March 26, 2012 The great Wall is very high...

A very busy day....and without mary. She woke up with a sore throat and a cold and decided to heal in the hotel today...it was so hard to leave her behind...Went to the Great Wall of China first. It is very hard to describe its' impact..very steep, many many many steps up to the highest section of these part of the wall. Steps are very worn, huge grooves in them. Steps are very uneven in height, some were one brick high and some 5 bricks high. That's what make it a difficult climb. I must admit that I didn't quite make it to the top. I only had one more set of steps but I was exhausted. Went to a Jade factory next and learned how to determine whether it is real jade...If the jade is cold to touch, then it's real. I didn't know there were so many colours of Jade: purple, yellow, brown, blue, red, black and of course the various greens we're familiar with. Went to a cloisonne factory next and saw how it was made...copper pots are banged and shaped byhand. Small copper wires are twisted into shapes and patterns and then fussed to the entire side of the pot. Then powdered enamels are applied (with watered glue) in between the wires in enough layers so the wire is even with the layer of enamel. Then it's fired. Had lunch in the cloisonne factory and then had time to shop . Took the bus to the most ancient part of Beijing where the people still live like they did 100 years ago...it's Manchurian. Took a rickshaw to an individual's home and got to talk to the family about their lives  and see their home. Very small, very primitive. Street sellers were very agressive here. Took a rickshaw ride back to the bus and went for Peking Duck dinner. The duck pieces were wrapped in a pita like bread and coated with a sauce. it was good but now I'm getting fussy as I 've eaen so much great food. I guess it was built up too much. Came home to see mary sitting in the lobby at our favourite computer spot. She's OK, still blowing her nose profusely but really glad she stayed home. we're off to another Temple of HeavenWinter, a 300 year old pharmacy and a zoo to see Panda's. Our bags are to be packed by 7;30 am and left outside our doors to be picked up because we're heading to Xi'an by plane tomorrow afternoon after our visit to the zoo. Yahooey1  

March 25, Seeing how the other half lived during the Ming Dynasty

In Beijing..interenet intermittent..off on a tour. We solved the internet problem...yesterday was a travelling day..arrived , ate dinner and settled into our hotel. it's a 5 star....nice. Ate a buffett breakfast (had a western style one0 got on the tour bus for the Forbidden city. I have taken 8 pages of notes today. Our tour guide, June, has lived in beijing all her life. i have decided to do a photo album with notes for our trip when we get home. We arrived at Tian'anmen Square first. I must admit we were a little teary eyed. Massive and 80,000 people visit daily. Next to it was the moseleum  (sp?) for Mao...didn't go in because the Chinese line up for hours each day to see him. Behind this building is the Forbidden City..named because it was forbidden for any Chinese to enter the gates. it was only for the Emperor, his family and the 3000 concubines! If you went in, you would be beheaded. it was finally opened up to the people after Mao set up the Republic of China. It was used as the set for the movie, The Last Emperor. It's massive, 720,000 square feet., courtyard after beautiful courtyard after courtyard. Visited the emperor's Summer palace which is two thirds bigger than the Forbidden City but 80% of it is a manmdae lake to cool them down. Visited a famous tea House (Margaret Thatcher loved it), the Beijing Olympic 'bird's nest' stadium . Crowds were huge. Had another fantastic meal but both have colds so we're signing off.

