Southwest China and Hong Kong

 

Time waits for no one, and time seems to be flying away for me!

Jack and I finished our classes up January 21st. Jack and Darrell - co-teachers for 224 writing students - spent the next 48 hours reading and correcting final exams!  They finished just in time for us to leave for a two week travel adventure in China and Hong Kong.

I loved to see the difference in living lifestyles, working lifestyles, and the vast differences of the terrain. The areas of travel included - Shanghai, Sanya (China's Hawaii), Shenzhen, Hong Kong (BYU training), Guilin, Lijiang, Dali, and back home to Jinan. Whew!

Shanghai is very modern, busy, hi-tech kind of place. One the other hand being in SW China (after Hong Kong) we were back into the minority ethnic regions of the country. Although there were things like internet, buses, etc. we were in the countryside and it was nice. The countryside is growing and people are accepting the 'western' ways, but by doing so they lose hold on some traditions that mean so much to them. They face the challenges our ancestors faced with modern transportation, education, and economic growth - more freedoms to move about, children moving away for school and/or work, tourism coming into their villages and trying to make these westerners feel more comfortable. Still, there are the very humble farmers using water ox for plowing the fields, pulling the carts, etc. Seeing what they go through to turn the fields and water the growing plants, just to survive and try and make a living, certainly makes you not want to waste one precious bite of food.

The Chinese are a beautiful people and we love being here!  Yes, it is A LOT of work - which you don't hear much about. It is kind of the behind the scenes that make the rest of the adventure all worth while.

We have experienced not only some beautiful adventures, but an outpatient procedure at the hospital, dental cleanings, and Chinese New Year/Spring Festival!  Before you worry too much, the outpatient procedure was to remove the pin in my toe which was placed four years ago when the bunion was removed and the toe straightened. It just picked now to start working its way out - so I just had it pulled all the way out :)  The procedure was sterile and the doctor was competent and I had an English speaking Chinese doctor with me to translate - interesting experience to say the least!

Next semester classes start on March 9th. Chinese New Year's Eve was Feb 18th. So, about 7:30am fireworks started to go off. At 8:30 we went up to the roof of the hotel and large fireworks were going off everywhere. At midnight Jack counted at least 18 different displays (most from roof tops) happening at once. Things were pretty quiet from 2am to 6am on New Years Day - when it started all over again. Each night since then still brings out the best displays.  We hope to make it to a couple of the parks to join in the festivities happening locally! New Year's/Spring Festival officially ends March 5th with the Lantern Festival. Today, Feb 24th, day time sounds like a war zone with fireworks still going off! Tonight is the last 'official' night of New Year - it will be interesting to see/hear what happens. Lantern festival will be March 5th - we are looking forward to that day!

An interesting fact our friends told us about - Chinese New Year is the biggest people moving time in China. Something like 3 million people move from city to city. That is like just about every person in America going to a different city on the same day. It is hands down the quietest time period I have seen Jinan. There are only 7 expats in the hotel, a security guard in the basement office, and one or two ladies in the lobby. Yup, kind of feels like the parents are away and the kids are left to play - with supervision. :)

We are enjoying the quiet time which allows us to start prepping our lessons for next semester, days to sleep in, have Jinan city adventures, and letting my foot heal. (It is really quiet - the campus is a ghost town, all the shops have been closed for 4 days and counting, and there is no one in the hotel except us expats!)

Spring is springing in Jinan. The birds are back, the trees are budding, the sun is shining! We hope you enjoy the pictures of our latest adventures!

Our Chinese students worry and worry about taking finals. They don't want to be anything less than 'perfect' in what they do. In order to help relieve some of their stress and to relax Prof. Jack sang and danced to Bob Marley's 'Don't Worry, Be Happy'! One of the students sent me this picture. All the students loved it and helped them. hmmm, unfortunately this is not a good photo outside the phone - Bob Marley is on the screen and Jack is in front of the chalkboard - let your imagination do the rest :)

Shanghai - China's largest city - Home to the commercial and financial center

Fabulous Friends and yummy dumpling lunch upon arrival to Shanghai.

