holidays – Page 5 – HurricaneMaine

Mid autumn festival

It is still hard to believe this is the start of my second year here in China. I’m settled in my new area and really getting used to how to get around.

It is still like a first year with IB Biology as it is a two year program. I did work ahead at getting materials ready for this year knowing how crazy it is with cross country.

I am also thinking a lot about my dad and my family. On the 19th it will be one year since he passed. There are still times the realization dawns again that he is not here….

Moon festival or mid autumn festival

Also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Chinese Moon Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. Besides Chinese new year, it’s one of the most important traditional events for the Chinese.
Legend traces the story to a hero named Hou Yi, who lived during a time when there were 10 suns in the sky. This caused people to die, so Hou Yi shot down nine of the suns and was given an elixir by the Queen of Heaven to make him immortal. But Hou Yi didn’t drink the elixir because he wanted to remain with his wife, Chang’e (spoken as Chung-err). So, he told her to watch over the potion.
One day a student of Hou Yi tried to steal the elixir from her, and Chang’e drank it to foil his plans. Afterward, she flew to the moon, and people have prayed to her for fortune ever since. Food offerings snd family reunions are part of the holiday.
When the full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon cakes and sing moon poems. It is an important holiday here.

My friend Lilian invited us to the cowboy bar Mr. Rocky to celebrate. She brought moon cakes and we celebrated at lunch as she would be downing the evening with her family. We had a great time. She shared the legend, the importance of the holiday, and we shared a meal.

This is Lillian. She meets people and strikes up great conversations then brings everyone together.

I spent some parts of the weekend catching up on sleep and doing school work. I had wanted to go away for the long weekend but decided against it as I will be leaving for a cross country meet in Thailand.

On Saturday night, I went to ptv, a karaoke place. It is incredible. There are costumes you can try in and takes in with you.

I had to try this wig on.

My friends Ping arranged the room. It cost 75 rmb which is about $13. This includes a full buffet.

Each room had a dining table with tea set, two screens, a standing microphone and other hand held mics. There were plenty of comfy places to sit. You can choose from a vast array of some and artists and they had a great variety of singers from all over.

We had a blast. I normally don’t like to sing but thoroughly enjoyed myself.

The rest of the weekend I also spent exploring and running of course. I found new places to eat including the Mojito Cafe in my neighborhood (yes, the Mojito’s were good) and finding a new wet market to get my produce!

And I enjoyed moon cakes and spending time on Guangzhou for the holiday.

July 4th

Pre-breakfast run at PNC Park and the point.

Good thing I ran 10k before having this massive breakfast.

Yes, we had this for brunch this morning at Ryan’s. Pancakes with home fries, shiitake bacon, egg, and hollandaise. Quite yummy and very filling.

With talk on what we should do for the day we made a last minute decision to go to Ohio pyle.

We packed sandwiches and snacks and headed out. There was a chance of rain and of course it did but the bonus is that it was not crowded. We were wearing swimsuits so it did not matter to us. The rain did not last long though.

It still was a beautiful day. I love these guys and had a wonderful time.

We went to cucumber falls to climb rocks around the water fall.

We climbed behind the waterfall.

A view from the top of the waterfall.

Haizu National Wetland Park

Today Nicole and I went to the Haizu National Wetland Park. It is an urban wetlands that is very quiet and beautiful. The Chinese really love beautiful places and their use of elements in design is beautiful.We took the metro to Datang Station and exited the B exit. It is right outside that metro exit by simply making a right turn and follow the bridge to the park.

The flowers were beautiful.

I really love how they use different textures in their design.

Many little pavilions were great places to rest.

This is a manmade tree that hides communication equipment.

More natural design elements.

In the center of the lake is an island where many birds can be found.

Many of the buildings throughout the park are interesting and look serene in the landscape.

I loved the thatched roof on this building.

It s such a beautiful day and every view seemed stunning.

More flora.

Boats along the shore of the wetlands.

Statues of workers and grain bags.

Children feeding the ducks.

We were close to the area we sometimes go to eat. We affectionately call it squid street as there are vendors selling squid on a stick. There are other foods to eat as well. We decided to test our ability to navigate and get there.We went through some dodgy areas where many knock off items seem to be sold.

We actually attracted a bit of attention as it appears we were not in an area many foreigners visit.

A group of gentlemen playing mahjong. They were very spirited and a competitive game.

We did a good job of navigating but came across many dead ends where apartment areas were gated. We were able to get through one thanks to a nice guy. It was easier to get to the next main street that way.Eventually we found ourselves in familiar territory and found our street.

We are at the Korean restaurant. These noodles are delicious and one of my favorites.

A dandelion sculpture we passed on the way back.

After a very long day walking on a hot day (34 C), I was grateful for a pool to chill down in!

Everything’s coming up flowers…

There are some spectacular displays here for Chinese New Year. For weeks they have been working on garden displays and finally opened it up to view.

Each area has a specific design and focus.

Many different decorations can be seen.

There were so many flowers and all were gorgeous.

These large flowers are made from flowers themselves.

The orchids are just beautiful.

This display with a waterfall and deer is one of my favorite.

It is the year of the pig. Pigs showed up in many displays whether they fit the theme or not.

Love these trio of elephants.

