If you got the chance to go to China for a 17 day engineering

[Jamastiene]

seminar for students on the National Dean's List, would you go?

Here are the basic specs:
17 day trip for $5,000.
get to see Tibet.
get to see the Dalai Lama's house :)
get to hike on the Great Wall
get to see the largest hydroelectric dam project in the world
get to eat at Peking Duck restaurant
get to see Tienanmen Square
get to see Beijing
get to see other cities I can't spell
get to leave from San Francisco International Airport (bonus, I get to see San Fran finally, yippee :loveya: )
get to visit lots of Engineering labs in China

Wow, that looks awesome to me. Would you go if you could talk someone in your family into springing the $5,000 for you?

[enfield collector]

1. DUDE! talk about the trip of a lifetime.

[dolo amber]

2. Maybe if I could get there in some other manner than flying

Flying makes me angry. Flying long distances makes me homicidal.

But hey, you have fun with that! :D

[radwriter0555]

5. That's what tranquilizers are for! Sleep and tolerance!

YAY!

[Haole Girl]

3. Go...enjoy...life is short!

:hi:

[radwriter0555]

4. China is WONDERFUL. If you're in Beijing on a sunday, try to get to

the "Dirt Market" at daybreak. OHMYGAWD. If you want to see what's left of chinese history for sale for pennies, it's HERE. It's near the outer ring, but still only a few dollars by taxi no matter what hotel you're in. It's just a few steps from the Best Western on the outer ring.

The food in china pretty much sucks, but if you happen across a dish of pineapple and shrimp, get it. Dried noodles in a bowl may end up being your best meals.

I LOVED China and cannot wait to go back again. If you're going in the winter it is indeed bitterly cold.

The people are lovely, and the Great Wall is astounding. The palace is mind boggling... just... astounding and breathtaking. I still have my cup from the starbucks in the imperial palace.. although my other treasures are better!

ENJOY!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

6. I spent 5 weeks in China in 1990, and it was amazing

It wasn't always comfortable and up-to-date, but the sights were incredible, the variety between regions surprised me, and the people were friendly.

I understand that it has changed a lot (at that time, the only fast food in the whole country was one KFC in central Beijing), so I'd love to go back.

Personally, I liked the food, although everyone in my group got cravings for dairy products during the trip, something which may not be a problem now. Insist on eating Chinese food, not Chinese attempts at Western food, and you'll fare better.

One host school thought that a Western breakfast consisted of sickly sweet pound cake and triple-strength Nescafe. After three days, we noticed that our guides were eating dim sum for breakfast, so we asked if we could have that. They gave us a funny look, but they agreed, and so for the rest of the stay, we had great dim sum meals in the morning served with excellent tea.

We had only one bad Chinese meal, and that was on a coastal ferry out of Shanghai. The boat's cafeteria was serving nothing but gray slop over rice, so we just had the rice. Then we noticed that almost none of the Chinese passengers were eating there but had brought their own food. We took the hint, and before the return trip, we stocked up on fruit, peanuts, rice crackers, and other things that didn't require refrigeration.

[Book Lover]

7. Sorry to burst your bubble about SF, but you will not see the city from

the airport - SFO is actually in neighboring San Mateo county. Unless you have 6 plus hours between flights, you won't get into the city. Sorry.

And to answer your original queston, fertheluvufmike, go!!!

[bif]

8. In a heartbeat.