After Weifang, we planned to be in the U.S. ten days, enough time to renew our Chinese visas and prepare for a (potential) year-long job.
We stayed in Janesville the first two days then drove to Milwaukee and Oshkosh, visiting our siblings for a few hours each.
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| One of the many last trips to my parents' house |
We spent the next two weeks in-office, and on weekends we visited Wisconsin. On the second weekend, we went to Oshkosh without any word of our departure. Not an hour after arriving at her brother’s house, SB was told to book tickets for Monday morning (her birthday).
All our luggage was unpacked 170 miles away, so we decided to enjoy our weekend and spend Sunday prepping. We drove over six hours that day, from Oshkosh to Schaumburg to Janesville and back to Schaumburg. We dropped off our in-office comforts and said goodbye, again, intending to leave Monday morning at 7 A.M.
We woke up at 6 A.M., and while I was in the shower, SB checked her e-mail. Delayed again! We enjoyed her birthday together with clear weather and beer, instead of apart on a cramped flight.
After two days with no word of departure, we made plans to spend Memorial Day weekend in Janesville. The night before headed North, SB received the final go-ahead to leave for China. We left for Shaoxing, not Wisconsin, the next morning.
Four hours notice on three separate occasions could have saved us the agony of premature goodbyes and unnecessary driving hours. All it took to incite the road gods to action, however, was making plans independent of their influence.
Our arrival in Shaoxing, however, was timed perfect. The weather was clear, sunny, and warm; the city green and alive.
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| Birthday Beers! |
Four hours notice on three separate occasions could have saved us the agony of premature goodbyes and unnecessary driving hours. All it took to incite the road gods to action, however, was making plans independent of their influence.
Shaoxing
Shaoxing is a three hour drive Southeast of Shanghai in Zhejiang province. About five million people live here. Shaoxing is referred to as the Venice of China, because of the canals and waterways that wind through the city’s many districts. The water is clean relative to the other places we’ve been.
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| Life along a canal |
The city is old and responsible for many notable figures in Chinese history. There are dozens of temples, parks, and statues in Shaoxing dedicated to famous leaders, generals, writers, and other historical figures. We can see two such statues from our hotel room alone.
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| Temple across the street from our hotel |
My friend Marc, who I met in Xian and came to visit us in Chengdu, visited us on our third day back in China. He had just finished his semester exchange program in Ningbo, which is a forty minute train ride from Shaoxing.
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| Marc with a playful puppy on a nearby canal |
We spent a hot afternoon chatting and walking the canals and parks around Shaoxing. He traveled around China most the term, so he gave us great suggestions of what to see while in Zhejiang.
Our time with Marc was brief, though. He had to return to Ningbo the same night and prepare for a three-month tour of Southeast Asia.
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| Marc on one of the many canal bridges |
It’s too early to speculate on how we’ll enjoy Shaoxing, but it seems comfortable. Our home is the Holiday Inn in a very modern district. The accommodations are clean (relatively) and the meal options are plentiful. There’s a mall nearby that has a KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, DQ, and movie theatre if we ever get too homesick. Unfortunately, the hotel is not in walking distance of the ancient, bustling downtown district, where there's real Chinese food. There certainly is a lot for us to see in Shaoxing and the surrounding area.
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| Our home for the next few months |
Be well.
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