Spring Festival Memories Pt. 2

TRAVELING Memories:
**Chinese New Year is a unique holiday here and a good example of why we should thank our lawmakers that firecrackers are illegal within city limits. While we were staying in Xi'an, between the hours of 6pm and 2am that evening (Feb 6^th) every Chinese person with the ability to walk outside (which is pretty much all of them) was setting off firecrackers and we were able to experience what it might be like to live in a war zone with shells exploding all around at all hours. It's unnerving!

**A major highlight of the trip was the ability to visit the Mao Mausoleum (ok, not a major highlight). Displayed in this building in the middle of Tianan'men square is what is purported to be the body of the great Chinese leader, Mao Zedong, but rumor has it (and our experience somewhat confirms) that it is probably just a wax replica. Due to the fact that you can't bring any bags into the mausoleum and there is no place to store your bags, Josh actually had to run through the exhibit twice. He got to see his body twice! Even the guards were a little puzzled. The biggest thing we learned from examining his body for the 15 seconds they hustle us by - Mr. Mao had quite the beer belly! In honor of this great leader we have unofficially decided to rename our cat "Chairman Meeow" instead of "Romeo"...ok, maybe not.

**Wish you could have seen all 4 of us squeeze into a taxi the size of a Ford Focus. Can anyone say "Clown Car"??

**Speaking of taxis, after living here for almost two years we're quite used to Chinese road rules. My parents on the other hand, especially my mom in the front seat of the taxis, were given very little time to adjust to the fact that being 4 inches away from the car next to you while driving isn't considered dangerous. I would say kudos to them for not jumping out of the cars and running away, but at 4 inches they weren't able to open the doors!

**Both of us were very excited to visit the Temple of Heaven for the first time. This monument has been nicely restored in preparation for the Olympics and looks absolutely gorgeous. If you search the internet for non-professional images of the Temple of Heaven you'll find that it's amazing we were able to get a photo of all four of us without anybody else in the background. Actually, considering China's population, that's amazing for about any wide-angle picture taken here.

**One day we got in a taxi and told him we wanted to see the all Olympics stuff. After driving for about 45 minutes he finally dropped us off about half a mile away from the famous "Bird's Nest" stadium, pretty much the closest you can get at this point in time. We did a little walking and found what you may have already read about in the news - the highway "perch" and best place for a Bird's Nest picture. You literally have to cross a Beijing highway exit ramp which puts you high enough to see over their construction walls and then wait to get a good picture between the cars that are actually exiting (see the bus behind us?). We've heard from other friends who have been there that at times over 100 Chinese tourist are lining the exit ramp taking this same picture (there were maybe 20 while we were there). Sure it would be easier for the government to open up a small section of the construction wall for pictures, but isn't it so much more fun to make a tourist destination out of a dangerous exit ramp?

**Finally, instead of taking a bus back to Karamay, we decided to test our luck on the once-daily prop plane flight from Urumqi. It was like flying on a pack of gum. We never flew parallel to the ground, either - kind of like a flight from Dallas to Fort Worth. First you're 45 degrees up and then the pilot nose dives to 45 degrees down. The funniest part was taxiing to Karamay's one-terminal airport and exiting on foot without even using the terminal because the plane wasn't big enough to reach the walkway!


Well, there are plenty more memories but not enough space to type them all. We had a great time with our family on a trip that I don't think any of us will forget. If you're ever interested in visiting Beijing and would like personal tour guides (we come as a package deal), beware - it's expensive. Well, maybe not the actual trip, but you'd have to fly us 1st class and put us up in at least a 4-star hotel (we prefer 5). You can ask the Summers if you're still hesitant, but we think we're worth it!

Spring Festival Memories Pt. 1

Hello again. Please keep reading - I promise this isn't another blog talking about inflation and the exchange rate. I must have been drugged up to write that. Last week we finally received two DVDs full of my dad's pictures from their trip to China - if you're wondering, that's over 2,000 pictures! We want to take the time right now to post a few pictures and fun memories of our parents' visit here to China. For additional interesting stories, please contact Joe and Debby or see the link to their website here on our blog.

FOOD Memories:

** Upon exiting the airport in Beijing, where is the first place we dared to venture at 11pm at night? McDonald's, of course! Wouldn't want to spoil the entrance into a new and distant country with anything else! Their website says that the trip to McDonald's was for our benefit, but I think it's safe to say that our parents were relieved to see the yellow arches as well! Proof: we ate at McDonalds at least 7-8 times.

**We spent one day in Beijing traveling around with old family friends from Japan. During that one day which consisted of two meals, we spent more money on food (or rather the Japanese friend treated us) than we spent for the next 6 day's meals combined.

** Watching mom's face when Tiff pulled a duck's head out of the meal we were eating in the Muslim quarter in Xi'an. In that same plate we also pulled out a chicken foot - which is considered quite delicious here. Quite honestly we are used to that and totally forgot that it might be considered gross by my parents. I think my mom was a bit queasy that night.

**Mom insisted on visiting the snack street where she was determined to eat a grasshopper on a stick. I think she was jealous of last year's picture of Tiff eating a scorpion and wanted one of her own. Well, she got it. Did she actually eat it? My lips are sealed, but you can ask her if you want.

