Well, the most AMAZING opportunity came to me!  I was offered the chance to HOLD a BABY PANDA (for the cost of $140 US) at the Panda Sanctuary in Chengdu!!!  It was 7 months old, and I would guess that it weighed 25-28 lbs, but it looked as big as a 2.5 to 3 yr old child!   Their upper chest is solid, but they are a bit flopsy... and SO SOFT and cuddley!  I tried not to cry with joy, as my friend Jean took pictures  :)  Another American from the Youth Hostel we were staying at, also took pictures... and as he had a really great camera, I'm looking forward to getting his e-mailed at the end of April, too. 

 

The pictures taken of the pandas are REALLY CUTE!!!  I think I could make posters of several of them  :) 

 

The pandas were at their 'once a year breeding time', bleeting like sheep, and wrestling in their outdoor, natural style areas.  It is amazing to see such cuddly, cute pandas up close!  They have been on earth over 15 million years, originally being fearce meat eaters!  They only breed ONE day a year, and mortality rates are horrible, so it's good that this preserve has now been able to assure a 60% survival rate of the young!  There are less than 1,500 pandas alive in the world, and that number has risen because of this preserve!

 

They live naturally in three areas of China now: at 2,500-3,000 altitude, in moist areas, eating bambo leaves and lower stems.  They don't move alot, as the bamboo holds little nutrition... so they eat & sleep.  Scientists are trying to figure out WHY they evolved to eating bamboo, and they are suplimenting their diets at the preserve, too.  Artificial insemination is also being used, and zoos around the world are benifiting from a larger choice of male/female interaction this way... so inbreeding is not as much of a problem, now.  We saw 8 babies, tho there are 16 right now at the preserve!

 

We were only in Chengdu (pron: chun dew) to see the pandas, then were on to Xian (pron: she ann).  I am there, now. 

 

We had a bit of a problem with the hotel NOT giving us a non-smoking room... but Jean is as great as I am on being insistant that they give us a proper room!  They tried to spray air freshener in the second room before letting us in... but then it smelled like "smoky flowers"... yuck!  :(    We ended up on the non-smoking floor in a bigger room without paying for the "upgraded" larger size room.

 

Well, I'll write in the AM to tell you about the Terra Cotta Warriers and the Emperor Quin's Tomb... they are closing the internet connection in the office area, as it's 10PM here...

 

Susie

OK, this is really part 4B of my updates, but I don't want to confuse you with the message title...

                      

Let me back up to the time spent in Chengdu:  We had Peking Duck at a lovely restraraunt.  Everything is served "family style" here, in platters in the center of the table.  Jean & I share our meals, as they bring WAY too much... and we get to try more this way.  The duck was a bit fatty, but delicious, when you picked out the tender meat.  The tea had the leaves floating up & down in the glass (I'll tell you more about tea later in this letter), and they refill your hot tea continually throughout the meal.  We had eaten in the open market for lunch this day, so I had  a bit of a queezy stomach, so didn't eat as much for supper.  I'm hoping to loose weight on this trip, and Alan & I have a challenge to see who can loose the most in 3 weeks... so if I get a bit sick in the stomach on my trip, I may have a possible advantage in this challenge  :)

 

The Youth Hostel in Chengdu was only $25 US!  It was VERY clean and included breakfast!  I'm enjoying trying all the various foods, and am amazed at the vegetables offered, even for breakfast.  I'm surprised the Chinese have such a variety to their meals!

 

Did I tell you that Kunming & Chengdu use bamboo for scaffolding?  Even on the construction of the freeway overpasses!!!  I can't believe bamboo is strong enough to hold up all that concrete!!!

 

And everywhere we go, it seems that the stripes in the roads for dividing traffic are SUGGESTIONS, NOT REQUIREMENTS... for everyone drives over them, straddles them, and continually cross them to drive on the wrong side of the road.  I'm not really sure how one goes about passing a driving test, with such variables everywhere?  The traffic lights have a countdown numbering sign, that lets you know how long til it changes... and you BETTER NOT be in the center when it does!!!  Cars drive fast and efficiently here.  I am amazed that we haven't seen any bad accidents!?

