handwritten on August 6, 2015
We woke up this morning around 7:00 and walked downstairs in the lobby of our hotel for a buffet breakfast. I found this to be fascinating because it was set up like any buffet you may see in the United States. However, instead of the usual ham, eggs, bacon and so forth there were purple sweet potatoes, eggs, porridge, pork buns, dumplings and other such food varieties. I took many pictures of this buffet, and I will be sharing these at a later date.
Instead of traveling up the mountain today, we traveled down the mountain. This was slightly scary because the steps were so small. Not only did your calf muscles begin to shake after a period of time, but you were constantly thinking about...
handwritten on August 6, 2015
Although we had just arrived back from rural Changsha, it was time to embark on yet another adventure toward the land of Avatar also known as Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. We woke up early this morning (no time like the present) and ate a fried dough patty with meat and onions on the inside. Delicious. We then walked to meet our driver who would be taking us on our four-hour journey towards the mountains. On the way, we stopped at my first ever Chinese convenience store/gas station. There were a lot of overpriced snacks (very similar to...
handwritten on August 1, 2015
This fine Wednesday morning was one of my favorite mornings in rural China. We woke up around 7 o'clock and met a family member who was to take us around rural China for a tour. We traveled through the streets on a small trolley-like bus and first stopped on the side of the street to eat breakfast. This particular breakfast was my absolute favorite. We consumed a huge bowl of rice porridge and warm pork buns. After breakfast, we walked through a large concrete square which is generally where the people go to dance at night. In other words, it is a square of recreation and easy living. Past the square was a gorgeous park that had a beautiful view of the lake. There was also a small gazebo...
handwritten on July 9, 2015
We woke up quite early this particular morning, packed our bags and traveled the streets for some morning breakfast before embarking on our journey to visit family in rural, Changsha. A driver met us in the market and such began our three hour journey to the other side of the world (it felt like.) Our driver was quite the man. I felt like, during some parts of our trip, we were speeding along dirt paths at roughly 90 miles an hour. As one should know, there are no speed limits in rural China-you simply travel at the pace you wish to travel.
I was told before landing at our destination that we were going to meet the extended family at a restaurant. Eventually, we landed at what looked to be...
handwritten on July 8, 2015
The very first day in Changsha, I was still trying hard to become accustomed to the time change. In the morning, I walked around the outdoor markets for the very first time. The interesting thing about China is that as soon as you walk outside, you are hit with four or five different scents all at once. At times, I must admit, it was a sensory overload. That particular morning, I purchased a golden, twisted, fried dough stick which tasted delicious. I also realized just how cheap the food actually was. In fact four or five different fried dough sticks cost barely one dollar in USD. In addition to my fried dough (agreed not very healthy), I purchased this bean tea. I was informed, many times...
