Starting at the End

We are sipping coffee, cruising on a morning boat from Hong Kong to Macao, where we will spend our last full day of vacation. Tomorrow we leave for home and from there I can begin telling our story and sharing our experiences in a backwards and random fashion. Not the same as following our journey, I know.

We stayed at several places in China that had free internet, but it wasn't until we got to Hong Kong that it was truly free. People in China stare at their phones and screens just like people in America, but the limits of what they can access and view is a constant wall to those of us who think nothing of going to Google, facebook, or any blog, including this one.

We have had the trip of a lifetime here, in every way possible. Our weeks and months of planning and research really paid off when we finally hit the road. Yes, there were times of uncertainty, total bewilderment, fatigue, thinking on our feet, and learning along the way, but we got where we needed to go and did what we wanted to do without any real problems or delays. For that we are most thankful. More important, is what we have learned, the help we have found, the sights we've taken in, and especially the people we have met. The world is really big and we are so profoundly changed in having been to a part of it we've never known before.