I went to China. Again. I saw a World Heritage Site. Again.

(That is my Forest Gump impersonation of the day….Can you dig it?)

Last weekend, I took another impromptu trip to Beijing.  It was a three-day weekend, and I wanted to see some of my friends.  We went to a restaurant that serves food from Xinjiang (新疆), which literally means, “New Frontier.”  Xianjiang is a large province on the western edge of China.  The food is very delicious and and a bit spicy.

I also went to another World Heritage Site, The Summer Palace (颐和园), in Beijing.  I stayed in a hotel that was like an apartment.  Everything looked new.  It even had a small kitchen and washing machine!  It was really nice, comfortable, and inexpensive!

It is always nice to get away and see something new.  This has definitely been a year of short trips and varied experiences, both in Japan and in other countries.  I have been working hard, but also having fun.  Unfortunately, I didn’t take my camera this time!  If you want to learn more, check out these Wikipedia pages:

Xinjiang: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang

The Summer Palace: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace

Beijing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing

By the way, I took Air China and I was very happy with the service.  I left early for my flight, but for various reasons, I was late getting ticketed.  One of the attendants ran with me and helped me get on the flight.  Then, on the way back, I flew Business Class.  (It was like First Class.)  It was very comfortable and the service was great.