It would not be Chinese new year without a dragon.

This car made from plants is pretty clever.

Another display:

Another pig in the style of Peppa pig.

This display was meant to look like a painting.

New years eve

It is already the first here in China. We had a more relaxed day planned for the last day Becca and Ryan were here. Becca liked the work of the tattoo artist for our family tattoos and decided to get her other one she was thinking about. The first is also a bit less here for the same quality work.

We started out the day with the last run before Becca leaves. We ran a little over 4 miles on Ershadao. I’ll miss my running buddy.

After the run, we made breakfast here in my apartment. I made Vietnamese egg coffee, one of my favorite. I have to confess that I was supposed to become an expert in making the drink before becca and Ryan arrived but I kept putting it off. It is my first year of teaching again. Here is our breakfast. Egg coffee, sweet potato hash and an omelet.

Egg coffee originated when milk was scarce in Vietnam and whipped eggs were used as a substitute. Now the drink is made with sweetened condensed milk and eggs white into a froth and piled on top. I bought Vietnamese coffee when I visited in October. To date it is my favorite place for food.

Back to the story. The best part is that our favorite restaurant is in the Buddha temple in Beijing lu and it is not far from the tattoo parlor.

We had more great dishes for lunch that day. It will take some time to work through that menu.

Dumplings with a mushroom filling.

Baked squash with filling, what we thought was fried tofu but think it was taro, and a yummy dish made with coconut milk.

After lunch, I walked around the other side of the temple.

I have heard “welcome to China” often, especially with head scratching events. Such as driving your car onto the sidewalk then yelling at the pedestrians in your way. It sits not happen often but entertaining when it does.

Afterwards we came back to the apartment to relax before going to the Mexican restaurant for dinner. We tried to stay awake for the new year, but needed to get up early to get to the airport. I actually woke up 8 minutes before midnight and because it was cold, stayed under the covers. I thought I would get up to see if there was a light display. I feel back asleep and awoke at 12:30. Oh well, no one seemed concerned of missing out.

Family tattoo

Some time ago I wanted to get a simple tattoo like bamboo.

Even though Rebecca and I got matching tattoos (infinity symbol with the word “run”) before I left the states, I promised Ryan I would get one with him too.

I wanted something that would remind me of China and not just that I got a tattoo here. I like my Chinese character as I was born in the year of the dragon so it seemed fitting to get our respective animals. Ryan would get the dog and Becca the goat.

Ryan was not keen on that. Instead we decided on a minimalist bamboo design which is pretty much my style anyway.

One of my colleagues knows a person who had a tattoo here and swears by this shop. I love we chat. You can send your designs to them, give earnest money, etc. They were located in an area we had explored just a few days before.

They were very professional and are lot of fun. They had 3 people available to work on us at the same time so took very little time overall.

Here is the end result:

They also made a little video during the session.

https://youtu.be/yRzm_rjVFGY

They were a lot of fun and with some broken English, use of a translator app, and expressions made for a very fun afternoon.

Their we chat id is: wenyifantattoo-3

Instagram: acantattoo

Baiyun mountain

We started the day hiking up Baiyun mountain. It means White Cloud Mountain and is also the “lungs of Guangzhou”.

We have been taking the metro so often and in directions I have not previously gone that I am becoming much better at getting around the city. I also greatly appreciate how the metro is laid out in this city. It is done well.

The west entrance to Baiyun.

These flowers remind me the flowers from the Lorax.

The climb up.

The weather this morning is cooler with some rain. The fog has not burned off as of yet.

At Shanding square below the summit there was entertainment and a TV crew. We watched for a few minutes. The music and dancing was wonderful to listen watch.

At the Square we took in the views.

At the west gate of the mountain.

Lots of walking these last few days but it has been great fun exploring areas around Guangzhou with Becca and Ryan.

Botanical Garden, South China

Even though it is almost winter, we decided to go to the botanical gardens anyway.

The place is beautiful even without everything in full bloom. We started at the Palm garden.

We followed some trails then went to the bamboo garden.

It is great to see Darwin revered here. The are statues of him also in science city where I work.

The bromeliad garden.

I just loved how vines were wrapping around the trees.

These trees are striking with their white trunks.

The medicinal herb garden was interesting with all of the species that are on display.

Near the ginger garden.

It is getting cooler today. Poor butterfly.

At the Neolithic garden.

Along the water with the water plants.

Though not everything is blooming it was still a great time to enjoy nature and get a break from the city

Ancient Whampoa Anchorage

Shiji Village, Bazhou Street, Xingang East Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou, China

We took the metro and walked some distance to this village. Becca, Ryan, and I were searching for souvenirs and street food for lunch.

Ryan tried vegetarian steamed buns and flatbread. We also bought candied ginger, sesame candies, dried sweet potato, dried mango, and dried figs. At one of the restaurants, we ordered a veggie dish (fried morning glory? Or some variety of spinach) and stir fried squid with vegetables. Yummy.

This place is getting more commercial but you can still find residents who sell their wares on the street.

Mall of the world, Tianhe

After exploring, we walked up from the Zhujiang River to the mall of the world. We walked around Parc Central. This place is the epitome of consumerism and is one large underground mall for miles extending to the buildings on both sides for several floors up in each.