Temporarily out of contact.

[318is_Parabellum]

Cool, Shanghai!!!!

I've always wanted to visit the PRC. I've had multiple visits to Japan since I was an exchange student in 1992, served a year in the US Army on the DMZ in Korea 96-97, and vacationed for a month in Taiwan in 2004. I remember the food being magnificent in Taiwan!

[John Sabato]

The short version: I am back in the good ole USA.

For those of you who guessed I was in PRC... good on you!

9 days... Beijing, and Shanghai mostly... a couple of smaller towns as well. I won't bore you with the 500 photographs I took... I encourage all of you to travel while you can. I know many that have told me that they would travel when they retired, and now that they are retired they find that their health, or their wallets are inadequate to achieve that goal.

With no shame whatsoever, I will endorse the outfit responsible for my tour.

Their website is Chinaspree.com. Check out the SPECIALS tab for pricing and dates.

The low price will astound you.

Airfare from and to the USA,

9 day tour of Beijing and Shanghai,

great side excursions ( at slight extra cost, I recommend them all ) ...

FOUR star hotels,

and at least half the meals are included,

the full time services of an English speaking guide,

and domestic airfare and bus transportation while in-country.

The only thing not included, is your Chinese Visa. It costs a salty $140 each... The tour service will obtain it for you for an additional $40 admin fee. (Recommended if you are not based in Washington DC like I am... I visited the Chinese Embassy personally to get our Visas.

If you have any questions about the trip, I will be glad to answer them.

[Sergio Natali]

John

Nice to hear you're back, I guess you had a very good time.

Sergio

[kzullick]

Welcome Home!

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by John Sabato

If you have any questions about the trip, I will be glad to answer them.

Did you take any pictures of PRC soldiers??? I've heard some stories about this...

And since I'm a bachelor...how do the girls look???

[cirelaw]

You both deserved a Second Honeymoon~~ Enjoy!~~

[John Sabato]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

Did you take any pictures of PRC soldiers??? I've heard some stories about this...

And since I'm a bachelor...how do the girls look???

Rich
I did take a couple photos that included police and soldiers but I haven't dumped the photos from our camera yet. If they are in the frame when photographing other things there didn't seem to be a problem. But I was very careful not to even have my camera out if there were obvious signs that indicated no photos allowed.

In response to your other question, I may be happily married (20 years now) but I am certainly not dead.

Since China is the most populated nation on earth, I can assure you that the number of smiling attractive faces you would encounter during a visit in China are too numerous to count.

[lugerholsterrepair]

John, I may be happily married (20 years now) but I am certainly not dead. Me too! I'm married and Ellie is happy!

[GySgt1811]

John. Welcome back!

However, and most important, did you score any Lugers while you were there?

All the Best,

Gunny John

[John Sabato]

I didn't see a single firearm the entire time I was in PRC. Not even on the soldiers or police. Most just carried a baton... When my brother was a policeman in a Philadelphia suburb back in the 1970's, his baton was made of oak. I used to laugh when he discussed the necessity to give someone a "wood" shampoo...

[cirelaw]

You probobly remember the days of 'Francis S. Lazarro' aka Mayor Rizzo. I went on a ride along with his troopers and was scared the whole time. He had an elite motorcycle gang. 'Philadelphia Highway Patrol'! Not a safe place for either side in 1980s~~Eric

[John Sabato]

I met Frank Rizzo once a very long time ago. He had a hard nosed reputation with the criminal element. When he visited a trouble spot, it was easy to tell which one was Frank... he carried a custom sawed-off double-barrel chrome plated shotgun with the stock cut off behind the pistol grip... and no one doubted that he would use it.

[cirelaw]

John it was a different time! Gangster like Nicky Scarfa and crew roamed the streets~ Mayor Rizzo ruled the city!! http://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/17/ob...d-villain.html

[Sergio Natali]

Rizzo, Scarfa, I'm not that sure about Lazarro, they all sound like Italian surnames!

I'm sorry they are somehow associated with gangster sort of people.
Sometimes seems that really we have only exported bandits in the States!
What a shame!

[cirelaw]

They all had their start in Sicily becoming 5 familys in NY. Capone in Chicago as new familys spread out. Eventually a new and novel federal law was passed R.I.C.O act making bosses responsible for underlying crime ie murder if they shared in any at all profits for the crime. Federal agents like Donnie Brasco were plants. The movie Goodfellas and of course the Godfather opened our eyes to only part of the actual extent! The full extent of the corruption of the monster that seemed to invade every aspect of our society. John Gotti was the beginning of their end but only that chapter! So they say! Very naive as others would rise to fill any void! Every nationality seems to have their criminal association or group. America has more now then ever! Greed Kills~~

[stressed]

luger.parabellum, I've read that once Nazi Germany moved into Italy proper, the SD investigated some crime families and sent the SS and Gestapo to deal with them, ruthlessly. Either being summarily shot or sent to a camp.

I suppose brute force is one way of eliminating crime unto extinction.

For the OP's topic, my parents have been to China and they enjoyed it. My father noticed they were not allowed to see certain areas when he would veer off, and they would only let him veer off so far.

[cirelaw]

The Mafia in south Italy survived. Lucky Luciano helped our forces in sothern Italy providing intelligence, disruption and sabatoge! It is believed he was responsible for the sinking of our troop ship the Normady while docked. He agreed to protect our shipping from future destruction. For his service he was released from prison and returned to Sicily! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdCXDkF0LfA and their help~~http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2LiJtuNXA0

[Sergio Natali]

[QUOTE=stressed;250646]luger.parabellum, I've read that once Nazi Germany moved into Italy proper, the SD investigated some crime families and sent the SS and Gestapo to deal with them, ruthlessly. Either being summarily shot or sent to a camp.

I suppose brute force is one way of eliminating crime unto extinction.

I agree with you, that's probably would be the better way to deal with some sort of criminals. Unfortumately they're often involved in the State apparatus...

[cirelaw]

They crime famillys were our ally at the time! Look what they did to Mussulini and his wife!

[Sergio Natali]

Originally Posted by cirelaw

They crime famillys were our ally at the time! Look what they did to Mussulini and his wife!

Yes I agree especially in the South of Italy, but surely not because they loved freedom.

In the Centre and here in the North of Italy there was a strong net of Partisans organized by the Commmunists with the help of the USSR of which they represented the longa manus.
In fact at the time they were really working for joining this country to the communist block.

Mussolini and his lover (not his wife) were captured on the 27th April 1945 while they were trying to escape mixed among 200 German soldiers of a convoy of 38 german lorries of the FlaK directed towards Austria.
They were shot by the Partisans the day after.