CHINA, THE END

         Well, the trip was over. From Shanghai, after the rest of the party returned, we flew from there to Narita Airport in Japan and then on home. John and I hadn’t made any arrangements to get from Sea-Tac to home. John sprung for a taxi which was about $45 back then. Didn’t matter, we were tired, we wanted to be home and in our very own house and bed.

One topic I did not address was the traffic. You know how we mark our roads and there are lanes and you stay in your lane? Well, they may mark their roads, but no one stays in any one lane. If you are in the center, then you can usually go the fastest. Then there are however many lanes can fit between there and the group of motorbike riders. Sometimes those are several bikes wide. Then, you have the bicycle riders, lots and lots of them, who are several or more bikes adjacent each other. I would no more try driving in China than I would jump off a building and expect to fly. Of course, there is a sidewalk for the walkers, but I’m not sure I’d feel too terribly safe. One afternoon, I swear the only way our bus was able to move was that the driver had smeared Crisco down both sides…that’s actually how close were on each side. Absolutely amazing…and scary.

Then, there’s the fact Beijing was preparing for the Olympics in 2008. Lots of building going on. We say the “nest” building which I think is where the opening and closing ceremonies were. We were also told they would build in the space of the next two years three subways to move people about…THREE…3…, and we can’t even get a fast train here in a reasonable amount of time. 

Now there are some things I left out of the previous posts, either because I didn’t remember where and exactly when. So, I’m looking back at the photos today and posting either the photos I really liked or photos of whatever it was I forgot.

            I loved this rocking chair. It was on top of a roof in Lijiang…made me chuckle.

          In Lijiang, they don’t remove the trees, they just build around them.

            Notice the painting, rockwork—no mortar, window screens and roof.  Someone’s home.

           This is a photo of the work I requested. In Naxi it is supposed to say something like Haley Autumn, beloved granddaughter. I thought I put the meaning on the back of the frame, but it seems to have disappeared.

            I chose this photo of one of the couples on the trip, mainly so you could see all the food on the lazy Susan.

           Everyone in China has a job. This woman was sweeping the side of the freeway with a homemade broom. We were also told not to provide beggars with any money whatsoever. The government takes care of them and they don’t need it. Let me tell you, there were some sights I’ll never forget…what appeared to be a father holding a severely crippled child and begging. I wanted to empty out my bag. It wasn’t the only instance of begging with children and I wondered sometimes if the parent, if that’s who it was, had deliberately injured or taught the child to look so horrible…only word for it. Our guides made sure we kept to the rules.

           These are tree stumps that an artisan(s) carved and changed to create what looks like either a turkey or a peacock in the first photo.  There’s a bird’s head in the low middle of the second photo, but I couldn’t decide if it was a peacock or something else.

           I loved some of the people we saw and took photos when possible.

           Shanghai and the Pearl Tower from the Bund.

           Building in Shanghai…no tools like here. John and Buck couldn’t believe the scaffolding was bamboo and the building was many stories high.

           Electricity is very expensive, so you see sights like this all over Shanghai. Clothes are washed using a washer and then hung outside your apartment on a line until dry. We saw all kinds of clothing.

Needs no explanation.

Chinese language translated into English often made me/us laugh. The ones that caught my fancy are here.

And, there you have it, a 17-day trip to China with two of those days spent travelling to and from. And, may I say the International Date Line still confuses the hell out of me. I know it’s supposed to make sense and probably does, but it’s just really hard to wrap my head around the fact that in one second, it’s Tuesday and the next it’s Wednesday or whatever days it happens to be when you pass over.

I’d also like to add a few more comments about the trip. It was the best trip ever…the trip of a lifetime. All 16 people were agreeable and fun and I believe we all enjoyed each other. There were also banquets and I mentioned a couple of them. We only had to dress up for the last one which was in Shanghai. In addition, the Chinese give you stuff. I have a couple of dishes hanging on my wall which were gifts. Each night, in most hotels, there were papercuts on our pillows. I framed five of them and they hang on my wall...just noticed the multiple colored ones have faded. We also bought money cats. Supposedly if you put one of these by your entrance, you’ll receive money…still waiting!!! (photos below)

So, that’s it, as much of it as I can remember. I’m sure there are many more files housed in this old 286, but they haven’t managed to rise up to the surface so I can access. Maybe I’ll have to do an addendum if something really interesting comes up. And, if you want to spend time with my scrapbooks and photos, let me know.