Touchdown New York!

Jackson And Grandpa at the Shanghai airport

After breakfast in Fuzhou, and a layover in Shanghai - we are back in the US!  It was a long travel day, but overall it was uneventful!  We only had four seats for the 5 of us coming back, but they put us at the bulkhead where we had more legroom and Jack could play and sleep on the floor. He did amazing on the flight, and again attracted lots of attention.  There were a number of kids also on the flight including two 12 year old girls who couldn't leave him alone.  Karen said it was his first "make-out" session as the girls couldn't stop loving on him and kissing him!  

Jack grooving to the music on his headphones!

There was a guy right behind us who snored super loud!  He fell asleep as they were pushing us away from the gate, and started snoring right away. Our end of the cabin all started laughing and woke him up.  He snored a lot of the way back and even as we were taxing to the ramp!  Another gentleman in our section had some medical problems and needed oxygen and the crew was calling for a doctor. They moved him to the business class section for treatment and he seemed to be resting okay as we exited.  It did make me think that would be a great way to get "bumped up" - "I'm having problems breathing, or my chest feels a bit heavy" - please move me up where you can actually move and breath and look out a window!!

Jackson sleeping on the plane

Now that we are back, it's almost hard to believe that two weeks have gone by.  We lost touch with the "other world" and realized how some things that take up our life don't seem to matter so much.  Hopefully, I will remember to keep reflecting on the two weeks we did have.  There are so many wonderful memories that all woven together in the beautiful Chinese landscape, the people, the rice wine, the tea and the richness of the culture - simply magical!!

Thank you all for following along and sharing these days and these thoughts with me!  Lastly, my biggest thanks go to Shirley Meadows who has kept my life and blog together.  Without her, this trip would not have been possible - Shirl, you are the best!

Deb

PS  Go Packers!!

Packing Up

Today was our last day in Fuzhou.  Unfortunately, my cold got the better of me and I stayed at the hotel.  Dave joined Mike and Karen and Karen's father's family on a visit to a family owned property in the mountains outside of the city.  The photos look wonderful (I'm attaching a few) and I am so sorry that I missed the day.  I started on some antibiotics today, and I think things are now turning the corner.

We have an 8:30 am flight to Shanghai tomorrow, and then on to NY.  I can hardly believe this adventure is almost over.  The entire two weeks have gone so fast and been so interesting and wonderful.  We are beyond grateful to everyone here who has spent so much time making sure we were okay, busy, having fun, and of course EATING!  Karen's father made so many arrangements for us and was always willing to take of our every need.  We have been the recipient of so many gifts that we had to add another bag just to get home!  Their generosity of spirit and time and hospitality is incredible.

I'm not quite done with my blog, as we still have the trip home, and I didn't get the chance to get everything down while I was here.  Before I leave NY, I will finally finish.  Thank you all for following along.  It's been so nice to hear from some of you on the blog or via email!

Deb

New Years Day

Look at all the housing

Well, New Years Day was also busy with plans that started with lunch at Karen's Aunt and Uncle's home.  In Fuzhou, really no one has a single family home, but a condo or apartment.  Their condo was quite large, 3 stories total with a couple of balconies.  Their building was one among dozens and dozens in that neighborhood.  At the ground level of many of the buildings was a large grocery store.

New Years soup - quail eggs, mushrooms, chicken

Lunch was amazing and totally cooked from scratch in their small kitchen.  Again, it included so many dishes- Karen told us later that you must serve at least 10 dishes on holidays or when you have guests.  There was a special New Years Day soup for good luck and longevity, and wonderful fried pot stickers - which were my favorite.  Richard helped with the cooking and made some terrific fried shrimp as a treat for Michael - thankfully he shared!  This Uncle was someone who loved to toast and share a drink.  Yes, even at noon he was getting out the 150 proof rice wine.  I only drank it for medicinal purposes- to see if it would help my cold!

Cooking dinner - so many different dishes, one small kitchen.

Temple on the river with boat transportation

After lunch it was off to the special Temple that Karen's Mom had promised to take me.  So, two cars of us took off to this ancient and tiny town about 20 minutes away.  The roads were dirt and very rough, but we ended up at the river to find the Temple setting about 100 yards out in the water.  The Temple was built there about 1,000 years ago to ward off flooding.  It is also a temple where you can have a fortune read.  This was something I had talked with Karen's Mom about many months ago, and she said this Temple was famous for its readings and accuracy.  In fact, she said you must be prepared for the answer, even if it isn't what you want to hear - but it is always accurate.

Really beautiful!

To get to the Temple you got in a little boat and the boatman pulled the boat over via a rope.  The Temple was beautiful and is both Taoist and Budhist.  Only after you pay your respect by burning incense at 5 different places can you have your fortune read.  In the Temple area, you kneel and pick up a wooden canister that is filled with thin bamboo reeds with an inscription on them.  You shake the canister until one of reeds falls on the floor - I don't know how that happens, but it does!

