Amazing Memories Made in China

I had the unbelievable opportunity to travel to China as part of a Chamber’s delegation tour earlier this month and the trip was amazing! It is hard to share this experience in words as many things in China get lost in translation.

I will be honest – Asia was never a part of my travel bucket list. When I was approached with this opportunity earlier in the year, I really didn’t give it a second thought but my fellow Skagit County chamber executives that took the tour last year kept encouraging me as well as family and friends. I’m so glad I finally listened!

The adventure began as we boarded a 787 “Dreamliner”, my husband (a Boeing employee) has worked on this project since the beginning so it was fun to be the first in my family to fly on one. We flew to Beijing China and the whirlwind of activity began. We were treated like VIP’s everywhere we went; Great Wall, Summer Palace and the Forbidden City to name a few, we also got plenty of attention from the locals as many of them wanted to pose and take pictures with us…just because.

Next stop Suzhou and Hangzhou; we visited sights like the Leaning Pagoda on top of Tiger Hill, the Lingering Garden and a green tea plantation then back to the metropolis of Shanghai. Every day was filled with sights I never imagined to see as well as the generous hospitality of the Chinese people and our hosts Citslinc International.

I made some lasting friendships with chamber executives from Washington, Oregon, Montana and Canada and I shared the “La Conner Love” with many of our hosts, business contacts and locals.

Xie Xie (pronounce Shi Shi) is Thank you in Chinese. A huge thank you to the chamber board, visitor center volunteers and chamber members for allowing me to take this adventure. I came home with a new perspective and appreciation for my job, family, community and country.

~Heather

*Citslinc International is offering an exclusive tour for chamber members, if you would like additional information – please email me directly at director@laconnerchamber.com