kja - I was talking about 1997, lol. Probably it should be even lower than 6. (xe.com says it's 6.14 right now.) It is helpful if there's a quick conversion factor. It really gets difficult (for me) in places where you become an instant millionaire just because you changed $100!

I must admit that I've never had a millionaire moment, but I've definitely had some "OMG, did I spend that much!?!" moments before I remember the appropriate conversion. And I was in Poland just after it revalued its currency, while both old and new bills were still in use. Some “1 zloty” notes were worth 1 new zloty, which, as I recall, was equal to 10,000 old zloties, but some notes that I was given were actually old zloties…. I was sleep-deprived and jet-lagged and for the life of me, I couldn’t have told you which was which. That was disorienting, particularly because the difference was not exactly trivial!

I printed your trip report (couple pages) to read later at my leisure and started to scan the thread for other information... Oh my! Those couple pages were really just the start! So I printed and bound the other installments for some weekend reading. :)

Although long, your trip report was most enjoyable! I loved the part where the hotel storing your luggage was suddenly under construction and the crowd that made sure you safely returned to Pingyao. It's funny that these random interactions is what draws me in. :) I'm interested in some similar sites so I had a highlighter on hand... It's like school exams all over again. Hehe.

Reading personal experiences instead of guides makes it more exciting and provides lots of courage. I'll be posting more questions. :)

@ flyingbaran -- thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed my report and hope you find it helpful.

Those moments at the hotel in Tai'An, and the help of the people near the Wang Family Courtyard, were among the most memorable of this VERY memorable trip -- moments that one simply can not (and probably WOULD not) plan!

I'll look forward to hearing more about your plans.

This is one of the best written trip reports I have ever read. I am planning a trip with my daughter to some of the destinations you visited. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THE TIME TO SHARE THIS WITH ALL OF US WHO LOVE TO TRAVEL.

@ FromLA -- many thanks for your compliments! I hope you and your daughter enjoy your trip and am glad if this report proved helpful. :-)

Hi kja I realize this thread is very old. I came across this forum and your thread while planning a trip to Wutaishan. I enjoyed reading your trip report and glad you had an interesting trip in Northern China - I've lived in Beijng for a dozen years and have been to many of the places on your trip report. I have a Chinese drivers license and will drive to Wutaishan, hopefully next week, so I will definitely visit Nanchan si and Foguang si, which I learned about in your report. Funnily enough, couple of days after reading your thread I was at a book fair in Beijing and saw this huge book (15 lbs) all about temple murals in the temples of Shanxi. I couldn't help but buy it as it wasn't that expensive and quite beautiful. Those two temples are both included in the book. Unfortunately, since Im a new user, I cannot post photos of the book.

@ UnmooredBoat -- How nice to see your message! I'm glad you enjoyed my report -- I certainly enjoyed that trip and am glad if my TR provides anyone with useful information. Thanks for letting me know you found some value in reading it!

By all means, do visit Nanchan si and Foguang si if you can -- they are truly remarkable. And Wutaishan is quite special, too. I'm envious of your book on Shanxi temple murals -- I imagine it captures some astounding works of art!

Enjoy your upcoming trip!