March 23, 2012..adventures on Hong Kong Island

Today we started the day eating the Market breakfast in the Hotel...not as exotic as in Bangkok but there was pasturized yogurt...yahooey..first one since we left home. Walked down to the waterfront to go to the Art Museum..had to use underground walkway to cross the street..cool. Passed the Science Centre and a cultural centre where wedding receptions are held...saw three beautiful brides today. Entrance to the Museum was inexpensive ($1.30 Canadian) which is such a surprise here. Saw a special global exhibit of 'strange creatures'. Saw pottery, wall friezes, costumes, coins, artworks etc from around the world and as early as 900B.C. to 20th century. These creatures are the mythical creatures, demons and animals. Fantastic exhibit...not very big though. The contemporary exhibit was closed so we went upstairs to see a single Hong Kong artists' life work. His medium is watercolour and inks. Conceptually he tries describe, movement and rhythms in dance and music. His work was somewhat abstract and minimal. We also saw a short film about his work. Like it very much. Went back to the hotel to get ready for the tour to the island that our travel agent in Vancouver had arranged for us. 'Rex' picked us up at 1:20 , bus was almost full, picked up two more hotel groups and we headed towards the tunnel that is 8 stories under the water and 2 kilometers long that would take us over to Hong kong Island. $ stops for the tour; A trolly ride up a very, very, very steep mountain called Victoria peak, a boat tour of all the fishing boats and yachts at the Victoria harbour, a tour of a jewellery factory (Dynasty Inc...a publicly owned company) and the Stanley Open Air market. The view from Victoria Peaks was out of this world. Because we had travelled down the canal in Thailand, this was much the same extreme contrast between extremely wealthy and the extremely poor. Jewellery factory was interesting but expensive...received a 20% discount coupon upon arrival...:) salesclerks were quite aggressive but we came out empty handed. My lovely husband has bought me all the pearls I need! Open air market was similar to what we had seen before in China but it was avery wealthy area of hong kong (passed Jackie Chan's house) so it was interesting. We went back to the Hotel and ate leftovers from our massive and delicious meal at the Sheraton Hotel last night. Will get ready for our flight tomorrow. walked 12 km today!

March 22, 2012 Look out Hong Kong!

It was a good but teary goodbye today. Martine and Roy our lovely hosts could open up a B & B and tourist centre. We have been so well taken care of. We wouldn't have seen a tenth of what we saw (ate and did) if we had been on our own. Thanks to you for sharing your home, hearts and China experiences. Took a cab to the train station. It's the first time a cabbie hasn't turned on the meter. I asked him but he didn't turn it on...paid more than I should have but it was still cheap. We asked a few people in uniforms where our waiting room was (we already had our tickets and they're assigned seating) We were two hours early but we read...it went by quickly. Boarding was actually 45 minutes ahead. We had to go through customs,no problem. The train was very similar to a C.N. passenger train. Comfortable, lots of leg room. All announcements (on the Metro too) are in Cantonese, Mandarin and English) Lots of English signs. Train left right on time and arrived a little less than two hours in Hong Kong. a friend of Martine's had written out the name of the hotel for us in Chinese characters so we could show the cabbie. If the suticases don't fit in the trunk (Craig would love this) they just let them hang out. The second cabbie bungie corded the trunk. we hoped we didn't hit too many bumps. (The airport had a huge McDonald's and KFC, huge favourites) Some things never change. One women's washroom was closed for repairs so there was a huge line up at the other one. Guess what...our first toilet seats in a public washroom since we left Bangkok! I don't know what to do!!! Every building id very close to the streets. Lots of bellboys when we got to the hotel. Check in went well. The room is VERY small. Two double beds and a little desk. The washroom has beautiful marble tiles but looks a little old. Nothing is included in the room (as it has been everywhere else (Wireless internet is $38 HK dollar an hour..$4.94 Canadian, water is $28 HK dollars for a very small bottle $3.64 Canadian) We'll find a 7 eleven. We're going t head out to dinner and sort out the evening.

March 21, 2012, Beijing Pedestrian mall and spicy shrimp.

