A confession: I am Chinese, but I'm also what some people refer to as a "banana" - yellow on the outside, white on the inside.

My parents were born in and grew up in China, but I was born in Canada. Somehow I've managed to avoid learning the Chinese language (I know but a smattering of Cantonese words and phrases), and at times in my childhood I actually wished that I wasn't Chinese. Although Vancouver has a large Chinese population, I still felt very much in the minority. I always felt odd, never really able to fit in, and I attributed part of that feeling to my race. The ironic thing is, once I set foot in China, I blend right in, appearance-wise. But I'm not one of them. My mannerisms are different, my mentality is different, and once I open my mouth to speak, it's absolutely obvious that I'm not one of the natives. I'm more alien in China than I am in Canada. The last time I was there, about 13 years ago, I saw some fascinating things, but on the whole, I couldn't wait to leave and come back home.

So, I can't say that I was initally thrilled at the idea of spending my vacation there with my parents. And by the end of our stay, I was still glad to be going home. But in between were 16 days where I got to see China in a different light. It helped that, this time, we were part of an organized, English-speaking tour that guided us through 5 different cities, 2 river cruises, all modes of transportation from airplane to rickshaw, and the adventures of Chinese cuisine. Sort of a Chinese experience for the non-Chinese, which is what I needed to get a better understanding and appreciation of the country. Maybe I'm simply more open to different experiences now that I'm older; I don't really know. I just know that it was a more enthralling, entertaining, and enchanting experience that I would have thought possible.

The best parts? The Great Wall. The trackers at Shennong Stream. Meeting a dear friend in Shanghai. And spending those 16 days with 25 other people who seemed genuinely excited and delighted to be there. We became known as "Doyle's Group", after our fearless tour leader, Doyle. (Yes, a Chinese guide with an Irish name. Don't ask.) I know this sounds corny, but they were truly a wonderful bunch, and I thoroughly enjoyed being in their company and experiencing the wonders of China with them.

A technical note: Most of the pictures in my F30 sample galleries have had no post-processing done, except for re-sizing and very slight unsharp-masking. For the China gallery, though, I did more extensive work on several photos, including purple-fringe-removal (how I love Paint Shop Pro X for that!), cropping, and brightness/contrast adjustment. Being part of a tour group is not the ideal environment for photography. Since we were always rushing off to a new destination, we didn't have a lot of time in any one place, and my photos tend to suffer when I don't take my time. So, you'll see some errors in exposure and focusing, and composition that isn't the greatest. But the photos that aren't technically good are still of value to me as captured memories, so I've included them here.