WALKITY WALK WALK WALK

I'm working on keeping my steps between 3500 and 5000.  Now I know some of you do over 20,000 (or at least a number that needs a comma) a day and my paltry five seems a little weenyish.  But keep in mind I am coming off three years of doing an average of fifty per day.  Having a dog and a sister to run with helps.  He is so bouncy and happy to go out there and zip around and so is she.

Anne came over one day.  We had a wonderful catch up coffee morning.  Then off to post office, bank and lunch at OJ's.

I have also been cleaning out my tan purple room. (gotta get it painted!)  I have decided that its time to get a bed and get out of that chair.  On this trip I slept in comfortable, soft, hug you beds.  And I slept unbelievably well.  The only time it got painful was the couple of times the beds were hard.  

I mentioned this to Kathy and she told me that they had a spare twin bed, the only type of bed that would fit in that teeny room.  It was a bed that Kerry's grandfather hand made!  He kept the bed from being disposed of but none of his kids wanted it.  So it was offered to me and I am gratefully accepting, and I feel honoured!!!  So, that room had to be cleared out.  It wasn't a huge job as I didn't have a whole lot in there.

Now, instead of writing about the next leg of the trip I am going to put pictures here with explanations underneath each picture.  TTYL  (I was supposed to be in Penticton this week but Kevin phoned and asked me to wait until next week)

THIS IS A TEMPLE...WITH A GIANT SCREEN ON THE OUTSIDE WALL

A FAST TRAIN SELFIE

SO MANY OF THESE SENSELESS SIGNS AROUND

THESE PICS ARE HORRIBLY OUT OF ORDER...OH WELL.  WE ARE NOW ON A SMALL BOAT GOING UP THE GORGE.  IT WAS SO VERY BEAUTIFUL.  THIS IS JIM, ONE OF OUR TOUR MATES.  HE IS A CHEMIST FOR SUNCOR BACK EAST AND A HOBBY FARMER.  

WE ARE NOW ON A FAST TRAIN AND BECAUSE THERE WAS NO FREE LUNCH, PEOPLE TOOK FOOD FROM THE BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL TO EAT ON THE TRAIN.  THIS IS SHELLY, JIM'S WIFE

THIS IS JIM....PEELING A STOLEN EGG...EATING IT WITHOUT SALT!!!!  EWWWW!!!  THE TRAIN RIDE WAS AMAZING.  WE TOOK THE TRAIN TWICE.  THE LAST RIDE, IN WUHAN WHERE WE DISEMBARKED, WE HAD THREE MINUTES TO GET OUR LUGGAGE AND OURSELVES OFF THE TRAIN.  THREE MINUTES!!!!  WE DID IT THOUGH!

THIS THE GORGE AND THAT IS ONE OF THE BOATS.  THINGS HAVE CHANGED DRASTICALLY SINCE BILL AND I WERE HERE A FEW YEARS AGO.  WE USE TO GO OUT IN SMALL SAMPANS WITH ONE OPERATOR USING A LARGE FIXED OAR.  NO MOTOR.  BEAUTIFULLY QUIET AND NOT TOO MANY BOATS.  NOW THERE ARE TONS AND TONS OF BOATS THAT HOLD ABOUT 25 PEOPLE EACH WITH LOUD MOTORS.  AND ALMOST TO THE END OF THE GORGE YOU COME ACROSS A HUGE PLATFORM WHERE ALL THE BOATS TIE UP.  YOU GET OFF, NO REAL SCENIC REASON, AND ON THE PLATFORM IS AN ENORMOUS BOOM BOX PUMPING OUT TRANCY TYPE MUSIC.  THEN A BUNCH OF CHINESE YOUTH DO A SINGING AND DANCING NUMBER OR TWO.  SO INAPPROPRIATE AND SO TYPICAL OF THE CHINESE.

NEEDLESS TO SAY THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A SINGLE MONKEY LEFT IN THE GORGE

THIS IS WHAT I REALLY CAME TO SEE.  THE DAM.  IT IS SO BIG AND WIDE YOU CAN'T GET IT ALL IN ONE PICTURE OR IT DISAPPEARS IN THE DISTANCE IN THE HAZE.  IT WAS MAGNIFICENT!!!!!

THIS IS ONE END OF MY STATEROOM ON THE RIVER BOAT

I TURNED LEFT AND THIS IS THE REST OF THE ROOM.  IT WAS AMAZING.  SO DIFFERENT THAN THE SAD ONE BILL AND I WERE ON BEFORE WITH PRINCESS CRUISES

TOTALLY OUT OF ORDER HERE....THAT WAS ABOUT THE HIGHEST SPEED WE REACHED ON THE TRAIN

PRINGLES, A FRUIT I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF, DUCK GIZZARD IN A BAG, BANANA, GRAPES, TOILET PAPER FOR NAPKINS AND A COFFEE...NOT EASY TO FIND IN CHINA

WE WERE CONSTANTLY TAKEN TO FACTORY SHOWROOMS.  WE WOULD BE GIVEN A LITTLE TOUR AND A LONG LECTURE AND THEN ENCOURAGED TO BUY BUY BUY.  WE WENT TO  JADE, SILK, OCEAN PEARL, SEED PEARL, EMBROIDERY, TEA PLANTATION, TERRA COTTA, CLOUISAN (SP),  FACTORIES.  GOT ANNOYING AFTER A WHILE.

A SCAREY WARRIOR OUTSIDE THE TERRA COTTA/LAQUOR FACTORY

I LIKED THIS LITTLE LAQUORED TABLE

THE TERRA COTTA WARRIORS IN DIG ONE.  AGAIN THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE BILL AND I WERE HERE BEFORE.  WHEN WE WERE HERE A FEW YEARS AGO THE BUS DROPPED YOU OFF AT THE DOOR OF THE ONE BUILDING, THIS ONE.  NOW THE BUS DROPS YOU OFF AN OBSCENE DISTANCE AWAY AND THERE ARE FOUR BUILDINGS....THREE OF THEM ARE NOT WORTH GOING INTO.  AND WHEN YOU LEAVE YOU TAKE A MUCH SHORTER DOABLE WALK BACK TO THE FRONT BUT THEN YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS LOOOOOOONG STUPID WALK THROUGH A MILLION BOOTHS HAWKING SHIT.  SO ANNOYING.

THE WORST SELFIE OF THE TRIP.  POOR DAN, LITTLE DID HE KNOW I CAN'T DO SELFIES

 A PURLOINED FROM HOTEL BREAKFAST (PLUS CONTENTS OF A BAGGED BREAKFAST THE HOTEL GAVE US)  ON THE FAST TRAIN AGAIN.

AT A MUSEUM/ANCIENT WALL LOCATION OUR GUIDE TOOK US TO...WITH A TON OF WALKING INVOLVED OF COURSE.