Yes, we also saw the Red Pandas at the Preserve... they are as small as a racoon or fox, with a striped tail.  Giant Pandas have been on earth for over 15 million years, but the Polar Bear & American Black Bear have been here for less than a million years.

 

My friend Jean knew about the opportunity to hold the pandas:  She has been there before, and another friend sat next to a giant panda.  I had the choice, and chose to hold the baby  :)  It isn't noted anywhere in the park, so you have to know about it, and know where to go!  What an AMAZING opportunity!  Best of all, they give you a tax deductable receipt for the amount you pay, as they are a not-for-profit agency  :)

 

We arrived in Xian (pron: she on') on Monday evening.  We walked over to see the Bell Tower, but they were closing, as it was 9 PM. We asked if we could just go up to take some pictures of the city lights, and they let us in... so we ended up seeing the whole place for free!  The views are fabulous, with a large circle road going around the Bell Tower.  It's really olde... but don't remember what dynasty built it. The City lights remind me of Las Vegas, with HUGE TV monitors on the top levels of buildings, too. 

There is a billboard here of a little naked 2 yr old boy taking a pee, and it arcs up and over about 3' to a toilet (it's a toilet company's sign)!  I took a picture of it... it's TOO funny!  Did I tell you that babies wear crotchless pants?  Moms & Dads squat, with the baby suspended between their legs, and the baby goes potty when they make a shrill whistle!  They start potty triaining at 5 or 6 months!  Must save a LOT on diapers, for they rarely use them!!!  It's OK for kids to go potty at the side of a street or in the grass until they are 6 yrs old.  Dogs are really well behaved, and are rarely seen on leases, but walk next to their owners.  Pekanese and Beishans and small terriers are most common, but I've also see Schnauzers, one Cocker Spaniel (but it was ugly), and even a German Spephard or two.  Not a single Bull dog or Pit Bull anywhere... not even Chinese Charpai!

 

In Kunming I saw them sweeping the streets, but they also dust mop and WASH the streets in Chengdu & Xian!  Imagine using a dust mop in the streets!

 

The weather is much warmer in Xian, so we are wearing short sleeve shirts here.  There are LOTS of trees blooming, and lilacs and roses, as well. The air is fresh and perfumed with the smell of Spring in the air!  Xian has a LOT of agriculture, including fruit trees and grapes.  Wine is made in several areas, tho I haven't had any, yet. 

 

Men wear business suits for the majority of jobs, even cleaning out the new fountains at the Terra Cotta Soldiers!  Women will wear 4-5" heals to walk about the dirt & gravel raods, and just in normal daily wear!  Uniforms are used in many jobs... WAY more than we see in the USA.  I was thinking everyone was a policeman, at first!  Oh, the cop cars are really interesting, with the chinese & english lettering on them.  When I took a picure of four cops in a car next to us when we had arrived at the Xian airport, they smiled, and one said he was also a taxi driver, if we needed an english tour guide?  This was all said as we were waiting at a traffic light  :)

 

There is a LOT of construction in Xian, too... gettting ready for the August 2008 Olympics!  People are VERY friendly, knowing it's important to welcome visitors, to make their economy stronger.  Not as many locals speak English in Xian, but the ones who try are very eager to use it.  Students will often say "hello" when seeing us on the sidewalks.

 

Tuesday AM we traveled about 45 minutes outside Xian to see the Terra Cotta Soldiers.  WOW!!!  There are over 6,000 of them uncovered since their discovery in 1974, by a farm family trying to hand dig a well... they pulled up a terra cotta hand, and knew they had made a great discovery!  This man is paid Y500 a month for the rest of his life... not much, but to a poor farmer, it is!  I met him, and he signed my copy of the book about the place.  So... the life size warriers are made with totally different features and style of hair.  There are generals, archers and soldiers, as well as horsemen and various others who make up an army, I guess.  There are three Pits, with one holding the majority of the Terra Cotta Soldiers. 