It seems like all we talk about is eating and shopping but they are both forms of experiencing this culture. Mary's morning was spent in a meeting with Martine and Holly discussing three papers they are writing. I ventured out to the ATM. (Roy, my new 'banker' is selling me Hong Kong money with Chinese money.) We had been advised to bring American money but in their experience, the local money is easier Since we have added a day to our Hong kong experience, we need more anyway. Now I have a third exchange rate on the back of the little calculator Roberta gave me. Roberta...I couldn't have lived without it! Thanks! I also walked to Park N Shop to purchase replacement sundries for our hosts. After lunch Roy went to teach at the university and we (including Holly) travelled on the ( you guessed it...) the Metro to go to the Beijing Pedestrian mall. We were still in the district of Tianhe, Guangzhou  but the mall is named Beijing. For the first time we don't have to worry about crossing the street. In China pedestrians are the lowest transportation class so even if we have permission to walk (green walking person) cars, bicycles, motorcycles and scooters will turn the corner very quickly and ignore us. We became very comfortable holding up our hands in front of the oncoming traffic in order to cross. In this outdoor street mall, the streets are closed off for blocks. We can cross with ease. We saw the most incredible piece of history. In the middle of the street are several excavations (glass windows in the ground) that reveal original roads from the Ming dynasty. I took lots of pictures of advertisements...so western and massive and never ending. We always people watch. All the girls are wearing my shoes from the 70's and 80's...high heels and wedges...I've never seen such exotic shoes.  Craig...I have used my pedometer every day since we arrived in bangkok. It just zip it into my pocket. Only one day have we walked less than 10 km. Today we walked 16 km. Mary bought the most incredible shoes ($22. Canadian) Think of a pair of slip on Merrills except they the top is woven and shocking pink with a few lins of geen and blue. She wore them immediately for the rest of the day and they were extremely confortable. We travelled back to the university to pick up Roy and two colleagues we met earlier, Tierry and Claude, and went to eat spicy shrimp. Again, heads tails and shells were still on. To eat them, you used the chopsticks to tightly clamp over the tail and head and then you just bit off the middle, shell and all! Wonderful! I have become quite at ease with my chopsticks...mary was already experienced with them before we arrived. Both of us have been healthy...knock on my head!. I expected to see lots of people with paper face masks but Martine told ut they wear them when they have a cold, not to protect themselves from pollution. So many misconceptions....came home, re-adjusted the suitcases again. We leave tomorrow morning for 2 days in Hong Kong. We will be sad to leave our wonderful hosts but are excited about this third leg of our adventure.

March 20, 2012 Day 2 of ceramics...yahooey!

We ate Chinese breakfasts at the hotel...some things i recognized..hard boiled eggs, rice and 'ham' slices but then was a large leaf wrapped rice and chicken dish, two different kinds of buns that were deep fried, one bland and one was sweet and some circular jelly. Packed up, caught a cab for a much shorter back streets ride to the Nangeng kilns. Saw a car accident (surprised we haven't seen more) between a bus and a big truck...just a fender bender. (If the street is 4 lanes, the Chinese will make it six lanes!) Started in the back alleys behind the kilns and visited many many ceramic shops. They are mass produced and massive! I found some small hand made vessels that were put on the sidewalks in the front of the shops as if they were seconds. There weren't many but I scooped up a few. Mary and I both bought some souvenirs and Martine and Roy bought a large pedestal sink (bowl and stand), a large T-pot and  very unusual planter which we had to carry home. We finally ended up back at the kiln. It's 50 metres long and was built in 1535. The sign says it's been used daily since then but it didn't seem hot. Fuelled by wood.The entire compound included the kiln, many little shops, a large classroom that could accomodate about 300 students, a large exhibition space that had housed an international Pottery exposition in 2011, as well as numerous decorative wall features. There was a large wall (15' x 25') of hanging clay pots ( 16" x 2') that served as a waterfall. There were numerous figurative sculptures of animals, religious figures and contemporary figures. There were many huge ceramic friezes ( 20' x 100') in all genres. There was an entire wall of the classroom of 6" x 6" tiles handmade by students. It was visually stunning. As we neared the gate the doors of a contemporary pottery gallery were partially open...it had been closed on two other occasions but I took advantage and headed in. I stopped at the table at the front and perused some pottery catalogues and magazines when a man approached me and pointed to a picture of a potter in the Foshan City ceramics catalogue and then pointed to himself.  In a short time I was able to understand that this was an exhibit of his work alone and that he was a distinguished potter in Foshan City.   We toured the gallery together, Mostly figurative and female these oversized voluptuous figures reminded me of a blend between Susan Low beers work and a sculptor we saw in Chicago (I think Botero!) You know me and names! I gesture to him that I wished I could talk to him about his concept as I could see there was so much going on. he was most generous...we talked a lot through the use of artists' names. he signed my book (His  name is Wei Hua) and I left fulfilled. Mary had gone out of the gallery first and was carrying ALL of our things...she stepped outside the gates to have a smoke and then had to lug everything back inside. a guard from the Nangeng Kilns saw her and offered her food and help. She summized that he thought she was homeless and had all of her worldly goods with her.Chinese people have been wonderful when we engage them! Took 3 hours on Transit to get home. (I loved the people watching!) We all carried alot more than we had brought with us and it was rush hour...Went to pizza Hut...yes PIZZA HUT. Roy and I split a large 10 item Pizza with cheese stuffed crust. Mary and I had wine. Martine and Mary had great pasta dishes. Came home, showered and wrote the blogs and fell into bed.    

