We are still running around like crazy but having a blast. I wanted to give you an idea of what our days have been like and then let you hear from Debra Denzer with a detailed account of day six.
We are up and at breakfast between 6:30-7:00 most days and on the road no later than 9:00, sometimes earlier. Our days are divided among activities, usually including two or three major destinations and three different meals. Sometimes we will fit in on or two small destinations, if possible. We frequently do not finish the day until 10 p.m. or later and are exhausted. However, with the excitement of everything and not wanting to miss anything, we are up and at them the next morning ready to go.
Debra wrote, “Today began with breakfast in Luoyang, an old capital city in Henan province that is perhaps best known to foreigners for its proximity to famous Buddhist sites. Then we visited Longmen (Dragon Gate) Grottoes. These carvings truly defy description, ranging in size from a couple of inches to massive statues carved into the hillside. There is a long walk along the river before you reach the carvings. What was a rustic pastoral place when I first visited in 1980 has become a well developed tourist site complete the landscaping, paved roads, ice-cream and souvenir shops. But even the presence of these cannot take away the majesty of the site. We have all agreed that we know much too little about Buddhism and Daoism to fully appreciate these treasures and a couple will work to increase that background.
After lunch we began our trek to Xian, traveling over highways, well paved, well marked and cutting through some of the most beautiful country we’ve seen. On one side or the other we saw the terraced landscape of farmers making use of the hillsides and on the other the plains as they creep up to the edges of the hills. Then suddenly as we near Xian, we began to see the mountains and we know we are approaching a totally new landscape.
The bus ride itself, though dreaded, turns out to be a great time to learn more from Ed and Sylvia Krebs about the life and history of the area, more about each other, and a chance to put our feet up. Two stops along the way make the trip (5 hours) very easy to bear and we all enjoyed the opportunity to stop and shop at a China Highway Rest Stop and Shop, which exceeded anything we’re used to on the highways in the U.S. A large, very clean, well-stocked, and well-organized store of snacks (which none of us can resist surveying and then eating!) The trip was made even more fun by a game of “Something that would never happen in China” in which we joked about the idiosyncrasies of our participants and some of the observations we’ve made about Chinese society. The game was thought up and lead by Dr. Crystal Garrett, Professor of Political Science.
Tonight we split up and ate at different restaurants. I joined a group going to De Fa Chang Jiao Zi Guan, the famous dumpling house. While ordering was an incredible challenge and we almost gave up, we ended up with a truly delightful meal of a variety of dumplings, some stuffed with seafood, others meat, vegetables, and each hand shaped in a different way. Our colleagues ate with Ed and Sylvia, at a Muslim Restaurant, where they enjoyed some sort of lamb stew. According to Kathy Jordan, Assistant Director of Marketing and PR - Design Services, it was amazing and her favorite meal thus far in China.
It was interesting to learn that 8% of the population in Xian is Muslim. On Tuesday we will visit the largest mosque in the city.”
We are up and at breakfast between 6:30-7:00 most days and on the road no later than 9:00, sometimes earlier. Our days are divided among activities, usually including two or three major destinations and three different meals. Sometimes we will fit in on or two small destinations, if possible. We frequently do not finish the day until 10 p.m. or later and are exhausted. However, with the excitement of everything and not wanting to miss anything, we are up and at them the next morning ready to go.
Debra wrote, “Today began with breakfast in Luoyang, an old capital city in Henan province that is perhaps best known to foreigners for its proximity to famous Buddhist sites. Then we visited Longmen (Dragon Gate) Grottoes. These carvings truly defy description, ranging in size from a couple of inches to massive statues carved into the hillside. There is a long walk along the river before you reach the carvings. What was a rustic pastoral place when I first visited in 1980 has become a well developed tourist site complete the landscaping, paved roads, ice-cream and souvenir shops. But even the presence of these cannot take away the majesty of the site. We have all agreed that we know much too little about Buddhism and Daoism to fully appreciate these treasures and a couple will work to increase that background.
After lunch we began our trek to Xian, traveling over highways, well paved, well marked and cutting through some of the most beautiful country we’ve seen. On one side or the other we saw the terraced landscape of farmers making use of the hillsides and on the other the plains as they creep up to the edges of the hills. Then suddenly as we near Xian, we began to see the mountains and we know we are approaching a totally new landscape.
The bus ride itself, though dreaded, turns out to be a great time to learn more from Ed and Sylvia Krebs about the life and history of the area, more about each other, and a chance to put our feet up. Two stops along the way make the trip (5 hours) very easy to bear and we all enjoyed the opportunity to stop and shop at a China Highway Rest Stop and Shop, which exceeded anything we’re used to on the highways in the U.S. A large, very clean, well-stocked, and well-organized store of snacks (which none of us can resist surveying and then eating!) The trip was made even more fun by a game of “Something that would never happen in China” in which we joked about the idiosyncrasies of our participants and some of the observations we’ve made about Chinese society. The game was thought up and lead by Dr. Crystal Garrett, Professor of Political Science.
Tonight we split up and ate at different restaurants. I joined a group going to De Fa Chang Jiao Zi Guan, the famous dumpling house. While ordering was an incredible challenge and we almost gave up, we ended up with a truly delightful meal of a variety of dumplings, some stuffed with seafood, others meat, vegetables, and each hand shaped in a different way. Our colleagues ate with Ed and Sylvia, at a Muslim Restaurant, where they enjoyed some sort of lamb stew. According to Kathy Jordan, Assistant Director of Marketing and PR - Design Services, it was amazing and her favorite meal thus far in China.
It was interesting to learn that 8% of the population in Xian is Muslim. On Tuesday we will visit the largest mosque in the city.”
