April 11, 2016

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We were up before the chickens this morning. The phone call wake up alarm rang at 4:15 am. Since we packed last night there was nothing much to do but get dressed and face the morning. By 4:30 we were dressed and pulling our check in luggage to the elevators.



Strangely, we were not the first ones down, several folks had beat us to the lobby. We dropped off our keys and were directed to get our breakfast bags. Our ever vigilant guide, Jo, had pre-ordered a breakfast bag for each of us. Even more thoughtful she had the staff prepare two pots of caffeine for those so addicted. The breakfast bag consisted of three Danish, one croissant, one piece of fruit (banana or apple), water, and two hardboiled eggs. Hearty by anyone's standards. Rick shared with me a delicious Danish and some water. There was no way my constitution was ready for food.



Mike and Dick soon joined us. No prat fall for Mike this morning as this time he minded the stairs and was fully awake. Dick went to the show last night and said it was "wonderful." He got back at 10:00 PM and felt it was well worth the trip.



As I write this note, I am sitting by the Li River in the city of Guilin in China. I have a beautiful view of a crystal clear river, floating river boats taking tourists and locals alike up the beautiful scenic river. We are planning to do that tomorrow. But for now let me back up the boat and tell you what has been happening so far.



Our bus arrived at the airport on time. The airport was amazingly crowded for so early in the morning. Our guide told us that flights are much cheaper in the morning, so the locals fly as early as possible to save money. OK makes sense.



As we got our boarding passes, I turned to Mike and reminded him that security is not his best moment. Take out all your cameras, batteries, lenses and anything that may cause them to stop you. The last several flights Mike had to go through security twice or more. He was ready this time.



This was a new airport and had a weird security system. When you get your boarding pass and check your luggage they pass it though an x-ray machine. The process can take up to 3 minutes. So even though you have your boarding pass, you stand by the counter, out of the line of course, and wait for 3 minutes to see if your name pops up on the security board, indicating you have a problem with your bags. Rick and I waited the obligatory time and our names did not pop up so we were good to go, or so we thought.



We headed to the next step in the screening process, the dreaded scanning of your carry on bags. As we stood there in line, Jo, our guide, came running over to tell me there was a problem with my bag! Well of course everyone had to laugh and give me a jib as I sheepishly followed behind Jo to the security office like a school boy called in to see the principal. I had no idea what could be in my bag, so I was not prepared for anything.



We entered security, who closed the door behind me. My first thought was the censorship police finally caught up with me and wanted to beat me with a rubber hose. No such luck.



Two security guards, in full uniform and armed, kept asking me in Chisese, of course, which bag was mine. They pointed to a series of three bags, none of which were mine, and kept pressing me to choose one. I tried several ways to tell them that none of the bags were mine. but the language barrier was too high too leap. I did notice something unusual. I recognized one of the bags, it was Dick's and not mine.



I told Jo that the bag in question was Dick's not mine, and things went haywire. If the bag was not mine, why did my name come up. "Beats me" was my reply. After additionl Chinese commotion, I advised that they get Dick before he passes security.



We raced out of the office and headed to the line to find Dick. He was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly we saw him about to go through security. Jo pulled him out of line and headed with Dick in tow ,so he could claim his bag. Before they decided to link me with him, Ricky and I raced through security, only to find Mike on the other side, having passed though unscathd.



Now Dick was gone for a good ten minutes. Eventually he came back to a barrage of questions, all beginning with "what was in your bag?" It turns out Mr Schroeder was smuggling a pair of chop sticks he bought for a friend! Yes folks, Dick is a chopsticks smuggling terrorist. It seems that the chop sticks had combined with other things in his bag, giving the x-ray view of a dangerous object. Better safe than sorry, so they opened the bag, saw the sticks and let him go.



The flight from Changdu was a little under two hours, perfect for a power nap. Rick and I had aisle seats, so sleeping was a breeze. We arrived on time to a beautiful day, sunny, hot and a little sticky.



