The beautiful park is famous for its extremely old, naturally occuring stones that tower above people and trees and wind on for miles and miles. We spent a day exploring them with Daniel and some friends.

Joshua loved dressing up, because of the sword. He did it two times that day.
Daniel took over 400 pictures!

We had a lovely day in a smaller city nearby walking through the trees and seeing beautiful older buildings.

Everybody has an animal assignment, according to their birthday year. At a beautiful park we found the animal that matches each of our birthday years! David Dragon, Chelsea Snake, Joshua Horse, Hannah Monkey.

While visiting a nearby town, we decided to see a famous river, made even more breathtaking by the mountains through which it flows in this particular stretch. The moment we boarded the bus, we heard arguing. Apparently, our bus was boarded by a group of friends, who had in mind a particular stretch of the river they wanted to see. They wanted to change the bus station’s designated route to match their preference. But when their attempt to convince the bus administrator failed, they turned to bribing the bus driver. It came out to two extra dollars per person to bribe him. He seemed used to getting money on the side, though, as we stopped along the way for a third party to load our bus roof with chickens, another stop to pick up cases of milk and yogurt, and a soda for the driver, and then another stop to ask if any chickens were needed that day! But the bus dynamics were unlike any I had ever been on. About 30 minutes into the drive, a lively chorus began and everyone sang energetically. People sang solos, the group clapped, and everyone was loud! Only our family and our Deaf friend in the back seat were quiet. But the group embraced us, too. When we got off, they plunged forward in their unsteady English to explain to us what the plan was, and when we embarked on the hike they helped carry our children up and down the mountain. At breaks, they shared their snacks and wanted their photo taken with our children. My initial reservation about this forward and boisterous crowd changed when I saw their generosity of heart. We had an exhilerating and day!

Some people rode in the traditional manner of kings and queens.

David loved the rapids, I loved the mountains.

During our visit to a nearby town, we climbed a mountain where a five-story pagoda stood. From there, we took in a 360 degree view of the city, old juxtaposed with new, like the pages of a history book placed close together but holding stories from hundreds of years apart.

During a recent trip to a neighboring town, a friend of ours showed us how this special pot can make water vibrate into bubbles. He taught both of our children how to do it and each of them were able to do so with soapy fingers.

Our family took a recent trip out of the city and into a nearby town. All along the way, we saw corn drying: on people’s gates, on their rooves, hanging from poles... just about anywhere it could get some sunlight on it to help dry it out. In the town where we stayed the tradition was to make a ladder of hanging corn. When the poles of the ladder had no rungs, David and the children discovered, they could be great fun for climbing!

On our recent trip to a nearby town, we saw how silk is made from silk worms. Their coocoons are boiled and stretched over a frame to dry. They are made into dresses, comforters, scarves, and such.

We had an opportunity to visit with some people at the bottom of a pagoda with a 360 degree view of the town rooftops. We appreicated their culture more, as we donned their traditional garments. The women’s outfits have a padded back for carrying heavy loads or two baskets dangling from a wooden brace across the back. When they are past weight bearing age, their padded backs are decorated with the beautiful circles you see in the photo.

We had the opportunity to travel as a family to a nearby town and stay in a traditional home. Four cornered home with rooms opening onto a courtyard in the center. A friend had purchased the place and fixed it up in 2007, which included installing indoor plumbing. Our room had a single enormous bed, larger than a king size, and the four of us slept there with plenty of room.

On the day we arrived, we heard firecrackers outside the door and opened it to find a wedding party coming down the walking street and into the house across the way. Hannah got a glimpse inside while the groom stood outside. Traditionally, the groom comes to the bride’s home and has to go through two or three doors to finally get into the room where she is. He brings “red envelopes” full of money to convince those at the door to let him in. Then, he and the bride take a drive all afternoon until the evening when the two of them stand outside a reception hall and give out candy and cigarettes to guests who in turn give more “red envelopes”. Then, all go inside to enjoy a meal together.

We had a fantastic view of this year’s fall harvest as we traveled between cities on a bus. Corn and rice were reaped by hand. Hannah and I began a “count the farmers” game as a derivation of “I Spy” because we could always spy farmers! Scarecrows were plastic bags on sticks or sometimes sticks dressed in a hat and jacket. Rice was threshed into baskets which were then poured out onto concrete floors to dry in the sun. The stalks, I am told, are bundled to dry for animal bedding or ground into animal feed. Tobacco was also harvested and the stalks were neatly trimmed and bundled after all the leaves had been harvested. They were burned in heaps. Manure was spread over the ground to replentish it in its dormancy.

We have been in our beautiful country for about seven months now, but we are continually amazed at the new sights to see and the amazing people to meet. On Saturday we had a trip to horticultural exhibit that filled my senses with the wonder of creation. Our kids had a blast running around, playing on an inflatable climbing wall, and meeting an old man with a professional kite who reminded me of Grandpa Bart. David especially liked the alpine plant display that was air conditioned! Hannah got to feed some birds in an aviary.