 

 

A walk along the famous Bund promenade are on the Huang Pu river.

 

 

This picture is from the bus on the way to the river. The two buildings you see are both Holiday Inns - funny. And if you look carefully you see the elevated walkway above the cars. This was cool because it goes all the way around the very large intersection for people to walk on. Therefore no pedestrians holding up traffic. Pretty Ingenious! 

Pearl tower across the river. More pictures coming ;)

 



This is the Yu Yuan Garden area. It is in the heart of the Shanghai old city. Classic Chinese architecture with modern skyscrapers in the back ground. It was a great market to walk around and see all the artisans, modern shops, a window to watch them make dumplings, and Starbucks was even there.

 

 

The making of my pearl necklace! Thank you Jack!

Tying knots in between each pearl.

Great job! I love it :)

Dumplings or a near cousin being created

The lights coming on at dusk

It was a fun little market.

 

The next day we went to the Shanghai Grand Museum. Very interesting place! So much to see and admire

One side of the entrance were up/down escalators, the other side walking stairs. We thought it looked kind of neat.

 

 Beautiful art work. There are many, many more which would be impossible to post. Some of them are hundreds of years old.

Jade Carvings - these are hair ornaments

 

How would like these little guys protecting your bath?

A jade vase for flowers or a place to store your calligraphy brushes

 

There were also many carvings on stone, wood, and jade which were the particular symbols and/or signatures of individuals. The red stamp below is what is carved on the bottom of the turtle.

 

 

These next few pictures are in the financial district of Shanghai. This is the plaza area outside the Pearl Tower.

Well, now I have to figure out how to rotate the photos!  We tried to get Jack 'holding' the Pearl Tower - but no such luck. It was a fun day and an amazing trip up!

 Our personal elevator greeter with a big paw welcome

 At the top there is a 360 degree Plexiglas walkway. A little intimidating and scary to walk out on especially when it creaked just a little in the wind. Here is a better shot of the intersections we saw everywhere, with the elevated, circular pedestrian walkway.

 I thought it would be fun to lay down on the ledge and have someone take a picture so we could be
'floating' in the air - but sitting was about as brave as I was this time.... :/

 

 

Upon reaching the ground floor we went into an amazing wax museum of the history of China. They have done a really great job in representing the real life history.

 

This one is wax figures BUT I see these in most hair salon shops :)

Next stop Sanya, Hainan Island - compared to Hawaii. Sanya is the southern most city in China. Very tropical. There we enjoyed a trip to Monkey Island, Tian Ya Hai Jiao - End of the Earth and Edge of the Sky. This is beautiful park with white sand beaches. Because it is the southern most place the Chinese Emperors could travel it was called 'End of the Earth and Edge of the Sky' because that is all they could see. I enjoyed my walk along the beach with my feet in the water.

Here we go, to Monkey Island. We took these boats across the canal. You can see, in the upper right, sky trams - however, the line was too long for our guide - so on the boats we go!

Upon arrival we waited in line to catch a golf cart on steroids to the park entrance.

There are hundreds of Rhesus Monkeys that live on the island. The park is a small sanctuary for them. They are monitored and when they are naughty they go into a time out cage.

Two cute girls that were part of the show hostess. They were happy to take a picture with me but a little shy.

For 10 RMB ($1.50) we could have monkeys sit on our heads with peanuts as rewards. The monkey on Jack's lap never made it to the top, while the one on my head was happy to be chillin'.

Lots of mommies and babies

Part of the show. They seemed to treat these monkeys with care and respect. The other show I wasn't as happy about the trainer, but I don't think there are many animal rights here.

