Tearing Down the Great Firewall of China

BOOOOYAAA!! Ah-Boo-Ya. I have done it. Aside from the multitude of events I have to report about our first day in China, the most recent victory is the setup of a VPN that will allow us to recount to you, dear readers, the many tales there are to tell. A VPN, as it serves our purpose, is a Virtual Private Network, allowing us to circumvent the staunch prohibition of free broadcast imposed by the People's Republic of China. In laymen's terms, China has disabled Facebook, blog sites, and even google searches mentioning the words facebook, blog, and blocked. I was determined to find an out. Thank you UK VPN.

Indeed, the abundance of blockades, scams, con artists and charlatans we have encountered since we arrived has done little but galvanize our resolve. The moment we deplaned, we were met by a bombardment of taxi drivers offering us their services for no less than six times the appropriate cost. Successfully averting these men and navigating our way to the legitimate taxi stand, we arrived safely at our host's compound, albeit in spite of a disgruntled driver who was sour at having waited at the airport for two hours only to be awarded with passengers going the distance of 5 miles, for a mere ten dollars. Today we visited the famed silk market with designs of buying thick socks and long underwear, and again had to muster uncharacteristic severity in order to escape with our bankroll and dignity intact. Ken, having a natural predilection for haggling, scored a wonderfully warm pair of fleece long underwear for less than 7USD, after being quoted $28. I, on the other hand, decided if this is the way business was conducted, I needed none of it. I was consoled by a bowl of noodles across the street, and Ken brilliantly suggested a leek cake, which looked like a pastie, and was bloated with onion and garlic. And probably MSG. And it was amazing. Plus, our lunch was less than the cost of the long underwear. Like I said, ah-boo-ya.

There's more to report about this day, but it's dinnertime, and although we were offline for such a short time that I am quite sure we were not heartily missed, I am happy to say that we will be reporting our exploits from here to Hong Kong.

For now, fight the good fight and keep reading.
Davida