We were now in the south of China in the tropical zone. It was much more humid, and warm nearly 70 degrees. In the sun it was hot, in the shade it was beautiful. Our first stop was a tea plantation where we were to learn the process of growing, picking, processing and brewing tea. It was fascinating. I have to tell Alla, my daughter in law, that she has been doing it wrong all these years.



So we donned some funny hats, which doubled as a basket and learned the proper way to pick tea. The same bush can make different teas depending on if you pick the old or new shoots; or whether you have leaves or not in the mix. We were lousy pickers and most of our haul was deemed to be low quality.



Tea, once picked, is processed completely by hand. First the leaves are allowed to wither in the sun for a few hours to dry out some of the moisture. Then the leaves are subjected to a heating process. The leaves are poured into a large pot, heated from below, to a temperature of 500 degrees, and stirred with the hands of the tea master. This process can last 20 minutes. The purpose is to dry out more moisture and to bring out the fragrance.



Next the tea is rolled by hand for up to an hour, to bring out the oils and create the final tea. Leaves may then be fermented for some fermented teas, or may not be fermented depending on the exact mixture. Teas that are fermented may not go through the previous heating process. It was all fascinating. Next came the tea ceremony and tasting.



We were directed to the special room, fitted out with beautiful narrow wooden benches which served as out tea tables. We sat on hand cut wooden tree stumps, with Tea Master Kevin, at the preparation table. We soon learned the proper way to make tea.



First do not boil the water, unless you are making only certain kinds of tea. Next use only tea leaves and never a tea bag. Tea bags are of the lowest quality and are used in China for fertilizer. Next use only a clay pot. A clay pot absorbs the flavor of tea and allows for the aroma and taste to be accentuated.



When you are ready to brew the best tea, put the leaves directly into the clay pot and pour the hot, not boiling, water into the pot. Cover the pot and pour some hot water on the OUTSIDE of the pot, allowing the pot to suck in the water. Let this brew for a minute or less. Take your tea strainer and put the brew through the strainer and into the drain of your sink. This tea is not drinkable and is only done to wash the tea.



Now that the tea is washed, repeat the steps above and when steeped, pour the water through the strainer and I into your cup, for the best tea you ever tasted. Save the leaves in the clay pot and reuse the leaves 5 or 6 more times in the same day. Do not let the leaves sit overnight, they will be bitter. So that is the proper way to brew tea.



In our ceremony, we tasted several teas, some good, some not to my liking. After this we went to the gift shop, of course to buy tea. Tea, is very expensive in the US and is ridiculous in China. I wanted to buy some special tea designed to help you lose weight and to promote good health. After some hesitation, I came to the conclusion that every cup will remind me of this place, so Alla and I now have a box each of 25 year old black tea. I was told that the quantity I bought will make a cup a day every day for the next 10 years. That's a lot of tea!



As I sat here writing this note, I have been stopped by several locals who just wanted to chat. They asked me about my trip, about America and about my family. They told me about their family and I was even introduced to a 98 year old woman who was a doctor. one word folks, AMAZING.



Mike just stopped by and told me "This place is AMAZING. Put that in your blog!" So Mike I agree this place is AMAZING. If you get the chance to go to China GO.



Next stop a walking tour of the city,, Dinner and free time. I going to take a break now and go listen to the singer a little down the road who is singing American folk and pop songs. Later Folks.



I was getting ready to shut down when John, one of our travelers, just stopped by. He told me that as he was walking around Guilan, he was stopped by several young girls wanting to take his picture! Girls would just stop him, put a hand on his shoulder and take a selfie, bow and move on. Apparently he is an American hero. His is a big affable guy, a rarity in China and everyone wants his picture. Great to be traveling with a celebrity.

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Photos

Tea Farm
Ready to Pick Tea

Tea Farm
Beautiful Views

Tea Farm
Kevin our Tea Master

Tea Farm
Picking in the fields

Tea Farm
Richard and John enjoying the day

Comments

[Alla]

Woo hoo
Omg, really, really, really excited about the tea! Thanks!