When Dreams and Fear Collide

Last Chance

December 31, 1985, 4:30 p.m. I'm standing in line at the post office, ready to send off our latest proposal to China regarding the Upper Yangtze River Expedition. Ken and I have worked all day on getting this package together. Ken writing and me typing. Here it is, New Years Eve, ending a very long, emotionally, financially, physically exhausting 1985. Ken is discouraged. We had not been able to meet the deadline of December 31 for the $800,000 fee. Ken and I talked about all the effort we had put into the project, and I just couldn't see quitting, so I said to Ken, Why not try just one more time? What do we have to lose? If nothing comes of it, then we can quit.

The line at the post office was long, which gave me time to ponder the events that had brought us to this point in this crazy year.

Part of our proposal in the 1984 negotiations to the Chinese was an offer to make the expedition a joint venture. We offered, with all costs borne by us, to bring Chinese athletes over to live with us and train with us on the rivers of Oregon. Ken had written a detailed training schedule for the athletes and the Chinese had been impressed. They liked the idea their athletes would be able to come to the United States, live in an American home, and learn how to raft white water from one of the best in the business—Ken Warren. Ken wanted the young Chinese athletes to be strong enough and know how to row a raft that would be used on the Yangtze. We proposed calling it the Sino-USA Upper Yangtze River Expedition.

Click here to watch video

Training for Yangtze 1985

on the Sino-USA River Expedition.com website

On April 7, 1985, the three Chinese athletes arrived at the Portland airport, along with Kong Qingwen, whom we had met in Beijing in 1983. Kong worked for the China Sports Service Company (CSS Co.) and he had handled our negotiations. Over time, we had become good friends and since he went by the name of Kevin, we called him Kevin Kong.

Several television station news crews were there to film the arrival. Kevin, who spoke excellent English, introduced us to Chu Siming, who also spoke excellent English, and Zhang Jiyue, a very handsome and fit athlete who spoke limited English. The third athlete, Xu Ju Sheng, was quiet as he understood and spoke almost no English.

When I watch us on the film taken that day, I see none of the stress of what was happening back home. That morning, we had gotten up early to prepare the house for our guests. I had also prepared a traditional Thanksgiving dinner so that their first meal with us would be symbolic of America. Mid-morning, when I turned on the water, none came out. None. The well had died. It was Easter Sunday, so we made panic calls for a well driller to come to our house immediately to diagnose the problem. We found a local business who fortunately answered his phone, and the man agreed to come out to take a look. The bottom line, he said, was that we needed a new well. How much will that cost? I asked. I think he quoted something like $15,000. Can you do it today? I said. The plane we were planning to meet would not be arriving until late afternoon, so I figured we had some time. Not much for such a big problem, but at least there was time enough to get someone to deal with it.

In June, we will be receiving three Indian boys from New Delhi to come train with us as well. Ken had originally met them in December 1984, during a sixteen-day Memorial excursion down the Ganges River to honor Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, after her assassination. They had been eager to learn more about river rafting.

It was a great summer with the Chinese and Indians in our home (twelve people, to be exact). They would get up in the morning and go with Ken to our office and warehouse to learn about equipment, rafting gear, repairing boats, and how to organize rafting trips. We took them out on eight rivers. The idea was that after the Yangtze expedition, we would organize an Indo-Sino-USA River Expedition on the Brahmaputra. Our dream was that these would open future river rafting trips for our business in India and China.

Click here to watch bottom video

Yangtze River Expedition Chinese Team

on the Sino-USA River Expedition.com website

Our final trip with the Chinese and Indians was on the Rogue River on June 20, 1985. Each athlete had his own boat to row. Ken and I had gone through a rapid called Blossom Bar, and had tied up our boats to position ourselves so we could watch each of them maneuver his way through the rapids. We felt like proud parents, watching them all come through the rapids so perfectly. When Ken and I looked at each other, we both had tears in our eyes. It was a moment that has stayed with me forever.

All our guests left for their homes in early July, and Ken and I began to prepare for the 1985 expedition. Our departure date was set for August 10.

