China suddenly seems a lot less far away.

I am stricken. This is a great place. The people here are beautiful. Walking around, I feel like a goof that I can't speak the language; I certainly won't be able to experience the place the way I want to until I know some mandarin.

It's in the moments when I forget how exotic this place is, and I have a sense for the fact that I am in someone else's home, that I really feel amazed to be here.

See more photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/41686912@N00/. That's where I'll continue to put my photos.