So today is the last "official" day of the trip. The haze of travel time between planes soon to come doesn't really count in my mind. No more mountains, no more palaces, no more temples. No more pick-pockets, street vendors, or crazed motorcyclists. No more unidentified meat, mysterious vegetables, or non-potable water. Well, for some at least. Tomorrow the group will fly every which way; two to Shanghai, three staying in Beijing, myself to Udon Thani, Thailand, and the rest get to enjoy the marathon that is returning to RDU International. But before all of that begins, we managed to squeeze in a final taste of China today. First on the list was the Summer Palace, the favorite vacation spot for Chinese royalty hundreds of years ago. We wandered through a maze of buildings and bridges for an hour or so. A group of kids from California approached us and chatted for a while, it was a welcome relief from the monotony of historical Chinese tourist attractions (Don't get me wrong, they're great, but they all blend together after two weeks). For the afternoon we visited NCR (National Cash Registry), touring both the production floor and the office complex. The three students that will stick around at NCR for an internship for the next few weeks were given an extended presentation. The company actually had quite a history, over a hundred years in fact. For a company that makes ATM machines, I am a little puzzled at how an ATM existed back then, much less a debit card...
The remainder of the afternoon was spent bickering over prices at another flea market. I must brag, I doubt anyone beat the Ipod I found for $10. It will be a few more weeks until I come back to find out if it works. I have maybe 3 suitcases worth of little things like that to pack tonight, and only one suitcase, so I think its best I wrap this up and begin to tackle that beast of an issue. Best of luck to eveyrone thats traveling home.
Cam Setzer