Click here to watch

Yangtze River Expedition Chinese Team

on the Sino-USA River Expedition.com website

In February1985, Ken's long time friend, Andy Harvard, came to Portland to meet with us about the Yangtze project. He had been eager to be involved since the beginning. Andy, and two of his friends, George Bell and Dave Breashears, had recently founded a company called Arcturus Motion Pictures, Inc., an independent production company specializing in the development of network, cable, and industrial programming that focused on sports and adventure. They had already completed work in Asia, the Soviet Union, and Europe. Their production credits included the 25th Anniversary of ABC Sports, Seven Summits, Bass on Everest, and The Spirit of Excellence on ESPN. They had also worked on The Paris Air Show, put on by Reeves/McGraw-Hill, and The Order of the Snow Leopard. The principals of Arcturus had a strong background in sports and adventure programming, premier mountain climbing, and adventure cinematography.

We gave Andy our project book that contained a detailed explanation of our expedition goals. The plan was, he would take our book and return to New York to discuss the project with his partners. On March 4, 1985, we received a call reporting that they had met and everyone was on board. It was agreed that Arcturus would be in charge of film production for the Yangtze River trip, as well as the first motion picture documentation of the cultures in the previously forbidden provinces.

In our agreement with China Sports Service, Ken had expressed that the price of $800,000 to raft the Yangtze River was too high without the added incentives of the Brahmaputra, Mekong, and the prestige of being the first company to help China develop this great business resource of river touring. Even still, we had all been confident of success for the Yangtze project. Success would mean that the sport of river running in China would open, and Ken Warren Outdoors, Inc. would already be in place. To that end, we agreed to leave all our equipment in China when the Yangtze Expedition was completed, and that is why we had trained the Chinese athletes.

But… on July 11, 1985, we had to make the dreaded call to China Sports Service to tell them we had failed, again, to raise the full $800,000 required to meet China's fee and still produce a quality film of the Yangtze Expedition that would be for sale to the public. We had raised $500,000, but that was not enough for the Chinese fee and the film. Our total budget was $1.2 million. We felt terrible knowing that China Sports Service had already done its homework, and that the Provincial authorities had already gone out into the field to check logistics, locations, and available supplies such as propane and gas. Several lengthy discussions by phone, telex, and Express Mail took place with the people at China Sports Service, and it was decided that Ken would leave for China, as scheduled, on August 11, to meet with them to see what could be done to salvage the expedition.

Ken called me every night. He said he'd walked into a hornet's nest. They were upset the expedition would not take place and incredulous that we had not been able to raise the money. They couldn't understand why anyone from the United States could not easily raise $800,000. All Americans are rich, they told us. Besides, This trip doesn't need to be a Sino-USA expedition, it could easily be a Sino-Japan project. Then they showed Ken a telex from Japan, requesting a firm price for running the Yangtze. The signers had agreed to pay the cost, whatever it was.

On August 18, Ken called to say we would probably lose the project to Japan because China was not willing to reduce the fee. I called Andy Harvard to tell him the bad news, but he countered. He felt certain we could raise the money as long as we had more time. So Ken went back to China Sports Services and said we would pay the $800,000 if they would extend our deadline to December 31, 1985. He told them that if we could not come up with the money by that date, they could sell the project to Japan or to anyone else. In response, Ken was shown another telex from the Japanese stating that they were willing to pay twice the amount we'd been asked to remit.

Ken said their faces lit up and the mood in the room changed. The subtext was that the Chinese wanted us to lead our expedition down the Yangtze for several reasons—one being that a USA Today feature story had resulted in a storm of publicity and phone calls from around the globe. And, after all our efforts in 1983, 1984, and 1985, they felt cancelling on us would result in bad media exposure.

So, once again, we saved the extraordinary adventure of the expedition by pure persistence and determination. But we did have a concrete deadline of December 31.

As soon as Ken arrived home, our team got busy trying to find the money. But on September 13, we received a phone call from Rick Howard of KATU News. He said that a Chinese rafter, Yao Maoshu, had died in an attempt to be the first to raft the Yangtze River. He had made it 680 miles before drowning. We had known nothing about this.

Then, on October 30, one of our committed investors in Hong Kong read an article in the China Daily newspaper titled, Undauntable rafters aim for Yangtze. This investor was a wealthy businessman and an international adventurer. He had been making contacts in Hong Kong for the project, and this news caught him off guard. He called Arcturus and said, What is this about? I thought we would be involved in a first!

