Time for another traunch of Kodak-era memories. I've published a few more posts on some of my earlier adventures. This includes my first time in China, Taiwan, and Indonesia. Read and enjoy.
- My first time in Beijing
- Exploring the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City
- My first visit to the Great Wall of China
- Winter on The Great Wall
- Visiting Bintan, Indonesia for business, twice
- A weekend in Taipei
Posts covering my first time in Beijing are particularly special to me. My trip, in 1998, occurred at a pivotal moment in China’s economic transformation. At the time, much of its original Mao-era infrastructure was still in place. As a result, I caught a fleeting glimpse of a China that’s long since vanished.
In the mid-1980s, while still at University, I recall a lecturer talking about China’s ambitious 30-year plan to transform itself into a developed nation. This extraordinary timeline involved growing its GDP by ten per cent or more each year. Incredibly, China achieved much of this growth in the time allotted, successfully averaging growth of 9.5% annually between 1978 and 2013. I was fortunate to see the last vestiges of the old world before it was gone.
Next up on my list of retrospective posts are stories about my first time in Prague (I took my parents there in 1996), plus holidays in Seattle, Las Vegas and Japan during Sakura season. At some point, I’ll also capture my experience of backpacking through Europe for five months in 1990.
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