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A Stranger in a Strange Land

Adventures on the Other Side of the World


Jason Perfetto + Jiayi Nicole Li - 12.28.27 - 1.13.18


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Day 1 - The Longest Flight In the World
We begin our story rather mundanely, preparing for the longest flight it is possible to
take on this earth. Boston to Hong Kong, direct, no stops, for a total of 16 hours and 28
minutes, to be exact. Daunting though it may sound, this flight actually went by rather
swiftly, despite a rocky beginning. Unfortunately, my love was unwell. Somewhere between
our house in Burlington and arriving in our seats on the genuinely massive Cathay Pacific
Boeing 777-300ER, an illness descended swiftly onto Nicole. Through the generosity of her
mother, we found ourselves upgraded to Premium Economy. We enjoyed the lavish stylings
of the British Airways passenger lounge prior to our flight, and indulged in a small taste of
the rich-and-famous lifestyle. Once seated on the flight however, it was immediately
apparent from the blanched look on her face that she needed to find the nearest restroom, and
did so a number of times prior to liftoff. Despite a stern talking-to from the host staff aboard
the aircraft, we managed to take off smoothly, and she was soon peacefully asleep alongside
me. I did feel rather terrible that she should be feeling so sick this early on our journey, but I
just kept thinking to myself “better now, than halfway through I suppose…” Soon after
takeoff, a meal was served. I was startled by the depth and quality of our in flight
accommodations. We enjoyed a glass of complimentary champagne, and it was soon after
that I fell unconscious into a deep sleep. So deep, in fact, that I slept right through the dinner
on offer, and only awoke hours later to a nudge from the beautiful girl sitting to my right. She
informed me that I foolishly had missed the delicious dinner they had offered, and instead
would have to settle for a snack, which was something called “Folded Pizza”, although it
looked more like a tomato and cheese sandwich to me.

Looking rather unappetizing, and with myself still quite groggy, the pizza remained in
its packaging for the duration of the flight. I once again was able to fall asleep, and awoke
again at the next meal on offer, with about 3 or 4 hours left to go. I did think to myself at this

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point that the 16 hour flight was seeming to fly by, although it probably had something to do
with the considerable amount of sleeping pills I had taken before we took off. With merely 2
hours to go, Nicole and I pulled out the Nintendo Switch and decided to play a bit of Super
Mario Odyssey, which consumed the remaining miles of our flight. Unbelievably, we had
made it, safe and sound to Hong Kong. Clearing customs was a breeze, we retrieved our
checked baggage, navigated through the bustling Hong Kong Airport, and boarded the
Airport-Express train into the city. The journey had finally begun.


Day 2 - Grace and Allen


As if I didn’t have enough to worry about traveling to Asia for the very first time,
unable to speak the language, and in general quite nervous about how the next 13 days
would go, it was time to jump immediately into the deep end of the pool and meet Nicole’s
cousin and sister in law. A rather hectic taxi ride (on the wrong side of the road, I discovered),
we arrived at the hotel I had booked, called East Hotel. Looking up, I could tell that this
building was well over 20 stories tall, and a lump grew in my throat. “Not a place for those
afraid of heights, this city…” I muttered to myself knowing that I was about to spend 5 days
facing a fear rooted deep within me. Sure enough, I checked in and was handed a key that
informed me that my room would be on the 22nd floor, and my fears were confirmed. I was
to spend 5 days in a room with floor-to-ceiling windows, well higher than I was comfortable
being. Palms already sweating, we went up to the room to deposit our bags and take in the
terrifying views. Though I grew to love them, on this first day I didn’t dare to venture within
2 feet of the windows.

Once settled, we went downstairs to meet our host, Grace. She took us to a delicious
breakfast spot where we did our best to shake our jet-lag, and enjoyed something called a
“Pineapple Bun”, which as it turns out, does not actually contain any pineapple at all. After

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breakfast, she rushed back off to work in the insanely tall Tai-Koo tower, which dwarfed all
surrounding buildings.

We then went to meet Nicole’s cousin, Allen, at his crossfit box. His warm smile was
welcoming, and it was an immediate relief to know that we would be in good hands for the
duration of our stay in Hong Kong. Nicole and I were then left to bring her things over to
Allen and Grace’s apartment, where she would be staying for the next 5 days. Following this,
we took Nicole to see a doctor (who was seemingly full of shit) and get some medicine for
her stomach ache from the day prior. We had a delicious Hong Kong dinner at a nearby
restaurant, went back to their place, played a few video games, and then decided to call it a
night. The jet lag was still somewhat severe, and though we did our best to power through
the entire day without taking a nap, it was now night time and we could hold out no longer. I
walked back to my room, took a shower in the extremely luxurious, open layout stone
shower, and collapsed into my bed, drifting to sleep while doing my best to ignore the
uneasy feeling inherent of being up so high in the air…A good night’s sleep would be
important - after all, we had quite a big day planned for tomorrow…

Day 3 - Disneyland!
I knew it would be important to demonstrate to Allen and Grace that I was a man of
resolve - tough, unwavering, and willing to go the extra mile in life. What better way to do
this than to wake up bright and early and get an 8am workout in at the crossfit box. I knew
they had suggested it only half joking, but it was important to me that I show up and
perform well. To my own surprise, I made it to the box without getting lost, and additionally
was able to complete the workout with nearly all of my dignity still intact. I courteously

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would not accept no for an answer when it came time to pay for my drop-in visit, and so
began a spectacular second day in Hong Kong. Energized and ready to go, it was time to set
off for a day at Hong Kong Disneyland, one of the genuine highlights of our trip. We packed
some light supplies for the day, boarded the MTR, and only a few interchanges later, a
Disney-themed metro line took us directly to the park. Stepping out, I was bathed in
sunshine and upon seeing the park entrance, was immediately flooded with childhood
memories in Orlando with my family, who were self proclaimed Disney experts. Unable to
contain our excitement, we ran up the entrance walkway, pushed through the already
growing crowd of park visitors, and entered the park. We were immediately welcomed by a
band of marching drummers on Main Street, and it was impossible not to feel like a joyful
young kid again, re-living my childhood all over again - only this time it was with the love of
my life and I couldn’t have been happier.