Ah, here we go - chillin' and curious George

The true symbol of love - eating all those little critters out of your hair. I was surprised they would let us get close enough to see them. I did notice there were limits on how many people they would tolerate watching - they would just get up and leave if too many of us stopped.

Someone left a coconut drink, this little gal stole it and hid behind the tree enjoying it all to herself!

 

A nice relaxing afternoon at the public beach.

Jack and Ed Kirkpatrick deciding when to go diving!

This is early in the season of visitors. Not to crowded. We found a nice shaded table under the trees to visit with other teachers. We did have to buy a juice drink - Mango - well, little mango and lots of water - Hey, it was cheaper than renting a chair and umbrella for the sand :)

Kites!

 

That night we wandered around the night market. Very busy!

 

 

The next day - Tianya Haijiao Park

Edge of the Sky and End of the Earth

Here we are:

Marvin, the best tour guide ever! and his wife, Betty, and their daughter Youyou are in the front left to right. Betty is looking to study in the US - actually closer to home, Tacoma!  I am excited they will be living close to us :)

 

 There he is - Jack, who walked to the end of the earth for me!

These are the rock/boulders the emperors would carve on when they visited this place hundreds of years ago. The interesting part to me was these rocks here in the first place. Walking along smooth, beautiful white sand beaches then all of a sudden out of nowhere one of these huge rocks are just there. No real mountains around for them to roll down from - so how did they get there??

Ahhh.....

Lots of families enjoying the time together. You can see one of the rocks in the back ground randomly placed along the beach.

 China Tour Guide website explains this about the park,

According to legend, once upon a time, a young couple form two hostile clans fell in love and ran away. They ran and ran, until they see the endless sea and sky here. And they thought this was the end of the earth. It is right here, at "the end of the earth", that they swore their love--forever faithful and never separated. Constantly pursued by troops from both clans, they were forced to jump into the vast sea.

People believe that the lovers later changed to two huge rocks, which stand facing the sea. Moved by the loyal love between the couple, today, many lovers come here to swear their love all over again.

 

Great lunch following a great morning

Back to the public beach - yup - they went diving. A most unusual experience for them both. Suited up, went out to the boat, jump in the water with your dive instructor, then pulled along like a sack of potatoes. Not really a dive - but they did see some amazing sea life!

 

One more site - I know you have always wondered where the contestants stay for the Miss Universe pageant, right?  Well, right here in Sanya at this very exclusive hotel and condos.

 

 

 

We ate a steak and potato dinner at the hotel with some of our friends. The sweet girl in the front middle worked very hard to make sure our orders were right, we were happy, and helped figure out the check. She was working so hard with her English and was exhausted when we were finished. She was very happy to have such success with all these Americans!

 

Next stop:  Shenzhen

 

 

 We arrived in Shenzhen and headed right to the Splendid China Park and Folk Village. If you have been to the Polynesian Culture Center in Hawaii you will know what this park is like. Several of the ethnic minorities have stations in the park where they show their history in handicraft, music, dance, and food. The day was not long enough to see it all - I feel another trip coming on!

 Entrance down to the main park

Beautiful Chinese flute player. She made it look so easy. I almost bought a flute  but then what?

 

 

Our favorite - Mongol horse/war show!

Ah...and the horses!

 

  We loved our time in the park...wait there is more!  There was a miniature China with all the famous land marks and some terrific shows!

 

Temple of Heaven- showing the inside and the outside with the walls  

Tiny Figures of what they used to wear at the Temple of Heaven

Terra Cotta Soldiers - they look big, but not as big as the originals

 

The Empress' Summer Palace - It was cool to see the whole place as one instead of walking and seeing parts. The miniature China was amazing!

 

These are some of the pictures from the shows we were lucky to watch

 

 

 

HONG KONG for BYU Training

We had a wonderful experience in Hong Kong. It was a breath of fresh air. Very western, clean, and fun. Although they drive on the wrong side of the road, they stop  for pedestrians in the crosswalks :) We had to be very careful when we got home because they don't stop for pedestrians in crosswalks!

