I'd been toying with the idea since Pingyao. It was after watching the sunrise from Huangshan, however, that I knew I was ready for it. So on Monday evening, I showed up on my doorstep in Chicago four days ahead of schedule, much to Melissa's surprise.

It was a combination of things that led me to come home early. One, of course, was that I missed Melissa. I was tired of traveling alone, which I've discovered is not for me -- especially during low season, when there are fewer fellow travelers to hang out with. I was tired of being in China. On a more positive note, I felt satisfied with my trip. I felt like I had seen what I wanted to see and done what I wanted to do. I felt ready to go home.

So on my first morning in Shanghai, I went to the United Airlines office (which, of course, is no longer where Lonely Planet says it is) and changed my ticket to a Monday afternoon departure. Three days later, I was taking the fastest train in the world to Shanghai's Pudong International Airport. (The airport is connected to the subway at Longyang Road by a German-built Maglev train, which zips along at 430km/h afloat on magnetic fields.)

Despite being a much-maligned totalitarian country, China is easier to get in and out of than the "land of the free." There is a mandatory health form to fill out, but there are no bag searches or mandatory customs forms certifying that you don't have anything stuffed in your pack that's not supposed to leave the country, like antiques or defecting Chinese people.

My flight home was broken up in San Francisco, where customs subjected me to a bothersome if ineffectual baggage search. (The agent "inspected" my backpack by asking, "What's in there? Clothes?") On the San Francisco to Chicago leg, the only food United offered came for a wad of cash that would have fed me for a week in China. When I asked the flight attendant if she took any money besides US dollars, she retorted, "What country are we in?" Ah, yes. It was good to be back in the U.S. of A. China might still refer to itself as the Middle Kingdom, but no one beats the US for being self-centered. (The Chinese name for their country is Zhongguo, which literally means "middle country" or "middle kingdom.")

A train, a bus and a block's walk put me back on my doorstep, where Melissa found me waiting. I'm sure I'll find myself on the Road again before too long, but for now, it's good to be home.