The article spoke of a new attempt to shoot the rapids on the mighty Yangtze following the death of solo rafter Yao Maoshu in July. Yao, a photographer from a Sichuan university, died in his bid to raft the length of the 6,300 kilometer river from its source to the East China Sea. He had covered 1,100 kilometers through many stretches of dangerous white water rapids. Apparently, news of Yao's story inspired a new attempt by a team of eight, led by Chi Jinzhi, 24, a worker from the northern city of Zhangjiakou. Chi had already begun to prepare for the trip with the help of Yao Maoshu's family, and was joined by several others from various cities. The group then included an undergraduate and a post-graduate majoring in geography, who were being helped by Sichuan Province's geographic association.

When news of this got out to the corporate arena, we faced a multitude of questions regarding our fundraising. Ken contacted China Sports Services first by phone, and then, by letter. He wrote,

If, in fact, you (China Sports Services) have no control over the recently publicized Chinese eight-man expedition, it means our expedition could conceivably no longer be an historic first. If this is the case, we feel strongly that the fee price to us should be dramatically lowered by the CSS Co. There is no question that the value of the Yangtze project takes a serious decline in the world market. I fully understand the zealous and emotional involvement of the Chinese in Sichuan since the death of Yao. You must face the reality that they are taking money out of the government's pockets, so to speak, but to them, it's China's river. The All-Chinese team's chances of success are about as close to zero as you can get, but that does not preclude them from bypassing dangerous sections of the river and then claiming they ran the entire distance. This has happened many times in the past on other rivers all over the world. I understand Chinese patriotism is being involved in historic events. I respect this. This is the reason we have invested the money to train your athletes so they could be true participants of the Expedition.

Now, just as we were close to putting everything together, our principal investor saw the China Daily articles about the new Chinese attempt, and he pulled out of the project.

On December 3, 1985, Ken wrote to Arcturus:

Dear George,

I certainly understand your initial reaction to the enclosed telex from China Sports Service Co., but allow me to point out some facts I feel will ultimately make the Yangtze Project a much more realistic product of salability and profitability.

Jan and I have been fully aware of the exorbitant fee that China placed on the historic first aspect of the expedition. It all started with the inflated prices the Japanese offered the Chinese on many other first projects, such as the Yalu River Expedition.

When I was in Beijing in August, I got a look at a telex from Japan Television offering CSS Co. over one million dollars for the Yangtze Project.

With the confirmation of a full-scale, all-Chinese Expedition slated for March departure, I now feel we have been put in a very favorable position of getting a drastic price reduction from CSS Co. Please read my enclosed letters of November 14 to Kevin Kong of CSS Co. Sent Express Mail. You will see how emphatic I was about a drastic fee reduction IF there was a confirmed Chinese team attempt to raft the Yangtze. The last part of the enclosed telex states, We deeply understand all this and would like to give our positive cooperative that our ability permits. Kevin has, in my mind, acknowledged my statements of drastic fee reduction if we are to continue working together.

Notice that I underlined attempt and take my word for it, because these zealous and emotional patriots have NO IDEA what they are getting into.

Even if the young Chinese men we trained here in Oregon are involved with the March expedition, the chances of success are exceedingly remote, if not non-existent.

The big factor is equipment. As you are well aware, we have six tons of the most sophisticated and finest river gear ever assembled for an expedition—all safely stored in Hong Kong. The Chinese have no idea of the type of rafts we have custom built to survive the turbulent waters of the Yangtze Gorges, or any knowledge of the hazards they will encounter. Above all, bear in mind that no one has ever looked into those impenetrable gorges of the Yangtze, and that is where the most violent and dangerous hydraulics will occur.

All the Chinese can see from land is sections of the river that resemble our Snake River here in Oregon. Even if they fly over the river to scout it, they won't be able to read the water from above, because no one can. All they will see is perhaps a waterfall.

Before Yao Mashu made his insane one-man attempt this past June, he had told me—through Kevin Kong—that he had scouted over 800 miles of the Yangtze. As I replied to Kevin, that meant nothing to us because we have studied the gradient of the Yangtze very, very carefully, and the parts of the river you can see from a land vantage point are quite runnable, with a decent-sized raft. Yao Mashu's overturned raft was found some 600 miles downriver from Tuotuoheyan. He floated the River to the end of the Tibetan plateau, with a gradient of 9 feet per mile, and then he literally dropped off into a cauldron of whitewater with drops of 60 to 100 feet per mile. His body has never been found.

You will note that in my letter to CSS Co., I state that the Chinese expedition's chance of success is as close to zero as you can get, but the Yangtze is their river. You will recall that on the Ganges film with ABC, a Czechoslovakian team put on the river two weeks prior to us and two of their crewmen drowned, adding to the drama and danger of the event.