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Our first stop after Main Street was TomorrowLand, a familiar sight for someone who
so regularly travelled to Disney in Orlando. We grabbed fast-pass tickets to Hyper-space
Mountain (a star-wars themed twist on my favorite ride as a kid), and immediately ran off for
the Iron Man Experience. This was by far and away our favorite ride of the day, since Nicole
is such a massive Iron Man fan. It was very reminiscent of Star Tours, or Body Wars in

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Orlando. We enjoyed this ride so much that we did it again before we left later that evening.
We worked our way systematically through the different lands in Disney, first wandering
through Fantasyland (Hong Kong’s version of The Magic Kingdom) ,and then Toy Story
Land, Adventure Land, and then back to Tomorrowland again. I was sure to visit Mystery
Manor, at the specific request of my sister who insisted it was a must-see. Indeed this ride
was extremely fun, and it was extra special sharing it with Nicole who was admittedly
terrified the entire time. Our magnificent day concluded with an insanely cool parade of
beautifully lighted floats and performers, venturing down the main street of Fantasyland.
Our feet and our backs were killing us, but we were determined that we made it this far, and
we would not miss the fireworks that were scheduled to start at 9pm. Sure enough, as
punctual as could be, the show began and we enjoyed a magnificent spectacle of fireworks
and light projections on Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Ever the clever ones, we escaped Disney
just before the show was scheduled to end, and we beat the massive crowds back to the
Metro to head back to our hotel for the night. I cannot say enough about how wonderful this
day was, and it is one that I will remember forever - the Most Magical Place on Earth,
indeed…

Day 4 - A Girl Named Goofy


Today would be another unique day, as one of Nicole’s college friends would be
visiting us from Shenzhen for the afternoon. With the jet lag now seeming like a thing of the
past, but now burdened by sore legs from yesterdays 13 km of walking, we ventured down to
the metro station to meet this new friend, who called herself “Goofy”, allegedly short for her
Chinese name, Gu-fei. As with all of Nicoles friends who I had met thus far, Goofy was
pleasant company who, through broken english, had nothing but good things to talk about.
We decided to get lunch at a Korean fried chicken restaurant called Goobne, and it was one of
the most delicious meals I have ever had. We enjoyed pepper fried chicken and some chili-
chicken with cheese. Overshadowing this fantastic meal was the fact that this restaurant was
on the 25th floor of a skyscraper. Admittedly this made it tough to enjoy my meal, as my
head was swimming from my fear of heights, but the chicken was so good that I quickly
overcame my discomfort with the location. After our meal, we went on a small adventure
through the crowded streets, and were treated to a very rare sight - a Mclaren 675 LT,
belonging to a local star.

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We enjoyed desert at a nearby hole-in-the-wall cafe, before winding our way through
the streets back to Tai Koo. Our time with Goofy had come and gone, and with bittersweet
goodbyes, she was sent on her way. That night, Allen and Grace offered to treat us to a night
in Tsim Sha Tsui, the harbor district which was beautifully illuminated for the New Year
celebration. Allen deftly guided us through the crowded streets, with the expertise of a true
local. I felt completely overwhelmed by the prosperity of the city…as a student with little to
no money to my name, it was only natural that I should feel so small in the shadow of
endless designer boutiques, massive illuminated billboards, and extremely luxurious cars.
This was a feeling I would find myself struggling with for the majority of my time in China,
though I grew to appreciate my own modest life in America in the process. I nicknamed my
car search “birdwatching”, and oh did I spot some true specimens…

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After a quick desert in the *special* district, where one might be able to find some
“company” for the night, we hailed a taxi and set off back to Tai Koo to bed down for the
night.

Day 5 - The “Ancient District”


Today seemed like another opportunity to prove my worth as a cross-fitter, so I made
the trip to the box for the 2nd time in 4 days early in the morning and squeezed in another
successful WOD. Following this, craving a bit of “authenticity” on our trip, Grace decided it
would be a great idea to visit the ancient district of Hong Kong. This did indeed feel a bit
more like one’s classic imagination of what the streets of China ought to look like - right up
until a bright red 458 Ferrari rolled past…

The streets were completely packed with storefronts, all offering their own unique take
on traditional Chinese wares such as chopsticks, jade figurines, communism idols, and other
trinketry. We somehow managed to escape without bankrupting ourselves, although I
couldn’t help but to indulge myself by sitting with a man who taught me how to write my
name in Chinese calligraphy using a traditional brush. While the lesson was “free”, I had to
part with 50 yuan in order to keep my creation, which given the uniquity of the moment, I
was only too happy to do. We concluded our adventure through the ancient district with a
delicious cup of coffee and a sweet treat at a local cafe, followed by massages! This was
admittedly not as relaxing as it sounds like it might be, for this was not a “Swedish” massage,
but rather a “Chinese” style massage. I will leave it there by simply saying it was a more
pain-packed 50 minutes than watching an episode of Gilmore Girls. We then prepared for the
evenings festivities - for it was New Year’s Eve after all, and we were slated to spend the
night with one of Allen and Grace’s close friends named Stanley. Stanley lived atop a
secluded hill in a high-rise apartment, which was extremely tastefully decorated - I would

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come to learn that Stanley was an interior designer, and it all began to make sense. Once we
arrived, I met a number of Grace and Allen’s close friends, all of whom were extremely
welcoming and genuinely wonderful people. We would spend more time with them the
following day, but I will come to that soon. For now, it was New Year’s and there was dinner
to be had. For dinner, there were seemingly endless plates of seafood, Thai specialties, and of
course ubiquitous champagne. Just as it felt I couldn’t eat another bite without bursting,
desert was served. A glass bowl was placed in front of me, and it contained a rather shocking
sight - what appeared to be green worms, with a scoop of coconut ice cream on top. It turned
out that this was in fact a Thai delicacy called Lod Chong, and it was made from rice dough.
Ever the adventurer, I dug my spoon in and had a large first bite, being sure to include plenty
of ice cream just in case it was as shocking to taste as it was to look at. As it would happen, it
was extremely delicious and the entire table was silent for a few moments as we all stuffed
our mouths full of the sweet treat.

Dinner had the unfortunate side effect of sending us into a slight food-coma, however,
and unfortunately Nicole and I were unable to last the night. As she faded into
unconsciousness with about an hour to go until the Hong Kong fireworks celebration, we
bid farewell to our new friends and took a taxi back to our hotel, where we would watch the
fireworks from the comfort of our own bed. It cannot be overstated how magnificent a
display it was - I have seen innumerable fireworks shows in my lifetime, and I can honestly
say i’ve never seen anything like this - it was the Grand Finale for the entire show, which

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easily lasted 15 minutes and was carefully choreographed to an up-tempo version of Auld
Lang Syne. Holding each other close and joyfully welcoming the new year, Nicole and I
drifted to sleep, at peace with leaving 2017 in the rear view and eagerly greeting 2018 when
we awoke the following day.

