Nihao, people!!!

Yes, I made it back from China alive and had only one run-in with the police.* I'd say that makes it an EXTREMELY successful trip. ;-) I absolutely recommend China as a tourist destination. It's magnificently beautiful, the cities are SO modern and striking, the historical sites are breathtaking, the food is unbeatable, and the people are incredibly friendly and helpful. Despite the language barrier (and even though the signs are in English, very few people outside the hotels speak much English) it turned out to be very easy to get around and manage with gestures and smiles. Plus, the dollar still gets you very far there, which is a fantastic change of pace.

Here are some pics of my trip. These, admittedly, are not the best, but they are the only ones that didn't have me or my family in them.

( Follow me to the photos... )

Brilliant translation errors.

To save you from having to look at all my photos, I'm posting the bestest ones separately. What makes these the best, you ask? These are the pictures of some signs. Absolutely hilarious signs.

At the entrance to a restaurant:



In Renmin Park in Shanghai:



At one of the entrances to Cibao


(Tourism exploitation? At least they are honest.)

Outside the Jade Buddha Temple:


(I'd never even heard of half of these things, but now I'm curious as hell)

The signs were so awesome. I wish I had taken pictures of all of them.