Home again home again I can't believe it is aleady time for you to come back. What an amazing adventure you have had and I am sure we have only heard a piece of it. I am guessing with the jet lag we won't see you mid week. Fly safe and we will see you over bagels soon.
Shelley
bring some back We could use some of that rain. We will miss your blogs. Its been fun following your observations. Looking forward to more detail upon your return. Hope your trip was everything you hoped it would be. Griff
I have more pictures and some comments to make that will probably make it into a summary after I return to America. Perhaps I will get it assembled on the flight home
Will miss your daily reports I am sure everyone who has been keeping up with your comments are also sad you are leaving because your adventures have been something to look forward to each day.
Sad : ( Oh dad, I am sad that you are sad to come home...I guess that means that you have had a great time!! It makes me sad that I won't have any travel blogs to read anymore either. I guess it's my turn to go somewhere awesome and blog about it. Please call when you get in so I know that you are home safe and sound!! I can't wait to hear all of the things that you didn't blog about. Love you!
Americans love their mattresses You can tell your new family that my bed has a 12 inch box spring topped by a 12 inch mattress with a 1 inch pad; the whole thing sits 3 feet off the floor; however, my daughter has an even thicker set and is 42 inches off the floor; I was afraid some night she would get out of bed and break a leg.
trust me on this one... I am gaining weight, not losing weight. Walking doesn't change the equation in that I have been eating incredible things. It seems that the meals dominate their mindsets because when we are completing breakfast, they are talking about what they are making for lunch and dinner. They take food very seriously and in Qinhuangdao, I gather that her family rarely eats in restaurants. Every home cooked meal has been far in excess of what a normal dinner would be and I'm embarrassed and sort of forced to each much more than I would normally eat. My stomach has done it's share of complaining too...let's just say that just this morning, I took the 3rd Imodium I brought on this trip and I never take them at home.
As for the bed...I already have slats so a board would do no good. I have a 12 inch foam mattress and no box spring...just the slats. When we first discussed this, she said there is no way that she would ever sleep on a soft mattress. Apparently I have caused everyone grief because the current bed is absolutely unsleepable, I moved to the sofa and have destroyed everyone's privacy so grandmother moved here, friends have moved to grandmothers and when we get to grandmothers house, I see normal mattress on her bed and I was impertinent because I asked why we aren't staying there instead. So when I find out all of this last night, I feel like a jerk because I simply cannot sleep on a board. One thing is certain, if you cannot sleep on a hard floor, you probably have to stay at a 5 star hotel in China that caters to foreigners because otherwise, you will have to sleep on a Fred Flintstone bed. I can function for 2 or 3 days without much sleep but when it goes on and on, it becomes a problem.
You're makng me hungry The food sounds incredible! It is actually a good thing you walk as much as you do or you would be in trouble. I am amazed by how much of the Chinese culture you have been able to experience. Any typical tourist would never have seen the parts of China you have been welcomed into. The bed would be the hardest (literally) when you get home we may not see you for a week while you catch up on your rest. When Lisa comes here you may have to put plywood under her portion of the mattress so she can sleep.
We have enjoyed keeping up with your adventure; it has been a lot of fun. Take care and tell Lisa when she comes to visit here we will entertain her American style.
Take care, Shelley
Blog This was my first opportunity to read your blog and I have to say it's very entertaining! Lisa is so beautiful and her son is such a cutie! I saw the pics before I read your entries so I thought you were married already! Some of the girls in the office didn't recognize you with the dark hair. I hope you are able to have a ceremony in the States so that the Mullen gang can attend! We are all really happy for you! I'm glad you are enjoying your trip. I will spare you all the troubles we've had with the network while you've been gone, but I would like to know how you get around the error that has been plaguing us?We got it on Erin's computer this morning. Shoot me an email when you get a chance. She is working on a different computer until we hear from you. Thanks! Mandi
relaxation When getting 6 hours of sleep in one night is a major victory, you can be sure that there is little relaxation going on for me. But I did some bed inspection and I have learned...
for all purposes... Eating in China is essentially eating in a buffet because all meals are served family style...period. Everyone gets a small bowl and a pair of chopsticks and you just grab. I am still trying to get past the shock of being fed sweet and sour pork in China...I was convinced that it only existed in terrible American restaurants.
I have figured out some things about Chinese beds and you couldn't sell a foam mattress in China if you tried. I have started a blog entry on houses/apartments in China including beds and I will get it up in the next day with some more pictures and thoughts. Basically they are all convinced that if you sleep on a soft mattress, that will cause them back aches and neck pains even though for example, Wang Jian constantly complains about neck pain. Lisa the same thing. She says she won't ever sleep on a soft mattress. They not only don't want to sleep on a soft mattress, they are utterly convinced that it will ruin them.
Happy Engagement?! Hey Dad, I have been keeping up with your blogs really well, but haven't been able to add comments through my phone. I love reading about your adventures in China and can't believe that you have kept up so well with all of the activities. I will say, for a vacation is doesn't seem all that "relaxing"... I love looking at your pictures with Lisa, she is so adorable, and so is her son! I wanted to also tell you that we installed those tankless hot water heaters at Belmar. There are two on each building that serve 12 apartments, and I think it would be pretty cheap for you to install at home. They are very energy efficient as well. I hope that your trip is great for the remainder of it, and I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back. I love you!!
