We went for a walk across campus one night. The haze turns the world into a Sherlock Holmes Mystery setting nearly every evening. Taking a walk in it fires the imagination. :-) In some of these I was experimenting with the camera. OH, the blue wall art is really black and white--the lights were blue.
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Saturday October 4, 2014.
The spa was just so nice that we ended up staying there until after lunch on the last day. After all that hiking and walking and exploring, we just relaxed and recuperated in the baths. Lunch was an elaborate affair, with some more delicious foods. Mom likes the wilted leaf dish, but I particularly appreciated the chicken and corn dishes. I ended up taking a photo of our lunch rooms door handles, lotus blossoms - isn't that cute? Afterwards, we hit the road again, this time headed home. We stopped at a small rest area and picked up some snacks for the 5+ hour long trip. There we got to see the locals roasting chestnuts that fall from the many trees decorating the mountain landscape. They had a giant roaster and were spitting them out; they sold almost as fast as they were made. We were apparently headed to see some really big, beautiful lake, but the directional misfortune struck again. Our bus driver was going merrily along when he suddenly jerked and started shouting in Chinese. The tour guide leaned out the window and they started going back and forth. Finally he turned back and told us that if we looked out the window to our right, we would see Henan's largest Buddha statue. Also, we were about 2 hours out of our way. Apparently the big Buddha was a sign 0_0 :p We headed back the way we came and went to a different large lake instead. We only stayed there about an hour, but that was time for a boat ride and to grab some pictures of the locals. Honestly, I didn't want to stay there too long just because it was pretty much a trash heap. China in general tends to be fairly littered, but this was AWFUL. So much trash that they were burning piles of it up and down the beach, and it still was covered in rubbish. Anyway, we stayed there and then entered the bus for the final journey of our trip. We made it back to Xinzheng at around 9:00, and finally graced our home-sweet-home apartments at last. It was a beautiful, amazing, oh-so-much-fun trip, and we are so glad we had the opportunity to join up. Of course, it's still alway good to be home again, home again :) Til our next adventures! Feel free to check out our new page "Faces of China"! Friday October 3, 2014. So after the harrowing "Fashion Hotel" we are off again. First stop was the Han Stone Engraving Museum. We are history nuts and L O V E D this place. We were only given about an hour here but it is the place we got our cool souvenir---a block print off of one of the actual stones!!!!! <3! It is a collection of the carvings saved and preserved from the ancient buildings. Henan is the birthplace of the Han Dynasty.
Next up was the Temple of the Marquis Wu in honor of Zhuge Liang a wise man and strategist. Here is information on him... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuge_Liang. We only had an hour but could have spent a day or two. This is the national holiday so families were out in droves. It was so fun. It is a national culture treasure place so the medallions were on sale and the guy would engrave your name on this one. WOOT! Liv now has 3 of them from different places. The guy Zhuge carried a signature crane feather fan so we got one of those for our fan collection. :-) There were ancient buildings and a very pretty garden are with a little pond with willows and a bridge. Next stop lunch. Hip hip hooray! Nanyang has a McD's. after the last two meals we all needed a break and the Good Lord provides! I have personally never been happier to eat at a McD in my life. Then the cutest little worker girls came around handing out tiny cones and taking our pictures. :-)) On the street were people selling TURTLES! and fishes--but the little turtles reminded me of the ones my brothers had when I was little. :-) Back on the bus and we are off----through more beautiful country to the Lotus Hot Springs Hotel. A SPA! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Love, LOVE, L O V E D this place. Oh yeah! We were filmed coming in and our rooms were on the water. That evening and the next morning were spent in hot pools and under massaging sprays. Calgon take me back! At dinner there was a floor show! Everything from a WWII anti Japanese Occupation Skit, local opera number, sax player, to a fancy sleeve dancing cross-dresser. Too fun! Dinner was really great. Liv tried a tiny sip of "firewater." 53% OH. Her face was priceless! :-)) A HOOT! Back at the room we were asked to join a game of Hand and Foot! We just made ourselves to home!!! :-) The rules were a bit different but it just felt right. Breakfast was a massive buffet with tons of stuff including sweet potatoes, green beans, mushrooms, rice and corn gruel, wilted lettuce, steamed buns and delicious fried bread. We don't have pics of inside the spa for obvious reasons, but there were sights to behold, trust me! ;-) Thursday, October 2, 2014.
