Guilin has been an excuse for us to take fantastic side trips. Just when we thought it could not get any better, it does. We stayed in Guilin one night and hopped on a "bus" to Longji, which means Dragon's Backbone. The bus ride rivals any roller coaster ride at Cedar Point for sheer excitement. The roads are narrow and winding, the drivers all pass on curves and the rain the night before had caused some rock slides. 2 1/2 hours later we loaded our few belongings and hiked up the mountain to our lodge (it took us 4 hours). The whole point is to see the rice paddies at sunrise, but rain the night before created a cloudy morning. I didn't think I could take anymore pictures, but the sun came down, and the hike ... read more

There is a malfunction with the blog site, so I cannot upload pictures. I will do that in the next segment, this trip cannot be explained without pictures! If travelling with Andrew is travelling first class, travelling with his wife, Haihong, a personal trainer, is adventure travel. We are currently in Yangshuo, south of Guilin in southern China. This is the area that inspries all the beautiful scenery pictures you traditionally see from China Most tourists on an organized tour, like the ones we met in the airport, stay in the big city Guilin and take a cruise down the Li River to Yangshou to see the scenery, go back and leave the area. We are here in the midst of all this splendor and beauty. Hiahong organized an 18 mile bike ride through the country ... read more

We said goodbye to our very wonderful hosts in Tiefa this morning and headed to Shenyang. It was pouring, a good day to tour the BMW plant here. We had lunch at a Korean Restaurwnant, we didn't order DOG, but we did have Squid, which was excellent. The hotel is the Sheraton, Nora Mike and I were tired so we decided after checking into this fabulous hotel to take advantage of the pool, hot tub and wonderful spa facilities. We spent all afternoon pampering ourselves. This is the way to travel, thank you ANDREW and HAIHONG!! We are off to Xian tomorrow. I am not sure of internet connections, so it may be a while before I blog, or you might get a note from me tomorrow. I just don't know what to expect. Nora, Mike ... read more

A monster storm hit Beijing last night, all Tiefa got was a lot of rain. We woke to rain, so Tai Chi was cancelled. Instead, Nora, Mike and I ventured to the Farmers market to try our hand at shopping. We purchased melons, lichee, nectarines and stuffed donuts. We gathered a crowd, everyone helping to translate what we wanted and how much. I think we made the merchant's day! We forgot that the guide books said to bargain, thank goodness, because Haihong said that they all gave us a good price. The lack of tourists makes a difference, the merchants do not get jaded.... read more

Yesterday was quite and important day, we went to meet Haihong's mother. First, of course was tai chi. Then, after a wonderful breakfast of savory pancake, we walked up to the temple. But, for lunch we met Haihong's family. We didn't realize how fancy this was. Nora, Sara's American grandmother, got a pearl necklace and a jade bracelet as a gift, a silver ring for Mike, the American Grandfather, and a jade bracelet for me. We are blown away by the hospitality of the people here. Of course, this is one of the rare places where Americans are not all over the place.... read more