Our day started out with a two hour bus ride to a nearby city where a friend grew up. We arrived at the beautiful center of town and were overwhelmed at the natural mountainscape juxtaposed with the manmade fountain. We walked to our friend’s home, I snapping photos all the way (see album entitled An Outing under pictures). I gave myself permission to be a “tourist” for the day. We had been transported to an older day, and we gained a different perspective on our country! These homes are scheduled for demolition, our friend’s family had just been informed. The entire family would lose the home they grew up in. The grandparents, the first of four generations, who lived with together, were furious to leave the only home they had ever known. It did seem to be a shame. But when I needed to use the bathroom, I was walked down the street to a locked trash collection area with two boards balanced over a deep hole for squatting. I realized there were some things this old home left to be desired. Still, we were fascinated by cooking over a fire stove. One person fed the fire through the wall while another person cooked in the oversized wok.
Kindling sat ready outside the kitchen door. When lunch was ready, everything was delicious. Mushrooms, whole duck, cabbage with hot peppers, flavorful bean dishes, pork slices with seasonings, stewed zucchini in a broth, spicy zucchini, seasoned peeled (unidentified) vegetables, corn, rice and rice soup. After we ate, they showed us the city, but wouldn’t lead us to the town center the way our friend had led us from it. “That is too old and dirty”, they said. Perhaps it was scheduled for demolition as well. Along the way, we saw rice drying on the sidewalk, corn on a pagoda walkway drying, grass growing on a beautiful old roof, and garbage collectors with three wheel bicycles or baskets on their backs. Instead of taxis, there were three-wheeled motorcycles with green covers on them. Six people could (and we did) fit in the back. As we walked the relatives kept offering me their umbrellas to keep off the sun. I politely declined, as I don’t mind a tan, and they do. But after the fourth offer, I asked my friend, if I looked red. Yes, she said, your face is completely red from the heat and your arms are getting burned. It was a very hot day! When we arrived at the town center, there were thousands of people out for the “soldier’s day” celebration. There are no resident foreigners in this town. So the main attraction of the crowds quickly became... us. I joked with my friend that the reason everyone was here was to welcome him home, but we both knew two foreigner kids were stealing the show.

Joshua saw a statue of a man with a long braid down his back playing an ancient instrument. This man quickly became Joshua’s new hair mentor. Joshua’s rat tail is now to his collar. He spent quite some time examining this ancient hair style. We walked to a series of waterfalls where children were playing, mostly naked. Although the water was not anything I would get in, I let the kids play in it (in their clothes) to cool off in the hot day. I was really glad they hadn’t “gone native” when everyone began snapping photos of them playing. That evening we took the bus home and both kids fell asleep on the way. Joshua hasn’t done that in about a year. It was a wonderful outing.

We took a family vacation to Disneyland and the kids haven’t stopped talking about it since. Now, when I sit down at the computer, Hannah asks, “Can I see our pictures from Disneyland?” So we will let you see some of them too! We couldn’t believe how clean it was in the park. No spitting. No littering. And when we came up to a water fountain and I picked Hannah up for a drink she was bewildered. “Mommy, is this water clean to drink?” The day was overcast and a bit rainy, so the park was not crowded. We rode everything we wanted to. We took a poll of our family and 50% of us loved Space Mountain and 50% of us hated it. You can guess which is which from the photo. (Hannah really is in the photo, just has her head buried.) We ate noodles for lunch and chicken fingers for dinner. The kids each came home with a souvenir. Joshua with a “claw” hand for reaching high places and Hannah with a baby Buzz Lightyear. We stayed to see the fireworks, which I never had done when I went growing up. The “OOOHHHs” and “AAAHHHs” were replaced with “WAAAAAs”. It was a really memorable time and we were so grateful to have been able to go.

Top Ten Things We See Here
10. Streets full of cars, taxis, buses, bicycles, motorcycles, and pedistrians
9. Fruits and vegetables picked fresh that morning, offered by the farmer him/herself
8. Fresh animals: live fish, chickens, frogs, turtles, crawfish, eel, pigs, (not cat! not mouse! not horse!)
7. Grandmas and Grandpas on buses offering their laps to our children, Hannah accepts, Joshua does not
6. Heated bargaining, over a few cents
5. Town centers crowded with people playing cards on the ground, crouching around it
4. Knitting; as people walk, as storeowners wait for business,
3. Friendly faces, patience with foreigners and gentleness with small children
2. Internet Cafes on every corner
1. Cats on leashes as pets (all pets eat rice)

Top Ten Things We Don't See Here
10. People eating cold food.
9. Car seats, helmets, seatbelts.
8. Lan Lines
7. Name brands spelled correctly
6. Diapers
5. Uneaten fish heads, chicken feet, potato stems, lotus root, bamboo stalks, eggplant flowers, etc.
4. Chlorine in swimming pools
3. Copywritten DVDs
2. An item sold at full price
1. Wasting cardboard, styrofoam, plastic bottles, (glass is ok to waste)