Day 6 - Hidden Caves and Pirate’s Booty


Yet another adventure had been planned for us on our 6th day in Hong Kong. This
time, we would be boarding a ferry to cross the bay and explore an island called Cheung
Chau, which was famous for its rich seafood economy and history of housing Pirates in the
1800’s. After reaching the now familiar Tsim Sha Tsui pier, we pushed through the massive
crowds to secure a seat on the surprisingly modern ferry to the island. The journey would
only take around 40 minutes, but I knew immediately that the risk of seasickness would
prove daunting. Sure enough, it was not myself or Nicole who succumbed, but rather the
small child in the seat directly in front of me. It was just my luck that she would vomit on the
floor, and it would trickle back into my foot space. Fortunately, it did not smell, although the
remainder of the ferry ride was spent meticulously avoiding eye contact with the pool by my
feet. Despite the fact that it felt as though years had been shaved from my life-expectancy by
the ferry ride, we finally made it to Cheung Chao, disembarked, and was immediately
greeted with a fantastic, classically rural scene of a bustling fishing village. Not 10 feet from
the pier, we stopped for a quick coffee, a delicious Mango Mochi, and some dried spicy squid
jerky that was only available here on the island. We were joined on this adventure by two of
our friends from the night before, two women named Josie and P.S. Allen, and his insatiable
appetite, soon found us yet more food to indulge in - freshly steamed fish-balls on a stick in a
variety of flavors and spices. Soon after, we rented some bicycles and set off on our island
adventure. After a quick ride down the pier, we parked our bikes, locked them up, and set off
on a quick hike up a small mountain which led to a famous cave said to have once held the
treasure of Cheung Po Tsai, an infamous Chinese Pirate in the 19th century.

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We took some photos, explored the rock face a bit, and finally returned back to our
bikes parked down the hillside. Unsurprisingly, Allen was still hungry and we set off in
search of yet more unique eats on the island. It was at this point that Nicole spotted a strange
woman chopping all sorts of different kinds of meats, none of which appeared to have come
from the actual muscle tissue of an animal. There were an assortment of chicken feet,
intestines, pigs ear, and other seemingly inedible entrails, but somehow, before me stood a
crowded set of tables full of people devouring the lot. Shrugging to myself, glancing
skeptically at our freshly prepared spread, I dug in - to my surprise, it was all delicious,
despite some odd flavors and chewier-than-expected textures. Our meal took an unfortunate
turn at this point, however, as Nicole and I spotted a young cat wandering amongst our chair
legs. Her hand by her side, the cat mistook her as a threat and lashed out at her, scratching
and biting her hand. The wound seemed superficial and I tried my best to make light of the
situation, but this only made things worse as I unknowingly had deeply offended her by not
offering more sincere care. In Hong Kong, unbeknownst to me, cats and dogs were not
required to receive the same vaccinations as we require in America, and she was deeply
concerned that the cat may have been carrying a disease. Try as I might to make up for my
mistake, it was difficult to regain her confidence for the afternoon. Allen provided comfort
where I could not, and he led the group to the island hospital for a quick consultation. The
doctor was unable to treat her, as it was very expensive, but gave some assurance that the
scratches did not appear to be severe. This comforted Nicole somewhat, but it did little to
repair her anger towards me, and I felt quite regretful for the remainder of the trip. I
understood that I had not been there for her the way I ought to have been, and I knew that I
had to do far better in the future if I were to be the man she expected me to be for her.

Despite this, I worked hard for the remainder of the afternoon to enjoy the rest of the
island and try to make her happy in every way I could. Our travels took us to a fish market,
which was unlike any I had experienced in the past. Everything in this market was alive,

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freshly caught, and was a creature I had never seen before. I allowed our hosts to select the
various wares, as I knew this was not my area of expertise. They purchased bags of Mantis
Shrimp, traditional shrimp, snails, clams, and even a whole live fish, to my surprise. I was
somewhat confused as to how the planned to store and cook all of this food, but my
suspicions were soon eased when we brought them directly to a nearby restaurant, who
would take care of the cooking for us. We feasted on fresh seafood, and it was yet another
interesting culinary adventure that I will never forget. Admittedly, I think mantis shrimp are
not for me - they simply look too much like giant bugs - the rest of the food however was
fantastic and I loved every bite. Nicole and I managed to have a small discussion after dinner,
patching things up and communicating our understanding and remorse for our reactions
earlier that day. We purchased a few more sweets from a nearby shop, and finally boarded
the ferry home. The rest of that night was quiet, as Nicole and I spent some time in the
shopping mall near my hotel, and ultimately I found myself back in my hotel room, simply
bewildered with what that day had brought.

Day 7 - Farewell, Hong Kong


Rather unbelievably, I found the strength to make it to the gym for a 3rd time on our
last day in Hong Kong. I deeply enjoyed Allen’s enthusiasm for his work, and his gym felt as
if I had been a member for ages, with everyone warmly welcoming me for another WOD. At
its conclusion, Nicole and I met up with Allen and Grace for one last meal before we head
back to the airport, and set off on the true adventure of this trip. As it were, Hong Kong was
merely the warm up - I had still yet to meet her mother, and I had certainly not forgotten that
she could barely speak or understand english, while I could barely speak or understand
Chinese. The meal was classic Cantonese, and it goes without saying that it was fantastic. We
enjoyed fried rice, a beef soup, steamed Chinese greens (Choi Sum), drunken chicken, and
puffed rice with a sauce I can better describe by taste than by name. I swiftly made my way

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back to the hotel after lunch to gather my already-packed bags, checked out, and Nicole and I
hailed a taxi to the airport. I managed to snap a picture of the famous tower that Batman
jumped off of in The Dark Night on the way, and from there it was a standard day of travel
through the airport. We wandered around trying to find the gate for a bit, before settling in
waiting to board. The boarding process was unique, in that we first had to board a bus which
then took us directly to the plane which was resting elsewhere on in the airfield. The bus was
crowded, and it felt that everyone prioritized their own travel over their courteousness to
others, but such seemed to be the way in this country, so I did my best to ignore it and ensure
we made it safely aboard the aircraft. The plane was an Airbus A320, considerably smaller
than the long range 777 which brought us here from Boston, but this was to be expected for a
mere 900 mile flight to the Mainland. We bid farewell to our western applications like Google,
Facebook, and Instagram, and as quickly as we had arrived, we were leaving Hong Kong in a
cloud of jet exhaust on the runway, our sights now set on Hangzhou. It seemed as though I
had already been here for a month, despite it only being 6 short days, and I will fondly
consider a future in Hong Kong when I conclude school. It is a beautiful, bastard of a city that
will chew you up and spit you out if you let it. While my typically pacifist attitude was
quickly overwhelmed by the pushing, shoving, and bustling crowds, I found that by
adopting the attitude of the Hong Kong-ese, I grew to love the place with a passion I had not
predicted. It was now time to focus on the new challenge, Mainland China. It was one that I
was eager to confront, anxious to meet, and ultimately, one I will have left a different
individual than when I arrived.

