Unforgettable Fengjing Tour - I’m currently in the back of a van coming home to our hotel in Shanghai and gazing at a salmon-pink sky lamenting I didn’t take just one more picture of the beautiful Ancient Water Town with its narrow passages, beautifully arched bridges, delicious food, and friendly townsfolk. To think I woke up this morning fearful of the impending thunderstorms and the expense of the tour seems like a distant dream, now washed peacefully away on some golden canal. I bought the tickets to the Fengjing Ancient Town tour for my wife’s 35th birthday (I’m going to continue reminding the internet of your age, Kaitlyn) hoping we could escape the madness of the big city of Shanghai for a day. Boy, was that a good choice. We were met by a friendly, loquacious, and expert tour guide named Berlin at our lobby and then were escorted by van to our destination. During the drive, the sky just exploded with rain. Thankfully our driver deftly maneuvered the van and got us to our destination safely despite the brutal weather conditions. When we got to Fengjing the rain continued to deluge over the canal, which somehow made everything even more stunning than we could’ve imagined. Visitors and locals both huddled closely under the tunneled pathways to find shelter from the rain. Berlin guided us under cover and stopped to have us sample the delicious sticky rice and cakes from the local street vendors. We then had dinner early to wait out the thunderstorms. Our meal was full of wonderfully curated local classics, the likes of which I’d never order properly as a dumb American tourist who barely knows how to use a chopstick. Berlin assured we got the feast of our lifetimes and was a joy to eat dinner with. When we finished gorging ourselves on wonderful food, we were welcomed with clear skies and a beautiful town. I won’t spoil all of it for you. Just go. Look at my amateur photos as a fledgling guide. But book the trip. It’s worth it. If a thunderstorm bordering on monsoon can’t ruin a tour like this, you better believe it’s worth the price of admission.