Book excerpt: China is an enormous country with a lot of people. During the adventures described in this journal, we visit eleven cities via eight in-country flights and a lot of driving. We also walk the Great Wall, cruise the Yangtze and Li Rivers, tour Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, witness the Terra Cotta Warriors, hike the Himalayan Mountains and much, much more. China is an exciting, rapidly changing country with much to offer; it is at times delightful, at times frustrating, and always paradoxical and enigmatic. It is in any event, a country and a people worth experiencing. We are thrilled we did.