Okinawa

We are in Okinawa today. We have not done any sightseeing yet, as there has been a problem with my online class. I tried to troubleshoot the problem, only to find out that I'm  not having a problem with the course website...it's hard to troubleshoot something that is working. Anyway, we are in a Starbucks that is so American I feel like I'm in my backyard. The music is American; the decor is American, and I'm looking at a westerner who has a hot pink mohawk...which could be American too. So much for a cross-cultural experience.

Since writing last, we have been to Taipei. Like so many of our other stops on this trip, it's been 20+ years since our last visit. And, like Hong Kong, the skyline has become more populated with tall buildings. There is the 3rd tallest building to see, called Taipei 101 (can you guess how many stories it has?). While there we went to the beautiful Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial, the National Memorial, and the National Museum. The Museum is tops with centuries of Chinese arts and crafts ranging from calligraphy to scrolls, jade/ivory/wood carving, bronze work, and so much more. When the Nationalists left the mainland they took their artifacts with them. It's a good thing they did too, as they would have been destroyed during Mao's Cultural Revolution which set out to destroy anything old. What a shame!

Our next stop is Shanghai where we are going to meet a friend from Santa Rosa, CA. He is working in Shanghai and is going to give us a tour of the city. We are excited about seeing him again, and seeing his city.