Changsha, China
Impressions of Changsha. We arrived in
Changsha in the late morning of August 3rd.  Like
Guangzhou, the air is as damp as a sauna.  I begin
sweating instantaneously; beads of sweat quickly soak
my shirt.  I was expecting this, but never imagined it
would be so humid.  

Before getting our luggage, I made a stop in the "Gents"
room.  I counted over 20 mosquitoes on the wall in front
of me.   I made quick work of it.  

There is very little written about Changsha in the travel
books.  According to one, Changsha is the capital of
Hunan province, and is located about 900km North of
Guangzhou by road.   The population is about 1.5
million in the city proper and 5 million in the metro area.  
 It is best known partly because Chairman Mao was born
nearby and studied for about 5 years on Changsha.  It
is located in one of China's primary rice-growing areas,
and "[i]ts embroidery is one of the four most famous in
China."    Amy confirmed all of this, but she didn't add
much more.

Amy delivered us to Dolton Hotel Changsha,  a 51 story
building known as "The first Tower of Hunan".  It is
located in the financial center of the city and the Guest
Services book claims that "Guests can enjoy the
geographical superiority in the hotel."  Like our previous
experience in China, this hotel offers lots of luxury
amenities, including spas, salons, restaurants, night
clubs, and boutique shops featuring high-end European
clothiers.

We weren't about to sit down, so we decided to leave
the hotel and get a lay of the land.  To make Travers
standout, we dressed him in an orange soccer outfit.  
The joke was on us; it turns out to be a very popular
color, and we saw it worn by children everywhere.  

It didn't take long to realize that Changsha is different
than the Chinese cities we visited in 2004, or why so
little is written about it for tourists.  Changsha is a city
like any big city.  In comparison to the other cities we've
visited Changsha lacks a distinct flavor, it is neither
historical nor modern.  It is nondescript and
uninteresting to photograph.  There are fewer bicyclists
and motorcyclists than other large cities, but there are  
many cars. The poverty is not as visible, and the people
seem to be benefiting from the country's economic
prosperity.  It is relatively clean, but some smog is
always present.

What is similar, and what makes China such a
fascinating place for me, is the people.  Everywhere we
go the Chinese people show a barefaced curiosity with
us.  Despite China's rise in economic power, relatively
few foreigners visit towns outside the major commercial
towns on the coast.   In these inner-main land cities, we
are literally "one in a million".  When we walk around
with a very outspoken English speaking Chinese boy,
heads not only turn, but people stop and point.  We are
a spectacle.  

When we returned to the hotel, we received a call from
the Hotel Manager.  He asked if we could review his
resume.  He came to our room to further explain.  It
turned out that Jack Ma had just received a call
informing him that his essay, written in English, had won
an award.  The local news wanted to interview him.  He
had a prepared speech that he wanted us to correct;  
he wanted to make sure "his speech sounded
American".   We spent an hour working on it, and I
e-mailed it to him so that he could commit it to memory.  
He was extremely appreciative.