Muscatine students get all expenses paid trip to China
- Thread starter Cyclonepride
- Start date
I'm looking into taking the kids on a cruise in 2025, Disney is practically twice as much as Carnival/Royal Caribbean. Is there anything other than princesses that justify twice the cost?
My dad told me to take advantage of every travel opportunity while I was young. It would never be easier or cheaper.
He was (is) right on both points. I've traveled a lot since then, but it's not easier or cheaper.
He was (is) right on both points. I've traveled a lot since then, but it's not easier or cheaper.
Maybe you have a point with brutal, but I'm going to push back pretty hard on the dictator part. There are some pretty objective measures of dictatorship that many world leaders do not meet, but Xi most definitely does.
You travel for work types can all suck it. I don't get to do it often but a few years back, I got to spend two nights in beautiful Fort Dodge.
Mildly unrelated to the true subject, but my wife and I postponed our honeymoon to host the first contingent (10 or 12) of Chinese agricultural professors and engineers to the United States to our family farm in 1982. We got married on a Friday and they arrived on a Saturday. They were exceptionally inquisitive, polite and professional. Only 2 or three could speak any English so most communications were done through an interpreter but it didn't seem to affect communication in the least. One of my favorite experiences during the visit was when they noticed our 12 row planter sitting in the yard that hadn't been tucked away in a machine shed yet (it was at the end of planting season). One of the non-English speaking professors stated that he couldn't believe we limited ourselves to 12 rows and boldly stated they had the ability to plant up to 20 rows at a time. When we inquired about their equipment he chuckled and said something to the effect of "20 women with hoes". It was an awesome experience to know that they were comfortable enough to joke around with us and let us know how far behind us they were in their mechanization of agriculture. They were so focused that political views never entered the conversation.
The directors cut would be full of nudity then. Wanna see me naked again?
Our experience was favorable with Passports. Went into auditors office in local courthouse and got them shipped to us in about 3 weeks. All very very easy.
Only real issue I have with passports is the expiration on kids passports. Sorry but we are going out of the country this year and my kids look absolutely NOTHING like they did 3 years ago. ALOT can change when going from 11 to 14 years old, 13 to 16 years old and 15-18 years old. ALOT. To the point the photo is worthless.
Now me and my wife on the other hand not much change. A few more gray hairs on me and my wife has a different style of haircut but our faces look the same.
Anyway back on track: Good for Muscatine. Thats awesome. If the opportunity arose for my kids I would absolutely get them to the signup sheet and try to be first in line.
The political stuff and the smog/air pollution in the cities were my two biggest issues. Get to the countryside if you are going.
Our disney cost wasn't awful (total $3300 for 3 4 day cruise), but we did one of the smaller ships in order to acclimate our little one as a test run. He loved it and it allowed us to have a good time without constantly worrying about boundaries.
But I don't disagree, other options are cheaper. Our 7 day Norwegian cruise was $2800 (used points though). From what I hear, Disney just caters to kids more and goes over the top with their service. We'll see how it shakes out after this next one.
Also, I know cruise lines run sales all the time, but a good time to purchase is black friday. That or a travel agent should keep you updated on any new sales too.
How long ago did you visit? I was in Shanghai in 2019 and the air quality wasn’t bad at all. Beijing in 2018 was very clean. I think they’ve been working hard to move manufacturing away from the city centers to help air quality.
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
I'll win this. I got to stay in Loup City, Nebraska.
Yeah, maybe. Did you ever have coffee at the grain elevator in Voorhies, Ia?
Ni hao!!!
I went to China in the late 1990's, an incredible experience, focusing on Beijing (with side trips to the summer palace and the Great Wall), and Xian to see the clay soldiers.
Got to tour a Hutong village and meet people still living there (the grandpa still wore his blue Mao uniform) and went up in one of the drum towers before they and most of the Hutong villages got torn down for the Olympics. This is back in the day when there was only ONE McDonalds, near Tiananmen Square. Not as many cars as now, saw people moving ientire living room furniture sets strapped on to bicycles, as well as mule carts hauling charcoal bricks down the road.
Can still remember going to the local market in Xian on New Year's Day, and trying to figure out what in the world they were selling (you know, eels, blue chickens, seven million colors of spices). It was amazing to know how much communication can be done with facial expressions and gestures. Also, I had previously lived and traveled extensively in Europe, Mexico and Canada, but China was the first place where I actually felt like I was visiting a foreign country. Maybe because I only knew three phrases: Ni hao (hello, good), Bu hao (not good), and Xie-xie (thank you).
I could go on and on, but I think you get my drift...what an INCREDIBLE opportunity for young people! OUTSTANDING!
I went to China in the late 1990's, an incredible experience, focusing on Beijing (with side trips to the summer palace and the Great Wall), and Xian to see the clay soldiers.
Got to tour a Hutong village and meet people still living there (the grandpa still wore his blue Mao uniform) and went up in one of the drum towers before they and most of the Hutong villages got torn down for the Olympics. This is back in the day when there was only ONE McDonalds, near Tiananmen Square. Not as many cars as now, saw people moving ientire living room furniture sets strapped on to bicycles, as well as mule carts hauling charcoal bricks down the road.
Can still remember going to the local market in Xian on New Year's Day, and trying to figure out what in the world they were selling (you know, eels, blue chickens, seven million colors of spices). It was amazing to know how much communication can be done with facial expressions and gestures. Also, I had previously lived and traveled extensively in Europe, Mexico and Canada, but China was the first place where I actually felt like I was visiting a foreign country. Maybe because I only knew three phrases: Ni hao (hello, good), Bu hao (not good), and Xie-xie (thank you).
I could go on and on, but I think you get my drift...what an INCREDIBLE opportunity for young people! OUTSTANDING!
I gotta go to Puerto Vallarta next week for work... idk if i can drink all those beers.........
It's been a while but it is very time of the year dependent. Summers were the worst by far.