August 29, 2016 
Jane 
Over the last several years, my husband and I have become more adventurous in the places we travel to on vacation. We have been to Greece, Turkey, Israel and Jordan (five years ago), Australia, Kenya, through Peru and Machu Picchu, and on a cruise on the Amazon. This year, we are going to China (Beijing, Xian and Shanghai). Every time I travel, I hope to learn something that I can bring back with me to my regular life. When I returned from Kenya, I came back with a book idea and as a result we have a publishing contract which I am very excited about.
In Beijing, we will go to The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, and we will of course journey to The Great Wall (and climb a bit of it). I am so excited to visit these historic places that I have only read about in the past. In Xian, we will see the Terracotta Warriors (both those which have been restored and the actual “dig” which is ongoing), the Great Mosque of Xian, and the Wild Goose Pagoda. In Shanghai we will have a full city tour including the Old Quarter, Yu Garden and the modern city. One night we are going to an “extravaganza” including acrobatics, death-defying stunts and the latest in high tech special effects!
Throughout all of this, I am hoping to learn about the people of China and their culture and maybe, just maybe, I might return with another book idea or two.
I wonder what you come back from your vacations with? I would love to hear.
That’s pretty much the same itinerary we had when my family and I went to China in ’14…except that we also added Hong Kong because we wanted to visit my relatives whom I’d not seen since ’87. The purpose of the trip was to 1) make my father happy (he doesn’t like to travel alone), and 2) to get my kids acquainted with their cultural heritage. What we came back with was a lot of great photos and fun (and not-so-fun) memories.
I already had a story partially written when we went, but we couldn’t get to the area that is the setting for my ms to do research, unfortunately.
I wish I could follow your fine example of mining for story ideas when I travel, but mostly I travel for the food.
Have a wonderful trip and I hope it’s not too smoggy for you when you’re in China!
Sat Nam! (literally “Truth Name”–a Sikh greeting)
Besides photos? Well, when we travelled to NYC to go to the two Mets (the opera and the museum), our return trip included an extended stay in JFK airport due to the Jonas Blizzard. I’m writing a memoir about the experience.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal Kaur Khalsa
Last year my husband and I went to Dubai, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Macau. We came back with wonderful memories and lots of photos, especially of food. (He’s a French chef so food is important.) This year we’re going to Peru to visit Machu Picchu, Cusco, and Lima. As for ideas, I don’t need to go very far, I get my best ones in the shower.
You said, “I am hoping to learn about the people of China and their culture.”
I spent a month this summer teaching conversational English (and some reading comprehension) to nursing and medical students at a university in Manchuria. To a very great degree it was like being on vacation AND being able to really get to know the people, spending 4 hours a day in class and often most of the afternoon or evening in the company of very promising young people. In class our readings covered a wide range of topics, which facilitated discussions and role play. I got to ask many questions on China culture and explain many aspects of ours.
I hope one day to have the chance to return and do the kind of sightseeing trip that you describe. But I didn’t miss it much this time around, because the human connection was so terrific.