 

There are also two BRONZE chariots, that are equal or better than bronze made today!!!  They are in 1/2 scale, with one made to carry the Emporer and his concubines, and the other for a pleasure vehicle (I think).  It took them 2.5 years to piece together the thousands of pieces in the one chariot, and 8 yrs to do the other!  Many Terra Cotta Soldiers were broken, as well... but a lot were found whole.  It is believed that the Emporer Qin, who had all this constructed, was raided by his former general... or possibly a peasant revolution... causing the damage to the buried artifacts.  Most were never seen, until 1974.  In 1979 the governmant opened the area to the public, and the construction of NUMEROUS new buildings is happening out there, as well.

 

We paid an english speaking Chinese lady named Sally to take us on a tour of the Terra Cotta Warriers... and learned more than we would on our own.  We also went to the Tea House at the end, spending nearly two hours tasting 10 different teas, and learing HOW to present tea and how to serve it!  I felt like I was in Geisha training  :)  We learned about the quality of tea... if it is leaves with stems, leaves only, or leaf buds... going up in quality as I named them.  The leaves only have the "floating and sinking" effect, when poured in the glass.  I could do a whole letter on what I learned... let me know if you want more details later?

 

After this, we went to the Emporer Qin's Tomb, a few miles down the road.  The Emporer chose to be buried here, because of the quality of Jade found in the mountains nearby.  It is said that only the Emporer could wear this high quality jade, years ago.  It is of some of the highest quality in the world, and can vary in color, as well... from black, to all shades of green, to opal and light peach and white... some solid, and some with flecks in it, almost like amber.  Many vendors sell glass bracelets, adn the glass can look simular to jade.  The highest quality of jade is called "jadete"... and this costs the most. It's almost like buying diamonds... with differences in color and clarity.

 

For dinner last night, we went to a fine dining restaraunt... which cost $9 US for the two of us!  We had beef & noodle, lily & veggies, and custard cups for dessert, along with ginsing tea (now one of my favorites!).  IF you were more adventurous... you could try:

suckling pig

fried sliced pigeon

fried shark's fin with lobster

marinated goose head

stewed duck (with it's head) and Chinese caterpillar fungus

deep fried ox bone

sauteed fish head

fried shellfish with lily

braised fish lips in pot with Almond

fried chicken gristle with goose liver

hot-fried duck tongue with mushroom

 

There were lots of animal and fish heads in the pictures, and too much oil for me last night (my tummy was still a bit queezy)... so we had a more safe selection for the menu.  It was all really good, and I wish I had been up to trying some of the more exotic selections!

 

There were people dancing on the sidewalk with a live bank... something as a cross between a rumba and a congo line. with as many men as women joining in! Some come with traditional attire, others with brightly colored fans or umbrellas with 12-18" frings on them.  There is a lot of twirling of the umbrellas & fans, swinging of arms, as tho they hold silk scarves.  The song went on & on, and members of the crowd could and did join in.  I made a movie of this, as I have on several other occasions.  You'll have to see it, to believe and understand it all !!!

 

This morning, Jean & I rode rented bikes on the Xian City walls... which was about 10 miles around in less than 3 hours.  The wall is 68 or 73 steps up, depending on where you go... with solid bricks making up the steps and the walls.  They are from the Qin Dynasty, when it was though the wall had to protect the City from invaders.  The surface was sometimes uneven (OK, a LOT of the time), so navagating a bike was a challenge. 

We had great views of the people living both inside and outside the wall. as we rode about.  There were Tibetian monks living in one area, and many schools next to the wall, as well.  Some people still live in the family's ansestoral one room home, while others have moved into new construction high rise buildings.  We saw men & women hand clearing new building sights, as well as laying bricks for new homes.  We saw several groups doing their morning exercises and "team building" gatherings, where the boss calls everyone out in front of the building to talk to them, give them a pep talk, and them maybe a few group exercices.

