A final trek from the mountains of Yunnan to the Beijing Airport tarmac, an expensive permanent souvenir of China lodged near your heart.

Taffy, I think your China saga concluded in dramatic fashion.

China is a painful experience for any individual that worries about what others think; that cohort includes, of course, the entire population of China. For FTs in China I recommend a pervasive delusion of self-aggrandizement, a clueless certitude that everything being said in Chinese as they pass is admiration and gratitude.

Enjoy the next chapter of your life. Keep us posted.

Haha, wellwritten. I have another souvenir actually. On the final night in Dali we stayed in a hotel (50yuan) I decided I needed a watch so they clubbed together and bought me one for 30 yuan in the 10yuan shop. Works a treat and I shall keep it.