Little things

We travel to see the big things - the Pyramids, Machu Pichu, the Great Wall and the Sahara. And China is about BIG things: largest population (1.2 billion), tallest mountain (Everest 8,848m), largest manmade structure (Great Wall 8,851.8 kms) and the tallest woman (Yao Defen 7'8").

Except it's usually the little things that are most memorable.

Urumqi - the amazing rice paper wrap at the night market with fresh veggies, grilled tofu and peanuts with an amazing sauce
Train ride to Dunhuang - the mists over the mountain passes at 4000 meters

Dunhuang - the painfully hard bed in a garden bungalow at the base of massive sand dune

Xi'an - an 80 minute massage for $8.50 complete with a tiny Chinese woman standing on my back and kneeing my shoulders, bum and legs. I had bruises. It was awesome.

Xi'an - walking through the Muslim quarter early in the morning and watching the assembly line of bread makers mix, flour, knead, shape and fry the dough

Xi'an - finding games to entertain yourself during a 6 hour wait at the train station while sitting on your luggage surrounded by zillions of Chinese

These little things can't be explained or photographed and probably have no significance to those reading this. But, we all have those little things we remember about a place in time that somehow hits us.

I'm feeling close to the end of my trip and have started to reflect and to solidify these memories. They are wonderful memories and will stay with me forever...

and with the rest of the world in cyberspace.