 

It was very easy to get around on the subway and buses. We enjoyed walking the streets around the hotel seeing the sights. I didn't get a picture of it, but Jack was stopped on the street by a Buddhist Monk. He was rubbing beads on Jack's forehead, putting on necklaces and bracelets, waving his arms and clapping his hands. It caught us by surprise. When we tried to get the beads off Jack the monk only held out his hands for money. We were successful and returning all the beads.

 

We had the opportunity to gather at the Temple, then meet with Elders Gong, Wong, and Weaver. Marvelous uplifting time with these wonderful men.

 

The meetings we had with BYU China Teachers director, Jeff Ringer, and Co-directors, Jamie, and Geneil Ballentine was exceptional. It was also good to be back with the group of individuals we trained with in Provo. Many good friendships have been formed.

 

My only wish when we got to Hong Kong was find a Mexican restaurant, which we did! Oh, and a great Chinese laundry did our wash :)

 

 

Hong Kong Temple - Such a beautiful place. The sign on the outside of the wall reads 'these gardens are always open' - so inviting!

The BYU Teachers programs treated us to a yummy, yummy lunch at Dan Ryan's - Chicago style!

The most interesting building I could see!

The ferry that goes across the bay

Nightly laser light show! Very well done ;)

Found a hip hop competition going on at the pier

On our say to Stanley atop the double decker bus. Beautiful beaches and much quieter.

The fishing boats in Stanley

Love locks

too great of a picture to pass up. She was putting out fresh flowers for the day.

 Classic Chinese fishing boat

At the city park there was a play area for families and dogs.

Yummy waffle!

Beautiful beginnings to the sunset as we returned back to town.

Ah....happy taste buds - Mexican food at last!

A very crowded subway on the way to church Sunday and our dear friend Mary.



 

 

Farewell to Hong Kong and a warm welcome to the SW China Tour - Places included Guilin, Lijiang and Dali. 

 

 

We even found an 'Andy' dog - good memories! 

 

 

Guilin and the Li River Cruise!

These are the boats they use for the cruise. We were served a lovely buffet lunch. 

The boat drivers drive like the bus drivers do - very close to each other....

close enough we go to see what was for lunch on the boat in front of us!  :)

In this area they use bamboo for a lot of things, including mini rafts for fishing or going from one side of the river to other.

This is a classic fishing boat on the river. One like this pulled up to the boat in front of us where they delivered part of the menu for lunch.

These are scenes from the Li River and the small communities along the river. Some little villages have been in the same place for 500+ years.

It was a typical low cloud kind of day. When we see pictures of the Li River in print and art we always wondered if the fogginess of the landscape was the artist's own interpretation. It turns out it is really how it looks in real life! The mountains are made of limestone.

Farming on the hillside - the plastic is covering the trees for a greenhouse effect.

On the back of the Chinese 10 Yuan is the very 3 mountains Jack is posing with :)

We have landed in the small city of Yanshuo - Everyone does what they can to earn a buck or two. One of the fisherman had two of his cormorants you could take pictures with - So, the inner fisherman in Jack came out and posed with the birds!

Yanghuo gazebo near the river with entrance from the city street.

The city streets and market. It was very peaceful here and quiet in the midst of the mountains.

A vegetable garden in a small village outside the city. They plant right around the mountain.

Surprise - Guess that is what happens when Jack asks another to take a photo of us...  :)

Water buffalo are used to plow the fields and bring in the harvests

Canola flowers grown for fertilizer at the end of the harvest.

The night market. It was fun. Although the city was much smaller than we had been to we were warned to be extra careful and be aware of pick pockets. Jack had a guy following him for some time. He finally turned around and asked, 'can I help you' they guy caught off guard said, 'no, I am only looking at your amazing shoes.'  uh-ha

Several women were sitting at looms making scarves or wraps. It was amazing to watch them. Skill handed down though generations still at work.