Then, to know if that is the right reed for you, you must throw two crescent shaped wooden pieces on the floor - one side of them is painted red, and the other side is not.  If you get one of them up and one of them down, then this is the right reed for you!  At that point you take your reed to a person who provides a little sheet of paper about it, and then you take that to the reader.  This was a very elderly gentleman, and he jumped right into the information.  Karen and her father helped to translate.

Inside the temple - Readers are to the right.

All I will say is that it was a wonderful reading, and on their scale it was almost as good as you can get!  It was even interesting that the first thing he said to me - without my even speaking - was that I was feeling sick.  He said that would pass and I was sure glad to hear that!  As I am writing this, it is by far the nicest day we have had and I've been in the room all day tending to this terrible cold.  Anyway, the whole Temple on the River was amazing, and beautiful and loud!  
There were people setting off very large fireworks there, like it was an offering of some sort, but so loud you had to cover your ears!  Now back to the hotel for a quick rest and then out to dinner.

For dinner we were meeting up with Karen's Mom's family.  I think to give us a little break from traditional Chinese food, we ended up at Pizza Hut!  It was a fun time, with a bit of a spin on your usual toppings.  Karen was enjoying some octopus and wasabi slices - I stuck to cheese!  It was the first time since we had been here that I had any cola.  They do not serve diet of any kind as they don't believe in the artificial sweeteners.  After dinner and while walking back to the car, we stopped into a full-service grocery store.  That was very interesting, especially the protein area.  Parts of critters were everywhere, but everything is fresh.  Frozen meat or fish of any kind is not even an option.  Again, while we were shopping the fireworks started going off.  We were in the financial district, and the Chinese lanterns lined the street.  It looked so pretty!  We said our goodbyes to Karen's Mom's family, as we would not see them again.  They are all such lovely, warm people who did everything in their power to make us feel welcomed on this trip.  Their hospitality is amazing!

Deb

I love these rooftop dragons!

New Years Eve

Karen, Jack and her grandmother

Our New Year's dinner

We had the bulk of the day to ourselves before the New Years Eve celebrations.  That was good for me as I continue to battle this very bad cold.  What is it with me and China and getting sick??

The boys of the two families

Our New Years dinner was being held at the same hotel as Karen and Michael's wedding party.  This evening was with Karen's fathers family, and there were about 30 of us for dinner.  It was really lots of fun, the usual TONS of food and lots of toasts!  The high octane wine was flowing and everyone was having a good time.  The little kids were running around and checking the windows for the fireworks that were already happening outside.  Okay, the fireworks here are gigantic!!  You can buy just one super-sized box, light one fuse and the fireworks go on and on. Things were just warming up for later that evening.

The Chief and Jack!

Karen's father had been on the Fuzhou police force for 18 years, and his brother is still on the force.  After dinner were were invited to police headquarters for tea!  Off we went and were escorted to his large office, as he is the Chief over all personnel.  The Chief loves tea and proceeded to do a complete tea serving for us in his office.  He is such a sweet and delightful guy- quick with a smile, and Jack really loves him, and he has taught Jack how to make these funny little noises that they do together. It was a really cool and unexpected experience.

Now it was time to visit the temple.  The temple's get really busy around mid-night, as it is a good place to be to bring in the new year.  We got there about 8:30 pm, so it wasn't super busy, and we had a chance to wander around.  It was a lovely temple, with many separate buildings, a courtyard, gardens, etc., and then walled in.  The sky was clear and the temp was moderate -all in all a perfect setting.  The monks wandered around and were very interested in Jack.  Jack was wearing his very special Song dynasty New Years outfit, so he definitely looked like the little Prince!  The outfit was a little too big for him, so it fit right over his regular clothes, making him look quite sturdy!

I'm taller than you are...

You can pray and burn incense at any number of places within the temple area.  Up on a terrace area there were many small trees that had red pieces of paper tied to the branches. There was a small temple for a Goddess of Mercy and Wishes.  It was such a beautiful area, under the clear sky - I just can't explain it. The red pieces of paper were wishes that people wanted, and were left to the Goddess to perhaps be fulfilled.  I felt compelled to put a wish of  "good health for my family this year".  Karen helped me fill the little red paper in, and then I took it to a nearby tree to attach it.  Now, about 10 minutes before this, our camera had run out of battery - so Karen's Dad was kind enough to take some pictures of my doing all of this - which comes into play a bit later.

At the Temple

The moment was truly magical and kind of spilled over on everyone.  I found Dave looking over the terrace into the courtyard below - saying "I am just trying to soak this all in".  We wandered back down to the courtyard, letting Jack run around while Richard took a few more photos.  At that time, Richard and Karen asked me to come over to look at his camera.  He was reviewing some of the photos he had just taken and was stunned by the photos of me at the Wishing Trees.  All of the photos prior to those were just fine, as were the ones immediately after.  However, the photos of me doing my Wish looked like it was snowing all around me.  First, light snow, and then as I am tying the wish to the tree, lots of "snow"!!  I simply can't explain it, but it looks magical!  Karen's Mom said that is a lucky, good omen for me - I'm just so grateful that I was there in the first place.  Karen's father is making a CD of the photos for me so I can include them on the blog.

