Parting words

For me, one of the greatest pleasures of travel has always been having someone there to share it with. God has blessed me with a fascination for small things. I don't know, I think it is a blessing, others may simply call it A.D.D., but for me it has always been the desire to see past the obvious and catch a glimpse at the otherwise unnoticed. Coming here on my own I was not sure that I could enjoy not having someone to turn to as I saw things unfold and say, "Wow! Did you see that?" or, "Can you believe this?"

Always having had my family members with me, I have always had someone to share in virtually every moment. One of our favorite pastimes is to sit around over dinner and someone will bring up something we did, or saw, or ate. We all chime in on the memory and laugh and have the best time. On this trip I did not have them. I have found that I turned a few times to say, "Look", only to realize I was alone.

This blog has been my new found love. I have taken extra care to pay attention to my surroundings hoping in some small way to shed light on what I am seeing. I have learned to 'be still' and take in the sights and sounds and smells all in an attempt to recreate it for others. Because I have been able to come back at the end of the day and jot my thoughts down, I have never really felt alone.

It has been another amazing chapter in my life. My life is not like one of those long novels that contains 100 pgs per chapter, instead, I read more like a Robert Patterson novel, 3-5 pgs per chapter. This was my interest is always kept and I find I venture out and try so much more. My experiences have been many and I often find myself being surprised at the end of the day as to how many I actually have in a 24 hour period!

I came here with fond memories of China. I knew I loved this place and wondered how being here on a non-tourist level would affect my feelings. I can say, with all honesty - that I leave loving this place perhaps a little more. I love the quite I found in the mist of a chaotic city, I love the peace I found in myself and I love the mystery and calm of the Chinese people. Their lives have been hard, they have suffered and they toil to get by - but I still hear laughter and see smiles (even if only among themselves).

I have made new friends, I have leaned much and I am excited to see my family. I am happy to get back to a 'free' country and to smooch my dog. Thanks to everyone who read along, dropped me a line once in a while and endured my food exploration. I guess it's as good a time as any to tell you all that I won't be returning to facebook when I get home. Although I have enjoyed it and reconnected with many an old friend, it became a bit of an addiction in my life. Being here without the availability of FB I realized how much time I had spent on it. I removed it from my phone and do not plan to frequent it on my computer.

Doesn't mean I care any less about anyone. As times call for reasons to get in touch I'll check in. For now I will refocus on my life, get the house in order and enjoy the few precious months we have with our boys. God really is GOOD. He alone has blessed me and given me so much. This is another one of those times. Thanks boys for surviving without me. Thanks Jim for selflessly giving so I could come. Thanks Connie for posting my blogs. I love you all.

*****the photos are scenes on the graffiti wall by my hotel ******

Last night

Well, 5 3/4ths weeks have flown by. We all knew it would and sitting here tonight realizing that in 24 hours I'll be airborne and on my way home just takes me almost by surprise. When I was in class, 8-15 hour days never felt that long. All that we were doing was enjoyable. I remember hearing, "One week down, three to go." Then before you knew it we heard, "Well, tomorrow is it folks." Wow. It is somewhat like my boys lives ~ I remember so many moments and it is all so vivid, yet when I think back it has been 21 years for Austin and almost 19 for Dalton!

I found myself very busy and yet very relaxed today. I never made it back to the Dragonfly for massage but I was shopping for some last minute gifts at the silk market and found a massage place. Before I knew it I had agreed to a foot and neck massage, a pedicure, a manicure and hand treatment and eyelash extensions. It was Fantastic! Four people working on me all at one. I was laid back in a comfy chair and for 2 - 2 1/2 hours it was blissful. I then finished my shopping only to leave with a new suitcase (a large one) to carry stuff home and discovered I had been there 7 hours!

I began packing and decided to just go have dinner. I went back to the sichuan place and feasted on Fried cow catilage (OMG! AMAZING), tofu & eggs, and sea slugs with pork. It was a delicious dinner. I will miss the variety of foods but i also need to get back to eating less :)

Walking home I was taking in the sights and sounds. It really made me kind of sad. Actually, very sad. I have learned many things on this trip. I learned that even though I am older I am still teachable. I discovered a new unlocked passion for learning and for teaching. I also discovered that I am stronger than I think at times. I know that if anything ever happens and I am alone that I will be ok. I know that coming here has made my kids wonder if I will abandon them in the coming years. I also know and actually always have known that Jim would jump right in with me and follow gladly on any crazy whim I would ever have.

