Winter is on the way

The brilliant fall leaves have faded and fallen. The basil has survived the frost at night but its days are numbered! Went to the Art Gallery of Ontario for the Ai Wei Wei exhibit which was very poignant after being in China so recently. We saw only the surface of that amazingly complex society. Waiting for a furnace to be installed at home. Our fireplace is doing a valiant job of keeping the chill out if the air. I am thrilled that my jewellery production in the summer has resulted in $900 for my contribution to our United Way campaign at work. Can't wait to do more and focus on the metal work rather than the entrancing beads. 

Back in the Saddle

Well my six month journey has come to an end with many amazing memories to amuse me through the winter. Fall is here with the first fire in the fireplace last night. The leaves are turning brilliant colours and falling to cover the ground. I am reacquainted with all my work buddies and sharing my adventures. I feel so fortunate to have had such a wonderful time with my friends and family as we explored the world. I will continue the Serendipity blog over the coming months as the spirit moves me. 

September 28 Beijing Last Day

The tour is almost over. We have seen marvels both natural  and man made and have been witness to how quickly a society can transform itself into  something different. We spent the day in a haze that never lifted. Many folks in our group were coughing a bit. The pollution is quite bad here but the city impressive nonetheless. We saw  Tiananmen Square, the  Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. Quite impressive to be in such historic places. A final dinner of Peking Duck and we bid farewell to our wonderful travelling companions and guide. 

September 27 Beijing and the Great Wall

Magnificent, amazing, massive, beautiful....what else can be said about the Great Wall of China built over 2000 years ago. The Ming Tomb on the way to see some 600 year old sculptures. Beijing is full of traffic jams, hard to imagine that 20 years ago there were few cars and lots of bicycles. 

September 26 Beijing

 Arrived and went immediately to the old section if the city to take a rick shaw ride (bicycles thank goodness for the drivers) through the narrow passages to have lunch at the home of a local artist. His family has lived there for 5 generations. Home cooking is the best! A lovely low key way to be introduced to this historic place. A tea ceremony then back to relax at our 5 star hotel before tackling the Great Wall tomorrow. Still marvelling at how quickly a rural agrarian country has been transformed over the past 20 years. Obviously high rises  and luxury cars seem to be the way to go to get ahead in the world. Equality for all is a dream for many that seems to fall apart when combined with human nature.  Not quite sure what to make of it all. Oh well, I guess I've done my part so far to contribute to the economy and can now sit back a bit and see how it all plays out. 

September 25 Xi'an

Xi'an is a really happening place! A city of 8 million-not large by Chinese standards.  Everyone is very well dressed and there is a feeling of prosperity here. Our guide said that the city bird is the crane...because of all the building cranes! Rows and rows of new condos being constructed everywhere  while farmers, both men and women, still till the fields surrounding the city by hand. On the way to a tour of a local art institute and calligraphy lesson, we drove through a "morning market" where we saw a goat that gives fresh milk tethered to a mailbox, fresh Fuji apples, persimmons and pomegranates all brought in by the farmers at 6 am.  The Terra Cotta Warriors site is truly the 8th wonder of the world. We were all speechless with amazement at the magnitude of it all. The rest of our jam packed day included a visit to the Great Wild Goose pagoda in a peaceful park and a brief walk on the wall that surrounds the old part of the city. Beijing tomorrow!

September 23 Last Day in Tibet

Last Day in Tibet

We enjoyed a trip to the Potala Palace, the winter palace of the Dalai Lama that stands on a hill overlooking Lhasa. Most folks made it up the 376 steps but I decided to save my breath(not much of it at this altitude) and people watch. The other woman with me and I were real stars with lots of folks wanting photos with us!  Found some more beautiful Tibetan beads. The afternoon was spent at the Sera Monestary seeing more sights. 

September 22 Lhasa Tibet

We have truly entered a world very different from our own in Tibet. A brilliant blue sky overhead with bright white clouds as tall mountains surround us. The bus ride from the airport took us past fields of barley, a staple of the Tibetan diet and some herds of yak, another staple. We were lucky to be able to drop by the home of a typical rural family and saw their colourfully painted rooms with motifs that we have seen repeated in a variety of ways on so many other buildings and temples. The high altitude takes some adjusting but the cooler temperatures  are welcome though mid day in the sun is still quite warm. Buddhism truly defines Tibet and the streets are full of pilgrims prostrating themselves in the streets with others spinning elaborate prayer wheels as they walk along. We saw a very old temple and the summer palace of the Dalai Llama with some shopping in the market and a lunch that included yak curry.

September 21 Chongqing to Tibet

Our minds are swirling with so many different images from the last couple of days!

- The magical night when we went through the locks and reached out and touched the hands of the people on the Chinese cruise ship next to us.

-Folks doing graceful tai-chi in parks and on street corners. What a great way to start the day we thought so we tried it on the ship one morning at 6:30!

-A trip on a smaller boat and then a sampan thorough the gorge showed the beauty of the river and the path that it cut through the mountains over the millennia. It is hard to comprehend how the landscape was altered so drastically when homes and towns were submerged with the construction of the dam. Over one million people were relocated and their lives were irrevocably changed. The guides told us that while the quality of their lives improved materially, they still remain very sad.

-A walk through markets with folks hawking every type of thing imaginable from freshly fried fish to old Chinese coins. Finally found the sun umbrella I had been seeking. The best form of protection in this climate.

- The sleek and regal tigers and the unique pandas in the zoo in Chongqing made for an interesting morning before catching the flight to Tibet.

September 19 Yangtze River

We are enjoying a couple of days soaking up information, river views and history in the areas around the Three Gorges dam on the magnificent Yangtze River. Near Yichang, we visited the Chinese version of a Canadian pioneer village. Groves of bamboo and walkways clinging to the sides of the gorge with the sounds of the river below as butterflies and dragon flies swooped past us as young people in period costume entertained us. I now understand the inspiration for the beautiful Chinese paintings with rocky cliffs and waterfalls and evergreen trees. A visit to the site of the dam left us in awe (and very hot and sweaty) of the magnitude as we mingled with many Chinese tourists as we admired the project.