Amusing and fun to read The ceremonies, you haven't the faintest of what is happening, so funny; the incredible amount of great food, Bud would love to be there eating for three hours like he does here at the Chinese buffets; The modern cities and businesses are a surprise; the greenery; the huge extended family and support; sounds like a book in the making to me.
bed I'll bet when you sleep you dream about that cushy bed you bought at Costco. Here's an idea... sell them in China. You could be a hero and make a fortune!
for clarity... We are engaged, not married. The object will be to get a fiance visa and then once she gets the visa and comes to America, we would have 90 days to get married.
The comments merely let me know who is reading. You are correct that I am having only limited amount of English communication because most of the time, Lisa is talking with Wang Jian or her family in Chinese and I only get very little snippets and not much translation. As she told me after Leshan, translating is very hard for her, especially once it gets beyond simple language of I/You/Me and onto things like scientific or historical things. Leshan was a perfect example because the guide would speak for maybe 20 minutes and I would get no translation. I was so exhausted by the climb, I didn't much care but the problem was that if you asked me a single question about what I saw there, my only answer would be a lot of Buddhist monastery buildings. I had no real context and if those buildings were built 10 years ago or 1000 years ago, I would not know.
I get sufficient English conversation with Lisa and I don't require much anyway. So I'm not really missing any English communication but I did want to leave a significant blog in place.
The hair...sort of creepy I think. I was very happy with my gray hair but you see almost no gray hair in China...everyone colors their hair if they have gray hair. They make fun of my big tummy but to tell you the truth, I have seen plenty of Chinese with big tummy's or just plain fat but I think percentage wise, it is pretty low.
What is almost impossible to describe is driving at approximately 35 miles per hour and going through a red light without hesitation...that will cause any American to struggle to find the brakes with their foot. Unbelievable experience. Beijing to a great extent and the center of Chengdu to a lesser extent has a lot of police so the driving there is a bit more orderly but all of the other cities, not quite so.
The biggest treat has been to be in so many people's 'houses' - they are always called a house by Lisa but they really are apartments/condo's.
Whew! Well dad...I just caught up on your entries. You sure are doing a lot! Judging from the amount of blogging you've been doing, I bet you see now how nice it is to get comments! Especially when you've been deprived of the English language. All that communicating in Chinese sounds exhausting! Well, that and the eating! Seriously! It's out of control.
Hope you're enjoying it all...your blogs are fun to read. I'm sure you'll keep them coming. I found myself laughing at some of the pictures on this one. I don't know why...maybe because it's crazy that it's you in this scenario - China, engaged (or married? I can't understand all of these ceremonies)...and all while speaking Chinese. Kinda funny. Oh...nice hair by the way.
Talk to you soon. Love, Jen
Internet access... It would have been easy to get Internet access if we had been staying at a hotel but we were in an apartment in Shaungliu and there wasn't any, not that I didn't try. Sniffing for wireless routers in the area turned up nothing. I guess that the apartments are small and no one really has more than one computer anyway so there is no real use for a wireless router there.
As for the humidity...I think only living in someplace like Miami could prepare you for 85 degrees and 90% humidity. It is stifling. I broke into a sweat just thinking about walking. They also sweat but just not as quickly or as much as I do.
As for the walking...my walking is from home to garage to parking space to store and back. Most of the Chinese don't own cars so they walk everywhere. Unfortunately the days we walked the furthest happened to be the hottest and wettest days of all. When we went out Wednesday evening when it was a bit cooler and hadn't rained for 24 hours, it was much easier to walk.
Wow! I have to say after not hearing from you for a week we were pretty worried and hoping you were not devoured by giant pandas or buried in some ancient tomb somewhere. Reading a lot of this at one time and I am worn out too. I told Griff we should have thought of that and had you out on walks every evening. The heat, humidity and body aches are hard to overcome at our age. I truly admire your effort.
I was happy to read that you were going to have a couple of days rest before getting back at it. But, I have to say that Lisa is beautiful and you look amazing. Tired as you feel I have to say that the dark hair looks great and has taken years off of you. Now you know our secret. Women are too vain for the most part until we reach the stage in life where it doesn't matter.
Your blogs and photos are great, keep them coming. Enjoy what is left of your trip and take care of yourself. Tell them when you need a break...it's ok. Shelley
the marathon I'm glad you finally got to relax a bit. It was sounding like torture! I like the pictures...you look like a movie star out of the fifties and Lisa looks like a fashion model.
Life in China An amazing adventure and well told. Much better than any travel show I have seen on television. You make China seem much closer. I would enjoy the museums, especially the cloisonnè and ceramics. My favorite period for ceramics would be the Song Dynasty.
If there, I would be tempted to round up Lisa's extended family and start digging at the first emperor's tomb.
well the bed at the apartment is more like blacktop compared to the hotel's concrete but at the apartment, I can take a couple of Advil and I had nothing at the hotel.
It's not the heat, it's the humidity. It has been averaging about 80% humidity and only days like today that did not rain when the humidity drops to 70%. It feels worse than Miami because at least in Miami, you get a breeze. I think Lisa is finally starting to understand because we were looking at weather in Beijing and Qinhuangdao where we are headed and we were looking at 90% humidity and then I showed her Phoenix and 10% humidity.
Oi! That was exhausting to read! Humidity?! Grooossssss! :) I hope that you get to start takin it a little more easy daddy-o! And I definitely hope that the bed back at the apartment is waaaayyyy more comfy than the hotel
Hey! Hey! I like your hair!! That dinner sounds soooo awesome! And the apartment!! Even though the day sounds very exhausting I'm super stoked you are getting to see these cool things with great people. Love love!
shelley
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Home again home again
I can't believe it is aleady time for you to come back. What an amazing adventure you have had and I am sure we have only heard a piece of it. I am guessing with the jet lag we won't see you mid week. Fly safe and we will see you over bagels soon. Shelley