Wonderful Travels

If we don't end up coming back with BYU in Jinan we are looking into teaching here, in Xiamen next year. This place is made up of many islands. Xiamen is the largest and the one we are on Gu lan gu Island is smaller and a little like Carmel in California, Chinese style. We have had such a wonderful time here and have meet some great people who are willing to help us if we come here next year. It is quite close to Hong Kong and of course my favorite place Guilin, a place I would love for you to see. The place we are staying at is quaint a little like what you would see of college students staying in while on a trip through Europe. The first room didn't have much of a window so I upgraded it to $6 more a night and we have a window that looks out on to the street. It is on the second floor from the window, but on the first floor from the building. There is a place right next to us that is really cool, but it is about $60 to 100 a night, this one is $27.

Each day we have something great happening. Sunday we went to church at a young couples home and I had the opportunity to give the closing prayer on the telephone meeting (virtual meeting) skype meeting, all over China. They use Skype or you can us the telephone and they have Sacrament meeting and Priesthood / Relief Society one week or Sunday School the next week, always Sacrament meeting. We have the largest Branch in the world, it takes in most of China. It was this cute family with two little boys. They are here while she finishes her Dr. degree, he finish with his law degree this last year. He has a job when he gets back to LA this summer. They both went to Taiwan on their missions so they both speak Chinese. They live right on the ocean in an apt. that is really good price. So if we come next year we will hopefully get a place on the ocean. On our way back today the Gu lan gu Island we meet another couple, she taught on another island that is part of University and I think that is where we would teach and she said she would help us if we came. They have a really small twig here, like 4 couples, and that is always changing.

We start every day thinking we are on a mission and that we need to do a humanitarian project or tracking (without talking about the gospel.) It makes our days a lot more fun.

Jay has had a cold but have been making him drink ginger (we had to talk to someone who could speak a little English to give us the right name for ginger) That was fun and we got to see a lot of interesting place on Xaimen Island. Jay got a stomach flu one night and sometimes being sick in a place where very few people speak English is a little hard, but then we also know how to pray and that to help a lot. We do enjoy being together and only doing things together.

When I was in Hawaii I learned to do toasted cheese sandwiches with the iron. So at the beginning of our stay in Xiamen I went and got a iron these are some pictures of Dad making a sandwich.

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Xiamen, China, on the eastern coast, is warm and wonderful to visit. We have stayed for 10 days and enjoyed the weather and the sun and surf. No swimming is allowed as all the water, including the ocean there, is too polluted. The scenery is just beautiful here.

Chinese love art and we visited this art museum and took a gaggle of photos of pots and plates, etc. This was in a small tourist city near Suzhou, called Zhouzhuan where were there for only day tour.

Jay at the fruit market in Gu Lang Yu, an island off the main Island of Xiamen. We were intrigued by the size of these two fruits: One is a giant Mango and the other two are giant tangerine oranges.

We arrived in Suzhou, China by train. Trains are cheap.

A Brass wall mural in the ancient house of the ruler of the town of Zhouzhuan.

In Suzhou, we saw this handicapped Chinese man riding in his wheelchair, a motorized trike which was really cool.

Jay wants a wheelchair like this one if he ever needs it.

On the train from Shagahai to Suzhou. The trains travel at abouit 100 miles per hour. It took about 25 minutes to get there by train.

This scene is in Xiamen where we enjoyed a tourist park which great views. The only problem was that they charge Jay $15. yuan for a small bottle of water. Usually it costs $2. yuan in town. This constituted a serious international incident in his mind. He has never forgotten that price gouging incident and is determined to file a format complaint with the Department of Tourist Price Gouging.