The Goddess of Mercy and Wishes

We got back to the hotel around 10 with one very pooped out little boy!  The fireworks were going off regularly, but Karen said the REAL ones wouldn't start until midnight.  We were so tired that we went to bed by 11, knowing we would likely miss them.  For the next hour we listened to all the booms outside - perhaps even dozing.  However, promptly at midnight there was no way we could sleep!  We opened the drapes to our bedroom, and couldn't believe it.  We are on the 10th floor, overlooking the lake and part of the downtown area.  It was an incredible vantage point to see the entire sky filled with fireworks.  They were being fired off from every potential point on the ground, creating something that looks like our fireworks "finale", but filling the skyline and continuing on and on!!  Again, the sky was clear at midnight, but by the time we decided to go back to bed, we were watching them through the haze of all the detonations.  There was no way to take a photo at night, but Mike was videotaping from his room, so I'm anxious to see how they turned out.

It was a glorious New Years and we will always remember it!

Deb

Exploring Fuzhou

Boardwalk around the lake

In between tending to my cold, we have tried to get out and see a little bit of Fuzhou.  The other day, Dave, Louie and I spent the entire afternoon walking around the area.  Our hotel sits on this lovely lake that has a large park jutting out into it.  There is a "boardwalk" around part of it- which actually goes to the other end of the lake that has an amusement park there.  The large park is relatively new within the last 10 years and is beautifully done, creating lots of public space, green space and access to the water via small electric boats you can rent.  In the mornings, you can find people doing Tai Chi, dancing and evening singing as groups.  Inside the park are walkways and plaza's and gazebo's for gathering, and a playground for the little ones.

Sweet Panda! We got to get very close to them.

We walked to the farthest end of the park and into an adjacent area to visit Panda World!  When I heard there were Panda's here I insisted that we go - as I may not get a chance to see one in the states.  The facility has been there for quite some time, and they would like to move it to the outside of the city.  The current buildings are small enclosures for the Pandas and other animals, and they want to move it to a more fitting spot for Panda's.  The current location makes it very convenient for people to see the exhibits.  If it gets moved, it could literally be more than 1-2 hours away from the central city area.  A problem - but for someone who loves animals, it would be great if they had more room to roam!

The entrance area to the big park.

The streets of Fuzhou are very busy - well yeah, 2M people!  On the streets are people on bikes and motor-scooters, cars and buses- and then there are the pedestrians crossing those streets!  On the sidewalks are pedestrians, scooters and bikes!  What happens in the street is like a carefully choreographed dance between all the parties.  There is always honking going on, but not in a "get out of my way you jerk" kind of way.  More like, "I'm behind you and want you to know", "I'm going to turn and want you to know".  They come extremely close to one another, car to scooter, people to cars- there is no room for error.  Dave has been dying to try and drive here, thank goodness he doesn't have an international drivers license!  In all the driving we have done, we have not seen an accident.  Mike saw a small one the other day, where a bus and small car shared some paint!  He said both parties got out of their vehicles to inspect the damage, and then the woman started kicking the bus!  Sounds logical to me!

Some shops

Inside a calligraphy shop. This little girl and her father were so interested in us, and she tried speaking English with us.

There are a few malls in Fuzhou, and the one we visited the other day was super nice.  Tons of clothing stores with very trendy styles, and lots of restaurants.  In the city, the main streets are lined with shops, banks, etc. Most of the shops are very small, average of 200 to maybe 1,000 square feet.  As in many large cities, it seems like there are a million little markets and bakeries - but many people don't have cars, so everything needs to be nearby.  The shops on the back streets and alleys look quite different from the main street businesses, really small and often service businesses of some kind.  Dave and I found the tiniest hardware store ever, but it was busy and had every kind of hardware "department" you could imagine.

Deb

Outside a flower shop

Jack - The Fresh Prince of Fuzhou

Well of course we have always thought that Jack was totally adorable, but my gosh - the people of Fuzhou are crazy about him.  There are not many western visitors in this area, and Dave and I have drawn a lot of attention when we are out walking around. People just come up, look you over and smile.  Sometimes they hang around with you a bit, and the kids and young teens who are studying English love to say hello.  However, nothing can compare to the interest in Jack!

People stop and oogle over him every where we go.  Honestly, I'll bet there have been a thousand photos taken of that child!  He obviously looks different than the other kids here - with his mix of Ersland blood.  And apparently, it is the right recipe, given the amount of attention he gets from complete strangers!  Karen and Mike, Karen's parents and Dave were at the mall the other day (I was in bed tending to my cold).  There was one of those photography stores in the mall, and when they were passing by it, the manager came running out and asked if he could take photos of Jack and use them to promote his store!

