Finally, I returned to my home in Shanghai. The excitement and expection for a long journey I have when I started in Dec 6 lasted for two weeks and gradually turned into homesick day by day afterward and became tireness mixed with excitement at last. I am happy to return to the starting point of the journey (which is also the ending point), companied with great stories, sweet memories and interesting pictures.
It is 7:39 PM in Shanghai while the time in my clock in the digital camera and also in my brain is still 6:39 AM in New York. There is a huge jump in time again. I may need to go to bed immediately after 2 hours flight from New York to Chicago and 14 hours from Chicago to Shanghai – I suspect 14 hours are approaching the longest journey on this planet. I believe when I wake up tomorrow morning, the jet lag should disappear and I can start to writing something in details about the journey.
There are something more important than to go to bed. I have to give my big “Thank You” to the following persons who made my trip possible.
- My brother Jian Zhao and Jian Sheng who helped me to plan the trip and contacted their friends;
- Robet in Seattle to arrange the meetup
- Eric and James who gave me a ride from Redmond to Seattle
- Irfan and Andy who picked me up in Chicago and hosted me;
- Mr. Gong and Guo Hua who helped me on the first part of my stay in New York
- Ngai’s family who hosted me in New York City
Jianshuo. Welcome back. You must have seen heavy snowing.
Lucky you get snowing and cold everywhere :) It is a realy winter for you.
i have a strange feeling that WJS never left shanghai, actually he never left my laptop!
anyway, i enjoy lao wang’s trip diaries a lot. thanks.
heavy snow in shanghai today, a late white christmas
Great! JS, you are home. I have been in the US for soooo long, leaving US might give me homesickness :-), only Shanghai would be one exception. When you have a chance in the future, plan a different route in the US would surely be interesting. For example, arrive in SFC, visit the whole Bay area including Silicon Valley, then drive or hitch a bus to LA, visiting Orange county, Hollywood, Monterey Park, Universal Studio, (can skip Disneyland ’cause you are all grownups) and etc. Then go visit San Diego an hour south of LA. You will find San Diego such a charming city, don’t forget Sea world there. If you have time, ride some inexpensive bus to visit Las Vegas (I think this is the must go place if it were me) and Grand Canyon. This route would take about 1.5 week to 2 wks. Happy holidays!
Just my opinion, I think the second route will reveal the NEW America, a very different perspective. The route you just took more or less represent OLD America, where the country got established, the original 13 states and etc.
One place I got to mention is Florida and Texas, it’s a mini-route by itself. Florida and Texas should be considered part of New America because they don’t resemble east coast or midwest at all. Orlando alone is good enough to keep you there for 3-4 days, so many entertainments all in one city. America is so diversed, a Chinese adage puts it better: understanding it is like a blind trying to feel out an elephant.
Welcome back, JS and Wendy! Have a great New Year’s Eve! :)
Jianshuo, welcome back, and happy newyear !
Out is great, but home is just best !
I guess the weather was not as you expected it to be, newyear’s night my digital temperature meter said -5 deg. Celsius. (You have to change away Fahrenheit again…)
Dec 30. evening we played in the snow outside, although it was -3 and very windy.
I think you, as a photographer, just HAVE to go out and take some pictures of the nature scenery before the snow disappears again ?
Hey
Good to see you’re back =)
Happy New Year, Jianshuo,
I’m looking forward your sweet pictures! :)
Thanks. Happy New Year to you all!
It’s almost amazing reading your articles, can’t stop reading [ although my english reading level is quite limited] …….. I feel more closer shanghai thought your words, thanks to bring it to us….hehe…
i will sure be a constant reader of your blog!!
I’m nice to hear that you had got a fantastic V=day..eveyday is valentine-s day if you fall in love with the right person..best wishes to u and Wendy:***