On Saturday, after our wonderful adventures in the mountains of Lu, we took the tourist bus to KuLing and ate lunch at a cute little restaurant overlooking the valley. Not only did we enjoy eating the delicious food, but the food also provided excellent entertainment for the kids. Let me explain.
One of the dishes we ordered was local fresh water fish. It is served whole, although it is cut into pieces. Of course after their hunger was sated, our kids began to examine what was left on the fish platter. Hmmmmm....is that a fish head I spy? Why, yes it is, and it still has the EYE BALLS in its head. Here's a great idea....let's dig out the eyeballs and dare each other to eat them.I will leave it to your imagination to picture the girls dissecting the fish's head...perhaps they will ener the field of medicine. Although both Perrie and Caitlin put the fishy eye balls in their mouths, neither girl actually swallowed them.After a LOT OF GIGGLING and gross comments, we left the restaurant and took a walk through downt
own KuLing, a village of about 15,000.
own KuLing, a village of about 15,000. Perrie and the fish got to know each other.
There is a lovely park in the city center, and we strolled from one end to the other, exchanging friendly greetings with the people who were also enjoying the afternoon. We would say "ni hao", and our Chinese friends would answer "hello". Many smiles were exchanged, many warm greetings. The park has more flowers than I could count, and that includes flowers of the gigantic glass and steel variety. In the park center there are two leafy steel stems adorned on top by clusters of glass flowers. Believe me when I say it was not the least bit tacky, but rather it accentuated the beauty of the natural flowers surrounding it.After finally getting our fill of the park and the local mah jhong players (it was fun watching people play this ancient tile/dice game at tables throughout the park), we headed back into the forest.
This is the city park in KuLing where we strolled. The large white "flowers" in the background are made of glass and at night they are lit with fiberoptic lighting...constantly changing color.
Our next stop was a fairly easy climb up stone stairs that ended at a lotus pond and statue of a famous Chinese poet who wrote about LuShan. Perrie and Caitlin obligingly posed in a contemplative gesture in front of the statue.On to yet another fascinating stop. LuShan is not famous only for its scenic wonders, nor for its important geological features (recognized by UNESCO), but it is famous for the very human endeavors that have been planned, won, and sometimes lost right here.
We went to the Villa MeiLu, which began its history as the summer home for a British missionary. It is built in the British style, made of stone, with a huge front porch, and many windows to let in the cool mountain breezes.In its second incarnation, the building became the summer home/office for Chiang Kai Shek. It was from this office that he directed the defence of China from the Japanese invaders in the 1930s. Also, from this former missionarie's home, he negotiated the peace treaty between the Japanese and the Chinese at the end of that bloody, horrific war (if you do no
t know about this period in China's history you might want to check out The Rape of NanKing). Following Chiang Kai Shek's overthrow by the newly formed communist government, this same stone villa is where Chairman Mao spent some time escaping the summer heat and enjoying the unique wonders of this sea of clouds. It is to Mao's credit that he saved this villa and the stone inscriptions surrounding it from destruction by a group of overzealous followers. He said "you can destroy these stone carvings, but you cannot change history, so therefore it is wise to save what is here for future generations". Well, OK, I'm paraphrasing a bit based on what our guide Coby told us. But you get the idea.Inside the Villa MeiLu we saw priceless photographs of all the above-mentioned icons. The home was furnished with every Western convenience of the time period (the late 1940s) because Chiang Kai Shek's wife was very Western, and was proud to display such a progressive lifestyle. The fixtures include a kerosene refrigerator, Western style furniture, and many books reflective of a thirst for knowledge and enlightenment. I was truly moved being in this home that represents both the old and the new China.After this visit to Villa MeiLu, we returned to the hotel, showered, relaxed a bit, then went back into town for dinner at yet another family run restaurant. It was good, though not as good as the lunch restaurant, and no fish eyeballs left the girls a bit disappointed. A stroll down the street after our meal was meant to work off some of the calories we just took in, but in typical American style we saw a market, and of course we had to stop and by (what else) more food!!! Paul got some Snickers candy bars, and the girls loved buying Oreo cookies that came in a wrapper with Chinese characters.Back at the hotel we played cards until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer, and finally we went to bed. Hannah, Madeline, and Perrie decided to all sleep in one hotel room, and they made themselves quite at home with DVD players, junk food, and their iPods.I'll try to tell you about the next part of the trip tomorrow. I am still processing the things that happened....one note....we old geezers climbed a 320 foot vertical cliff wall.....I bet you can't wait to hear about that!!!Cathy=============
t know about this period in China's history you might want to check out The Rape of NanKing). Following Chiang Kai Shek's overthrow by the newly formed communist government, this same stone villa is where Chairman Mao spent some time escaping the summer heat and enjoying the unique wonders of this sea of clouds. It is to Mao's credit that he saved this villa and the stone inscriptions surrounding it from destruction by a group of overzealous followers. He said "you can destroy these stone carvings, but you cannot change history, so therefore it is wise to save what is here for future generations". Well, OK, I'm paraphrasing a bit based on what our guide Coby told us. But you get the idea.Inside the Villa MeiLu we saw priceless photographs of all the above-mentioned icons. The home was furnished with every Western convenience of the time period (the late 1940s) because Chiang Kai Shek's wife was very Western, and was proud to display such a progressive lifestyle. The fixtures include a kerosene refrigerator, Western style furniture, and many books reflective of a thirst for knowledge and enlightenment. I was truly moved being in this home that represents both the old and the new China.After this visit to Villa MeiLu, we returned to the hotel, showered, relaxed a bit, then went back into town for dinner at yet another family run restaurant. It was good, though not as good as the lunch restaurant, and no fish eyeballs left the girls a bit disappointed. A stroll down the street after our meal was meant to work off some of the calories we just took in, but in typical American style we saw a market, and of course we had to stop and by (what else) more food!!! Paul got some Snickers candy bars, and the girls loved buying Oreo cookies that came in a wrapper with Chinese characters.Back at the hotel we played cards until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer, and finally we went to bed. Hannah, Madeline, and Perrie decided to all sleep in one hotel room, and they made themselves quite at home with DVD players, junk food, and their iPods.I'll try to tell you about the next part of the trip tomorrow. I am still processing the things that happened....one note....we old geezers climbed a 320 foot vertical cliff wall.....I bet you can't wait to hear about that!!!Cathy=============
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