The little "Prince" has had so much attention here, that I think going back to the states will be a rude awakening for him!  You know, the humdrum of daycare, naps, and baths will be a total let down from being in the spotlight constantly!

Deb

Wedding Celebration

The Happy Family!

A primary reason for our visit to China was to participate in the wedding celebration that her father has been wanting to have in China.  Since only her parents were at the ceremony in Madison, they still wanted the opportunity to have friends and extended family celebrate their marriage.  The event was held on Saturday night and was really fun and festive.  Not an actual wedding ceremony, but similar in many ways.  It was held at a lovely hotel not too far from where we are staying.  There was approximately 100 people attending, all of them enjoying a lovely dinner.  Karen looked beautiful, Mike handsome and Jack very styling in an outfit Karen thinks she got from Max.

Announcement in the lobby

                

                                                                      
When you entered the hotel there was a big sign in the lobby announcing the event.  The outside entrance of the room was all decorated with a balloon archway and the inside was also decorated.  The head table was set in red and gold and there was a large stage area where the wedding cake was set up.  In China, there is not really a religious or officially decreed ceremony, rather the joining of the families, as well as the bride's parents letting her "go" to the grooms family.

The Wedding Cake

There is usually a master of ceremonies who directs part of the evening and introduces everyone.  The one for this celebration was a lovely, young woman with lots enthusiasm!  She even had musical backup that was fun - almost like announcing at the Emmy's!  First, Karen's Dad gave a nice speech, then Dave gave a short one that was sort of translated correctly by Louie, and then the kids were introduced - along with Jack.  During all of this, dish after dish is coming out of the kitchen - fish, lobster, crab, pork - one after the other.  Karen and Mike sat and ate a little, and then began the toasting of tables.  Accompanied by her father, they visited every table and made a toast to their guests, and then received gifts.  Gifts were either in the form of money or GOLD!  Karen was dripping in bling by the time the evening was over.  Rings, bracelets and necklaces - even Mike got a gold ring.  Karen got a beautiful jade and gold bracelet from her grandmother, and they each got a very treasured stone necklace from a friend of Karen's father.  There was lots of photos and laughing at each table - and there were little kids!  Jack was having a great time playing in the big room and climbing on the stage.

The Banquet Hall

Most of the event was similar to home - family, friends, wedding cake, toasts, laughing and kids running around.  It was lovely and we were so honored to be part of it.

Jack having so much fun!

Dining Chinese Style

Fresh pigeon - heads, beaks and all!

I've already indicated some thoughts about the food situation.  As my sister Diane can attest, we grew up in a Midwest home with a Mom who only cooked the basics.  Pork chops, potatoes and canned green beans - roast beef, potatoes and canned corn.  Not much experimentation, so I have a very unsophisticated pallet!  As an adult, I now love lots of different kinds of foods, but I realize that they have all been Americanized in someway.  The Chinese food we eat at home has been totally change to suit our style and tastes, and certainly not what they serve here.  All the different regions in China have their own unique way of cooking, but they all believe in fresh and local and healthy.  In China, all parts of the protein are used to the fullest.  We have been told that this certain dish includes the neck of the pig, where this one is the stomach, or that one is the back of the leg.  When cooking, they never take the meat off the bone.  The bones, tendons and ligaments are all important ingredients to provide full nutrition during the cooking process. 

When you sit down to eat, you are at large table with a Lazy Susan in the center.  The place settings utilize one or two smaller plates, and one or two smaller soup bowls.  As the food is placed on the Lazy Susan, you only help your self to a small amount of that item- and eat that.  No filling your plate with everything and then eating.  You work your way around the different dishes, and can go back and continue enjoying the ones you like.  Soup is a huge part of the meal, and you might have 3 or 4 at one sitting.  Some are vegetable based, and others are chicken, fish, pork, or even salamander!  Again, the bowls are small, so you don't take large portions.  The plates are also utilized for keeping up with the bones.  The hunk of meat in your bowl is usually cut up to include all the bones within that section.  Using only chopsticks, they pick up the meat and eat around the bones until they can be left on the plate.  It was amazing to see how precise they could be.  Most of the time, I simply had to use regular utensils, that they always had set out for us.

I think eating has been somewhat of a mental game for me, as knowing what certain things were, made it harder to eat.  This is certainly the time when "ignorance can be bliss"!

Deb

Last day in Wu-Yi

Our sleep in the cold room and hard bed was not too great, but we had to get going for breakfast at 8:00 am.  We had a nice breakfast that included Matthew again - his Mom, Mrs. Wen was at a meeting.  At 8:30 we all left to raft the river through Wu-Yi - including Matthew.  These are not rubber rafts, but bamboo rafts that hold 6 seats and are flat on the water except for the front side which is curved upward.  The water splashes through the large bamboo, so you have to keep you feet placed carefully up on little rests so as not to get wet. 