Day 8 - Hello, Hangzhou


We touched down in Hangzhou in the evening, around 8pm local time. I immediately
knew I was in trouble when the english signage I had undervalued in Hong Kong had
disappeared and was now nowhere to be found. The baggage claim carousels were under

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construction, so the reclamation process was a complete melee, one which I left to Nicole who
was now in her element. When she speaks Chinese it always astonishes me, but now I was
completely overwhelmed. I could not speak with anyone, and could not communicate in any
way with the customs officials or the airport employees. My mind was racing - how the hell
will I be able to greet her mom - it felt as though I forgot everything I had been studying for
the past few months, and I could barely even open my mouth. I was not ready, but
nonetheless, was given no choice. A face I recognized from countless pictures was sitting
waiting for us only 100 yards away, and I knew the moment I had been dreading for 10
months had finally arrived. I shyly smiled, knowing she had recognized us - Nicole ran to
greet her and gave her a massive hug, as any daughter who had been deprived of her mother
for months would have done. Stammering, I could barely muster a “ni hao”, before Nicole
graciously spoon fed me the greeting in Chinese I had tried to prepare on the flight there. I
walked silently with them as they conversed in Chinese, thinking to myself the entire time
“what the HELL did I get myself into now…” The car ride was equally quiet, though I did try
to comment that I did love her long wheelbase 523Li BMW, which was equipped with a
magnificently luxurious back seat. I had heard that the Chinese car market valued rear
passenger comfort, but I had never experienced anything quite like it in a 5-series. It took
about 35 minutes to reach her apartment complex, and we began to loosen up very slightly
and I experimented with the little Chinese that was beginning to come back into my mind,
while she did her best to try some broken english that she could muster. I was eager to
present her with the card I had brought from home, which I spent a considerable amount of
time on. I had written a note in Chinese, and was hopeful that she would appreciate the
gesture. Though she couldn’t fully express her gratitude in english, Nicole let me know that
she did love it, and I was happy to see that she promptly placed the card inside a glass
display cabinet that housed her infamous tea-set collections. I had the idea at home in the
USA to get her another gift, which Nicole suggested we have delivered directly to their home
in China. I knew her mom was a passionate Buddhist who had recently taken her faith
studies more seriously - for this reason, I purchased her an authentic Tibetan Singing Bowl,
which is a form of meditation bell used by Tibetan and Chinese monks. I didn’t expect her to
appreciate the gift as much as she did, but it seemed from her reaction that I had chosen a
perfect gift and that she really did love it. From this point onward, our relationship would
only grow warmer during my stay - she is a truly lovely woman who I still cannot thank
properly for being such a generous and welcoming host.

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Day 9 - Hot Pots and Cold Lakes
Today was the first day that I would experience true, authentic Hanzhou-nese cuisine.
Nicole and I enjoyed attempting to re-create hot pot at home, but our past attempts couldn’t
hold a candle to the first lunch we had in Hangzhou. After waking up, playing with my new
best friend Pang Ding for a while, we went off to get some lunch which was at a restaurant
that specialized in beef. Plate after plate of raw, shaved beef were brought to our table and I
watched in amazement as Nicole and her mom expertly plucked slices with their chopsticks
and placed them into the bubbling cauldron of broth in the center of the table. We feasted on
beef and veggies until we could eat no more, and decided to hit the road. Despite the fact that
it was a rainy, grey day - a trend that would continue throughout the week, Nicole and I
decided that it was a good opportunity to explore West Lake for the first time. We stopped at
a Starbucks to indulge in a quick taste of home. Following this, left out the back of the
Starbucks and were greeted with a truly beautiful scene of West Lake, blanketed in a thick,
misty haze. In the distance you could see the many footbridges which all held deep historical
significance, and in the foreground the lake was stuffed full of the carcasses of Lotus flowers,
whose summertime flowers I was left to only imagine. We wrapped our scarves a bit tighter,
and walked inwards towards the center of the lake’s walkways. There were lanterns guiding
out way, though only a handful were lit at the time. After stopping to read a few plaques, and
extrapolating stories from the bronze reliefs embedded in some of the walls, we sat under a
small covered pagoda and took in the scenery for a few short minutes before deciding our
bodies could take the cold no longer. This was another opportunity to experience the Chinese
version of Uber, which is called DiDi - Nicole called us a ride which promptly brought us
back home where we would relax for the rest of the Evening. It turned out that after dinner,
which was a delicious home cooked meal this time, that Ms. Li had booked foot massages for
the two of us at a parlor right next door to her apartment. We enjoyed an evening of luxury

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while our feet were soaked in hot baths and all of the tension of the past two days worth of
walking were rubbed way in a thorough 80 minute session. I was now beginning to
understand that relaxation was a relative term when it came to Chinese style massages, as
there was still plenty of pain involved as acupuncture points were targeted to improve
circulation and muscle relaxation. Once we finished around 11pm, we ventured back home
and went to sleep. Another successful day was in the books, with more to look forward to
tomorrow.

Day 10 - Feeling Like Pulling Teeth


Having complained of a toothache the day prior, and with one of her molars noticeably
out of place , it was obvious that Nicole was in need of emergency dental care. This summer
she had elected to forgo her wisdom tooth extraction, but unfortunately one could wait no
longer. We set off early in the morning for her appointment at the local public hospital, which
looked like it could treat everything from a broken foot to open heart surgery. The entire
place was a bustling, efficient health factory, and it was all extremely impressive. There was
very little waiting, which was odd for me coming from the American healthcare system. In
fact, it seemed the oddest thing in the hospital was in fact me, which was obvious from the
many confused stares I received as I walked through the halls in the rare occasions I was
unaccompanied by Nicole. Hangzhou, I would realize, was not a very popular place to visit
among white people, and this fact would only become more obvious the longer I stayed.

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After getting a quick x-ray across the hall, she brought her image to the dentist who after a
mere glance decided that the tooth was indeed ready to go. The extraction process was
remarkably quick and allegedly pain free - I barely had time to finish replying to an email on
Nicole’s behalf before I heard a quiet squeak from the chair and the tooth had been
successfully removed. The dentist placed it in a bag, Nicole received her first souvenir from
Hangzhou, and we departed the hospital. I was left in amazement that the process should be
so efficient and we would be in and out in under 2 hours. Nicole’s mom had some work to do
after this, so she left us at a small cafe near her home, and Nicole and I enjoyed a light
breakfast before relaxing for the rest of the afternoon. This day was admittedly quiet from
there on out, but this is understandable as she had just braved somewhat major trauma to her
mouth and it was important to allow that to heal without getting infected. We slept for the
afternoon together on the couch before going out to get dinner at a local shopping mall -
dinner consisted of soup, naturally, with rice noodles and beef. It goes without saying that it
was delicious. Once finished, we shopped a bit around the mall for some basic wares, and
worked our way back home to head off to sleep for the night.

Day 11 - A Different Kind of Green


Today would be the first true “culture” day in Hangzhou. Her mom surprised us by
taking us to the National Tea Research Institute of China. It turned out that her mom had a
close friend who was one of the Institute’s curators, and we were treated to a personal tour of
the entire facility. I learned a great deal about the manufacturing process of the country’s
finest teas, as well as the distinctions between some of the most popular types of tea - white,
black (which the Chinese actually call red), green, oolong, jasmine, and a few others. The tea
is harvested from the vast fields we saw on the drive there, and once the leaves are carefully
plucked from the plant, they are then placed in large cauldrons and “stir-fried” by hand. This
last bit is particularly remarkable and a trade that is learned over the course of many years.

