I truly envy you your trip to China. Even though I have been there twice, I can't get enough of that beautiful country. I will live vicariously through you, and dream of a time I can return, and show my two daughters the country of their birth.
I've been to a lot of places, including China, but Alaska is one that I have yet to visit. And the Aurora Borealis is one of the sights that is a must for me before I die. I'm told that the northern Borealis is only visible in Sep-Oct & Mar-Apr. I've seen it from northern Michigan in October and if it's that fantastic from there, standing under it at the Arctic Circle must be utterly incredible.
I'm also told that there is an equal display at the South Pole and since I haven't been to Antarctica yet, maybe I'll get to accomplish two objectives at the same time. I just found out that there are Antarctic cruises like the Alaskan cruise.
Any chance Alaska will include some midnight sun?
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I'm planning on Fall for that (probably October), so we will miss it. Still, I think the days are still pretty long at that time. -rc
Fell about laughing at the Tourist Department blurb describing your stops in Hong Kong. The fisherman have given up because international fleets destroyed the fish stocks; only a few dozen still live on the boats. Repulse Bay is third rate. The market got covered up (still great bargains, though). And if you can see through the pollution when you get to the Peak, count your blessings.
Not that Hong Kong is not a wonderful place; it is.
Enjoy!
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We arrived just before dark (it's 8:00 p.m. Saturday in Hong Kong as I approve this post, and 6:00 a.m. Saturday in Colorado), so I haven't seen any flaws yet -- not counting the traffic, which was orderly but plentiful. As I'm sure you'll expect, I'll be saying what I think about what I see. -rc
I have been reading your newsletter from China for 3 years now. I'm actually across the Yangtze from Wuhan in a city near mountain Lu. It's always nice to hear how other westerners enjoy the motherland. Have a good birthday celebration Kit and welcome!
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Thank you, Jennifer! As you probably noted in our itinerary, we do go through Wuhan. I've been looking forward to cruising on the Yangtze, which I think could be the highlight of the trip. -rc
We visited Hong Kong in 1989, back when it was still British. The air was a lot cleaner then!
A point of astronomy; at the Autumnal Equinox, September 21, the days are 12 hours long all over the world. After that, the days in the northern hemisphere get quickly shorter, as the Sun moves south of the Equator enroute to the Australian mid-summer Christmas. (OK, OK, the Sun doesn't really move, and it's the axial tilt of the Earth that causes this - but the math is easier this way.) By October in Alaska, the days will be, depending on the date, closer to 10 hours than 11.
China: And Away We Go! - Comments
I truly envy you your trip to China. Even though I have been there twice, I can't get enough of that beautiful country. I will live vicariously through you, and dream of a time I can return, and show my two daughters the country of their birth.
Posted by: Jenni - Colorado | October 2, 2007 10:55 AM
I've been to a lot of places, including China, but Alaska is one that I have yet to visit. And the Aurora Borealis is one of the sights that is a must for me before I die. I'm told that the northern Borealis is only visible in Sep-Oct & Mar-Apr. I've seen it from northern Michigan in October and if it's that fantastic from there, standing under it at the Arctic Circle must be utterly incredible.
I'm also told that there is an equal display at the South Pole and since I haven't been to Antarctica yet, maybe I'll get to accomplish two objectives at the same time. I just found out that there are Antarctic cruises like the Alaskan cruise.
Posted by: Mike from Dallas | October 3, 2007 8:45 AM
Any chance Alaska will include some midnight sun?
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I'm planning on Fall for that (probably October), so we will miss it. Still, I think the days are still pretty long at that time. -rc
Posted by: Tim | October 4, 2007 12:01 PM
Fell about laughing at the Tourist Department blurb describing your stops in Hong Kong. The fisherman have given up because international fleets destroyed the fish stocks; only a few dozen still live on the boats. Repulse Bay is third rate. The market got covered up (still great bargains, though). And if you can see through the pollution when you get to the Peak, count your blessings.
Not that Hong Kong is not a wonderful place; it is.
Enjoy!
---
We arrived just before dark (it's 8:00 p.m. Saturday in Hong Kong as I approve this post, and 6:00 a.m. Saturday in Colorado), so I haven't seen any flaws yet -- not counting the traffic, which was orderly but plentiful. As I'm sure you'll expect, I'll be saying what I think about what I see. -rc
Posted by: Allen, Hong Kong | October 5, 2007 9:25 PM
I have been reading your newsletter from China for 3 years now. I'm actually across the Yangtze from Wuhan in a city near mountain Lu. It's always nice to hear how other westerners enjoy the motherland. Have a good birthday celebration Kit and welcome!
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Thank you, Jennifer! As you probably noted in our itinerary, we do go through Wuhan. I've been looking forward to cruising on the Yangtze, which I think could be the highlight of the trip. -rc
Posted by: jennifer, jiujiang, prc | October 8, 2007 12:49 AM
We visited Hong Kong in 1989, back when it was still British. The air was a lot cleaner then!
A point of astronomy; at the Autumnal Equinox, September 21, the days are 12 hours long all over the world. After that, the days in the northern hemisphere get quickly shorter, as the Sun moves south of the Equator enroute to the Australian mid-summer Christmas. (OK, OK, the Sun doesn't really move, and it's the axial tilt of the Earth that causes this - but the math is easier this way.) By October in Alaska, the days will be, depending on the date, closer to 10 hours than 11.
Sorry about that!
Posted by: Ken Mitchell, Citrus Heights, CA | October 8, 2007 10:03 PM
Read the article that everyone's commenting on, or post a comment about it.