On the raft

Did I mention that it is freezing, freezing cold??  Not really the best day to be floating down the river, but off we went.  We had two boatmen, one in the front and one in back.  They utilized long bamboo poles to push us along and steer through the turns and the more rapid water.  I don't know how the front guy did it - no hat, no gloves and a rather thin coat.  His hands were always wet from the icy cold river water, yet he seemed fine.  It really was a wonderful float, if only it had been a little warmer.

Winding thru the valley

The scenery was wonderful and they told us about how they built the boats, and how long they last.  The rock walls were very high and there were places on the sheer face where there were caves that had been used for burial sites eons ago.  You could still see the remnants of coffins up there.  The river was quite shallow due to the time of the year, although parts of the river were 30 feet deep.  There had been a flash flood on this river about 9 months ago that did lots of damage to properties, including the Training Center we were at.  In the dining room they said the water was up the wall by 3 feet.  You can still see debris high up in the trees in the river valley. Although it was a wonderful trip, we were beyond cold and so ready to get back on the warm bus!

Wonderful views!

Back to the Training Center for lunch, and then pack up for our trip back to Fuzhou.  Mrs. Wen was now back to join us as well as Andrea.  We had a great time over lunch, although I guess I was struggling with the eel dish!  The kids were so delightful and expressed their interest in coming to the US.  We exchanged contact information and promised to be in touch with them all.  Andrea wrote me a lovely note in English that she asked me to read later.  It was addressed to her American Mother!  Mrs. Wen and I hugged and it was so neat to realize there are no cultural or political gaps between Moms. We just love our kids and want the very best for them.  This trip was truly a moment in time of great exchange and respect.  Throughout our whole trip to Wu-Yi, they always referred to us as "their honored guests".  They constantly treated us with great attention and kindness, and are an inspiration as to how to behave.

Happy but cold!

With bags in the trunk, the circus of large people got into the small car for the long 4 hour trip back!

Deb

An Evening in Wu-Yi

So after a long and busy day, we headed back to the Training Center for dinner and sleep.  Mrs. Wen had mentioned that she wanted her son to join us for dinner, as he had been taking English classes and she wanted him to practice.  Honestly, I can't remember his Chinese name, as he wanted an English one and we named him Matthew!  Matthew is 14 and such a great kid.  He loves basketball and studies very hard.  His mom worries that he likes to play too many video games - so typical!  The dinner table was very festive, and we were excited to visit with everyone while we ate.  The first course of soup came out in a covered bowl.  When she took the lid off, I really couldn't tell what was in the broth- it looked like some kind of green vegetable.  Then Dave's lid comes off and his eyes opened wide, and then Mike, who saw a foot sticking out of his.  At that point, Louie is translating the dish for us and saying something like "I'm not sure what you call it, it is not really a frog, but does live under rocks by the water".  Then I really took a look at it and asked Dave if it was a salamander.  He and Mike were quietly laughing, especially when they saw the look on my face.  I did my best to work on the broth, but there was no way I was nibbling on that little reptile!  Dave thinks it must have been something like a mud-puppy, if you know what that is.

There were a few more meal surprises to come, but I have been trying hard to at least sample as much as I can.  Mrs. Wen always discussed how the food was totally local and fresh.  Each meal was carefully planned to be completely balanced, and she would tell us what each dish was good for.  Like, the certain vegetables were good for your skin, certain dishes good for your liver - each one had a purpose.  Surprisingly, they don't eat much rice with their meals, or drink lots of tea while they eat.  The conversation was so much fun, especially including Matthew.  He was so enamored with Michael, as he wanted to be a businessman someday - a CEO!  I told him that when Mike was young, he said he would major in CEO when he went to college!  

I had mentioned to Mrs. Wen that I was hoping to get to see some local artisans, to see if I might find something to take home.  Again, she had arranged for the large van and a driver to take us to a fabulous shop that does wood carvings.  It is impossible for me to describe the incredible scale and skill of the pieces.  Utterly amazing work - and not all that inexpensive.  There was a 20 foot table that was made from a single slab of wood that was truly one of a kind.  It had a price on it of $100,000 US.  I was looking for something small that I could take on the plane, and found the most beautiful carved tea pot.  The wood and the craftsmanship was crazy beautiful- it was small and I felt destined to buy it.  When I inquired about the price, it turned out to be very rare, one of their best small pieces and was priced at approximately $3,000 US!  Darn!  After visiting another store, I did find something much more in my price range.

Did I mention that it is freezing cold???  The stores have no heat and their doors stand wide open.  Sure doesn't give you an incentive to browse!

Mrs. Wen had made arrangements to then take us to the home/establishment of a local tea grower.  The tea growers are doing very well, as indicated by the home we visited.  The owner was so gracious and invited us into what is the first floor and his place of business.  He had a wonderful tea room and brought us in and we spent the next 2 hours learning about tea, sampling and visiting.  The owner also had a 17 year old daughter who is studying English, and she was there to have an opportunity to talk with us.  Her English name was Andrea and she was so wonderful I just wanted to take her home with us!  We hit it off right away and agreed to be email pals.  Then she gave me her phone number, made that little hand gesture like a phone and said "call me!" in perfect English!  What an amazing evening we had with Louie, Mr. Wing our driver, Mrs. Wen, Matthew, Andrea and her father.  We sampled lots of tea and learned all about the process of really having tea the right way.  We finally realized it was almost 11, and headed back to the Training Center - with plans to have lunch with Michael and Andrea the next day. 