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The tea maker, using bare hands, massages the tea against the hot pan with no protection
whatsoever - it takes a seasoned hand and an experienced eye to know the exact temperature
that the tea needs to be to dry properly, and this facility was known nationwide as the
foremost in tea cooking. I learned that when the tea leaves sink to the bottom of the glass
after a few moments in hot water that the tea is of exceptional quality, and I had never
actually experienced this with any long-leaf tea in the USA. Inferior quality tea tends to
remain floating near the top of the water, and this was far more common in the tea I brewed
at home. After touring the Tea Culture Center and learning about the history of tea drinking
in China, as well as how the facility had provided all of the tea consumed at the G20 summit
in 2016, we were escorted into a private room where we were given the distinct privilege of
drinking some of their most valuable tea. Our host appeared to be an expert chemist as he
first placed a carefully measured amount of their finest long-jing green tea into our special
blown-glass teacups, splashing a small amount of hot water into them to prime the leaves,
before finally filling our glass with yet more carefully measured hot water. Unexpectedly, it
was the most delicious tea I had ever had, though I nearly spit it out when I was then told
that the leaves cost $800 per pound. After finishing two or three more glasses, we concluded
our tour of the facility and were on our way to our next destination. Our evening destination
was yet another shopping excursion, where we would also enjoy a fantastic dinner. Kao Yu
(烤鱼)is a traditional style baked whole fish in a spicy tomato based broth with garlic and
vegetables. The restaurant whose name matched this fish style was famous for this offering.
Soon, the waitstaff brought a large rectangular dish to our table which was kept piping hot by
a pile of still smoldering charcoal beneath it. Once again bewildered by the meal in front of
me, the three of us devoured the fish with deft expertise. Dinner was spent laughing,
exchanging childhood pictures that Ms. Li thought I should see of Nicole, and in turn
learning more about me as well. She asked about my hobbies, my interests, and was
beginning to see a more clear picture of who I was as a person. I greatly enjoyed this bonding
experience, and it seemed that no sooner had it started that there was nothing but a pile of
fish bones in front of us and it was time to conclude our dinner. From here, we decided to flex
our wallets and do some more shopping in the massive mall where this restaurant was
located. The first stop was a store we had spotted on the way in, and one that I could not help
but to stop in and see - a store called JasonWood. My first few days in Hangzhou had been
informed me that I was simply not prepared for the pervasive cold that we experienced daily.
A down coat was a necessity here, and Nicole’s mom would not allow me to leave the mall
without one. We tried on a few which made me look a bit silly before finding one that I truly

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fell in love with. It was clear from the look on Nicole’s face that we had finally found some
clothes that we could all agree on, and Nicole’s mom would not let me leave without it. Her
generosity unwavering, she wanted to purchase the entire coat for me, but I simply felt that
this was not appropriate and I insisted that I pay for at least the majority of it. That said, even
the full price of the coat still represented a massive savings over purchasing something
similar state-side. The store packaged up some of my extra clothes I no longer needed, and
we kept working our way through the mall where we picked up a few more trinkets, gifts,
odds, and ends. Our evening concluded with a surprise view of the South Mountain Road,
where every tree lining the street had been illuminated and decorated in a magnificently
opulent fashion. We pulled over for a quick photo opportunity in front of the lights of West
Lake with Baochu Pagoda in the background, before pushing onwards home. The day prior, a
family friend who I would only know as “Uncle Lou” and his wife dropped by our home to
share some tea with Ms. Li. Uncle Lou was an influential member of provincial politics and is
the vice Mayor of a nearby city. Despite his ability to only speak a bit of english, it appeared
he liked me quite a bit for whatever reason and at the end of tea he invited the family to join
him and a few others for a brunch, which would come the following morning. With yet
something else to start feeling nervous about, I bid him farewell at the end of the night and
we all went to sleep exhausted from the evenings shopping and our bellies full of delicious
baked fish.

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Day 12 - Lazy Susans and Raw Lobsters
Our luncheon with Uncle Lou was upon us this morning, and we drove over to the
restaurant, which was in a large building near the Olympic Training Center in the center of
Hangzhou. The breakfast was intimidating - I dressed well, wearing wool slacks and my new
brown sweater I had gotten for Christmas - but I knew my Chinese would not be strong
enough for me to be a truly active participant in any conversation that would be had. That
said, we entered the private room that Uncle Lou had reserved for us and rather
unsurprisingly, he stood and beckoned me to sit right next to him by the head of the table. I
was flanked on my right by Nicole, followed by her mother, and the rest of the 6 or 7 guests
who would be joining us that morning filled the table counter-clockwise from there. In the
center of the table was a large glass Lazy Susan which would allow everyone to access the
many offerings on the menu that morning. Course after course were delivered, and I was
now becoming accustomed to the Chinese style of dining out where ordered items do not all
come at once like they do in America, but rather sequentially throughout the meal. It was
important to not over eat early on, as dishes seemed as though they were never ending,
coming one after another for at least an hour. We enjoyed duck, steamed buns, vegetables,
cold dishes, hot dishes, and by far the most unique was the iced raw lobster, served
surrounded by the entire shell of the animal which must have weighed at least 2 pounds
when it was still alive. Uncle Lou and I talked as best we could, with Nicole serving as an
invaluable translator when I was unable to speak my mind in Chinese - this admittedly
happened for nearly everything I wanted to say, but none the less I survived the breakfast
without making a complete fool of myself. Another unique part of Chinese dining culture is
the many toasts that are made throughout the meal. It felt as if I were at a wedding, where it
seemed like every 10 minutes or so someone new was holding up their glass of wine to
propose a new toast. Hundreds of clink-ed glasses later, breakfast concluded and we head
back home for the afternoon. The night would bring another unique experience - we would
be visiting an ancient road which offered a truly cultural experience. The street was lined
with vendors all plying their trades - selling sweets, sausages, street foods, jewelry, fine china,
picture shows, the list goes on and on. We walked through the light rain enjoying some of
Nicole’s childhood favorites, and exploring all that the shops had to offer. We had a delicious
flatbread style pastry, and I couldn’t help but to eat the whole thing despite loving warnings
from Nicole. We popped into a dim-sum restaurant to escape the cold and the drizzle, and
were met by Nicole’s uncle and his son - Andy and Shawn. Andy had spent a considerable

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amount of time in the States and spoke english, as did his son who had spent time at an
international school in Canada. We finished dinner together, and walked across the street to
McDonalds to grab one last bite to eat for Shawn before we decided to grab some dessert and
bubble tea. After sharing some more photos and conversation, we head off for our final
destination for the night. Uncle Lou had heard that Nicole and I both enjoy singing, and he
had invited us to join him and some friends at a Karaoke bar nearby to Nicole’s mom’s
apartment. The place was called V-Show, and it was a unique experience to say the least.
Rather than typical karaoke bars where you sing in front of the whole bar, in this place each
party got their own private room. There were two microphones and I was treated to a
number of imitations of popular Chinese songs that I had never heard before, and I treated
them to some American songs that it was clear they had never heard before. After plenty of
Budweiser and much laughter, we were finally to tired to sing anymore and we went home
and went to bed for the night. I was only left thinking that had the Clef Hangers been there,
we would have torn that place to shreds and in that moment I did dearly miss my singing
friends. I was happy to have finally heard Nicole sing seriously for the first time however,
and she was magnificent, as was her mother. We sang a campy Taylor Swift duet together,
and after this I decided to sing “93 Million Miles” by Jason Mraz while Nicole translated the
words for her mom. Earlier that night, she had gotten emotional and sad about the fact that it
felt like Nicole might never come home, so this seemed a meaningful thing to do.