 

There are a LOT of signs being poorly translated into English... and Jean and I laugh at the attempts: "Do you need advise?" comes up at the ATM machines, when they really mean"Do you want a receipt?"  I thought a furtune teller would appear!

 

There are Louis Vuitton & Prada shops near our hotel, which is near the center of the City, inside the wall.  LOTS of unusual boutiques and shopping opportunities.

 

Tonight we'll go to the Chinese Opera and a Dumpling Dinner here in Xian... then tomorrow TH AM we are on to Beijing.  I'll be there with Jean thru the weekend.  SHe leaves on SUN afternoon, and I'll follow on MON afternoon.

 

I've taken 5 videos and over 1,000 pictures, so far.  I feel like a dozen will be worthy of enlarging, but they'll probably become screen savers at the least, on my office computer.  I promise to cut them down to only the most interesting, when I send out the Shutterfly picture slideshow, upon returning home on the 24th.

 

THANK YOU all, for your lovely comments along the way.  I'm glad you are enjoying this adventure to China with me!

 

Susie

Well, The Great Wall of China is certainly AMAZING... no wonder they call it GREAT!!!

 

We were picked up at 8 AM FRI (this morning) by May, our English speaking Chinese tour guide, and Mr Wong, our chauffer.  I felt like a movie star/celebrity all day long!  Taking a tour bus would have saved us about $25 US each... and I'm glad we splurged!  We had the private attention of our driver and guide, were able to be driven a mile closer than many of the buses parked, and we were able to come and go at our own pace... SO worth the little extra!

 

The drive was about an hour outside Beijing to get to where we were to walk The Great Wall.  We passed another place along the way that people were walking, but our guide and driver chose to take us to the second stop.

 

I have to say, I'm really enjoying bargaining for things... especially since I won't be buying very much.  Today I picked up a sweatshirt that says "I walked the Great Wall" with an ink drawing of The Wall on the front... originally asking price of Y150 which I got for Y50 ($6.40 US).  It was really cold when we arrived at the Wall, and it seemed that I needed it... but once we got walking, I became too hot and was peeling layers!  I had a tank top and two long sleeve shirts on, then the new sweatshirt and a simular sweatshirt/zipdown jacket... I was down to the three bottom layers by the end of the walk!

 

Jean and I laughed at the improper translations on the garbage cans: "sleep slope" instead of "steep" and something about "not emptying the trash in thunderstorms".... I think they meant "not to walk the Wall in the rain"?

 

Let me tell you, there were LOTS of older people making this hike that few of my American or British relatives would consider making!  I couldn't believe how difficult the walks were!  Several times I tried to figure the angle of accent: if you were at the center of a clock face and pointed to 10:00 or even 11:00... that was how high the sloped walks and steps were climbing!!!

 

It was quite crowded when we arrived, and was packed when we were leaving... but May told us that there are often 10x's as many people on public holidays!  It's not unusual to get over 40,000 people a day at that particular area... tho there is more than one spot to walk the Wall !

 

The Great Wall was built in 453 thru 221AD... it is made of stone that is approx 30" wide x 18" high... and I have no idea how thick the slabs are... but I'm sure they are chunky and HEAVY!  The walkways are of 14" square stones... with thick chunky bricks for the steps and the tops of the walls.  About 600 years ago, there was a lot of reconstruction on the walls.  It's funny, but Frommers says that the Walls are a minimum of 6,000 miles long, but that "some reports claim they are nearly 30,000 miles long"!  Can't someone measure them... or is it so tough when they go up and down the mountains?

 

These are REALLY big mouintains that they cross, too!  I really didn't know what to expect... but it reminded me of seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time!

 

The sections of the Wall that are falling apart are referred to as "The Wild Walls".

