey more of an order. They drive on the left, which means I'm ultraparanoid about crossing the street.

Many apologies....

I'm sorry that it's been four days since a direct update, but I was foiled by an unknown slacker employee, a border crossing, and a national holiday. (Someone didn't open the internet cafe on time in Guangzhou, I got busy, and then the cafe in Macau was closed yesterday for All Souls Day.)

Anyway. I have exited the People's Republic of China (PRC) proper. Macau, as I learned yesterday, was returned to the PRC on Dec 20th, 1999. The censors aren't as active, as I can now see my blog. I'm taking a catamaran to Hong Kong tomorrow, and fly to Bali on Sun.