I've no intention to abandon my family, but I do want to spend my latter years exploring and enjoying all there is around me. The thought of just growing old in a stagnant place does not please my soul. I see all the beauty that the Lord has created, and with His blessing I will hopefully have a lifetime of partaking in bits and pieces of what He has created. Thus far my life has been blessed beyond measure ~ I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Tonight as I was walking into my hotel Johan came up along side me. We stood out in the cool air talking. He is so darling. He just turned 21 and is the sweetest boy. He just gave me a hug and told me that he really loved me. It just broke my heart. I have really grown quite fond of several of these kids. His mom died 3 years ago and I really felt a special attachment to him. Being with him made me realize what I have waiting at home.

When I get back Dalton will graduate on April 23rd, therefore ending 14 years of home schooling. Austin will turn 21 May 2nd and in the fall both boys will be gone and it will just be Jim and I and the dogs. So much change is happening in my life. I think in a way I needed to come here because it is my happy place and I needed to have some time to reflect on my life and prepare for the new directions it is taking.

I feel settled. I feel at peace and I feel calm. I know I am ready for the future and I am blessed to have lived the life I have lived and I look forward to what is in store. This 6 weeks of quite has helped me to focus, to re-evaluate and to ground myself. In a sense I had to come 'home' to get there. China is where my heart is. It is where I feel at home. I refuse to think this is the last time I will be here. Whether I get to live here or not, I know I will be back. For anyone who has never felt like this, well, what I am saying sounds utterly foreign and crazy. But for those who do understand....well, I need not say more.

Random photos on a changing China

One thing I have noticed as I travel along are the new little random objects that are appearing around Beijing. Honestly, 20 years ago you would not have seen these. With the addition of new 'quirkismns' and changes in the way of life here - you also see so many time honored traditions melt away.

For instance, you see far fewer people walking around carrying their vegetables home to make a meal. More people are doing what I described last night and simply eating on the fly. Stopping at a vendor and snacking on their way to work. You will however see large tables of men eating together at night. Women are now finally being integrated into these dinners, but it is still usually just men.

I have only once or twice seen anyone practicing Tai Qi. It used to be the sidewalks were filled with people moving slowly, breathing, practicing their art form. In the late '80's, pool tables were set up in nearly any alley you could find. The automobile was still not prevalent and one lane of every road seemed to have a pool table. I have only seen one and it is in an American ex-pat bar on Sanlitun Street.

I miss seeing the old men walk around with their bird cages. I finally saw one yesterday. You used to see them walk in groups, all the while swinging these small bamboo cages that had a cotton cover over it. You could hear the chit-chatter of little birds, usually finches or canaries. I saw a couple hanging in a hutong window. The little water dishes that hang on the inside of the cage are porcelain and have beautiful orange coi painted on them.

I miss seeing children. I have only seen a few dozen (oddly) since I have been here, and I have been here a long time. The kids are what always made me smile here, they are just like kids anywhere ~ lively and fun.

Of course as I have mentioned, I miss the bicycles. I miss seeing the bicycle businesses as well. I have seen the mobile pet shop a few times though. There is a small flat bed on the back of the bike. On that flat bed is a 10 gal. aquarium filled with water and goldfish. He has plastic across the top. He has several different sized small glass tanks stacked inside each other. He has assorted rocks, a few plants and food. He then has 4-6 small cages with fluffy little snowball bunnies in them. He has a few turtles and a hamster. It is hilarious. He will stop and people buy their pets. (at least it deletes that smelly pet store odor)...

These may seem trivial, but they are so many of the things I remember about China. They are in such a hurry to westernize, it will be interesting to see what they are like in another 20 years.

Incredible, edible food

One thing that will stick in my memory is the vast amount of 'weird & unusual' foods that I have seen on this trip. In the past, since we have always been with a tour group, we have had our meals served to us as soon as our butts hit the chair. On this trip I have been able to sit for long periods in different restaurants and read through the menus and ponder the dishes served.

