Parking the RV

IN Oregon 05

Emily with us on the trip to Disneyland

Q. with us on the same trip. Great time for the 2 grandchildren with us.

In California

This was taken in November 2006. The RV is going no-where at that moment. Next is the Beamer also going no-where. So we do occasionally get snow here. These coaches are wonderful to drive and spend a few weeks in. you can check them out at www.gmcmotorhome.com and look at those for sale on the linked site : Bethune Sales. There is a great support group and clubs all over North America. We bought ours - a 1977 model - had only 27,000 original miles and in excellent shape, in Washington State and had no problem bringing into Canada. We've been to California and back, to Prince George twice, to Oregon a couple times and into Washington State plus Harrision Hot Springs.

RV

This is ourClassic Coach we so much enjoy.

Eating

We are guests in a home - a hot pot - delicious meal. Behind you can see the kitchen sink. Then to the left is what was their balcony- now kitchen - a short cabinet at each end. Two burner electric counter-top stove, a fridge and microwave. A western cook would have a time with this.

Server pouring our tea. By the way - many of the tea's we had were made from all sorts of plants/flowers. all very good.

We each had our own small hot pot - It was excellent. That's beef, the green - is spinach noodles

Here the cook is preparing to carve our Peking Duck - we watched it go into the wood bruring oven (they frost pre-cook the birds) for browning. You put it in a small tortillia (soft) and add spices and sauce.

Yummy but we passed on this selection of sea food. They will stick it on a stick and deep fry it.

This was a street vendor - it like a crepe' then something added to the centre.

Overall we really enjoyed the different foods we tried. S. mastered the chop sticks.

Forbidden City - Beijing

Behind is the first entry into the "Palace Museum". Construction began in 1406 and 24 emperors ruled the whole country from here for nearly 500 years. Much older than us!

Ceramic mural

The buildings are all done up real good - lots of detail.

Retaining wall surrounding one of the many inner courtyards.

The Palace occupies an area of over 720,000 sq.mt. (close to 8,000,000 sq ft or just under 200 acres) and has 9000 bays of halls and rooms. The surrounding walls ar 33 feet high. A moat surrounds the outside walls. The Forbidden City is divided into two parts: the outer court and the inner court.

A small kiosk on the grounds. The green pipes are supports for the leaning trees.

Summer Palace - Beijing

Summer Palace in Beijing. Built in the 1400's - much of it was burned by the English and French armies. So most of what we are looking at is a restoration job. The place is now within Beijings city limits but I think years ago it seemed far out when travelling by foot and horse. The detail is wonderful.

Sharon is colour coordinated for this place. She is my Queen - so being in a palace is not out of place for her.

Looking down on the golden colour - glazed tile roofs - courtyards - and their private lake.

This is close to where we entered the grounds. We do the walk along the lake front to the palace - then up to the top and donw th back side.

Part of the grounds.

Two happy tourists. When going there - wear very comfortable shoes with good grips. A backpack comes in real handy for - watrer, kleenex, nuts, camera, and gifts.

Cave Dwellers

There are thousands living in the hillside in this area. This cave house is occupied by a 93yr old woman - bedridden - she is laying on the tiled platform just beyond the person sitting. This platform is their bed - for the family. It is heated by the stove at one end using the underspace to capture the heat and radiate it thru the tiles. Ladies - that it for a cookstove once the wood or coal is lit.
This is looking into the back of the space - on the imediate left is the kitchen work table and shelf for cooking ingredients. Beyond that I don't know what's under the tarp. On the right are some things stored, and back towards the front they had two old dressers and a small wooden kitchen table with 3 chairs. I figure she lives here alone and her daughter and husband live in the next cave as seen in the next picture. There must be other members of the family living in their same compound. What I mean is they have an outdoor courtyard with 4 cave entries, the courtyard is fenced with a high wall of brick. a large steel gate for the entry door. Note there is electricity - although they didn't have it on and I never saw evidence for any plugs. The washroom or rather outdoor toilet is a communial thing set on the edge of the bank and wide open on one side with 3 sides of approx. 6 ft high brick. The air freshener was not working the day we were there.
This is in the inner court - this face is only face deep and the carved out caves behind. I found it very damp and musty inside. The floor was made of brick with sand joints. Not sure what they used to smoothen the walls and arched ceiling.
The hills are alive with the sound of . . . . . . well anyways they have hundreds of these structures in this area for as far as the eye can see. Some are abandoned. I was told that Chairman Mao spent time here with his army befoer he took control. They all lived in these type of structures.

