Packing for China

What would you bring on a trip to Beijing?

With just two weeks until I'm off to China m thoughts are turning to what I want to bring with me. Mainly what photographic equipment I want to take.We're planning on spending most of our time in Beijing with a trip out to see the terracotta warriors. Here's what I have:

> Canon 30D
> 430EX Speedlite (flash)
> 17-40mm f/4 lens
> 70-200mm f/4 lens
> 100mm f/2.8 macro lens
> 300mm f/2.8 lens
> 1.4x TeleConverter
> Tripod

For Jeju I took along the body, flash, 17-40, 70-200, TC and tripod. I hardly got any use out of the TC, the tripod got more use than expected and the flash only got used one evening but it helped then.
At the moment I'm thinking: 30D, 17-40 and 70-200 for sure. I'll also be bringing my laptop to download and review images.
What I'm not sure about is the flash and/or tripod. I don't know how much use the flash will get. Bringing it means bringing a bunch of AA batteries and diffuser, but that's not much of a hassle. The tripod would be handy to have, especially for landscapes and touristy self-portraits of Courtney and myself :) The downside is that its a bulky piece of kit.
This trip isn't a primarily photographic one. I'm going there to experience China and spend some quality time with Courtney. That means setting up and packing down a tripod could get in the way of enjoying the trip. I'm sure Court won't object with my photographing however, I just don't want to. However I really enjoy taking pictures (see earlier post).
After having a night to think about it and talking to Court I don't think I'll be taking the tripod as it has the possibility to limit mobility and that's important for us. I will however be packing the flash. After recently subscribing to the Strobist blog I am thinking about ways to get my flash off camera and also maybe getting a 580ex flash so I can turn my 430ex into a slave. Hmmm, more stuff :)

American Colonialism

So Courtney's friend, Colleen, from back home is here with us in the Land of the Morning Calm. She arrived last night and will be staying with us in my apartment. Courtney seems quite excited but is making sure that I don't feel as though they're taking over my apartment. At the moment I certainly don't and I don't see it becoming a problem for the week that Colleen will be with us. There's plenty of room for the three of us, especially since Court and I moved one of the beds downstairs a while back. This means that Colleen has the upstairs as her own, minus the space taken up with all my drying laundry!
I'm excited to have someone new here. It was great when my friend Nicky came for a weekend. Having people over to visit helps remind you about what is great about Korea, things I've started to take for granted. The food alone is worth coming here for, let alone Korea's rich history and vibrant modern cultural identity (this is expressed through K-Pop, Animal themed coffee shops and a serious passion for fashion).
There will be quite a crowd of us going to Jeju. Not only the whole OES workforce, but Courtney, Colleen and Nick will all be on the island this weekend. I still haven't managed to decipher the itinerary for the trip yet but I really hope it won't be a too rigidly structured trip. It would be great to hang out with Court and Co. rather than my work colleages, as nice as they are.