I have seen everything from duck tongues to donkey, snake to pig trotters, fish lips (really) to intestines, sea slugs to shark fin, fish heads to donkey of doing things stew. I have pondered that last one for a few weeks now. My best guess is that it was the work mule that they slaughtered.

They really do eat bugs, and the restaurants that serve live seafood always have a tank of these giant earthworms. They look disgusting. I have seen african horned frogs in tanks and watched the snails crawl to the floor, only to be thrown back in the tank to land in a dish soon after.

All the 'weird' foods that I wanted to try - I decided I really didn't need to try. I opted for unusual dishes that sounded appealing instead. Today I ate at a Dai restaurant. Dai people come from the Yunan Province and usually dress in really vibrant woven cloth, much like the Guatemalans. I ordered Yunan Rice Tea, Wild Truffle stuffed Meatballs and Tree Fungas Soup. I also got a bowl of Noodles with Beef and chili. OMG, all were delicious.

Tonight I ate at a Sichuan restaurant. WOW. The food was amazing. Yes, I DID order too much, but I wanted to try so many things. I ordered the marinated and slow cooked Pork. I also got a bowl of Fresh Tofu with condiments and a Roasted Papaya Soup. The pork is to die for! The tofu came with 8 condiments. The tofu was warm and the waitress fixed my first bowl for me. There was a chimichurri sauce, chili & garlic paste, some red sauce, cooked soybeans, pickled mustard greens, these little crunchy things, cilantro and scallions. You add a bit of each to the small bowl of tofu and mix it all together. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven!

Next I had a papaya soup. They add chunks of roasted papaya to a chicken stock, add kidney beans and black boba (tapioca balls). It was tasty, different - but tasty. Now my family knows I am a sucker for sesame balls. I saw it on the menu and thought I was ordering one. They showed up at the end of the meal with a basket of 5, all the size of tennis balls! Like I could eat that! I was stuffed before they came.

My meals hear have been fantastic. I don't have one that I wish I hadn't eaten. I have enjoyed street food and tried about everything I could get my hands on. I haven't been sick from anything but today my stomach has been on somewhat of a rollercoaster. I am just glad it is at the end of my trip and not the beginning....

I look forward to cooking again. I can see that if I ever move here I may not cook anymore. It is far too easy and way to affordable to shop on the streets and let someone else prepare your food for you. I am also thankful God gave me tastebuds. Because of them I have learned that I have found a love for many new flavors, and I also credit them for proving to me that I detest durian :)

We saw it coming

Well Jim, this one's for you...And Teri, and Larry, and Jo, and Stuart, and Ramona, and Kim, and oh my gosh - there are just too many to mention. This is how he is viewed here. Hmmm.....what do you think it is saying?

Houhai (oo-hi)

Incredible. That is the only word I can find to describe today, simply 'incedible.' I woke knowing I had less than 72 hours left in China. Talking with my husband this morning I couldn't decide what to do. Jim suggested I hire a guide again so I would have someone to talk to and could glean some information from. It was too late to do so, so - I grabbed my guide book and headed to the French Bakery for some 'white bread & coffee.' Aah, it hit the spot and gave me inspiration. I decided to spend the day at Houhai Lake and Park.

Hailing a cab and getting him to agree to take me there (this is always a major task), we headed off in search of what I was not quite sure. We were driving through town when all of a sudden he stopped and pointed. There in the middle of all of the skyscrapers and traffic was Houhai. It was beautiful! Immediately upon exiting the cab I was approached by a young man wanting to take me on a rickshaw tour of the lake area. I denied and kept on walking.

As I walked it became apparent to me that I had no idea where I was going. There are hundreds of rickshaws that are in constant movement around the area. Another young man approached, spoke in his best broken english and offered a ride as well. We bargained the price, agreed on a 2 hour tour and embarked on our wonderful journey.

