I Can't Think of a Good Title

Now that that's out of the way, here's what's new. Only a couple of hours ago I got back from the Shandong region. This morning we went to Mt. Tai, where we had a fun cable car ride up the mountain to the very peak. There was quite a few stairs involved, but fortunately the cable car allowed us to skip the other 6,000 leading to the summit.

Once we got there it was stunningly beautiful. I'm going to have a post of just photos mentioned in the blog (and another post of silly photos) when I get home, so then I can show you just how pretty the view was. It was just like going to the national parks back home, only people had started visiting a few thousand years earlier.

And here's the most beautiful part: for the first time in a week (and probably the last time until I head on to Japan), I saw the sun and a blue sky. China is both more and less polluted than I had expected. It's not a constant disgusting haze that hangs over you and makes you feel like you always need to shower, but it does result in the sky being permanently overcast. At times you can tell where the sun is, but you can never actually see it. However, at the top of this stunning mountain we were able to get above the layers of smog and get a breath of fresh air. Naturally, I think I got sunburned.

Notice the nice blue sky at Mount Tai. Wait until I post a comparison to Tianjin's sky.

On Saturday we spent the day visiting various sites associated with Confucius. The town we were staying in, Qufu, is Confucius's hometown. At three different places we were able to visit his burial place, a temple dedicated to him, and his mansion complex. Unfortunately the weather was unbearably hot and muggy, but it was still worthwhile to see these locations. He's one of those names that I've always heard in school and in books, and it was interesting to finally see something (well, someplace) associated with him.

Next week is Beijing, which will be incredibly different from Qufu (although the Great Wall will bring more stairs). However, you can expect to hear from me again before then. For now though, I believe I've said everything my fingers can bear to type and I wish you all well.