The starting date for the Chinese is a real puzzle for me. The water level would be extremely low then, and the Tibetan Plateau at the source will be snowbound. I really think they just wanted to be ahead of us and I suppose that does make sense in that we can retrieve their overturned rafts for them!

The final conclusion I have reached is that this is the best thing that could have happened to us. CSS Co. is obviously sympathetic to our situation and I feel strongly we should go to Beijing as soon as possible, with a representative of Better Worlds, and renegotiate a beneficial contract that puts the project in the proper perspective.

I will send a telex to CSS Co. today and ask pointed questions about participants and equipment. I hope to hear from you soon. My God, what an incredible story, which will one day be written about the many bizarre events of the past seven years.

As the Chinese poet Li Po says, Long is the journey. There are many turnings. Now, where am I?

Best regards,

Ken

So, here I am at the Post Office. It's New Year's Eve and I'm waiting in line for my turn to send an Express Mail package to China, requesting a reduced fee of $300,000. Ken was right when he wrote to Arcturus. This might be the best thing that could happen to us. China Sports Service is sympathetic to our situation. They know that we know they cannot stop the Chinese team, but their chance of success is as close to zero as you can get.

What will 1986 bring?

Top row: Kong Qingwen, Jan Warren, Mr. Ngu.

Bottom row: Ken Warren and Mr. Liu Guochang (VP of CSS Co.)

RouteMap

Risky Business

We are still unable to find the money to fund the expedition. Our titanic ship is creaking and groaning as it struggles to stay afloat. Bankers and creditors are no longer patient with us and, in fact, are getting downright nasty. They are tired of our story and don't give a damn about the Yangtze River expedition. They want their money.

Ken and I have lived on the financial edge since the aborted 1983 expedition because we've been putting everything we have into the Yangtze project. We've begged, borrowed, and robbed Peter to pay Paul. Our time is running out and we have to do something soon. Either we will put our business up for sale to satisfy the debts incurred from the Yangtze project, or we will get the money back from G.Y. Lin.

G.Y. Lin is avoiding us and we're about ready to go after him using the Justice Department, State Department, or the IRS. Ken and I are tenacious, and if the Yangtze River project fails, we will accept defeat but we're not willing to forgive and forget a man who stole over $100,000 from us. One of Lin's former secretaries told us that he was protected by the FBI and perhaps he was even an agent for the US government. We found this hard to believe, but Lin did seem immune from government scrutiny.

One other possibility Ken and I discussed was filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but we didn't want to take that step until we heard back from the Chinese in response to the Express Mail package I sent them on New Year's Eve. Bankruptcy is not high on my list; it indicates failure and I'm not used to failure. It would embarrass me. Such news would explode in the media and our competitors would inform China Sports Service Company. CSS Co. would have to assume we were done.

But January was dragging and we still hadn't received a response from the Chinese, so Ken and I made the decision to find a bankruptcy attorney. I looked in the Yellow Pages, selected Magar E. Magar, and made an appointment. Before we went in, I told Ken, if I grab your hand during the meeting, it is a sign that I have doubts about the man.

Magar E. Magar was a funny little man. He was Egyptian, had a strong accent, and his office was a dump. But there was something straightforward about him that we liked. Ken and I left that meeting with plenty to talk about.

Toward the end of January, Ken's friend Andy Harvard from Arcturus, returned to Portland to fill us in on the company's activities. They had been trying everything to secure funding from television commitments, investors, and sponsors, but still hadn't come up with all the money they needed. We told Andy it looked like we needed to declare bankruptcy to reorganize our debt. Andy, being an attorney, gave us his perspective and, after much discussion, we were resigned to the fact that bankruptcy was the only option left for us. Andy even wrote out a check to us for a thousand dollars so that we could pay an attorney to begin bankruptcy proceedings.

Sure enough, the next morning the Oregonian reported, in big bold letters, Ken Warren Outdoors declares bankruptcy.

But fate moves in mysterious ways.

On February 2, 1986, we received a response from China Sports Services. It said,

We are holding an active attitude toward your new proposal and have consulted the provinces concerned. We will give you our final reply as soon as we hear from the provinces and departments. This is a grand project, therefore the new plan needs time to be studied and approved by authority. So patience will be appreciated. Thanks and regards, CSS Co.

Oh, my God!