 

After we left there we made a 20 minute trip back toward Beijing, to stop at the 'Cloisonne' factory.  OK, call me dumb, but I had never heard of this, til Jean showed me some at the Market place.  The goverment owns and runs the factory, so 'Ex Pats' were not able to see the factory until recent years.  It is copper that is made into vases, then thin 1/8" copper "tape" is tooled and woven into swirls and/or patterns, or outlines for a picture, flower or scene.  The "tape" is then glued onto the vase, on edge.  After the glue has dried, enamel coloring is applied, often with glass eye droppers.  Sometimes the color is painted on, especially if the painted area is larger.  It is fired in an oven to seal and enhance the coloring... then more paint is added... until SEVEN layers of paint have been applied.  It then gets buffed, so that the copper tape edge shows between colors, and the inside of the vase is also buffed and sealed.

 

There are also beads for jewelery that are made with the same process, and pictures are made on wood, tho they are not fired, as a different type of paint is used.  Not a lot of bargaining can be done with the government run facilities, but I manages to get three bracelets and two bangles (to be made into earrings, or pendants.. but the Chinese also use these as good luck on their cell phones!) thrown in on the purchase of a 20x20 Koi fish picture for $160 US!  (I'm getting the new master bathroom all decorated, my husband!). The vases ran $100-$2,500 US, depanding on the size.

 

I found out that there are many reproductions and copies of painted - not the 7 step enamel - Cloisonne... but only "the real thing" come from this factory.  It's sold all over the world, and perhaps you've seen Christmas ornaments, little figurines, bracelets, or vases made this way?

 

We had lunch at the factory, in the fancy dining room upstairs.  I have to say, that this was my favorite meal so far!  We had about 8 or 9 dishes, and ALL of them were great!  There were dumplings with a meat filling, sweet & sour pork, a chicken & veggie dish, a mixed veggie dish, asparagus & pork... then we had sliced oranges for dessert (the Chinese don't eat sweets like cake & pie after a meal.. but have fruit).  I've decided that the Chinese eat WAY better balanced meals than we do in the USA!

 

After this, we drove back toward Beijing, driving by the 2008 Olympic grounds.  They are still under construction, but we could see LOTS of work under way.  There is the "Bird's Nest Colloseium", which will hold 100,000 people for the Opening Ceromonies.  It's made of a massive swirling skeletal frame that resembles a birds nest... VERY cool!  I got a picture of it from 4 blocks away... it's really MASSIVE!  There are blue & white temporary buildings for the workers to live  in... but they will be taken down before next Summer, when the work is near completion.

 

BRUCE: Did you know that the Opening of the 2008 Olympics is on 8-8-2008... your birthday?  Are you going?

 

Then we stopped for a foot massage at a Chinese (govmt facility) Medical Center.  All of this was included in our tour... but it was suggested that we give a small tip (Y20) to the girls who gave us the 30 minute foot massage.  It felt SO great, especially after the rugged hike on The Wall !

 

We also met the Doctor who was in charge of the facility, and he asked if we'd like to meet a Chinese doctor?  I said, "yes"... tho Jean wasn't really interested.  I found the lady Doctor to be quite correct about some things that are bothering me lately (difficulty sleeping at night... achy knees and ankles... hives... acid reflux...) so I bought a 2 month supply of her recommended Chinese medicines for these ailments.   We'll see how they do!?

 

Well, I've added a 'Kung Fu' demonstration into my evening tonight, so I must go & get ready.  It's an hour long, and I really don't know what to expect, but I WILL take my camera tonight... so you'll get to see  :) 

 

I regret that I left my camera behind when we went to the Chinese Opera in Xian - I thought it wouldn't be allowed, but everyone here seems to be OK with pictures... even in the Cloisonne factory!

 

Jean chose to take another walk thru the Markets tonight, instead.

 

Tomorrow, the Summer Palace... via the subway and a boat ride across the lake!

 

Love to all,

Susie

Well, this may be a quick update: I have to be outside in 1/2 hour to meet Dr Warren to go to the Leper Colony with him, today.

