My farewell post - Good-bye Beijing

Well wouldn't you know it...I woke up the next morning and there was a healthy wind blowing but absolutely no rain!

On one hand it's still disappointing that it was pouring rain yesterday for my visit to the Great Wall but then again, as I said, the photos may be lousy but the memories are still great.  And one big advantage to going in terrible weather is that hardly anyone else was there, whereas in good weather it can sometimes be shoulder to shoulder crowded.

So finally, on my last morning in Beijing, with a good wind blowing, I could actually see what the view out my hotel window was!  It didn't last for long, by about 10:30am or so the smog had settled in again, but this was a bit of a treat to wake up to.

And now folks, as the title of this post suggests, it is not only 'farewell to Beijing' but also 'farewell to this blog' as I am now safely ensconced back home in Toronto.  A lovely, nearly 14 hour long, direct, flight brought me home.

I would like to take this opportunity to say "thank you" to everyone who has been reading my blog throughout these months and "thank you" also for the lovely comments I got along the way.  As many of you know, this whole blogging experience was new to me and it wasn't without its frustrations (at times), given my lack of technological knowledge.  That being said though, the blog quickly became important to me: it is my own personal travel diary as much as it was an excellent way for me to let friends and family know where I was and what I was doing throughout these past months.  And knowing that others were enjoying what I was doing made my blogging experience all that much more worthwhile.  So "THANK YOU" again everyone.

I started this blog in August 2012 with a photo of me with a brand new haircut (pretty much a # 4), ready to set out on my big adventure.

taken in August 2012

I've had an absolutely fabulous time and thought I might end the blog in the same way I started it --- with a photo of me, but as you can see, now I'm desperately in need of a haircut!

end of June 2013

P.S.  I am going to keep the blog active on blogspot for awhile still.  As I said, it is also a travel diary for me, and the photos I've shared on the blog are only a very small portion of all the ones I've taken.  So as I make my way through my 12,000 photos or so (yes you did read that number correctly), I will be using my blog as a reference point.  So if you'd like to share the blog with anyone else please feel free - it will be around for a while longer yet.