Category: Traveling

11 Mar

All right, Mr. Rogge, I’m ready for my close-up

Last week we took a weekend trip to Beijing. Artemis spent her first night in a hotel, which did not go as well as we had hoped. We had a standard room, as a opposed to a suite, with a crib set up in the corner. Artemis had to go to sleep […]
25 Aug

Qingdao Restaurant Reviews, part 1

Our current apartment is only temporary, and it shows. It has no drying rack on the window (a necessity in a country that lacks electrical clothes dryers) and no internet access. Every day we go to the PC cafe to get our internet fix. This situation makes it harder to keep up […]
21 Aug

The Mandate of Heaven

Tai Shan is the holiest mountain in Taoism.  Several emperors climbed it. Others tried and failed.  It was believed that the gods would never allow someone unworthy to reach the summit, so a successful climb was a sign that the Emperor had the Mandate of Heaven. Likewise, an aborted effort was a pretty bad omen. Climbing […]