 

FRI PM the 'Legand of Kung Fu' was FABULOUS!!!  Jean wasn't interested in seeing it, so I went alone, but I know she would have enjoyed it.  It was the story of the boy who was left by his mother at the monestary, to become a monk & study Kung Fu for defense, not actively seeking war.  There were 5 young boys, probably 8-12 years old, then 22 young men in the 16-28 year range, and two 'elders'.  Their acrobatic/kung fu demonstrations were like nothing I've ever seen!  They could do long running summersolts in the air, but barely off the ground, followed by fung fu fighting and jumps 10-15 feet up... with no wires helping them do any of the jumps, I am sure!

 

SAT Jean & I went to the Summer Palace, taking the subway to get to a boat on the river from the Zoo, traveling 50 minutes to the Summer Palace.  The name, Summer Palace, is deceiving: it's actually 716 acres, and looks more like a grand park!  There are hundreds of buildings that were for the Emperer's concubines, wives, the Empress, and all the people who took care of them.  There are places used for worship, and those used to prepare for worship, others for dining, entertaining, collecting and displaying art and tresures... and the gardens and lakes.  It's HUGE, and difficult to imagine a lifestyle that was lead in those days!

 

I am reading a facinating book that Jean is letting me borrow: "Empress Orchid' by Anchee Min.  It tells of the Empress's life, and the mid 1800's lifestyle of the people... a really good story!

 

In the evening, we walked around Tian'an Men Square: it was beautiful and HUGE, with lights on the buildings, and hundreds of people gathering or simply walking thru.  I noticed the video cameras placed to monitor the activity at the Square: I guess that this has been in place since the student uprising & protests that the Square is rememberd for!  Chairman Mao is bought up once a day at 1 PM for the people to view his freeze dried body at Memorial Hall, the People's Hero Memorial is a spire simular to one in Washington DC, and the Treasury of China has a large clock tower on it, nearby.

 

Supper at Outback Steak House was good... but the A1 Sauce was from England, and tasted like the "house sauce" Alan & I had had in Hawaai for our honeymoon... lacking flavor that Americans associate with a steak sauce.... more of a dull tomato base with ginger seasoning.

 

SUN we went to the Silk Market, but I wasn't able to negotiate as low as I had at the Pearl Market, so we took at taxi back to the Pearl Market for me to get more silk and leather items.  "Hey, lady, do you want to buy: silk, scarves, pants, t-shirts, luggage..." were the constant calls from the men & women in the stalls.  I took a movie of it, for it is really quite intersting!  "Special price for you this morning, lady!"

 

When Jean left at 1 PM for the airport, our guide, May, returned to meet me at the hotel, and she & I went back so I could see Tian'an Men Square in the daylight.  I haven't gotten a good shot of the babies, toddlers, or small kids going potty with their 'split pants'... but I hope to capture the moment while I am here  :)

 

Next, we went to The Forbidden City.  This is in the center of Beijing, just north of Tian'an Men Square... and further north is the Drum Tower and Bell Tower.

 

The Forbidden City is where the Emporer and Empress & all the concubines and seven other wives of the Emporer and all his people lived... when not traveling to the other Palaces.  The buildings are being renovated continually, but at an even more agressive timeframe, for the Olympics!  Again, the buildings and gardens were breathtaking... it's Spring in Kunming, the 'flower city'... so there are flowering trees, bushes, and flowers everywhere we go!

 

I'll add more tonight... must get outside, now!

 

Susie

More on the Forbidden City:

 

I learned that the mother and father lions seen at Chinese building entrances have an interesting meaning: the father is always on the left and the woman on the right (women are 'right' in China, too!); with the mother's front paw on a lion cub, as women care for the babies, and the father's front paw on a ball, showing he is ready to do business.

 

There were buildings for living areas, political gathering areas, dining & banquets, as well.

 

1,3,5,7,9 added up equal 25... all of these numbers symbolize God.  9 is the supreme number for the Emporer, so there are 9 animals at the roof top tile ends on the corners of the buildings made for his use.  Other buildings have less animals than the Emporer, with larger number of animals showing a person of greater importance residing there.

 

Red silk was/is used to dress a wedding bed, as good luck for the marriage.  Three days are spent in the wedding bed... sounds good to me!