We are staying in a lovely hotel in Enniskerry, County Wiklow. And by good luck and fortune, it was built … Continue reading Powerscourt Estate and Gardens

Mrs Bear concluded her 44 year medical career on May 31st… How to celebrate???  Get on a plane the next … Continue reading Return to the Emerald Isle

  This will be an attempt to make a summation of the six weeks we spent in Southeast Asia and … Continue reading Asia… Final Thoughts

  Zhujiajiao is the town of the Zhu family which dates back about 1500 years. From description, it sounded like … Continue reading Zhujiajiao Water Town

Before following up on my earlier blog about Shanghai expansion, a general reflection. Mrs Bear told me that her three … Continue reading Shanghai, Second Verse

We are headed home, via Hong Kong, in a couple hours, so my posts about Shanghai will have to wait. … Continue reading Shanghai

It was our great fortune to make one more home visit in a village just outside Shangri-La. As we drove … Continue reading Another Tibetan Home Visit

Lets start with another digression… I have wondered for the past couple weeks about the connection between Chinese and Italian … Continue reading The Temples of Yunnan

  We woke up in Shangri-La at a bedroom elevation of 10,700 feet. But our travels today took us through … Continue reading The Mountains of Yunnan Province

  Without Google, which is blocked in China, it is harder for me to recheck logistics and facts. But I’ll … Continue reading Yunnan Province Tibetan Villages