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Day 13 - The Finest Silks of Ancient Hangzhou
Today was to be another day packed full of culture and knowledge. Our plan was to
visit the National Silk Museum of China. Hangzhou is famous globally for its historical silk
production, and is recognized as the origin point of the entire silk industry for all
humankind. We learned about how the ancient people of the region invented the cultivation
and study of silkworms, silk weaving techniques, and the stylistic choices that would grow
popular throughout the ages. I deeply enjoyed this museum, and I learned a tremendous
amount about the development of insanely complicated weaving technologies, and I was
very impressed by it all. With too much to describe, I can only demonstrate the vastness of
the museum using pictures. We read through all of the exhibits which were fortunately
mostly in English, and when we were finished we went to go have a coffee at the museum
Cafe. One would expect a museum such as the Silk Museum to potentially be boring, but it
was utterly fascinating and I was constantly left asking the question “how the hell did they
do that??” after looking at nearly every piece of clothing and fancy stitch. The evenings
entertainment would be a movie and dinner at yet another giant shopping mall. This one was
at least 4 stories, and featured a number of excellent restaurants and designer stores. Nicole
and I stopped into one of our favorite stores to grab a few bits of clothing, and then we went
to have dinner at a restaurant specializing in pork. We both indulged in delicious fried pork
cutlets with cheese, and some curry udon noodles and seaweed salad until we could not eat
any more. It was not time for our movie! We were going to see the new Star Wars finally, and
it was a fantastically entertaining experience in 3D. Some of my friends had given away a few
key details and were really not too fond of the overly camp screen play, but I greatly enjoyed
it as a massive fan of the series. Nicole enjoyed it as well and we spent the rest of the night
making Star Wars jokes and talking like Yoda all the way home. Hail a taxi, we did - and we
made it home just around midnight and went to bed. Tomorrow would be a busy one as we
were scheduled to catch a train into Shanghai and spend the next day and night in the big
city.

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Day 14 - Bright Lights, Big City
The journey to Shanghai was a rather eventful one. After some tea, coffee, and breakfast
at home in the morning, we left via DiDi to head to the truly massive Hangzhou rail station.
There was a considerable amount of traffic on the way, and as a result, we were pressed for
time as soon as we arrived. It was difficult to navigate the multiple ticketing windows, as
there were special ones for international travelers such as myself. The delays that we faced
ultimately caused us to miss our scheduled train, which was a chaotic affair. I did not realize
it at the time, but it is possible to “sneak” onto other trains going to your destination - we
attempted to do so but I did not do it properly and we didn’t make it on. This was not a
problem though, as Nicole’s mom went and rescheduled our tickets for a later train. We soon
boarded with only a delay of about 30 minutes, and we were on our way to the big city. The
train moved at a very high speed, and it was a great opportunity to see some of the more
rural Chinese countryside. In appearance, it was very reminiscent of some of the countryside
I saw during my travels through Eastern Europe between Prague and Berlin. Less than an
hour later, we arrived at Shanghai Station and navigated our way through the metro lines to
make it to the stop nearest our hotel for the night. The hotel was rather luxurious, booked by
Nicole’s mother - another testament to her unwavering generosity over the entire trip. We
checked in to our Spanish architecture rooms, regrouped in the lobby, and ventured out for
dinner. Nicole had been craving spicy hot-pot since the day we arrived in China, and tonight
she would finally see her wish fulfilled. This meal was by far the most unique and interesting
meal I would eat on the entire trip. It consisted of frog legs, duck intestine, beef esophagus,
tofu puffs, various greens, beef slices, fish cake, and just about anything else you could think
to throw in the broth. I was skeptical at first, but it all looked so freshly prepared and
carefully plated that I couldn’t help but to enjoy every bite. The spicy broth was so much that
our lips were tingling well into the night after we left. After the conclusion of this delicious
meal, we went back out and caught a DiDi to take us to the pier which offered some of the
most scenic views of the entire trip. It was blisteringly cold as we walked along the sea,
taking in the lovely lights of the buildings, and gaping in awe at the height of Shanghai tower
which is the 2nd tallest building in the world at 128 stories. We sought shelter in a Starbucks,
and we enjoyed a nice cup of coffee before deciding it was time to venture back to our hotel
for the night. The views from this area will stay with me for a while, they were truly breath-
taking. In general, I was left with a pervasive environmental guilt, as the smog here was too
obvious to be ignored. One thing I will take with me from this journey is a renewed

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commitment to trying to live as environmentally friendly as I can, and to support legislation
that protects the air quality of our planet. Before returning to our hotel we visited yet another
massive shopping mall, this one dwarfing the last and stretching nearly 7 stories. We
browsed all sorts of luxury items but ultimately only left with some groceries and one of
Nicole’s favorite treats, a crispy egg puff pastry that is cooked in something similar to a
waffle maker. Once finished, we hailed another DiDi (which this time was a Tesla Model X, a
rare treat) and were zoomed off back to our hotel, constantly impressed with the acceleration
of the Tesla. Another magnificent day full of once in a lifetime experiences was in the books.

Day 15 - Shanghai, Goodbye


The following day after an amazing dumpling and steamed bun breakfast at the hotel,
we visited yet another must-see district of Shanghai renown for its tight streets, ubiquitous
shops, and fantastic street food. We browsed the innumerable shops, and it didn’t take long
for me to notice that every shop seemed to sort of be selling the same items - chopstick gift
sets all were showcased in the same red and black boxes with their puffy yellow silk linings,
and we even noticed the same slogan written on a cup in two different trinket shops. I was
happy when I realized this that I hadn’t jumped to buy the first thing in sight that caught my
eye, but rather exercised discretion throughout that day. Some highlights from a culinary
perspective were the pan seared duck intestines that were served on a bouquet of bamboo