Top Ten Things you might find for breakfast
10. Noodles in a soup with small chunks of meat and vegetables
9. Rice dumplings, steamed with different centers
8. Fruit
7. Porriage: rice soup served plain or with chopped meat
6. Tea, always tea, milk served warm in a bag with a straw.
5. Hard boiled eggs, fried eggs
4. Cooked green, leafy vegetables
3. Dough cooked on a skillet, sweet or salty like pancakes or flatbread.
2. Tortillas with stick doughnuts in the middle, either with sweet or spicy sauce, served by a street vendor (Hannah's favorite)
1. Scrambled egg with hash browns, salad, or chopped up hotdog in a tortilla, served by a street vendor

Ten things I have seen on two wheels
10. Two people, one cycling, the other sitting "side saddle" in the back on the rack. Skilled passengers can even read
9. Styrofoam stacked two times as high as the bicycle, and twice as wide. That was a three wheeled bicycle, though.
8. A half of a pig on the back of a bicycle
7. One motorcycle towing a second one, the one being towed by his foot propped on the lead motorcycle
6. A motorcycle with a stack of crushed boxes on the back as tall as the driver
5. A two wheeled bicycle with a large piece of glass furniture for a bathroom on the back.
4. Enormous flower arrangements (6 feet tall) held by the passenger on a motorcycle
3.
2.
1.

We have visited several zoos in the states,
but I think I visited the most memorable one yet this week.
They had animals touring the zoo grounds willing to climb onto people's arms and heads to pose for photos.
In what other zoo can you go fishing for bears?
No one was able to reel in the bears,
though the carrots on the end of the stick did seem to be the bait of choice.

Where else would you get to see a carnivorous tropical bird?

Or watch out for breeding animals?

See caged squirrels and raccoons as rarities?
See the very expressions on animals faces as you walked past?

Eat corn on the cob, rice stuffed in bamboo shoots, any kind of meat you could want cooked on a stick,
hard boiled eggs, soy beans in the pod, and boiled peanuts?

Who knew we would get this close to real pandas? We had to pay a dollar twenty five per person to go into this restricted area. Nobody was dangling these guys their food. They had tender bamboo leaves, all they could eat. Perched in their tree houses, they looked out on their adoring fans. I have heard that people see themselves as pandas. Strong, respected, and unflustered, these "bear cats" as they are called, have found their way into many people's hearts.

As we were leaving the park, we ran across Minnie and Daisy Duck...

Saw some animals who had not been eating enough...
and Hannah got to add some new crazy faces to her repetoir...

All in all we had a beautiful day! Let's go again soon!!!

Joshua made some fast "sand friends" and they labored in the sun and mud as happy brickmakers for most of the afternoon.

Hannah caught some fish and immediately bonded with them (high maternal instinct). After dinner, I told her it was time to let the fish eat their dinner in the pond. She sadly dumped them back in and they skattered (one sank). Then, the most amazing thing happened. One swam back to us and came up to the surface to linger for a moment, as though to say goodbye. I, of course, narrarated that this was what the fish was doing. Hannah was overjoyed. Her fish had returned her affection.

Joshua wanted to bond with his dead fish by eating it, but we already had that base covered.

This guy had the right idea, fishing on a hot day! He looks like Puck, from MIdsummer Night's Dream!

Casa Bonita is a restaurant in Denver with cave divers, sword fights, and horrendous food. Although the commute is a bear, we have found its rival in the Tibetan restaurant we visited last week. Completely authentic costumes, excellent food, ornately decorated dining room, interactive singing, dancing, even a pair of dancing yak! We took the kids and they loved it! Hannah danced almost the whole time, people were posing with HER for photos. Joshua sat quietly, taking everything in and asking questions.

The Yak: Hannah almost jumped out of her skin when it came out.
I guess she has never seen a clown before?

Funny, when we sat down to eat, she picked up her fork and asked her daddy, "What is this for?"

Cities can look the most beautiful from a distance.
You are getting a view through the gondola path that used to run down the mountain.

We had to make this spontaneous trip to the mountains when our furniture was made too large to fit through our front door. Here we are struggling to get it in! The next day we hustled out to the mountains to where a friend had a woodworking shop and could bring his tools down to help us out.

We enjoyed the view around town from the top of the bus.
Only $.15 per adult to ride, kids are free.
It is a beautiful way to see the city at night.

I saw a funeral today, all were dressed in white. My friend explained that the surviving family members line up in order of birth/importance. Brothers outrank sisters, even if they are younger brothers. Then the coffin is passed over their heads symbolizing the headship of the family passing on to the next in line. The mountains are dotted with grave stones. Massive and ornately carved. Also, bodies may be cremated. But one does not often talk of death, and to use the number four is very unlucky; it sounds like the word for death.

I told my friend that in our country, white is worn to weddings. She nodded, she had worn a white dress to her wedding, too. And a red one later. And a going away dress after that. I told her about rehearsals for weddings in the states. She said they didn't do that, but the night before her wedding she took her husband aside and explained the intricate custom of the groom coming to the bride's house so the next day he would know what to do. He had to bring flowers, and a pocket of candy and sweet talk his way into the house where the bride and all of the girlfriends were. I marveled. Where did she learn how to do this complicated custom? Oh, I saw it on t.v. she replied!

Well an update on our travels is long over due. After lunch we have a break from class and teaching and I will be posting more.

To wet your appetite we are well we are good and check out Joshua's Corner for more insight on his time here.