Ni Hao!

Greetings! Welcome to my 2008 Travel Blog...in 12 days I will be departing for the 2008 Summer Olympics. I will be working in Beijing for a month and then plan on traveling for 2 weeks afterwards. As you can imagine I'm very excited...I still have lots to do, but in true AGulley fashion I will pull it off in the last few days before I go. I do have some things started...like a pile of clothes, a few books, a list of all the consumables I plan on taking with me, a short list of things to do before my plane pulls away from the gate of Terminal 3 at O'Hare.

I'm trying to pack reasonable, as I know I'll be shopping a little...yeah yeah yeah put your request in now cuz I'm capping who I buy for at 20 people and my personal trainer already has his request in! 

I keep hearing you can buy anything you need in Beijing so yes I can buy shampoo but is it Suave, Paul Mitchell or Rhino Poop!?!? I do hear Rhino poop really makes your hair shine...

Now most of you know I'm far from a prima donna, but if I'm going to be working my butt off for a month in a business setting I would like a few comforts from home... if I wasn't at the Beijing Hilton I'd wash my hair with Rhino Poop and wear the same underwear for 4 days....but since I sorta have to look presentable, I do plan on packing some of my favorite toiletries. I'm doing my best to pack a small backpack, one medium size suitcase and possibly one smaller bag but that's it!

I am super duper psyched for this trip!! It hasn't quite set in yet that I'll be in China soon. I can't wait to experience all the stuff I've read about: the food markets, the people, me not understanding them and them not understanding me, getting lost, making new friends, people staring and laughing (that's nothing new:), even the pollution...I mean "how bad can it be?". 

Stay tuned for more updates before I leave and during my travels!!

Cheers!