Two pair of long underwear, wool socks and a stocking cap are featured on our model! That's what he wore to bed and was trying to change his clothes in the only warm spot in our room - under the heat lamp in the shower. We skipped showers completely - with so many layers, who could smell us??

So, did I mention that it is freezing cold???  Our room had no heat and we were pooped and couldn't wait to get into bed.  One small note is that our beds did not have mattresses, just the box spring, and it was hard as a rock.  There was only a bedspread on the bed, but they had shown us where the comforters were.  We put 2 heavy down comforters on the bed, then 2 lighter weight ones, and then we found 2 large wool blankets.  We were each wearing long underwear, with multiple layers on that.  I had on 2 pair of socks and wore a shawl over the top of my head - while Dave wore his stocking cap.  Even then we had to snuggle way down into the double bed to cover up as much of our faces as possible.  We just laid there and laughed so hard!  We hoped we didn't have to get up in the night to go to the bathroom! 

Deb

Wu-Yi Mountain

First thing Thursday morning we started out for the Wu-Yi Mountain district.  This is about a 4 hour drive on a rather new, divided highway.  Our group included Dave, Mike, Louie the translator, myself and Mr. Wing our driver.  We were able to use Karen's father's car, which was extremely nice of him-other than the car only holds 4 passengers comfortably, and we had 5, with 2 guys being 6' or taller.  It was very confining, but we did take a break halfway to stretch our legs.  There were nice service areas along the way with food and gas.  The landscape became more beautiful as we went, with green mountains and valleys.  After about 2 hours we were in a region very famous for tea growing, and the hillsides were manicured with rows and rows of tea bushes. 

All the arrangements for this excursion were arranged by Karen's father, so we were not sure where we were staying or what we were actually doing.  When we arrived, Louie was instructed to call our local contact, Mrs. Wen.  She was the most lovely and charming person - and physically beautiful.  She managed a training/conference center in Wu-Yi, which was where we would be staying.  It is very much off-season for tourists and the training center, so we had it to ourselves.  Mrs. Wen had arranged for a wonderful lunch to be served in the dining room, and we all enjoyed the food and the ability to stretch out. Our rooms were nice - but there was no heat!  Actually, there is no heat in 95% of most of the properties, as the cold weather is so limited.  However, the building was block, and the floors were tile, and it was colder inside than outside. The only heat we had in the room were heat lamps in the shower and a hairdryer!  Of course, our visit collided with some of the coldest weather ever! 

Before our ascent!

 

Our group with the guide and Louie behind her - Mr. Wing is taking the photo.

After lunch we decided to hike to the top of Wu-Yi Mountain.  Mrs. Wen already had a guide arranged and a wonderful, large van to transport us to the Mountain- and even our driver, Mr. Wing came along.  The Wu-Yi Mountain area is designated as a national historic, cultural and eco preserve area.  It was the site where many scholars and philosophers studied, and we definitely felt like we had entered the world of Shangri-La!  It is well managed within the park, with only buses allowed to travel back into the area, much like some of our national parks.  The climb to the top was very strenuous - I think our guide mentioned something like 2,000 stairs cut into the mountainside to get to the top.  Many of the steps close to the top were very steep, almost like climbing a ladder.  I was ready to "park my butt" about 3/4's of the way up because I wasn't sure I could do it.  But Louie said "you must believe in yourself", and I hunkered down and kept going.  I was really doing the Yahoo's when I got to the top - probably not culturally correct, but - I am woman, hear me roar!!

STEEP!

Can you see all the hidden doorways and archway

Of course, the walk down was much easier, but humbling when we saw a man carrying two huge boxes of something UP the steps.  He had a flat, wooden pole resting across the back of his shoulders, dangling the large boxes off each end.  He looked to be about 50 years old and weighing about 120 pounds - and yet, up he went.  There is a large beautiful building at the top of the mountain that has a museum in it as well as bathrooms, and a small outside restaurant.  Each day, employees and materials must be carried back and forth up and down the mountain.


This area is very well-known for a place to come and breathe. The air is supposed to be heavy with negative ions that are very beneficial to your health.  With the challenging climb up, I know I sucked in a lot of those ions.  Mags, I was thinking of you the whole time, and knew you would be singing beautifully from the mountain-top!  The Chinese traditions are very deep here, and almost all the mountain peaks or rock formations are named or have a story about them - much like native American Indians. Around the mountains, you can see arches and doorways that definitely look mystical and magical.  There are lots of caves everywhere, a beautiful river running through the area, and some waterfalls.