Ken sent a telex back:

Dear Kevin: Your telex was received on February 2 and we were very pleased with CSS Co's active attitude towards our business proposal on the Yangtze Project. Everyone here in the USA concerned with this great cooperative venture agrees with CSS Co. that it is indeed a grand project of tremendous benefit to both countries and all persons and companies involved. The documentary film would not only be profitable for a long period of time, but would be of enormous value to China in educational areas along with worldwide positive publicity for valuable tourist and business industry. Our major investor participant, Steve Drogin, is flying to Portland on February 6 to meet with Jan and me. He remains extremely positive about his involvement and has had meetings with important Hong Kong business friends about corporate sponsorship. Our one big problem is storage of equipment in Hong Kong. We have been given a March 1 deadline to remove it all from the British barracks. The Chinese have taught us patience. We shall remain patient and positive.

Thanks, and best regards to all, Ken and Jan Warren.

Then, on February 5, 1986, we received another telex:

Attn Mr. Ken Warren, Ken Warren Outdoors.

Urgent Urgent Re: Yangtze River Expedition 1986.

After serious discussions with provinces and departments concerned, and in consideration of the joint efforts made by both KWO and CSS Co. in the last few years, and of the positive results of the Sino-USA Expedition, which goes far beyond the bound of economy, we can accept KWO's 1986 Yangtze proposal provided that the followings are added as principles:

The USD 300,000 expedition fee should be paid to CSS Co. before the expedition takes off,

In three years after the expedition is completed, CSS Co. shall receive 50 percent of the total profits made from the sales of book rights, still photos, and films, but the amount of this 50 percent in three years should not be less than USD 300,000,

KWO should compensate to CSS Co. for 1985 accordingly.

If the above conditions are acceptable, we welcome you to come to China for further discussions and final agreement at your earliest convenience.

P.S. We've just received your telex about the storage in Hong Kong and we wish all is well with the equipment.

Best regards to all concerned with us.

Our response on February 7, 1986 said,

Dear Kevin, Our reaction to your telex of 5 February was very positive and joyful. Steve Drogin, Andy Harvard, and George Bell will be flying to Portland next week to meet with us and then we will telex CSS Co. to inform you of our travel plans to Beijing for final discussions and signing agreement. Jan and I deeply respect and understand all of your dedication and efforts in making the 1986 Yangtze expedition a reality. In the year of the Tiger, may we wish you all at CSS Co. a very happy and prosperous New Year.

Ken and I began to make travel plans for Beijing, and had settled on leaving March 4. One of our original 1983 Yangtze investors, Bob Chisholm, founder of Pizza Hut, gave us the $5,000 for the trip. He continued to be interested in our project because we had promised to help him get a permit in the Qinghai Tibet region, to hunt the Karalini, Argali, and Bharal sheep, and the trophy Ibex by connecting with the right people.

Then, out of the blue, we received a phone call from John Wilcox, the film producer of the 1977 Ganges expedition for American Sportsman. Wilcox asked if the Yangtze project was available. We answered yes; in fact, we are leaving for China to finalize the deal. He said, "Postpone it a week and I'll join you with one of the top people from Mutual of Omaha. I may have a deal that could include your project.

So, we stop momentum, unravel our travel plans, and send China Sports Service a revised schedule, telling them that TV producer John Wilcox and Mutual of Omaha executive Joseph Wiseman, wish to join us for meetings in Beijing on March 25, 1986. We would arrive on March 17 and hold preliminary meetings ahead of Wilcox and Wiseman. Wilcox planned to attend our final two meetings with CSS Co. With the help of CSS Co., an invitation was sent to the San Francisco consulate and we collected all passports for their visa. But by February 27, the plans needed to change again. Joseph Wiseman decided to bring his wife, Jacqueline, and Wilcox decided to bring his niece, Susan Jackson.

Before we left for Beijing, we received another telex with more changes.

March 3, 1986

Attn: Mr. Ken Warren

Have booked Tientan Sportsmen Inn for you and Jan, Great Wall Hotel for others. Double room for Wiseman couple. If they want a suite, we can change for them now. Please consider the following matters:

Invite two Chinese River Engineers to join the expedition. They are Yangtze experts, about 43 years old. Thus, make our expedition more political and scientific.

The expedition gears are shipped into China as soon as possible. Because of Yangtze fee reduced a great deal, we want to transport the gears by train to make it cheaper. Please send the list of gears at your earliest convenience so that we can handle the custom.

