I haven't been able to write since coming to China on September 29th since blogs have been blocked but a branch member, Effe Simpson told me about VPN and now I can write again. VPN lets you on the Internet as a blind surfer and no one can tell what I am doing. I got VPN so I could blog, see YouTube and Facebook.
We just returned from a week long trip along the silk road. We had many adventures: We flew into Urumqi in the northwestern portion of China. It's population is about 50% Muslim. Most of our lodgings were adequate but one hotel in Turpan was not a pleasant experience since it had stained carpet, poor walls, etc.
I rode a camel in the Gobi Desert. An experience in itself. There was one camel who was a "cry baby", hollering out his discontent.
We rode a donkey cart. There were about five carts with 8 people in each. Our donkey was aggressive and passed all carts ahead that were in his way. He would get out of his rut, pass and then enter the rut in front of the other cart. We loved how he sped up, passed and returned again.
We viewed vineyards and bought dried grapes or raisins. It was a wonderful adventure.
We also visited the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi'An and it was magnificent.