Chun Qing was the drivers name. He sat me in the rickshaw, covered me with a fuzzy blanket, insisted on taking my photo and we took off. At every interesting site he would try his best to tell me about it. Most of them had plaques in shinese character and english. He always stopped so I could read. He told me how he liked Mike Tyson then acted like he was punching someone and biting their ear off :) He likes Michael Jackson and showed me The Michael Jackson Bar. At one stop a palace had been converted into a school. He stuck his fingers in his ear, spit out his tongue and shook his head. Later I read it was a school for the deaf.

We stopped at one point and walked down a hutong street. I went into a tea shop and the girl poured me some tea. He sat and watched patiently. I patted the bench next to me and he looked happily surprised. He came and sat with me and we tried many teas. We had Oolong Milk Tea that smells and tastes like milk! We had jasmine tea and fruit tea. We each doned our cup of fruit tea, took a big swig and puckered up like we had just eaten lemons. We turned and looked and each other and just laughed our butts off.

We drove all over the place. We saw men and women toweling off after a cold morning swim, we toured hutongs, courtyard houses and palaces. He showed me Jet Li's house and a kung fu school. It was an amazing two hours. When we finished I began walking and found myself re-tracing the route we took. It was good, it felt familiar and I had so much fun shopping, bargaining and playing. I was told again that I was "So hard on the seller", I am a "Too tough woman." I was told my eyes were beautiful (the Chinese and their damned wrinkle fetish), and a little girl took my photo because it honored her to do so. It was fun. I must have put on my 'Rock Star' clothes this morning.

I had a fantastic lunch and dinner which will be a separate food blog. I also watched as old men played heated games of dominos, chinese chess, ma jhong and poker. It was a hoot. The dominos guys slam them down on the table so you can hear it a block away. An old man was doing water calligraphy, one was playing the chinese violin while an old lady screeched out the song. Children were flying kites and I got to see the longest kite I have EVER seen floating in the sir like a dragon riding the wind currents.

The air had a slight chill but it was nothing like yesterday. It was calm, it was lively, it was beautiful and it will be embedded in my memory banks forever.

More pictures

Here are a few more shots worth talking about. One is a large porcelain vase discovered in the tomb when it was unearthed. Now the emperor was buried around 1670 I believe. When he was buried and before the tomb doors were closed, these vases were filled with sesame oil and had a copper tube with a large cotton wick inside. They were set ablaze and meant to be burned through eternity for him. I guess they weren't considering the lack of oxygen to inhibit the flame...When the tomb was opened, once the dark black smoke bellowed out that had been sealed in for hundreds of years, they found this vase 3/4 full of sesame oil.

Also, there are the shoes that were buried with Empress. Notice how small they are. Of course her feet were bound and she lived an existence of pure pain. When examining the shoes you will notice they are pointed at the front. Lotus explained to me how the big toe is left unaltered and the remaining toes are folded under and bound. The point allows for the toe to fit comfortably. Of course, the smaller the feet the more beautiful they were thought to be. These shoes were no more than 6" long!

Also, there is the marble coffin which encased the Emperor's body. There was one for the Empress and one for the house maid that the Emperor slept with once, got pregnant and bore him his first son. Although the Emperor did not favor her ever again, the Empress was happy to have what she considered a grandchild. She and the child were fond of the house maid. Well, I would hope he was, it was his mother. He had her placed in the tomb as a sign of gratitude. Also, the empress was allowed to die a natural death. Usually when the Emperor died they would feed his wife a wonderful meal, let her feast and then hang her. They would put her body in the tomb. He thought it cruel so he let her die a natural death. Big of him considering he still bound her feet!

There is also a marble door. It is huge. It glides shut following a marble hinge and there are two that close together to make an air tight seal. There are three sets of these marble doors on the entrance we came through, and I believe three more sets on the other entrance. I was able to touch behind them (the fronts are covered with glass now), and it was ice cold. Wow, amazing structure.

I think for fun I will also enclose a picture of the toilet at the restaurant. For anyone who has not had the pleasure to use a Chinese squat toilet ~ I don't want you to miss the visual. Now imagine that the floor is also very wet. This is actually a very 'upper scale' model. You can't even imagine some that I have used on this trip. And so you know, NO squat bathroom ever supplies toilet paper. You buy the nice little packages to keep in your purse. If you forget them, well - you get the picture.