Sid tries to slide down the hill at Kodomonokuni

Back in Japan

We enjoyed our trip to China, but were really happy to be headed back to Japan despite the continued aftershocks and threat of nuclear meltdown.  Even now, weeks later, we have to be cautious about where the vegetables we eat come from, using bottled water, and not leaving things around that could fall during an earthquake (although our apartment is on the first floor and doesn't suffer nearly as much shaking and disruption as apartments higher up). 

We were especially happy to return when we did as cherry blossoms were just beginning to bloom and we got to see them in their full glory.  It was beautiful.

 

Near the moat.

 

Sam and I rode the boats the next weekend.  There were fewer cherry blossoms and I ran us up on the rocks, but it was still very pretty and fun.  These lucky people got to float around under the cherry blossoms hanging down over the water.  But the line was too long for us.

 

Cherry blossoms at the moat.

 

The white on the water is not scum, but fallen cherry blossoms.

 

Yasakuni Jinja.

 

The Americans have tea, cake, and cookies at a little eatery after viewing the cherry blossoms.

 

You can see the cherry blossoms through the window. We will soon all weigh ten thousand pounds from eating tea and cake!

 

Sam gets a haircut.

 

Mr. Ulu helps Sam off the beehive at Kodomonokuni (Kid's Country).  We went on a school trip to here one Saturday. It was very fun.  It is a huge park with many play areas, paddle boats, farm animals, a bouncing thing,   a petting zoo.... Mr. Ulu is Sam's principal.

 

Entrance to Kodomonokuni.

 

Sam and Busra scout things out.

 

Bouncing on the bouncy thing.

 

Running up the hill in preparation for sliding down.

Last night in China

Our last night in China we went to the hotel gift shop to buy a few little things.  The shop is run by three sisters and one of them had her 7 year old son, Li, there with her. Sam and Li became fast friends.  Li studies Japanese as does Sam so that became their common language.  They played in the hotel lobby for about two hours!

 

Li gave Sam this little toy to bring home with him. It is basically an Asian hackysack.

Cute Panda Misbehaves.

Sam and the Panda.

Chengdu

From Xian we moved further south to Chengdu. This ended up being our favorite place that we visited. Here we saw even fewer westerners than anywhere else.  People essentially come to Chengdu for two reasons--to visit the Panda Preserve (there is both a breeding center in Chengdu itself and a larger Panda Preserve two hours outside the city at Bifengxia) or as a stopping point on the way to Tibet.  The countryside was absolutely beautiful around Chengdu.

So, we arrived, had to fight once again about the smoking room, and ended up with a wonderful suite that looked out over the city square.

Our first day we visited an ancient irrigation system. I was reluctant to go there as it sounded really boring. But, it was a pretty drive and a cool place. We all walked across a long bridge (one of those rope things) that swayed and swayed. It was scary but also really fun. 

 

The beautiful river at the irrigation works.  There are also lovely buildings but many of these are new.  A few years back there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed many things (including the Panda Preserve which was then moved from Woolong to Bifengxia).

 

Sam looking out at the river.

 

A pagoda on the hill overlooking the river.

 

The next day was our day to go to the Panda Preserve in Bifengxia.  It was a long drive but very pretty.  All along the roads were tea farms and rapeseed fields.

 

Rapeseed field seen from the window of our very fast moving vehicle!

 

Graham getting ready to volunteer at the Panda Preserve. Shortly after this photo was snapped he decided he looked dorky and tried to get out of volunteering. But, he put on his sunglasses (disguise-wear) and stuck it out.

 

Volunteer Sam. 

 

Sam and a panda. Pandas are very naughty. They are rather slow-moving but can be really ornery.

 

Volunteers get to hand feed some pandas, but the pandas are herded into their cages for this. They have been known to take a bit out of people when the idea pops into their heads.

 

Sam got to visit with a panda. This panda is about a year and a half old.  It was so cute to see them together.

 

The panda was supposed to go back in his enclosure after his encounter with Sam but instead he hopped up and broke a sink and then climbed back into the swing and refused to leave!

 

Sleepy panda.

 

After a long day with pandas, why not a little cup of tea?

Our last day we went to see the Leshan Buddha. I do NOT recommend this side trip. It took forever to get there and was not really all that interesting.

 

The walkways to get to the Leshan Buddha.

 

The Leshan Buddha.

 

Walking to the Leshan Buddha.

 

Pagoda at the Buddha.

 

The dragon enclosed at the Buddha.

The Buddha's big head.

An interesting site....An American kid with a Chinese lady playing a Japanese game

The Terra Cotta Soldiers in Xian

On the way to the Qin Tomb in Xian we went to the state owned terra cotta warrior factory.  I can't remember if I mentioned this or not, but we went to a lot of state owned factories (jade, pearl, silk...).  The guides, I am certain, get a kickback if you purchase something.

At the terra cotta factory Sam and Graham got the chance to be Qin warriors and Sam got to make a terra cotta soldier statue.

 

Soldier Sam.

 

Soldier Graham.

 

At the terra cotta warrior place.

 

Horses that have been excavated.

 

Soldiers. I might mention, these don't just come out of the earth looking like this.  The archeologists must carefully dig up the remains and then piece the soldiers back together. They are all in ruins.  The tomb was destroyed hundreds of years ago and most of the soldiers were broken to bits. We did not get to see the archeologists at work, but we did see several sites just now being excavated and could see what they had to work with. As I mention in my classes, each soldier has a unique face.  Qin ordered that his army be replicated (to protect him in the afterlife and maintain his power) and it is thought that the faces are the actual faces of his soldiers.

 

Close to the horses and soldiers.

 Also in Xian we went to see a pagoda. When the communists took over, many pagodas and other religious places were destroyed--the communists, of course, did not want the people to have religion.  This one was saved, though, as a man put a picture of Mao on the pagoda.

 

The pagoda captured at sunset.

 

All through China we saw these beautiful magnolia trees. We also saw different colored blossoms on what the Chinese called magnolia trees!

 

Our last night in Xian was really fun. We talked Sherry into going to dinner with us and she led us to this restaurant which was the best Chinese food I have every had. We like very spicy food and Xian is known for spicy food. This did not disappoint. I had a beef dish that had something in it that made my tongue tingle.  We all had a good laugh because Sherry can't eat Chinese food so she ordered bland food while the Americans ordered extra hot. Also, all of us ate with chopsticks and Sherry asked for a fork!

 

Sherry eats with fork; Sam eats with chopsticks.

After dinner, Sherry's mom met up with us at the hotel.  Mimi really liked Sam.

 

Mimi, Sam, and Sherry.