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skewers, pieces cut 2 to 3 inches in length. On top of that, we took a break in a coffee shop
called “The Kommune” which was themed to pay homage to the communist workers parties
of the 50s and 60s. Naturally, I had to partake in their specialty - “The Kommunist” which
was simply a double espresso with foamed milk. The walls of the cafe were painted red,
white, black, and yellow, with powerful workers imagery emblazoned on the back wall in a
sort of mural / graffiti style. The chairs were small wooden stools, and an empty bar sat
behind the main gallery of seating. The coffee, it must be said, was fantastic, as were the chai
latte and tea that were ordered by Nicole and her mom. Once finished here, we tried to
meander our way back through the streets so that we could make it to the train station with
plenty of time to spare. On our way, we stopped off for one last bite to eat - this time, it was a
Chinese take on a corn-dog and french fries. Essentially the first was a dough covered
sausage with a panko breading on the outside, deep fried. We selected the “chili-thai” sauce,
and this was a good choice. The fries were interesting. Sold by a number of shops, they were
a popular dish called “Super Fries”, which are created by loading a giant syringe with
mashed potato batter, and dropping long strands of batter into hot oil. The result is not a true
french fry, but is none the less a 1 foot long thin strand of fried potato that tastes as near as
makes no difference. We got a seaweed sprinkled cheese sauce on them, and they were gone
before we got back to the main road for our taxi. This time we were treated to a ride in a mid
2000’s Audi Q5, which shuttled us back to our hotel to regain our things and check out. Once
checked out, we re-traced our steps from the previous day to get back to the train station. Our
return journey came without incident, as we arrived in plenty of time to catch our scheduled
plane. Once back in Hangzhou, another surprise awaited us. Our DiDi was a ride-share this
time, so returning home took a bit longer, but once we arrived we found out that Nicole and I
were scheduled to get a haircut that evening. My hair was unkempt before I even arrived in
China - at this point is was becoming downright unruly. That said, with so much hair to work
with, I felt comfortable allowing the stylist to have some freedom and do what he thought
would look best. Nicole did most of my translating for me, but to be honest not much needed
to be said - “I trust you, just do whatever you want” - and away he went in silence. Only 20
minutes or so and two washes later, I was surprised when he picked up a blow dryer - this
would be the first time someone actually styled my hair with a blow dryer. I thought it was a
bit odd, but just went with the flow. Sure enough, I liked the look, and even found out later
that evening that he had posted something on his page about how cool it was to give haircuts
to people from all over the world - he had never had an American in the chair before
apparently. Nicoles haircut was a bit chattier, and she decided to go short to the shoulders. It

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looked great, so happily we paid and we left. That concluded the activity for that packed day,
so we got home, played with Pang Ding a bit, and went to sleep.

Day 16 -West Lake Take Two


The plan for today was to make up for the rain that we had the first day we arrived. We
would go back to West Lake to walk around a bit, grab some street food, and visit the Wulin
branch of the Zhejiang Provincial Museum. After that, we would walk up the mountain a bit
and visit the Baochu Pagoda, which is a 7 story pillar of stone that has history dating back
hundreds of years. We got some tofu and a sausage from a shop on the street by West Lake,
before realizing that it was far too cold and far too long a walk to mosey all the way across
the lake by foot. Noticing a large number of shuttle trams on the road, we flagged one down
and for only a couple dollars managed to hitch a ride all the way to the other side of the lake.
Once there, we took in the beautiful scene - this time in the sunshine - and then sought shelter
from the cold wind at the Wulin branch of the Zhejiang Museum - this is the smaller of their
two branches, the other residing in the Cultural Square in the center of Hangzhou. Inside, we
were amazed to find exhibits with pottery from ancient Chinese civilizations over 10,000
years old. We also saw exquisitely carved decorative pieces, as well as ancient bronze statues
and coins. When we finished in the museum, we decided we wanted to grab a quick bite to
eat before we pushed up the mountain to the Pagoda. Where should that take us but to a

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McDonalds, which I realized on day 1 were much much better here than at home. Just
wanting a little snack, Nicole got a pair of small spicy chicken wings. I ordered something I
saw when I first arrived in China and I wanted to try ever since - it was an entire chicken
wing, flat and drumstick and tip included, all on a single skewer. Everything was delicious,
as expected, and we moved on to scale the stone steps up the road which would lead to the
Pagoda area. The steps took us past a rock face which had a large inscription on it - we
stopped for a quick picture and kept ascending. Once we reached the top, after maybe 300 to
400 stairs, we were rewarded with a quaint coffee shop / library at the top of the hill by the
foot of the Pagoda. We stayed here for a few hours, enjoying refillable lattes, (annoyingly)
non-refillable iced coffees, and some snacks such as biscuits and pickled spicy fish skin.
Nicole worked a bit on some questions an employer had asked her about an interview item,
and I sat and browsed my phone for the most part - towards the later afternoon I switched
over and began to read the British edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. It
soon became dark, so Nicole and I left and decided to walk back down towards the main
road. We took a taxi to meet her mom for dinner, which would be at a very fancy restaurant
specializing in steamed freshwater crab. Once there, we each had one crab each, plus some
soft tofu and a gloriously tasty duck soup, which contained literally an entire duck. I learned
in this meal that the interior of the crab in this context was actually edible, which is not
something we commonly do in America, where we mostly just eat the legs. Nicole quickly
corrected me and I discovered this tasty part to add to my crab dictionary. After dinner, we
returned home and prepared for our final day in Hangzhou.

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Day 17 - The Lingyin Temple and The Provincial Museum
Today would be our last full day in Hangzhou, and we intended to fill it with a trip to a
very famous Buddhist temple, as well as the larger of the two branches of the Zhejiang
Provincial Museum. We drove to the Lingyin Temple first thing in the morning, and it was an
exceptional cultural experience. The walk up to the main temple brought us past massive
rock faces in the mountain, which were intricately carved with Buddhist reliefs. Once at the
main temple, we took in the breathtaking Buddhist statues of all of the various Buddhas and
scholars of the temple. There was a hall containing 500 bronze statues of the most renown
Buddhist scholars to have called the temple home, and finally we saw the main temple which
housed a 40 foot tall gilded Buddha statue. We burned incense in the shadow of the Buddha,
made our wishes, and said a brief prayer for good fortune and luck. After spending the
morning at the temple, we worked our way back down to our car and Nicole and I separated
from her mother who would have to do some work at the office. This resulted in us taking a
taxi by ourselves to the Cultural Square in the center of Hangzhou, which is very much like
the Hangzhou-nese version of the Smithsonian in DC. There is a museum of science and
technology, a natural history museum, and the prize of the square, the Provincial Museum
which houses relics which outline the history of china dating back for 10s of thousands of
years. Before we went inside however, we wanted to grab a quick bite to eat and Nicole was
eager to show me how much better KFC is in China than it is in America. Undoubtedly she
was correct, as the menu was far more diverse and the food much more delicious. I had the
Chinese KFC specialty, a spicy chicken sandwich called the “Zinger”, and she tried their new
crawfish sandwich. Both were fantastic, and we left to go to the museum. Once inside, we
began by exploring the neolithic history of the Chinese people. We learned how they
developed tools and weapons, saw some incredible dig sites, and learned about the rise and
evolution of the Yue People. We learned about how the first Chinese explorers and voyagers
began to emigrate across the pacific islands and how the southeastern Asian populations of
the world came to be. We also had the privilege of seeing some of the most elaborate
artworks that the country had to offer, such as an entire furnished display of a 19th Century
wealthy wedding. There was a palanquin which I could scarcely believe was real, it was so
elegantly gilded and intricately carved. The last exhibits we visited were those depicting the
20th century in modern China. Unfortunately this time period was not as bright and exciting
as the centuries preceding it, but rather one of intense conflict and provincial loss. It was
unique to see the Chinese perspective of World War 2, which they simply call “The War With