Move up the expedition date to middle July or earlier. July and August are the best season at the source of Yangtze Qinghai Province, and the good weather is vitally important to the success of expedition and film. Especially rare snowfall in Qinghai 1985 was extremely heavy. And also, the Chinese team that is scheduled in March this year has put off its kick-off to July. If we can move up to July, there is still a chance we can be the historical first. Please reply soonest.

Regards,

China Sports Service.

Our reply:

Please reserve suite for Wisemans, your idea to invite Chinese engineers is very acceptable to us. They would be an asset to the expedition. We will be prepared to ship equipment upon signing of agreement. We agree to move expedition timetable to early July. This will work out better for KWO business plans. We look forward to harmonious discussions.

Best regards,

Ken Warren

The original itinerary—since 1983, through 1984 and 1985—was always to leave for China on August 1. Based on their advice, we decided the Chinese knew best about the weather and road conditions, so a July 1 departure was scheduled and we sent them a new itinerary. That still meant we wouldn't reach the difficult water until the middle of August.

March 18, 1986. Hong Kong. 7:37 AM Hong Kong; 3:38 PM Home.

Good Morning. What a restful evening. The first I’ve had in a long, long long time. No waking up at 2 AM rehashing every single problem we’ve been having with the China Expedition. I left those all behind for my return and now have only three things to work on. 1.) Enjoy myself and Ken; 2.) Rest; 3) Do the best job I can in meetings and making the trip a success. We have lots of phone calls to make today, but it is still early. I woke up at 5:30, got ready, and had a wonderful breakfast. Hong Kong is overcast, gray, and humid. Ken brought along all our leftover Hong Kong money from home. Actually over 260 Yuan and 230 HK. The Yuan is probably enough for four night's hotel bills, so it was a good idea to search the house before we left.

Long, long flight over. 14 hours. Actually better than that horrible one coming home in 1983. This flight had seventy people on board, so there were lots of empty seats to stretch out.

The rooms here are very nice, with that great view of Hong Kong's shanties, one on top of the other, each balcony filled with plants, birds, and clothes. We got a nice call from Lt. Col. Mike Kefford, who was on our 1983 team, and we are looking forward to seeing him. Mike allowed us to store our six tons of equipment on their barracks in Hong Kong.

I talked with several people on the plane, but one in particular made me realize that many people have been following our course of events during this ordeal. The feedback has been nothing but admiration, mostly for our determination and all that we’ve gone through. I was getting to the point of not letting the media hear one more word about the Yangtze Expedition, especially the Oregonian after the bankruptcy article. Our plight was in the news the next morning. But just one day later, we received a response from our last chance proposal to China. The 1986 Sino-USA was officially approved by the highest authority of China. They asked, Would you come to China and discuss details? Wow! So here we are, heading for China to do just that.

Anyway, this person on the plane made me realize, it’s just part of the story and another event in this destined course. Frankly, our Ken Warren Outdoors business was affected by the news. People called, wondering about their deposits for the 1986 rafting season and if we were still in business this season. We had to reassure them—yes, we will be running the rivers this summer.

The morning phone calls set up our day. We were to have lunch with Charles Ng. He was a contact from our friend Charles Jennings and they had worked together on the Taipan set in China. Charles has an Australian wife, and his background is production set organization. We gave him the project information and discussed ideas. He will be a good contact here in Hong Kong for locating corporate money. At 3 PM, Mike Kefford was coming to meet with us. We talked with Joyce Li, she was so helpful during the 1983 fiasco in helping to get some of our money back from G.Y. Lin, and responsible for getting our team back home. She is a mommy now, and quit work. She said it was a hard adjustment for her. We’ll miss her help this time. We placed several calls, but everyone was out.

When Mike Kefford arrived, we had a great evening together, catching up over drinks and then dinner. He gave us a blow-by-blow account of his latest expedition. He seemed to appreciate those Americans who he claimed massacred the English language! Mike teased us, saying Americans don't speak proper English. Mike seemed well settled in Hong Kong with his wife and looking forward to his promotion. He is now a Lieutenant Colonel. We asked him again to be a part of the 1986 team, but he thought his responsibilities now would not permit it. He left it open by saying, Give me a call when everything is finalized.

Tomorrow we leave for Beijing.

Chu Siming greeted us after a long delay trying to find our baggage. We had a good talk with him, catching up on assorted things and spoke briefly about Yao Maoshu and his attempt to be the first to raft the Yangtze. We listened when he relayed the story about the other Chinese youths who wanted to beat us down the Yangtze. He