March 19, 2012 Foshan City..Ceramics capital of China...toilet seats here we come!

Had breakfast at home and packed for our two day journey to Foshan City. i found this info in my Lonely Planet book on China. I will go to an ancient kiln that has apparently been consistently used since 1530 and is 50 metres long.. I also hope to see some contemporary potters. We are taking transit the whole way. Martine's Chinese friends have printed off many words and directions for us in Chinese as they have never ventured this way before. The whole trip took about 3 hours...many different subways...use your metro card to get on and then to get off and then is when it deducts the cost of your journey. Finding the bus was fun... a few attendants later we're on bus 251 to Foshan City. Even though we always have directions, there's always one small tidbit of information that is missing and therefore messes us up. We had the right bus number but it came into docket 120 (the missing piece!) We saw motorcyclists with father, mother and newborn baby, mother only hanging on to the baby and no helmets...cyclists with an entire store's worth of merchandise strapped precariously to a trailing cart...defying the laws of balance and gravity. it sounds like New York City...everybody honks! Women ride sidesaddle wearing high heels and dresses. Women who drive themselves wear a shirt backwards and gloves that look like oven gloves. people give me a seat where ever i am because I'm old, not because I'm a foreigner...everyone dyes their hair. We ate a fantastic lunch at a local diner...rice dish mixed with veggies and ham, fired vegetable dumplings and bottled water. I LIVe on bottled water...to brush my teeth and put in my contacts...so far so good. we found the Nanfeng Ancient Kilns quickly but realized most of it was closed because the Chinese shut down from noon until 2 p.m. for lunch. Everyone was in their shops or display areas with the doors closed. Walked around to get our bearings (it was almost 2 pm when we arrived) and then saw a master potter throw vessels and lids on a wheel. Went out to some small shops, saw antique doors, jewellery, coins, and ceramics. Bought a few trinkets and then headed to the hotel to check in. It was very hot and sunny so we were drained. Showered and rested and then went to have a different kind of Chinese food 'dongbay' which had taco wraps, pancakes (REALLY...like Aunt Jemima) and whole fish in a wok, an eggplant dish (yum) and bokchoy...always rice! Went back to the hotel and slept for 8 hours!
Tomorrow we will go back to the ancient kiln and get a better tour.
Goodnight!