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Japan”. It serves to show how the western schooling focuses far more heavily on the eastern
front with the germans, as well as the late stages of the war after pearl harbor. The Japanese
had in fact invaded china many years before that, and unfortunately the Chinese were ill
prepared for their onslaught. In the leadership years prior to that war, the country had been
largely closed off from western technologies, and as a result they were forced to fight a war
with swords and horses against an army with far more advanced technology. The result in
that case was predictable as it was unfortunate, and the museum made note of things that are
currently in Japanese museums that were in fact stolen from China as spoils of war from this
period. Despite being a somewhat somber conclusion to the museum, it was still fascinating
to learn about, and gave me new perspective on a war that I have spent a considerable
amount of time studying before. To cheer ourselves up, we grabbed another egg-puff waffle
thingy from a shop by the museum, and we caught a taxi home. Dinner that night was one of
Nicole’s selections, a place specializing in steamed foods. Each table has a steamer built right
in, similar to hot pot. We had a fantastic sticky duck dish that reminded me of House Wings
from Ho-Ho’s except much much better. We also had steamed beef, pork, razor clams, and
veggies. It was a nice last dinner in Hangzhou, and it was clear that Nicole and her mom
were both savoring their remaining time together. It was getting late, so we left the restaurant
when we were finally too full to eat another bite, hung out at home for a bit with Pang Ding,
had some tea, and went to bed.

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Day 18 - The Warm Up
Our flight from Hangzhou to Hong Kong was at about 2pm that day. We woke up and
had our typical breakfast at home consisting of steamed breads and tea, before taking Pang
Ding for a walk outside. Once finished, we wrapped up the last of our packing and we got a
taxi to the airport. There was a lot of traffic and we were worried that we wouldn’t make our
flight on time. The goodbye process was hectic and rushed and we regretted that we didn’t
get to spend more time with her mom at the airport. Together Nicole and I worked our way
through departure customs, got to the gate, and boarded the small Airbus A320 that would
ferry us back to Hong Kong. The flight was delayed a bit, so we just sat around a Starbucks
and enjoyed a small slice of cake and some coffee. Soon however, we were on board and
lifting off for a 3 hour flight back to HK. What irritated me about this flight is that they did
not allow the use of electronic devices, even in airplane mode, for the *entire* flight. This was
a small warmup for the very long trip that lay ahead, so I just took it in stride and Nicole and
I slept most of the way. We touched down in Hong Kong at about 6:30 pm, where we were
able to retrieve our baggage and hop on the Airport Express to Hong Kong Station. Once in
the city proper, we met Grace once more who was very happy to have us back in the city.
Allen and she had booked a reservation for us at a Michelin starred restaurant very nearby
specializing in Peking Duck called Peking Garden. It was so fantastic to see Allen and Grace
again, and I realized after so long in the mainland that Hong Kong was so vastly different
and I regretted that I didn’t realize how special it was the first week I was there. The peking
duck was phenomenal, and we caught up with Grace and Allen about our time in Hangzhou.
After dinner concluded, we went off to the carnival to see if we could use some promotional
tickets that Grace had gotten through her work. Unfortunately, we chose the only day the
tickets were blacked out and we were unable to go. That said, this turned out to be alright -
we went and got an ice cream cone nearby and noticed a large crowd gathering by the next
street. Grace and Allen immediately noticed that in the middle of the crowd was a well

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known movie star in Asia, one of their favorites - it turned out that they were filming a movie
there and we stayed and watched as they organized and shot a car chase scene. Following
this, we retrieved our bags from storage at Grace’s office and ventured back towards Tai Koo
via taxi. Nicole was appropriately feeling quite sad about leaving home, so we just hung out
in the hotel room looking at photos from our trip before falling asleep.

Day 19 - The Long Flight Home


In preparation for our flight back to the USA, we decided to have breakfast at the
restaurant we visited on our first day in HK, followed by one last bit of shopping in the
nearby mall to our hotel. After picking up the last of our odds and ends, we decided a nice
treat before we left would be to get a foot massage. The foot massage was a great way to
make sure our circulation in our legs was taken care of before we would be stuck on a plane
for 15 hours. It lasted for about an hour, and finally it was time to take our taxi to the Airport
Express train and head to the airport. There was more traffic than we expected on our way to
the station, which made us pretty nervous about the time remaining to clear customs and
make it to our gate. The train came as promptly as ever and all that remained was the
roughly 25 minute train ride to the airport. The ride was tense, as we were clock watching the
entire time. Ultimately, we got to the airport and were able to check in with plenty of time to
spare. Unfortunately, we were unable to upgrade our seats out of Economy, but it wouldn’t
end up being a problem as the seats ended up being pretty comfortable. We ventured
through the vast Hong Kong airport picking up a few cosmetics in one of the shops before
ultimately, it was time to board our plane. We made it through the last security check, found
our seats, and settled in for a very long flight. There we no delays and we were up and off at
around 6pm. The flight home felt much longer than the flight there, partially due to the
anticipation of coming home, but mostly due to the fact that it was only in the late afternoon
and I was awake for far more of this flight. I watched a considerable amount of The Grand

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Tour on my iPad, slept for a few hours, and with a certain inevitability we were miraculously
home by 9pm the following day. We had managed to make it through the most dreadful part
of any trip to Hong Kong and for that I was somewhat proud of both Nicole and I. There
were a vast number of people trying to clear customs, and though I managed to make it
through somewhat quickly, Nicole was held up for quite some time in the line for non-
residents. I collected our bags, waited for her by the claim, and once she finished we finally
hailed an Uber and head back home for Burlington. The trip felt both extremely long and yet
extremely short, and I learned so much about myself along the way. I was left feeling proud
that I had challenged myself to visit the furthest place from home I had ever been, for longer
than I had ever been out of the country, and in a place where I was a genuine stranger to the
culture. That said, through the unwavering support of my guide Nicole and my hosts along
the way, the trip truly was a once in a lifetime opportunity for which I am extremely grateful
for. It was my intention in composing this journal that anyone who should read it would
learn about the culture I visited in as much detail as I can recount, as well as to learn what
lessons a trip like this might bring to them along the way - I can only hope that it has fulfilled
that purpose, and that the reader has enjoyed it as if they were there with me the entire time.

The End

A STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND 32

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