Places to go in China

Whoo, my first post!!

Ok, I probably don't have any readers right now. But once I do... most of you know that I really want to go to China... as well as the rest of the world. Well, at the rate things are going, that's probably never going to happen *nervous chuckle*. Well, no, I'm going to make it happen eventually. So I thought I'd start by planning a list of all the places I want to visit in China. This way, I'll have a plan, so my next trip won't be so disappointing like my last.

Here goes:

• Xi'an. This probably due to Jing's influence and the fact that she's there right now. Anyway, I want to see the terra cotta soldiers. It's something I should see.
  
• Suzhou and Hangzhou. It's supposed to be one of the most beautiful places in China. You know what they say - 上有天堂，下有苏杭. I am going to this place that's supposedly heaven on earth.
• Beijing. Ok, so I've been here before, but it's been so long, and so much has happened (e.g. the Olympics). Besides, it's been 15 years since I last went. I think I should pay the Great Wall another visit.
• Shanghai. Another metropolis well worth revisiting. Besides, my mother's side of the family lives here, so I kind of have to go due to familial obligations. This should be fun though. It's like New York... only in China. And maybe this time I'll actually hang out with my cousins/aunts/uncles/grandparents, and things will be less awkward. I feel like I've become less awkward of a person over the past few years, right?
• Hefei, Anhui. Again, family. Ditto on hoping for fun with family and minimal awkwardness. Plus, the cabs here are super cheap (well, five years ago they were - can't really say I know if they are now), so it's a good city to just hang out in.
• Hong Kong. (Maybe?) You know, this is the only Chinese city I can think of which has a romanization that is written as two words rather than one. Why is that? Anyway, this is another touristy spot I'm succumbing to, I guess. But it's a prime place for seeing concerts - yeah!

Okay, that's my list for now. But there will be more, I assure you of that. Any suggestions? Maybe Taiwan? Maybe some places in Western China. It'd be neat to see the cultures of the ethnic minorities. Ooh, maybe Inner Mongolia.

I also really want to just live in China for a period. I need to find something to do in China first though. What a conundrum.

Ooh, if I do live in China, I want to learn to play the erhu. Apparently, one of my friends learned while she was in China and she said it's not that difficult if you have a violin background. Score! Of course, my violin background kind of sucks, but whatever.

So yes, while everyone else's blog is about the times they spend abroad, mine is about the times I spend thinking about going abroad. Sorry about the letdown. I will write about other things, and try to make this blog more interesting. Like my "25 Things" list. If I ever get around to finishing it, it'll come up on here. Whooo.

Out.