Stone Tablets

There is a book I encourage you to read "Jesus in Beijing" and this is where I first learned of this tablet. I had expected to find a small building with this tablet only but much to my surprise this museum has over 1000 works on display. Earliest ones from the Han Dynasty (206BC to 220AD) This particular stone 279cm high x 99 cm wide was inscribed in 781 the author: Jingjing ( a Nestorian missionary from Persia) it was unearthed in 1623 and collected in 1907. The Nestorians brought the Gospel to China in 635 AD. via the Silk Road.
Today many Chinese attend Bible institutes in China with the vision the retrace the routes of known as the Silk road.

Some of the many other tablets behind a modern day creation.

Here we see a man in the process of producing a rubbing. He first applies then black ink then like applying wallpaper he applies the silk paper, allows it to dry then removes the paper.

Following our visit to XIAN and this museum we flew to Lansou - which is in the centre of China. Very desert like environment and in fact we were in a sand storm that started in the Gobbe desert. The air was filled with a fine yellow sand getting in your eyes and throat, nostrils, ears, hair and clothing. Not healthy because with it are pollutants.

We met a business man who stated that Christianity is a western religion. I had never given it any thought previous but the answer that came to my mind was " Christianity originated in what is Israel and it came to China more than a 1000 years before it came to North America, and while giving this answer I pulled out the rubbing purchased the day before and watched his expression when he read the rubbing from the Nestorians Tablet. God is a Good God.

Terra Cotta Soldiers

The Subterranean Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang - The 8th Wonder of the World.

Qin Shi Huang was born in 259 BC and died in 210 BC. He was only 13 when he became King. When he turned 22 he was formerlly crowned in 238 BC. He had the Prime Minister murdered and his mother put under house arrest. He developed both agriculture and the military. Under him China became a unified, multi-nationality empire under a central government. He established himself as the First Emperor. He completed projects that included a network of roads and the linking up of defensive walls and fortifications and thus began the Great Wall of China. According to estimates based on historical records, in the first 10 years of China's unification, 500,000 soldiers were sent to guard the mountains in southern China, 500,000 laborers were recruited to build the Great Wall, 300,000 troops were stationed in the north against teh Xiongnu tribes, 700,000 men engaged in the construction of the E'fang Palace and the mauseleum of the E'fang Palace and Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

In 1974 when 3 villagers began to dig for a well they struck hard earth. The pics show what they actually came across. 3 pits were discovered - 20,000 sq mt. - 8000 terracotta warriors and horses and more than 100 wooden war chariots.

These are all life size figures - possibly even bigger than the people of that day. It is an amazing museum to see. There is work still going on in the repair of figures. There are many still be to uncovered.

China Trip

This blog shows several examples of common means of transportation or transporting seen in China today.

The Beginning

We came upon this outdoor market in XIAN, the vendors stretched a block long each with their specialties. Now how appetizing does this look? We wanted to taste them but reframed from doing so.

This pic shows the perimeter water canal surrounding the Forbidden City in the centre of Beijing. The haze is actually smog.

If you look closely you will spot Sharon in the white coat and copper coloured hair. This walk on the Great Wall is truly an experience of a lifetime. This wall stretches for more than five thousand kilometers from east to west like a gigantic dragon wriggling its way across deserts, grasslands and mountains. It took more than 2 millennia to be completed, beginning from the 7th century BC until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). There were sections that the climb was at a extreme angle and care was taken to hold on the rails. Going up was difficult and more so coming down. I encourage you to make this a destination to visit.

This brick arch is located on the mountain side just outside XIAN close to where the find of the Terra Cotta Soldiers are. This hill side was where Jung had hid with some of his army and was captured. The collilition was formed and the communist party gained control over China. Jung (democratic) made it to Tiawan and set up government there.