The river running through it...                                                                                                                      

Although the day was cold, we warmed up nicely with the hiking.  We were hungry and tired, and ready to head back for dinner.  Dinner and our evening excursions ended up being another wonderful adventure.

Hope you are all well!    Deb

Language Barriers

#1:  Dave, Mike, myself and our translator had finished a day of being together.  We had a car driver from the hotel, while we had been out for the day, Dave was trying to keep us located on the Fuzhou map to get a feeling for the city.  Since we ended up so close to Louie's (English name for our translator) apartment, we thought we would just drop him off and head back to the hotel.  Dave was now riding up front with the driver, and pointed to a place on the map and asked if that was where we were.  The driver nodded yes and continued on.  It became apparent in about 15 minutes that we were no longer on our way to the hotel, and in fact he was trying to take us behind some building - God knows where - to let us out.  Apparently, Dave's pointing to the map made him think that was where we wanted to go, instead of inquiring where we were.  Lesson learned:  if you can't speak the language, do not point at maps!

#2:  Being the fashion statement I am, and my hair driving me nuts, I decided to get a couple of inches cut off the bottom.  There is a nice salon in the hotel, and I found out that you never need an appointment - how convenient!  Karen's Mom went with me to clarify that I could charge the cut to my room, and  how much I wanted taken off- then she left.  So, it was myself and two Chinese hair dressers who are using hand signals and laughing to accomplish the work.  The shampoo area was wonderful, where I laid completely down while she gave me a massaging shampoo. Then off to the cut - and all was going well.  Before she finished, she noticed that my bangs needed a little shaping, and gave me an inquiring look to see if it was okay.  I nodded yes.  Well, she worked on my bangs as long as the rest of the hair!!  When she was done - Holy Asian Bangs!!  Daisy, if you are reading this- I will need an appointment as soon I get back!!  Lesson learned:  if you can't speak the language, do not get your bangs trimmed- especially before the wedding celebration on Saturday!!

Deb

Mountains and Springs

Beautiful temple!

Yesterday we took a wonderful trip to Gu (Gwee) mountain to visit a Buddhist temple.  This mountain is located just outside of Fuzhou with the temple at the top.  People walk up the mountain on trails or the winding road - either way, a very long walk!  This temple is over 1,000 years old and is very beautiful.  There were many different buildings with altars, statues and courtyards.  It is close to New Years, so people are visiting to burn incense and pray.  The day was cool and the air very still, so the incense just hung around us.  The statues were stunning and the buildings beautiful in the surroundings.

On the temple grounds

The monks live here and take care of the property - we wondered how they were staying warm, as the weather is unusually cold. We also took a walk back into the mountainside that traversed the area, finding small pagodas and old buildings. There was very old calligraphy on the rock walls as we walked along - so hard to believe how long ago this was done.  Some of the areas were just magical, almost like finding Shangri-la. 

Our interpreter took us out for a wonderful late lunch and then we asked to go to the store.  He took us to Sam's Club!  That was really fun, as it was crazy busy with people shopping for the holiday.  It also wasn't our Wisconsin version of Sam's Club!  They had huge tanks of fish - I mean huge fish - that you could pick out for dinner.  They would just catch it for you and cut it's head off and send it home with you!  How handy, super fresh with no fuss or muss! 

After a brief rest, we had a terrific dinner with Karen's Mom's family.  It was held at a great restaurant, and we had a private room with table settings that looked presidential!  The food was of the highest quality, but also tested my pallet!  I can now say I have eaten coagulated pigs blood and quail eggs!  Not sure if I will do that again!  It was a wonderful time getting to meet Karen's aunts, uncle, grandparents and cousins.  They went all out for us, and we certainly enjoyed every minute of our time together!  We were exhausted when we got back to the hotel, and immediately went to bed.

Today we took it a little easier, and went with Karen and Mike to one of the famous Fuzhou hot springs, spas.  We soaked our bodies in the heated herbal baths, as well as the mineral baths. The temps were up to 102 and felt great.  There were lots of people there, old and young enjoying many different pools and temperatures.  There was a milk bath, that was good for your skin, and cold baths, or even very cold baths - we did not bother with the cold ones, but Mike did!  It was very relaxing and we felt great when we left.  Back to the hotel for a glass of wine in the Australian Wine Bar - go figure! 

Tomorrow Dave and Mike and I are off to the Wu Yi mountains for 2 days. It is a 4 hour drive from here into the countryside.  Sounds beautiful!

Deb

Odds and Ends

It' about 4 am here and my clock is still not quite right- so I thought I would add a little more about China.  First of all, the women are so beautiful!  The flight attendants looked totally spectacular throughout the flight - beautiful hairstyles that didn't droop or change, and lovely make-up.  When we landed in Shanghai, it was very apparent that my fashion backwards style was the new grunge look!  For someone who does not follow fashion very well (as my daughter Kate might attest to!), even I could see the fashion forward looks here.  Amazing styles and crazy shoes were everywhere - on simply beautiful women.  It definitely made my comfortable "sweats" even more sweaty looking, especially with the added blood stains!  Good thing I could throw my coat over the whole mess!