March 18 2012 Chen Chang Academy Guangzhou

Packed for Hong Kong and Foshan City this morning...leftovers for lunch..hopped on Metro with Roy (Martine is writing a paper at home today) to go to the former residance of the Emperor in Guangzhou. This is a city of 15 million so we have alot to cover just in the city itself. 2 Metro exchanges later we've there. Ancient trees are being held up with bamboo poles...the outside of the Academy is ornately carved and rich with figurative clay mythical and iconic characters and animals. Every doorway in China has a ridge we have to step over as evil spirits glide along the floor and can't enter when they hit these beams of wood. It's Sunday and very crowded both her as well as on our Metro ride.We have a plan in case we get separated. There are 4 display rooms, 4 gift shops and 4 diaramas and wonderful gardens with Bonzais, sculptures and flowering bushes. Again, the inside is as beautifully ornate as the outside of the building. We saw a married and single woman's bedroom, a scholar's desk and den and an entertainment space. Museums displayed wonderful folk art pieces: olive, bone, brick, ivory and  plaster carvings, beautiful porcelain,  vases, figures, tea sets and animals, mosaic paintings and unbelievable silk embroidery.Each gift shop specialized in a particular art form with the artist demonstrating their techniques. A landscape artist produced traditional Chinese landscapes in ink using only his palm and fingernails for his drawing medium...actually pretty impressive...but touristy. another hand painted rice and inside of glass beads and balls...quite beautiful. a third artisan carved both Mary and I each our own stone stamp with our names in Chinese characters. I plan to use my on the 'buttons' I use as decorative additions to my clay vessels for texture. The last shop specialized in Jade jewellery...too expensive for my budget but very beautiful. Mary bought bone carved earrings (spirals...a classic form! :)) We were the only Cuacasians in the whole place...we're not being stared at or touched the way that we had been told. Most people are quite westernized and very very friendly. On the way home we met some English speaking High school students who were fun to yak to. We take pictures of everyone we meet. They were going to the cinema to watch english movies (Mission Impossible) to practice their English. Came home and met Lucia, David and their son Leo ( 2 years, 7 months old). . We are taking them out to dinner tonight to thank them (Lucia) for calling the airport and finding my Kobo...wouldn't have been able to do that without her. The style of this Chinese dinner is called Hotpot!. Think of a Fondue. A metal wok was placed in the middle of the table on an electric heater. Two different liquids (one spicy, one tomato) were placed into the divided wok. Once the liquids were heated we started to cook...omg..long bean sprout-like mushrooms, beef meatballs with cheese inside, 3 different kind of shrimp balls, pork and shrimp balls, noodles, watercress, potatoes, sheets of tofu and fish dumplings. Every meal is the best I've ever had. I will not be able to eat Chinese food at home. Lucia mentioned a place in Toronto called Mongolian Hotpot in China town that would have similar food. It was another beautiful hot and dry day.  

March 17th...exhausting exhilarating day :)

OMG! Weather was damp in the am...always damp..but by mid day it was 23 degrees C. Wore capris and a short sleeved shirt. Spent the a.m. in a "walmart' type store called 'Park N Shop'. You'll see photos of unusual products (Italian Red Meat or Lemon Tea flavoured potato chips) and wonderful English translations (Pedal massage instead of Foot Massage). On the side of a cookie package it says I'm only 4 years old, Aren't I cute? Food shopping was on another level....chicken feet,  cooked turtles, live tanks of shrimp and shanks of ham just hanging open behind the counters. Ate lunch at home and headed out to ride the Metro which is always busy and entertaining.I'm surprised to see so much Western clothing but not always appropriate...Side of running shoes says FUCKIT (printed by the shoe company, not the wearer) REALLY! It was too busy to get the shot. T-shirts on the elderly that says"Jailbait". Went to the Art Gallery and saw traditional and contemporary paintings and sculptures of a massive scale. Wonderful Tibetan portrait photographs ( 4' x 8') as well. One female painter had an opening and we participated. I signed the guest book and had a glass of wine. Went to the garment district next and saw bolts (4 floors) of fabulous cloths.Martine picked up a jacket she had custom tailored...gorgeous. Went to dinner with a good friend of Martine and Roy's named Pu. Chinese born, he teaches French at the South China Normal University in Nanhai. This was the best meal yet. There was alligator and silk worms but we didn't eat that...just shrimp with heads still on.  Took a fantastic boat tour (it's now nighttime) on the Pearl River for about one and a half hours. Every other building was lit up with lights that changed or videos. It was fantastic. Took a cab 'home' and crashed! Going to bed very tired and very happy. Walked 10 km.        

