Kaiyuan and Qinghe (Part 2)

After our spiritual awakening (The tour was all done in Mandarin so it was more like a spiritual sedative) we walked back down the steep red stairs (bit scary on the way down) and had lunch at the restaurant at the bottom of the hill.

I don't think the owner had ever had westerners in his restaurant before because he insisted that he have a photo taken with us. The staff set up chairs outside the restaurant and we all sat down for a very bizarre photo shoot. I guess we might get our pictures up on the wall or something later. We'll have to go back and check!

We negotiated with a Taxi driver to take us back to Kaiyuan to catch the bus back home and he took us on a short tour of the park (free of charge!)




He even stopped so we could buy some grapes - the area around Kaiyuan is apparently well known for it's vineyards.

The lady who was selling fruit (she may have been a bandit as she wore a mask the whole time) let us go and pick our own bunches of grapes.

The grapes were delicious!

Kaiyuan and Qinghe (Part 1)

Last week Colette, Luz and I caught a bus to Kaiyuan and then a short taxi ride to Qinghe (pronounced something like Ching Her). We went to see the famous (well locally anyway) Qinghe reservoir. (http://www.liaoning-gateway.com/74599737935790080/20051104/1786747.shtml)

When we got to the gates of the park where the reservoir is situated we paid the entrance fee (10 rmb each) and proceeded to walk through the gates to the fascination of the guards. I guess once again we were the first westerners they'd seen (in a while anyway).

One of the young men decided it was time to test his best English skills and yelled out "See you tomorrow!". We wondered if it wasn't in fact appropriate since we couldn't read any of the signs.

After wandering lost in the park for a while we were drawn by the haunting sound of singing echoing over the pine trees. Following the irresistable sound of out-of-tune chinese singing over dodgy speakers we were drawn deeper and deeper into the wilderness (which was rather more little like an amusement park past it's prime).

We came across a steep red staircase and being drawn ever upwards we climbed... towards spiritual enlightenment. Also known as the largest (most kitsch?) sleeping Buddah in the north of China...

I've been a bit lazy...

Sorry folks, no posts for 10 days!

Let's see... what have I done lately.

Watched the turtles look cute...



Started knitting a scarf (somehow managing to look like an even fatter pig whilst I do it too...). Luz has finished hers already. I'm now 2/3 of the way through. Colette is knitting a jumper and has finished the back and half the front.

Lots of fun things to do in China kiddies!

Haircut time!

As I knew Cynthia would be concerned that I hadn't had my hair done in such a long time I decided it was time to brave a Tieling hairdresser.

Noya offered to accompany me to her hairdresser and I gladly accepted the offer. I feared that one mispronunciation would end up with me having a blue mohawk or one of the frizzy mullet perms which are very popluar here (inspired by Twisted sister in the 80's I suspect).

Noya's hairdresser turned out to be a very tall (by local standards) and handsome man (who of course is getting married in a month).

I'm not sure how I managed to pull a silly face in all the non-fuzzy pictures. Oh well...I'm sure everyone reading this already know's I'm dead sexy......(ahem)

And Introducing....

So'l and Bean...

Colette and I took Jane and Lilian to help us purchase some new (Wu gui) friends...

"Sheep Soup"

Yesterday, after I helped Noya choose a new Electronic Dictionary, she took me to a local 'restaurant' and bought me some local cuisine. Sheep intestine soup. Actually I think some of the bits were veins. The soup consisted of a bland hot watery soup with coriander and floaty bits of sheep innards.

It was fairly disgusting but apparently you come to like the taste and it gets better. I might use the try it twice rule...then again.. sheep guts?

I couldn't take a picture because all the people in the place were looking at the foreigner (me). If I have a craving for it later I will be sure to get a photo of it....

Shenyang Streets

For some reason this thing wouldn't let me include anymore pictures in the last post... so here are some pictures I took today.

The last two don't fully capture the slightly scary (and overly long) taxi drive back to Shenyang North Train Station!