Our hotel is called the Lakeside, and is just beautiful.  It sits on the West Lake which has parks and amusement rides and little boats on it.  We are on the10th floor, so we have wonderful view of this area and the hillsides around it.  Karen's father made arrangements for us to have a large suite with a living room and bedroom as well as a small kitchen area, washer/dryer, etc.  Our bedroom is huge - extra huge by Chinese standards - with full wall windows in both the bedroom and living room.  The hotel and this area caters to travelers and business people, so it has every amenity you could image.

Yesterday we ate lunch here in the hotel at the buffet.  It was a huge feast, but certainly a reminder that we are not in Kansas anymore!  My tummy was still adjusting, so I wasn't too brave, but Dave was going for it.  I really couldn't watch him eat the pickled octopus - a whole one (they are small) and it was red.  I stuck to rice and some other starches. I knew we had a family dinner that evening and I wanted to see if I felt a little better then.  Actually, at that meal I can report that I did eat fish lips soup!

We took a walk yesterday into an area called something like "3 streets and 7 alleys".  It is a historic district in the city that has been revitalized for tourists. It is beautiful, and hopefully  I can post a photo or two.  There are many interesting shops along the way with some tourist items, but other stores like local pharmacies.  We went through one pharmacy that of course only sold traditional remedies - Shirley, we were thinking of you!  It was a trip, with jars and drawers of all kinds of things.  A  lot of the big jars had things floating in them -  in some kind of a preservative.  It was definitely not your Walgreens, to be noted by the snakes and other critters in the jars.

Fuzhou is a city of about 2M, but the region is approximately 4M.  It is bustling with commerce and universities and is on the coast across from Taiwan.  The city is  south  of Shanghai and north of Hong Kong.  Although the weather is cold right now - 40 to 50's during the day, it is actually rather tropical looking with Banyan trees and palm trees.  The difference between here and Florida is the mountains also in the area.  Most of the homes do not have heat - fortunately, the hotel does.  Karen and Jack were going to stay at her aunts home, but it was just too cold!  Jack was in about 4 layers of clothes while he was there yesterday.  Even the restaurant last night was cold, and everyone wore their coats to eat - even the waitress was wearing her coat!  We drank lots of warm tea!

By the way - the ginseng got though just fine, but the cheese didn't!  Karen's grandfather likes cheese, and we bought some to bring along.  Unfortunately, those little blocks shaped like Wisconsin are still in our refrigerator at home!!

Nihao!

We have arrived in China.  There have been some technical difficulties in utilizing the blog page here,so I am sorry this is a bit behind. 

Not long before the notorious fall!

Overall, the trip was very well planned.  Flights were on time and all of our bags made it here!  Honestly, with all the luggage between the 5 adults and Jack, we looked like refugees relocating to a new country!  At check in at JFK, we were given the opportunity to have a full row of 8 seats for the 5 of us.  That worked out great, as had a little more room for Jack to play and stretch out in.  Somewhere over the north pole Jack finally settled into a good sleep laying on two seats with Karen and Mike on the ends - also dozing.  Dave was in a chemically induced sleep while Karen's Mom and I were reading.  Suddenly, there was this great "clump" on the floor as Jack rolled over and flipped off the seats.  Of course he woke up so startled that he was really screaming. Mike had grabbed him and I picked him up to sooth him and walk down to the back of the plane - Karen followed from the other side.   When Karen and I met up in the crew / kitchen area she said "oh, the blood!"  By then, Jack and I were pretty covered in blood from a cut on the back of his head.  When he fell, he had hit his head on the steel frame of the seats in front of them - no wonder he was screaming!  At that point, you never saw so many flight attendants in action.  There were medical kits popping out of everywhere and everyone talking at once.  Also, we had gathered a few other on-lookers who wondered why Jack was screaming so much. It was very dramatic looking with all the activity, and that Jack and I looked like we had tangled with a chainsaw!  By the time we were flying over Siberia, everything had settled down again and we made it to Shanghai.  Connections were a bit close as the original gate for our connecting flight was changed - but we arrived at the right spot as they were boarding the plane.  This flight also contained many children and babies, and while on our descent into Fuzhou they all started a crying chorus!  It was hysterical to have them start one by one - even sleeping Jack woke up and joined in. It was a snap picking up bags and Karen's father and uncles were there to greet us with cars to head to the hotel.  That trip took another hour, so we didn't arrive to our hotel until 2:30 a.m. It had been more than 24 hours of travel and we were pooped!!  Well, I'm off to bed now as it is10pm and we have been exploring, eating and trying to get on the right time zone. Tomorrow we have a full day planned,with our translator arriving at 9 am.  He is a professor of Foreign Languages here at the university, and a super nice guy. More tomorrow!
Deb