March 16 Wandering in Guangzhou alone...

Mary and I were brave today...walked 14 km in the neighbourhood...bought our train tickets to Hong Kong, Mary bought a designer blouse 80% off, bought food from street vendors and some souvenirs. It is warm and damp here. When you look at pictures and see what you think is fog, it's fine mist...sidewalks are wet. There are many ceramic tiles used for steps and sidewalks (Craig you would crazy) that are wet and slippery all the time. Even at the beautifulUniversity campus....but this is Spring...it will dry up in the summer. The dampness makes it fell colder than it actually is.We sort of got....lost...a bit but Roy and Martine had given us their phone so I called to re-orient us. We bought flowers and potato chips for our hosts.Ate at a cafeteria style Chinese place for $3. last night. Maybe 50 people in a winding line-up when we arrived ..were fed a glass of sweet hot boiling water  as we waited to get in..line up went very quickly...you pointed to what you wanted and it was quickly put on your plate...no asking questions...the attendants pushed our trays so they touched the ones on either side of us to push the line along quickly...it sat about 150 people...didn't get to sit together...but OK... watched a downloaded movie and went to bed, exhausted again...but happy. Our hosts are wonderful! ....not getting stared at as much as we thought...We are not drinking the water at all, not even to brush our teeth...no ice cubes in our drinks...no salads or cold food...lots of choices though...sorry...hadn't talked about the food or water situation yet...so far very healthy.

March 15, 2012 Guangzhou, China

Another busy day..Roy made us toast Chinese style.Then Roy and I went to the airport to pick up the Kobo that I left on the plane..quite an experience to explain this but was successful Yahooey! Treated Roy to McDonald's for lunch...sorry I was needing a bit of home.Mary and Martine prepared for a lecture they were giving this afternoon at the South China Normal University. Pics of the Guangzhou (main) campus location..bikes, beautiful gardens, a crooked bridge that keeps evil spirits from travelling across it and a man doing a watercolour painting. Yes...that's the toilet we had to use on campus. I have great leg muscles for squatting...thanks Yoga! We stopped in front of a joke shop to take a picture and the store clerk came out with these glasses and then put phoney poop on her head. Included some photos of western influences in shop windows...and bad translations...Ugly Duckling is a beauty shop! Our bus to take us to lecture in Nanhai broke so we took a taxi....traffic was crazy. pics of students Why Why, William, Simon, Cynthia, Jessica and Maple, Roy teaches them English...spent afternoon talking with them. Dorm rooms and tour of campus. Chinese meal at exclusive restaurant as thank you for lectures...bed!

Wat Arun Temple

Wat Arun Temple

March 14

Just uploaded a few Favourites from Bangkok. Pyjamas and popcorn. Family on the mirro. Our favourite resort employees and the streetcape outside the resort.

Guangzhou China MARCH 14, 2012

Jo and ùi have landed in Guangzhou china with Martine and Roy. We have no access to Facebook and our Blog - its blocked.    Buying a service that will allow us to avoid the blocking.
Will post soon.

March 12, 2012
Another beautiful (hot and humid) day in paradise. We started with a buffet breakfast that was fit for royalty. i've overdone the photos but i couldn't resist. it's included in our room costs. Mary then prepared for her conference presentation..a little glitch involved a call to Martine in China, a second downloading of the presentation in PDF format but all was well when it was downloaded successfully for viewing..stress Mary didn't need but her presentation was fabulous. We watched the whole group.(2 hours) and had noodles and beef (spicy) for lunch. We arranged transportation to the airport, found out it would be better to buy a phone in China (if we even need one at all!), found out how to send out postcards and booked a private boat tour down a river that takes to the Wat Arun Temple, apparently one of the oldest attractions in Thailand, for tomorrow morning. We did a little more shopping, took an intermediate Yoga class and then settled into the hot tub. We had a fabulous meal of pork tenderloin medallions and lasagna...yes lasagna and it was enough to finally slow us down. We're blogging and writing post cards.