After crashing at the hotel the first night, we woke up ready for new adventures. Breakfast was a quiet affair, with more or less the same food as the night before. Mom was lucky enough to get some coffee off the tour guide, but I had to hold out for soda :( Our first stop of the day was the Dragon Valley Pool Scenic Area, a beautiful park consisting of a series of cascading waterfalls and pools moving down the mountainsides. We were so proud, we actually made it up about 5 waterfall layers! (Quite the hike, let me tell you). But it was not quite as intense as the stairs the day before, so it ended up pretty nice. The waterside is covered with massive boulders and volcanic rocks that form this seam. The waterfalls and riverbeds are created by the shifting weight of the earth in this largely unstable volcanic area. The result is a stunning display. Sadly, you can tell how bad the southern drought is here in Henan by how little water was actually flowing. Nonetheless, it was enough for a gorgeous hike, and the greenness of nature was a refreshing breath after living in the city for a while. After leaving there, we stopped by a tiny roadside restaurant, that served us chicken heads and feet, rabbit heads, and slightly sick stomachs. Outside, several merchants pulled up in their carts hoping to sell to the foreigners. One of the children in our group kept running off with little trinkets, trying to hide them from her mom who wasn't wanting to pay. The mom was half terrified it would end in the arrest of an adorable, two year old, budding pick-pocket. From there we embarked on yet another hither, thither, and yon trip in various circles as we sought out our next stop (the Jade Market in Nanyang). In one little town, we hit quite the predicament. Some brilliant individual decided to dump a dumptruck of gravel right in a pile in the middle of the main street. It was already a one-horse type of road, and with our bus's big rear-end trying to forge through, we ended up with an entire town coming out to watch us navigate it. Overcoming that small obstacle, we began barrelling down the road again (as only Chinese bus drivers can). Only to run into a real one-lane road (the other land had work trucks lining it) with no way out and a semi coming head on. Backing up fast-paced ran us into cars behind us also racing to back up and the Semi refusing to slow down. We moved out of the way only for cars to start going around us and creating a 4-way problem in a one lane road. Basically, our tour guide had to get out and protect the bus with his body while forging a way. On we went, cruising through stunning mountains and beautiful valleys, until we reached the massive city of Nanyang. There we stopped by the Jade Market, a huge thing consisting of a thousand markets and stalls. Selling everything from jade necklaces to bloodstone rings to the leftover pieces of jade rock to entire rocks. It was honestly a little overwhelming. This market is where buyers come from all over the world to buy up large collections of jade for resale in their stores. Never seen so many jade bangles and buddha trinkets! Leaving the market, we headed for the 3*** hotel. 0_0 no words. This Fashion hotel was about 45 years behind in fashion and 60 years behind in a good cleaning. Probably didn't help that I counted 2 sex stores on the same block. People asking for clean sheets got unchanged pillow cases and dirtier sheets. It was so bad, many just refused to eat there and headed for street food (including the people who just don't do that). We washed the table off, and still didn't want to eat. One guy started sterilizing our silverware and dishes. It was BAD. Next morning, nobody ate there for breakfast. People got up extra early and for the first and only time on the trip, we booked it out of there on time. Thankfully, Mom and I dined sumptuously on moon pies and coke from the local convenience store :) October 1 2014 we left SIAS at 8:00ish. We headed out on a "Three Hour Tour (trip)". We went this way and that way and back thata way and thisa way! :-) At one point we went form a 4 lane interstate to a 2 lane road to a one lane road and stopped to ask a farmer--then backed up into his cart lane and turned around. :-) At 2:00 in the afternoon we got to the Laojieling Scenic Area WOW WOW WOW! BEA U tiful! Had lunch outdoors at a home/restaurant---was delish--based on the pen at the side wall, the chicken was quite fresh. The head came on the plate. :-P The guy went and picked us persimmons off the tree. SO good! They brought shelf fungi to show us what we had eaten. They were really good. The locals came to greet (see) us--very fun! Then the tourist tram went flying up the mtn.--best carnival ride EVER!!!! WHEEEE. We hiked up stairs for at least an hour and the sign said we were about 1/3 of the way to the top. Some of the group made it to the top, others went a little further and then took the granite slide back down--flying! We headed back down--my legs were literally shaking and burning--but I was still proud of myself! Some road the cable car. Then it was off down the Mtn. in the tram--WHEEEEEE!. There was a village of cabins with real Chinese laterns really lit! Breathtaking! Sadly we were flying by too fast for any pics. :-( On the way out the bus got caught up on one of the S curves--it took about 15 of the locals to consult on how to get us back on the road. :-)) We LOVE an adventure! First night was a 5 (count them *****) star hotel! If you think every Chinese meal comes with hot tea and fruit for dessert--think again. We learned right here to bring a bottle of water. The last course is usually rice--so you can fill up it you are still hungry. If you are a coffee drinker--BYOC!!! Just sayin. The SIAS guy in charge--Charley, saved me by sharing a couple of packets of his personal stash. THANK YOU Charley!!! Thank God for hard boiled eggs! It is what's for breakfast. Loved it all!
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Angela & OliviaAfter finishing law school, we are off to see the world! The adventure starts in China, Xinzheng, Henan to be exact. You are welcome to come along for the ride! Present Home!Archives
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