Shenyang Trip

Hi Everyone! Today Colette and I got up at 5.30 am to get on the 6.45am train to Shenyang. Today was my turn to buy the tickets (aka practice my chinese). Spot the skippy in the ticket queue!

The station wasn't too packed when we arrived and it quickly filled up. As the time the train was due to depart the crowd got a bit restless so when they finally opened the gates it was a bit of a stampede. Sydney peak hour has nothing on Tieling train station when the Shenyang train is due!

When we got to the platform there was no train in sight! After a few minutes a train pulled up and another stampede. I figured 'when in China' and barged my way to the front of the crowd and got on the train and quickly grabbed the first free seats I could. Colette was jostled about for a while before a kind (?) lady shoved her into the carriage.

This trip I managed two train boyfriends on the train trip in. Poor Colette didn't really have much luck today. We'll try again next time!

All I wanted to do was to try and exchange some shorts I bought a few weeks ago but it was too late and they had already changed all the stock over for the Autumn season. Guess someone in my family will score 2 pairs of nice shorts (expensive ones by Chinese standards!).

As soon as we got off the train we went to buy our return tickets - it's a trick Colette and Luz came up with that means you get an allocated seat for the train home - great!

We then went to Middle Street by taxi and it was my turn again to tell the driver where to take us. I got it right - two for two! Colette found some sneakers she liked straight away and for only 70 RMB. Bargain! Next stop was Kama Classics to try and exchange my shorts. No luck there but we noticed a lot of nice warm clothes in there. Maybe another trip will be in order after we have finalised our October trip to Beijing/Xian.

We then headed for the basement of the Shenyang Spring Store which is a great place to find interesting clothes and things. If you can haggle you can sometimes get some great bargains. I always wish I was much smaller when I go there as most of the women's clothes are quite small. As are the shoes! The Chinese idea of big feet in women is about a size 7.5 or 8!

I found a great top in there though. So of course I had to buy it - it fit me!

After all that shopping we had a chocolate shake and a sit down in McDonalds. Then a bit more of a wander before we headed back to Shenyang North Station for the train trip home.

Some other pictures from today...

Just a few more pictures from today...

Beware of the Ducks...

Tieling Dairy..

Today we visited the Tieling Dairy...

A trip to the Countryside

Today Colette, Luz and I went on a trip to the 'Countryside' (this means anything not in Tieling City) with Low Low and her Art Class. Low Low is Luz' good friend and the trip was to the home of her Art teacher.

Luz had a class early in the morning so Low Low and her friend (aka 'Big Carrot' as he's quite tall...)collected Colette and I at 8am for the trip. We went there by taxi and it took us about 20 minutes to reach our destination.

We were greeted by the gate by the biggest dog I have seen here so far. 'Big Black' was very vocal in her greeting of the newcomers.

We met some of Low Low's classmates and went for a short walk along the edge of the town reservoir.

For lunch we tried barbeque local style which was very tasty and quite spicy. Of course I managed to spill some all over myself!

Low Low's teacher has built a lovely home in the countryside and was very kind to welcome us there today. One of the nicest parts of the garden was a small hut built on the highest point of the block of land. It was great to sit in the hut and talk to some of Low Low's classmates and enjoy the view.

Some more local weed...

Now we just need to find out the Chinese for Tally-Ho and we're set...

Overworked and Underpaid

Look at the poor girls. So tired from working 11 hour days during the school holidays that they have to find time to nap at the computer desks!

Picture 1 (from left to right): Jane, Sandra, Ruby and Anne.

Picture 2: Lillian

Jane, Sandra and Lillian are my computer room assistants. All really lovely girls (and single too guys!)

View of 'Old Tieling' September 1

I took these pictures this morning from the Temple at the top of the hill. If I was really clever I would have actually taken some of the temple itself. Still time!

The pictures are of 'Old Tieling' where there are lots of little houses on narrow dirt streets. It's a nice view across the terracotta roofs in the mornings.

You can see where the 'New Tieling' starts in the background of the first picture.