**Pretty much our favorite memory is the "Quest for the Banana". Beginning in Beijing at the request of mom, we spent an entire week searching for those wonderful packets of potassium. Everywhere we stopped we would search for a banana - every fruit stand, grocery store, and snack shop. Plenty of apples, nice looking oranges, but NO bananas. The search ended one night in Xi'an when I asked the vendor of a hole-in-the-wall shop if he happened to have any bananas. He ducked into the back where he fished out a box and presented me with a nice bunch of bananas. The night was spent gorging ourselves with bananas. Ok, maybe not gorging, but we did have a good laugh at how hard it was to get a banana!

More memories to come...

History Tour - Xi'an

Can you believe how old this country is?!! Josh and I just finished what we have so fondly labeled our "History Tour of China" and still can't fathom the thousands of years this country has been around. We tried to hit the main sites of attraction here in just two weeks and boy was it a whirlwind. In total we visited Xian (at one point being the capital of China some thousands of years ago) and saw the Terracotta Warriors, the Neolithic Village; then we went to Pingyao (which used to be the financial center of the country-until it went bankrupt-oops!); Datong followed where we saw the Hanging Monastery (built right on the side of a cliff) and the Yungang Caves (some 46 caves filled with Buddhist figures); finally we ended in Beijing and saw the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, the Underground City and TGI Friday's (OK, so not a cultural relic but definitely an ultimate highlight of our trip!!).

Our first stop was Xi'an (1/26 through 1/30) and after a rather bumpy plane ride we were thankful to make it to the ground here. Xian is really a fascinating city with history mixed in with present day luxuries. We stayed at a hostel that used to be what is called a "courtyard house". Ancient China built homes that were connected by a common courtyard. All relatives would live within the home but have various rooms for each family. These rooms would each open to the courtyard which would be an uncovered area with garden spots, tables and chairs. The architecture was just beautiful and with homes such as these the family was able to stay close. Our hostel had a dog who got plenty of attention from everyone who stayed, not to mention scraps of food from those who could not resist his big eyes (he and Josh were very good friends). Around the town we started at the Bell Tower which is at the very center. In the old days it would give the hour but now its just a tourist attraction. To the right was the Drum Tower. The first floor had all different types of hand-carved wood furniture that was used during different time periods in China. You could literally see how Western ideas mixed with the Chinese by just glancing at the different pieces of furniture. First there were just mats, then sitting with your feet facing down became the style and stools, chairs, and beds began appearing. We were quite fortunate to come just in time to see (and hear) a drum performance. They had all different styles of ancient drums and did an amazing job at beating them (can't quite describe it any other way). There is also a Muslim quarter of the city where we got to eat our familiar "big plate chicken" meal that we love here in Karamay. Xi'an is also known for the paint brushes. We roamed their cultural street where they sold various arts and crafts and paint brushes. They had the smallest and the largest paint brushes we have ever seen ("large" like you might see in car wash!). And each brush is very specific. They are made a various fur (wolf, rabbit, panda, etc) each of which make a different size which is each used for different kind of painting and calligraphy. It was all quite fascinating. And then of course, we could not resist the city wall. They have completely restored the wall that surrounded the city in its glory and we were able to take a bicycle for two all the way around. It was surprisingly wide with a moat on the outside of the wall. We spent a good while pedaling around the whole city (Josh more so than I ;o) ) and we were thankful for the nice weather. Three major highlights of the city are the Shaanxi History Museum (claimed to be the best museum in China), the Neolithic Village and of course the Terracotta Warriors. The museum had thousands of various relics and Josh and I were exhausted once we finally stepped back out into the day light (apparently there were lots of people a thousand years ago as well and left a ton of stuff behind!). The Banpo Neolithic Village is thought to be the oldest evidence of village life possibly in the world dating back more than 6,000 years ago. You could walk around the site where you could see the holes and ditches that were once the foundations of their homes. The museum showed various footage that further described how this first civilization may have lived. Then there was a rebuilt section of what the village would have looked like right outside. Pretty cool.

And finally, we saw the Terracotta Warriors. Out in the middle of no where lies an emperor's tomb that has shocked the world. There are actually three pits where various clay troops, horses and chariots are all arranged in battle formation. It is quite overwhelming to walk up to this vast sea of stone carvings all for one man's burial. So far they have found over 6,000 figures all of which face west in order to guard Emperor Qin Shi Huang. There are three different ranks of warriors (archers, kneeling archers and swordsman) and then various generals and leaders, horses and chariots. Each figure has a unique face. They also all had an array of weapons that were treated so that even 2000 years later they are not rusted and still sharp. We also had the privileged to see the man who found the warriors when he was digging a well for his family. Once a farmer, he now has met many dignitaries and a couple US presidents. He only knows how to write his name and spends most of his time sitting at a table signing the museum's book for various people and refusing photographs. We wonder if he is truly happy for his discovery. After seeing such an amazing display of art and commitment (it took ten years to construct the tomb) in order to ensure that this emperor continues his power after death it was interesting to learn that shortly after its completion rebels broke into the tomb and set fire and broke what they could of figures. That same night after we had seen this massive display of people trying to give assurance of power after death, Josh and I were reading and came to Ps 33 (specifically Ps 33:16-17). So much of what we have seen about the history of these people has been a reliance on mighty armies with chariots and horses and a pleading for help from statues. They are a devoted people, with a devotion that has lasted for thousands of years, yet their devotion lies in the wrong place! It has been heart wrenching to see what great lengths they have gone to in order to seek assurance in what they believe and yet knowing that they have made their alliance with a false hope. May we continue to plead for them to see where their strength truly comes from. May they finally see how their great achievements are now just broken relics. May they see that there is something more, Someone who can give them something that will truly last - forever.

To be continued...