China Dispatch # 2 - Fairy Mountain

O.K., so here they go again, on another little adventure.

Today, Gal and Guy are heading up what the locals call "Fairy Mountain"; but what the signage labels as

Of course, no way Jose Guy was hoofin' it up there when there was a perfectly good cable car to ride in.  Beside, after the cowboy crazy, horn honkin lovin  bus driver's ride this far up, nothing else was going to seem dangerous or risky.

So, up-up and away...big wheels keep on turnin'...

Right on to the top for a mountain high view of our new home, the lakeside campus of Yang-En University.

There are many things happening all at once in a temple setting like this:

Fireworks exploding in concrete bins, incense being lit, rice paper prayers igniting in open kilns, fortunes being told in private seer sessions, all along with drums and bells being played by Buddhist priests who are at the same time chanting into head mounted microphones.

A packed, busy temple like this is one of the few places in China where a tall foreign guy with a strange-haired, blonde gal walking among the people doesn't attract the population's attention.

And then,  like everywhere, there are the dragons.  I could show you the sign, but it was all in Chinese.  However, the most salient points being we were at the Immortals' Well with its Rice-producing Rock.  Make of that what you will.

Next, we have the Maitreya Buddha.

(N.B.) He's the one on the left.

Nephew Evan pointed out before we left, we should keep our eyes out for signs because he finds them very interesting.  Well, there are so many of them they're kind of hard to miss.

Then, after a long morning, the Guy and Gal made it back down off the mountain to their little university village for a few more unusual sights before lunch.

On arriving back in their dorm room, they noticed another novelty.  This goes out to the hard working weed eater repair guys in the back room of Sebo's hardware store. You see there are a thousand freshman showing up next week and the ground crew had to mow the football field in a hurry, by hand.
Those five rice-burning trimmers ran non-stop for 12 hours.  Today, those same five Fists of Fury, raked and bagged it all.  Now, pretty as you please, you can see they are throwing the bags up on the truck and looking for an ice-cold beer temple to celebrate a job well done and as "W" liked to say, "Mission Accomplished!"

As our favorite little guys, Mac and Cheese say, "See you soon, baboons".

China Dispatch # 1

After we wake up and look out our living room window at our new home on the Chinese university campus of Yang-En,









we take a morning stroll up a nearby hill to a little used temple.  Actually, it may be visited regularly, but not for worship as much as a for a nocturnal lover's tryst or to gain immortality by carving graffiti characters on the concrete columns.

 New mornings reveal new temples with every day here fresher than the last. With all we see, hear, smell and taste seeming different to us, from dragons guarding doorsteps to intricately decorated roof lines. 

Just as everything about us is different to everyone we meet.

O.K. enough of the nice images by Jo, now it's time for my happy snappy photos.  This first one is from my popular world travel series called, "My doctor said to NOT drink the water!"

It's a good thing I'm along to prevent Gal from taking wrong turns here and there.

It took thirty hours to from bed to bed, but mainly because of the typhoon raging at our last layover.

Xiamen was our final stop and even though we were three hours late, our ride was waiting for us and

after another hour ride in his van we were deposited at our new home.

The Foreign Affairs Officer wanted me to teach a class four hours later, but that wasn't going to happin'.
I made my apologies and slept for a day.

Each new day since, as I said in the beginning, bringing new views of our campus home. 

Today, Gal and Guy head for the top of Fairy Mountain.

A Word on Yellowstone

Shortly before leaving for China, Guy and Gal volunteered to help out with "The First Great Ride In The Last Great Place".

The event began in West Yellowstone at the beautiful community hall which was used for the registration of the 700 riders and 80 crew members, as well as the "welcome" dinner venue.

 Guy got hung up for awhile....

but eventually he and Gal got to the business at hand.

Over the next 2 days, people came from different directions, by different means to cycle the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

The participants were rewarded with good food, fun, entertainment and spectacular scenery.

At times, some of the riders would have liked to trade their saddles in for these, but the "caballos" were reserved for other tourists.

Gal was part of the "Course Monitor/Sag" team striving to keep the riders safe and going in the right direction, while Guy was answering questions and solving problems at the "Help Desk"

Or, so Gal thought.

Some of the vistas were softened by wild fire smoke.

The wildlife and friendly sags motivated the riders to carry on,

pausing long enough to take in the views of rivers cutting through deep gorges 

and crystallized cascades.

Greater Yellowstone is an area of unique geology,

small western agricultural communities,

and happy course monitors

pedaling up and down the mountainous byways.

Guy and Gal are off to see some sights in China, but are fortunate to have spent time in America's oldest national park before they went.

We're goin'

Hay (the first step before manure),

After 5 months with very little R & R in the USA, we leave for PRC (The People's Republic of China) tomorrow.

Our visas arrived via FedEx today at Noon and, 24 hrs later, we will leave tomorrow for what used to be called Canton, where the people eat everything with 4 legs except the tables.

Apologies to Harry N.

We're goin' where the sun keeps shinin' thru the pourin' rain.

Skippin' over the ocean like a storm.

Everyone's talkin' at us
can't hear a word they're sayin'
only the echoes of our minds.

We won't let you leave our love behind,
we won't let you leave our love behind..

Pax,
J & T