These young men were beating a mixture of something that was then cut into squares and sold. It was pretty good - it tasted like oats with some peanut butter and a little vanilla flavoring.

These are the cormorants fishing at night. The birds are bought and trained by the fishermen. At night the birds do all the fishing. The light on the front of the raft brings out the curious fish, the birds (now with a ring tied around their throat) dive into the waters and bring the fish back to the raft.

Then, of course, because we were on a tour, we docked and those that wanted to could hold the cormorant - for a price. Of course, it was worth it! When am I going to every have a bird this big sit on my arm?

The next day we took a bus back to Guilin and visited the Reed Flute Caves. At first I thought I would be too claustrophobic to go in, but was pleasantly surprised to find them very open with plenty of air for us all. Years and Years ago no one knew about the cave. When there was a war or uprising the people in the village would move into the caves and live for months without being involved in the war. Finally about 25-30 years ago (if I remember right) the village showed the government. Now it is open to the public. They have added in lights to make it very beautiful.

This is the Crystal palace of the Dragon King. It is a large grotto opening in the middle of the cave. Overhead they would show an animation of the legend of the Dragon King. The picture below shows a 3D image of dancers - you can see them on the right side of the blue image.

Here I am with Mary - we had a great time being last in line - less people that way :)

Almost done with this amazing adventure....keep reading, or take a break and come back. I know that is what I did when putting this together - there is so much!

Travel now with us to Lijiang - (yes, I feel like I spent as much time in the air as I did on the ground).
This is Black Dragon Pool park. Very beautiful and serene. Spring was popping up much earlier in southern China. The trees were budding and flowers were in bloom. Made me feel right at home with the Camilla bushes in blossom.

 These are the sweet retired people cleaning and landscaping. Notice the basket on her back - this part of the country these baskets are the mode of transporting all kinds of things around in them. This area is also more of an ethnic minority region.

These individuals were out doing their dancing/exercise. It was fun to join in with them, and they were kind enough to let us take their picture!

 This mountain is called Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Very majestic! We could see it from almost everywhere in Lijiang.

 This little guy was doing homework in his mother's shop. They are shy and almost smiled for me to take his picture. :)

 This carving is from one tree trunk. The work was intricate and beautiful. It is part of the museum in the Park.

 A Zodiac Sun dial inside the museum.

Up next - Dali - my favorite stop, one of them anyway...
We went into the old village of Dali. This little gal was cooking up some great looking hash brown patties. Too bad we had just eaten a huge lunch.

 Here are her grandmother and probably mother doing the same thing.

 Some of the villagers still carry water to water their crops. It was some distance to the ditch. They are survivors - doing what they must to make their life sustainable.

 These two little girls were having a great time on a homemade swing. Very, very shy. We couldn't get them both to look. They giggled and giggled when we tried.

 This woman is doing her laundry near her garden and the ditch with water.

 A story in every face. If you can zoom in, take a look at the wrinkles on her face. She was so sweet I couldn't resist asking if I could take a picture. She motioned for me that I could but I needed to buy something. So I bought some sunflower seeds. She was then all to happy to smile. I wish I could get her story, the things she has seen, the changes in the country, and in the way of life. I am sure it is an amazing life!

 This family is a little 'staged' for the tourists. They show how to make tofu. They actually make it for the people at the markets who cook it up for the villagers and tourists. This is a typical grandmother who cares for her grandchildren while her children work. She toted this little guy around while doing her job.

 Here we are at another market. Always something fun to do. More birds you can see. Have never had one of these sit on my shoulder before - not even at the zoo. And it is a living for some, own the birds and entertain the tourist for a price.

 Beautiful faces - beautiful people!

Whew....made it through an action packed two week adventure. Sorry it took so long to posts. Sometimes the internet was fast and I could cruise on through, other times not so good.



Upcoming adventure in April is the Yangtze River cruise - stay tuned!